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[RedSwirl]

Check out MSI Afterburner and make a custom fan profile. I have mine ramp from 25% to 65% fan speed.

Okay, some people at a tech support board are suggesting I get a better fan (or even an additional one). According to them, my Dell XPS 420 only has one fan to cool the whole system and that isn't enough. They're also telling me that my 550w power supply isn't enough.

I'll test fan profiles on Skyrim but how do I know what kind of custom profile to make?

 

[Herpes Reasons]

Heads up.
All corsair PSU are 15% off at newegg.
1day only.

 

[Smidget]

So I bought a Powercolor 6870 on sale/2 day shipping/etc. from Newegg. Plugged in yesterday and getting blue/black lines and complete system freeze on Youtube videos but it was playing AC:R/Portal 2/SCII at 1920x1080 with tons of graphical options on perfectly fine... strange. Read reviews and see it's a semi-common occurance.

I spoke to Newegg and no restocking fee for a full return and free return shipping, so other than disappointment.... no loss of money at least.

What's the cheapest the new AMD graphics card going to be? $200? I guess at this point I'll just play some PS3/360 exclusive games while I wait for the new batch to be coming out...

Edit: I'm impatient and got a Sapphire 6870 instead lol $145 after NEWCUSTOMER10 and rebate...

 

[Attackthebase]

Hey guys,

I am upgrading my video card soon, and I need a little help. I'm planning to get a 570, but there are so many versions of it, I don't know which version to get. I know I have to get a card that is comptable with my MOBO, but I have no idea how to check it. Will anyone help me out?

I'll post my current MOBO and video card (Hyperlinks).

PM me if you're willing to assist little ol' me.

 

[Aselith]

Hey guys,

I am upgrading my video card soon, and I need a little help. I'm planning to get a 570, but there are so many versions of it, I don't know which version to get. I know I have to get a card that is comptable with my MOBO, but I have no idea how to check it. Will anyone help me out?

I'll post my current MOBO and video card (Hyperlinks).

PM me if you're willing to assist little ol' me.

The only thing you have to worry about with a videocard is if you have the appropriate slot and the juice to run it. As you have a PCI Express 2.0 Mobo there, you can get anything although if there is a CPU bottleneck it may cause problems for you regardless of the videocard. What kind of CPU? Also, how many watts can your power supply output?

As far as brand, I would stick with the TwinFrozr line. I got a 560TI TwinFrozr and I couldn't be happier. You may get a cheaper card by shopping around but I don't think you'll get a better one.

Lastly, you do want to look at the size of your case and make sure you have enough room as some newer card are HUGE. Anyone know if that 250 TwinFrozr is about the same size as a 570 or was it a good bit smaller?

 

[mkenyon]

LiveJournal Update 4:

motherFUCKER. I bought another AX850 on my way home from work today. Took out mine and popped in the new one and whatdoyaknow. Muthafucka still has the same cold boot issues. Safe to say the PSU can be ruled out. Now that leaves on the System Panel connections from the case, or the motherboard itself. Glad I did that instead of sending in my AX850 for another only to find out the problem still persists. UGHHHHHH

About ready to drop this thing on its head.

Assemble everything outside of the case to troubleshoot case issues.

You guys suck.

Lian Li PC-100 ("The Hammer") pics, video, info, and link to product page.


Simple carry-forward with tweaks is waaay more than fine. Definitely don't stress yourself out, obviously.

Sorry I missed it, have been balls deep in the Tribes: Ascend e-sports forum as of late.

Need a new title for 2012 Thread

Thread of Next Gen Is Here! (and read the OP)

Hey guys,

I am upgrading my video card soon, and I need a little help. I'm planning to get a 570, but there are so many versions of it, I don't know which version to get. I know I have to get a card that is comptable with my MOBO, but I have no idea how to check it. Will anyone help me out?

I'll post my current MOBO and video card (Hyperlinks).

PM me if you're willing to assist little ol' me.

Mobo is fine, the big concern as mentioned above is PSU and case. Need those to help guide you.

 

[jonah777]

I'm thinking about putting this together shortly and would like your thoughts/suggestions:

I also have a few more fans to add along with an optical drive. Prices are in CAD. Is this a decent build for the price?

 

[mkenyon]

I'm thinking about putting this together shortly and would like your thoughts/suggestions:

I also have a few more fans to add along with an optical drive. Prices are in CAD. Is this a decent build for the price?

As per the OP, I'd also really suggest getting an 1155 motherboard and an i3 if you're trying to cut costs.

 

[Hazaro]

Okay, some people at a tech support board are suggesting I get a better fan (or even an additional one). According to them, my Dell XPS 420 only has one fan to cool the whole system and that isn't enough. They're also telling me that my 550w power supply isn't enough.

I'll test fan profiles on Skyrim but how do I know what kind of custom profile to make?

Is that the dell with a single 6 pin GTX 460?
You are fine for your PSU for your current computer. Airflow could be better. Use temp stuff in the OP.
Copy the fan profile the other guy posted. Start at 50%, ramp up to 100%.

I'm thinking about putting this together shortly and would like your thoughts/suggestions:

I also have a few more fans to add along with an optical drive. Prices are in CAD. Is this a decent build for the price?

i3 + 1155 board for gaming, lower cost too.
Swap PSU for at least a BP550. You have no choice in that. Raidmax is bad and newegg reviews aren't the whole story.

 

[Soi-Fong]

This will sound like a stupid question, but for the H100 both power connectors are directly plugged into the Power supply right?

 

[Smokey]

This will sound like a stupid question, but for the H100 both power connectors are directly plugged into the Power supply right?

I'm assuming you're referring to the connectors from the two 120mm fans? They plug directly into the heat sink that sits on the CPU. There are 4 spaces for fan connectors. Then there's the molex connector that connects to your PSU.

 

[Soi-Fong]

I'm assuming you're referring to the connectors from the two 120mm fans? They plug directly into the heat sink that sits on the CPU. There are 4 spaces for fan connectors. Then there's the molex connector that connects to your PSU.

Ah ok.

 

[littleworm]

Are there any cons about getting a modular PSU ?

 

[Iadien]

I'm thinking about putting this together shortly and would like your thoughts/suggestions:

I also have a few more fans to add along with an optical drive. Prices are in CAD. Is this a decent build for the price?

that case is also $50 at amazon. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ZM7YTA/?tag=neogaf0e-20

 

[mkenyon]

Are there any cons about getting a modular PSU ?

They're generally more expensive than non-modular counterparts. That's about it.

 

[jonah777]

i3 + 1155 board for gaming, lower cost too.
Swap PSU for at least a BP550. You have no choice in that. Raidmax is bad and newegg reviews aren't the whole story.

Alright, thanks! Any suggestions for the board?

 

[crimzonflame]

Hey guys the only PC games I will be playing in the near future are DotA2 and Diablo 3. Whats the cheapest setup to get these games playing at excellent settings. It doesnt need to be max, as the the resolution I will most likely be playing on will be 1600 x 1024.

 

[mkenyon]

Alright, thanks! Any suggestions for the board?

There's a slew of them listed in the OP, and all are cherry picked in their respective price ranges. It all depends on your budget.

Hey guys the only PC games I will be playing in the near future are DotA2 and Diablo 3. Whats the cheapest setup to get these games playing at excellent settings. It doesnt need to be max, as the the resolution I will most likely be playing on will be 1600 x 1024.

You might ask folks in either of those threads on what kinds of systems run them well. I'd imagine that the Enhanced would do well for both games.

DoTA 2 runs perfect on both my rigs, the weaker of the two I was using a single 5850 with a 2500K @ 4.5Ghz.

 

[jonah777]

that case is also $50 at amazon. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003ZM7YTA/?tag=neogaf0e-20

:/ Shipping to Canada wipes out any savings there. Thanks, though.

There's a slew of them listed in the OP, and all are cherry picked in their respective price ranges. It all depends on your budget.

I'd like to stay within $700-800 range. I'm not sure about requirements and such, but OP seems packed with info so I'll take a closer look.

 

[Hazaro]

Hey guys the only PC games I will be playing in the near future are DotA2 and Diablo 3. Whats the cheapest setup to get these games playing at excellent settings. It doesnt need to be max, as the the resolution I will most likely be playing on will be 1600 x 1024.

Just the Standard build will pull you along JUST fine.
I'd suggest upgrading to a $100 mobo and $60 PSU, then you can drop in a new Ivy Bridge Quad core CPU when you want to upgrade. Really solid overall and 60fps should be no problem.
You can also get 8GB of RAM for $30 now.

:/ Shipping to Canada wipes out any savings there. Thanks, though.



I'd like to stay within $700-800 range. I'm not sure about requirements and such, but OP seems packed with info so I'll take a closer look.

There are Canadian sites to buy from in the OP

 

[TheExodu5]

They're generally more expensive than non-modular counterparts. That's about it.

They do make the bottom of the case messier as well, since the modular plugs tend to occupy a lot more space than just the traditional O-ring where all the cables come out at one small point of the PSU. If you have a case with a ton of cable management room like a HAF 922 or 650D and are only going for a smallish (650W or less) PSU, then a non modular build will actually look cleaner, since you have more than enough room to stash the cables in the back of the case anyways.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Can I get some tips on my OC?

I have upped my OFFSET to +.40 and it has helped me sustain my new 4.62ghz OC. I was trying to see if I could go higher but even raising my offset another notch did nothing. I've read other boards but am curious from those in the know here if doing a PLL override is a good thing to do? Through my reading, I know I can push a little higher and just want to test the waters.

 

[Migu]

So I'm ready to replace my trusty AMD Athlon XP computer I've been hanging on to since quite a while.

What I want for my PC: generally a machine that can stand the test of time (ie not having to upgrade parts every couple of years), play my Wii games in HD (Dolphin!), capable home audio & video creation and finally play recent PC games (Skyrim, Civ V, Deus Ex 3) at good performance.

The parts I've chosen:

• Intel Core I5 Processor I5-2500k 3.30 Ghz Lga1155

• ASUS P8z68-v Pro S1155 Z68 Atx

• Corsair 2x 8gb Ddr3 1600mhz

• Coolermaster Cpu Cooler Hyper 212 Plus

• Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB

• ASUS Audio Card Xonar Dg 5.1 Pci

• Intel SSD 320 Series 80gb

• ASUS Graphics Card Eah 6850 Dircu 2dis 1gd5 Pci-e

• ASUS Dvd Writer Drw-24b3st B As Sata Black

• CORSAIR Power Supply Atx 750w

It's more or less the "Enhanced Build" from OP, I suppose this will keep me comfortable for some time? I've never done any OC'ing but the Dolphin thread got me motivated.

Now my other questions:
- I'd like to keep my Coolermaster Wave Master case, will that be a problem? Ie will everything fit while keeping enough airflow?
- What's the minimum PSU power needed for this setup? I went the safe route with 750W but is a lower Wattage viable? ie 450-550W.

 

[mkenyon]

Looks good. PSU is overkill, if you wanted to trim the budget. Otherwise it's a good pick. You'd be fine with a 500-600W PSU, unless you're looking to get a really beefy GPU down the line. If you stick with the 6850 type cards in the future, the 500-600W would still suffice.

 

[Cptkrush]

Got sort of a weird question, maybe you guys can help me out. I don't own a t.v. for my room and I've been thinking about picking up a tuner stick, like this, my cable plan has the premium digital channels such as BBC America, literally the only one I watch. Considering those channels are already subscribed to, would the tuner stick pick them up, or would I need to add another cable box to my plan?

 

[Hazaro]

Updated build sheet.

 

[RedSwirl]

Is that the dell with a single 6 pin GTX 460?
You are fine for your PSU for your current computer. Airflow could be better. Use temp stuff in the OP.

No it isn't. This Dell originally came with an 8800GT and its original PSU was 425w. The original specs were:

Dell XPS 420
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz
8800GT 512MB
3GB RAM
425w PSU

I replaced the PSU with a 550w one from Antec (this thread told me brands were mostly the same) and the GPU with an HD6850 (1GB).

Copy the fan profile the other guy posted. Start at 50%, ramp up to 100%.

The fan is already at 50% on default and has been running at that speed for almost 24 hours now with no input from me, and its been sitting idle for all of that time. The temp has been hovering around 50C while idle and my screensaver bumps that up to about 60C. Even if the OP says that's normal, I'm still worried because I haven't heard the fan operate this much while idle until maybe a couple months ago, and I've been having display driver crashes. When playing a game every once in a while it'll hang for two or three seconds (maybe once every hour). One of these hangs crashed Skyrim. That could have been me messing with CCC drivers to get RAGE running right though (that game has been a nightmare on AMD cards). I've updated them now and will probably test games out on them.

 

[Attackthebase]

The only thing you have to worry about with a videocard is if you have the appropriate slot and the juice to run it. As you have a PCI Express 2.0 Mobo there, you can get anything although if there is a CPU bottleneck it may cause problems for you regardless of the videocard. What kind of CPU? Also, how many watts can your power supply output?

As far as brand, I would stick with the TwinFrozr line. I got a 560TI TwinFrozr and I couldn't be happier. You may get a cheaper card by shopping around but I don't think you'll get a better one.

Lastly, you do want to look at the size of your case and make sure you have enough room as some newer card are HUGE. Anyone know if that 250 TwinFrozr is about the same size as a 570 or was it a good bit smaller?

I'm looking at the dimension for both 250 and 570, which are 12.7x7.1x2.0 (250) and 9.57" x 4.53" x 1.65" (570), so I should be good regarding the size of the card.

CPU shouldn't be a problem, since I have an I7.

PSU may be a potential problem. My current PSU outputs 600 watts. Will this PSU be efficent in running a 570?

I'll probably buy the 570 Twin Frozr, my boss just gave me a X-mas bonus of a $100, so I'm able to spurge on a card now. Thanks for the advice!

Edit: Just as a precaution, I'll post my current case for you to analyze to determine if the 570 will fit.

 

[mkenyon]

570 will fit in the storm scout just fine. 600W is plenty of juice for the 570.

 

[Attackthebase]

570 will fit in the storm scout just fine. 600W is plenty of juice for the 570.

Perfect. I'm going to buy the card now. Thanks for the help, Mkenyon.

 

[TheExodu5]

570 will fit in the storm scout just fine.

You sure? My buddy's GTX 275 is cutting it close in his Scout.

 

[mkenyon]

You sure? My buddy's GTX 275 is cutting it close in his Scout.

275 is like 11 inches. 570 TFII is 9.7".

 

[Attackthebase]

You sure? My buddy's GTX 275 is cutting it close in his Scout.

Yeah, the 200 series seems to be a bit bigger than the 570. I guess the manufacturer figured out how to make a superior card in a tighter package.

 

[RedSwirl]

Okay, so while playing Skyrim my HD6850 jumps to between 80 and 90C. The fan remained at 50%. Is that good or bad?

 

[chaosblade]

Okay, so while playing Skyrim my HD6850 jumps to between 80 and 90C. The fan remained at 50%. Is that good or bad?

Temps are a little high for that card, but not dangerously high. You could use something like Afterburner to check your fan profile and maybe set a custom one that would keep it cooler (albeit also be noisier during load).

 

[Hazaro]

No it isn't. This Dell originally came with an 8800GT and its original PSU was 425w. The original specs were:

Dell XPS 420
Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz
8800GT 512MB
3GB RAM
425w PSU

I replaced the PSU with a 550w one from Antec (this thread told me brands were mostly the same) and the GPU with an HD6850 (1GB).



The fan is already at 50% on default and has been running at that speed for almost 24 hours now with no input from me, and its been sitting idle for all of that time. The temp has been hovering around 50C while idle and my screensaver bumps that up to about 60C. Even if the OP says that's normal, I'm still worried because I haven't heard the fan operate this much while idle until maybe a couple months ago, and I've been having display driver crashes. When playing a game every once in a while it'll hang for two or three seconds (maybe once every hour). One of these hangs crashed Skyrim. That could have been me messing with CCC drivers to get RAGE running right though (that game has been a nightmare on AMD cards). I've updated them now and will probably test games out on them.

An Antec 550w is way way more than enough.

Run Driver Sweeper and see if that helps, and update to new drivers.

 

[RedSwirl]

Also, for reference, I just remembered that I have no idea what RAM physically looks like or even where it is on my hardware.

 

[RedSwirl]

Temps are a little high for that card, but not dangerously high. You could use something like Afterburner to check your fan profile and maybe set a custom one that would keep it cooler (albeit also be noisier during load).

What are some tips for making a good profile?

 

[littleworm]

Ok so I think I nearly have everything.

CPU: I5-2500k
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68 V-PRO
RAM: Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) (Low Profile)
GPU: GTX 570
Hard Drive: Samsung F3 1TB
PSU: CORSAIR TX850M
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 Mid Tower
Optical Drive: ASUS DRW-24B1ST
Heat Sink: CoolerMaster 212+ EVO
Sound Card: Xonar DG
SSD: Crucial M4 128 GB

Also got some Thermal Paste

So my question is, will there be any incompatibility issues with these parts. Anything I'm missing ?

 

[BoobPhysics101]

Ok so I think I nearly have everything.

CPU: I5-2500k
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68 V-PRO
RAM: Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) (Low Profile)
GPU: GTX 570
Hard Drive: Samsung F3 1TB
PSU: CORSAIR TX850M
Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 Mid Tower
Optical Drive: ASUS DRW-24B1ST
Heat Sink: CoolerMaster 212+ EVO
Sound Card: Xonar DG
SSD: Crucial M4 128 GB

Also got some Thermal Paste

So my question is, will there be any incompatibility issues with these parts. Anything I'm missing ?

Spend the extra $20 on the Xonar DS.

 

[Hazaro]

Spend the extra $20 on the Xonar DS.

Why spend more on a DS when it has no amp? From what I pieced together it is a great go to card and noticeable upgrades start at $130 after it.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/527735/xonar-dg-vs-ds-vs-dx

The DS and DX use the same audio processor the CMI8788.

Both the DS and DX do not come with a dedicated headphone amplifier.

So I'm going to guess they will be very close, if not matched, when powering headphones.

The DX would be the best card for analog 5.1 speakers, also comes with Dolby Digital 5.1.

You can upgrade the op-amp on the DS, not sure if it affects the headphone.

The DS does not come with Dolby Digital, just DTS.



The DS (and DG) use a C-Media audio processor designed for the PCI bus, so no problem getting power from the PCI slot.

The DX (PCI-Express) uses a bridge chip to allow it's audio processor (designed for PCI) to communicate through the PCI-Express slot.

The bridge chip can not pass power from the PCI-Expess slot to the card, so the DX gets it's power directly from the power supply using the floppy power cable.



Get the Asus Xonar DG (PCI, CMI 8768), it comes with a built in (half way decent) headphone amplifier.

It can also do Dolby Digital Headphone 5.1 (like the DX)

and it's a cheap price.

What are some tips for making a good profile?

Last page or two has that info.

 

[BoobPhysics101]

Why spend more on a DS when it has no amp? From what I pieced together is ia a great go to card and noticible upgrades start at $130 after it.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/527735/xonar-dg-vs-ds-vs-dx


Last page or two has that info.

Whoa wait, the DS doesn't have Dolby Digital? Just DTS? Fuck it, get the DG then. Sad that the 'lower-tier' card is better. I wonder if the DG would be an upgrade over my X-Fi XtremeMusic, which is now 5 years old...

 

[RedSwirl]

I can't see where Afterburner displays the temperature.

Also, I'm not sure how to tell if Afterburner is applying my profile. I played Skyrim for a few minutes and my fan disn't change at all.

 

[Hazaro]

"I need a New PC!" 2012 Thread. 22nm+28nm, 3D Transistors, and reading the OP. [Part 1]

If that doesn't fit I'll use 'tri-gate'. Maybe fit in Cheap RAM or something too.

I can't see where Afterburner displays the temperature.

Also, I'm not sure how to tell if Afterburner is applying my profile. I played Skyrim for a few minutes and my fan disn't change at all.

Is the monitoring window somewhere else? Should be at the top and linked to it.
Did you hit apply?

 

[littleworm]

One last thing can some recommend a mouse?

 

[mkenyon]

One last thing can some recommend a mouse?

Depends on the purpose. Serious FPS/MoBA/ARTS, Steelseries Sensei/Xai. MMO is the Razer Naga (silly concept, but I swear it works well). Everything else is all about comfort, which is entirely subjective.

 

[RedSwirl]

"I need a New PC!" 2012 Thread. 22nm+28nm, 3D Transistors, and reading the OP. [Part 1]

If that doesn't fit I'll use 'tri-gate'. Maybe fit in Cheap RAM or something too.


Is the monitoring window somewhere else? Should be at the top and linked to it.
Did you hit apply?

Oh. Didn't notice because the number is so small.

 

[MisterNoisy]

One last thing can some recommend a mouse?

Logitech G500/G9x are great and can be had for under $50. If you're in the ConUS, I actually have a G500 with some paint wear that you can have.

 

[littleworm]

Logitech G500/G9x are great and can be had for under $50. If you're in the ConUS, I actually have a G500 with some paint wear that you can have.

The G500 was to mouse I had added to my cart, so I'm going to go with that.

 

[MisterNoisy]

The G500 was to mouse I had added to my cart, so I'm going to go with that.

Fair enough, and it's a great mouse - it was just a little too tall for my liking (I'm a 'claw' type user and I generally don't like it when my palm rests on the mouse).

That said, I'll offer it up to the good people here. First to quote this post gets a lightly-used G500 with some paint wear where my palm rested on the mouse. Must be in the continental US.