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[mkenyon]

Does anyone know if a new Razer DeathAdder is reliable or not??

It seems half user reviews say it's great and no problems, while other half say it breaks down in a couple years?

It's okay. Make sure you go hold one before purchasing though. It's really hard to transition between grip types depending on what you are doing at any given moment.

I'd highly suggest checking out the Logi G402 if you are set on a palm-only mouse. Also check out the Corsair M45 (not 65) for something that can be a bit more, as well as the Corsair Sabre Optical.

But, the DeathAdder does have a pretty great sensor, right in the same ball park as the M45/G402/Sabre Optical.

 

[KePoW]

Eh, amazon reviews look pretty good: http://www.amazon.com/Razer-DeathAdder-Ergonomic-Gaming-Mouse/dp/B00AAS888S

It's okay. Make sure you go hold one before purchasing though. It's really hard to transition between grip types depending on what you are doing at any given moment.

I'd highly suggest checking out the Logi G402 if you are set on a palm-only mouse. Also check out the Corsair M45 (not 65) for something that can be a bit more, as well as the Corsair Sabre Optical.

But, the DeathAdder does have a pretty great sensor, right in the same ball park as the M45/G402/Sabre Optical.

ok thx team!

 

[Kayant]

Corsair CX line is at worst crap, and at best decently average. A small proportion of 1 to 3 star user reviews for the CX600M on both Newegg and Amazon mention that there are quality control issues with the fan. I'd say you should go for a better quality power supply as well.

The CX600M should still be under warranty like Hazaro says, so contact customer support. Take a new unit if they offer it.. and then sell it, maybe?

Has a 3 year warranty. RMA. Sell RMA unit.

Kl thanks for help. What do you guys suggest I get instead? Am in the UK budget of about £85.

My build -

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£174.00 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.97)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£111.95)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£62.39)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£76.20)
Storage: Seagate 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive (£77.99)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (£289.16 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 MicroATX Mini Tower Case (£71.82)

In terms of selling I guess ebay?

Edit - Semi or Fully Modular

 

[RGM79]

Kl thanks for help. What do you guys suggest I get instead? Am in the UK budget of about £85.

My build -

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£174.00 @ Aria PC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.97)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£111.95)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£62.39)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£76.20)
Storage: Seagate 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive (£77.99)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (£289.16 @ Scan.co.uk)
Case: Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 MicroATX Mini Tower Case (£71.82)

In terms of selling I guess ebay?

Edit - Semi or Fully Modular

In order from least expensive to most expensive:

XFX Pro Series 650 watt bronze semi-modular for £61 | Hardware Secrets review gold award and HardOCP review passing mark
Antec High Current Gamer 620 watt bronze semi-modular for £64 | Hardware Secrets review gold award
EVGA Supernova B2 750 watt bronze semi-modular for £72 | Jonny Guru review score of 9
XFX XTR series 650 watt gold fully modular for £74 | TechPowerUP review score of 8.7
XFX Pro Series 850 watt bronze semi-modular for £75 | Legit Review's value award and Hexus review rating of 4/5 stars

Any of those should meet your needs, they're all reasonably high quality for the price. You only need 550~600 watts for a single GTX 970, and 750 watts for twin GTX 970 if you wanted in the future. If you wanted something unquestionably good quality, there are these two models but they're a bit above your budget.

Super Flower Leadex Gold 750 watts gold fully modular for £90 | Jonny Guru review score of 9.7
EVGA Supernova G2 750 watt gold fully modular for £90 | Jonny Guru review score of 9.8

In terms of selling, whatever you're comfortable with. Friends, family, classified ads, ebay.

 

[AYF 001]

Hello everyone,

I was debating between 2 different builds, one x99 based and one x86 based (there's no GPU listed as my buddy will be loaning me a 760 till either the 390x or 980ti release).

BUILD #1

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PYgy7P
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PYgy7P/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($299.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI X99S SLI Plus ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($198.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.77 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case ($97.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CSM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($21.98 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2014 Stealth Edition Wired Gaming Keyboard ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Wired Optical Mouse ($41.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $1380.64
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-01 18:45 EDT-0400

BUILD #2

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9hDVyc
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9hDVyc/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($125.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($120.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.77 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case ($97.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CSM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($21.98 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2014 Stealth Edition Wired Gaming Keyboard ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Wired Optical Mouse ($41.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $1138.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-01 18:47 EDT-0400

I'm not sure if the price difference between the i5 and i7 will be worth the current premium a few years down the road. Any changes/recommendations are appreciated.

 

[mercenar1e]

what are the rumors on the performance difference between a Skylake K vs i5 2500K or a i5-4690K?

 

[RGM79]

Hello everyone,

I was debating between 2 different builds, one x99 based and one x86 based (there's no GPU listed as my buddy will be loaning me a 760 till either the 390x or 980ti release).

BUILD #1

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PYgy7P
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/PYgy7P/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($299.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI X99S SLI Plus ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($198.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.77 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case ($97.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CSM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($21.98 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2014 Stealth Edition Wired Gaming Keyboard ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Wired Optical Mouse ($41.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $1380.64
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-01 18:45 EDT-0400

BUILD #2

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9hDVyc
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9hDVyc/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($125.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($120.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.77 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 450D ATX Mid Tower Case ($97.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CSM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($21.98 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2014 Stealth Edition Wired Gaming Keyboard ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Razer DeathAdder Wired Optical Mouse ($41.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $1138.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-01 18:47 EDT-0400

I'm not sure if the price difference between the i5 and i7 will be worth the current premium a few years down the road. Any changes/recommendations are appreciated.

What processor and motherboard you choose to go with will depend on how long you want the PC to last. X99 is a bit more forward looking in that it has DDR4 support and the i7 hexa core processor will last longer than the i5 quad core before it needs to be replaced, but the i5 isn't exactly a slouch and will handle games quite well for the next couple of years, longer with overclocking.

I do have some parts suggestions, though.

While the Corsair H110i GT is a very strong performer, you could spend a fair amount less and still get a very decent high end air cooler. Looking at it from a price-to-performance point of view, you would save money if you went with something like the Phantek PH-TC14PE ($70~94) or Noctua NH-D15 ($90) air coolers, which according to Hexus and Bit-Tech perform only slightly lower than the H110i GT.

WD Black hard drives aren't really worth the high premium price. The only advantage they really have over the WD Blue models is the longer 5 year warranty and supposedly better but louder performance, so I'd recommend the cheaper 1TB WD Blue drive ($53) instead given that they have the same relevant specs (7200RPM and 64MB cache). This article goes into the differences between WD Blue and Black models, although I'm not really sure about some of the claims.

Likewise, the Samsung 850 Pro models are high end, but I'm not sure they're worth the extra markup. Consider the new Crucial MX200 250GB ($110), it's not quite as fast but it's much cheaper, and I doubt most people could tell the speed difference in real life. The budget oriented BX100 250GB ($90) is even cheaper and would be the best value considering price-to-performance.

Paying $90 for a gold 650 watt power supply is overpriced, especially when it's only the Corsair CSM line which isn't that good. I recommend the following instead:
EVGA Supernova B2 750 watt bronze semi-modular for $60 after $25 rebate
EVGA Supernova B2 850 watt bronze semi-modular for $63 after $20 rebate
XFX XTR Series 750 watt gold fully modular for $78 after $25 rebate

Are you sure you need a DVD drive? Between the ubiquity of USB flash drives and digital distribution, DVD drives are no longer necessary, I feel. Windows can be installed via USB drive officially, and it's faster too.

Oh, and one last thing, that $120 kit of 16GB 2133MHz memory is kinda pricey. I recommend this G.Skill 16GB 2133MHz kit for only $105.

what are the rumors on the performance difference between a Skylake K vs i5 2500K or a i5-4690K?

WCCFtech is reporting that Skylake will be a large bump up in single-core performance from current processors, about as much as from Pentium 4 to Core 2. They've cited an Italian source, and personally I would take a mountain of salt with it, not just a pinch.

 

[AstroZombie]

Early impressions of the Acer XB270HU are extremely positive. Panel does not have any issues. Huge upgrade over my old Dell U2412M. Now i need to upgrade my 980 to a titan x, or just add a second 980 for sli.

 

[RealityCheque]

Corsair CX line is at worst crap, and at best decently average. A small proportion of 1 to 3 star user reviews for the CX600M on both Newegg and Amazon mention that there are quality control issues with the fan. I'd say you should go for a better quality power supply as well.

The CX600M should still be under warranty like Hazaro says, so contact customer support. Take a new unit if they offer it.. and then sell it, maybe?



How long have you had the headset? Click as in mechanical clicking, or a clicking noise that the microphone picks up? And you've never noticed a click before?

My Sennheiser PC333D's microphone will automatically mute and unmute when I move the microphone up and down, and there is a slight mechanical click when that happens. That is a feature that your PC363D also seems to have, according to the official product page.


Oh, you're in the UK? That changes things, then. That Gigabyte GA-Z97P-D3 looks alright going by the specs, but that model seems to be lesser known and the lack of user and professional reviews put me off of recommending it. Alternative choices from other brands would be the MSI Z97 PC Mate for £62 which has a higher number of positive user reviews from Amazon US, Newegg US, and Amazon UK, and the Asus Z97-P for £70 which has fewer but still proportionately positive reviews.

That's great. Thanks a million for the advice.

 

[hesido]

Hi guys,

I have a Samsung NP550P5C Core I7 8GB RAM laptop, 650m nvidia gpu, with a slow-arse ~650GB 5200rpm hard disk, regularly hitting average response times above 5000 milliseconds, very slow boot up, and I even disabled my swap file so I'm better off now as my usage pattern or whatever leads to a lot of swap file accesses, now I don't have a swap file, response is much faster (read: instant) when switching applications.

So I thought the best I can do to prolong my laptop's life is to add some juice to it, but I'm low on cash currently and I won't be able to buy one of those >200GB ones that cost an arm and a leg, plus I need the storage space right in the laptop.

I'm thinking of:

• Getting a low capacity (120GB tops) ssd
• Keep the existing hard disk, remove the blu-ray drive which I never used till now, and use an adapter for the hard drive.

I'm not sure if the latter is always possible because my blu ray drive bay's cover is shaped like the bottom right edge of the laptop (it's curved), any standard cover would stick out like a sore thumb. My limited googling revealed standard issue DVD bay replacements as ATA adapters (there are both for ssd's)

My alternatives would be to get hybrid drives but I'd want complete control over the partitions (one partition just ssd, rest is spinning disc). Is this possible?

What is the lowest acceptable SSD size these days? (I do some "photoshopping", do some web programming, lots of web browsing)

Is this the right thread?

 

[brain_stew]

Hi guys,

I have a Samsung NP550P5C Core I7 8GB RAM laptop, 650m nvidia gpu, with a slow-arse ~650GB 5200rpm hard disk, regularly hitting average response times above 5000 milliseconds, very slow boot up, and I even disabled my swap file so I'm better off now as my usage pattern or whatever leads to a lot of swap file accesses, now I don't have a swap file, response is much faster (read: instant) when switching applications.

So I thought the best I can do to prolong my laptop's life is to add some juice to it, but I'm low on cash currently and I won't be able to buy one of those >200GB ones that cost an arm and a leg, plus I need the storage space right in the laptop.

I'm thinking of:

• Getting a low capacity (120GB tops) ssd
• Keep the existing hard disk, remove the blu-ray drive which I never used till now, and use an adapter for the hard drive.

I'm not sure if the latter is always possible because my blu ray drive bay's cover is shaped like the bottom right edge of the laptop (it's curved), any standard cover would stick out like a sore thumb. My limited googling revealed standard issue DVD bay replacements as ATA adapters (there are both for ssd's)

My alternatives would be to get hybrid drives but I'd want complete control over the partitions (one partition just ssd, rest is spinning disc). Is this possible?

What is the lowest acceptable SSD size these days? (I do some "photoshopping", do some web programming, lots of web browsing)

Is this the right thread?

A 120GB SSD is more than sufficient for a boot drive. You only need to load your OS and programs on there.

I'd ask in the gaming laptop topic how best to cover up the outside of the drive bay, they'll know the best solution for that.

You're on the right lines though. An SSD boot drive and HDD mass storage is a much better solution than a hybrid drive.

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

Hi guys,

I have a Samsung NP550P5C Core I7 8GB RAM laptop, 650m nvidia gpu, with a slow-arse ~650GB 5200rpm hard disk, regularly hitting average response times above 5000 milliseconds, very slow boot up, and I even disabled my swap file so I'm better off now as my usage pattern or whatever leads to a lot of swap file accesses, now I don't have a swap file, response is much faster (read: instant) when switching applications.

So I thought the best I can do to prolong my laptop's life is to add some juice to it, but I'm low on cash currently and I won't be able to buy one of those >200GB ones that cost an arm and a leg, plus I need the storage space right in the laptop.

I'm thinking of:

• Getting a low capacity (120GB tops) ssd
• Keep the existing hard disk, remove the blu-ray drive which I never used till now, and use an adapter for the hard drive.

I'm not sure if the latter is always possible because my blu ray drive bay's cover is shaped like the bottom right edge of the laptop (it's curved), any standard cover would stick out like a sore thumb. My limited googling revealed standard issue DVD bay replacements as ATA adapters (there are both for ssd's)

My alternatives would be to get hybrid drives but I'd want complete control over the partitions (one partition just ssd, rest is spinning disc). Is this possible?

What is the lowest acceptable SSD size these days? (I do some "photoshopping", do some web programming, lots of web browsing)

Is this the right thread?

This is the right thread for laptop as Brain-stew mentioned. http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?p=158385277#post158385277

 

[Jimrpg]

I want to ask about room ambient temperature and how that affects PC performance. I have the option to put my new PC in two locations at home.

1. Upstairs 'living' room which is (at a guess) 25-28 degrees celsius. It's a large room but not very well ventilated because the windows are always closed. There is a ceiling fan.

2. Downstairs we have air conditioning so the room can be kept to about 22-24 degrees.

My wife has suggested having the PC upstairs but I'm wondering if it will be too hot. I've purchased an i5-4690k with a GTX 970, Hyper 212x air cooler and a Corsair Obsidian 350d window case. I'm assuming this maybe just means I can't overclock the CPU as much when in a hot room?

Also is it worth putting a second fan on the Hyper 212x. The instructions has pictures putting another fan on...

 

[Coulomb_Barrier]

A 120GB SSD is more than sufficient for a boot drive. You only need to load your OS and programs on there.

I'd ask in the gaming laptop topic how best to cover up the outside of the drive bay, they'll know the best solution for that.

You're on the right lines though. An SSD boot drive and HDD mass storage is a much better solution than a hybrid drive.

I really don't understand the need for any HDD unless you really do need masses of storage. They are very slow and it's 2015 for chrissake.

Certainly if you are a general gamer, I would recommend a standard SSD only. Modern boards should all come with M.2 support for a lightning quick boot option and we are now transitioning over to PCI-E-based SSDs which allow for much greater speeds than standard SATA-based models. Sticking a slow HDD in a fairly expensive build seems slightly backward if you don't need masses of storage because as well as being slow, they generate heat and noise.

On a slightly different note, I hope the days of waiting for a PC to boot for 1+ minute will soon be long gone. It's possible to boot up a fairly powerful rig in 5-10 seconds using the Samsung XP941 M.2 drive and there are already faster models than that out there. If your primary pursuit is gaming and pick up and play, boot time is incredibly important.

Demand more people!

 

[Dries]

GAF, I've had this problem already for 6 months and I'm completely sick of it!! This is what happens:

I turn my system on and I hear the the system coming to life, the fans spinning, etc, etc. All seems normal until, suddenly, the system shuts itself off and attempts to reboot. This reboot fails and the system again shuts itself off and attempts another reboot. This process can repeat itself three to six times. But then again, sometimes the system just boots up normally with the first attempt!

The strange thing is: As mentioned, my system has so much trouble booting up, but when it eventually has finally succeeded booting, it runs flawlessly! Even in my overclock profile. I've stress tested with Prime95, OCCT and just plain gaming and it works like a charm. Stress tests are passed, temps are OK and 3DMark FireStrike scores are fantastic.

Some further info:

- I have overclocked my CPU (2500K) to 4.4Ghz but these boot issues also happen at stock speeds (3.3ghz), so I'm deducing that my overclock is not the cause of my boot issues.
- My memory X.M.P. profile is correctly set in my BIOS, so that also shouldn't be an issue.
- These issues happen at random times. I can't find a pattern. Sometimes the system just boots like it normally should.
- CPU is 2500K (stock 3.3Ghz, OC to 4.4Ghz), PSU is 700W and MOBO is Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 - Z68, GPU is a single 980

What's going on, GAF? I've talked with an expert and he said the problem is likely due to a defect in my motherboard rather than that there's something wrong with my PSU.

I'm also somewhat conflicted about attemping to repair the problem... Because attempting to repair would most likely result in buying a new Mobo/CPU and/or PSU. But on the other hand this issue isn't really something that's system-breaking or game-breaking. It's just annoying that the system has these issues and that each time this happens I have to manually return to the BIOS to apply my overclocking profile. This is because each time these boot issues occur my MOBO automatically resets my BIOS profile to stock speeds and voltages, but I of course want my overclock profile. So while this issue isn't fatal to my system, it's still really annoying having to return to the BIOS every time. And of course, the nagging feeling that there's a defect in your system, somewhere.

GAF. Heeeeelp meeeee.

 

[neurosisxeno]

GAF. Heeeeelp meeeee.

Did you double check all connectors including any/all jumpers on the motherboard?

 

[RGM79]

GAF, I've had this problem already for 6 months and I'm completely sick of it!! This is what happens:

I turn my system on and I hear the the system coming to life, the fans spinning, etc, etc. All seems normal until, suddenly, the system shuts itself off and attempts to reboot. This reboot fails and the system again shuts itself off and attempts another reboot. This process can repeat itself three to six times. But then again, sometimes the system just boots up normally with the first attempt!

The strange thing is: As mentioned, my system has so much trouble booting up, but when it eventually has finally succeeded booting, it runs flawlessly! Even in my overclock profile. I've stress tested with Prime95, OCCT and just plain gaming and it works like a charm. Stress tests are passed, temps are OK and 3DMark FireStrike scores are fantastic.

Some further info:

- I have overclocked my CPU (2500K) to 4.4Ghz but these boot issues also happen at stock speeds (3.3ghz), so I'm deducing that my overclock is not the cause of my boot issues.
- My memory X.M.P. profile is correctly set in my BIOS, so that also shouldn't be an issue.
- These issues happen at random times. I can't find a pattern. Sometimes the system just boots like it normally should.
- CPU is 2500K (stock 3.3Ghz, OC to 4.4Ghz), PSU is 700W and MOBO is Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 - Z68, GPU is a single 980

What's going on, GAF? I've talked with an expert and he said the problem is likely due to a defect in my motherboard rather than that there's something wrong with my PSU.

I'm also somewhat conflicted about attemping to repair the problem... Because attempting to repair would most likely result in buying a new Mobo/CPU and/or PSU. But on the other hand this issue isn't really something that's system-breaking or game-breaking. It's just annoying that the system has these issues and that each time this happens I have to manually return to the BIOS to apply my overclocking profile. This is because each time these boot issues occur my MOBO automatically resets my BIOS profile to stock speeds and voltages, but I of course want my overclock profile. So while this issue isn't fatal to my system, it's still really annoying having to return to the BIOS every time. And of course, the nagging feeling that there's a defect in your system, somewhere.

GAF. Heeeeelp meeeee.

Does the problem still occur if you run the memory at 1333MHz and default voltages?

 

[LilJoka]

GAF. Heeeeelp meeeee.

Bios updated?

I want to ask about room ambient temperature and how that affects PC performance. I have the option to put my new PC in two locations at home.

It will have a coupe of degrees difference, won't make any real difference.

 

[Dries]

Did you double check all connectors including any/all jumpers on the motherboard?

With connectors you mean the cables and plugs, right? Yeah, they seem fine. Although I haven't checked EVERY SINGLE cable and plug in my case..

I don't know what jumpers are though.

Does the problem still occur if you run the memory at 1333MHz and default voltages?

No, haven't tried running my memory at 1333 MHz. But my memory is 1600 MHz, so..... doesn't seem logical?

With default voltages: do you mean memory voltage or CPU voltage? (Vcore)

Bios updated?

Yeah, my BIOS has the latest version right now. Haven't tried rolling back to a previous version, but that's something I'd want to avoid.

 

[LilJoka]

With connectors you mean the cables and plugs, right? Yeah, they seem fine. Although I haven't checked EVERY SINGLE cable and plug in my case..

I don't know what jumpers are though.



No, haven't tried running my memory at 1333 MHz. But my memory is 1600 MHz, so..... doesn't seem logical?

With default voltages: do you mean memory voltage or CPU voltage? (Vcore)



Yeah, my BIOS has the latest version right now. Haven't tried rolling back to a previous version, but that's something I'd want to avoid.

All DDR3 is 1333mhz in reality, just better chips are overclocked. So worth a try.

You really should consider rolling back the bios.

A quick Google shows the boot loop from cold boot is a known problem with this motherboard.

Also stop using or loafing overclock profiles. They tend to be very buggy on these boards. Just enter settings manually after loading optimised defaults and rebooting.

 

[Jimrpg]

Thanks for the very generous help and advice from people on this forum, I finally bought all the components of my first gaming PC (listed here, though I spent a bit less than these prices thanks to a nearby Micro Center and a few other deals).

Just wanted to abuse everyone's generous nature and see if you had any advice on the monitor/keyboard/mouse. I wasn't thinking about going too expensive on any of those (I can always upgrade later once I've recovered from monetary damage incurred by the rest of this PC).

For the monitor, I was thinking about going in the $100-$150 range (though I'd certainly take less), with this ASUS as the current leading contender. Any thoughts?

For the keyboard/mouse, while I would love a cool mechanical keyboard or something that lights up, I might just go super cheap for now and get something nicer down the line. Especially since I have little kids who yet to grasp the concept of "gentle" or "don't smash."

Once that's done, all I have to do is put together my first PC even though I have no idea what I'm doing. That should be easy, right?

Thanks again for all your help.

I got the Acer G227HQL which is a 21.5" LCD IPS-Type panel. Its $129 on Amazon. It's arriving tomorrow so I'll let you know how it goes. THere's a 23" and 24" for $10 or $20 more. Seems like its got reasonable reviews.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N913M0W/?tag=neogaf0e-20

So I got the Acer G227HQL and it's pretty awesome. The colors are great, I compared the same wallpaper images with my iPhone 6 and it's way better. The colors are brighter. The build quality is also great for a $150 monitor. As it's an IPS, the viewing angles are really good too. I haven't tried any games on it though as it's an office monitor.

 

[MetalDeer]

I might be getting a nice little bonus check here in a couple weeks, and I figured I may as well use it to splurge and upgrade a couple things on my PC. My 7950 is holding up pretty well, but I do plan on getting a 1440p 144hz monitor one of these days, and I don't think it'll quite cut it for that. Also, my current case and case fans are loud as hell, and I can't stand it much longer.

Anyways, some quick questions:

-Any news on new video cards coming out? If it's only going to be until say, Summer, I might hold off. (Planning on getting a 980, currently)

-Just checking if anyone here has any insight on some good ATX cases built around silence. I've looked around at quite a few, and I'm pretty set on the be quiet! Silent Base 800.

-I'm also pretty set on what I want in a CPU cooler, and that is something that's silent. I already looked through a few, and I think I'm leaning towards a Cryorig R1 Ultimate or a Deepcool Lucifer. Unless anyone has any cheaper suggestions? (About $60 USD or less)

Spoiler

Technically, I'll have enough to get a Titan X, but there's other stuff I really want to replace first. Unless someone here can convince me it'll be worth my money.

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

Thanks for the very generous help and advice from people on this forum, I finally bought all the components of my first gaming PC (listed here, though I spent a bit less than these prices thanks to a nearby Micro Center and a few other deals).

Just wanted to abuse everyone's generous nature and see if you had any advice on the monitor/keyboard/mouse. I wasn't thinking about going too expensive on any of those (I can always upgrade later once I've recovered from monetary damage incurred by the rest of this PC).

For the monitor, I was thinking about going in the $100-$150 range (though I'd certainly take less), with this ASUS as the current leading contender. Any thoughts?

For the keyboard/mouse, while I would love a cool mechanical keyboard or something that lights up, I might just go super cheap for now and get something nicer down the line. Especially since I have little kids who yet to grasp the concept of "gentle" or "don't smash."

Once that's done, all I have to do is put together my first PC even though I have no idea what I'm doing. That should be easy, right?

Thanks again for all your help.

So I got the Acer G227HQL and it's pretty awesome. The colors are great, I compared the same wallpaper images with my iPhone 6 and it's way better. The colors are brighter. The build quality is also great for a $150 monitor. As it's an IPS, the viewing angles are really good too. I haven't tried any games on it though as it's an office monitor.

This Asus 248 IPS seems decent.

I might be getting a nice little bonus check here in a couple weeks, and I figured I may as well use it to splurge and upgrade a couple things on my PC. My 7950 is holding up pretty well, but I do plan on getting a 1440p 144hz monitor one of these days, and I don't think it'll quite cut it for that. Also, my current case and case fans are loud as hell, and I can't stand it much longer.

Anyways, some quick questions:

-Any news on new video cards coming out? If it's only going to be until say, Summer, I might hold off. (Planning on getting a 980, currently)

-Just checking if anyone here has any insight on some good ATX cases built around silence. I've looked around at quite a few, and I'm pretty set on the be quiet! Silent Base 800.

-I'm also pretty set on what I want in a CPU cooler, and that is something that's silent. I already looked through a few, and I think I'm leaning towards a Cryorig R1 Ultimate or a Deepcool Lucifer. Unless anyone has any cheaper suggestions? (About $60 USD or less)

Spoiler

Technically, I'll have enough to get a Titan X, but there's other stuff I really want to replace first. Unless someone here can convince me it'll be worth my money.

The Titan is not worth it in a perf/price pov. I think you should wait.

 

[MetalDeer]

The Titan is not worth it in a perf/price pov. I think you should wait.

Yeah, that's what I figured. I'm not even playing any majorly demanding or recent games at the moment, so I may as well wait it out. I really want to get rid of some of the noisy stuff in my current build, though.

Oh, and may as well ask, how does the BenQ XL2730Z compare to the ROG Swift? (I guess I'm basically asking how Gsync compares to FreeSync) Also, I hear Acer has a 1440p/144hz panel coming soon, any word of when?

 

[Tenki]

Hi guys. My old PC just died, so I need to build a new one.

Your Current Specs: None

Budget: ~400€ + Spain

Main Use: Rate 1-5. 5 being Highest:
Light Gaming: 3
Gaming: 3
Emulation (PS2/Wii): 1
Video Editing: 1
Streaming games in HD: 1
3D/Model work: 1
General Usage (Word, Web, 1080p playback): 5

Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050

Are you buying a new monitor? No

List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: I just want it to play Heroes of the Storm. 60fps preferably.

Looking to reuse any parts?: No

When will you build?: ASAP

Will you be overclocking?: No

I just want a cheap PC to play HotS, watch movies and use Chrome, so nothing too expensive. Would the Budget PC in the OP be right for me?

Thanks.

 

[CzarTim]

Why are people in /r/microsoftsoftwareswap selling 8.1 for $5 more than 8. Isn't it a free update?

 

[Devildoll]

No, haven't tried running my memory at 1333 MHz. But my memory is 1600 MHz, so..... doesn't seem logical?

With default voltages: do you mean memory voltage or CPU voltage? (Vcore)

leave everything on default, turning xmp off, and the memory should run at its JEDEC certified speed/timings, which is usually 1066 or 1333.

Why are people in /r/microsoftsoftwareswap selling 8.1 for $5 more than 8. Isn't it a free update?

People with 56k internet might want all the updates they can get on disk, or something like that.

 

[Nakazato]

Bought a new monitor have a inch black bar around it

Have amd card

Any ideas ?

 

[e90Mark]

Bought a new monitor have a inch black bar around it

Have amd card

Any ideas ?

IIRC, there should be a slider for over/underscan in catalyst. It might be on something other than 0%.

 

[kennah]

Why are people in /r/microsoftsoftwareswap selling 8.1 for $5 more than 8. Isn't it a free update?

Because clearly the higher number is better and worth more.

 

[NinjaFridge]

How good of a deal is a 256GB MX100 for £62.91? Sounds pretty good.

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

How good of a deal is a 256GB MX100 for £62.91? Sounds pretty good.

Amazon has it for 73 right now. So not that good but not bad either.

 

[hesido]

A 120GB SSD is more than sufficient for a boot drive. You only need to load your OS and programs on there.

I'd ask in the gaming laptop topic how best to cover up the outside of the drive bay, they'll know the best solution for that.

You're on the right lines though. An SSD boot drive and HDD mass storage is a much better solution than a hybrid drive.

This is the right thread for laptop as Brain-stew mentioned. http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?p=158385277#post158385277

Thanks guys.

 

[LilJoka]

Why are people in /r/microsoftsoftwareswap selling 8.1 for $5 more than 8. Isn't it a free update?

Can take a long time to update. Got to fully update 8, then install 8.1, then fully update 8.1.

 

[HarryDemeanor]

Bought a new monitor have a inch black bar around it

Have amd card

Any ideas ?

Enable Overscan in the AMD Catalyst Control Center and crank that dial up until it fills the entire screen.

 

[FloatingDivider]

this one?

If speedstepping is already enabled but it's not speedstepping change your powermanagement options in windows to balanced or energy saving btw, high performance disables speedstepping which I'm grateful for since it beats having to go to the bios everytime I need to disable it for some program or other.

 

[Dries]

All DDR3 is 1333mhz in reality, just better chips are overclocked. So worth a try.

You really should consider rolling back the bios.

A quick Google shows the boot loop from cold boot is a known problem with this motherboard.

Also stop using or loafing overclock profiles. They tend to be very buggy on these boards. Just enter settings manually after loading optimised defaults and rebooting.

Thanks, man. I'll check into this.

leave everything on default, turning xmp off, and the memory should run at its JEDEC certified speed/timings, which is usually 1066 or 1333.

Thanks, so the same thing LilJoka said, huh? Tell me though, will I notice stepping back from 1600MHz to 1333MHz?

 

[kIdMuScLe]

Hey, I'm looking for a good $100 mobo / cpu combo. My asus m5a97 le r2.0 mobo and am+ cpu got damaged when moving so I'm looking for a cheap alternative now since budget is tight.

I have 4 sticks of ram, and a 6870 card. what do you recommend. Thanks

 

[jim2point0]

Early impressions of the Acer XB270HU are extremely positive. Panel does not have any issues. Huge upgrade over my old Dell U2412M. Now i need to upgrade my 980 to a titan x, or just add a second 980 for sli.

I want it so bad... but $800 is still a bit too much for me to spend on a monitor I think. I dunno. Hard to justify that.

I already have a 2560x1440 (IPA) display. It's not the greatest, and this would definitely be an upgrade... just not sure how much that upgrade is worth.

I want it so bad though...

 

[mkenyon]

Hey, I'm looking for a good $100 mobo / cpu combo. My asus m5a97 le r2.0 mobo and am+ cpu got damaged when moving so I'm looking for a cheap alternative now since budget is tight.

I have 4 sticks of ram, and a 6870 card. what do you recommend. Thanks

Craigslist, or watch for Newegg/whatever deals to pop up on something affordable.

Even something like an Intel Pentium Anniversary + budget board puts that over $100.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

It's become pretty commonplace to have the ability to render at resolutions greater than you can display and have it scaled down to fit your screen. But there's still no good equivalent of this in the dimension of time, is there? Render 90 or 120 or however many frames in a second and combine frames for a screen that can't support that many?

 

[Sleeping Lesson]

It's become pretty commonplace to have the ability to render at resolutions greater than you can display and have it scaled down to fit your screen. But there's still no good equivalent of this in the dimension of time, is there? Render 90 or 120 or however many frames in a second and combine frames for a screen that can't support that many?

Wh...what? What would the point of that be? I mean, you can run stuff at a higher refresh rate than your display, yes.

 

[jim2point0]

It's become pretty commonplace to have the ability to render at resolutions greater than you can display and have it scaled down to fit your screen. But there's still no good equivalent of this in the dimension of time, is there? Render 90 or 120 or however many frames in a second and combine frames for a screen that can't support that many?

I have a 60hz monitor, but it can be "overclocked" to run at 120hz. I followed a guide on overclock.net for my monitor.

So yeah, it can be done.

 

[The Llama]

It's become pretty commonplace to have the ability to render at resolutions greater than you can display and have it scaled down to fit your screen. But there's still no good equivalent of this in the dimension of time, is there? Render 90 or 120 or however many frames in a second and combine frames for a screen that can't support that many?

I mean, if you turn off V-Sync your computer will render more FPS than your monitor can display, if its powerful enough.

 

[lostsupper]

Thanks, man. I'll check into this.




Thanks, so the same thing LilJoka said, huh? Tell me though, will I notice stepping back from 1600MHz to 1333MHz?

You've established that you have an incredible ability to not notice things. Your posts in the GTAV trailer thread are exploding heads.

Seriously though, probably not.

 

[Devildoll]

Thanks, so the same thing LilJoka said, huh?

Yep.

Tell me though, will I notice stepping back from 1600MHz to 1333MHz?

Probably not, atleast not for regular acitivites such as games and browsing.
Which is why you don't see that many professional reviews for ram, the performance isn't that important, the baseline on them is so high that the bottleneck is usually elsewhere in the system

 

[Kayant]

In order from least expensive to most expensive:

XFX Pro Series 650 watt bronze semi-modular for £61 | Hardware Secrets review gold award and HardOCP review passing mark
Antec High Current Gamer 620 watt bronze semi-modular for £64 | Hardware Secrets review gold award
EVGA Supernova B2 750 watt bronze semi-modular for £72 | Jonny Guru review score of 9
XFX XTR series 650 watt gold fully modular for £74 | TechPowerUP review score of 8.7
XFX Pro Series 850 watt bronze semi-modular for £75 | Legit Review's value award and Hexus review rating of 4/5 stars

Any of those should meet your needs, they're all reasonably high quality for the price. You only need 550~600 watts for a single GTX 970, and 750 watts for twin GTX 970 if you wanted in the future. If you wanted something unquestionably good quality, there are these two models but they're a bit above your budget.

Super Flower Leadex Gold 750 watts gold fully modular for £90 | Jonny Guru review score of 9.7
EVGA Supernova G2 750 watt gold fully modular for £90 | Jonny Guru review score of 9.8

In terms of selling, whatever you're comfortable with. Friends, family, classified ads, ebay.

As always thanks for your exception laid out advice I went all in for the EVGA Supernova G2 because why not and since it's based on Super Flower Leadex platform am still getting excellent performance with the nice extras(Tester, longer warranty) and better cables. Probably will need to remove my bottom intake for it to fit.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

Wh...what? What would the point of that be? I mean, you can run stuff at a higher refresh rate than your display, yes.

I mean, if you turn off V-Sync your computer will render more FPS than your monitor can display, if its powerful enough.

I know if I turn off VSync it might say it's getting 100 frames per second, or even several times that if it's a sufficiently old game, but they're not actually contributing to the end visual. Just seems a waste they can't be used as a brute-force motion blur.

 

[BenH]

This Asus 248 IPS seems decent.

Thanks, LFB and arbok.

Currently leaning toward the ASUS VS238H-P monitor, which is pretty reasonable with an amazon rebate.

As for keyboard/mouse, not very fancy, but this CM Storm Devastor combo seems reasonable

 

[Complex Shadow]

so I am trying to switch from an NVidia card to amd. anyone have any advice?

I ve already uninstalled the drivers anything else I should do?