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"I need a New PC!" 2012 Thread. 22nm+28nm, Tri-Gate, and reading the OP. [Part 1]

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·feist·

Member
noire said:
noire said:
Do I need to enable something to get Dolby/dts output from my sapphire 6950? Receiver is just showing PCM.
Click to expand...
just checking on this again.
Click to expand...
Is your receiver set to auto detect multi-channel DTS/Dolby over HDMI, or will it require a manual change, or pass through over coax/optical? As long as you're good between Catalyst, cables, and the receiver, there shouldn't be any hangups.


bluemax said:
So I have a question, I currently have the following specs:

Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 @ 2.66 GHZ
4GB RAM
Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 512MB RAM

and I'm noticing that my computer is struggling to give good frame rates with newer games (Saints Row, Skyrim etc). I can't really afford to do a full upgrade but I did get a $50 gift card to NewEgg so I was wondering what one part (processor/graphics card) I could spend about $150 on that would boost my performance the most?
Click to expand...
Neither game is going to like a dual core at that speed, especially Skyrim. You need to OC as high as possible, and perhaps add that $150 to the proceeds from a sale of your 4850 for a new card. New build as soon as you are able. Your CPU is already at, or below, minimum for newer, and upcoming big titles.
 
L

Lionel Mandrake

Member
I'm probably going to want a gamepad or controller for some of my games. Any recommendations?

What about connecting a Dual Shock or 360 Controller? Do these work on most games? Also, I'm running a 64bit if that complicates things.
 
H

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
Prezhulio said:
out of curiosity since i haven't kept track of SSD prices: have SSD prices changed with the floods or are they about the same?
Click to expand...
Same. Some have said slightly up because HDD's went up, but that is pricing for the market and not a supply problem.
Lionel Mandrake said:
I'm probably going to want a gamepad or controller for some of my games. Any recommendations?

What about connecting a Dual Shock or 360 Controller? Do these work on most games? Also, I'm running a 64bit if that complicates things.
Click to expand...
Wired 360 controller for me. Very long cord, auto detection, works great.
 
O

Owensboro

Member
Here is what I've come up with. If I have a horrible mistake please let me know. I've placed links to each part. The incredibly long listing names of parts on NewEgg freaks me out to the point that I think I'm getting an entirely different part then what is listed in the OP. I'm trying to build the "Excellent" version in the OP, just skipping parts I already own.:

CPU -- Intel i5 2500K (Amazon) [Does it matter that it's listed with "Clock Speed = 3.3GHz, Max Turbo Frequency = 3.7GHz?]

Motherboard -- ASRock P67 Extreme 4 (NewEgg)

RAM -- Corsair Vengeance (2 x 4GB) Low Profile (NewEgg)

Graphics -- MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti - 448 Cores (NewEgg)

Storage -- (I already have old HDs for this. A 1TB & a 600MB.)

Power Supply -- Need help between two. XFX Core Edition Pro 550W @ $69.99 (NewEgg) or Antec BP550 Plus @ $79.99 (NewEgg). Are the two equlivalent? Will I be OK buying the XFX?

Case -- My old Antec 900

Optical Drive -- My old NEC DVD/RW Drive. Don't need Blu Ray Drive.

Heat Sink -- COOLER MASTER hyper 212 Plus (NewEgg)

Sound Card -- ASUS Xonar_DG 5.1 (NewEgg) [I assume I need a sound card to get 5.1 sound. If this is wrong, please correct me. I have a set of Logitech 5.1 Speakers.]

SSD -- Intel 320 Series 80GB SATA II (NewEgg)

The total cost comes out to: $984.

I plan on using this computer for heavy gaming, as well as a TV box so I can try ditching Cable TV (the Video Card has a mini HDMI out, and a HDMI mini - regular converter for this). Will it work? Should I sub in/out a part somewhere? Did I totally screw something up? Should I wait for a new part to come out in the near future? Thanks for the help GAF!
 
S

Smokey

Member
Looking at reviews and watching the videos of the Cosmos II...do want. I had no ideal this was CM's top case...I thought it was the HAF X.
 
H

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
Owensboro said:
Here is what I've come up with. If I have a horrible mistake please let me know. I've placed links to each part. The incredibly long listing names of parts on NewEgg freaks me out to the point that I think I'm getting an entirely different part then what is listed in the OP. I'm trying to build the "Excellent" version in the OP, just skipping parts I already own.:

CPU -- Intel i5 2500K (Amazon) [Does it matter that it's listed with "Clock Speed = 3.3GHz, Max Turbo Frequency = 3.7GHz?]

Motherboard -- ASRock P67 Extreme 4 (NewEgg)

RAM -- Corsair Vengeance (2 x 4GB) Low Profile (NewEgg)

Graphics -- MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti - 448 Cores (NewEgg)

Storage -- (I already have old HDs for this. A 1TB & a 600MB.)

Power Supply -- Need help between two. XFX Core Edition Pro 550W @ $69.99 (NewEgg) or Antec BP550 Plus @ $79.99 (NewEgg). Are the two equlivalent? Will I be OK buying the XFX?

Case -- My old Antec 900

Optical Drive -- My old NEC DVD/RW Drive. Don't need Blu Ray Drive.

Heat Sink -- COOLER MASTER hyper 212 Plus (NewEgg)

Sound Card -- ASUS Xonar_DG 5.1 (NewEgg) [I assume I need a sound card to get 5.1 sound. If this is wrong, please correct me. I have a set of Logitech 5.1 Speakers.]

SSD -- Intel 320 Series 80GB SATA II (NewEgg)

The total cost comes out to: $984.

I plan on using this computer for heavy gaming, as well as a TV box so I can try ditching Cable TV (the Video Card has a mini HDMI out, and a HDMI mini - regular converter for this). Will it work? Should I sub in/out a part somewhere? Did I totally screw something up? Should I wait for a new part to come out in the near future? Thanks for the help GAF!
Click to expand...
All good.
XFX 550w is good. I see the BP550 and Xonar DG went up in price. Not too surprised.
I'm not an audio person, but I'm pretty sure your mobo does 5.1 from onboard (It has the audio connectors anyway). I don't know if it can do enough juice for it to be good though. The DG has an onboard amp which helps for that sort of stuff.
 
S

Shambles

Member
That cosmos looks neat but for $350 you'd have to be stupid rich or stupid stupid to buy it. It's pretty awesome that it weighs more than a small child though. :D
 
B

BackwardsSuggestions

Member
I understand if I'm doing this all wrong but honestly, I've never been a PC gamer, hell, I've never owned a desktop computer. I'm thinking (well I've decided) on getting a decent desktop gaming PC. Now, as a complete noob I have no idea what parts to look at. All I know is that I'm not looking to build it myself, I'd like it pre-built but where I still get to choose the parts.

Now, obviously I know nothing but I've been using www.dinopc.com to see what's up and I seem to get a decent rig for about £570. But if possible, I'd love when of you PC regulars to build me the best PC from the details below. I would appreciate it very much. :)

Your Current Specs: NA Laptop
Budget: £600 UK
Main Use: General, gaming, 1080p streaming, normal computer stuff. Nothing like PS/Flash etc.
Monitor Resolution: Planning on full HD. Already have a TV that I plan on using as one. It has VGA/HDMI inputs so I'm guessing it'll be fine. If not, I'll buy one at a later date.
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Stuff like Skyrim and new-ish games.
Are reusing any parts?: N/A
When will you build?: ASAP
Will you be overclocking?: Not a clue

Extra points: I'd like it to have a wireless card since I use my laptop as a wireless hotspot and would like to do the same. (Can't use routers where I live).
Like to have a HDMI port.
Doesn't need an OS.

I honestly appreciate the help folks. Anymore details, please ask.

Thank you.
 
M

mkenyon

Banned
Shambles said:
That cosmos looks neat but for $350 you'd have to be stupid rich or stupid stupid to buy it. It's pretty awesome that it weighs more than a small child though. :D
Click to expand...
It's a hobby for some folks. Having that much watercooling potential basically built in to a system like that is a huge benefit. It's competing against the likes of the TJ 07, 800D, and even some Caselabs cases. Things like this aren't intended for people who just want a box to house a gaming machine, it's more for the enthusiast/modder/hobbyist.
 
H

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
1080p streaming is pretty demanding, a good 720p looks fine. Great comp here. Spend the extra money as it is all in the GPU and worth it.
$540 to $630, but your graphic performance goes up by 50%. You could also select a 6870 for a touch less.
Swap in the Xigmatek CPU cooler if possible as well. Overclocking helps streaming a lot.
Purchase a Wireless PCI/PCI-E card for your desktop.

l7CQn.png
 
M

mkenyon

Banned
BackwardsSuggestions said:
Your Current Specs: NA Laptop
Budget: £600 UK
Main Use: General, gaming, 1080p streaming, normal computer stuff. Nothing like PS/Flash etc.
Monitor Resolution: Planning on full HD. Already have a TV that I plan on using as one. It has VGA/HDMI inputs so I'm guessing it'll be fine. If not, I'll buy one at a later date.
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Stuff like Skyrim and new-ish games.
Are reusing any parts?: N/A
When will you build?: ASAP
Will you be overclocking?: Not a clue

Extra points: I'd like it to have a wireless card since I use my laptop as a wireless hotspot and would like to do the same. (Can't use routers where I live).
Like to have a HDMI port.
Doesn't need an OS.

I honestly appreciate the help folks. Anymore details, please ask.

Thank you.
Click to expand...
I don't know how PC part prices exactly translate across the pond, but I'd imagine the "enhanced" build is probably right at your price point.

*edit*

Misunderstood the request, Haz has you covered.
 
Kiyamon

Kiyamon

Member
How does one know if you applied the thermal paste correctly? Would you be able to tell when the system is idle or only when it is stressed?

Thank you!!
 
D

Detox

Member
Should I untick all the boxes in Catalyst Control Center: 3D Application Settings? Or should I just keep it on default?
 
D

Detox

Member
Nabs said:
I always leave CCC at Default. I use RadeonPro to manage individual game settings.
Click to expand...

Yeah, this is how I always kept it but then turning off all the CCC default stuff suddenly unlocked my framerate on Dead Island which was stuck on 25fps regardless of settings. I guess it is just Dead Island.
 
F

FoolsRun

Member
Owensboro said:
Here is what I've come up with.

Graphics -- MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti - 448 Cores

Power Supply -- Need help between two. XFX Core Edition Pro 550W or Antec BP550 Plus

Sound Card -- ASUS Xonar_DG 5.1 (NewEgg) [I assume I need a sound card to get 5.1 sound. If this is wrong, please correct me. I have a set of Logitech 5.1 Speakers.]
Click to expand...
I thought the 560ti looked a little expensive, but then realized you're springing for the 2GB version that has much better performance than standard (and cheaper) 560 models.

The XFX is a better unit and it's only $55 after rebate. They do occasionally have problems with the cooling fan making a "ticking" noise, and my first unit had that issue after I had it for a week. Still, I think that's the exception rather than the rule.

Skip the sound card for now. It appears your motherboard has 7.1 sound, and in most cases the onboard sound is more than what most people need. You can always add a card later.
 
Z

Zapages

Member
Hazaro said:
nVidia brand is the generic nVidia without anything custom, it is the reference card.

Also Bestbuy charges more because they need to make more $ on low turnover items like that.
Click to expand...

But does it still have good performance compared to any of the other 560Ti graphic cards that are available.
 
H

Hoplatee

Member
I posted early last month about my issues with my 4870X2 acting weird. It's finally about to blow now (temps around 90c idling) so it's about time to get a new one. If anyone has this card it knows that putting the fans on it any higher isn't really great cause it gets insanely loud then. Instead of just buying some temporary card I am planning on just buying another great card that I can still use for my new computer which I will buy around Christmas this year.

This is the second Ati card that gave me issues with being hot so I am also willing to give the other brand a try if it's better as I hear plenty of reports about terrible issues on Ati cards with new released games. (not really some issue for me as I rarely buy games on day 1) However I am not sure if I should wait with buying (i'm sure this card will have some life left... I hope!) or is it 'safe' to get something now?

Currently looking at a Asus EAH6950 (DCII/2DI4S/2GD5) for 220 euro. Would this be a decent upgrade or is it already pretty outdated? And beefy enough to run without any issues @ 1080p as my 4870x2 still does with most games? This is extremely important cause my monitor does not like resolutions below that, native 1080p only I believe. The joy of cheap monitors!

For what it's worth, my current system isn't all that hot anymore but still gets stuff going on good enough settings so I also wonder if a new 'newer' GPU would boost my performance a lot on my current setup or just barely? (P5Q Mobo, E8500 @ 3.16GHz not overclocked, 4 GIG DDR2)
 
H

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
Zapages said:
So no difference minus the price. Correct? How about the parts in each of them?
Click to expand...
It's possible they might use a slightly different power layout, or capacitors for reliability/heat/warranty concerns, but functionally the cards are the same.
 
M

mkenyon

Banned
Since you're writing it off, you might as well try and pull of the heatsink, clean everything, reapply thermal paste, and put it back on.

Also, it's not ATI (now AMD) that makes the card. They simply supply the design specs and the processor. Its up to the vendor (Gigabyte, MSI, ASUS, Sapphire) to assemble it, make the PCB, and either use the reference design for the heatsink or add their own. Heatsink/heat failure shouldn't be aimed at ATI/AMD.

79xx cards are out this month. Wait until after they're released before making a decision.
 
S

Slavik81

Member
ToyMachine228 said:
Because I basically have zero idea about what I'd be doing.
Click to expand...

Some places will mount the RAM and CPU/heatsink for free if you buy the motherboard and CPU/RAM from them. If you found a place that did that, the rest of the assembly should be pretty easy, even for a first time through.

I know I'm always nervous locking the CPU into place given how much pressure you need to put on it. That's the most worrisome part of the entire thing. The rest is just screwing things into place so they don't move, and plugging in various sorts of cables.

Unfortunately, I don't really have any recommendations for US shops.
 
O

Owensboro

Member
Hazaro said:
All good.
XFX 550w is good. I see the BP550 and Xonar DG went up in price. Not too surprised.
I'm not an audio person, but I'm pretty sure your mobo does 5.1 from onboard (It has the audio connectors anyway). I don't know if it can do enough juice for it to be good though. The DG has an onboard amp which helps for that sort of stuff.
Click to expand...

Cool. Thanks for checking Hazaro. I didn't hunt around for the best price so it could be cheaper somewhere else, I've just had such a good experience with NewEgg in the past I can't help but buy from them.

FoolsRun said:
I thought the 560ti looked a little expensive, but then realized you're springing for the 2GB version that has much better performance than standard (and cheaper) 560 models.

The XFX is a better unit and it's only $55 after rebate. They do occasionally have problems with the cooling fan making a "ticking" noise, and my first unit had that issue after I had it for a week. Still, I think that's the exception rather than the rule.

Skip the sound card for now. It appears your motherboard has 7.1 sound, and in most cases the onboard sound is more than what most people need. You can always add a card later.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I read in the notes that I should spring for the 2GB, I'm glad to hear I didn't screw that up :). That's also spectacular to hear the XFX is a better unit (as it's cheaper). The last two Power Supplies I bought were both Antec, and that was ages ago. I wasn't sure what brands were good or not.

I'll think about skipping the Sound Card. I'm not going to use the computer as a crazy good sound system anytime soon, and when I hook it up tot he TV I won't have any sort of Sound System at all (that's one of those things that will be bought waaaay down the line). I was just going to use the TV speakers for the time being.

Thanks again for the help everyone.

Holy crap, I just checked out the dimensions on that Heat Sink and it's just barely over 6" long. My case is only 7.5" wide and I have a fan on the inside wall that is 1" wide itself. This gives me less then .3 inches of wiggle room..... shit. I guess I could take the gamble and just send the part back if it's two large, but are there any other heat sinks that aren't quite as crazy big?

Also, one last question, will the thermal paste sent with the CPU be better then the paste sent with the CoolerMaster? Do I need to run to the local Fry's and get some better brand?

EDIT: Wow, quick response! Okay, that's probably the best solution in the end. Worst case, I can ghetto-rig the fan backwards on the outside of the case to pull air from it instead of pushing air out of it.
 
L

lennylightspeed

Member
Here is a build I made a few years back. I’m looking to upgrade, but other than throwing in some more RAM (yay cheap) is there anything that wouldn’t cost much that would give a good boost to gaming? Thanks.

CPU- Phenom II X4 955BE (3.2ghz – 4 cores)
Motherboard – Gigabyte GA-770TA-UD3 770
Ram – 4 Gig GSKILL F3
PSU CORSAIR|CMPSU-550W
GPU- 5770
HD – 1 Tb 7200

My 5770 is starting to act up (high idle, blue screens) and I've tried all the regulars like drivers and cleaning so I'm learning towards that being the 'big change'. I'd like to switch back to Nvidia. Is there any $100-$200 card that will be a big enough boost to make the jump? Thanks.
 
N

noire

Unconfirmed Member
·feist·;33964816 said:
Is your receiver set to auto detect multi-channel DTS/Dolby over HDMI, or will it require a manual change, or pass through over coax/optical? As long as you're good between Catalyst, cables, and the receiver, there shouldn't be any hangups.


Neither game is going to like a dual core at that speed, especially Skyrim. You need to OC as high as possible, and perhaps add that $150 to the proceeds from a sale of your 4850 for a new card. New build as soon as you are able. Your CPU is already at, or below, minimum for newer, and upcoming big titles.
Click to expand...

From what I was reading earlier, the video card might do surround for bluray but not gaming. Something about not having encoders. Does that sound right?

If that's the case then I need to get a sound card and run a second connection just for audio?
 
N

n0n44m

Member
noire said:
From what I was reading earlier, the video card might do surround for bluray but not gaming. Something about not having encoders. Does that sound right?

If that's the case then I need to get a sound card and run a second connection just for audio?
Click to expand...

you can only get DD/DTS from sources that have DD/DTS such as DVD and Blu-Ray discs or movie files with DD/DTS sound tracks. You can also choose to have those DD/DTS tracks decoded by your software and then output in multi-channel PCM by your videocard.

for games you'll "only" get multi-channel (surround) PCM over HDMI with modern Nvidia and AMD cards (once you've set speaker configuration to 5.1/7.1), because these card don't support real-time encoding of the (real-time mixed) game sounds to a DD/DTS track

PCM is theoretically higher quality anyway because it is uncompressed unlike DD/DTS, although I doubt any games have good enough "raw" sound to make the difference noticeable...

so no you should be fine for games with just your current videocard :)
 
S

Smokey

Member
Just thought I'd drop this in here...I'm looking to sell my Corsair AX850 Power Supply. If anybody is interested just shoot me a PM.
 
E

evlcookie

but ever so delicious
For those who are running a Crucial M4, There seems to be a issue with the device. Around the 5200 hour mark of use it just dies, Causing a BSOD and it can't be repaired just yet.

Hopefully crucial can pump out a firmware update otherwise it's going to be a hardware fault.

You can see how long yours has been on just by using any Smart software.
 
J

Jibbed

Member
evlcookie said:
For those who are running a Crucial M4, There seems to be a issue with the device. Around the 5200 hour mark of use it just dies, Causing a BSOD and it can't be repaired just yet.

Hopefully crucial can pump out a firmware update otherwise it's going to be a hardware fault.

You can see how long yours has been on just by using any Smart software.
Click to expand...

Is this definitely an issue with all devices, or just something you've experienced/heard?

Me and a friend have just bought some M4's :/
 
Theonik

Theonik

Member
What Voltages should I be aiming at for a 4.5Ghz OC on a 2500k?
Also is the MSi Z68A-GD65(G3) a bad pick for overclocking?
 
D

drhankmccoyphd

Member
Owensboro said:
Yeah, I read in the notes that I should spring for the 2GB, I'm glad to hear I didn't screw that up :). That's also spectacular to hear the XFX is a better unit (as it's cheaper). The last two Power Supplies I bought were both Antec, and that was ages ago. I wasn't sure what brands were good or not.
Click to expand...

Anyone have a graph for performance on the 560 ti 1GB vs 2GB? Wondering if it's that pronounced of a difference. For the price why not just spend another $5-10 on the 448?
 
O

Owensboro

Member
Last quick question that is more Software related: The only copy of Windows 7 I have is an upgrade disk. This presents a problem, as I have completely lost my copy of Vista and the serial numbers that came with it. Will I be able to borrow someone else's install disk, install vista, then upgrade to Windows 7 and put in my new serial key without a problem? I don't want to put my friend's copy of Vista at risk. Could I install Vista without inputting any sort of serial key? I remember it asking to validate on Microsoft's servers after you install initially, not before.
 
F

FoolsRun

Member
Jibbed said:
Is this definitely an issue with all devices, or just something you've experienced/heard?

Me and a friend have just bought some M4's :/
Click to expand...

Some users on Crucial's forums have been complaining about sudden BSOD. Someone piped in that he had been in contact with Crucial and that they were aware of the problem and were working on a firmware update. A few posts later a moderator jumped in and said it was not a firmware issue, and that the tech labs were still looking into it.

On 12/28, the same moderator asked that everyone experiencing the problem RMA their SSDs so Crucial can examine them to determine what's going wrong. Here's the actual post: http://forums.crucial.com/t5/Solid-State-Drives-SSD/0x00000f4-error-on-M4-64GB/m-p/77906/highlight/true#M23769

So far, it doesn't appear that many people have been affected. Crucial hasn't made a formal statement, and the majority of posts seem to be from people discussing it rather than from people actually experiencing the problem.
 
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