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[old]

I've forgotten everything about how to build or upgrade computers. I built mine in 2011 and haven't kept up with the scene.

I want to upgrade my Radeon 6950 from my 2011 rig. Do I need to buy a new motherboard or can I just put a new graphics card in?

core i5 2500K @3.3GHZ
radeon 6950 2GB (really 1.667GB from Battle.net diagnostics)
MSI MS-7673
8GB

 

[clav]

^ Need power supply rating.

Generally 6GB GTX 1060 is a safe bet due to low power requirements.

You swap the cards. Usually there's a white tab that you need to press to remove card after removing the securing screw.

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

upgrading your big ass desktop that has big pieces inside is fun and all, but it is repairing small electronics that most people don't even know how it looks inside what is the really rewarding ones in the end, specially the more annoying the task ends up being.

Fuck repairing washing machines and fridges tho, those require a lot of strength. It's like moving furniture and then fighting against nuts and bolts.

 

[old]

^ Need power supply rating.

Generally 6GB GTX 1060 is a safe bet due to low power requirements.

You swap the cards. Usually there's a white tab that you need to press to remove card after removing the securing screw.

I have a 600W 80+ PSU. I heard the new cards use less power?

 

[TheExodu5]

I upgraded from a 970, 2500k, dual 1080p monitors to a 7700k, 1080ti, dual 1440p gsync 144hz monitors. Yeah huge difference.

And I put it together all by myself with some gaffers guiding me.

Damn...I would love that Lian-Li but it is one pricey piece of gear! Considering wall-mounting it? How was the build?

 

[crimsondynamics]

I've forgotten everything about how to build or upgrade computers. I built mine in 2011 and haven't kept up with the scene.

I want to upgrade my Radeon 6950 from my 2011 rig. Do I need to buy a new motherboard or can I just put a new graphics card in?

core i5 2500K @3.3GHZ
radeon 6950 2GB (really 1.667GB from Battle.net diagnostics)
MSI MS-7673
8GB

One of my Radeon HD6950s just died last weekend and I purchased two new RX570s to replace them. They run beautifully in my 6-year-old rig with no other upgrades or changes.

Given that the HD6950 has a maximum power draw of 256W under load and the RX570 has a maximum power draw of 158W while gaming, I'd say pretty much any new graphics card you drop into your current build will run with plenty of power to spare.

The current crop of AMD cards are more power-hungry than Nvidia's but you'll be safe with either.

 

[gdt]

It's so great. Just did ram and a new gpu not too long ago.

Maybe I should look into working on my car too....

 

[Confusion Illusion]

I still don't know if I want to upgrade(yet) — just the cpu/motherboard that is. I've been leaning towards just getting a new video card for the time being.

 

[many places]

They just look blue in the picture. They change colors and can flash, strobe, etc. And I can completely control them any time.

Not just the computer itself but my whole setup. Pic is a little outdated. I have a different mouse, etc. All color controlled.

Oh my god that three monitor setup is gorgeous.

 

[Zantetsuken]

If I had the money I would. But it does look a little intimidating.

 

[clav]

I have a 600W 80+ PSU. I heard the new cards use less power?

They generally do, but a decent habit is to check which card runs most efficient.

After all, watch your carbon footprint.

Also read your power supply by seeing how many amps 12 volts provides on the unit.

 

[One Eyed Willy]

I remember working a paper route for 2 summers so I could afford a 2400 baud modem. Fuck I'm old

 

[Stinkles]

I used to love building gaming rigs. Troubleshooting software and hardware issues made me feel like a badass. Eventually I realized I wasn't MacGyver and that I preferred the results to the process.

I still enjoyed "assembling" my Raspberry Pi though.

 

[BIGWORM]

Been building my own computers for a little over ten years. Just remembering where I came (as far as specs) to where I'm at now brings back the memories. I actually just yesterday upgraded to a Samsung 960 EVO NVMe SSD from a Samsung 840 EVO SATA3 SSD. Fresh OS and this thing flies. R/W is many times faster. Looking to upgrade my 4670K to a Kaby Lake, but I think the price to upgrade my base system is going to be worth it. I'll probably hang on to this processor for another year or so. =)

 

[Deleted member 22576]

Great joy indeed! I've got a cool Frankenstein SFF VR pc that I'm super proud of how I hard worked on. I built my rig in 2012 in a pretty unique case that houses the Videocard vertically. It's awesome because it's like a third the size of a full tower. But when it came time to upgrade the GPU last year I had a problem! The biggest baddest GPU wouldn't fit in my case anymore!! :'(

Well lots of trial and error later I ginned up this daughter case to house the 1080! It's working great and in my opinion looks cool. The card runs cool as hell too since it's out in the open. I bought the aluminum off metal depot and actually cut the whole thing with a weak-ass dremel.

The last piece I've not completed yet is a detachable faceplace to keep the cat out of the Videocard. If you look closely you can see the knuckle catches this will attach to when it's completes.

PCs are lots of fun and very cool imo

 

[Kadey]

That looks bigger than mine, which is the PC-O5SX. What a pain the ass to put together. How are your gpu temps?

My post during the process. http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=233566496&postcount=1033

PC as a whole is super cool.

Damn...I would love that Lian-Li but it is one pricey piece of gear! Considering wall-mounting it? How was the build?

Nope. My setup can't wall mount it anyway due to rest of my setup. Plus it sits right at the door to my PC room when people walk in it's the first thing they see.

Here is a pic I just took with certain stuff different from previous pic.

 

[Trojan X]

They just look blue in the picture. They change colors and can flash, strobe, etc. And I can completely control them any time.

Not just the computer itself but my whole setup. Pic is a little outdated. I have a different mouse, etc. All color controlled.

Similar to mine but I am using three 30" 1600p 16:10 monitors. Always looks like a madness to other people. I love the lights in your machine!

 

[Wolf Akela]

I like building and upgrading, but I hate repairing.

Just recently build a new desktop for myself after years of being on a laptop out of necessity. It's so nice going from turning all settings down and hoping I get 30fps, to just always maxing everything and get locked at 60fps.

I dislike fiddling with laptops because there's no standard with them. They all have different ways to open, different layouts, and they never had any standard for batteries.

 

[Mikey Jr.]

My computer makes a very large whirring sound for a good 2 minutes whenever it starts up.

I usually have to smash it half a dozen times to show it whose boss. It stops after a few good smacks.

 

[Fall Into The GAF]

I'd like to get into this someday when I have the extra scratch. I liked building with Legos, so this is definitely the next step up.

 

[ubique]

Last time I did was in 2011 and when I recently researched for a while I decided im just gonna become some kind of hiker or live out in the sea just so I dont have to build a new one again

 

[StoneFox]

My computer makes a very large whirring sound for a good 2 minutes whenever it starts up.

I usually have to smash it half a dozen times to show it whose boss. It stops after a few good smacks.

Sounds like you have dust on the fans.

 

[SRG01]

How do you guys feel about open air cases? My temps literally dropped by 10C when I removed all the panels

 

[Timu]

How do you guys feel about open air cases? My temps literally dropped by 10C when I removed all the panels

Oh wow, really?=O

 

[Wolf Akela]

How do you guys feel about open air cases? My temps literally dropped by 10C when I removed all the panels

If it drops that much, maybe you have bad airflow in your case. Manage your cables better, replace paste, maybe get a better cooler.

Open air cases are awful because they attract too much dust.

 

[theultimo]

If it drops that much, maybe you have bad airflow in your case. Manage your cables better, replace paste, maybe get a better cooler.

Open air cases are awful because they attract too much dust.

They also can be pretty loud.

The Carbide air case i have has nice dust filters and just enough of a sound dampening that it rarely gets above 38dbl, even with a full load.

It helps also to have a stream of air intake > exhaust. Keeps temps cooler that way. A lot of cases have adequate cpu cooling but 0 gpu cooling too - just do your research.

The fractal node is also a great line for air cooling too.

 

[DBT85]

Get creative

Really enjoyed doing this and pipe bending is really not hard. It's since had a new Superflower Gold Leadex II 650w White PSU put in it.

 

[PumpkinSpice]

Used to be a lot more satisfying when every year brought massive improvements.

Since 2011 I have added more RAM for pretty much no reason other than it being cheap, added an SSD, and recently plopped in a new graphics card. Good to go for another 3-4 years when maybe I'll finally build something fresh.

 

[PdotMichael]

Just as you need to know basics about computing like component selection, hardware compatibility, software compatibility, proper tool handling, OS installation, overclocking, BIOS tweaking, troubleshooting, etc.

You're making a comparative bias mistake because you're good at computer stuff. There are probably a lot of people who are just as smart as you are, who would feel the same way but with a bias towards gardening just because they're more familiar with that than electronics. "Just stick it in the ground, with good soil, and water it!"

I'm not sure why you are so earger trying to turn putting a PC together. It's a simple act.

And of couse you can make gardening easy if you just buy some low maintanance plants and call it a day but the ceiling is so much higher in gardening and other hobbies than putting PC components in your computer together. Not that there is anything wrong with it but it's like trying to turn Ikea into an art form.

 

[Rentahamster]

I'm not sure why you are so earger trying to turn putting a PC together. It's a simple act.

All I'm trying to do is point out the error in your reasoning. Not everyone has the same brain as you do. Some people just have a harder time with electronics. What you are doing is comparing a strawman of the simplest form of PC building, to a more complex form of gardening. Let's take your statement:

And of couse you can make gardening easy if you just buy some low maintanance plants and call it a day but the ceiling is so much higher in gardening and other hobbies than putting PC components in your computer together. Not that there is anything wrong with it but it's like trying to turn Ikea into an art form.

You could just as easily rewrite it like this:

And of course you can make PC building easy if you just buy some basic components and call it a day, but the ceiling is so much higher in custom PC assembly and other hobbies than sticking plants in a pot. Not that there is anything wrong with it but, it's like trying to turn Chia Pets into an art form.

Both hobbies require a certain amount of skill and experience to do well, especially if you want to excel at the more complicated aspects of it. Not everyone can tell you why certain components work better together. Not everyone knows how to perform a clean install. Not everyone knows which version of Linux they should use. Not everyone knows how to create a RAID array for their NAS and use it as a media server for their home network (especially before Plex). Not everyone can overclock and test for the most stable speed. Not everyone can install watercooling. Not everyone knows how to tweak their OS for maximum performance. Not everyone knows how to deal with software or hardware bugs. etc.

 

[Liu Kang Baking A Pie]

Does it always feel this cool when upgrading your computer?

I mean, yesterday I replaced the ram on my old laptop
I've never done anything like this- I felt like some M.I agent

I dunno man the feel of unscrewing the laptop
and replacing those ram chips or whatever they are, felt so gooood

is cool when your laptop speed is boosted by 30%

I cant even imagine the feel of people building their own computers,
could it become addictive or at what point do you just like buy a new computer ?

Hell yes. I've made three computers and a whole lot of little robots. It never stops feeling like this.

 

[super-famicom]

If you guys need advice on building a PC, OT is here: http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=1352338

Everyone there is super duper helpful.

 

[FlexMentallo]

I'd always built my PCs going back to the 90s, it's not that tough, but my last upgrade I ended up buying one of the HPs from a deal linked on here last year. Was definitely less hassle, although I'd still consider building again in the future.

 

[Black_Stride]

How do you guys feel about open air cases? My temps literally dropped by 10C when I removed all the panels

Like a workbench computer or basically motherboard on a wall like setup.

For testing and random shit purposes sure, as my daily driver.....fuck no.
Keeping the thing clean would be a nightmare where i live.
Dust dust and more dust.

Still want to build one of these those.

And i dont give a shit!

 

[PlayALLtheGames]

I cant even imagine the feel of people building their own computers,
could it become addictive or at what point do you just like buy a new computer ?

You don't. Once you start building you never buy a computer again, because you know full well that no matter the level of the build, it'll be cheaper to DIY while getting the exact customization you want, which you rarely get with pre-built.

Building a machine is like one of my favorite things to do, ever. This is the first time I've build a system with all new parts since basically 2012, so I'm just shitting myself with excitement every day.

And I'm making a big leap from an air-cooled 2600k build to a custom loop. I've upgraded the GPU every ~1.5-2 years but the case, mobo, RAM and 2600k have stayed the same. That system is still awesome - I'm using it right now.

But the new one is on another level. PS4 mounted on the fucking back and all.

All the custom shit I've been able to do with this setup has been a lot of fun, despite some frustration. I'm just finishing the tubes and I can't wait to power this thing up and get it running (after, almost inevitably, dealing with some bullshit).

Like a workbench computer or basically motherboard on a wall like setup.

For testing and random shit purposes sure, as my daily driver.....fuck no.

Naturally there's some increase in dust but it is absolutely not a factor when deciding to have an open-air case as a daily driver. The amount of dust these machines gather over regular case is vastly exaggerated.

I've been using an Antec Skeleton since like 2012 and with periodic cleaning, just like I did with my closed case before it, it looks and functions normally. I personally prefer the overall look so it's a no-brainer for me.

My new case is one you linked to - the P5 - and it is an absolute beast. I mean it's accommodating two systems! And with the partial or full glass window just looks amazing. I'm not sure I'll ever go with a closed case ever again.

 

[Sad Affleck]

Great joy indeed! I've got a cool Frankenstein SFF VR pc that I'm super proud of how I hard worked on. I built my rig in 2012 in a pretty unique case that houses the Videocard vertically. It's awesome because it's like a third the size of a full tower. But when it came time to upgrade the GPU last year I had a problem! The biggest baddest GPU wouldn't fit in my case anymore!! :'(

Well lots of trial and error later I ginned up this daughter case to house the 1080! It's working great and in my opinion looks cool. The card runs cool as hell too since it's out in the open. I bought the aluminum off metal depot and actually cut the whole thing with a weak-ass dremel.

The last piece I've not completed yet is a detachable faceplace to keep the cat out of the Videocard. If you look closely you can see the knuckle catches this will attach to when it's completes.

PCs are lots of fun and very cool imo

Impressive work!

 

[Deleted member 22576]

Impressive work!

Thanks! I appreciate it! Not pictured is the riser cable looped under the motherboard and out the back of the rig.

Lots of impressive rigs in this thread!

 

[Omadahl]

I enjoy the process. What sucks is that when it comes time to upgrade, I can't afford Nvidia/Intel prices so I have to go the AMD/Radeon route. It gets depressing thinking about how good a system I could have. Damn low paying public education job.

 

[Black_Stride]

I enjoy the process. What sucks is that when it comes time to upgrade, I can't afford Nvidia/Intel prices so I have to go the AMD/Radeon route. It gets depressing thinking about how good a system I could have. Damn low paying public education job.

I know that feel.
Had to settle with just a GPU upgrade last year, when i really wanted to do this:

44-Cores, 88-Threads
Quad SLI Titan Xp
512GB Ram

Being poor sucks!

 

[Wag]

Sex is better.