I completely agree. I've never had three screens, but having 2 monitors is great for getting work done.
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"I need a New PC!" 2012 Thread. 22nm+28nm, Tri-Gate, and reading the OP. [Part 1]
- Thread starter Hazaro
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I completely agree. I've never had three screens, but having 2 monitors is great for getting work done.
I've been using a second monitor with my laptop and it has been nice. A second monitor for this build would be great, I think with the money saved by switching the parts Hazaro suggested I might buy another monitor.
Even the regular P8Z77-V should offer enough features. I don't remember offhand what the PRO offers extra, you can use the compare feature on ASUS or newegg.
IcyRhythms
Member
GPU overheating possibly? Are you experiencing any type of artifacting?
So I'm taking the plunge! My 2005 SATA-HDD is getting a bit old in the tooth and doesn't fit into my 2500k/560Ti system. I'm getting an SSD! I'm getting the Crucial M4 128 GB because I've heard it's very good despite being so cheap. I don't mind it being "slower" (lol) than some other SSDs, it's still an SSD for God's sake. So:
1. Is the Crucial M4 a good choice?
2. What should I think about after getting it? I've heard stuff like setting BIOS to AHCI, "garbage collection" (have no idea what that is), "overprovisioning" (no idea about that either) and other stuff that I don't know anything about. Could someone take me through it step-by-step or link to a set-up guide?
3. So it's 128 GB... not a lot. How do you guys cope? I plan on keeping Windows, all my programs and a few Steam games on it. I have an external HDD for storage. How does it work for you space-wise?
1. Is the Crucial M4 a good choice?
2. What should I think about after getting it? I've heard stuff like setting BIOS to AHCI, "garbage collection" (have no idea what that is), "overprovisioning" (no idea about that either) and other stuff that I don't know anything about. Could someone take me through it step-by-step or link to a set-up guide?
3. So it's 128 GB... not a lot. How do you guys cope? I plan on keeping Windows, all my programs and a few Steam games on it. I have an external HDD for storage. How does it work for you space-wise?
1. Yes.
2. First, update your SSD firmware. A new firmware was released just weeks ago.
http://www.crucial.com/support/firmware.aspx
You'll need a spare blank USB drive (~ 5 MB) or CD/DVD blank disk for the program as it runs in a mini linux environment before boot. On older computers (2007-2008 era), you may need to set your BIOS to PATA/IDE mode to detect and update the firmware.
There is a Windows updater, but I've never used it.
---------------
Now for the OS:
If you want to clean install, that's considered the "easy" way. I find it inconvenient to reinstall everything. However, know that your current setup has be perfect as in AHCI is already turned on in both the BIOS and Windows. Otherwise, if you change either, you'll have to change a value in the registry to fix a BSOD fix. You can read how to do that here: http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=313676 It's an easy fix, but if you don't want to deal with it, just be sure to install Windows with AHCI turned on. I have no idea why people don't have that setup on default. Windows will still schedule defrag with a clean install.
Otherwise, read. Be sure to have an external hard drive to backup your current image and disconnect the SSD for this process.
==============
a. Defrag your hard drive one final time. Use a program like Auslogics Disk Defrag or Puran Defrag or JKdefrag or whatever your favorite free defrag is (I like the first two). Uninstall the defrag.
==============
b. Disable Windows built-in auto-system defrag. Prompt the run dialog (Windows Key R) and type: "dfrgui" without quotes. Alternatively, you can just type it in the Aero search menu. Click on the "Turn on schedule" button. Uncheck the box. Hit OK. Close.
==============
c. Shrink the drive partition lower than 119 GB (~ 116-117 GB).
Run "diskmgmt.msc" without quotes. Shrink the main partition. Remember 1024 MB = 1GB.
==============
d. Use the Windows 7 image program and image your hard drive to an external. Launch the "Backup and Restore" either through Aero search or Control Panel.
Create a system image (on the left hand panel) to use the complete backup tool. Windows will ask you to point to a hard drive to save and will autocreate the directories.
This will take a while if you don't have a fast port (e.g. USB 3.0, SATA). Go do something else.
When completed, the tool will ask you if you want to create a startup disk for you to launch complete backup. If you have your Windows 7 installation disk, you don't need to do this step.
==============
e. Connect the SSD back and launch your Windows 7 installation disk or startup disk. For the installation disk, choose "Repair my computer" and follow the instructions to launch the complete image tool.
The tool will autodetect any attached drives and point to the latest image.
This will take some time.
==============
f. Check if the drive is aligned. Once you're back in Windows, time to see if your drive is aligned.
Launch msinfo32 through Aero search or the run menu. Under "Storage" is a section titled "Disks." Check the "Partition starting offset" numbers. Divide each number by 4096. If the result is a whole number, your partition is aligned.
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g. Reclaim remaining space (93% of 128 GB due to file system = ~ 119 GB) by launching disk management again (diskmgmt.msc). Expand the partition.
==============
h. Re-run Windows Experience assessment test. (Windows Key Pause or Right click computer properties). A disk score above 6.5 will disable superfetch and related processes.
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3. I don't store a lot of stuff. I use externals and a server to backup. Be sure to buy some externals soon as you never know what can happen to your current drive. Learning that the hard way is a tough lesson.
You can do additional things for your setup like disabling hibernation if you don't use it.
Launch command prompt in admin mode (Aero search: cmd then hold ctrl shift and press enter).
Type:
Code:
powercfg -h off1. Reliable model and up there with Intel as far as reliability goes. Performance wise it's an SSD it'll blast your HDD to smithereens. It's not the best performing SSD, but not the worst by any means, very good performance and for the price you can't go wrong.
2. The firmware on this drive should be good enough to streamline any installation process you need on the software side. Windows should be able to detect it, even during the installer.
3. At the $99 price tag I would've bought two and put them in a RAID 0 configuration (essentially giving you one 256GB virtual HDD). 128GB is bigger, but still relatively a small amount of storable data. If you had a z68 + motherboard you could use the SSD caching feature which uses an HDD primarily but caches your most frequently used data onto an SSD for blazing fast response. For my next build (currently waiting on parts to ship) I'm going with 2x128GB SSD in RAID 0 for my OS partition, a 2TB 7200RPM HDD for data storage, and I have a spare 120GB SSD I'm going to shove in there too.
Another question: does my SSD come with some sort of 3.5" adapter? I just noticed SSDs are 2.5".
Thanks a ton! I had no idea I could transfer my current install to my SSD without re-installing... wow! I have AHCI in BIOS (did it before installing Windows) but I don't know if I have it set in the OS... how do I check?
I do have a z68 and thought about SSD caching, but I think I'd prefer constant SSD speeds to "mostly" SSD speeds. I'm in Sweden so the cheapest price is 1100 SEK ($160).
Thanks a ton! I had no idea I could transfer my current install to my SSD without re-installing... wow! I have AHCI in BIOS (did it before installing Windows) but I don't know if I have it set in the OS... how do I check?
I do have a z68 and thought about SSD caching, but I think I'd prefer constant SSD speeds to "mostly" SSD speeds. I'm in Sweden so the cheapest price is 1100 SEK ($160).
Depends which version you bought. I'm going to say no.
I don't think it's worth it as I just have mine hanging from my setup. If you need one, places do sell them, but I would say it's just better to take some electrical tape and put it on a stable surface. The drive doesn't have any moving parts.
Windows should have autodetected that mode correctly then. If you want to check, just follow that registry path and see if the value is correct.
I made corrections to the guide as some of the stuff I originally wrote got deleted, so I had to quickwrite a short version.
MrCunningham
Member
Well, I just purchased this setup tonight. Should be here in a week or two. Hopefully it will be worth it. Though I think it will be.
I haven't bought a new PC in like 5-6 years.
Zombie James
Banned
New Vertex 4 firmware makes some pretty solid gains if anyone was thinking of getting one:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/storag...mance_of_Vertex_4_SSDs_with_New_Firmware.html
http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/storag...mance_of_Vertex_4_SSDs_with_New_Firmware.html
So I wanted to not use my laptop for D3 and build something cheap, think this could work?
COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$59.99
Seagate ST310005N1A1AS-RK 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
$109.99
GIGABYTE GV-N550D5-1GI GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
$119.99
Rosewill Green Series RG630-S12 630W Continuous @40°C,80 PLUS Certified, Single 12V Rail, Active PFC "Compatible with Core ...
$59.99
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
$11.99
G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT
$38.99
BIOSTAR H61MGC LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
$49.99
Intel Core i3-2120 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I32120
$124.99
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM
$99.99
---
After promotions + shipping it came to $660.93.
COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
$59.99
Seagate ST310005N1A1AS-RK 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
$109.99
GIGABYTE GV-N550D5-1GI GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
$119.99
Rosewill Green Series RG630-S12 630W Continuous @40°C,80 PLUS Certified, Single 12V Rail, Active PFC "Compatible with Core ...
$59.99
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM
$11.99
G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT
$38.99
BIOSTAR H61MGC LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
$49.99
Intel Core i3-2120 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I32120
$124.99
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM
$99.99
---
After promotions + shipping it came to $660.93.
DeVeAn
Member
None. Games in question are prototype and sonic generations. These games have issues yes but, it's weird. Other games run perfect regardless. Someone told me it could be power supply?
Manp
Member
Oh ok. I tried uninstalling it, but the option isn't there in the control panel.
dude... click "Change"
You and a poster above you both got 630W power supplies for what look to me like very modest systems. Yours doesn't look it would use more than 250 - 300W, unless I'm mistaken. Is there a reason to get that huge power supply I don't know about?
I am Also interested in buying a New Laptop of DELL. The processor is i3. & Hard Disk is 500 GB. And Ram is 2GB. So can u tell me the price. And latest configuration than this(current)also i want to run these software. on my laptops. And it should not happen that the processor may get slow. As this two software are important.
T-shirt design tool.
T-shirt design software.
T-shirt design tool.
T-shirt design software.
MrCunningham
Member
yeah same here. it was on sale with a promotion, so I picked it up because it was cheaper than some of the 500w power supplies available at newegg.ca. But you're right, even with a decent discrete video card, it is still a bit too much.
I tell ya, I'm starting to understand, conceptually, what goes into building a PC. It's basically 8 parts:
(I'm totally new to all this so bear with me). CPU, GPU, PSU, Motherboard, optical drive, HDD, memory and case. Ok, great.
I want a good graphics card, right? OK, why are there seemingly a million different types of manufacturers for these things? Why can't I just buy NVIDIA GTA whatever or AMD Radeon whatever. Why is ASUS making a GE Force card, why isn't it just NVIDIA? RAM is even crazier. There is gigbyte this and DDR this and 240 pin that and 1333 DIMM.
It seems like it's harder to figure this stuff out than it is to physically put it together. . Why do these things have such long and and complicated names?!!!
I mean, look at the name of this: G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)
That is the actual name!!!! Or the GPU --
GIGABYTE GV-N550D5-1GI GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
I'm at the point where I just want to tell you guys what my budget is, what games I want to play and you tell me exactly what to buy.
Couple of other questions: if I invest in a SSD, can I install only windows to the SSD and then install all my games and other data to the regular HDD?
(I'm totally new to all this so bear with me). CPU, GPU, PSU, Motherboard, optical drive, HDD, memory and case. Ok, great.
I want a good graphics card, right? OK, why are there seemingly a million different types of manufacturers for these things? Why can't I just buy NVIDIA GTA whatever or AMD Radeon whatever. Why is ASUS making a GE Force card, why isn't it just NVIDIA? RAM is even crazier. There is gigbyte this and DDR this and 240 pin that and 1333 DIMM.
It seems like it's harder to figure this stuff out than it is to physically put it together. . Why do these things have such long and and complicated names?!!!
I mean, look at the name of this: G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)
That is the actual name!!!! Or the GPU --
GIGABYTE GV-N550D5-1GI GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
I'm at the point where I just want to tell you guys what my budget is, what games I want to play and you tell me exactly what to buy.
Couple of other questions: if I invest in a SSD, can I install only windows to the SSD and then install all my games and other data to the regular HDD?
Hi guys, I need help. I'm looking for a cheap upgrade for my very conservative setup, to be able to play games on mildly higher settings.
Currently I have a Celeron G530, no extra graphics, and 8GB of RAM on an ASUS P8Z68-V. I have to say that it performs much better than what I'd expect but it's still very low-end obviously.
I reckon that the first thing to upgrade (before the CPU which I'd like to keep for some time) would be the non-existent graphics card. I want the card to take advantage of the CPU, that means no ultra-budget but also nothing that would have to keep waiting for the CPU all the time. I imagine that the price differences could be very small, so if the "GOOD" is only a little bit cheaper than "BETTER" I'd pay a little extra of course.
Edit: also, I live in Czech Republic so information about specific deals where I'd have to pay high postage are PROBABLY not for me. I may be wrong.
Currently I have a Celeron G530, no extra graphics, and 8GB of RAM on an ASUS P8Z68-V. I have to say that it performs much better than what I'd expect but it's still very low-end obviously.
I reckon that the first thing to upgrade (before the CPU which I'd like to keep for some time) would be the non-existent graphics card. I want the card to take advantage of the CPU, that means no ultra-budget but also nothing that would have to keep waiting for the CPU all the time. I imagine that the price differences could be very small, so if the "GOOD" is only a little bit cheaper than "BETTER" I'd pay a little extra of course.
Edit: also, I live in Czech Republic so information about specific deals where I'd have to pay high postage are PROBABLY not for me. I may be wrong.
So I am looking over motherboards to replace my flawed P8Z77-V Deluxe. Seeing as I do not need all that the deluxe offers necessarily, I am looking at the Pro version vs the ASRock Z77 Professional. Does anyone have experience with the ASRock? It gets good reviews as a company but I have never owned one.
Or anyone have other suggestions for a Z77 mobo (mid-high tear) ?
Or anyone have other suggestions for a Z77 mobo (mid-high tear) ?
Computer parts have stupid names because many of these companies suck at marketing to consumers (as opposed to businesses). How are your customers supposed to know what to buy when one product is named Z48G45XX-YK, another Z48G35XX-ZK and so on? There's no way to differentiate products without a guide by some third party (a forum thread for example). It's so god damned dumb. Now to be fair, those "names" you posted are mostly just pretty short names with the specs attached by the store they're sold at, but my point still stands.
I believe ASRock is ASUS's cheap brand.
If you don't want to decide on the parts yourself check out Hazaro's recommended builds.
You are correct regarding the SSD.
If you want it done through hardware, MB, cards or etc., it has to done before OS install. If done by the OS, can be done afterward. The first option offers better performance.
YoungMoney
Member
I got a random freeze a few weeks ago and have no idea what could cause it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXKMO5HNpi4&feature=youtu.be
If anyone can help it be appreciated.
If anyone can help it be appreciated.
I want a nice and classy case. Something that wouldn't look that bad next to say, a subwoofer, in living room. I will likely put the PC downstairs w/ the 50" plasma. Something black, sleek and minimalist.
Also, are there any motherboards that come with good on-board HD audio or do you absolutely need a seperate sound card for that. As well, what about wifi? Wifi is a must for me. I presume there is a "slot" kind of like the RAM slot where you would install the wifi card? And can I get away with the stock intel cooling fan for the i5 or is installing a seperate heatsink a must? heatsink install kind of scares me but watching the new-egg how to made it seem pretty easy. apply thermal paste, screw heatsink on top of cpu. done.
Also, are there any motherboards that come with good on-board HD audio or do you absolutely need a seperate sound card for that. As well, what about wifi? Wifi is a must for me. I presume there is a "slot" kind of like the RAM slot where you would install the wifi card? And can I get away with the stock intel cooling fan for the i5 or is installing a seperate heatsink a must? heatsink install kind of scares me but watching the new-egg how to made it seem pretty easy. apply thermal paste, screw heatsink on top of cpu. done.
Seems like the Asus Z77 boards have issues. USB drivers need to be installed on every bootup. My buddy's PC boots up in less than 10 seconds (including post), but it takes another 20+ seconds for the mouse to install itself after he gets into Windows. Other possible issues as well. See:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1038701035
See Fractal cases: Define R3, Define Mini, Arc Midi, Arc mini.
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1038701035
See Fractal cases: Define R3, Define Mini, Arc Midi, Arc mini.
What other sites?
I believe someone already posted this link but its basically newegg on Ebay http://www.ebay.com/itm/Crucial-M4-...&campid=5335869999&PID=1225267#ht_3580wt_1166
n/m its already sold out.
Newegg's Shell Shocker 1 PM special yesterday has the 128 GB flavor for $99.
I'm waiting for a 256 GB drive to drop how much I paid for a 128 GB drive.
Try hooking up your PC to another monitor to see if you get the same problem. It looks like your GPU is fried though whether it's integrated or discrete. If that is the case the only fix is to replace the part.
If this doesn't get cleared up in the next couple weeks with a bios update or revision what other boards should I be looking at? I wanted the z77-v because it has imo the best feature set with wifi go, a nicely deved uefi bios etc
e: maybe the biostar xe3?
Edvardelis
Member
Never had a problem with my P8Z77-V Pro motherboard.
Had to install a ridiculous number of drivers, but it just had that many features.
Honestly, it's still too early to tell with Z77.
Seasonic X-650 on sale for $99 - promo code EMCNENB53
If you need a PSU, this is what you want.
Help GAF!!!
So my HDD is from 2005 and has been very, very noisy lately. Prrrrrrprrrrrrrprrrrrrprrrr non-stop. All the other parts in my comp are brand new, but I couldn't afford a new HDD so I used my very very old one. I finally had enough and ordered an SSD this morning and also backed up most of my files from the HDD. Then I went to work. When I got home and wanted to start the computer, I was greeted by a screen saying Windows couldn't be started and would I like to repair? Yes. Then this:
I re-started the computer, and chose "repair" again, then this:
BIOS displays fine, it says "starting OS..." and then I get the message. Is my HDD kaput? Since I just ordered an SSD, and just today made a backup of most of my files (can't believe my luck there) I guess it's fine, but if it's not the HDD... what say you, GAF?
So my HDD is from 2005 and has been very, very noisy lately. Prrrrrrprrrrrrrprrrrrrprrrr non-stop. All the other parts in my comp are brand new, but I couldn't afford a new HDD so I used my very very old one. I finally had enough and ordered an SSD this morning and also backed up most of my files from the HDD. Then I went to work. When I got home and wanted to start the computer, I was greeted by a screen saying Windows couldn't be started and would I like to repair? Yes. Then this:
I re-started the computer, and chose "repair" again, then this:
BIOS displays fine, it says "starting OS..." and then I get the message. Is my HDD kaput? Since I just ordered an SSD, and just today made a backup of most of my files (can't believe my luck there) I guess it's fine, but if it's not the HDD... what say you, GAF?
Can you boot into Safe Mode?
You're a lucky SOB. Once you get the SSD up and running i'd like to see the SMART data on the HDD, see if it would have actually given you a heads up. Although once you hear any sort of loud noises from a HDD you know it's on its death bed.
thank you for the recommendations i like these cases a lot
SMART is terrible at identifying mechanical causes, so I don't find it reliable as I've found a number of drives failed before SMART started to notice something was wrong.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/981833Help GAF!!!
So my HDD is from 2005 and has been very, very noisy lately. Prrrrrrprrrrrrrprrrrrrprrrr non-stop. All the other parts in my comp are brand new, but I couldn't afford a new HDD so I used my very very old one. I finally had enough and ordered an SSD this morning and also backed up most of my files from the HDD. Then I went to work. When I got home and wanted to start the computer, I was greeted by a screen saying Windows couldn't be started and would I like to repair? Yes. Then this:
I re-started the computer, and chose "repair" again, then this:
BIOS displays fine, it says "starting OS..." and then I get the message. Is my HDD kaput? Since I just ordered an SSD, and just today made a backup of most of my files (can't believe my luck there) I guess it's fine, but if it's not the HDD... what say you, GAF?
I suppose if you have your Windows 7 DVD, you can do a startup repair.
If not, you're done.
From a quick analysis, it sounds like your hard drive is having a problem finding the boot sectors.
Nope. I actually got into Windows just now after a chkdsk run, but almost immediately BSOD.
Yeah I can't believe that I backed everything up TODAY and then bam! The HDD has been noisy for a couple of weeks, but I was stupid enough not to realize it was probably dying. How do I check the SMART data?
I will indeed.
Pretty much any HDD benchmarking software will allow you to check it such as Passmarks stuff: http://www.passmark.com/products/diskcheckup.htm. As posted above it's not necessarily going to save you. I keep an eye on it from time to time but I haven't run into a situation where it's actually saved me. I'm just curious as to whether even after the drive is basically dead if the SMART data will return useful information. The only real way to treat your hard drives is to expect all of them to fail on you in 5 minutes and to make sure you have proper backups in place. If you like stat tracking the SMART data can be interested to look over.
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