As was foretold, we've added advertisements to the forums! If you have questions, or if you encounter any bugs, please visit this thread: https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/240191/forum-advertisement-faq-and-reports-thread/

Computer Build Thread: Embracing Web 2.0 (Sorta)

11516182021100

Posts

  • DaemonionDaemonion Mountain Man USARegistered User regular
    edited July 2011
    I think the problem is that my drives were previously IDE, and this new mobo likes AHCI. I found a driver from Microsoft that I can install during boot-up that should fix the problem. Hopefully, I don't have to re-install the OS.

    Daemonion on
  • TheCanManTheCanMan GT: Gasman122009 JerseyRegistered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Daemonion wrote: »
    I think the problem is that my drives were previously IDE, and this new mobo likes AHCI. I found a driver from Microsoft that I can install during boot-up that should fix the problem. Hopefully, I don't have to re-install the OS.

    I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you. It's pretty much a requirement to do a fresh OS install on a new motherboard. Any other component and you'd be fine, but not the motherboard.

    TheCanMan on
  • TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu PIGEON Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    And even if it seems like it works, stuff might be broken behind the scenes. Be safe, put a condom on, and reinstall.

    Condom optional.

    TychoCelchuuu on
  • G9LamerG9Lamer Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Here is what I hope to be an extraoridnarily difficult question, since I can't answer it for myself. What are the specific advantages to a Z68 board over a p67 board? Aside from cooler letters and a bigger number?

    G9Lamer on
  • emp123emp123 Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    G9Lamer wrote: »
    Here is what I hope to be an extraoridnarily difficult question, since I can't answer it for myself. What are the specific advantages to a Z68 board over a p67 board? Aside from cooler letters and a bigger number?

    Its basically a combination of the P67 and the H67 chipset so you get access to the integrated video thats in every Intel i processor while still being able to overclock the processor. Additionally it adds better SSD support. Im sure theres more, but those are the two main selling points.

    emp123 on
  • DehumanizedDehumanized Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    The biggest advantage of Z68 is quick sync and SSD caching.

    Essentially, the former enables your processor to do super fast video encode with compatible software (of which there isn't much yet), and the latter lets you use a SSD as a cache disk between your slow platters, which can offer the benefits of an SSD without as much in the way of storage limitations.

    Here's an article testing out SSD caching with a couple different SSDs

    Dehumanized on
  • G9LamerG9Lamer Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Well that certainly answers that. I have no use for the onboard video and I may wait to jump on the SSD train for it to become a little more mainstream. Thanks for the answers

    G9Lamer on
  • MuddBuddMuddBudd Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    The biggest advantage of Z68 is quick sync and SSD caching.

    Essentially, the former enables your processor to do super fast video encode with compatible software (of which there isn't much yet), and the latter lets you use a SSD as a cache disk between your slow platters, which can offer the benefits of an SSD without as much in the way of storage limitations.

    Here's an article testing out SSD caching with a couple different SSDs

    That's an interesting read.

    MuddBudd on
    There's no plan, there's no race to be run
    The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
  • DaemonionDaemonion Mountain Man USARegistered User regular
    edited July 2011
    OS seems to work fine now. I'll back up what I need and do a fresh OS install, I suppose. Wouldn't be a bad idea.

    Daemonion on
  • ShadowofVTShadowofVT Robot Overlord Boston, MARegistered User regular
    edited July 2011
    I've had it built for a while, but vacations and work has kept me busy. In keeping with the Final Fantasy naming theme I've had for my computers and console, I present the Highwind:
    outside_iso_2.jpginside.jpg
    wiring.jpg

    CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K
    Cooler: Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus
    Mobo: ASRock P67 EXTREME4 (B3)
    RAM: S.KILL Ripjaw DDR3 SDRAM 1600 2 x 4 GB
    PSU: CORSAIR Professional Series Gold AX750 750W
    Case: Cooler Master HAF ATX Full Tower
    GPU: EVGA GTS 450 Fermi
    HDs: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5 (x2 in RAID 1)
    Optical: Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner Black SATA
    OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium OEM

    Everything here ended up being just over $1000 after rebates and discounts. The only thing that doesn't include was the graphics card, which was the replacement for my old RMA'ed card that overheated and started this whole process. Putting it together really wasn't that bad at all. Seating the CPU on the motherboard was terrifying, and doing the first test boot was a little nerve wracking, but everything else was a cinch. I'd say that anyone semi-competent with computers can manage it, but do your research. A lot of it was easy because I spent a few hours watching Youtube videos on building while speccing out components and waiting for delivery. The NewEgg ones were especially helpful. And of course, having a great thread like this to reference and ask questions.

    The HAF ATX is huge, which is as expected. It's great for cooling, but a little annoying for wiring. It doesn't come with a fan controller, so most of the case fans have to be plugged in directly to the power supply if you don't buy one separately. The supplemental motherboard power wire is the only one I couldn't run behind the motherboard due to the case size, so it's that ugly black one running down the front. But wow the cooling. It's everything I'd hoped it would be. Playing Left 4 Dead 2 and LOTRO the GPU temp never gets above 60 C and the CPU never gets above 50 C. That's even though the 450 Fermi is a space heater, the computer room is the hottest in the house, and it's the middle of summer. Plus it comes with wheels! The RAID configuration was ridiculously easy to set up with the built-in ASRock RAID controller too. You don't even need to go into the BIOS settings. The eventual goal is to get another drive or two and switch to RAID 5, but for now 1 TB is plenty of space for me.

    ShadowofVT on
  • kevindeekevindee Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Shadow, I have the HAF X as well and although my cable management sucks, i managed to wire the motherboard power cable behind the case, using an extension cable. Maybe that could work for you too, if you really want to tidy it even more

    kevindee on
  • TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu PIGEON Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    kevindee wrote: »
    Shadow, I have the HAF X as well and although my cable management sucks, i managed to wire the motherboard power cable behind the case, using an extension cable. Maybe that could work for you too, if you really want to tidy it even more

    Does it matter, though? It looks like the window doesn't show the cable, and it's not like that one little wire is messing with the airflow.

    TychoCelchuuu on
  • dexterdexter Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Hey guys, I've just posted in H/A but realized this might be the more appropriate place...

    I need to get a wireless card for my Desktop computer, but have no idea where to start. I'll more likely than not get it from the website below, since I've had a good experience with them in the past (I live in Australia).

    http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=200_328&vk_sort=1

    I don't want to spend too much money, but I game and stuff so I don't want to lose too much bandwidth.. Would this become an issue?

    I'm not sure what sort of details to provide, I imagine you would need my CPU and MOBO, so here they are!

    CPU Intel Core i5 2500k
    MOBO MSI P67A-GD65 Motherboard B3

    Let me know what else you might need. Thanks a lot, dudes!


    EDIT: My mate picked up this for me: "ASUS USB-N13 Wireless-N Adaptor" and it has a 300mbps transmission rate. I'm dubious of using a USB stick, so I won't unwrap it until I get your opinions.

    dexter on
    3694663-1.png
  • ShadowofVTShadowofVT Robot Overlord Boston, MARegistered User regular
    edited July 2011
    kevindee wrote: »
    Shadow, I have the HAF X as well and although my cable management sucks, i managed to wire the motherboard power cable behind the case, using an extension cable. Maybe that could work for you too, if you really want to tidy it even more

    Does it matter, though? It looks like the window doesn't show the cable, and it's not like that one little wire is messing with the airflow.

    Yeah I thought that there might be extensions for things like that, but at that point I was so close to done I wasn't going to let it sit until I got one. And like was mentioned, it's just one wire that actually blends in quite nicely. It was just frustrating to route it up behind the case, get the motherboard all tied down, then realize the cord was about 5 cm too short.

    ShadowofVT on
  • AlectharAlecthar Alan Shore We're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    ShadowofVT wrote: »
    kevindee wrote: »
    Shadow, I have the HAF X as well and although my cable management sucks, i managed to wire the motherboard power cable behind the case, using an extension cable. Maybe that could work for you too, if you really want to tidy it even more

    Does it matter, though? It looks like the window doesn't show the cable, and it's not like that one little wire is messing with the airflow.

    Yeah I thought that there might be extensions for things like that, but at that point I was so close to done I wasn't going to let it sit until I got one. And like was mentioned, it's just one wire that actually blends in quite nicely. It was just frustrating to route it up behind the case, get the motherboard all tied down, then realize the cord was about 5 cm too short.

    It's not a big deal, and nice (sleeved) extensions are pretty inexpensive. I'd probably go with one eventually, but that's partly because I'm anal-retentive about case wiring. If you don't want to buy and you're willing to do some more internal work, you can probably route it more out of the way by routing it to the left of the expansion slots, under the GPU, then between the VRM heatsink and the I/O panel stuff, right to the 8-pin. You'd probably have to temporarily remove the GPU to do that though, I don't know that there's enough clearance underneath to thread the plug through.

    Alecthar on
  • AlectharAlecthar Alan Shore We're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    dexter wrote: »
    Hey guys, I've just posted in H/A but realized this might be the more appropriate place...

    I need to get a wireless card for my Desktop computer, but have no idea where to start. I'll more likely than not get it from the website below, since I've had a good experience with them in the past (I live in Australia).

    http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=200_328&vk_sort=1

    I don't want to spend too much money, but I game and stuff so I don't want to lose too much bandwidth.. Would this become an issue?

    I'm not sure what sort of details to provide, I imagine you would need my CPU and MOBO, so here they are!

    CPU Intel Core i5 2500k
    MOBO MSI P67A-GD65 Motherboard B3

    Let me know what else you might need. Thanks a lot, dudes!


    EDIT: My mate picked up this for me: "ASUS USB-N13 Wireless-N Adaptor" and it has a 300mbps transmission rate. I'm dubious of using a USB stick, so I won't unwrap it until I get your opinions.

    According to this review the USB adapter your friend picked up is really nice.

    Otherwise, I own one of these that did pretty well for me before I switched to powerline networking.

    Alecthar on
  • AlectharAlecthar Alan Shore We're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    T-t-t-triple Post!

    I added some stuff about Desktop Memory to the OP.

    Alecthar on
  • ArasenArasen Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    So... I just built a new computer and really want to put in liquid cooling. I've looked up the basics and from there I kind of get lost. Hoping for some advice on brands to use/avoid. Also, can radiators attach to any fan of proper size or are there specific fans for the radiator?
    Build is as follows:

    Thermaltake Level 10 GT
    ASRock P67 EXTREME4 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
    CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
    ASUS PCE-N13 PCI Express Wireless Adapter
    Intel Core i7-2600 Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
    Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EARS 1TB 5400 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
    EVGA SuperClocked 01G-P3-1563-AR GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP
    Running 2 in SLI configuration
    CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V v2.2 SLI Certified

    Arasen on
    [SIGPIC]steam_sig.png[/SIGPIC]
  • AlectharAlecthar Alan Shore We're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    What do you want to liquid cool, and more importantly, why? You can't really overclock a non-K processor to the extent where a custom water cooling loop is really desirable. A reasonably priced air cooler will suffice, likely with a similar noise profile.

    Rads are built for specific fan diameters (most common are for some number of 120mm fans, followed by those for 140mm fans) but not for specific fans. Depending on the size and design of the radiator, fans exhibiting certain kinds of features (low/high RPM, lower/higher static pressure/CFM) will be better or worse. As far as watercooling brands to avoid, don't buy nickel-plated EK blocks, they're having some serious issues with flaking of the nickel plating that EK is basically dicking around with people on.

    If you only want to liquid cool your CPU, I'd start with one of the Rasa kits. They sell ones for 240 and 360 rads of different thicknesses. You should do some research on your case to determine what size and positioning is possible for water cooling. The Rasa kits have a solid rad, cpu block, and reservoir/pump combo, but I'd recommend picking up some different tubing and fans, at the very least.

    Alternately, you can forgo a custom loop for a self-contained loop, like the Corsair H-Series coolers, or the Antec Kuhler series. If you go this route, I'd recommend holding out for the Corsair H100 and running it in a push/pull, if you have the time, desire, and the room.

    If you want to water cool your GPUs, you'll need a bigger radiator than you wanted for your CPU only loop. I'd go with at least a 360 rad. If you can fit two 240 rads into the case, that would be good too. If there isn't a compatible full waterblock for your GPUs (entirely possible as I belive they're likely non-ref) you'll need a universal GPU waterblock and some heatsinks to passively cool VRAM.

    Alecthar on
  • ArasenArasen Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Wanted to cool the gpus and cpu. Running games at high settings tend to be causing them to heat up and creating a lot of fan noise. Figured liquid cooling would be the best way to keep everything cool and quiet. Wanted to go with the custom loop inside the case. I have plenty of room.

    Arasen on
    [SIGPIC]steam_sig.png[/SIGPIC]
  • G9LamerG9Lamer Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    ]Now that I have the mobo figured out, I'd like to post my build for your critiques/recommendations, if possible :)

    Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131705
    RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145324
    PSU : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139009
    HDD : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136792
    GPU : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130595
    Cooler : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

    Some backround:
    I already have the case, its an NZXT Phantom and I intend to get the cooler from amazon, I just keep it in my list to remind myself I havent ordered it yet (done that before). I'm pretty much building this pc around the processor ( i7 2600k). I would have gone with the i5, but through the retail edge program I got the 2600k for 115, so why not :)
    I know the PSU seems a little overkill, but I figured with OC on the processor, and possible interest in sli on that gpu later, make room now rather than later, right? I appreciate any input, if theres better deals to be had or a more solid recommendation on a part. It's just a little harder on the price part, because I'm ordering 1 part every few weeks. Slowly but surely I intend to be ready for BF 3, D3, and ME 3.... So many 3's...

    G9Lamer on
  • Hey AshtrayHey Ashtray Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Hey guys, starting to think about building a new computer, my last one was built in 2005 and won't cut it anymore! I'm super out of touch on what the 'best of the best' is right now, I'd like to buy one step below it so I don't pay for the brand new factor. Looking on NCIX (I'm in Canada), there's what looks like an amazing dealing on an AMD CPU: http://ncix.com/products/?sku=53854&vpn=ADX640WFGMBOX&manufacture=AMD&promoid=1331

    And a motherboard to go with: http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5770119&CatId=4296

    I'm just picking these arbitrarily, the specs sound amazing to me based on what I knew in 2005 haha, but I'd like to know where this combo rates today, and how long - with a great video card and 8-16gb of ram - this rig could last me.

    EDIT: OH! this computer will be exclusively designed for gaming. Not the absolute best (ie most expensive) hardware, but I'd like to play games like Starcraft 2, Diablo 3 and Civilization 5 at top detail. FPSs I play on the 360, and general computing I use my macbook.

    Hey Ashtray on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • SatsumomoSatsumomo Rated PG! Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    You could get a Phenom II quad core for roughly the same price, that ain't no deal!

    What's your budget?

    Satsumomo on
  • Hey AshtrayHey Ashtray Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Well I have a case and a couple harddrives that'll do the trick for now, as well as a PSU but I don't imagine it can keep up with power demands today. Are S-ATA hard drives still relevant? My budget for the Video Card, Ram, Motherboard and Processor would be about 600 bucks, ~250 for the CPU/MB, ~200 for the video card and then find a great deal on DDR3 which there seems to be lots of.

    Are these realistic expectations, or should I budget for 800? What I did last time was spend the extra money for the 5-10% increase in performance instead of going for the much cheaper parts that work 90% as well. I'd like to do the latter this time.

    Hey Ashtray on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • SatsumomoSatsumomo Rated PG! Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Power demands have gone down actually, what PSU do you have?

    RAM: http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=42530
    GPU: http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=56262

    I'm no AMD expert, but for $250-ish I could recommend:

    CPU: http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=47459
    MOBO: http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=52049&promoid=1331

    Satsumomo on
  • PrecursorPrecursor Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Well I have a case and a couple harddrives that'll do the trick for now, as well as a PSU but I don't imagine it can keep up with power demands today. Are S-ATA hard drives still relevant? My budget for the Video Card, Ram, Motherboard and Processor would be about 600 bucks, ~250 for the CPU/MB, ~200 for the video card and then find a great deal on DDR3 which there seems to be lots of.

    Are these realistic expectations, or should I budget for 800? What I did last time was spend the extra money for the 5-10% increase in performance instead of going for the much cheaper parts that work 90% as well. I'd like to do the latter this time.
    Grab this deal Asus P8Z68-V PRO Motherboard w/ Intel Core™ i5-2500K Processor for $349.99 ASAP. This price is crazy.

    edit: Let me expand. For $600 there's not a lot you can do for a nice gaming rig, especially for us Canadians.

    Going with the above, you'll have roughly $250 left over, so you can grab 2x2Gb of DDR3 ram for $50, $60 for a case, $100 for a PSU, $0 for HDDs assuming your old ones will work, $0 for optical drives assuming you can use the old ones. $40 for tax and shipping. You're still stuck with the iGPU on the 2500k, which not ideal at all.

    With $800 you can pickup a decent GPU for $200, there was a 560 Ti on sale for $199.99 not too long ago on NCIX, but a 6870 is more realistic.

    OK, I messed up and forgot Windows...that's an extra $100. You might actually be better going with Alecthar's build below despite the amazing deal.

    Here's another option that our local Yoda, Alecthar, suggested for another forumer going with an i5 build with a budget of $600 USD.
    Alecthar wrote: »
    Even the highest end Integrated GPU on Sandy Bridge is a poor substitute for discrete graphics. My suggestion would be a better balanced $600 system. You won't have the same processing power, but you'll still get more than enough and you'll have a solid GPU for games. Here's what I'd recommend:

    Motherboard & CPU: Intel i3-2100 & ASUS P8H67-M LX
    RAM: 2x2GB Mushkin DDR3
    GPU: ASUS Radeon 5770
    HDD : 500GB 7200 RPM Seagate
    Optical Drive: Samsung DVD/CD Writer
    PSU: Antec 380W Earthwatts
    Case: NZXT Beta Evo
    OS: Windows 7 Home Premium OEM

    But if you can manage to budget some more money for the computer down the line, the i5 w/ Z86 seems like a better option.

    Precursor on
    Quashdom.png
  • Hey AshtrayHey Ashtray Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Cool! It's exciting how inexpensive this stuff is. I'm not married to Intel or AMD, I just saw AMD first.

    Hey Ashtray on
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
  • SatsumomoSatsumomo Rated PG! Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    D:!!

    That is an amazing deal, $90+ savings.

    Satsumomo on
  • UreshiiAkumaUreshiiAkuma Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    PC surgery a success! New Mobo, CPU, and RAM in, running great so far.
    After running for a bit to make sure it is stable and cool, I'll start working on OCing the proc. From what I've read, should be able to get up to at least 4GHz without needing any fancy cooling.

    UreshiiAkuma on
  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Precursor wrote: »
    Well I have a case and a couple harddrives that'll do the trick for now, as well as a PSU but I don't imagine it can keep up with power demands today. Are S-ATA hard drives still relevant? My budget for the Video Card, Ram, Motherboard and Processor would be about 600 bucks, ~250 for the CPU/MB, ~200 for the video card and then find a great deal on DDR3 which there seems to be lots of.

    Are these realistic expectations, or should I budget for 800? What I did last time was spend the extra money for the 5-10% increase in performance instead of going for the much cheaper parts that work 90% as well. I'd like to do the latter this time.
    Grab this deal Asus P8Z68-V PRO Motherboard w/ Intel Core™ i5-2500K Processor for $349.99 ASAP. This price is crazy.

    edit: Let me expand. For $600 there's not a lot you can do for a nice gaming rig, especially for us Canadians.

    Going with the above, you'll have roughly $250 left over, so you can grab 2x2Gb of DDR3 ram for $50, $60 for a case, $100 for a PSU, $0 for HDDs assuming your old ones will work. $40 for tax and shipping. You're still stuck with the iGPU on the 2500k, which not ideal at all.

    With $800 you can pickup a decent GPU for $200, there was a 560Ti on sale for $199.99 not too long ago on NCIX.

    Here's another option that our local Yoda, Alecthar, suggested for another forumer going with an i5 build with a budget of $600 USD.
    Alecthar wrote: »
    Even the highest end Integrated GPU on Sandy Bridge is a poor substitute for discrete graphics. My suggestion would be a better balanced $600 system. You won't have the same processing power, but you'll still get more than enough and you'll have a solid GPU for games. Here's what I'd recommend:

    Motherboard & CPU: Intel i3-2100 & ASUS P8H67-M LX
    RAM: 2x2GB Mushkin DDR3
    GPU: ASUS Radeon 5770
    HDD : 500GB 7200 RPM Seagate
    Optical Drive: Samsung DVD/CD Writer
    PSU: Antec 380W Earthwatts
    Case: NZXT Beta Evo
    OS: Windows 7 Home Premium OEM

    But if you can manage to budget some more money for the computer down the line, the i5 w/ Z86 seems like a much better option.

    $50 for 4 gigs when you can get 8 for $60? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231424

    Does Newegg not ship to Canadialand?

    Donovan Puppyfucker on
  • ghost_master2000ghost_master2000 Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Wow, the sandy bridge chips really are easy to overclock. Just using the on board OC Genie function which overclocks for you I got my 2600k running at 4.2 GHz. Only had to press one button. I'm sure it could go higher, the temp never breaks 60C.

    ghost_master2000 on
  • UreshiiAkumaUreshiiAkuma Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Wow, the sandy bridge chips really are easy to overclock. Just using the on board OC Genie function which overclocks for you I got my 2600k running at 4.2 GHz. Only had to press one button. I'm sure it could go higher, the temp never breaks 60C.

    Nice. I am just amazed that my new 2500K is running 2 - 3C cooler than the Athlon 64 X2 it replaced. Looking forward to OCing it soon :)

    UreshiiAkuma on
  • PirusuPirusu Pierce Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    The only thing you have to be careful of with the motherboard built-in overclocking features is that they have a tendency to up the voltage unnecessarily (which increases heat, and the chance you'll fry something). If it's working, and temps are okay, it should be fine, but it's something to be aware of.

    And those magic buttons are not something that's limited to the Sandy Bridge chips (It's an Asus feature). ;D I have the same button on my AMD board.

    Pirusu on
  • AlectharAlecthar Alan Shore We're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Pirusu wrote: »
    The only thing you have to be careful of with the motherboard built-in overclocking features is that they have a tendency to up the voltage unnecessarily (which increases heat, and the chance you'll fry something). If it's working, and temps are okay, it should be fine, but it's something to be aware of.

    And those magic buttons are not something that's limited to the Sandy Bridge chips (It's an Asus feature). ;D I have the same button on my AMD board.

    You're correct that the auto-OC buttons usually give you unnecessarily conservative voltages, but I'm fairly certain they're programmed to maintain a certain range, and won't exceed the max safe voltage for the CPU. It will still produce additional heat, but as long as your cooling is adequate for the OC anyway, I wouldn't worry too much.

    Alecthar on
  • AlectharAlecthar Alan Shore We're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Added stuff about HDDs and SSDs to the OP.

    Alecthar on
  • PirusuPirusu Pierce Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Alecthar wrote: »
    Pirusu wrote: »
    The only thing you have to be careful of with the motherboard built-in overclocking features is that they have a tendency to up the voltage unnecessarily (which increases heat, and the chance you'll fry something). If it's working, and temps are okay, it should be fine, but it's something to be aware of.

    And those magic buttons are not something that's limited to the Sandy Bridge chips (It's an Asus feature). ;D I have the same button on my AMD board.

    You're correct that the auto-OC buttons usually give you unnecessarily conservative voltages, but I'm fairly certain they're programmed to maintain a certain range, and won't exceed the max safe voltage for the CPU. It will still produce additional heat, but as long as your cooling is adequate for the OC anyway, I wouldn't worry too much.

    I assumed as much! Good to have it confirmed. I just like having everything as low as possible, I guess. Perfectionism, ho.

    Pirusu on
  • AlectharAlecthar Alan Shore We're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Pirusu wrote: »
    Alecthar wrote: »
    Pirusu wrote: »
    The only thing you have to be careful of with the motherboard built-in overclocking features is that they have a tendency to up the voltage unnecessarily (which increases heat, and the chance you'll fry something). If it's working, and temps are okay, it should be fine, but it's something to be aware of.

    And those magic buttons are not something that's limited to the Sandy Bridge chips (It's an Asus feature). ;D I have the same button on my AMD board.

    You're correct that the auto-OC buttons usually give you unnecessarily conservative voltages, but I'm fairly certain they're programmed to maintain a certain range, and won't exceed the max safe voltage for the CPU. It will still produce additional heat, but as long as your cooling is adequate for the OC anyway, I wouldn't worry too much.

    I assumed as much! Good to have it confirmed. I just like having everything as low as possible, I guess. Perfectionism, ho.

    Yeah, those with the inclination should definitely go into the BIOS and tweak down to the lowest stable voltage, but you won't damage anything if you don't, as long as your temps are okay.

    Alecthar on
  • lostprophetlostprophet Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Hey party people! I have a few questions. Back in April I built this wishlist as the computer I would want to build by the end of summer. I have a few longwinded questions and comments for you guys before I decide to pull the trigger. I apologize if it's too long.

    1. This is my biggest concern and will decide whether I buy now or in a month and a half. I have enough to buy the stuff right now, but it would just barely cover it. I don't want to be broke. So I want to ask about Newegg's Preferred account. I'm a student worker and so I make about ~7500 dollars a year because of limited hours and salary, and I'm wondering if I would even qualify? I don't even know if I have credit. I do know that I don't have any bills to pay since I bike to school and live at home, so paying it off wouldn't be a problem. I've bought a lot of stuff off of Steam, Amazon, and Newegg, but I've been using a debit card. I also imagine they'd ask me how much I make, should I put an extra 0? >.> If that doesn't work I could also ask my parents or grandma or brother to sign up for it and order me the stuff, since I know they have excellent credit and they know I'd have the means to pay them back. I think what I'm getting at is I'd easily have the means to pay it off well before any interest is accrued, but I don't think I would qualify.

    2. Should I stick with the P67 PRO or is the Z68 something that would be essential if I decided to add on a SSD later?

    3. The Hyper 212+ was about $30 on Newegg when I made the wishlist and was considered the best bang for your buck back then. Even with the price raise is it still the cooler to get or is there another one to consider for cheaper? Amazon has it for $30 but it's out of stock right now. They also have a $37 Prime eligible one in stock. Should I order it from there?

    4. The monitor in that wishlist is not the one I would be buying right now. One of the goals of mine is to have a nice dual monitor setup, and the one in that wishlist would be my primary monitor. I would actually be buying my secondary monitor first to save myself some money right now and get the primary later. So that would save $70 off that wishlist, and I'd be using my current monitor as my temporary secondary monitor in the new build.

    5. The wishlist doesn't include the copy of Windows 7 that I'd need. Should I go with this one or can I get it cheaper somewhere else/ with a different copy? I am a student so should I go snooping around my school to figure out where they hide the discounts? I don't know the computer people since that's not my major, but I am in an engineering major. Would that qualify me for the MSDN? I know my school is a member I just have no idea who I would talk to about that, and I would feel kinda greedy just asking for a copy of Windows 7.

    6. Any other opinions about the items in my build?

    lostprophet on
    Steam: macg1991
    wotuserbar01.jpg: macg1991
    Check out the Penny Arcade World of Tanks thread to join us in some fun times.
  • TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu PIGEON Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    1. There's almost no chance you qualify.

    2. If SSD caching sounds like something you'll want to do, then yes, Z68 is a good idea, but SSDs can also be used for your OS and a few programs, which in some/many cases is going to be the better performance boost.

    3. I have idiosyncratic views on CPU coolers so I will let normal people handle this.

    4. OK

    5. Engineering will often qualify you because Comp Sci is engineering and the school will count everyone as the same thing. Ask your department or the Comp Sci department. Depending on what university you go to there's a good chance you can get Win 7 cheaper than Newegg.

    6. You can save 5 bucks on RAM if you order two of these and use the promo code.

    TychoCelchuuu on
  • TurambarTurambar Independent Registered User regular
    edited July 2011
    Do you already have a GPU?

    Turambar on
    Steam: turamb | Origin: Turamb | 3DS: 3411-1109-4537 | NNID: Turambar | Warframe(PC): Turamb
This discussion has been closed.