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[eznark]

Alright, finally got a chance to sit down and do this.

Basic Desktop Questions
Budget: $1800 United States
Main Use: Gaming, general use
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Battlefield 3
Are reusing any parts?: storage hard drive and optical drive
When will you build?: 4-6 weeks (unless some major upgrade is hitting soon that i should wait for)
Will you be overclocking?: sooner or later

Thanks guys!

 

[Raistlin]

Intel Intel boards? No idea. Why an intel vs a 3rd party?

Because I already own it (bought it before the SATA problem was known) and newegg plans to replace it once they are restocked.



As to why I purchased it in the first place? I record and sequence music as one of my use-cases for this computer. Much of the prosumer and pro audio gear uses firewire - problem is, many firewire controllers do not adequately follow the spec. While this doesn't introduce issues with things like external HDD's, it introduces all sorts of compatibility and performance problems for music gear.

The controller family that all the gear manufacturers target are made by Texas Instruments. Basically if you go with that, you're guaranteed to have things work properly. Of the launch P67 boards, only the Intel DP67BG, Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD5, and Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD7 had firewire utilizing TI controllers. Reading reviews of the UD5, its PCIe layout is not particularly conducive to dual-GPU setups (which I will expand to in the future), and the UD7, while pretty much awesome in every way, is simply more than I wanted to pay for. It's nearly $150 more than the Intel.

 

[scogoth]

Alright, finally got a chance to sit down and do this.

Basic Desktop Questions
Budget: $1800 United States
Main Use: Gaming, general use
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Battlefield 3
Are reusing any parts?: storage hard drive and optical drive
When will you build?: 4-6 weeks (unless some major upgrade is hitting soon that i should wait for)
Will you be overclocking?: sooner or later

Thanks guys!

In 4 to 6 weeks we should see the Z68 chipset hopefully with Virtu chips so you can use both discrete graphics and Intel's quick sync for video encoding. If that matters to you then wait if not go for the P67 chipsets.

DICE has run there demos on a single GTX580 so if thats your one game you want to be able to play a 570/580 should do you just fine.

Basic Parts:
ASUS P8P67
Core i7-2500k
4-8 GB RAM
650-850W PSU
CM Hyper 212 cooler
GTX570/580 GPU

That should get you started for a build.

 

[Hazaro]

Because I already own it (bought it before the SATA problem was known) and newegg plans to replace it once they are restocked.



As to why I purchased it in the first place? I record and sequence music as one of my use-cases for this computer. Much of the prosumer and pro audio gear uses firewire - problem is, many firewire controllers do not adequately follow the spec. While this doesn't introduce issues with things like external HDD's, it introduces all sorts of compatibility and performance problems for music gear.

The controller family that all the gear manufacturers target are made by Texas Instruments. Basically if you go with that, you're guaranteed to have things work properly. Of the launch P67 boards, only the Intel DP67BG, Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD5, and Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD7 had firewire utilizing TI controllers. Reading reviews of the UD5, its PCIe layout is not particularly conducive to dual-GPU setups (which I will expand to in the future), and the UD7, while pretty much awesome in every way, is simply more than I wanted to pay for. It's nearly $150 more than the Intel.

Sounds like you know what you are doing. As for a date I can't say anything. I'd contact a newegg rep or try to find some person at intel customer support?

 

[eznark]

In 4 to 6 weeks we should see the Z68 chipset hopefully with Virtu chips so you can use both discrete graphics and Intel's quick sync for video encoding. If that matters to you then wait if not go for the P67 chipsets.

DICE has run there demos on a single GTX580 so if thats your one game you want to be able to play a 570/580 should do you just fine.

Basic Parts:
ASUS P8P67
Core i7-2500k
4-8 GB RAM
650-850W PSU
CM Hyper 212 cooler
GTX570/580 GPU

That should get you started for a build.

Well, it's not the only game I want to play but I figured it was going to be the most demanding this year. Isn't the 2500k an i5? Also, that looks like what, a $1200 build? Where can I get the most bang for my buck? Upping to a i7-2600k?

 

[Kenka]

I think I am running into another weird issue :

I want my screen to be running at native rez, which is 1920 x 1080. The thing : the option doesn't appear in the screen rez options. The upper limit is 1600 x 1200 which is unappliable because it shoots beyond my monitor range (many other resolutions are also unappliable).

What may be the cause of suh strange issue ? I am currently running at 720p because it is the only resolution that doesn't stretch the whole picture on my screen.

 

[ExMachina]

Well, it's not the only game I want to play but I figured it was going to be the most demanding this year. Isn't the 2500k an i5? Also, that looks like what, a $1200 build? Where can I get the most bang for my buck? Upping to a i7-2600k?

Yeah, it's an i5 2500k. Posted this earlier:

"The only major difference is that the 2600k has hyper threading and the 2500k does not. You'll only need hyper threading if you do CPU-intensive tasks that make use of multiple cores (such as video editing/encoding)."

So, for a gaming build, there's really no reason to get a 2600k since those extra virtual threads will have no impact on gaming performance. You're better off getting a 2500k and putting more of your budget towards other parts like the GPU.

 

[Raistlin]

I think I am running into another weird issue :

I want my screen to be running at native rez, which is 1920 x 1080. The thing : the option doesn't appear in the screen rez options. The upper limit is 1600 x 1200 which is unappliable because it shoots beyond my monitor range (many other resolutions are also unappliable).

What may be the cause of suh strange issue ? I am currently running at 720p because it is the only resolution that doesn't stretch the whole picture on my screen.

What kind of cable are you using? Can you try another one?

 

[Kenka]

What kind of cable are you using? Can you try another one?

A standard DVI thing. I should add that before I installed my graphics card, I had an even more limited choice of resolutions. Sadly, no, there is no other cable around right now. It is not a real issue right now since I am not playing but still, I upgraded my monitor for a reason. Thanks for the concern.

 

[eznark]

Yeah, it's an i5 2500k. Posted this earlier:

"The only major difference is that the 2600k has hyper threading and the 2500k does not. You'll only need hyper threading if you do CPU-intensive tasks that make use of multiple cores (such as video editing/encoding)."

So, for a gaming build, there's really no reason to get a 2600k since those extra virtual threads will have no impact on gaming performance. You're better off getting a 2500k and putting more of your budget towards other parts like the GPU.

So it isn't worth the $70 difference on newegg right now?

If I am willing to spend $500 on a gpu (it seems like I am going to have trouble spending $1800 wisely!) is the GTX 580 the way to go?

I am sure all of these questions have been answered somewhere in the thread but I have not been keeping up.

To add to my initial post, I would really like to have something that will easily upgrade and I am not interested in dual cards, just seems like a hassle.

 

[Raistlin]

A standard DVI thing. I should add that before I installed my graphics card, I had an even more limited choice of resolutions. Sadly, no, there is no other cable around right now. It is not a real issue right now since I am not playing but still, I upgraded my monitor for a reason. Thanks for the concern.

The reason I ask is because DVI and HDMI to active polling between the GPU controller and the display's in order to determine acceptable resolutions. It's possible the cable either doesn't have enough bandwidth or is damaged. I'm not sure about the particularities of DVI, but at least with HDMI handshaking, in some cases the polling will not just look for what is advertised but also attempt to sync to get confirmation. If they sync fails, it won't advertise the resolution.

Two other possibilities: 1) Make sure you have up-to-date display and GPU drivers. It's possible it isn't polling correctly. 2) Check if your monitor came with some sort of drivers or software installation. In some cases, display manufacturers do not set up the polling correctly in HW, and instead require you to install SW for calibration. That can even include proper resolution selection.

 

[sk3tch]

Intel Intel boards? No idea. Why an intel vs a 3rd party?

Leave it, it's fine.

Thanks - I'll hold off on re-applying the thermal paste. Here are my temps after 4+ hours of straight Prime95 (4.2 GHz OC, 1.2800v CPU, 1.5000v memory):

You should apply to the CPU not the cooler. And that article is deceiving, you do not need to get the most coverage to get the most effective cooling. The thermal paste should cover the part of the CPU cap where the cores are. See this for good application instructions for the appropriate CPU.

Yeah, I saw that guide after I had already applied my thermal paste. I did the small pea-sized but made sure to cover every portion of the top of the CPU (and remove any excess mess). I made sure it was enough to cover but only enough to look like a film versus complete paste-over.

 

[Eliciel]

GAF, I need some advice on whether or not this gaming rig is actually capable of playing some of the games available atm (Starcraft 2, Mass Effect 2, Call of Duty and whatsoever)

AMD AthlonII X4 640 Quadcore (4x 3000MHz)
4GB DDR3-1333 Dual-Channel
1000 GB SATA (7200 rpm)
nVidia Geforce GT 430 1024MB GDDR 3 HDMI + DVI (DirectX11 + Bluray3D)
Windows 7 Edition Home Premium

Thanks for your help

btw. I don't really know a lot about gaming rigs, because I haven't played games on pc for a while so if there are any suggestions on amd vs. intel or geforce vs. radeon and so on just let me know

 

[eznark]

Case - Cooler Master Storm Sniper $149.99 (totally up in the air, just about the price I'd like)
MoBo - Asus P8P67 $239 (this is always where I struggle the most, I have no idea what to look for in a good motherboard)
CPU - Intel Core i5-2500k - $224.99 (talked me into it)
GPU - EVGA GTX 580 - $499.99
Memory - G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8 GB DDR3 1600 - $99.99 (top rated on newegg, I'm easy)
SSD - OCZ Vertex 2 100GB SSD - $199 (I had money to burn and my OS will live here)
PSU - Corsair HX Series 650W $119 (No idea why, but if it's good enough for Will Smith it is good enough for me
OS - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit $99.99
Fan - Cooler Master Hyper 212+ - $35
Mouse - R.A.T. 7 (just because) $75

Total damage = $1743 (pre tax and shipping...which I am not counting in my budget. Also not counting the new monitor my three month old will be getting me for fathers day)

Suggestions, tips, hints tweaks? Especially on the motherboard? Would it make more sense to get the Asus Rampage III and take $100 out of somewhere else? Is the SSD worth it if I am going to store Steam account and all games on a standard HD (I have a 2 TB in my system now).

 

[ColonelColon]

My computer appears to be failing again. Games run at normal framerates, but I occasionally notice brief hitches. This stuttering effect is apparent in every game I've tested, but it's most obvious in Mirror's Edge where it really becomes a serious detriment to the gameplay. I tried using Driver Verifier, which induced a BSOD with a "BAD_POOL_CALLER" error. Also, several games were recently crashing with the application error 0xC0000005 (memory access violation). Every error I've seen so far seems to point to a RAM issue, but I replaced my motherboard, RAM, and power supply only about a month ago to ensure that the PSU wasn't damaging my video card, which I've RMA'd a few times now, so I'm not really inclined to spend any more money replacing hardware. And memtest hasn't detected any errors, so I'm not really sure what I should do to resolve this. I can't just RMA every critical component in my computer to be certain that this will be fixed because I don't have a secondary PC to use in the interim. Has anyone here had a problem like this before? Should I try swapping the RAM with another module?
I was really looking forward to playing Crysis 2.

 

[Hazaro]

Thanks - I'll hold off on re-applying the thermal paste. Here are my temps after 4+ hours of straight Prime95 (4.2 GHz OC, 1.2800v CPU, 1.5000v memory):

Yeah, I saw that guide after I had already applied my thermal paste. I did the small pea-sized but made sure to cover every portion of the top of the CPU (and remove any excess mess). I made sure it was enough to cover but only enough to look like a film versus complete paste-over.

At 75C I'd reseat. Probably not due to where you put the paste though.

MoBo - Asus P8P67 $239 (this is always where I struggle the most, I have no idea what to look for in a good motherboard)

Total damage = $1743 (pre tax and shipping...which I am not counting in my budget. Also not counting the new monitor my three month old will be getting me for fathers day)

Suggestions, tips, hints tweaks? Especially on the motherboard? Would it make more sense to get the Asus Rampage III and take $100 out of somewhere else? Is the SSD worth it if I am going to store Steam account and all games on a standard HD (I have a 2 TB in my system now).

$240? All you will need is a normal P8P67 ~$160.
P8P67 PRO if you want SLi down the line, but then you need to up the PSU to 1000W as well.
Looks good. SSD so worth it.

GAF, I need some advice on whether or not this gaming rig is actually capable of playing some of the games available atm (Starcraft 2, Mass Effect 2, Call of Duty and whatsoever)

AMD AthlonII X4 640 Quadcore (4x 3000MHz)
4GB DDR3-1333 Dual-Channel
1000 GB SATA (7200 rpm)
nVidia Geforce GT 430 1024MB GDDR 3 HDMI + DVI (DirectX11 + Bluray3D)
Windows 7 Edition Home Premium

Thanks for your help

Just drop in a better GPU and you will be well on your way. Don't know what PSU it will ship with though, could limit your choices somewhat.
If you haven't bought it yet, look at building your own similar to the one in the OP.

My computer appears to be failing again. Games run at normal framerates, but I occasionally notice brief hitches. This stuttering effect is apparent in every game I've tested, but it's most obvious in Mirror's Edge where it really becomes a serious detriment to the gameplay. I tried using Driver Verifier, which induced a BSOD with a "BAD_POOL_CALLER" error. Also, several games were recently crashing with the application error 0xC0000005 (memory access violation). Every error I've seen so far seems to point to a RAM issue, but I replaced my motherboard, RAM, and power supply only about a month ago to ensure that the PSU wasn't damaging my video card, which I've RMA'd a few times now, so I'm not really inclined to spend any more money replacing hardware. And memtest hasn't detected any errors, so I'm not really sure what I should do to resolve this. I can't just RMA every critical component in my computer to be certain that this will be fixed because I don't have a secondary PC to use in the interim. Has anyone here had a problem like this before? Should I try swapping the RAM with another module?
I was really looking forward to playing Crysis 2.

Try running with 1 stick of RAM.
Run CCleaner
Run Driver sweeper and reinstall new video drivers
Check to see if there's anything missing or unknown under devices
Run memtest again anyway
Try OCCT and see if it detects anything under GPU memory
Look at your motherboard for bulging caps and even take it out to look for possible places it can short on the back.
Clean everything with some air

Is your input voltage ~120V from the outlet? What model and brands are your parts?

 

[eznark]

$240? All you will need is a normal P8P67 ~$160.
P8P67 PRO if you want SLi down the line, but then you need to up the PSU to 1000W as well.
Looks good. SSD so worth it.

That's the only difference? Sweet! I am lost on mother boards.

What is the difference between the $150 and the $164 versions of the P8P67

 

[Hawk269]

So it isn't worth the $70 difference on newegg right now?

If I am willing to spend $500 on a gpu (it seems like I am going to have trouble spending $1800 wisely!) is the GTX 580 the way to go?

I am sure all of these questions have been answered somewhere in the thread but I have not been keeping up.

To add to my initial post, I would really like to have something that will easily upgrade and I am not interested in dual cards, just seems like a hassle.

Yes. The 580 is a really good card and it overclocks very easily. I am a noob and I OC it to 900 on the core from the stock 772 with no issues at all and again, I never overclocked ever before, I just read alot of information and just did it.

I know others recommended stuff to you, but do you have any desire to now or in the future to SLI? If so, you might want to beef up the PSU that was recommended.

 

[eznark]

SLI just seems like a bigger hassle than it is worth, but I guess I'd like to be prepared for anything. How much wattage do you need for SLI?

 

[Hawk269]

Case - Cooler Master Storm Sniper $149.99 (totally up in the air, just about the price I'd like)
MoBo - Asus P8P67 $239 (this is always where I struggle the most, I have no idea what to look for in a good motherboard)
CPU - Intel Core i5-2500k - $224.99 (talked me into it)
GPU - EVGA GTX 580 - $499.99
Memory - G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8 GB DDR3 1600 - $99.99 (top rated on newegg, I'm easy)
SSD - OCZ Vertex 2 100GB SSD - $199 (I had money to burn and my OS will live here)
PSU - Corsair HX Series 650W $119 (No idea why, but if it's good enough for Will Smith it is good enough for me
OS - Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit $99.99
Fan - Cooler Master Hyper 212+ - $35
Mouse - R.A.T. 7 (just because) $75

Total damage = $1743 (pre tax and shipping...which I am not counting in my budget. Also not counting the new monitor my three month old will be getting me for fathers day)

Suggestions, tips, hints tweaks? Especially on the motherboard? Would it make more sense to get the Asus Rampage III and take $100 out of somewhere else? Is the SSD worth it if I am going to store Steam account and all games on a standard HD (I have a 2 TB in my system now).

lol. It looks alot like the re-build I am doing at the moment. EVGA is a great company to get a card from, make sure to register it at their website as the service is really good. Cant say too much about SSD as I dont have one, my 1 TB HDD has been good for me so far. I know from reading here they are great for putting the os and other programs on since it loads up so quickly.

I liked the Antec case (full tower) with 3 front intake fans.

Let me ask you something because you sound like me alot and you plan to game at the same resolution as I do. For the games you want to play now and in the near future are you looking to get 60fps locked with all features on?

 

[mambadragon]

SLI just seems like a bigger hassle than it is worth, but I guess I'd like to be prepared for anything. How much wattage do you need for SLI?

Personal opinion, but I'd buy a $ 250 card now and then a $ 250 card in two years. You'll have a card that can play everything today, and in two years have a better performing card. The PC high end is always a terrible value.

I also recommend the new Gskill snipers over either ripjaws because of the low profile

 

[eznark]

lol. It looks alot like the re-build I am doing at the moment. EVGA is a great company to get a card from, make sure to register it at their website as the service is really good. Cant say too much about SSD as I dont have one, my 1 TB HDD has been good for me so far. I know from reading here they are great for putting the os and other programs on since it loads up so quickly.

I liked the Antec case (full tower) with 3 front intake fans.

Let me ask you something because you sound like me alot and you plan to game at the same resolution as I do. For the games you want to play now and in the near future are you looking to get 60fps locked with all features on?

I'm not a whore for framerate, but I would hope that for the first year or so I will be able to get close to 60 fps with this build on most games.

Personal opinion, but I'd buy a $ 250 card now and then a $ 250 card in two years. You'll have a card that can play everything today, and in two years have a better performing card. The PC high end is always a terrible value.

Why not buy a $500 card now and another $500 card in a year or two? I mean, I have room to spare in my budget so I don't see the need to skimp on the GPU.

 

[ColonelColon]

Try running with 1 stick of RAM.
Run CCleaner
Run Driver sweeper and reinstall new video drivers
Check to see if there's anything missing or unknown under devices
Run memtest again anyway
Try OCCT and see if it detects anything under GPU memory
Look at your motherboard for bulging caps and even take it out to look for possible places it can short on the back.
Clean everything with some air

Is your input voltage ~120V from the outlet? What model and brands are your parts?

I'm already running with just one stick of RAM and I used CCleaner to repair the registry yesterday. As for OCCT, are you talking about the GPU memory test? I'm not sure why, but that option isn't available to me.
My parts are:

Biostar A880G+
Patriot 4 GB 1333 MHZ RAM
XFX 5750 video card
Athlon II X2 245 CPU
Hitachi Deskstar 7200 RPM 1 TB HDD
Antec Neo Eco 520c

 

[smokeandmirrors]

Don't see too many posts about this, but PC-GAF, care to recommend me a decent pair of speakers for my computer? Finally got a fairly decent rig set up, and I'm stuck with the crappy $10 speakers that came with the system.

Also, what's a decent overclock for my 6850? Haven't done an overclock before, but it seems relatively easy.

 

[mambadragon]

Just pointing out that high end PC components are a bad value, like double the price for 15% more performance. You sound a little new to system building and I was trying to help. But if you want to spend the money more power to you.

 

[eznark]

Just pointing out that high end PC components are a bad value, like double the price for 15% more performance. You sound a little new to system building and I was trying to help. But if you want to spend the money more power to you.

I understand and I appreciate it. It's my third build but my problem is I never pay attention to what is going on until I want to start building!

What card would you recommend at a lower budget? MSI N560GTX? I think that's like $250. What kind of performance hit would I be taking if I dropped down?

 

[Hawk269]

I'm not a whore for framerate, but I would hope that for the first year or so I will be able to get close to 60 fps with this build on most games.



Why not buy a $500 card now and another $500 card in a year or two? I mean, I have room to spare in my budget so I don't see the need to skimp on the GPU.

I like you reasoning...lol. Well for the 580 in SLI at stock speed a minimum quality PSU should be at least 850w. If you plan to overclock I would beef it up to 1000 or for even more future proof 1200w.

 

[scogoth]

Suggestions, tips, hints tweaks? Especially on the motherboard? Would it make more sense to get the Asus Rampage III and take $100 out of somewhere else? Is the SSD worth it if I am going to store Steam account and all games on a standard HD (I have a 2 TB in my system now).

Asus Rampage II is an X58 Chipset with 1366 socket and won't work with the new sandy bridge CPUs. SSD is completely worth it if you are impatient about boot times and general computer use. I'm in the same situation with all my steam games on a hdd and yeah for that its not much use.

Why not buy a $500 card now and another $500 card in a year or two? I mean, I have room to spare in my budget so I don't see the need to skimp on the GPU.

One $500 card will hold you for awhile anything more is completely insane. The reason another one down the line is because the GTX580 will not be good enough by itself for new games in 2 years; SLI with another 580 is an easy way to nearly double your frame rate with very little hassle. Right now your build looks good, but you'll need a beefier PSU if you want to SLI down the road. 850W should be good enough for 2 580s but a 1000W will give you piece of mind and lots of power for overclocking.

I like you reasoning...lol. Well for the 580 in SLI at stock speed a minimum quality PSU should be at least 850w. If you plan to overclock I would beef it up to 1000 or for even more future proof 1200w.

Minimum PSU is 600W for the 580. 1200W is absurd unless you have 3 580s all oc'd with an oc'd CPU

 

[Wallach]

I understand and I appreciate it. It's my third build but my problem is I never pay attention to what is going on until I want to start building!

What card would you recommend at a lower budget? MSI N560GTX? I think that's like $250. What kind of performance hit would I be taking if I dropped down?

Well, I'd first just figure out what resolution you're going to want to be gaming at. A GTX 580 is a monster of a card, and honestly if I were gaming at 1920x1080 (and I do), I'd personally find it very hard to justify the price bump going into that class of card. Now, there's definitely still gains you can find even at that resolution, but you're essentially paying for all the potential gain (and then some), and unless you really have the cash to spend or have the opportunity to move into higher resolutions, you'd get a lot more for your money cutting back a little in that respect.

 

[sk3tch]

At 75C I'd reseat. Probably not due to where you put the paste though.

Cool...thanks for the advice. So, while I'm re-seating do you think I should re-apply the paste? Just put isopropyl rubbing alcohol on a rag and remove?

Here's how I seated the CPU cooler...perhaps the orientation is wrong?


(click to enlarge)

 

[wallbc01]

Basic Desktop Questions
Budget: $800 USA
Main Use: Gaming, general usage
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
List SPECIFIC games: No specifics, just want to be able to handle most games
Are reusing any parts?: Nope
When will you build?: Next 4-6 weeks
Will you be overclocking?: eventually

this will be my first full pc build. i have started a putting together parts on newegg and amazon and have come up with the following.

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB
Gigabyte Socket 890GX
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition
Corsair Vengeance 8 GB ( 2 x 4 GB ) DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3 12800)
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750
MSI N460GTX Twin Frozr II

comes to $710 on amazon without case and $839 on newegg without case - $90 in rebates. any suggestions would be helpful.

 

[eznark]

Well, I'd first just figure out what resolution you're going to want to be gaming at. A GTX 580 is a monster of a card, and honestly if I were gaming at 1920x1080 (and I do), I'd personally find it very hard to justify the price bump going into that class of card. Now, there's definitely still gains you can find even at that resolution, but you're essentially paying for all the potential gain (and then some), and unless you really have the cash to spend or have the opportunity to move into higher resolutions, you'd get a lot more for your money cutting back a little in that respect.

I'm planning on 1920x1080 because I don't really see much of a reason to go beyond that with a 27" monitor, and I don't want to go bigger than that on my desk. I do kind of like the idea of having king shit GPU for a few weeks though!

How big of a hassle is it to run SLI these days? It might be worth it to get the 560 now, then get another one if I see performance losses? I'm already talked into a 1000w PSU, but will I then need to get the Deluxe P8P67?

 

[scogoth]

Cool...thanks for the advice. So, while I'm re-seating do you think I should re-apply the paste? Just put isopropyl rubbing alcohol on a rag and remove?

Here's how I seated the CPU cooler...perhaps the orientation is wrong?

Thats the right orientation. Try to use a lint-free cloth (micro-fibre cloth or coffee filter), cotton pads or Q-tips as necessary. Check the thermal paste before you clean it to see if you put too much or too little the first time. You don't need a lot of thermal paste to have proper heat transfer.

 

[scogoth]

I'm planning on 1920x1080 because I don't really see much of a reason to go beyond that with a 27" monitor, and I don't want to go bigger than that on my desk. I do kind of like the idea of having king shit GPU for a few weeks though!

How big of a hassle is it to run SLI these days? It might be worth it to get the 560 now, then get another one if I see performance losses? I'm already talked into a 1000w PSU, but will I then need to get the Deluxe P8P67?

I have 2 GTX 470s in SLI and I do see a 90-100% gain in GPU intensive games at 1920x1080. If you really want to flex that GPU muscle crank up that AA.

SLI and crossfire are really easy nowadays. Simply plug everything in, check a box in the drivers, done. If you get a 560 you don't need the 1000W PSU anymore =P, 560 uses a lot less power then the 580.

For the P8P67, once again consult this table.

 

[DaBuddaDa]

How big of a hassle is it to run SLI these days? It might be worth it to get the 560 now, then get another one if I see performance losses? I'm already talked into a 1000w PSU, but will I then need to get the Deluxe P8P67?

SLI is very easy to put together but you'll find a lot more driver bugs/incompatibilities when running two cards. You'll need a motherboard that has at least two full PCIe slots.

 

[HarryDemeanor]

I'm planning on 1920x1080 because I don't really see much of a reason to go beyond that with a 27" monitor, and I don't want to go bigger than that on my desk. I do kind of like the idea of having king shit GPU for a few weeks though!

How big of a hassle is it to run SLI these days? It might be worth it to get the 560 now, then get another one if I see performance losses? I'm already talked into a 1000w PSU, but will I then need to get the Deluxe P8P67?

I'd say drop the P8P67 Deluxe to save some cash and grab the P8P67 Pro as there isn't much of a difference.

 

[eznark]

Thanks guys. I guess if I cut down to a 560GTX I may as well pony up for the Deluxe (or Pro I guess) motherboard to make it easier to SLI in the future. Shit, that might bring the build down to like $1500. Maybe I'll go with the Corsair 650D case then. Love the way that thing looks.

 

[DaBuddaDa]

Thanks guys. I guess if I cut down to a 560GTX I may as well pony up for the Deluxe (or Pro I guess) motherboard to make it easier to SLI in the future. Shit, that might bring the build down to like $1500.

Nothing about the Deluxe will make it "easier in to SLI in the future" over the Pro.

 

[scogoth]

Thanks guys. I guess if I cut down to a 560GTX I may as well pony up for the Deluxe (or Pro I guess) motherboard to make it easier to SLI in the future. Shit, that might bring the build down to like $1500. Maybe I'll go with the Corsair 650D case then. Love the way that thing looks.

They only difference from Pro to Deluxe is 2 LAN ports instead of one and more power phases for voltage regulation. Unless your going for some very high overclocks and need stable voltage output save your money on the mobo and stick with the PRO.

 

[eznark]

Nothing about the Deluxe will make it "easier in to SLI in the future" over the Pro.

Right, I didn't know there was a pro. I was referencing an above post about "only going with Deluxe if you want to SLI"

 

[DaBuddaDa]

I'd also grab this PSU. It should be more than enough to power two GPUs in the future, great, reliable brand, and it's modular so you can reduce cord clutter.

 

[Vincent Alexander]

Basic Desktop Questions
Budget: $800-1000 USA (If I could go under that, I'd be happy, but not required)
Main Use: Logos Bible Software, small amount of gaming on the side
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080
List SPECIFIC games: None
Are reusing any parts?: No
When will you build?: Within the Month
Will you be overclocking?: No

I'm building a computer for my friend, and thought I'd ask for help here. He said he was interested in at least an i5 dual core processor and 6 GB of memory, with the main goal of being able to run Logos Bible Software smoothly. I've never heard of this, but he claims it is as big of a memory hog as Adobe Photoshop. I'm not sure if he truly needs that much memory---if he just went with 4 GB of good quality DDR3, would that be good enough? He is terrible when it comes to computers, so I'm not sure if he has a good idea of what he actually needs, but he does play games on the side, so I guess it wouldn't be terrible to go a bit overboard with Logos Bible Software requires.

 

[Wallach]

I'm planning on 1920x1080 because I don't really see much of a reason to go beyond that with a 27" monitor, and I don't want to go bigger than that on my desk. I do kind of like the idea of having king shit GPU for a few weeks though!

I feel like that resolution makes it harder to buy into a 580 unless you really don't mind the price difference. You'll pay about ~30% more for, at best, ~15% more performance (and usually a lot less in reality). A 570 is going to dropkick almost everything you throw at it at 1080p.

Note that Newegg still has that MSI GTX 570 for $310 ($300 after MIR) and that is a real uppercut on the price/performance of the $500 580s right now. However that deal literally ends today.

 

[sk3tch]

Thats the right orientation. Try to use a lint-free cloth (micro-fibre cloth or coffee filter), cotton pads or Q-tips as necessary. Check the thermal paste before you clean it to see if you put too much or too little the first time. You don't need a lot of thermal paste to have proper heat transfer.

Thanks! Gotta set aside the time to do this. Probably late tonight after I get done watching "The Town" with the woman...heh.

 

[mambadragon]

I feel like that resolution makes it harder to buy into a 580 unless you really don't mind the price difference. You'll pay about ~30% more for, at best, ~15% more performance (and usually a lot less in reality). A 570 is going to dropkick almost everything you throw at it at 1080p.

Note that Newegg still has that MSI GTX 570 for $310 ($300 after MIR) and that is a real uppercut on the price/performance of the $500 580s right now. However that deal literally ends today.

Yeah the best bangs for the buck are the 560 and the 6950, but if there's a card to splurge on it's the 570. Now apparently a lot of 560s can be overclocked to 570 speeds (and I think there my be some factory overclocked 560s that are already at 570 speeds), or you can just spend the money and get the 570. The "enthusiast" resolution now is 2560x1600 so card like the 580 (and even the 2GB 6950/70 cards, if you're 1200p apparently the 1GB 6950 is as good) are targeting that.

Also an FYI, with an OEM license of Windows 7, the license is tied to the motherboard I believe. So if you update your motherboard, you can call MS and hope they'll let you activate or your stuck having to buy a new license. For this reason, I paid $180 I believe for Windows 7 Home Premium Retail.

 

[oneironautz]

Thanks to those who helped me out a few days ago. So, this is the build that I plan on going with and I'm most likely going to order it tonight, so any feedback or input would be very helpful. I initially was going to go with the MSI P67A-GD55 but it went out of stock on Newegg so I downgraded a bit and went with the G45. I went ahead and boosted up the ram from 4 to 8 since with a combo it was only about 25 bucks more. So my final build is:

i5-2500k (Microcenter): $194
Crucial 64GB C300 SSD (Microcenter): $130

After rebates around $1195 USD. Please let me know if there are any glaring issues they see/better alternatives before I pull the trigger. Thanks!

 

[mambadragon]

...

Looks great, but make sure you have Windows and I would get an aftermarket heatsink/fan too. The Coolermaster 212+ is recommended here.

Edit: I should say I haven't looked into SSDs yet so I can't comment on that. I'm also not familiar monitors, as I intend to use my 24" LG MVA for the next 5 years.

 

[scogoth]

Yeah the best bangs for the buck are the 560 and the 6950, but if there's a card to splurge on it's the 570. Now apparently a lot of 560s can be overclocked to 570 speeds (and I think there my be some factory overclocked 560s that are already at 570 speeds), or you can just spend the money and get the 570. The "enthusiast" resolution now is 2560x1600 so card like the 580 (and even the 2GB 6950/70 cards, if you're 1200p apparently the 1GB 6950 is as good) are targeting that.

Even if the 560s are clocked the same as the 570 there are design differences that will affect the per clock performance. The 570 is 4 raster engines cut down with one less shader unit compared to the 580. The 560 is only 2 raster engines with one less memory controller and 3 less shader units then the 570 . You will notice this differences at high res or high AA so it is worth it to get the 570 over a same clocked 560.

 

[asdad123]

I just got a new SSD and I need some help...

I cant seem to check the health status of my week old 64gb Samsung 470 SSD. At first, I thought it needed a couple days or so to calculate the health status, but nothing has changed.

CrystalDiskInfo just says "Unknown" under health status and SSDLife says "Unfortunately, your SSD does not return any health status".

Any ideas? Is the drive bad? Should I RMA it? I cant seem to find anyone else on the net that has this problem with this drive.

Its running the newest firmware thats on the samsung website.

Heres a picture of CrystalDiskInfo:

It just doesnt seem right. Should I RMA it?

 

[Quicksilver4648]

@eznark
I have been reading your situation and this is what I would suggest.

Motherboard: Asus P8P67 Pro - $190
GPU: Since you seem to have some spending money I would suggest a GTX 570 card. It is much more than enough for 1920x1080 but if you have the money then I guess you might as well get an exceptional card. Otherwise, get a GTX 560 Ti now ($250) and add another one later in the year though SLI if you feel a single one isn't enough.
CPU: Intel i5-2500k - $230
PSU: 750 watts if you go with the GTX 560 TI or 850 watts if you go with the GTX 570. This will allow you to do SLI in the future if you choose to.

While the chart about the Asus motherboards is excellent, sometimes it can be a little confusing. This is a table I made, I feel it is accurate.

Asus P8P67: Perfect for the majority of the people. The base model.
Asus P8P67 Pro: Choose this if you ever plan doing SLI or overclocking (think 4-4.5ghz)
Asus P8P67 Delux: Choose this ONLY if you intend on doing some serious overclocking (5ghz).

Processors:
i5-2500: You will never overclock. Base model.
i5-2500k: You will or might someday overclock. You will mostly use this PC for games and related applications.
i7-2600k: You will or might someday overclock. You will use this PC primarily for video/audio/photo editing.

This is the criteria I used when choosing which piece I should get so please correct me if anything is wrong.