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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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Smokey

Member
No, monitor will be separate and at a later time. I have some ok TN monitors atm and I'll be picking up an IPS sometime in the future.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($394.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($85.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI X99S Gaming 7 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($246.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($159.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($198.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($93.01 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($552.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($131.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1933.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-22 21:09 EDT-0400

This is what I came up with for you. I gave you a 6 core processor and a x99 motherboard while still sticking to some of your original items. The 6 core will help you out when you do some of your Maya work. I did change the CPU cooler. Also gave you a fully modular PSU. Will make your setup less messy and easier to work with. AMD is expected to launch their 300 series in a few months, so you could wait and see what they have to offer. Overclocking is literally at a minimum changing two values in the BIOS. It's free performance. You could prob get to 4.2ghz with ease if you don't want to really dive into it and be good to go.

That's a basic outline of what i'd do with that budget.
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($394.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($85.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI X99S Gaming 7 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($246.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($159.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($198.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($93.01 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($552.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($131.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1933.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-22 21:09 EDT-0400

This is what I came up with for you. I gave you a 6 core processor and a x99 motherboard while still sticking to some of your original items. The 6 core will help you out when you do some of your Maya work. I did change the CPU cooler. Also gave you a fully modular PSU. Will make your setup less messy and easier to work with. AMD is expected to launch their 300 series in a few months, so you could wait and see what they have to offer. Overclocking is literally at a minimum changing two values in the BIOS. It's free performance. You could prob get to 4.2ghz with ease if you don't want to really dive into it and be good to go.

That's a basic outline of what i'd do with that budget.

Thanks :D
 

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
Minor thing, but get the $55 1TB Blue, not the $90 one and make sure you are backing up your important documents.
www.amazon.com/dp/B0088PUEPK/
Thanks! Budget I'm not sure on yet. I'm happy to go to £700 at most, but the lower than that the better really. £500 or less would be ideal, but I'm not sure how realistic that would be. If I could one in that £500-£700 price range from a website that would build it for me, so I can get a warranty, even better.

Is there any particular model/year of i5 that would be better/cheaper to look out for in particular, and what would the Nvidia equivelant be of the 280?

Oh, and my current computer is a non gaming laptop, so not exactly upgradable. My last desktop died about 8 years ago, and was about 7 years old when it went. I've not bought a PC for gaming in 15 years basically.
No nVidia equivalent if you want to do heavy modding on a budget since the GTX 970 is that much more expensive for 3.5GB of VRAM.

Best best is to look for a used PC or nab a cheap Z87/2500K or 3570K combo which has extremely close performance for a lot less money.

If you insist on nVidia a used GTX 670/680 can fit in budget, but the AMD cards are far far better value since you want the VRAM.
 

eiskaltnz

Member
Hey guys, my Xeon X5650 just arrived and I decided to install it along with my Noctua NH-D14 for overclocking.

After installing them both I tried to power it up and it would turn on for under a second then turn off, doing it infinity. At first I thought I might have broken something when installing the D14 but I threw up old CPU back in and it works fine. Any thoughts on what I could be? Do I just have a dud X5650?

It is not really easy to test it in another computer as I don't know anyone who has a motherboard with a 1136 socket.

I have a X58 Platinum motherboard and my old CPU was a i7-920.
 

SRG01

Member
So, good news! I found my USB network dongle, but it's wireless G :( I suppose I'll have to live with it.

Anyhow, I was looking at the MSI H97M-G43 as suggested earlier, and it turns out that the price dropped by like $15-20. Should I get it now even though my CPU hasn't arrived yet? Or is it not worth the hassle of a potential motherboard DOA and RMA?
 

kennah

Member
Hey guys, my Xeon X5650 just arrived and I decided to install it along with my Noctua NH-D14 for overclocking.

After installing them both I tried to power it up and it would turn on for under a second then turn off, doing it infinity. At first I thought I might have broken something when installing the D14 but I threw up old CPU back in and it works fine. Any thoughts on what I could be? Do I just have a dud X5650?

It is not really easy to test it in another computer as I don't know anyone who has a motherboard with a 1136 socket.

I have a X58 Platinum motherboard and my old CPU was a i7-920.
http://www.msi.com/support/mb/X58_Platinum.html#support-cpu

That cpu doesn't work in your motherboard...
 

Devildoll

Member
Well that was smart of me. I don't even know why I was convinced it was. Thanks for the quick reply!

Have you updated the bios?

Those xeons work with a lot of the x58 consumer motherboards, but you usually have to have a bios version that supports gulftown.
The fact that the last one bios update there explicitly supports another xeon is pretty promising.

Edit: msi does not seem to have those bioses in date order.. judging from the names, this is the latest one. 7522v39.zip
 

Odrion

Banned
Anyone want to talk about the Corsair Carbide Series Air 540? I want a case with good airflow for some mild overclocking and heard some great things about it, except that

1. The fans can be noisy.

2. The case does a bad job at filtering dust out.

Since it's two years old as well, I wonder if there's been better cases out there for the same $150-ish price.
 

OraleeWey

Member
I have that case and I love it. Both your concerns are true though. Fans can be noisy and there aren't any dust filters. I should not I've only had it for a couple of days. Build my first PC on it.

I run the fans at 30% speed and airflow is really good. I'm thinking of adding two more at the top (140mm). Also going to get dust filters.

But... I love it.
 
Got some Sli 970's today and am having an odd issue. My temps seems to be being reported wrong. Tried both Afterburner and GPU-Z, both say my temps are crazy high:

k03IcWW.png


This is just idling at the desktop. When I was playing Crysis 3 it was shooting up way higher than that. But, everything I've tested has run nice and smooth, no glitches or anything, so I assume the temps are just wrong.

Any guesses or suggestions as to what the fuck is going on?
 

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
Anyone want to talk about the Corsair Carbide Series Air 540? I want a case with good airflow for some mild overclocking and heard some great things about it, except that

1. The fans can be noisy.

2. The case does a bad job at filtering dust out.

Since it's two years old as well, I wonder if there's been better cases out there for the same $150-ish price.
Honestly airflow should not be a major concern in any modern case anymore given how low power everything is unless you are running dual high end cards or a heavy OC + voltage 290/290X.

I'd suggest looking at the OP cases if one catches your fancy, but the Enthoo Pro is 100% the default rec.
Got some Sli 970's today and am having an odd issue. My temps seems to be being reported wrong. Tried both Afterburner and GPU-Z, both say my temps are crazy high:

k03IcWW.png


This is just idling at the desktop. When I was playing Crysis 3 it was shooting up way higher than that. But, everything I've tested has run nice and smooth, no glitches or anything, so I assume the temps are just wrong.

Any guesses or suggestions as to what the fuck is going on?
F not C
 

Yeah, I know. Seemed high to me for just idling. Maybe it's just the fact that that's the top of the graph in Afterburner, which you would think indicates it's a high fucking temp. So, you're saying those are normal temps and there ain't shit to worry about? FYI, I was hitting like 150F while gaming.
 

The Llama

Member
Yeah, I know. Seemed high to me for just idling. Maybe it's just the fact that that's the top of the graph in Afterburner, which you would think indicates it's a high fucking temp. So, you're saying those are normal temps and there ain't shit to worry about? FYI, I was hitting like 150F while gaming.

You're good. Just use C for this stuff, its what everything is compared at. Your temps are fine.
 

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
Yeah, I know. Seemed high to me for just idling. Maybe it's just the fact that that's the top of the graph in Afterburner, which you would think indicates it's a high fucking temp. So, you're saying those are normal temps and there ain't shit to worry about? FYI, I was hitting like 150F while gaming.
LITERALLY ICE COLD
My first gen 8800GT reached 93C, my GTX295 hit 104C, and I've run 290's at 90C where they throttle. 55C is great.

It's only high since MSIAB expects it to be in C and keeps the range 0-100 the same.
 

RGM79

Member
I built the following pc below. I am wondering if i will see any benefits of doubling my RAM from 8gb to 16gb. I use pc mostly for couch gaming, surfing the web, streaming content.

I only have a 1 x 8GB currently installed.
CPU - Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
Cooler - Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
Motherboard - Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
RAM - Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
SSD - Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Harddrive - Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
GPU - EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0 Video Card

Dual channel won't change very much, but just so you know the Kingston V300 series is.. not that great, Kingston did some shady bait-and-switch without renaming the new V300 so the performance is massively decreased to something not much higher than some hard drives.

Portugal. I went with a Corsair VS550 when i first built my rig, but it seems that model is kinda on the crummy side of things, so going through the recommended brands on various threads and what I could get on retailers here, like cooler master, xfx and what not. So I kinda I decided on XFX, for around 100 euros.

Are there any retailers you're looking at specifically? I remember looking through Portuguese retailers a couple of weeks ago for other people, and here's what I found at chiptec.net.

XFX Pro Series bronze 650 watts semi-modular for 91,90 €

XFX XTR Series gold 650 watts fully modular for 106,90 €
XFX Core Edition bronze 850 watts non-modular for 105,90 €

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($394.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($85.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI X99S Gaming 7 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($246.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($159.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($198.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($93.01 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($552.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($131.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1933.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-22 21:09 EDT-0400

No offense smokey, but I think I can squeeze some money out of that build without sacrificing performance.

Dual channel in an X99 build is not optimal as quad channel is possible and 2133MHz isn't really recommended.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($394.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI X99S SLI Plus ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws 4 series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX100 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($183.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Toshiba Product Series:DT01ACA 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($70.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB FTW ACX 2.0 Video Card ($552.60 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1702.51
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-23 00:42 EDT-0400

The build is about $180 shy of being able to fit a Titan X, but that'd require sacrificing something.
 

SRG01

Member
Yeah, I know. Seemed high to me for just idling. Maybe it's just the fact that that's the top of the graph in Afterburner, which you would think indicates it's a high fucking temp. So, you're saying those are normal temps and there ain't shit to worry about? FYI, I was hitting like 150F while gaming.

You're only hitting 150F/65C while gaming? How on earth is that possible? o_O Typical is usually 70/80C+.
 
We hit 1TB SSDs two years ago, but they still don't feel very common place. I think I saw some enterprise grade drives that are >1tb but obviously these aren't consumer models. When the heck are we expecting some movement in the SSD space?
 
Hey GAF, this is my current build from 2011 and I want to upgrade to either a GTX 970 or 980, can it work or will I benefit more by upgrading other things?

Windows 7

Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge Quad-Core 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W

ZALMAN CNPS11X Extreme V-Shaped Dual Heatpipe Design w/120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler

CORSAIR DOMINATOR GT 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000)

EVGA SuperClocked 015-P3-1582-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support

ASUS P8Z68-V LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

CORSAIR HX Series HX750 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC

Rosewill Gaming Computer Case - BLACKHAWK - ATX Mid Tower - Top HDD Dock, Side Window Panel, 5 Preinstalled Fans
 

RGM79

Member
Hey GAF, this is my current build from 2011 and I want to upgrade to either a GTX 970 or 980, can it work or will I benefit more by upgrading other things?

Windows 7

Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge Quad-Core 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W

ZALMAN CNPS11X Extreme V-Shaped Dual Heatpipe Design w/120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler

CORSAIR DOMINATOR GT 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2000 (PC3 16000)

EVGA SuperClocked 015-P3-1582-AR GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support

ASUS P8Z68-V LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

CORSAIR HX Series HX750 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC

Rosewill Gaming Computer Case - BLACKHAWK - ATX Mid Tower - Top HDD Dock, Side Window Panel, 5 Preinstalled Fans

Looks fine to me. Your power supply and case have the capacity, nothing else is needed. Overclock your 2600K if you want more performance.
 

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
No offense smokey, but I think I can squeeze some money out of that build without sacrificing performance.

Dual channel in an X99 build is not optimal as quad channel is possible and 2133MHz isn't really recommended.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($394.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI X99S SLI Plus ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws 4 series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX100 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($183.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Toshiba Product Series:DT01ACA 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($70.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB FTW ACX 2.0 Video Card ($552.60 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1702.51
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-23 00:42 EDT-0400

The build is about $180 shy of being able to fit a Titan X, but that'd require sacrificing something.
Good points on the RAM for their usage.

Personally I'd still go with an MX100 (Don't like to suggest new (unproven) SSD's if possible and the price difference isn't that much) and the Enthoo Pro is really nice. I prefer GB cards since reselling with warranty is easier without the need to register or transfer to an account. Your build saves money for the same performance though for sure.
 

SRG01

Member
We hit 1TB SSDs two years ago, but they still don't feel very common place. I think I saw some enterprise grade drives that are >1tb but obviously these aren't consumer models. When the heck are we expecting some movement in the SSD space?

Well, there are still a lot of technological hurdles to solve for SSDs. Density and yield are two big factors in any semiconductor product. Endurance is another.

Unless the price of silicon falls considerably, process tech gets cheaper, or someone finds a cost-effective solution outside of NAND and/or floating gate designs...
 
Looks fine to me. Your power supply and case have the capacity, nothing else is needed. Overclock your 2600K if you want more performance.

Thank you! Sometimes when I game with my current setup, I get a pop up message something about Windows going to minimalistic mode of some sort but not sure why. I'll definitely overclock and see if that helps that issue. I appreciate it!
 

RGM79

Member
Good points on the RAM for their usage.

Personally I'd still go with an MX100 (Don't like to suggest new (unproven) SSD's if possible and the price difference isn't that much) and the Enthoo Pro is really nice. I prefer GB cards since reselling with warranty is easier without the need to register or transfer to an account. Your build saves money for the same performance though for sure.

EVGA's warranty isn't bad. For that specific GTX 980 (Part # 04G-P4-2986-KR), there is a three year warranty from product shipping date and both the original purchaser and secondary owners are covered automatically, the secondary owners don't seem to need original proof of purchase. Gigabyte's warranty is the same, they cover all owners for three years from the original manufacturing date by serial number.

I also like the Enthoo Pro, it offers great value and premium quality for something that has perpetually been sold at just $100. That said, I just feel that full-tower cases are a bit too large for most people. Mid-tower and mATX cases cover most needs. It is definitely easier to build in a full tower case, though.

I understand the concern about recommending relatively new and unknown SSDs when so many models seem to have issues pop up after several months to a year after hitting the market. I think the BX100 is safe to recommend, though. It uses the same Micron 16nm 128Gbit MLC NAND as as the MX100/MX200, it's just paired with a SM2246EN controller instead of the Marvell 88SS9189 in the MX100/MX200. The SM2246EN controller is lesser known but has been on the market for a bit over 18 months and in a couple of name brand SSDs (ADATA, Corsair, Corsair, PNY, Transcend) with no known issues.
 
Hey Everyone,

I though I would throw this in here and see if someone possibly had a place where maybe I could start looking. Long and short of it: I bought a new EVGA GTX 980 FTW 4GB card and I am having a relative odd problem.

The only game I have been really playing is AC:Unity and I have so far encountered an error twice where suddenly everything will go black and my computer will reboot. Like a hard crash. I at first thought it was perhaps the card was getting too hot, but the thermals seem ok. Card does not run above 55c even during heavy moments, and I have the fan profile going so that its keeping it cool and since this is the ACX 2.0 version by default it would only click the fans on over 60c but i circumvented that.

Prior to this I used a GTX 970 SC for a couple of weeks and I do not remember having any problems. Before THAT I had a GTX 680 reference version and it was rock stable and I never had these issues.

My system specs are: i7 4770k OC'd to 4.3ghz, 16gb RAM, 250gb EVO Samsung SSD, 1tb WD Black (where all my steam stuff links to).

The only thing I can wrack my brain that MAY be the issue is that I am using an older CorsairTX 650W power supply Ive had since January of 2011 - Could the newer videocard draw just enough power to push it over the limit?

Again its very odd - I am relatively savvy but wouldnt begin to know how to check to see if my powersupply is the cause - or if its the card itself (seems unlikely). Any help is appreciated! (like how to check crash logs?)

Thanks!
 

SRG01

Member
EVGA's warranty isn't bad. For that specific GTX 980 (Part # 04G-P4-2986-KR), there is a three year warranty from product shipping date and both the original purchaser and secondary owners are covered automatically, the secondary owners don't seem to need original proof of purchase. Gigabyte's warranty is the same, they cover all owners for three years from the original manufacturing date by serial number.

I also like the Enthoo Pro, it offers great value and premium quality for something that has perpetually been sold at just $100. That said, I just feel that full-tower cases are a bit too large for most people. Mid-tower and mATX cases cover most needs. It is definitely easier to build in a full tower case, though.

I understand the concern about recommending relatively new and unknown SSDs when so many models seem to have issues pop up after several months to a year after hitting the market. I think the BX100 is safe to recommend, though. It uses the same Micron 16nm 128Gbit MLC NAND as as the MX100/MX200, it's just paired with a SM2246EN controller instead of the Marvell 88SS9189 in the MX100/MX200. The SM2246EN controller is lesser known but has been on the market for a bit over 18 months and in a couple of name brand SSDs (ADATA, Corsair, Corsair, PNY, Transcend) with no known issues.

BX100 got a glowing review from HardwareCanucks as well: http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/reviews/storage/crucial-bx100-1tb-ssd-review/

Hey Everyone,

I though I would throw this in here and see if someone possibly had a place where maybe I could start looking. Long and short of it: I bought a new EVGA GTX 980 FTW 4GB card and I am having a relative odd problem.

The only game I have been really playing is AC:Unity and I have so far encountered an error twice where suddenly everything will go black and my computer will reboot. Like a hard crash. I at first thought it was perhaps the card was getting too hot, but the thermals seem ok. Card does not run above 55c even during heavy moments, and I have the fan profile going so that its keeping it cool and since this is the ACX 2.0 version by default it would only click the fans on over 60c but i circumvented that.

Prior to this I used a GTX 970 SC for a couple of weeks and I do not remember having any problems. Before THAT I had a GTX 680 reference version and it was rock stable and I never had these issues.

My system specs are: i7 4770k OC'd to 4.3ghz, 16gb RAM, 250gb EVO Samsung SSD, 1tb WD Black (where all my steam stuff links to).

The only thing I can wrack my brain that MAY be the issue is that I am using an older CorsairTX 650W power supply Ive had since January of 2011 - Could the newer videocard draw just enough power to push it over the limit?

Again its very odd - I am relatively savvy but wouldnt begin to know how to check to see if my powersupply is the cause - or if its the card itself (seems unlikely). Any help is appreciated! (like how to check crash logs?)

Thanks!

You can check the current draw on your rails if you have a Flukemeter (or equivalent) and a hall-effect current probe.

edit: Also check into the current requirements on the 12V rail, and check if your PSU can output that much current.
 

RGM79

Member
Thank you! Sometimes when I game with my current setup, I get a pop up message something about Windows going to minimalistic mode of some sort but not sure why. I'll definitely overclock and see if that helps that issue. I appreciate it!

You mean Windows 7 asks you to change Aero's color scheme to basic, right? You can turn off those popups so they're not distracting. Not sure if CPU overclocking will remedy that, but it wouldn't hurt.

Hey Everyone,

I though I would throw this in here and see if someone possibly had a place where maybe I could start looking. Long and short of it: I bought a new EVGA GTX 980 FTW 4GB card and I am having a relative odd problem.

The only game I have been really playing is AC:Unity and I have so far encountered an error twice where suddenly everything will go black and my computer will reboot. Like a hard crash. I at first thought it was perhaps the card was getting too hot, but the thermals seem ok. Card does not run above 55c even during heavy moments, and I have the fan profile going so that its keeping it cool and since this is the ACX 2.0 version by default it would only click the fans on over 60c but i circumvented that.

Prior to this I used a GTX 970 SC for a couple of weeks and I do not remember having any problems. Before THAT I had a GTX 680 reference version and it was rock stable and I never had these issues.

My system specs are: i7 4770k OC'd to 4.3ghz, 16gb RAM, 250gb EVO Samsung SSD, 1tb WD Black (where all my steam stuff links to).

The only thing I can wrack my brain that MAY be the issue is that I am using an older CorsairTX 650W power supply Ive had since January of 2011 - Could the newer videocard draw just enough power to push it over the limit?

Again its very odd - I am relatively savvy but wouldnt begin to know how to check to see if my powersupply is the cause - or if its the card itself (seems unlikely). Any help is appreciated! (like how to check crash logs?)

Thanks!

Try clearing out your graphics card drivers and reinstall them. Download the latest Nvidia drivers and Display Driver Uninstaller, use DDU (it'll handle a lot of things by itself like safe mode and rebooting), then install the latest drivers.

If you think it's your power supply, then do any other games also trigger similar problems? Try Furmark, it's a graphics card stress tester and will strain your system a bit so you can see if you experience the same problems. I doubt it's the power supply, though. According to Guru3D, the GTX 680 (170 watts) and GTX 980 (190 watts) have similar power consumption (~20 watt difference) and PSU requirements (550 watts recommended for both).

You can check BSOD logs with BlueScreenView, and here's a guide on checking the built-in Windows Event Viewer logs.
 
Hello PC GAF ^__^ I'm looking to build a budget build for some gaming, but I will be using it mostly for game emulation, virtual machines, streaming, and workstation for my software development classes. I was initially going to go with an AMD build but while I was reading the emulation thread here on GAF, some were saying that Intel is a much better option.

As for games, I'm only looking to play League of Legends and some Diablo on the side.

I already have a decent DVI monitor, and a AMD 7670HD graphics card that has served me well until my old computer's motherboard gave out. And I probably won't upgrade that until the next AMD graphics card revision comes out.

Here is what I have in my cart so far,





It all comes to around 771 dollars including tax and shipping, my budget being a grand.

So my question is, should I get an Intel i7 cpu and 16gb of ram, instead of going with an i5 and 8gb's of ram? I know that running Virtual Machines is an extensive task, but would it be worth it to go the extra mile?
 

Exentryk

Member
I built my first gaming pc a couple of weeks ago. Being a complete noob, I decided to overclock the gpu and cpu. Used GPU Tweak to get GTX 980 to 1450 boost clock (I think the base clock was 1349 Mhz?), and the memory to 7800 MHz. It's stable with no artifacts in Unigine benchmark, Alien vs Predator benchmark, and Firestrike. Temps were usually around 65-70 C, and the highest was 73 C at one point.

The cpu was easier as I just used the Asus 5 way optimization feature, it auto-overclocked the i7 5930K from 3.5 GHz to 4.3 GHz on all 6 cores. Ran Aida64, and it was stable. Firestrike was good as well. Played a couple of hours of games, and temps are mostly below 60 C.

I think the overclock went okay. Is there anything you guys can see that I may be able to improve on, or might have missed? I think my ram is still running at 2133MHz, when infact I have 32GB 2400MHz Ram. The XMP profile in the Bios was active I think, but I am not sure. The system is running okay, so I haven't bothered. Ram doesn't affect game fps that much, right?

Other than that, the system sometimes doesn't boot correctly, and has a cursor in the top left corner flashing and doesn't get to the windows logo screen. This was the case even before I overclocked. I usually reset the system a few times, and it boots. Anyone know what could be causing it?
 

RGM79

Member
I built my first gaming pc a couple of weeks ago. Being a complete noob, I decided to overclock the gpu and cpu. Used GPU Tweak to get GTX 980 to 1450 boost clock (I think the base clock was 1349 Mhz?), and the memory to 7800 MHz. It's stable with no artifacts in Unigine benchmark, Alien vs Predator benchmark, and Firestrike. Temps were usually around 65-70 C, and the highest was 73 C at one point.

The cpu was easier as I just used the Asus 5 way optimization feature, it auto-overclocked the i7 5930K from 3.5 GHz to 4.3 GHz on all 6 cores. Ran Aida64, and it was stable. Firestrike was good as well. Played a couple of hours of games, and temps are mostly below 60 C.

I think the overclock went okay. Is there anything you guys can see that I may be able to improve on, or might have missed? I think my ram is still running at 2133MHz, when infact I have 32GB 2400MHz Ram. The XMP profile in the Bios was active I think, but I am not sure. The system is running okay, so I haven't bothered. Ram doesn't affect game fps that much, right?

Other than that, the system sometimes doesn't boot correctly, and has a cursor in the top left corner flashing and doesn't get to the windows logo screen. This was the case even before I overclocked. I usually reset the system a few times, and it boots. Anyone know what could be causing it?

I don't know much about overclocking current generation Intel processors, but as long as the RAM isn't running at 1333/1600MHz, it'll be fine. RAM speed only affects some games like BF4, while others aren't affected at all.

About the flashing cursor, that sounds like the PC isn't booting from the right drive properly? Double check your storage drive cables for a tight fit. You don't have any USB drives or discs in the PC that the computer might be trying to boot from instead of the OS drive, do you?

Hello PC GAF ^__^ I'm looking to build a budget build for some gaming, but I will be using it mostly for game emulation, virtual machines, streaming, and workstation for my software development classes. I was initially going to go with an AMD build but while I was reading the emulation thread here on GAF, some were saying that Intel is a much better option.

As for games, I'm only looking to play League of Legends and some Diablo on the side.

I already have a decent DVI monitor, and a AMD 7670HD graphics card that has served me well until my old computer's motherboard gave out. And I probably won't upgrade that until the next AMD graphics card revision comes out.

Here is what I have in my cart so far,

http://i.imgur.com/i7jhROh.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/xZvsgOk.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/fJZq2wE.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/sKkho2I.jpg

It all comes to around 771 dollars including tax and shipping, my budget being a grand.

So my question is, should I get an Intel i7 cpu and 16gb of ram, instead of going with an i5 and 8gb's of ram? I know that running Virtual Machines is an extensive task, but would it be worth it to go the extra mile?

Intel's been better for mid-to-higher end PCs for a number of years. AMD doesn't really have any higher end CPUs to compete with. Do you prefer to order from Newegg, or are other retailers OK? You could get a better deal from other places, although we could find you decently priced parts from Newegg.

If you're going to be running virtual machines in the background while doing other stuff, then yeah, I think I'll make sense to shell out for the i7 and 16GB. It's definitely doable on a $1000 budget. Looks like you want a compact mATX PC?

I think I could recommend other parts, though. The 4670K is actually discontinued and you can pick up the newer 4690K for same or lower price, for example.
 
Intel's been better for mid-to-higher end PCs for a number of years. AMD doesn't really have any higher end CPUs to compete with. Do you prefer to order from Newegg, or are other retailers OK? You could get a better deal from other places, although we could find you decently priced parts from Newegg.

If you're going to be running virtual machines in the background while doing other stuff, then yeah, I think I'll make sense to shell out for the i7 and 16GB. It's definitely doable on a $1000 budget. Looks like you want a compact mATX PC?

I think I could recommend other parts, though. The 4670K is actually discontinued and you can pick up the newer 4690K for same or lower price, for example.

I wanted to go AMD so I don't have to max out my budget, but yeah after reading the emulation thread and a classmate of mine saying AMD cpu's won't handle Virtual Machines all that well, so I changed my mind.

I'm definitely going to go with an i7 and 16gb's of ram then. I'm only going Newegg because they have good customer service and convenience.

I'm going for the smaller for factor because I want to be able to haul my build around to Lan parties that I want to attend. It would be nice, if the case had a handle or was slimmer but having that extra airflow and all that room for cable management was a huge plus for me. Thanks a lot for the advice man ^__^
 

Smokey

Member
No offense smokey, but I think I can squeeze some money out of that build without sacrificing performance.

Dual channel in an X99 build is not optimal as quad channel is possible and 2133MHz isn't really recommended.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($394.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI X99S SLI Plus ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws 4 series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX100 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($183.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Toshiba Product Series:DT01ACA 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($70.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB FTW ACX 2.0 Video Card ($552.60 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1702.51
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-23 00:42 EDT-0400

The build is about $180 shy of being able to fit a Titan X, but that'd require sacrificing something.


No offense taken. I forgot about Quad channel RAM. A few things like a full modular PSU is something I think should be in a 2k build though and other little bits here and there.
 

Exentryk

Member
About the flashing cursor, that sounds like the PC isn't booting from the right drive properly? Double check your storage drive cables for a tight fit. You don't have any USB drives or discs in the PC that the computer might be trying to boot from instead of the OS drive, do you?

I only have a single 1TB SSD as storage, and that looks to be connected tightly. The boot menu only shows one option, which is the SSD. There is no disc drive (decided to get a usb blu ray writer, which isn't hooked up yet).

Maybe I could reseat the SSD? But since I got the system built from someone, I am not really sure if I'll mess up something if try to do that myself.
 

RGM79

Member
So, good news! I found my USB network dongle, but it's wireless G :( I suppose I'll have to live with it.

Anyhow, I was looking at the MSI H97M-G43 as suggested earlier, and it turns out that the price dropped by like $15-20. Should I get it now even though my CPU hasn't arrived yet? Or is it not worth the hassle of a potential motherboard DOA and RMA?
Just realized I missed this. Well, if you're going to use the USB wifi adaptor, then you don't really need that MSI motherboard for the slot layout. You could go with an even cheaper motherboard like the ASRock H97M Anniversary for about $80. Reviews for it look good.

That said, if you're willing to spend more for faster wireless speed with the Gigabyte wifi card, then go for the $90 MSI H97M-G43. The difference in motherboard price is only $10 but the Gigabyte wifi adaptor is almost $40, so you'd be paying about $50 more if you decide to go with the MSI motherboard and Gigabyte wifi adaptor.

I wanted to go AMD so I don't have to max out my budget, but yeah after reading the emulation thread and a classmate of mine saying AMD cpu's won't handle Virtual Machines all that well, so I changed my mind.

I'm definitely going to go with an i7 and 16gb's of ram then. I'm only going Newegg because they have good customer service and convenience.

I'm going for the smaller for factor because I want to be able to haul my build around to Lan parties that I want to attend. It would be nice, if the case had a handle or was slimmer but having that extra airflow and all that room for cable management was a huge plus for me. Thanks a lot for the advice man ^__^

Here's an mATX build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($342.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($100.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Tri-X Video Card ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Silverstone PS07B MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($66.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec HCG M 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $990.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-23 02:59 EDT-0400

That seems more or less in line with what you want. I decided against an SSD because it wouldn't fit in the build. Cases with usable handles are actually kind of rare, the Corsair 380T is very expensive. However, you could also go with an mITX build.

No offense taken. I forgot about Quad channel RAM. A few things like a full modular PSU is something I think should be in a 2k build though and other little bits here and there.

Yeah, there's $300 left in the budget for changes. I thought about putting the XFX XTR Series gold rated fully modular 750 watt PSU ($100) in the list, but decided against it since the gold rating and extra modular doesn't seem like it's worth the $40 difference. Sometimes power supplies like that XFX and the EVGA Supernova G2 drop to around $80 so $100 is still a bit expensive.

I only have a single 1TB SSD as storage, and that looks to be connected tightly. The boot menu only shows one option, which is the SSD. There is no disc drive (decided to get a usb blu ray writer, which isn't hooked up yet).

Maybe I could reseat the SSD? But since I got the system built from someone, I am not really sure if I'll mess up something if try to do that myself.

If the cables are tight, then it should be fine.. Try a different SATA port? Or check the BIOS settings. SATA mode should be set to AHCI.

Try default BIOS settings if you want. Most BIOS menus let you save your current settings to a save slot that you can reload later I think, in case something goes wrong with a changed setting.
 

Exentryk

Member
If the cables are tight, then it should be fine.. Try a different SATA port? Or check the BIOS settings. SATA mode should be set to AHCI.

Try default BIOS settings if you want. Most BIOS menus let you save your current settings to a save slot that you can reload later I think, in case something goes wrong with a changed setting.

Okay, thanks. I'll try this.
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($342.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($100.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Tri-X Video Card ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Silverstone PS07B MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($66.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec HCG M 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $990.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-23 02:59 EDT-0400

That seems more or less in line with what you want. I decided against an SSD because it wouldn't fit in the build. Cases with usable handles are actually kind of rare, the Corsair 380T is very expensive. Actually, an mITX case is also a solution, lemme see if I can make a decent build..

This is actually a much better build than mine, have you heard good things about that case regarding cable management though?
 

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
I want to overclock a Titan X, is that good enough?

If not, indulge me anyways please.
Yeah :p with those shitty blower coolers (I will fight you Smokey)
EVGA's warranty isn't bad. For that specific GTX 980 (Part # 04G-P4-2986-KR), there is a three year warranty from product shipping date and both the original purchaser and secondary owners are covered automatically, the secondary owners don't seem to need original proof of purchase. Gigabyte's warranty is the same, they cover all owners for three years from the original manufacturing date by serial number.

I also like the Enthoo Pro, it offers great value and premium quality for something that has perpetually been sold at just $100. That said, I just feel that full-tower cases are a bit too large for most people. Mid-tower and mATX cases cover most needs. It is definitely easier to build in a full tower case, though.

I understand the concern about recommending relatively new and unknown SSDs when so many models seem to have issues pop up after several months to a year after hitting the market. I think the BX100 is safe to recommend, though. It uses the same Micron 16nm 128Gbit MLC NAND as as the MX100/MX200, it's just paired with a SM2246EN controller instead of the Marvell 88SS9189 in the MX100/MX200. The SM2246EN controller is lesser known but has been on the market for a bit over 18 months and in a couple of name brand SSDs (ADATA, Corsair, Corsair, PNY, Transcend) with no known issues.
Interesting, I thought EVGA made the original card holder register the card for transfer, but maybe I misinterpreted it or they changed it last I checked. On a side note when I did go to RMA an EVGA card (again, last time a while back) I called and they actually went to do some troubleshooting instead of just RMA Form -> Approved -> Get label. Which took more time on my end since I knew it was a bad card. Was nice talking to a real person I guess though?

I agree on mid-tower, I had a full tower once and I'm never going back. Maybe time to suggest Phanteks Enthoo Evolv for every mATX build that can afford it? I'm not a super fan of the Corsair cases, but that's just me. I want the Shinobi back in stock.

I didn't check the new controller, but that's exactly the kind of thing I like to avoid for a couple months before the BX___ price difference becomes too large to ignore. I wouldn't buy a non Intel/Crucial/Samsung SSD for my own OS, but I'm really slow to change. By all accounts it should be a safe recommendation.
 

RGM79

Member
This is actually a much better build than mine, have you heard good things about that case regarding cable management though?
Most reviews of the Silverstone PS07 are positive. Looking at reviews and pictures, there's quite a bit of room to stuff cables under the motherboard tray as well as in the front optical drive cage. The power supply I recommended is a longer but modular model, it'll cut down on the number of wires in the case since you'll only use the ones you need.

I also listed an mITX build, but I guess I was a bit late. I make too many revisions to my posts after I actually post them. I'll list it here instead of back in the original post to keep my posts from getting too long.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($342.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($101.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($104.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Tri-X Video Card ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master HAF Stacker 915F Mini ITX Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec HCG M 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $959.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-23 03:22 EDT-0400

The case is unconventional, it's quite long but not very wide or tall. Might be easier to carry underarm or with carrying strap handles. I don't think Newegg sells any carrying straps, though.

It's largely the same as the mATX build in terms of performance, all I changed was the motherboard and case. The mITX motherboard adds built in wifi but is otherwise similar to the other one feature-wise. The length of that CM HAF Stacker case means there's a lot of interior space and good airflow as well.
 

RGM79

Member
So decided to sell my GTX 770 4gb, how much do you think I can raise in £?

Wanting to buy: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-205-OK

That says requires PCI E 3.0 when my mobo is PCI E 2.0, will that matter?

At £299 for that I think it is good value.

No idea about selling the GTX 770, but the rest I can answer.

PCI-E revisions are backwards compatible. You have nothing to worry about, it'll work and it won't be a bottleneck. Each new revision roughly doubles the speed, so PCI-E 2.0 x16 is 8GB/s while PCI-E 3.0 x8 is 8GB/s and 3.0 x16 is 16GB/s. Both Puget Systems and TechPowerUp have done tests and 2.0 vs 3.0 always comes out to matter very little in the end when it actually comes to game framerate performance.

That GTX 970 for £300 isn't worth it, though, unless you really want that cooler design. Other GTX 970s that run a bit cooler can be had for cheaper, like this EVGA GTX 970 SSC for £280.
 

Matty8787

Member
No idea about selling the GTX 770, but the rest I can answer.

PCI-E revisions are backwards compatible. You have nothing to worry about, it'll work and it won't be a bottleneck. Each new revision roughly doubles the speed, so PCI-E 2.0 x16 is 8GB/s while PCI-E 3.0 x8 is 8GB/s and 3.0 x16 is 16GB/s. Both Puget Systems and TechPowerUp have done tests and 2.0 vs 3.0 always comes out to matter very little in the end when it actually comes to game framerate performance.

That GTX 970 for £300 isn't worth it, though, unless you really want that cooler design. Other GTX 970s that run a bit cooler can be had for cheaper, like this EVGA GTX 970 SSC for £280.

Ok cool, thanks for that.

What are EVGA like? Always had MSI myself. I was going with that due to the referance design, which isn't really important, just looked cool.
 
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