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[cartman414]

USB3 and Sata 6Gb/s are both must in my mind. Even if you can't utilize them yet, it's been out long enough that it's standard on most boards so there's no reason not to get it.

I figured as much. The former will be great for external HDD enclosures.

Anything else I should look out for? I understand x16/x16 and up isn't going to make a difference for SLI unless you're working multiple displays.

 

[Hazaro]

Installed 295.
Forgot XP limited SLi to using 1 monitor.
Fuuuuuuuuuuck

 

[peppermints]

So how soon after the Sandybridge CPUs launch will the compatible motherboards be out?

I'd assume day one, but I'm really itching to get my new rig built.

 

[evlcookie]

So how soon after the Sandybridge CPUs launch will the compatible motherboards be out?

I'd assume day one, but I'm really itching to get my new rig built.

Here in Aus some places are already listing boards for sale, Although i think they are all preorders at the moment. So expect them to be day 1 or maybe a day earlier.

Also note that i think ASUS is the only one with UEFI support. So if you wanna jump in and test that out instead of the good ol bios then that might be a brand worth looking into.

 

[snack]

I can't wait for Bulldozer to come out. <3 AMD!

 

[knitoe]

With all this talk about SSD drive, I feel the itch to get one for bootup. Which one, OCZ 60GB Vertex 2 or Corsair 60GB Force?


Here's what I put together right before X-mas.

Still love this case: Cooler Master Stacker 830

 

[Cipherr]

Christ, I wonder how many of us have Hyper 212's. Whoever first started recommended that needs to be drawing a commission, its insane. :lol

And since it also fits sandy bridge, there no end in sight. Hilarious.

 

[koji]

With all this talk about SSD drive, I feel the itch to get one for bootup. Which one, OCZ 60GB Vertex 2 or Corsair 60GB Force?

They're both Sandforce 1200 so basically the same performance wise, I went with Corsair because I had a couple bad experiences with OCZ so far and never had issues with Corsair parts.

Read up on SSD shizzle before buying one is my advice though, certainly when you have an AMD rig, it involves some driver hussle to get TRIM working right on AMD SBs. Also, make sure your SATA controller is running in AHCI mode. SSD aren't really plug and play like a regular HD (if you want to do it right)

GJ on the thread Hazaro, 2011 it's on!

 

[Metalic Sand]

So best place to point a Hyper 212+ would be up right? I see everyone point it towards the back though?

 

[koji]

So best place to point a Hyper 212+ would be up right? I see everyone point it towards the back though?

Depends on your rig, most people who put it vertical is just because they have to. (to fit it with their RAM)

It's a mixed bag, certainly in my case, put it vertical I get a couple degrees cooler on my GTX295 (and add some on my CPU because I'm sucking warm air from my GFX), but my RAM runs a lot hotter.

Also depends where you have your exhausts, I have one at the top and in the rear of my case so that doesn't really matter for me, but I would put it facing an exhaust.

I'm not using a Hyper 212+ btw, but I did quite a bit of fooling around with coolerplacement :lol

Ideal situation would be in a semi straight line INTAKE fan (front of case) -> Horizontal CPU cooler -> EXHAUST fan (back of case)
(not taking into account stuff like negative air pressure and all that advanced air-cooling mumbo jumbo here)

 

[knitoe]

They're both Sandforce 1200 so basically the same performance wise, I went with Corsair because I had a couple bad experiences with OCZ so far and never had issues with Corsair parts.

Read up on SSD shizzle before buying one is my advice though, certainly when you have an AMD rig, it involves some driver hussle to get TRIM working right on AMD SBs. Also, make sure your SATA controller is running in AHCI mode. SSD aren't really plug and play like a regular HD (if you want to do it right)

GJ on the thread Hazaro, 2011 it's on!

Going with OCZ. Supposely, OCZ has something with SandForce which allows them to get updated firmware sooner. And, I am running Intel iCore 950 so setting up TRIM shouldn't be much of an issue, I hope. The only other question I have is what's this about aligning the drive before installing Windows?

 

[koji]

Going with OCZ. Supposely, OCZ has something with SandForce which allows them to get updated firmware sooner. And, I am running Intel iCore 950 so setting up TRIM shouldn't be much of an issue, I hope. The only other question I have is what's this about aligning the drive before installing Windows?

Pretty good and complete guide here.

And these are the latest intel SB/chipset drivers. Get those for optimal performance.

Oh and about aligning, depends what OS and I don't know it still matters on SF1200;

Only required if you create the partition during XP install or using XP.
Vista/Win7 align properly when creating.
You can create using Vista/Win7, and as long as you don't delete and recreate, you can install XP and it will be aligned.
Even MS has acknowledged that aligning will give performance improvements since XP default alignment leaves blocks in middle of SSD write page, not where they are supposed to be.

I wouldn't use an SSD if I wasn't running win7 but that's just me.

 

[Hazaro]

If you don't have an SSD yet, wait 1-4 months and pick up a next generation one.
The differences should be incredible.

 

[Smokey]

Wow, Smokey, you're hooked up! Or will be.

I guess you'll want some extra external storage down the line.

BTW, what are general musts for mobo features (i. e. USB3, SATA6, etc.) in general?

I'll probably be fine with the 1TB + 128GB SSD. Don't really do too much on my computer, but then again that could be because the one I have now can barely do anything besides surf.

The setup I want to do will cost a good grip but my uncle providing some of the essential parts will help out a bit. Plan is to just start out with 1 monitor with 3D and if I like it enough then I'll get 2 more to do surround.

The tech whore in me can't wait to get back into PC gaming.

Well, I finally bit the bullet and ordered my "upgrade" parts. I should use the term upgrade loosely, as the only thing I'm keeping is my case (Cooler Master Storm Sniper). I was going to wait for the AMD Bulldozer line, but in the world of computers, you can wait forever. Anywho, this is what I went with:

AMD Phenom II X6 1090T
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1333 (CAS 7)
Gigabyte GA-890FXA-UD5
Corsair 850HX PSU
G.SKILL Phoenix Pro Series 60GB SSD (boot drive)
x2 Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB HDD (in Raid 0)
x2 AMD 6970

Early 2012 is when I'll upgrade to the AM3+ line with a Bulldozer chip.

Congrats, that is a sweet system. Crossfire 6970 and a 6 core processor you will be set for a long fucking time.

 

[knitoe]

Pretty good and complete guide here.

And these are the latest intel SB/chipset drivers. Get those for optimal performance.

Oh and about aligning, depends what OS and I don't know it still matters on SF1200;



I wouldn't use an SSD if I wasn't running win7 but that's just me.

Just install those intel drivers, reboot, and now, says "missing OS..." I was about to say ooh shit until I went started troubleshooting. Found, i had to enter bios and re-select storage configuration to Raid.

 

[koji]

Just install those intel drivers, reboot, and now, says "missing OS..." I was about to say ooh shit until I went started troubleshooting. Found, i had to enter bios and re-select storage configuration to Raid.

Those are the "fun" moments. :lol

When you install that SSD it's best to put the SATA controller on AHCI mode, you can still manage your raid config from in windows.

 

[Petrie]

Currently trying to decide if my present rig still has some life in her and I should simply make a few upgrades, or if it's time to prune her for parts, sell the rest, and start with something fresh. Here's what I'm rocking:

CORSAIR XMS2 DHX 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner
EVGA 01G-P3-N959-TR GeForce 9500 GT
ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
Intel Pentium E5200 Wolfdale 2.5GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor
OCZ StealthXStream OCZ500SXS 500W ATX12V / EPS12V Active PFC Power Supply
3 Sata drives 1TB- 1.5TB

Been playing more and more games on PC lately, but my knowledge isn't exactly amazing yet. Overclocking is over my head, but I'm slowly getting there. I'm either hoping to do some budget upgrading or start anew. I figure I'll at least be able to use the DVD drive, Power Supply, and Case if I want (though I'll probably splurge on something nicer), but I'm unsure if any of the other parts are worth using, or what part might be bottlenecking my rig. Here's that list:


Basic Desktop Questions
Your Current Specs: see above
Budget: Price isn't set in stone, but I'm not the type to spend an extra $300 for a few extra frames per second
Main Use: Gaming, media streaming
Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1080
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Diablo 3
Are reusing any parts?ossible
When will you build?: No rush here. I can wait for deals on parts, and my current rig still does most anything I throw at it.
Will you be overclocking?: Maybe. When/if I figure out how this works.

 

[Hazaro]

If you overclock that E5200 to 3.0 or 3.2, and put in a GTX 460 768MB (Get it for about $120 after rebate) it'll breathe a lot of new life into your old system and you can migrate the 460 over later.

 

[Deleted member 10571]

Dammit, my Bit.Trip fast forward problem seem to have nothing to do with MSE. I hate pc gaming I want to play Bit.Trip


So, I'll give it another shot: While playing said game, the dots keep getting in too fast after 3-4 seconds, making the graphings/sound totally out of sync. After a complete round of 8 beats, auto-correction kicks in. Then repeat. = Unplayable pile of crap.

This fucking sucks, especially on a brand new Quadcore system. I have absolutely no idea left where to start, I've got no programs running that may eat up performance (which would be a joke by this point anyway) and I am so pissed right now

If ANYONE ever had a similar problem and might know anything that even remotely may help - Please!

 

[Hazaro]

Dammit, my Bit.Trip fast forward problem seem to have nothing to do with MSE. I hate pc gaming I want to play Bit.Trip


So, I'll give it another shot: While playing said game, the dots keep getting in too fast after 3-4 seconds, making the graphings/sound totally out of sync. After a complete round of 8 beats, auto-correction kicks in. Then repeat. = Unplayable pile of crap.

This fucking sucks, especially on a brand new Quadcore system. I have absolutely no idea left where to start, I've got no programs running that may eat up performance (which would be a joke by this point anyway) and I am so pissed right now

If ANYONE ever had a similar problem and might know anything that even remotely may help - Please!

Try going to the process (windows task manager) and assigning it affinity for only 1 core (CPU 0).

 

[Petrie]

If you overclock that E5200 to 3.0 or 3.2, and put in a GTX 460 768MB (Get it for about $120 after rebate) it'll breathe a lot of new life into your old system and you can migrate the 460 over later.

So the graphics card is what's bottlenecking me? Damnit, overclocking always seems way above my technical level, but GAF makes it sound like the holy grail.

*Edit*

So if I am interested in learning to overclock this thing and get it up to 3.0 or 3.2 as mentioned, is there a guide or something that could help me do so, safely?

 

[Unknown Soldier]

My Core i7-950 running at 4ghz fears no sandy bridges. :lol

If you're serious about upgrading when Sandy Bridge hits, you might not want to run out and buy right away. Wait for the hardcore OCers to figure out how much Intel lets people OC the SB cores before rushing to order online, the Bloomfield i7s will drop in price a lot and you might get a great deal on a great OCer for a lot less than what a new SB box would cost you.

I'm definitely thinking seriously about going SSD in 2011, especially if the prices are going to be dropping fast and capacity increasing a lot as people are anticipating. Beyond that I might replace my 470 with something a lot quieter but really the box I built for FFXIV is looking pretty darn good going into the new year.

 

[Antiochus]

Now the key is this:

Will the new 2500/2500K be faster than the i5 750/760s?

Will the new 2600/2600K be faster than the i7 930/950s?

That should determine whether Sandy Bridge is worth it or not

 

[Deleted member 10571]

Try going to the process (windows task manager) and assigning it affinity for only 1 core (CPU 0).

Maybe a little bit better, but still not really in sync shortly before auto correction. Also, noticable hiccups.

 

[FoxSpirit]

Now the key is this:

Will the new 2500/2500K be faster than the i5 750/760s?

Will the new 2600/2600K be faster than the i7 930/950s?

That should determine whether Sandy Bridge is worth it or not

Yes it will. 5Ghz (1.45/1.4V) on air....
Mind you, it's stable but the overvolting seems a bit intense. Well, it's just for showing off.
Or 4.7Ghz with 1.3V, a tad more sane.

We'll see how well it all comes together once it's officially out.

 

[Keyouta]

So, at the end of June next year I'm thinking of buying a new laptop and building a new PC. I think I will be wanting sandy bridge in both. Doesn't it held in laptops (or so I heard), since it has some sort of graphic processor? Not 100% sure. What does sandy bridge do that is so awesome? Obviously some people are pretty excited.

 

[Mr_Brit]

Now the key is this:

Will the new 2500/2500K be faster than the i5 750/760s?

Will the new 2600/2600K be faster than the i7 930/950s?

That should determine whether Sandy Bridge is worth it or not

That's not even up for debate. Core for core, clock for clock, the new SB CPUs will beat even the $1000 core i7 990x. That combined with the fact that they'll overclock much further means that you'd be nuts to get any other CPU when they launch.

Although some may want to wait for the enthusiast level socket 1356 SB CPUs. These won't have any die space wasted for integrated GPUs so should offer better OCs and competitive pricing.

 

[Man]

If you don't have an SSD yet, wait 1-4 months and pick up a next generation one.
The differences should be incredible.

Do you have more info on this?

 

[cartman414]

I'll probably be fine with the 1TB + 128GB SSD. Don't really do too much on my computer, but then again that could be because the one I have now can barely do anything besides surf.

The setup I want to do will cost a good grip but my uncle providing some of the essential parts will help out a bit. Plan is to just start out with 1 monitor with 3D and if I like it enough then I'll get 2 more to do surround.

The tech whore in me can't wait to get back into PC gaming.

Whoa. I'll bet you'll be wanting a mobo with multiple PCIe x16 slots in case you do decide to go multiple monitor. At any rate, keep us updated! I'd sure love to see how your rig turns out!

There hasn't been much incentive to go Socket 1366 outside of, say x16/x16 for GPUs in dual, from what I've gathered. For the most part, the CPUs are priced at a higher price point for trivial advantages over the i7 800s.

Not sure how 1356 would change that, aside from getting the 6-8 core CPUs first.

 

[Mr_Brit]

There hasn't been much incentive to go Socket 1366 outside of, say x16/x16 for GPUs in dual, from what I've gathered. For the most part, the CPUs are priced at a higher price point for trivial advantages over the i7 800s.

Not sure how 1356 would change that, aside from getting the 6-8 core CPUs first.

That and the fact that they don't have integrated GPUs so will have a smaller die space which means less heat/voltage which should mean higher OCs. The saved die space may also be used by Intel to possibly add new features which won't be available on socket 1155.

 

[cartman414]

That and the fact that they don't have integrated GPUs so will have a smaller die space which means less heat/voltage which should mean higher OCs. The saved die space may also be used by Intel to possibly add new features which won't be available on socket 1155.

Which will be true, but what also matters is whether those chips won't cost too much more than the closest thing, the 2600K. There are only a couple 900 series chips within the same price bracket as the 870/875K, which rivals the rest of them.

 

[Mr_Brit]

Which will be true, but what also matters is whether those chips won't cost too much more than the closest thing, the 2600K. There are only a couple 900 series chips within the same price bracket as the 870/875K, which rivals the rest of them.

Also the new socket 1356 should also offer native PCI express 3.0 and USB 3.

 

[Hazaro]

Do you have more info on this?

SSDs, how do they work?!
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3971/...troller-sf2000-capable-of-500mbs-and-60k-iops

Intel will also be introducing their SSDs in Q1 2011 in a leaked spreadsheet. Capacities will double, and its assumed they will be doing something very crafty as well.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3965/intels-3rd-generation-x25m-ssd-specs-revealed

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

I figured as much. The former will be great for external HDD enclosures.

Anything else I should look out for? I understand x16/x16 and up isn't going to make a difference for SLI unless you're working multiple displays.

Wait, what do you men multi monitor? Has it changed since I cut down from one display? SLI, used to at least, only put out to one screen if SLI was enabled. Also, if you find an SLI board that doesn't have 2 x16 PCI-E slots, it's a piece of shit. That was standard 4 years ago when I built my pc.

 

[Hazaro]

Wait, what do you men multi monitor? Has it changed since I cut down from one display? SLI, used to at least, only put out to one screen if SLI was enabled. Also, if you find an SLI board that doesn't have 2 x16 PCI-E slots, it's a piece of shit. That was standard 4 years ago when I built my pc.

To my knowledge you can have SLi and a second monitor (as long as you aren't on Windows XP).

Correct me if I am wrong. I haven't even been able to get SLi to work. I'm dumb

 

[Mr_Brit]

Wait, what do you men multi monitor? Has it changed since I cut down from one display? SLI, used to at least, only put out to one screen if SLI was enabled. Also, if you find an SLI board that doesn't have 2 x16 PCI-E slots, it's a piece of shit. That was standard 4 years ago when I built my pc.

He means that the slots have x8 bandwidth each, not that the slots are only half length.

 

[The_Squirrel_Menace]

Forget my ignorance, but what is a Hybrid SSD?

I about to buy this http://www.materiel.net/ordinateur-portable/asus-g73jw-tz145v-60718.html#carac (in french) but my question is reguarding the SSH Hybride SSD Seagate Momentus XT

Once sandy bridges hits, I hope those laptop price tags will go down if/when they release newer version of their laptop.

 

[Hazaro]

Yeah that Hybrid is the only one worth a damn.

Also Sandy Bridge should be very good for laptops as they even have low spec power chips for desktops "S" chips.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

He means that the slots have x8 bandwidth each, not that the slots are only half length.

That's what I meant too, unless I'm mistaken my 4 yr old mobo had full x16 speeds between the two and didn't split it. Unless it's a cheaper board I thought they usually only split when you hit tri-sli or you're using it with a card just as physx it sometimes cuts it down to 8x each depending on the mobo.

 

[Hazaro]

That's what I meant too, unless I'm mistaken my 4 yr old mobo had full x16 speeds between the two and didn't split it. Unless it's a cheaper board I thought they usually only split when you hit tri-sli or you're using it with a card just as physx it sometimes cuts it down to 8x each depending on the mobo.

The P55 chipset is only specced for a single x16 lane, so many board makers split it to offer two slots. Since it's 2.0 each 8x slot is the same speed as a x16 PCI-E 1.1 slot.

Otherwise you'd have to buy an i7 on the 1366 platform which cost a lot more.

 

[TheExodu5]

How do you guys apply the paste on exposed heat pipe coolers? It looks simple enough on the tutorials but when you actually have to do it and see how thick the artic silver 5 is it can be quite difficult :lol

Make a small line, about the size of a grain of rice. Push down the cooler and wiggle it left/right a bit to spread the paste and remove air bubbles. That's it. Don't pull the HSF off though, or you'll have to reapply since you'll be introducing air bubbles.

The P55 chipset is only specced for a single x16 lane, so many board makers split it to offer two slots. Since it's 2.0 each 8x slot is the same speed as a x16 PCI-E 1.1 slot.

Otherwise you'd have to buy an i7 on the 1366 platform which cost a lot more.

I really need to look up benchmark results with x8/x8 vs. x16/x16. I am considering going dual GPUs in my January Sandy Bridge build, but I probably won't if x8 is starving it for bandwidth.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

The P55 chipset is only specced for a single x16 lane, so many board makers split it to offer two slots. Since it's 2.0 each 8x slot is the same speed as a x16 PCI-E 1.1 slot.

Otherwise you'd have to buy an i7 on the 1366 platform which cost a lot more.

Ah, I didn't know it was specced like that. Unless things have changed there was minimal if any difference by splitting bandwidth back then but that was 4 years ago and with the higher end cards they could be pushing the bandwidth harder than cards back then.

 

[demosthenes]

If you don't have an SSD yet, wait 1-4 months and pick up a next generation one.
The differences should be incredible.

Will put it on my birthday list to my parents for June

 

[Mr_Brit]

Make a small line, about the size of a grain of rice. Push down the cooler and wiggle it left/right a bit to spread the paste and remove air bubbles. That's it. Don't pull the HSF off though, or you'll have to reapply since you'll be introducing air bubbles.



I really need to look up benchmark results with x8/x8 vs. x16/x16. I am considering going dual GPUs in my January Sandy Bridge build, but I probably won't if x8 is starving it for bandwidth.

You could wait for socket 1356 boards in Q3 2011 which will have PCI-E 3.0 which will double the bandwidth of PCI-E 2.0, although saying that, you'll need a PCI-E 3.0 card to take advantage of the bandwidth. The new nvidia and AMD lineup coming out around that time should use it though, so 1356 would be a good choice for people buying the new wave of cards around that time.

 

[Mr_Brit]

Ah, I didn't know it was specced like that. Unless things have changed there was minimal if any difference by splitting bandwidth back then but that was 4 years ago and with the higher end cards they could be pushing the bandwidth harder than cards back then.

I've seen benches and even with GTX480 SLI the performance loss in using x8 slots was only around 4%. Then again the new generation of cards coming out in Q3/Q4 will most likely be bandwidth intensive as they'll use PCI-E 3.0 so having a 16x/16x motherboard might pay off then.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

I've seen benches and even with GTX480 SLI the performance loss in using x8 slots was only around 4%. Then again the new generation of cards coming out in Q3/Q4 will most likely be bandwidth intensive as they'll use PCI-E 3.0 so having a 16x/16x motherboard might pay off then.

Ya, that's how it was back when I picked up my 8800GTs I still use in SLI, interesting it hasn't changed since then.

 

[prodystopian]

Intel will also be introducing their SSDs in Q1 2011 in a leaked spreadsheet. Capacities will double, and its assumed they will be doing something very crafty as well.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3965/intels-3rd-generation-x25m-ssd-specs-revealed

If these numbers are accurate, the new Intel drive should be roughly equal to Crucial’s RealSSD C300 and SandForce SF-1200 based drives. There are many different ways to measure this data however so the numbers may be higher or lower in our tests. Note that performance could also go up by the time drives are available as there's still a lot of tuning going on right now. I'd say that at these performance levels Intel had better be very aggressive with pricing because I'm expecting much better from the next-generation SandForce drives.

I bought an Intel G2 because of this paragraph (and the awesome sale). Honestly the difference between SSD and HDD is so big that I can't see the incremental difference between this and next gen SSDs being worth a lot of cash. If the prices are lower (they will be at some point), I'd say wait. But if there is another good sale, I don't see why one should.

 

[Hazaro]

I bought an Intel G2 because of this paragraph (and the awesome sale). Honestly the difference between SSD and HDD is so big that I can't see the incremental difference between this and next gen SSDs being worth a lot of cash. If the prices are lower (they will be at some point), I'd say wait. But if there is another good sale, I don't see why one should.

G3 vs G2 nets you a better SSD and double the capacity
Next year you can buy a newer SSD and the cycle will forever repeat itself!

 

[luiztfc]

What kind of overall difference can faster ram perform (i.e. DDR3 1600 v. DDR3 1333) in a rig? At the moment, I have 6 GB DDR3 1333 stock kingston (3x2) but I was wondering if something like this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...83&cm_re=ddr3_1600_6gb-_-20-227-683-_-Product) would be better.

Also, as I have mentioned here, I sometimes experience some serious and momentary stutter while playing sc2 and it was inferred that it could be caused by my hd's inability to handle simultaneous acess. What SSD do you guys recommend?

 

[Hazaro]

What kind of overall difference can faster ram perform (i.e. DDR3 1600 v. DDR3 1333) in a rig? At the moment, I have 6 GB DDR3 1333 stock kingston (3x2) but I was wondering if something like this (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...83&cm_re=ddr3_1600_6gb-_-20-227-683-_-Product) would be better.

Also, as I have mentioned here, I sometimes experience some serious and momentary stutter while playing sc2 and it was inferred that it could be caused by my hd's inability to handle simultaneous acess. What SSD do you guys recommend?

1%

Might be CPU, SSD, wait for Q1 SSD's.