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"I Need a New PC!" 2014 Part 2. Read OP, your 2500K will run Witcher 3. MX100s! 970!

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G

grandwizard

Member
Hi everyone, I have a question:

My motherboard is a Gigabyte p55-ud3r which is LGA 1156 socket. I have been running an i5-750 since I got it, but I was wondering now if there is any decent CPU upgrade I can do to it without having to change the entire motherboard.
 
K

kharma45

Member
grandwizard said:
Hi everyone, I have a question:

My motherboard is a Gigabyte p55-ud3r which is LGA 1156 socket. I have been running an i5-750 since I got it, but I was wondering now if there is any decent CPU upgrade I can do to it without having to change the entire motherboard.
Click to expand...

You could buy a used i7 like the i7 920 or something, but that's all. 1156 is dead.

Is your 750 OC'd? If not that could give you the performance boost you seek if you're just gaming.
 
S

simonski

Member
grandwizard said:
Hi everyone, I have a question:

My motherboard is a Gigabyte p55-ud3r which is LGA 1156 socket. I have been running an i5-750 since I got it, but I was wondering now if there is any decent CPU upgrade I can do to it without having to change the entire motherboard.
Click to expand...

Same processor and MB here, been running at 3.9ghz for a few years (4 just wasn't stable). Is nice and speedy, and (with a 670) seems to run everything well. Been wondering about upgrading too though, and been concerned that the CPU would bottleneck a new GPU (like a 980 for example)?
 
D

Durante

Member
mkenyon said:
:(

Sorry. I honestly know that feel. Had the same thing happen with my Z87 Gryphon board. The only thing that fixed it was updating BIOS with their EZ Update thingie. Took me about 12 hours to get to that point though.
Click to expand...

I got it to work. I got another USB keyboard, but still didn't have any luck. Even after disconnecting everything except the GPU and one RAM stick. I was already fearing the worst (the whole RMA thing, and, much worse, building everything 2 more times to have a PC in the interim)

What saved me was that I didn't want to believe there could be a HW bug as specific and repeatable as this. So what I proceeded to do was re-check every single connection I made, with the manual at hand.

Now, the funny thing is, there's a fan header at the top left of the MB which is not marked or mentioned in the manual. I was using it for a case fan, but the fan wasn't spinning. Disconnecting that fixed all my issues. WTF

Whatever, at least it's working. Now to re-build everything I removed for debugging :/
 
K

kharma45

Member
simonski said:
Same processor and MB here, been running at 3.9ghz for a few years (4 just wasn't stable). Is nice and speedy, and (with a 670) seems to run everything well. Been wondering about upgrading too though, and been concerned that the CPU would bottleneck a new GPU (like a 980 for example)?
Click to expand...

Depends on the game. For most you'll still be fine.
 
F

Faith

Member
So my mainboard doesn't support SLI. I need a new one. How much should I spend? And I need as many USB ports as possible, 8 aren't enough. 12 would be nice.
 
M

MoonGred

Member
Durante said:
I got it to work. I got another USB keyboard, but still didn't have any luck. Even after disconnecting everything except the GPU and one RAM stick. I was already fearing the worst (the whole RMA thing, and, much worse, building everything 2 more times to have a PC in the interim)

What saved me was that I didn't want to believe there could be a HW bug as specific and repeatable as this. So what I proceeded to do was re-check every single connection I made, with the manual at hand.

Now, the funny thing is, there's a fan header at the top left of the MB which is not marked or mentioned in the manual. I was using it for a case fan, but the fan wasn't spinning. Disconnecting that fixed all my issues. WTF

Whatever, at least it's working. Now to re-build everything I removed for debugging :/
Click to expand...


That is the most random error. Is it just a blank space in the manual?
Could it have to do with the fact that it would be drawing just enough power to stop any ps/2/usb ports from working?

Edit: your mouse was working though wasn't it?
 
G

grandwizard

Member
kharma45 said:
You could buy a used i7 like the i7 920 or something, but that's all. 1156 is dead.

Is your 750 OC'd? If not that could give you the performance boost you seek if you're just gaming.
Click to expand...

Yes I OC'd to 3.6 which has been running good and stable. I'm only gaming I just don't want to be hugely bottlenecked by it. I'll check out the used i7s and see how much they cost, thanks.
 
BIGWORM

BIGWORM

Member
What's everyone's preference when it comes to gaming headphones, USB, or 3.5MM into a dedicated sound card? I have SB Z as a dedicated. I've been noticing some of the higher end gaming headsets like the Corsair Z2100 are USB as opposed to 3.5MM. I bought a Steel Series v2
 
M

mrklaw

MrArseFace
is it possible to use a bitfenix prodigy mini-ITX case for a micro ATX motherboard?

Have a decent build currently with 7950 boost, 3570k, 8GB, SSD. But it is mini-ITX and I would like the option of SLI without changing everything if possible.
 
K

kharma45

Member
grandwizard said:
Yes I OC'd to 3.6 which has been running good and stable. I'm only gaming I just don't want to be hugely bottlenecked by it. I'll check out the used i7s and see how much they cost, thanks.
Click to expand...

At the minute the i7 won't make much of a difference in gaming as most can't utilise that many threads.
 
L

LossLess009

Member
I hope I don't get crucified for what I'm going to ask, but I feel the expertise in this thread is really priceless.

I have the itch to build a SFF pc, passively cooled, the cheapest and smallest the best (although it should surely host an HDD).

It would be used with some windows OS on it (I need it to run programs, and so I need remote desktop).

It would be on almost 24/7.

I was looking at the Zotac ZBOX CI320 ( http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/6680/zotac-zbox-ci320-nano-budget-sff-desktop-pc-review/index.html ), the barebone version, but I have some trouble finding it in Euro online stores.

Thanks for any suggestion regarding alternatives, or anything!
 
G

georgc

Member
Hazaro said:
Honestly the 760 is a great card and AUS pricing is pretty harsh for you, you can look to pickup maybe some used 780's or wait for 770/780 price drop to fill in that giant $300AUD gap.

There are some Headphones in the OP and link to the headphone thread. A ton of people use headphones for PC gaming.

Idle temps are fine, keep load under 75C and you're good.

I think you'll be OK. 2500K is still going strong.
Click to expand...


What about for the surround sound. Is the software angle good to go or should I buy a sound card?
I have a asus 97 pro, the sound capabilities are good.
 
H

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
georgc said:
What about for the surround sound. Is the software angle good to go or should I buy a sound card?
I have a asus 97 pro, the sound capabilities are good.
Click to expand...
Try the onboard and mucking with the surround options on it (if it has I dont remember)
If it's good, great! If not look at picking up a Xonar DGX for $30-40.
Durante said:
Yeah, that header doesn't exist in the manual.

I really have no idea. I connected the case fan to another header (which is marked in the manual) and everything works perfectly.
Click to expand...
ASROCK
 
H

H1PSTER

Member
My SLI 580s seem to be bottlenecking my build for some games, I'll want to upgrade them to possibly the new 970 card.

Any reason to upgrade my i7 2600k?
 
jfoul

jfoul

Member
M3z_ said:
Unless you are just lusting for new gear or experiencing lower than desired performance it is really kind of a questionable upgrade. Not only is the increase not huge but the gtx 970 just made your 780 worth considerably less on the resale market especially as GPU's flood the resale market to subsize new cards.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's lust and I only spent $340 on the card. I might wait a couple months to see how things shake out, or wait until the 16/20nm cards release. Also, I only game in 1080p.
 
H

hitgirl

Member
GTX980 looking pretty good. Makes me want to slap one into my machine and ride out that 1080p at low fan speeds and low power consumption, until you can power 4K with just an efficient card and 4K Tvs are better.
 
P

paperspace

Member
How is SLI and micro-stuttering these days?

Might pull the trigger on 2 970s instead of the 980, but if there's any micro-stuttering I don't care if 2x970 pulls off 400fps in Witcher 3.
 
K

knitoe

Member
CyanideFuse said:
How do you manage games when using an SSD drive? I am getting a 256GB SSD and wondered whether I should just move games onto it as-and-when I need them or get Steam to point to my HDD for a lot of the games.

Some games will be kept on the SSD due to longish load times being aided but it seems sort of pointless to have a lot of my other games on the SSD.

Just wondered really...
Click to expand...
Use Steammover. Install on HDD, use Steammover to move games you want onto the SSD and back to the HDD when you are done.

H1PSTER said:
My SLI 580s seem to be bottlenecking my build for some games, I'll want to upgrade them to possibly the new 970 card.

Any reason to upgrade my i7 2600k?
Click to expand...
No. Especially, if the 2600K is overclock to 4.4-4.6GHz.

ctw0e said:
How is SLI and micro-stuttering these days?

Might pull the trigger on 2 970s instead of the 980, but if there's any micro-stuttering I don't care if 2x970 pulls off 400fps in Witcher 3.
Click to expand...
Micro stuttering hasn't been an issue on Nvidia cards for a long time. The only real issue is waiting for proper SLI profile support once a game launch.
 
P

paperspace

Member
knitoe said:
Micro stuttering hasn't been an issue on Nvidia cards for a long time. The only real issue is waiting for proper SLI profile support once a game launch.
Click to expand...

Sounds fantastic, if true. Worst case scenario I'll have to turn off one of the 970s and considering the OC performance, that wouldn't be too bad at all.
 
L

luffeN

Member
So I currently have a 3 year old PC. Going to stick with mi i5-2500K and want to upgrade from a Radeon 6950 to a GTX 970. I have a Corsair 750HX power supply that is also 3 years old. Should I also upgrade the power supply or should it still deliver enough power after all these years?

Edit: Will my PC be able to run games (Witcher 3, AC Unity, Shadow of Mordor, Lords of the Fallen) at 2560x1080@60 at High?
 
F

Faith

Member
ctw0e said:
How is SLI and micro-stuttering these days?

Might pull the trigger on 2 970s instead of the 980, but if there's any micro-stuttering I don't care if 2x970 pulls off 400fps in Witcher 3.
Click to expand...
Which would you buy? Gigabyte Gaming G1, Asus Strix or something different?
 
P

Prophet Steve

Member
luffeN said:
So I currently have a 3 year old PC. Going to stick with mi i5-2500K and want to upgrade from a Radeon 6950 to a GTX 970. I have a Corsair 750HX power supply that is also 3 years old. Should I also upgrade the power supply or should it still deliver enough power after all these years?

Edit: Will my PC be able to run games (Witcher 3, AC Unity, Shadow of Mordor, Lords of the Fallen) at 2560x1080@60 at High?
Click to expand...

The new card will have less power consumption, so don't worry. And even it wasn't you should still be able to easily handle it.
 
F

Felix Lighter

Member
Ok I already ordered 2 Gigabyte GTX 970 Gaming G1

Here are the rest of the parts I'm about to order:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($389.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Swiftech H220-X 55.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($130.44 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI X99S SLI Plus ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($228.79 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Value 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($222.58 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($222.58 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic Platinum 860W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($20.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1745.34
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-19 09:42 EDT-0400

Is there anything I'm missing? Is the case going to cause me any issues with the Swiftech H220-X radiator or the Windforce GTX 970s? Since I am going SLI would there be any noticeable improvement if I switched to a 5930K?

My target resolution is 1080p/1200p but I'm hoping for high frame rate 120/144hz.
 
D

DarkChronic

Member
luffeN said:
So I currently have a 3 year old PC. Going to stick with mi i5-2500K and want to upgrade from a Radeon 6950 to a GTX 970. I have a Corsair 750HX power supply that is also 3 years old. Should I also upgrade the power supply or should it still deliver enough power after all these years?

Edit: Will my PC be able to run games (Witcher 3, AC Unity, Shadow of Mordor, Lords of the Fallen) at 2560x1080@60 at High?
Click to expand...

I'm in the same boat as you, worried about the same things (going from a 570 though). From what people have told me, we should be good to go!
 
K

knitoe

Member
Felix Lighter said:
Ok I already ordered 2 Gigabyte GTX 970 Gaming G1

Here are the rest of the parts I'm about to order:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($389.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Swiftech H220-X 55.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($130.44 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI X99S SLI Plus ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($228.79 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Value 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($222.58 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($222.58 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic Platinum 860W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer ($20.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1745.34
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-19 09:42 EDT-0400

Is there anything I'm missing? Is the case going to cause me any issues with the Swiftech H220-X radiator or the Windforce GTX 970s? Since I am going SLI would there be any noticeable improvement if I switched to a 5930K?

My target resolution is 1080p/1200p but I'm hoping for high frame rate 120/144hz.
Click to expand...
Why not a EVGA G2 1000W or 1300W PSU? Cheaper and offers more power. With the money saved, you can go the better Samsung 840 Evo 512GBs. And, any reason why you want 2x 512GB SSD instead of just a 1TB SSD?
 
G

garath

Member
I was originally going for the 980. The appeal of having one of the top single GPUs for ~$500 was really strong. However, after looking at all the benchmarks and looking at the price difference, I'm starting to feel like one of the aftermarket 970s is the way to go and perhaps use the price difference to get a nice 144hz monitor. I think I'd get more out of that combo with my 2500k than a single 980.

This is upgrading from a 660ti.
 
R

Rootbeer

Banned
i have that new pc itch something fierce!

But I really want to wait for the new intel chips coming out later this year (hopefully not delayed into 2015?)

that GTX 970 sure is nice.
 
F

Felix Lighter

Member
knitoe said:
Why not a EVGA G2 1000W or 1300W PSU? Cheaper and offers more power. With the money saved, you can go the better Samsung 840 Evo 512GBs. And, any reason why you want 2x 512GB SSD instead of just a 1TB SSD?
Click to expand...

I can make those changes. EVGA G2 1000W + Samsung 840 Evo 1TB. Thanks for the tips!

Anyone have experience with the Phanteks Enthoo Pro case? Will it cause me any troubles with the Swiftech H220-X?
 
F

fifasnipe2224

Member
I currently have:
Mobo: EVGA X58
CPU: i7-960 3.20 GHz 8M
GPU: GTX 570 1.2GB
RAM: 6GB (2GBx3) DDR3/1600MHz

Should I upgrade my GPU first or will my CPU be holding me back too much?
 
A

Akai__

Member
fifasnipe2224 said:
I currently have:
Mobo: EVGA X58
CPU: i7-960 3.20 GHz 8M
GPU: GTX 570 1.2GB
RAM: 6GB (2GBx3) DDR3/1600MHz

Should I upgrade my GPU first or will my CPU be holding me back too much?
Click to expand...

I would say there is no point in upgrading your CPU, unless you go for a new and current motherboard, like Haswell.

How much do you want to spend anyways?
 
U

undecided

Member
garath said:
I was originally going for the 980. The appeal of having one of the top single GPUs for ~$500 was really strong. However, after looking at all the benchmarks and looking at the price difference, I'm starting to feel like one of the aftermarket 970s is the way to go and perhaps use the price difference to get a nice 144hz monitor. I think I'd get more out of that combo with my 2500k than a single 980.

This is upgrading from a 660ti.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I am doing. 2500k with 660Ti, just bought an Asus Rog Swift 27" monitor and am ordering a 970

Are any of the decent 970s still in stock anywhere? (the ASUS STRIX GTX970 looks nice... Preorder on Amazon though)
 
xBladeM6x

xBladeM6x

Member
I need some advice. I've never done a GPU upgrade before (on an already existing system) and I'm wondering when I change my 660 Ti -> 980, what I should do before removing the old card, and putting in the new one? (As in drivers, and shit like that)
 
K

kennah

Member
xBladeM6x said:
I need some advice. I've never done a GPU upgrade before (on an already existing system) and I'm wondering when I change my 660 Ti -> 980, what I should do before removing the old card, and putting in the new one? (As in drivers, and shit like that)
Click to expand...
Remove the old card and put in the new one. Update to most recent nvidia drivers.
 
Z

zyxwvu4321

Member
PcPartPicker got updated with the new cards. Looks like this will be my new PC once I get around to ordering the rest of the parts:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($224.74 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Glacer 240L 86.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($109.99 @ Micro Center)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($137.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($86.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($355.91 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($355.91 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1456.50
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-19 11:26 EDT-0400

Power supply and GPUs on their way.
 
D

Darth Chocula

Member
I credit this thread with getting me informed enough to put a PC together last month and so far it's been a great experience. I'd already amassed a collection of titles for Steam that never really got to shine so it's a pleasure to destroy the bar holding them back while taking in a years worth of games I missed out on while hunkered down in the East coast working and traveling.

I mainly worked from Haz's excellent PC build with an aim for editing/media rendering as well as gaming, making some price related tweaks when possible.

PC Case: ENERMAX OSTROG ECA3253-BL Black / Blue $40
CPU Processor: Intel Core i7-4790K Haswell Quad-Core 4.0GHz LGA 1150 $360
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z97X-UD3H LGA 1150 Intel Z97 $139
Memory: ADATA 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 1600mhz $159 (!)
Hard Drive(s) : Samsung 120gb SSD $89
Power Supply: Thermaltake TR2 TR-600 600W ATX12V v2.3 SLI CrossFire Power Supply $40 (used)
Video Cards: ZOTAC NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Graphics Card ($200 used)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo $35
Optical Drives: Some kind of Dell DVD/CD RW from a local PC recycling org., Free Geek ($8)
Keyboard: Microsoft 400 Wired
Mouse: Basic Wired microosft optical mouse $3.50 from Free Geek

I splurged on the SSD. I tried budgeting it under a thousand but just didn't care by the time it started coming together. Put two spare 3.5 HDD's laying around in, 2TB for plex media and music (Itchy) and 160GB for media scratch (Scratchy). Now comes the decisions with regards to my games, buying for PC as opposed to PS4 when optimal, such as The Evil Within.
 
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