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Author Topic: The 'Build Me A PC' Thread  (Read 854043 times)
Rasix
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Reply #735 on: July 20, 2011, 09:09:51 AM

It's pretty easy to install.  Took me no time at all, and I had never installed a non-stock heat sink before.

-Rasix
Lantyssa
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Reply #736 on: July 20, 2011, 10:51:41 AM

Plates could be standard now.  They weren't when I got mine, but then tower coolers were just coming on the market.

Hahahaha!  I'm really good at this!
Sky
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Reply #737 on: July 20, 2011, 11:38:15 AM

I can't even remember because my computer was built in Feb 2007  0.0 DPS
Engels
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Reply #738 on: July 20, 2011, 01:24:42 PM

So, uhm, P67 or Z68? From what I can gather, there's some new feature with the Z68 regarding using an SSD as a sort of swap file, and the integrated video that can be used for video encoding jobs better than a dedicated video card, but none of that's really pertinent.

Opinions?
« Last Edit: July 20, 2011, 01:45:02 PM by Engels »

I should get back to nature, too.  You know, like going to a shop for groceries instead of the computer.  Maybe a condo in the woods that doesn't even have a health club or restaurant attached.  Buy a car with only two cup holders or something. -Signe

I LIKE being bounced around by Tonkors. - Lantyssa

Babies shooting themselves in the head is the state bird of West Virginia. - schild
Sky
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I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.


Reply #739 on: July 20, 2011, 01:28:41 PM

My thoughts on getting the deluxe Z68 were more about the deluxe features. Both the P67 boards I'm looking at look good, too.

Anand did some testing on the SSD caching thing and found it worked but with lots of limitations and you were still basically better off with a traditional SSD setup.
Hoax
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Reply #740 on: July 20, 2011, 09:31:16 PM

If you can go Z68 without giving up real features like usb slots or whatever and without it costing more AND word of mouth is that the bios are stable and good then 100% you should do it, those features sound like they could end up being really cool.

A nation consists of its laws. A nation does not consist of its situation at a given time. If an individual's morals are situational, then that individual is without morals. If a nation's laws are situational, that nation has no laws, and soon isn't a nation.
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NiX
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Reply #741 on: July 29, 2011, 07:28:04 PM

Any alternatives to the ASRock P67 EXTREME4 B3? Seems like no one in my area stocks it anymore.
MisterNoisy
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Reply #742 on: July 30, 2011, 04:32:39 AM

Any alternatives to the ASRock P67 EXTREME4 B3? Seems like no one in my area stocks it anymore.

ASUS P8P67 Pro would be a good choice.

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Furiously
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Reply #743 on: July 30, 2011, 10:28:40 AM

I have it in the Z68 and it's a nice motherboard.

Stormwaltz
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Reply #744 on: July 31, 2011, 11:54:07 AM

So my tax return finally comes in, and I'm ready to order the new video card I talked about back in March or so.

I go to Newegg and the whole line of cards is sold out and won't be restocked. The pace of tech generations is killing me.

/reroll

So what's the top of the line Radeon these days? The 6950 or the 6970? Their arbitrary numbering system has always thrown me. I read a Tom's article that showed the 1GB Radeons are outperforming the 2GB in nearly every standard of meaure, which kind of blew my mind. I'm still getting a 2GB.

I'm also going to be looking for a smallish LCD monitor that's okay for gaming, but not optimized for it. I'm giving my wife my previous machine for internets and so on. She wants something lightweight that can fit on a small desk. (Something that can survive my children would be nice too, but I don't think even DARPA could swing it.)

Nothing in this post represents the views of my current or previous employers.

"Isn't that just like an elf? Brings a spell to a gun fight."

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Murgos
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Reply #745 on: July 31, 2011, 01:26:31 PM

Their arbitrary numbering system has always thrown me.
Nvidia is doing it too now.  A 550 ti is worse than an 460 gtx

"You have all recieved youre last warning. I am in the process of currently tracking all of youre ips and pinging your home adressess. you should not have commencemed a war with me" - Aaron Rayburn
Yegolev
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Reply #746 on: July 31, 2011, 04:20:12 PM

I might not mind so much except it seems more difficult to get a GFX ranking article out of a trustworthy tech site these days.

My current purchase queue:
1. New mobo+CPU to get my wife's rig back into operation.  Seeing a replacement mobo of her current socket is over $200 means I may as well just get something newer.  I don't know what to get, however.
2. New GFX for my machine... once it is operational.  Still waiting on the mobo RMA from ASUS.  The 5780 that I got from the Sapphire RMA is crap, so I'm going back to Nvidia once I figure out what I need.  Worst case, I will go to newegg and sort by price.

Why am I homeless?  Why do all you motherfuckers need homes is the real question.
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Reply #747 on: July 31, 2011, 05:52:35 PM

Most likely bitcoin farmers are buying out all the high end AMD cards. I'd look at the nvidia stuff instead.

Soln
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Reply #748 on: July 31, 2011, 11:34:15 PM

Any complaints against the Sapphire Radeon 6850?  I'm looking for a mid-tier ($100-200) purchase.  If there's better, please recommend. 
Minvaren
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Reply #749 on: August 01, 2011, 06:00:17 AM

Found a good local deal on a 6790 1GB over the weekend and decided to upgrade the old 4870 512MB.

An hour after I installed it, I had to turn down the ceiling fan in the room afterward due to the room being cooler!  Apparently there's close to a 50W difference between the two cards at idle and under load.  Think this is the first time a (slight) PC upgrade will help pay for itself in electricity savings...

"There are many things of which a wise man might wish to remain ignorant." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
MisterNoisy
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Reply #750 on: August 01, 2011, 07:33:01 AM

Any complaints against the Sapphire Radeon 6850?  I'm looking for a mid-tier ($100-200) purchase.  If there's better, please recommend.  

I bought one for a super budget gaming PC (total cost for the complete system was under $500) for my father a month or two ago.  It's a good choice in the ~$150 range.  The 6870 can be found for as low as $175 right now, though.
« Last Edit: August 01, 2011, 07:35:40 AM by MisterNoisy »

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Reply #751 on: August 01, 2011, 02:00:50 PM

6870 is what I would do instead of a 6850. Plus then you can farm bitcoins.

Stormwaltz
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Reply #752 on: August 01, 2011, 03:27:29 PM

I had to Google "bitcoin farming." It sounds like a scam to me.

Nothing in this post represents the views of my current or previous employers.

"Isn't that just like an elf? Brings a spell to a gun fight."

"Sci-Fi writers don't invent the future, they market it."
- Henry Cobb
ffc
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Reply #753 on: August 01, 2011, 04:20:40 PM

I'm happy with my 6850. I play at 1920x1080 and in Witcher 2 I get 40-60 fps with everything high / vsync on / aa and ssao off. I considered the 6950 or the 5850 but power supply and $$$ consideration put the 6850 in front.

6970 > 6950, but the original 6950's can be easily flashed to unlock shaders to make it exactly a 6970. I'd buy one of those 6950s and flash it. I ended up flashing and overclocking my 6850 for a couple extra frames.

I haven't heard of bitcoin farming either but now I think I've solved a mystery. A guy on craigslist kept listing high end 6950ish video cards for free, saying he would give away the card in exchange for electricity for a computational project he was doing. I didn't want to end up in a car's trunk trying to test out the deal so I ignored it but I guess he's farming!

On a random tangent I thought I'd splurge on a mouse and got the G500. This thing is huge. I need both hands and both feet to use it. I think I'm getting an Intellimouse instead.
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Reply #754 on: August 01, 2011, 04:27:39 PM

Yea - now's a great time to sell your 5850's and 5830's on craigslist.

Stormwaltz
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Reply #755 on: August 01, 2011, 04:52:40 PM

I'm leaning towards this at the moment. It hits a nice sweet spot between price and capability, it has good reviews, and it's reputed to be quiet (my HD4870 is fairly loud when used for games). My questions at the moment are size (is it too long to fit in my case?) and power supply. I have a 650w Antec Earthwatts, which was more than I needed when I bought it, but after a three years it may have degraded to the point that a new card would require replacement.

HIS IceQ X Turbo H695QNT2G2M Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16, $260 after rebate

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161372
« Last Edit: August 01, 2011, 04:55:34 PM by Stormwaltz »

Nothing in this post represents the views of my current or previous employers.

"Isn't that just like an elf? Brings a spell to a gun fight."

"Sci-Fi writers don't invent the future, they market it."
- Henry Cobb
Shrike
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Reply #756 on: August 01, 2011, 08:59:28 PM

Looks like a winner to me. Price is pretty good.

Can't say on card length, but the 6990 is the one that usually causes a lot of trouble, not the 6950/70. I'd think you'd have to have a pretty small case for it to be an issue.

Your Antec PSU is actually a Delta, which is a damned good manufacturer. The 6950 uses about 50 more watts than the 4870, so I'd think you'd be OK in that department--assuming you aren't running something weird like 8 HDDs and a beer cooler from your PC.
« Last Edit: August 01, 2011, 09:06:30 PM by Shrike »
Sheepherder
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Reply #757 on: August 01, 2011, 09:02:31 PM

On a random tangent I thought I'd splurge on a mouse and got the G500. This thing is huge. I need both hands and both feet to use it. I think I'm getting an Intellimouse instead.

Man up and grow bigger hands.

Seriously though, it took me a while to get used to the size too, but it's actually pretty comfy and the only two buttons which aren't well placed are the DPI adjustments.
MisterNoisy
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Reply #758 on: August 02, 2011, 06:27:11 AM

On a random tangent I thought I'd splurge on a mouse and got the G500. This thing is huge. I need both hands and both feet to use it. I think I'm getting an Intellimouse instead.

The Logitech G9-x is a great alternative if you like smaller mice but are otherwise happy with your G500.  Same specs and features in a more compact package.

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Tarami
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Reply #759 on: August 03, 2011, 04:50:31 AM

Here here. G9(x) is a great mouse. Very solid feel and the flywheel scroll wheel kills. First mouse in many years I'm actually happy to use and in particular, play with.

- I'm giving you this one for free.
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Reply #760 on: August 03, 2011, 08:56:47 AM

Not sure if anyone here actually has the Hyper 212, but on average what are people's CPU temps with an aftermarket cooler? Mine is sitting around 39.5-40.5 with the Hyper 212.
Nightblade
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Reply #761 on: August 03, 2011, 09:03:08 AM

http://www.cmstorm.com/en/products/peripherals/spawn/

This is supposed to be a good mouse and considered flaweless by even the most anal of PC gamers. Mine is coming in today; If anyone is curious I'll post my thoughts.
Rasix
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I am the harbinger of your doom!


Reply #762 on: August 03, 2011, 09:08:51 AM

Not sure if anyone here actually has the Hyper 212, but on average what are people's CPU temps with an aftermarket cooler? Mine is sitting around 39.5-40.5 with the Hyper 212.

Haven't checked in a while, but I think it was around 34-40 during normal operation.  This on an i5 760.

-Rasix
Engels
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Reply #763 on: August 08, 2011, 10:28:40 AM

So, I finally bit the bullet and upgraded this weekend. It is now my 'dream machine', approximately costing me ~$1300.

Core i7 2600k CPU
Gigabyte Z68 motherboard
4x2 Corsair XMS ram
Intel 510 250GB SSD
Ximatek Dark Knight CPU cooler

All other parts taken from my old system, including Thermaltake 750 Watt PSU, 5890 ATI video card and Lian Li case.

The most interesting element of the switch over was the video card behavior from an P35 chipset 755 socket Core2Duo system to this new system.

While under full load in the old system, the video card stayed at ~70 C degrees. In the new system, it ratcheted up to 85C. This was bad news for my card. It apparently did some damage and now I get distortion effects on the second monitor when using two monitors.

As a solution, I have under clocked the card's GPU and memory to the lowest possible hertz. This now keeps the temps at around 72C.

I attribute this rise in temperature to the increased bus speed from the P35 to the Z68, allowing far greater performance allowed by the card. To give an practical example, my FPS in World of Tanks went from ~23 FPS to ~100 FPS with the new system. Even with the system entirely underclocked, I still get a solid 70 FPS.

Anyone else experience this phenomenon?


I should get back to nature, too.  You know, like going to a shop for groceries instead of the computer.  Maybe a condo in the woods that doesn't even have a health club or restaurant attached.  Buy a car with only two cup holders or something. -Signe

I LIKE being bounced around by Tonkors. - Lantyssa

Babies shooting themselves in the head is the state bird of West Virginia. - schild
Sky
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Reply #764 on: August 08, 2011, 11:22:17 AM

If you had put in a i5-2500K you could've slapped on the amazing gpu cooler I got a month ago or so and still had money for a couple cases of beer.  Oh ho ho ho. Reallllly? Not going to knock a better cpu too hard, though. Just don't see hyperthreading being a big deal for gaming.
Engels
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Reply #765 on: August 08, 2011, 11:59:52 AM

Hindsight is 20/20. Since I had never had a cooling issue before, I probably would have not got myself a GPU cooler before it was too late in any case.

I hear ya about the 2500k, and I nearly did just go for that one, but what are tax refunds for if not buying something you don't technically need.

I should get back to nature, too.  You know, like going to a shop for groceries instead of the computer.  Maybe a condo in the woods that doesn't even have a health club or restaurant attached.  Buy a car with only two cup holders or something. -Signe

I LIKE being bounced around by Tonkors. - Lantyssa

Babies shooting themselves in the head is the state bird of West Virginia. - schild
Sky
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I love my TV an' hug my TV an' call it 'George'.


Reply #766 on: August 08, 2011, 12:54:57 PM

but what are tax refunds for if not buying something you don't technically need. paying off a first-time home buyer "credit" that is actually a loan repayable over 15 years of tax refunds if you took the "credit" in the first few months, because after that it was a true credit without the repayment component NOT THAT I'M FUCKING BITTER I'LL BE PAYING OVER $300/YR TO UNCLE SAM FOR THE NEXT 14 YEARS
Ahem.
Engels
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Reply #767 on: August 08, 2011, 02:28:00 PM

Hey, you're now a home owner. You get to mow your lawn, dredge out roof drains, buy your own washer and dryer, paint, remodel, re-wallpaper. What's there not to love?
 awesome, for real

I should get back to nature, too.  You know, like going to a shop for groceries instead of the computer.  Maybe a condo in the woods that doesn't even have a health club or restaurant attached.  Buy a car with only two cup holders or something. -Signe

I LIKE being bounced around by Tonkors. - Lantyssa

Babies shooting themselves in the head is the state bird of West Virginia. - schild
dusematic
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Reply #768 on: August 08, 2011, 03:03:03 PM

Intel Core i5-2500K retail      =           $219.99
ASUS P8P67 motherboard =             $164.99
G.Skill 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3-1333 1.5v =$79.99
Powercolor Radeon 6950 1GB =        $244.99
Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB     =        $64.99

Thinking of pulling the trigger on this build.  My only question is whether my case and power supply will be ok for it.  I currently have an Antec SLK3800B (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129163)

I think the size of the case will be fine.  When I built my system in 2006, 400W was considered crazy overkill.  Not sure if it will be enough for the above build or how to determine how much you need.
Trippy
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Reply #769 on: August 08, 2011, 03:46:16 PM

The PS is borderline. On this page you can see the delta between idle power usage and the Furmark power usage is ~160W.  The 2nd 12V line on your PS is 12V@15A = 180W and the delta in the previous sentence does not include the power usage at idle so the actually usage is 160W + idle power usage which is probably >= 180W.
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