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Femur posted:So I've detailed my dumbness in the general Hardware thread, so I've been looking for a new mobo/cpu. Ehhh that's actually $10 more than usual. Or more. I'm holding out. I don't know how Microcenter prices new stuff, or how long it takes before they drop to awesome Microcenter prices. Also I'd like to see their combos with the new ones as well. However only a Z87 can overclock a 4670k - which is the only reason to buy a k processor. Otherwise you can go ahead and get a new, non-overclocking model now (4690) + H series new mobo. Or you could buy a pre-loved mobo + delidded 4670k @ 4.5ghz and save some money and get something badass. I think I know someone very close to me who has one of those Ignoarints fucked around with this message at 15:07 on May 22, 2014 |
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May 22, 2014 15:05
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Lemma posted:Thanks for the recommendation, but can you explain how you know the peak is 200 watts? I looked at the product page and can't seem to find where it says that. This explains it better than I could but the +12v rail is the most important, yes. For a quick and dirty eye test, I like to look at the 12V rail of a power supply and multiply the voltage by the amps and see what you get. On the Seasonic there, you get 648 watts (12x54) which basically means the "650 watt" power supply is what it says it is. On your old one, you see that it is split into 2 rails of 25A each, which is 300 per, so that "700 watt" supply is only really capable of less than 600. Additionally, on low quality units, the two rails might actually only be one rail anyway. There's a LOT more to it than that, but I suggest if you really want to get into it - check out the below links: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Everything-You-Need-to-Know-About-Power-Supplies/181/1 http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDFAQs They might be a bit outdated in places but they can tell you a lot. The most basic things to check when buying a power supply, always check the 12V amps and always, always check the warranty. 1 year - major red flag, 3 years = questionable, 5 years and up = pretty good indication of quality.
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May 22, 2014 16:35
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I built a mini-ITX gaming system with an i5 and a GTX 760 a while back, but I'm unhappy with the size of the Bitfenix Prodigy I put it in. I've been looking at some narrower cases, specifically the NCASE N-1 and the Silverstone RVZ01, but I'm unable to find an SFX-sized 500W+ PSU from a reliable brand. Is there a 500W+ SFX PSU from a reliable brand out there? Can I get by with the 450W Silverstone SFX PSU on market? I know the NCASE N-1 has a bracket fitting for an ATX PSU, but they really reccomend using a SFX PSU and I'd like to be able to just order a new PSU if I find my current one won't fit. Dr Cheeto fucked around with this message at 21:29 on May 22, 2014 |
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May 22, 2014 20:16
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Dr Cheeto posted:I build a mini-ITX gaming system with an i5 and a GTX 760 a while back, but I'm unhappy with the size of the Bitfenix Prodigy I put it in. I've been looking at some smaller cases, specifically the NCASE N-1 and the Silverstone RVZ01, but I'm unable to find an SFX-sized 500W+ PSU from a reliable brand. You don't need more than 300W to be honest, unless you're overclocking fairly heavily.
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May 22, 2014 20:24
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I have the Silverstone RVZ01 along with that 450W PSU, and I can definitely give the case a thumbs up. The PSU has been fine, too, but it's just been running an old Radeon 6850, so I can't help you much there.
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May 22, 2014 20:43
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deimos posted:You don't need more than 300W to be honest, unless you're overclocking fairly heavily. I disagree! Even a stock 760 can boost your system pretty darn close to 300W, and you don't exactly want to be running SFX PSUs to their limit on a semi-regular basis.
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May 22, 2014 20:46
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MSRP on the R9-280 has been cut to $249 - probably worth slotting into the OP into the 1080 zone alongside the 760, depending on which game you look at, either or can pull ahead.
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May 22, 2014 21:22
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My computer's about 8 years old and I'm running an old motherboard. I've currently got 2x2GB sticks of DDR2 memory. I'm looking to upgrade. Am I okay to just buy a 2x4GB DDR3 pack of memory? I know I probably won't get the full DDR3 performance but it's the same price as DDR2 at this point anyways.
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May 22, 2014 21:40
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Jinnigan posted:My computer's about 8 years old and I'm running an old motherboard. I've currently got 2x2GB sticks of DDR2 memory. I'm looking to upgrade. Am I okay to just buy a 2x4GB DDR3 pack of memory? I know I probably won't get the full DDR3 performance but it's the same price as DDR2 at this point anyways. DDR3 is physically different to DDR2
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May 22, 2014 21:48
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I'm looking to build a new PC. I'm a designer so I need something that can run multiple Adobe CS programs at once and can handle large file sizes. I also intend to do some animation stuff. As for gaming, if it can run new games at decent settings and keep up with the industry for a few years I'll be happy. My budget is ~$1500 including a monitor (going big with the monitor in terms of size and resolution, also going to eventually do dual monitors in case any of that matters.) I can increase my budget if it would result in some sort of significant improvement. PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($309.99 @ NCIX US) Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.00 @ Newegg) Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($139.99 @ Newegg) Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.43 @ OutletPC) Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($144.99 @ NCIX US) Case: Zalman Z11 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Micro Center) Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US) Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg) Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($38.57 @ Amazon) Total: $956.94 I don't know much about computer hardware (my brother made this build for me) so I'd absolutely love any feedback! Thanks in advance.
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May 22, 2014 22:25
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Moving across the country and setting up a new Comcast account in my name and I figured I should just buy a modem for once instead of renting theirs, any suggestions? Already have a router I like, for what it's worth.
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May 22, 2014 22:25
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omg chael crash posted:Moving across the country and setting up a new Comcast account in my name and I figured I should just buy a modem for once instead of renting theirs, any suggestions? Already have a router I like, for what it's worth. I highly recommend buying one that they specifically support, down to the letter. That being said, I've always owned my modem. Renting sucks, you pay for the entire thing then some in a year and then its not yours
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May 22, 2014 22:34
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Vogelspinne posted:I'm looking to build a new PC. I'm a designer so I need something that can run multiple Adobe CS programs at once and can handle large file sizes. I also intend to do some animation stuff. As for gaming, if it can run new games at decent settings and keep up with the industry for a few years I'll be happy. I'm not as knowledgeable as some of the other guys here but if you plan to do animation it seems like you might want to have a better GPU. Also there's no reason to get a K processor unless you're going to overclock, so you could save some money on that and from not having to buy an o/c capable motherboard and then jump up to a gtx760 or something.
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May 22, 2014 22:36
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Vogelspinne posted:I'm looking to build a new PC. I'm a designer so I need something that can run multiple Adobe CS programs at once and can handle large file sizes. I also intend to do some animation stuff. As for gaming, if it can run new games at decent settings and keep up with the industry for a few years I'll be happy. Do you already have an SSD to put in it? You definitely want an SSD. Ideally one that is big enough to hold your OS, applications, and all the stuff for whatever project you are currently working on. Once you are ready to move on to the next project, move the files off to a spinning hard drive to make room on your SSD.
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May 22, 2014 22:38
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Hace posted:I disagree! Even a stock 760 can boost your system pretty darn close to 300W, and you don't exactly want to be running SFX PSUs to their limit on a semi-regular basis. Do you think a 450W would give be a reasonable amount of headroom? Is there a way to actually monitor my power usage?
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May 22, 2014 22:53
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Dr Cheeto posted:Do you think a 450W would give be a reasonable amount of headroom? Is there a way to actually monitor my power usage? Yes to 450w, and the only way to measure usage that I'm aware of is with a kill-a-watt style plug between the wall and PSU. Fortunately those are pretty cheap.
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May 22, 2014 22:56
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Dr Cheeto posted:Do you think a 450W would give be a reasonable amount of headroom? Is there a way to actually monitor my power usage? A 450W unit would be perfect.
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May 22, 2014 23:00
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fletcher posted:Do you already have an SSD to put in it? You definitely want an SSD. Ideally one that is big enough to hold your OS, applications, and all the stuff for whatever project you are currently working on. Once you are ready to move on to the next project, move the files off to a spinning hard drive to make room on your SSD. AllTerrineVehicle posted:I'm not as knowledgeable as some of the other guys here but if you plan to do animation it seems like you might want to have a better GPU. Also there's no reason to get a K processor unless you're going to overclock, so you could save some money on that and from not having to buy an o/c capable motherboard and then jump up to a gtx760 or something. Yeah, I have no intention of overclocking. I'll swap out the current processor for one of the thread recommended ones and look into a better GPU. Any recommendations for a motherboard? Would one of the thread recommended ones work?
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May 22, 2014 23:10
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Vogelspinne posted:I don't have a SSD but I definitely will pick one up if it makes a difference in performance. Yea, it's a really noticeable difference over a spinning hard drive. If you can swing it I'd go for a Samsung EVO 500GB, the price has been pretty drat awesome lately.
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May 22, 2014 23:14
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I was typing up a post for this thread about how awful Asus RMA is, and at the same time someone in another thread brought up how bad Asus RMA is so I posted it there. Here's the crosspost as a public service announcement:quote:They are so loving bad. I just RMA'ed my motherboard a week ago. They sent an email yesterday saying "Hey, just sent back your motherboard with shipping number [the shipping number I used to ship to them], thank you, signed [my own loving name], Asus RMA Support, [my own phone number].
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May 22, 2014 23:25
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The 560ti in my 3 year old computer just died so I need to replace it. What do I need to be concerned with when replacing it with a newer card? I was thinking about getting this 760. My motherboard is this old thing. PCI-E 3.0 should work on a 2.0 motherboard, right?
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May 22, 2014 23:47
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God I fucking love Diablo 3 gold, it even paid for this shitty title
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Zero VGS posted:I was typing up a post for this thread about how awful Asus RMA is, and at the same time someone in another thread brought up how bad Asus RMA is so I posted it there. Here's the crosspost as a public service announcement: The RMA testimonials are such an important factor in determining which manufacturer to buy from, I wonder if there should be a small section in the OP that lists the major manufacturers and a quick blurb about the RMA experience?
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May 22, 2014 23:49
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pogothemonkey0 posted:The 560ti in my 3 year old computer just died so I need to replace it. What do I need to be concerned with when replacing it with a newer card? I was thinking about getting this 760. My motherboard is this old thing. PCI-E 3.0 should work on a 2.0 motherboard, right? I'd look at the 750ti as well. You give up SLI potential, but they are $100 cheaper and can run most 1080p games at medium-high to high settings. It'll save a bunch on your power bill and free up wattage for overclocking your CPU as well. DirectX keeps improving and making the card stronger, so I'm betting it's going to handle 1080p for a while to come.
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May 23, 2014 00:19
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Zero VGS posted:I'd look at the 750ti as well. You give up SLI potential, but they are $100 cheaper and can run most 1080p games at medium-high to high settings. It'll save a bunch on your power bill and free up wattage for overclocking your CPU as well. DirectX keeps improving and making the card stronger, so I'm betting it's going to handle 1080p for a while to come. Can a 750ti really run games @ 1080p on high settings?
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May 23, 2014 00:27
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The 750Ti is only recommendable if you don't have a very good power supply and don't want to replace said power supply. Otherwise it's an absolutely horrible pick, especially for 1080p @ high settings. If you ran a 560Ti, odds are your PSU is fine, and nothing else (PCI-E bandwidth, etc) matters unless you're in some pretty niche cases. The 760 is the best price/performance card for 1080p at the moment. vvv It's definitely closer than it was the last time I looked, yeah. I'd probably get a R9 280 over a 760 given current prices (like this), but the 760 and R7 270X seem about even depending on whether you favor $30-$40 in your wallet or about that much $ in performance. Srebrenica Surprise fucked around with this message at 00:48 on May 23, 2014 |
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May 23, 2014 00:32
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I'd argue with 760 being the best price/performance for 1080p with the R9-270X and R9-280.
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May 23, 2014 00:36
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What happened to drive RAM prices up over the last two years? I built my PC about 2 years ago now, and am looking to upgrade the RAM. The 16 GB (4x4GB) kit I bought for $90 is now $150, and now I'm looking for a 2x8GB kit, but they are around the same price. Why such a huge hike? e: Just to mention, I've got an ASRock Z77 Extreme4, which can accept anything from 1066 to 2800. It's mainly for video production with Premiere and After Effects. Kazy fucked around with this message at 00:56 on May 23, 2014 |
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May 23, 2014 00:53
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fletcher posted:Can a 750ti really run games @ 1080p on high settings? Depends on the game, I play ports and stuff like Dark Souls 2, Metal Gear Rising Revengeance, Path of Exile, so yes it runs all those at 60fps on high, especially after overclocking. Definitely well-optimized stuff like Call of Duty as well. All bets are off if we're talking fancy first-person shooters that new Assassin's Creed. Anyhoo, Tiger Direct has a 750ti for $125 after MIR and $15 off $100 coupon: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?sdtid=6946416&EdpNo=8905320 http://www.tigerdirect.com/sectors/campaigns/include/events/2014/TD_Discount/
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May 23, 2014 01:00
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fletcher posted:The RMA testimonials are such an important factor in determining which manufacturer to buy from, I wonder if there should be a small section in the OP that lists the major manufacturers and a quick blurb about the RMA experience? As an ASUS whore, I do admit they swindled me out of a mail in rebate. I had two I sent in, both with identical paperwork since they were shipped together. One came back approved. The other denied because they said I didn't include an "invoice", which I actually did include, but whatever. After a week of back and forth, they started auto sending their "no" blurb, so I gave up.
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May 23, 2014 01:35
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Kazy posted:What happened to drive RAM prices up over the last two years? A lot of the factories that made RAM converted to making Flash memory for phones and tablets and USB drives instead. Supply went down but demand mostly stayed the same, so prices went up.
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May 23, 2014 01:40
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Radeon 7770 1GB Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz ASRock H77M motherboard Corsair 8GB DDR3 SeaSonic S12II 430W This is my computer that is a little over a year old. I've only really played WoW on it, but I'm interested in Wildstar and Dragon Age 3 so I figure I'd better pump some money into it. I was eyeing that 750ti linked above, but I wanted to double check and make sure the rest of my computer won't hold me back significantly before throwing down the money. I only have about $300 I'm willing to spend right now.
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May 23, 2014 02:13
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vanbags posted:Radeon 7770 1GB There's nothing that would hold it back, it's just that a 750Ti isn't a very big step up from a 7770. Not really worth the money. I'd say go for a GTX 760 or R9-280, they're both well under $300 now and they're much bigger upgrades, the 280 especially.
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May 23, 2014 02:27
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That's not true, a 750ti is a significant bump up from a 7770. That said if you're a on a budget, an r7 265 is probably a better use of your money.
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May 23, 2014 02:42
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Hace posted:That's not true, a 750ti is a significant bump up from a 7770.
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May 23, 2014 04:16
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vanbags posted:They seem to be around the same price as the 750ti. Is the r7 265 just better? Yes, it's almost unilaterally faster than the 750 Ti according to http://www.anandtech.com/show/7764/the-nvidia-geforce-gtx-750-ti-and-gtx-750-review-maxwell The only game the 750 ti wins is Bioshock Infinite which heavily favors nVidia's architecture. The 750 Ti can make up a lot of the performance differential by virtue of it being an insane overclocker, but even with that it still won't be generally faster than a R7 265. The R7 265's downsides are that it draws about twice as much power as a 750 Ti and outputs more heat, but in a pure price/performance comparison it beats the 750 Ti.
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May 23, 2014 04:44
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You can get a 750ti to the point where it trades blows with a 265 with overclocking (crazy offsets like +300 are possible quite easily) but never to the point of winning outright. Performance versus power draw really, but the 750ti performs a lot better than people like to say.
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May 23, 2014 06:28
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If they ever make the 6-pin versions of the 750ti capable of overvolting I'm sure they'd blow away a lot of stuff, but you can't even do that with a Bios mod from what I've tried. I'd love if they made a 750ti Boost with SLI but it'd probably be such good price to performance that it'd bite into sales of the all the higher margin stuff.
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May 23, 2014 16:25
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Zero VGS posted:If they ever make the 6-pin versions of the 750ti capable of overvolting I'm sure they'd blow away a lot of stuff, but you can't even do that with a Bios mod from what I've tried. I'd love if they made a 750ti Boost with SLI but it'd probably be such good price to performance that it'd bite into sales of the all the higher margin stuff. Probably run into a memory bandwidth bottleneck really quickly that way though. However I do think it bodes very well for the future. Once nvidia releases other similar architecture cards higher up hopefully we'll get to really play with it. Honestly if 20mm is a problem I hope they just go ahead with 28mm maxwell stuff. I wonder if AMD is going to have an answer for it, especially the massive power improvement jump
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May 23, 2014 16:37
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Is SLI less lovely than it used to be? I'm probably a few years out of date, but last thing I knew all SLI setups posted in here got laughed out of the thread as a waste of money. It's kind of weird hearing people talk about it as a viable option 
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May 23, 2014 16:48
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I'm in the minority where I prefer SLI to higher tier single cards. Nvidia is really on top of drivers, only problem I've had was with dual 770 stutter in one game because of a bug carried over from the 680. Both of the cards are splitting the load so if you set a frame limit, they can wind up running very cool and quiet most of the time while still being ready to ramp up and prevent frame drops.
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May 23, 2014 16:58
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