Support NeoGAF

[JonCha]

Right, so here's my preliminary build:

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 3.4GHz
Motherboard: BIOSTAR TZ77B
RAM: G.Skill Ares 1600
Graphics: GTX460 1GB
Storage: Samsung F3 500GB/Samsung F3 1TB (is 1TB worth the extra money for an almost exclusive-for-gaming machine?)
Power supply: Antec VP450 450W
Case: BitFenix Shinobi
Optical drive: ASUS DRW-24B1ST

So, my questions:

1) I've read the X4 CPU is very, very hot and not power efficient. Will the Shinobi reduce the heat, and how severe can power consumption get? We already use a fair amount of electricity here.
2) As said, this is going to be for gaming only. Is 1TB really worth it?
3) Do I need an optical drive to install Windows 7 and retail games, or will a DVD drive be with the Shinobi?

And of course, will this all work well together? Thanks.

 

[brotkasten]

Finally got around to put everything together and I'm kinda disappointed that booting Windows on the Maximus V takes longer than with my old Gigabye P35.

 

[Ace 8095]

Looks like I'll be getting the 670.

 

[papercut]

Noctua NH-D14.

50 Minutes and counting...

Should I drop the voltage a little?

It's really only one core that's running that high. The other three are 5C cooler on average.

Did you test at 4.4 and 4.5 ghz? If so, what temps were you getting?

 

[RS4-]

Ivy Bridge runs hotter than Sandy Bridge, no one is entirely sure why.

Whoops my mistake; somehow I read 2500k, must've been another post.

 

[Manp]

There's nowhere to uninstall the ATI software.

If I go to 'uninstall programs', it says AMD Radeon Catalyst Control Center" but it doesn't give me the uninstall option. Just "repair".

should give you the "change" option. if you click it it shoud give you the option to remove all the ati software.

if not run the installer again (should be under C:\AMD\Support\catalystversionfolder\setup.exe), it should give you the option to uninstall.

 

[clav]

When do you guys think the HD7000 series line will drop in prices?

I'm thinking after summer.

Currently have a 9800 GT (eco no pci-e connector), and I focus my builds on low power consumption and low heat.

That idle heat is scaring me even though I have a dedicated 120mm fan cooling it.

Finally got around to put everything together and I'm kinda disappointed that booting Windows on the Maximus V takes longer than with my old Gigabye P35.

Still rocking on a LGA775 build here. Just got a SSD, and with Windows 8, I don't have to wait.

 

[MrCunningham]

OK, Compu-GAF, I need some advice.

I'm looking to build a new PC, and am wondering if I should go with the trusty old i5 2500k or go with the newer i5 3550? From what I understand, both these CPU's are similar in performance, but the lower power wattage on the 3550 makes it a little more appealing, but I also hear that this CPU runs very hot. Is it worth getting over a 2500k?

I'm sure this question was asked before in this thread, But I don't really want to dig through 167 pages.

[EDIT] Oops, this is already being discussed on this page.

 

[Edvardelis]

Did you test at 4.4 and 4.5 ghz? If so, what temps were you getting?

Dropped to 4.5 Ghz via the multiplier. Didn't do anything to temperatures. Could try 4.4 Ghz. I suspect I have to fiddle with the VCore but it's set to auto adjust in BIOS so I'll have to go that route since the Windows tuner doesn't seem to have an option for that.

Machine is stable, just the CPU is running a little hot. Might be fine now that's spring, but come summer...

 

[Omiee]

guys will 2 ati direct cu 2 6970's fit in this case.

http://www.fractal-design.com/?view=product&category=2&prod=69

what would you guys recommend, this case or the corsair 600t.

i want a really quit case.

 

[brotkasten]

Still rocking on a LGA775 build here. Just got a SSD, and with Windows 8, I don't have to wait.

I have Windows 7 on my SSD and even though booting Windows on the MV doesn't take long, it was still quicker on my old mainboard, where the glowing orbs never came to form the Windows flag.

 

[snack]

guys will 2 ati direct cu 2 6970's fit in this case.

http://www.fractal-design.com/?view=product&category=2&prod=69

what would you guys recommend, this case or the corsair 600t.

i want a really quit case.

The 600t is bauss. I'd take that.

 

[Sh1ner]

I am in uk, this is what I got at the moment:
e6600 2.4 ghz core 2 duo
msi 975x platinum pro motherboard < its fucked, usb controller errors out on me half the time.
ati 5850
4 gb ddr 2 ram
Tagan TG500-BZ 500W Power Supply
2 7500 hd - 1 80gb other 750gb
x fi extreme music sound card

I am thinking of upgrading to a i5 2500k cpu+ motherboard combo. I believe I got spare ddr3 ram about here somewhere.
+ a decent ssd around 80gb.

Hopefully this will cover me for gaming at 1440 by 900 for this year. I am I only need to upgrade my GPU in Q4 2013 if required. I will be ocing the cpu when desperate times hit.

The upgrade is going to cost me about 300 quid according to PC Parts Picker. Is it worth upgrading now or should I wait another month? I am hoping to play max payne 3 when its out. I can wait until a week before it releases to upgrade my parts.

Any opinions?

 

[MrCunningham]

I am thinking of upgrading to a i5 2500k cpu+ motherboard combo.

I'm thinking the same thing. But I am unsure if I should go with the 2500K or get the third gen i5, the 3550. But after reading more thoughts on the 3550, I may just get the 2500k. Some of the issues I've read about the high 3550 core temperatures make me a bit skeptical.

 

[terrdactycalsrock]

whats the differences between Intel® Core™ i3 2120 3.3GHz 3MB L3 Cache GT1 and the

Intel® Core™ i5 2320 3.0GHz/3.3GHz Turbo 6MB L3 Cache GT1?

 

[Sh1ner]

I am in uk, this is what I got at the moment:
e6600 2.4 ghz core 2 duo
msi 975x platinum pro motherboard < its fucked, usb controller errors out on me half the time.
ati 5850
4 gb ddr 2 ram
Tagan TG500-BZ 500W Power Supply
2 7500 hd - 1 80gb other 750gb
x fi extreme music sound card

I am thinking of upgrading to a i5 2500k cpu+ motherboard combo. I believe I got spare ddr3 ram about here somewhere.
+ a decent ssd around 80gb.

Hopefully this will cover me for gaming at 1440 by 900 for this year. I am I only need to upgrade my GPU in Q4 2013 if required. I will be ocing the cpu when desperate times hit.

The upgrade is going to cost me about 300 quid according to PC Parts Picker. Is it worth upgrading now or should I wait another month? I am hoping to play max payne 3 when its out. I can wait until a week before it releases to upgrade my parts.

Any opinions?

1st Revision of my upgrade.
PCPartsPicker:
CPU Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor £167.34
Motherboard ASRock P67 PRO3 SE ATX LGA1155 Motherboard £64.03
Hard Drive Crucial m4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk £89.99
Total: £321.36

Everything from Ebuyer.

edit: fuck I found the ram, its ddr3 2x1gb sticks, more accurately:
2x Corsair CNSx1024-1333C9DHX

So I also need to buy ram :|

edit 2: this looks reasonable:
Memory Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory £70.00
was considering getting DDR3-1866 but its nearly twice the price and I doubt it will make that much of a difference.
PCPartPkr link: http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/p/7Nit
That's brings my build total to £391.36. Reasonable alternatives to lower this sum would be considered. I rather not break the £400 mark if I can avoid it.
Earliest time I will be upgrading is probably 17th May 2012.

 

[lordy88]

Hey guys, quick question.

If I get this motherboard or this motherboard, will I be able to install both a Geforce 560ti card and this wireless card?

Thanks for any help.

 

[Danielsan]

Man. I can't believe that picking a case is turning out to be the hardest part for me. On the one hand I really don't want to pay more than €50-70 for the case. On the other hand, it appears to be a more important part than I previously imagined.

 

[cilonen]

whats the differences between Intel® Core™ i3 2120 3.3GHz 3MB L3 Cache GT1 and the

Intel® Core™ i5 2320 3.0GHz/3.3GHz Turbo 6MB L3 Cache GT1?

The i5 2320 has 4 cores whereas the i3 2120 has 2. You'll notice the impact of more cores in gaming - most games are multi-core aware.

The i7 is also a 4 core processor but has more threads than the i5, useful for hyperthread-aware software and tasks like media encoding but not so much for gaming as pretty much no games are written to take advantage of hyperthreading.

 

[Squall ASF]

Hey guys, question! Can I use the same power cable from the PSU for both the HDD and SSD? There's only one other PSU cable and it's not compatible with either so I think that's just extra for something else (it's molex style). So the cable I have going into the HDD has a few extra connecters in the middle of the cable and one of them I can snap into the SSD. Is this ok to have both going from the same cable? Or does my PSU somehow not have enough cables?

 

[lordy88]

Alright, I made an entire build for my friend to play Diablo 3 when it comes out.

http://i.imgur.com/tFGa2.png

The total is $568.71. I have a cd drive and 4 gigs of ram (2x 2gig) to give him, so that's not included. Is everything compatible with each other? Will I be able to fit both the graphics card and wireless card inside of this motherboard?

Thanks again for any help in advance.

 

[MrBig]

Hey guys, quick question.

If I get this motherboard or this motherboard, will I be able to install both a Geforce 560ti card and this wireless card?

Thanks for any help.

Keeping the same price, this would be a better choice

Hey guys, question! Can I use the same power cable from the PSU for both the HDD and SSD? There's only one other PSU cable and it's not compatible with either so I think that's just extra for something else (it's molex style). So the cable I have going into the HDD has a few extra connecters in the middle of the cable and one of them I can snap into the SSD. Is this ok to have both going from the same cable? Or does my PSU somehow not have enough cables?

That is the exact reason that there are multiple connectors on the same cable.

 

[Squall ASF]

That is the exact reason that there are multiple connectors on the same cable.

Thanks for answering, that was probably a stupid question but I read online that you can have too much going on for one cable and it could fry things. Appreciate it! This noob is so close to finishing his first gaming build and it's going to be a monster! (if it works...)

 

[1-D_FTW]

Alright, I made an entire build for my friend to play Diablo 3 when it comes out.

http://i.imgur.com/tFGa2.png

The total is $568.71. I have a cd drive and 4 gigs of ram (2x 2gig) to give him, so that's not included. Is everything compatible with each other? Will I be able to fit both the graphics card and wireless card inside of this motherboard?

Thanks again for any help in advance.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...tion&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-cables-_-na-_-na

The GTX 460 is a much better GPU and you can get it for 99.99 after rebate (139.99 - 40 dollar rebate) + NBA 2K11.

EDIT: The user reviews are TERRIBLE on newegg. Maybe it's best to avoid.

 

[Omiee]

The 600t is bauss. I'd take that.

i think the 600t white looks good as well. but i have a haf and its to loud. i really want a quit case. that can handle my 2 6970 direct cu II's.

 

[terrdactycalsrock]

The i5 2320 has 4 cores whereas the i3 2120 has 2. You'll notice the impact of more cores in gaming - most games are multi-core aware.

The i7 is also a 4 core processor but has more threads than the i5, useful for hyperthread-aware software and tasks like media encoding but not so much for gaming as pretty much no games are written to take advantage of hyperthreading.

thanks, thats exactly what I needed to know

 

[MrBig]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...tion&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-cables-_-na-_-na

The GTX 460 is a much better GPU and you can get it for 99.99 after rebate (139.99 - 40 dollar rebate) + NBA 2K11.

EDIT: The user reviews are TERRIBLE on newegg. Maybe it's best to avoid.

Evga's reference version looks to have fine reviews at $120 AR.

 

[lordy88]

Keeping the same price, this would be a better choice

Thanks for the suggestion, but I save $18 taking the USB 3.0 model when I pair it with the CPU. You can see the build here: http://i.imgur.com/tFGa2.png

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...tion&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-cables-_-na-_-na

The GTX 460 is a much better GPU and you can get it for 99.99 after rebate (139.99 - 40 dollar rebate) + NBA 2K11.

EDIT: The user reviews are TERRIBLE on newegg. Maybe it's best to avoid.

Ah, I think i'll stick with the gtx 550 then. Thanks though.

 

[MrCunningham]

Keeping the same price, this would be a better choice

Speaking of motherboards, does anyone know if this would be a good fit for a 2500k?

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128495

 

[Sabas]

Anyone here use Newegg Preferred account before? I had about $2000 in credit but when I was going to order my build...Declined.

Just really trying to get a new gaming rig after my laptop died.

Spoiler

(Asus G73SW, died right after the warranty expired, lol).

 

[Peterthumpa]

Just finished replacing my old case with the Corsair 600T White SE.

It looks completely stunning:

And cooling performance is top noch from what I've seen until now, absolutely recommended. Sorry for the crappy pics, iPhone 4S camera at night blows.

 

[Danielsan]

Well I think I've just finalized my build. I decided to drop the third party CPU cooler for the time being to save costs and buy a nicer case. It's a bit more expensive than I would have liked, but I feel like skimping on the case would be a poor decision. What do you guys think? This setup should be able to last me for a bit right?

http://tweakers.net/gallery/452824#tab:wenslijst

 

[Ty4on]

guys will 2 ati direct cu 2 6970's fit in this case.

http://www.fractal-design.com/?view=product&category=2&prod=69

what would you guys recommend, this case or the corsair 600t.

i want a really quit case.

Have you looked at the Define R3?

 

[_woLf]

So my Corsair H100 cooler pump makes this weird rattling noise....I did research and people make custom power thingers to fix it, but it requires soldering and I don't know how to do that. is there any other fix other than that and RMAing?

 

[Doc Holliday]

argh the 3770k is sold out at Microcenter and Newegg! I knew I should have pulled the trigger when i had the chance :/

 

[Lingitiz]

Posted this before but I'll try one more time. What's the best setup for 3 case fans? I have one in the rear of the case already so it would really be just 2.

 

[MrBig]

Posted this before but I'll try one more time. What's the best setup for 3 case fans? I have one in the rear of the case already so it would really be just 2.

For positive air pressure: Intake in the the front and top, exhaust in the back, and a push towards the back with the cpu cooler. For negative you can make the top an exhaust.

 

[mkenyon]

So my Corsair H100 cooler pump makes this weird rattling noise....I did research and people make custom power thingers to fix it, but it requires soldering and I don't know how to do that. is there any other fix other than that and RMAing?

It's air bubbles. Some people fix it by plugging it into a voltage based fan controller and set it at max. Mine worked it out through about a week of flicking hard with my finger every now and then and just running it.

Also make sure it's plugged directly into power, not your motherboard.

 

[mkenyon]

Anyone here use Newegg Preferred account before? I had about $2000 in credit but when I was going to order my build...Declined.

Just really trying to get a new gaming rig after my laptop died.

Spoiler

(Asus G73SW, died right after the warranty expired, lol).

Yeah, I have one for my business. Not sure why a Healthcare Administration company needs a 7970, but the IRS hasn't asked yet so it's all good.


Sorry on the double post. Long day.

 

[_woLf]

It's air bubbles. Some people fix it by plugging it into a voltage based fan controller and set it at max. Mine worked it out through about a week of flicking hard with my finger every now and then and just running it.

Also make sure it's plugged directly into power, not your motherboard.

Do you mean make sure the molex is plugged into the power, or the fan connector? I have the fan one plugged into the CPU_FAN slot on my mobo, and the molex into the PSU.

 

[Oxn]

Just finished replacing my old case with the Corsair 600T White SE.

It looks completely stunning:

And cooling performance is top noch from what I've seen until now, absolutely recommended. Sorry for the crappy pics, iPhone 4S camera at night blows.

Hey you love the color White Just like me. White Ram and White HSF too? WoW.

I just bought my White case, 2 days ago.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811553005

Was about to go with the Corsair 500R.

 

[snack]

That white is stunning! What ram is that?

 

[Omiee]

Have you looked at the Define R3?

would my videocards fit in there?

they are 3 slot videocards.

 

[MrCunningham]

Speaking of motherboards, does anyone know if this would be a good fit for a 2500k?

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128495

I hate to bump my own posts, but I really am looking for a low cost mother board that I could couple with 2500k.

The one above is one choice I am looking at, and here is another that is listed in the first page of this thread:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138352

Does anybody have any suggestions?

I'm still a bit on the fence if I should go with a 3550 or 2500k. Though it seems like the 2500k is the better bet.

 

[Ty4on]

would my videocards fit in there?

they are 3 slot videocards.

Count them

 

[MrBig]

I hate to bump my own posts, but I really am looking for a low cost mother board that I could couple with 2500k.

The one above is one choice I am looking at, and here is another that is listed in the first page of this thread:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138352

Does anybody have any suggestions?

I'm still a bit on the fence if I should go with a 3550 or 2500k. Though it seems like the 2500k is the better bet.

Any atx board in the op around your price range will work with either a 3570k (the ivy equivalent of a 2500k, not a 3550) or a 2500k. That one looks fine though.

 

[Karmum]

All of these builds with excellent (or great) cable management make me want to buy my new case sooner and sooner. Stop it, please.

 

[Edvardelis]

All of these builds with excellent (or great) cable management make me want to buy my new case sooner and sooner. Stop it, please.

With modern cases there's a ton of space behind the motherboard. It makes getting the cables out of the way easy.

 

[Karmum]

With modern cases there's a ton of space behind the motherboard. It makes getting the cables out of the way easy.

I wasn't too aware of cable management at the time of my purchase and assembling back in August...and I'm kind of lazy at the moment to just do it now, since I want to get a silent case that will make my computer more quiet overall. Sort of a double whammy on my part, not getting the case I'm going to be getting soon and not even bothering to do cable management at the time.

 

[Hazaro]

When do you guys think the HD7000 series line will drop in prices?

I'm thinking after summer.

1-2 days before 670 launches :lol

Alright. Thanks for the tip. Yeah, prices aren't fun around here. And those prices are the cheapest in the country.

Edit: So no more powerful PSU necessary?

Not necessary, but CX series is really not that great. If possible purchase an Antec unit around that price. VP450 if you can find it.

Awesome, thanks Hazaro. You going to PAX Prime?

Trying to.

Right, so here's my preliminary build:

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 3.4GHz
Motherboard: BIOSTAR TZ77B
RAM: G.Skill Ares 1600
Graphics: GTX460 1GB
Storage: Samsung F3 500GB/Samsung F3 1TB (is 1TB worth the extra money for an almost exclusive-for-gaming machine?)
Power supply: Antec VP450 450W
Case: BitFenix Shinobi
Optical drive: ASUS DRW-24B1ST

So, my questions:

1) I've read the X4 CPU is very, very hot and not power efficient. Will the Shinobi reduce the heat, and how severe can power consumption get? We already use a fair amount of electricity here.
2) As said, this is going to be for gaming only. Is 1TB really worth it?
3) Do I need an optical drive to install Windows 7 and retail games, or will a DVD drive be with the Shinobi?

And of course, will this all work well together? Thanks.

Intel CPU with Intel motherboard. Can you fit in a 2500K?
500GB is fine.
You need to buy a DVD drive, but you can also load a windows 7 to an bootable usb and install that way.