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"I Need a New PC!" 2015 Part 1. Read the OP and RISE ABOVE FORGED PRECISION SCIENCE

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Acrylic7

Acrylic7

Member
RGM79 said:
Spec-wise there's not a lot to differentiate the Z97-A and Z97-E, although the A model is marketed as a slightly higher end motherboard. Here's all the differences, everything else that isn't listed is the same. The Z97-E should be more than enough for most users' needs.

The Corsair 230T already has a side window, it's just not very apparent from the small preview picture. If you're looking for other suggestions, the Bitfenix Comrade (~$60) is a simple case with a case window, although I think the Corsair 230T is the better deal.

The difference between the two graphics cards is that the $315 SSC (Super Superclocked) model includes a new zero fan speed mode for low noise and has a faster factory overclock than the $325 SC (Superclocked) model. The SSC is actually cheaper right now, so it'd be the better buy.
Click to expand...
Ok thanks. Just a few more questions.
I'm going with he Asus Z97A but since this is a few dollars more http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128707 (on sale). which is better?
Also The Corsair 750d is kind pricey. I love its simplistic sleek look and the great window view. Is there a cheaper option I'm missing?
 
R

RGM79

Member
Acrylic7 said:
Ok thanks. Just a few more questions.
I'm going with he Asus Z97A but since this is a few dollars more http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128707 (on sale). which is better?
Also The Corsair 750d is kind pricey. I love its simplistic sleek look and the great window view. Is there a cheaper option I'm missing?
Click to expand...

For around $150, that's not a very good deal, the UD5H has been cheaper in the past. For that much money, you could buy the new Asus Z97-A USB 3.1 edition ($156) which comes with the new USB 3.1 connector.

As for the case, the slightly cheaper Corsair 450D ($115) sounds like the one you want, but it's still kinda expensive.
 
B

bro1

Banned
Just picked up a NH-D15 cpu cooler and it is great! Super easy to install and silent.

PM me if you want to buy a Corsair H100i with Intel mounting brackets. My new case can't fit it. $50 shipped
 
Acrylic7

Acrylic7

Member
RGM79 said:
For around $150, that's not a very good deal, the UD5H has been cheaper in the past. For that much money, you could buy the new Asus Z97-A USB 3.1 edition ($156) which comes with the new USB 3.1 connector.

As for the case, the slightly cheaper Corsair 450D ($115) sounds like the one you want, but it's still kinda expensive.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I went back down to the Asus z97A
Now I need to choose if i want the Corsair 750d full tower or the mid 450d /-_-\
And as for the ram I just saw this on slickdeals. http://slickdeals.net/f/7806601-16-...ry-kit-for-103-49-ac-free-shipping-newegg-com Is this better than what I already have selected? I see that it uses higher voltage and I'm not sure whats thats doing.
 
R

RGM79

Member
Acrylic7 said:
Thanks, I went back down to the Asus z97A
Now I need to choose if i want the Corsair 750d full tower or the mid 450d /-_-\
And as for the ram I just saw this on slickdeals. http://slickdeals.net/f/7806601-16-...ry-kit-for-103-49-ac-free-shipping-newegg-com Is this better than what I already have selected? I see that it uses higher voltage and I'm not sure whats thats doing.
Click to expand...

That Newegg deal already expired. It's not very different from the G.Skill RAM in your list. They're both 2400MHz, CL11, 2x8GB, but the Corsair model is actually $3.50 more expensive. I'd just stick with the G.Skill model which is still available.
 
C

ChoklitReign

Member
RGM79 said:
Take a look at this guide.
Click to expand...
I tried linking the real OneDrive folder in my User folder with one called OneDrive on my other hard drive and after it copied the real OD files to the dummy one it failed saying something like another process is using OneDrive; so now I have nothing in the cloud and just on my hard drive. Of course the OneDrive Sync Engine was running in Explorer. If I disabled that would it work then?
 
Acrylic7

Acrylic7

Member
RGM79 said:
That Newegg deal already expired. It's not very different from the G.Skill RAM in your list. They're both 2400MHz, CL11, 2x8GB, but the Corsair model is actually $3.50 more expensive. I'd just stick with the G.Skill model which is still available.
Click to expand...

AHh ok. So I was asking around SA as well and was told that Ram with Heatsinks can overheat.
What would you recommend with no heatsinks? And The max I'm willing to go on ram is $120.
The ddr3-xyz-123 nonsense scares me. I dont want to order the wrong thing.
 
R

RGM79

Member
Acrylic7 said:
AHh ok. So I was asking around SA as well and was told that Ram with Heatsinks can overheat.
What would you recommend with no heatsinks? And The max I'm willing to go on ram is $120.
The ddr3-xyz-123 nonsense scares me. I dont want to order the wrong thing.
Click to expand...

It's not that RAM with heatsinks can overheat, it's RAM with poorly designed or useless heatsinks can overheat because the metal cover doesn't actually conduct heat away, it acts like a blanket trapping heat in. The G.Skill RAM is fine, there's nothing really wrong with the heatsink on it. I don't think you can find high speed RAM that doesn't have heatsinks already attached, anyway.

ChoklitReign said:
I tried linking the real OneDrive folder in my User folder with one called OneDrive on my other hard drive and after it copied the real OD files to the dummy one it failed saying something like another process is using OneDrive; so now I have nothing in the cloud and just on my hard drive. Of course the OneDrive Sync Engine was running in Explorer. If I disabled that would it work then?
Click to expand...

Wait, are you just trying to change the location of your OneDrive folder? You don't need to (or should) use symbolic links. Sorry, I thought you were trying to do something else. Here, read these guides, OneDrive and Google Drive have built-in options to change where they store files.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...e-folder/147dade2-830b-46ee-bf7e-36a8eab9446a

http://www.techgainer.com/change-google-drive-default-folder-location-windows/
 
Acrylic7

Acrylic7

Member
RGM79 said:
That Newegg deal already expired. It's not very different from the G.Skill RAM in your list. They're both 2400MHz, CL11, 2x8GB, but the Corsair model is actually $3.50 more expensive. I'd just stick with the G.Skill model which is still available.
Click to expand...

Ahh ok.
So the Ram from the slickdeals page is better, no? The deal works for me. Its $103 with coupon.
 
K

Kama_1082

Banned
RGM79 said:
Spec-wise there's not a lot to differentiate the Z97-A and Z97-E, although the A model is marketed as a slightly higher end motherboard. Here's all the differences, everything else that isn't listed is the same. The Z97-E should be more than enough for most users' needs.

The Corsair 230T already has a side window, it's just not very apparent from the small preview picture. If you're looking for other suggestions, the Bitfenix Comrade (~$60) is a simple case with a case window, although I think the Corsair 230T is the better deal.

The difference between the two graphics cards is that the $315 SSC (Super Superclocked) model includes a new zero fan speed mode for low noise and has a faster factory overclock than the $325 SC (Superclocked) model. The SSC is actually cheaper right now, so it'd be the better buy.



Here's my version of your parts list, it has better RAM, a more reliable hard drive brand, a faster GTX 970, and a slightly better power supply. All in all it comes in about $40 cheaper.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($187.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($71.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0 Video Card ($315.04 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 310 ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $0.00)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($87.79 @ OutletPC)
Total: $815.28
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-18 15:11 EDT-0400

If possible, I recommend going with the i5 4690K and a Z97 motherboard, it'll be overclockable and have a longer useful life than the i5 4590. It should only cost a little bit more. It's actually cheaper than going with the i5 4590 and H97 motherboard if you can get the bundle from Microcenter.

If you're willing, Windows 7/8.1 licenses can be bought from reddit's microsoftsoftwareswap for $20 or less. These are most likely legitimate keys that are resold from educational programs like Technet or Dreamspark. However, you are dealing with a person instead of a retailer, and informal Windows keys sales are unapproved by Microsoft and probably breaking some licensing agreement to be clear, but it's not illegal. The risks involved are that the person could be selling you a fake or used key, or that Microsoft may deactivate your license and refuse to reactivate it, although it's somewhat unlikely, usually only if the seller and their list of sold keys was caught. We've had people here using those keys without issues for a long time and others who say Microsoft deactivated their key after several months.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the help! That should be good for most games at 1080p/60fps right?
 
J

Jonny Rizzo

Member
I will be purchasing a GTX 960 to replace my aging GTX 570-- which still is performing quite well for what I need it to do for now, but The Witcher 3 looks like it might not play well or at all on it.

There are several different options and configurations of the card, what I'm concerned about most is the amount of Ram included. Is the 4GB card worth the extra $30-40 if I'm never setting my resolution above 1080p?

I'm mainly concerned about playing games at steady frame rates. I don't mind if I have to lower graphic quality to keep things running fluid.

The two cards in question:
2GB model: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487091
4GB model: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487128
 
I

Instro

Member
Trying to do some tech support on my parents computer. Need a bit of assistance though:

-I hit the power button, no led light turning on, seemingly no mobo power, but fans turn on. It will sit like that until shut off. Once shut off, it will power on fine after that, so it only seems to be an issue if the computer has been off for several hours?

-Mobo is 7-8 years old. Looks like it has a small fan that is not turning on at all. Not sure if that could cause a problem.

-I've checked all the wires and made sure everything is fully plugged in, dusted it out as well.

-Would I be right in thinking that the RAM might be at fault? I know they've been having some crashing issues of late. Otherwise it might be the mobo itself I suppose, but its hard to test since its not a consistent issue.

Thoughts?
 
W

Walshicus

Member
I've got a 500 gig SSD arriving in a few minutes - are there any tools out there that can help migrate my Windows install over to it painlessly?
 
K

Kayant

Member
CcrooK said:
Alright good. Been being completely fickle with my purchase but I wanted to try going green this time with a GPU.
Click to expand...

Ha ;) Not sure where u are but u can check the MSI 4G twin frozr(The red one) as that may be cheaper and also has the silent mode.
 
LowParry

LowParry

Member
Kayant said:
Ha ;) Not sure where u are but u can check the MSI 4G twin frozr(The red one) as that may be cheaper and also has the silent mode.
Click to expand...

Thought about it but my buddy has the ASUS brand and highly recommended it. Only pushing for 1080p gaming but it is due time for a new GPU. Time to pass on the ol'7950 card into the stockpile for smaller computers
 
K

Kayant

Member
CcrooK said:
Thought about it but my buddy has the ASUS brand and highly recommended it. Only pushing for 1080p gaming but it is due time for a new GPU. Time to pass on the ol'7950 card into the stockpile for smaller computers
Click to expand...

Fair enough can't go wrong with either. I personally have the MSI and its been a dream. The silent mode is really great especially because I have a power supply also with the same feature. Yh the 970 with be great for that and playing with DSR at 2k+ with older games. I just hope the Vram issue doesn't become too much of an issue. GTA V is a killer in that regard although we can always lower some settings ;)
 
S

sackboy2197

Member
Is there any difference between Crucial BX100 and MX100 models? They have pretty much the same price, so I was wondering which one is supposedly better.

Also, I'm kinda coming around to the idea of buying Windows 8.1 on r/microsoftsoftwareswap. I would just buy the key there, download the Microsoft Creation Tool, put the key and download the iso, and then plug it in my soon-to-be computer, right?
I feel a bit bad about it, but at the same time the difference in price is really high. I was thinking of going for a higher capacity SSD with what I will/would save.
 
C

Chesskid1

Banned
spent all day configuring my new i5 + mobo. first time installing windows in like 4 years. apparently the windows 7 disk i had was like one of the firsts and i have to install a million updates including service pack 1. kept getting crashes and crap on the desktop trying to install the updates. installed all my chipset drivers and that fixed it. apparently the stuff the plugs into the front of my tower (usb, fan controller, power button) became unhooked at the front and i thought i was screwed. was a huge pain in the ass but everything seems to be okay now.

seems my old heatsink from my phenom II (n520) won't fit b/c i didn't have the proper brackets. bummer, should have done more research. using the stock one for now.

gonna order the evo 212 everyone has.

i also need the following cables if anyone could link me (whatever place is cheapest, as long as i get it this week)

i need an extension cable for the 8pin power connector for i can run it behind the motherboard.

i also need an extension for the power cable for hdd/ssd/optical drivers. (no idea what they are called). my power supply only has two cords for these (/w 3 connections each) and i can't reach my optical drive, mechanical hdds and ssd at once.

thanks so much guys. i was so annoyed for like 5-6 hours wondering if i could get everything up and running again but everything is setup. i'm really anal about making it the same as my old install and everything is coming together.

i also picked up a mechanical keyboard and man they are so nice.
 
H

H4r4kiri

Member
RGM79 said:
I know you have the MSI model, I am just saying that AMD says the R9 290 design is normally expected to run at temperatures up to and including 94 degrees. Obviously if you can get lower temperatures it is better, but apparently 92 degrees is OK according to AMD. Try using Catalyst Control Center to control fan speed.
Click to expand...

Okay so I sued the Catalyst Control Center and put the fan speed to 85% and it still ran hot as hell, sometimes even 94*C...
I want to see the CPU temps now. Should or can I use Afterburner or is another programm better ?
 
T

Tc91

Member
Soooo, the problem seems like it was the higher mhz RAM. I ordered some new 1333mhz Kingston HyperX and it works, 16gb installed now.

Strange, only thing I can think of is my motherboard only supports 1333mhz overclocked to higher mhz? Not stock 1866 or whatever.

Well, thank you RGM79 for putting up with me haha.
 
W

wailghost

Neo Member
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($226.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.95 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($63.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($108.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Need help. See below.
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($56.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Need help. See below.
Total: $620.88 (before Video Card and Power Supply)

It's for gaming. I play at a 1920x1200 resolution. Ideally I'd like to keep the price between $1100-$1200.

I can't afford the GTX 980, so what are the next best options out there from both AMD and Nvidia?
Should I be concerned about the GTX 970's 3.5GB of VRAM if I were to go with that card? I see this come up a lot while scrolling through reviews. Under what circumstances does this becomes an issue?

As for the PSU, how many watts will I need? I'd like to go with a modular PSU. Any specific recommendations would be extremely helpful. I may overclock the CPU in the future, so I want to make sure the PSU can handle that as well.

I can provide more information if necessary. Thank you for the help and insight! I'm excited to finally upgrade from my Core 2 Quad Duo and GTS 250 lol.
 
I

Idba

Member
wailghost said:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($226.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.95 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($63.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($108.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Need help. See below.
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($56.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Need help. See below.
Total: $620.88 (before Video Card and Power Supply)

It's for gaming. I play at a 1920x1200 resolution. Ideally I'd like to keep the price between $1100-$1200.

I can't afford the GTX 980, so what are the next best options out there from both AMD and Nvidia?
Should I be concerned about the GTX 970's 3.5GB of VRAM if I were to go with that card? I see this come up a lot while scrolling through reviews. Under what circumstances does this becomes an issue?

As for the PSU, how many watts will I need? I'd like to go with a modular PSU. Any specific recommendations would be extremely helpful. I may overclock the CPU in the future, so I want to make sure the PSU can handle that as well.

I can provide more information if necessary. Thank you for the help and insight! I'm excited to finally upgrade from my Core 2 Quad Duo and GTS 250 lol.
Click to expand...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($226.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.95 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($63.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($108.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($323.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 300R Windowed ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($29.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1115.35
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-19 07:33 EDT-0400

Added a 1TB drive, Asus 970, better windowed case and wifi+bluetooth adapter. This will be more than enough for 1200p gaming. If you don't care for wifi and windowed cases, you can cut them out and maybe upgrade SSD or get Corsair H100i for better cpu overclock abilities, but for now the 212 and 650w psu is enough for overclocking to 4+ghz
 
H

H4r4kiri

Member
lordfuzzybutt said:
Hwinfo64
Click to expand...

RGM79 said:
T


I know you have the MSI model, I am just saying that AMD says the R9 290 design is normally expected to run at temperatures up to and including 94 degrees. Obviously if you can get lower temperatures it is better, but apparently 92 degrees is OK according to AMD. Try using Catalyst Control Center to control fan speed.
Click to expand...

So now I used HW Monitor to record and display things. I hope I chose the right picks.
on HW my GPU diode temp was 94 ! while fan speed was 100%
My CPU Core Max was 60'C.
How does it look ?
 
L

lordfuzzybutt

Member
H4r4kiri said:
So now I used HW Monitor to record and display things. I hope I chose the right picks.
on HW my GPU diode temp was 94 ! while fan speed was 100%
My CPU Core Max was 60'C.
How does it look ?
Click to expand...

Well 94 is under load I hope? Then it is as high as it will go before downclocking itself.
The CPU temp is good.
 
R

RGM79

Member
Sir Fragula said:
I've got a 500 gig SSD arriving in a few minutes - are there any tools out there that can help migrate my Windows install over to it painlessly?
Click to expand...

I like Macrium Reflect Free edition.

Jonny Rizzo said:
I will be purchasing a GTX 960 to replace my aging GTX 570-- which still is performing quite well for what I need it to do for now, but The Witcher 3 looks like it might not play well or at all on it.

There are several different options and configurations of the card, what I'm concerned about most is the amount of Ram included. Is the 4GB card worth the extra $30-40 if I'm never setting my resolution above 1080p?

I'm mainly concerned about playing games at steady frame rates. I don't mind if I have to lower graphic quality to keep things running fluid.

The two cards in question:
2GB model: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487091
4GB model: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487128
Click to expand...

We're beginning to see games go over 2GB of VRAM usage on higher settings at 1080p, GTAV may be just the beginning. If you don't mind lowering settings then 2GB is alright.

If AMD is an option for you, the price-to-performance of the GTX 960 generally isn't as good as the R9 280X 3GB /R9 290 4GB which tends to be available for around the same price range as the GTX 960 2GB/4GB.

sackboy2197 said:
Is there any difference between Crucial BX100 and MX100 models? They have pretty much the same price, so I was wondering which one is supposedly better.

Also, I'm kinda coming around to the idea of buying Windows 8.1 on r/microsoftsoftwareswap. I would just buy the key there, download the Microsoft Creation Tool, put the key and download the iso, and then plug it in my soon-to-be computer, right?
I feel a bit bad about it, but at the same time the difference in price is really high. I was thinking of going for a higher capacity SSD with what I will/would save.
Click to expand...

The MX100 should have slightly higher performance. The BX100 isn't a bad buy by any means, though. Yes, that's all you need to do to download Windows.

Be wary of those reddit keys, we've had one or two people mention that their keys have become deactivated a couple pages back. Still worth a try if you want to save money, though.

Chesskid1 said:
spent all day configuring my new i5 + mobo. first time installing windows in like 4 years. apparently the windows 7 disk i had was like one of the firsts and i have to install a million updates including service pack 1. kept getting crashes and crap on the desktop trying to install the updates. installed all my chipset drivers and that fixed it. apparently the stuff the plugs into the front of my tower (usb, fan controller, power button) became unhooked at the front and i thought i was screwed. was a huge pain in the ass but everything seems to be okay now.

seems my old heatsink from my phenom II (n520) won't fit b/c i didn't have the proper brackets. bummer, should have done more research. using the stock one for now.

gonna order the evo 212 everyone has.

i also need the following cables if anyone could link me (whatever place is cheapest, as long as i get it this week)

i need an extension cable for the 8pin power connector for i can run it behind the motherboard.

i also need an extension for the power cable for hdd/ssd/optical drivers. (no idea what they are called). my power supply only has two cords for these (/w 3 connections each) and i can't reach my optical drive, mechanical hdds and ssd at once.

thanks so much guys. i was so annoyed for like 5-6 hours wondering if i could get everything up and running again but everything is setup. i'm really anal about making it the same as my old install and everything is coming together.

i also picked up a mechanical keyboard and man they are so nice.
Click to expand...

Take a look here for some CPU power cable extensions. The kind of extensions you need for powering drives are just called SATA power extension cables, see here.

Tc91 said:
Soooo, the problem seems like it was the higher mhz RAM. I ordered some new 1333mhz Kingston HyperX and it works, 16gb installed now.

Strange, only thing I can think of is my motherboard only supports 1333mhz overclocked to higher mhz? Not stock 1866 or whatever.

Well, thank you RGM79 for putting up with me haha.
Click to expand...

At least you got the issue identified. The motherboard should support it, but apparently it just doesn't like higher speed RAM. Really weird. All memory above 1333MHz or so is technically overclocked.

H4r4kiri said:
So now I used HW Monitor to record and display things. I hope I chose the right picks.
on HW my GPU diode temp was 94 ! while fan speed was 100%
My CPU Core Max was 60'C.
How does it look ?
Click to expand...

The CPU temperature is fine, nothing wrong with that. I wonder if your graphics card cooler might be defective. You could try taking apart the cooler yourself, but perhaps try contacting MSI for a warranty return if the R9 290 is still under coverage.
 
P

PhantomZone

Member
littlegrasshopper said:
current setup
i5-3570k
EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Superclocked ACX 2.0
16gb ddr3

I feel like my CPU is bottle necking my GPU. I want to upgrade it. I'm thinking of getting an i7-5930K, a new mobo and some ddr4 ram. My question is should I wait for skylate CPUs to be released or should I just get the i7-5930k. I don't mind waiting if its right around the corner of being released.

i7-5930K or skylate?
Click to expand...

Sorry for hijacking just giving my own comment as I have a similar setup. Playing GTA V over the last few days has me pondering when I should make the plunge and get a whole new system.

My current system: I5 3570k (not clocked), 8gb ram, MSI GTX 780 Ti, 750w Antec power supply.

All I can really do to it now is upgrade the ram and overclock the i5 chip - (something I have started to read up on, but not overly confident in doing despite being in the computer industry lol). I chop and change my dvd drives regularly (sometimes I want to use blu-rays, other times I am happy with just dvd functionality).


Anyway with GTA V's release I have an interest in seeing what the technology might be like in 3-5 years time. We might still be a fair way off cpu chip's being able to reach 5.0 ghz (without an overclock) BUT imagine how a graphically intense game would run on superior hardware in 5+ years. I would think they would look really good AND run super fast (kind of like running the Sierra adventure games on Pentium 3/4 processors lol).
 
P

Photolysis

Banned
So my rig arrived on Friday. Expensive, but crazy.

Currently testing my 5960X at 4.5GHz @ 1.275V. While it needs an extended stress test, the fact it boots into Windows and passes brief stress tests designed to give a rough feel at 1.265V suggests it could be a good chip.
 
V

velociraptor

Junior Member
I sold my 6950 for $100 on eBay.

Don't know what to do now. Should I buy a 970 GTX or should I wait for the new AMD GPUs? And what about nvidia's 2016 cards?

How well do GPUs retain their value within a space of a year or two?
 
S

SarBear

Member
So I know I'm supposed to be testing temperatures and such. Making sure my over clock is stable. I've got OCCT, Prime95, and 3d mark.

This is my setup:

I7-5820k @4.3 @ 1.20 v
16 gb 2400 ram
Msi x99s sli
Msi 980gtx
Phanteks phtc14pe cooler


What tests should i run and what data should I be looking for? I always see about idle, full load, and max. Any insight is appreciated.
 
M

Matty8787

Member
So I noticed that the GPU slot on my mobo is PCI E X16 2.0 but if I go SLI they both drop to PCI E X8. What effect will that have on performance.

Want to be absolutely sure before I buy.
 
O

owasog

Member
RGM79 said:
We're beginning to see games go over 2GB of VRAM usage on higher settings at 1080p, GTAV may be just the beginning. If you don't mind lowering settings then 2GB is alright.
Click to expand...
The beginning?

Watch Dogs
Wolfenstein
Thief
Shadow of Mordor
AC: Unity
Dying Light
GTA V

If you want full detail in modern games, 2GB is simply out of the question.
 
M

Matty8787

Member
styl3s said:
Maybe someone can help me out real quick. I build a PC a couple months back and my GTX 980 has like 4 display ports and 1 HDMI and my 2 monitors only have HDMI. Is there a way i can do HDMI from my 2nd monitor to Display port to my PC?

Do i need a male > male cable like this?
HDMI male to female display adapter?
Click to expand...

http://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-DisplayPort-Adapter-Indicator/dp/B005BV75SI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1429451436&sr=8-3&keywords=hdmi+to+displayport

That would work I think.
 
H

H4r4kiri

Member
RGM79 said:
The CPU temperature is fine, nothing wrong with that. I wonder if your graphics card cooler might be defective. You could try taking apart the cooler yourself, but perhaps try contacting MSI for a warranty return if the R9 290 is still under coverage.
Click to expand...

lordfuzzybutt said:
Well 94 is under load I hope? Then it is as high as it will go before downclocking itself.
The CPU temp is good.
Click to expand...

The 94 was when I played the Witcher 2, but now a fun fact, that I just don't understand.
I set the graphics from high to Ultra, but switched of the "bloom" effect and now it peaks to just 84 with 64 fan control ?
That is some weird stuff.
 
S

sackboy2197

Member
RGM79 said:
The MX100 should have slightly higher performance. The BX100 isn't a bad buy by any means, though. Yes, that's all you need to do to download Windows.

Be wary of those reddit keys, we've had one or two people mention that their keys have become deactivated a couple pages back. Still worth a try if you want to save money, though.
Click to expand...
That's what I thought regarding the SSD, I'll probably go for the BX100 which I think is more than good enough for my uses.
I'm still not 100% sure on the key. Do you know if it happens often that keys become deactivated? I still think it might be worth it if it "lasts" at least a couple of months, but I'm not sure. It would be about 80€ less for buying the key there rather than the dvd on Amazon, so it is quite tempting.
 
M

Midlife Crysis

Neo Member
Any GAFers using Dell's new-ish 27 inch IPS monitor for PC gaming (U2715H)? I need to build a new PC and am thinking of combining a Nvida GTX 980 card with a 1440p screen. I'd also like to use the screen for my PS4 and XBone -- nice to have dual hdmi inputs on the Dell - so I am also interested in hearing if people have had decent experiences using it -- or other 1440p screens -- with 1080 console games.

I know that the Dell isn't an optimal "gaming" monitor (60hz, no GSync etc) but I need something to use as my home office work screen too. I'm a lawyer and thus am mostly working with words not color sensitive images. But I still like the idea of bigger screen, more real estate, better colors etc, over one of the 24-inch TN gaming panels so long as the Dell will be "pretty good" for games. I am also a mediocre p v p player (hey I'm old!) so I don't think that a slower IPS response time will make a huge difference for me -- although I guess that I could use it as an excuse for losing. :)

Thanks!
 
Z

Zaraki_Kenpachi

Member
Do you guys think I need to upgrade yet? I still have an Athlon II X4 640 and GTX 570. I want the new dark souls 2 but not sure if it can handle it? I haven't bought any games at release so I haven't had problems.


I have an after market cooler to overclock the CPU if necessary.
 
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