Guys, some years ago SOMEONE (I think it was Atlus, but I'm not sure) released a dual graphics card. That is, a card with two identical chipsets on one card. The whole thing was gold. Its not that MSI thing. Any ideas?
The GTX 690 (2 680s), GTX 590 (2 580s), and I think the AMD 6990 (2 6970s?) are all 2 chips on one board. The 590 may have used detuned 580 chips though.
They are also very very expensive, like $1000 expensive.
Is a full tower necessary? It would be nice for it to be smaller, but I don't want to sacrifice hardware space if you think that'll be an issue. I'm flexible on just about everything. Also, since I'm new at this I don't know how to overclock. Why wouldnt you want to? Does it make things unstable or is it just a question of cooling?
The ones I linked are all mid towers, but even the modern mid towers are kind of big. Definitely bigger than yesteryear.
As for overclocking its just a way to force a chip to operate faster than it was rated for (although not necessarily faster than its design potential, although you could go that far and fry your chip). For instance, I have an i7 2600k that was sold as a 3.5ghz processor that is currently running at 4.5ghz.
Its easy enough to do, but I understand people's trepidation as you run the risk of either frying your chip or significantly reducing the lifespan of your chip. Although for the most part both of these risks are mitigated with proper cooling.
CaptainBeyondI've been out walkingRegistered Userregular
You are completely right, not sure where I got that from. Its of interest to a wee project of mine, I remember it being quite distinctive, but I feel this might be a fruitless search.
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CaptainBeyondI've been out walkingRegistered Userregular
Ah, it was this thing. Quite disappointing actually.
where the fuck did I get Atlus from
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AlectharAlan ShoreWe're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered Userregular
So, I'm posting this from my new rig. I'm having a bit of trouble getting my hard drives to get recognized in windows. They show up in the BIOS, but when I try to boot windows with both drives connected it stalls (compared to the instant boot I get off the SSD)
So the PC boots with just the SSD, but not with both the SSD and the HDD connected?
Well, my 1TB HDD from my last computer is recognized, and I can pull it up and access all the files just fine. However, the other HDD I purchased new is not allowing me to initialize in the disk management menu. It will show up in the BIOS, and I've gotten it to the point where the computer will get to windows with all 3 drives connected, I just cant get it to work.
It's probable that the drive is just bad. If it won't initialize, I'd recommend returning it for a refund or replacement.
Hey all. Just wanted to follow up and say thanks again to everyone, especially Alecthar, who helped me go over my build and finalize my build. Put it all together on the weekend, and despite being extremely petrified that it wouldn't work, it's all humming along very nicely now. Gonna keep an eye on my CPU temps once I start playing some games on the thing to see if I'll need to up my cooling, but for now it seems fine (running around 42C during CS:GO). That SSD was a good choice as well. Boot time is ridiculous.
Anyway, I'm very very happy with this thing, so thanks again.
Any suggestions for an LGA1155 mobo around the 100-150 area? ATX as well. Im pretty set on a 3570k for a CPU and it would be cool to have some moderate OC capability. Also, I have a 9800gtx that I might keep around for a PhysX card exclusively, so I think it needs SLI?
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AlectharAlan ShoreWe're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered Userregular
Any suggestions for an LGA1155 mobo around the 100-150 area? ATX as well. Im pretty set on a 3570k for a CPU and it would be cool to have some moderate OC capability. Also, I have a 9800gtx that I might keep around for a PhysX card exclusively, so I think it needs SLI?
Hey all. Just wanted to follow up and say thanks again to everyone, especially Alecthar, who helped me go over my build and finalize my build. Put it all together on the weekend, and despite being extremely petrified that it wouldn't work, it's all humming along very nicely now. Gonna keep an eye on my CPU temps once I start playing some games on the thing to see if I'll need to up my cooling, but for now it seems fine (running around 42C during CS:GO). That SSD was a good choice as well. Boot time is ridiculous.
Anyway, I'm very very happy with this thing, so thanks again.
Hidden in shame due to my less-than-stellar first time cable management. :P Plus it's not flashy on the outside anyway. The case is the HAF 912, so it's not all transparent and LED-ed out the ass.
It's probable that the drive is just bad. If it won't initialize, I'd recommend returning it for a refund or replacement.
I figured as much. Even plugging it into my old system, I was unable to get it to initialize.
Speaking of pikchures (kinda crappy ones).
Intel Core i5-3470 Ivy Bridge 3.2GHz (3.6GHz Turbo Boost)
ASRock H77 Pro4-M LGA Micro ATX
ADATA Premier Pro SP900 128 GB SSD
Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EARX 1TB (From old computer)
EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Ti
Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB
SILVERSTONE Strider Plus 500W
SilverStone Temjin Series TJ08B-E
One of my favorite features of the case, removable fan filter.
Cables are a little bit messy. Wish I had an option to receive short cables with the power supply, may end up ordering them in the future. There isn't a window on it, and all the cables are out of the way of the fans, so I may just leave it. The blue SATA was for the blue HDD that is getting returned now.
Second removable filter. At first I was kinda angry when I de-boxed the case and saw this thing just floating on top, with mounting holes but no screws/mounting points on the actual case. Turns out theres a bunch of tiny magnets on it so you can just slide it off and wash it.
Thanks to Alecthar for making this happen. Probably would have been lost without the guidance. The ASRock mobo was super easy to work with, as well, which made this a breeze.
The dumbest thing about my current gaming rig's case is that they included a bunch of those cleanabe fan filters, but they are installed such that you have to unseat the hard drive bays to remove them. Antec :rotate:
Thats the way my last Antec case was. I had to remove the plasticy stupid fender whatever thing from the front to get to a foam filter, which was impossible to clean anyways. This one just slides in and out super easy, and is made of what appears to be woven mono filament, similar to what you would find in a window mounted AC unit. My girlfriend cleaned the apartment today, and it appears to have already collected a bunch of dust. So I am pretty excited about not having to spend forever cleaning out the inside.
Thanks again! I wouldn't mind getting a cooling system if it would give me a performance boost. I wouldn't mind overclocking if you suggest it. So a mid tower is more than enough space? I don't see why anyone would want a full sized tower then.
I would assume there are tutorials on overclocking on the web.
Having my computer crap out on me a month ago has kinda hit me with the bug to do some minor upgrades to bring it back up to date a little bit, I finally looked into the problem yesterday and found it was just a harddrive failure so I can't use the excuse of replacing a mobo or CPU to do a full system upgrade. My current setup does pretty well for me and I don't want to spend an incredible amount of cash so I'm thinking a videocard is likely my best buy. With what I already have, what would you all recommend purchasing? I'm thinking that either a 7850 or a 7870 is my best bet these days (I've only done a little researching, and I've been out of the loop for almost 2 years now). Both can be had locally (through sales and mail in rebates) for anywhere between $180-$220 and I don't think I'd like to spend any more beyond that.
The dumbest thing about my current gaming rig's case is that they included a bunch of those cleanabe fan filters, but they are installed such that you have to unseat the hard drive bays to remove them. Antec :rotate:
Definitely never buying from them again.
Well they learnt their lesson with the p280 because the filters are very easily removed
Having my computer crap out on me a month ago has kinda hit me with the bug to do some minor upgrades to bring it back up to date a little bit, I finally looked into the problem yesterday and found it was just a harddrive failure so I can't use the excuse of replacing a mobo or CPU to do a full system upgrade. My current setup does pretty well for me and I don't want to spend an incredible amount of cash so I'm thinking a videocard is likely my best buy. With what I already have, what would you all recommend purchasing? I'm thinking that either a 7850 or a 7870 is my best bet these days (I've only done a little researching, and I've been out of the loop for almost 2 years now). Both can be had locally (through sales and mail in rebates) for anywhere between $180-$220 and I don't think I'd like to spend any more beyond that.
My DVD drive just died. I think you all know what this means.
Time to tack a $300+ video card purchase onto a $20 Newegg transaction.
My current system was built in mid-2010 and is an Phenom II x4 955 BE (overclocked) and a 5870. I bought Guild Wars 2 yesterday and I noticed some FPS lag during some of my boss fights. I game at 1920x1080.
Can someone make a strong case one way or another for a Radeon HD 7950 ($330) versus a GTX 670 ($400)? The 670 comes with a free copy of Borderlands 2, which I probably wouldn't buy, but will probably play if I do buy the card.
EDIT: I have the power supply to support either card, and I don't plan on a monitor upgrade anytime soon. Other PC games I play or own include Team Fortress 2, Starcraft 2, and Diablo 3. I had modest driver issues with my current 5870 for the first year that I owned it, but that wouldn't necessarily stop me buying another AMD card.
My DVD drive just died. I think you all know what this means.
Time to tack a $300+ video card purchase onto a $20 Newegg transaction.
My current system was built in mid-2010 and is an Phenom II x4 955 BE (overclocked) and a 5870. I bought Guild Wars 2 yesterday and I noticed some FPS lag during some of my boss fights. I game at 1920x1080.
Can someone make a strong case one way or another for a Radeon HD 7950 ($330) versus a GTX 670 ($400)? The 670 comes with a free copy of Borderlands 2, which I probably wouldn't buy, but will probably play if I do buy the card.
Well, I have a 670 and I can play GW2 at 1920*1080, settings cranked to the max, with Super Sampling on and hold a steady 50fps. I have an i7 3770k though and I'm not sure how CPU dependent the game is. I imagine your FPS would be even higher if you turned off the Super Sampling though.
Can someone make a strong case one way or another for a Radeon HD 7950 ($330) versus a GTX 670 ($400)? The 670 comes with a free copy of Borderlands 2, which I probably wouldn't buy, but will probably play if I do buy the card.
A third option I've just become aware of: the Microcenter near me has this Visiontek Radeon HD 7970 for $387 after tax.
EDIT: apparently the reference cooler for the 7970 sucks. Bleh.
EDIT EDIT: the reference Galaxy 670 is $380 before a $20 rebate which I may or may not get. Seems like a sweet deal?
Got bored, installed my new SSD and overclocked my e8400 to 4.0ghz by following some online guides. 20 minutes worth of work and a couple hours to reformat and completely update windows, much faster than before. I currently have ZERO games installed and no real heavy apps like photoshop to test out the SSD's load times. Windows does boot up lightning fast now though!
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EshTending bar. FFXIV. Motorcycles.Portland, ORRegistered Userregular
Can someone make a strong case one way or another for a Radeon HD 7950 ($330) versus a GTX 670 ($400)? The 670 comes with a free copy of Borderlands 2, which I probably wouldn't buy, but will probably play if I do buy the card.
A third option I've just become aware of: the Microcenter near me has this Visiontek Radeon HD 7970 for $387 after tax.
EDIT: apparently the reference cooler for the 7970 sucks. Bleh.
EDIT EDIT: the reference Galaxy 670 is $380 before a $20 rebate which I may or may not get. Seems like a sweet deal?
I generally prefer to pay a few more dollars and get a reputable brand like EVGA. Up to you if you want to roll the dice on that though.
I generally prefer to pay a few more dollars and get a reputable brand like EVGA. Up to you if you want to roll the dice on that though.
I'm a little torn because, while EVGA's customer service appears to be way better, the percentage of negative reviews on Newegg is way higher for EVGA 670s as opposed to Galaxy 670s.
I generally prefer to pay a few more dollars and get a reputable brand like EVGA. Up to you if you want to roll the dice on that though.
I'm a little torn because, while EVGA's customer service appears to be way better, the percentage of negative reviews on Newegg is way higher for EVGA 670s as opposed to Galaxy 670s.
EVGA had a bad batch of 670 PCBs make it through QA, so that's why those reviews are so cruddy. Should be fine now.
Why not go with a 660 Ti? It's definitely enough for 1080p.
I generally prefer to pay a few more dollars and get a reputable brand like EVGA. Up to you if you want to roll the dice on that though.
I'm a little torn because, while EVGA's customer service appears to be way better, the percentage of negative reviews on Newegg is way higher for EVGA 670s as opposed to Galaxy 670s.
EVGA had a bad batch of 670 PCBs make it through QA, so that's why those reviews are so cruddy. Should be fine now.
Why not go with a 660 Ti? It's definitely enough for 1080p.
The 192-bit memory bus concerns me, and I figure if I'm gonna upgrade from a 5870 I may as well go whole-hog.
On the bright side, no one's trying to convince me to get a 7950 instead, so once I grow a pair, a 670 it'll be. Thanks for the feedback ya'll.
EDIT: excitement:
Nice promo code from Newegg today to knock the MSi card down to $372 before a $25 MIR (not holding my breath, certainly, but it's a great deal regardless).
I generally prefer to pay a few more dollars and get a reputable brand like EVGA. Up to you if you want to roll the dice on that though.
I'm a little torn because, while EVGA's customer service appears to be way better, the percentage of negative reviews on Newegg is way higher for EVGA 670s as opposed to Galaxy 670s.
EVGA had a bad batch of 670 PCBs make it through QA, so that's why those reviews are so cruddy. Should be fine now.
Why not go with a 660 Ti? It's definitely enough for 1080p.
The 192-bit memory bus concerns me, and I figure if I'm gonna upgrade from a 5870 I may as well go whole-hog.
On the bright side, no one's trying to convince me to get a 7950 instead, so once I grow a pair, a 670 it'll be. Thanks for the feedback ya'll.
EDIT: excitement:
Nice promo code from Newegg today to knock the MSi card down to $372 before a $25 MIR (not holding my breath, certainly, but it's a great deal regardless).
The 192-bit bus would really only be restrictive at higher resolutions (1440p and comparable) that demand good video memory performance. Obviously you've already made the call, but for people who game at 1080p, I really don't see the need for more than the 660 Ti.
@Alecthar you are almost certainly right. My thought process was that there were enough benchmarks at 1920x1200 that showed significant gaps between the 660Ti and the 670 (in the 30-60fps range where it actually matters), plus I figure I'll be a bit better futureproofed if I do upgrade to a 2560x1440 display somewhere down the line. And $372/$347 for a 670 seemed too sweet to pass up.
Next upgrades will be a 480-512GB SSD (when they drop to the ~$300 price range), and probably a Haswell chip and motherboard in 2013. The slow march of progress trods on!
The dumbest thing about my current gaming rig's case is that they included a bunch of those cleanabe fan filters, but they are installed such that you have to unseat the hard drive bays to remove them. Antec :rotate:
Definitely never buying from them again.
Antec 1200?
This is one of the things that made me want to scream about my 1200. The god damn fan filters were BEHIND THE HDD BAYS. I'm sure to some engineer this seemed efficient and proper...but it's obvious they didn't have any usability experts in those meetings.
I replaced it with a Corsair Carbide 500R, and haven't looked back.
GnomeTankWhat the what?Portland, OregonRegistered Userregular
Hmm, you know...if I bitched at EVGA that I didn't get a free Borderlands 2 because I bought my 670 two months early, think I could get them to give me a code?
Hmm, you know...if I bitched at EVGA that I didn't get a free Borderlands 2 because I bought my 670 two months early, think I could get them to give me a code?
The dumbest thing about my current gaming rig's case is that they included a bunch of those cleanabe fan filters, but they are installed such that you have to unseat the hard drive bays to remove them. Antec :rotate:
Definitely never buying from them again.
Antec 1200?
This is one of the things that made me want to scream about my 1200. The god damn fan filters were BEHIND THE HDD BAYS. I'm sure to some engineer this seemed efficient and proper...but it's obvious they didn't have any usability experts in those meetings.
I replaced it with a Corsair Carbide 500R, and haven't looked back.
Antec 900 Two. I've been debating whether or not to pick up such as a 600T to replace it with, but then I'd have to do something with the old case and I wouldn't wish having to build in it on any of my friends. I actually had to RMA the case and build my rig in it twice because the first one arrived so damaged that it wasn't square enough to insert the ATX backpanel guides in to. All the hardware I have crammed in there is super cramped, due to 2x GTX 460s that require 2 6 pin connectors each. It was not fun to get everything in there twice. Antec will never see another dime from me.
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AlectharAlan ShoreWe're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered Userregular
The dumbest thing about my current gaming rig's case is that they included a bunch of those cleanabe fan filters, but they are installed such that you have to unseat the hard drive bays to remove them. Antec :rotate:
Definitely never buying from them again.
Antec 1200?
This is one of the things that made me want to scream about my 1200. The god damn fan filters were BEHIND THE HDD BAYS. I'm sure to some engineer this seemed efficient and proper...but it's obvious they didn't have any usability experts in those meetings.
I replaced it with a Corsair Carbide 500R, and haven't looked back.
Antec 900 Two. I've been debating whether or not to pick up such as a 600T to replace it with, but then I'd have to do something with the old case and I wouldn't wish having to build in it on any of my friends. I actually had to RMA the case and build my rig in it twice because the first one arrived so damaged that it wasn't square enough to insert the ATX backpanel guides in to. All the hardware I have crammed in there is super cramped, due to 2x GTX 460s that require 2 6 pin connectors each. It was not fun to get everything in there twice. Antec will never see another dime from me.
Man, I have been fighting the good fight against that case since Day One on this thread. Fucking thing cruises on the fact that it was one of the first big, fan-loaded mid towers that wasn't beige, and Antec keeps selling it, despite the fact that it's terrible.
The dumbest thing about my current gaming rig's case is that they included a bunch of those cleanabe fan filters, but they are installed such that you have to unseat the hard drive bays to remove them. Antec :rotate:
Definitely never buying from them again.
Antec 1200?
This is one of the things that made me want to scream about my 1200. The god damn fan filters were BEHIND THE HDD BAYS. I'm sure to some engineer this seemed efficient and proper...but it's obvious they didn't have any usability experts in those meetings.
I replaced it with a Corsair Carbide 500R, and haven't looked back.
Antec 900 Two. I've been debating whether or not to pick up such as a 600T to replace it with, but then I'd have to do something with the old case and I wouldn't wish having to build in it on any of my friends. I actually had to RMA the case and build my rig in it twice because the first one arrived so damaged that it wasn't square enough to insert the ATX backpanel guides in to. All the hardware I have crammed in there is super cramped, due to 2x GTX 460s that require 2 6 pin connectors each. It was not fun to get everything in there twice. Antec will never see another dime from me.
I love the 500R. The 1200 was monstrous, because at the time very few cases were being built to accommodate 11+" video cards (which I had at the time, because the GTX 260 was fucking monstrous).
The 500R is MORE spacious on the inside, in terms of space where it counts (the case is much longer than it is tall), has a great mother board tray, and has AMPLE behind the board storage. Even going so far as having the case on that side have a pop out space for the cables to rest in, so the case doesn't bow out on that side.
My 500R is the cleanest computer build I've ever had, in terms of cable management, because the case makes it so easy. Plenty of grommets, plenty of space. Corsair really sold me on their cases with the 500R (puts his corporate shill hat on).
The dumbest thing about my current gaming rig's case is that they included a bunch of those cleanabe fan filters, but they are installed such that you have to unseat the hard drive bays to remove them. Antec :rotate:
Definitely never buying from them again.
Antec 1200?
This is one of the things that made me want to scream about my 1200. The god damn fan filters were BEHIND THE HDD BAYS. I'm sure to some engineer this seemed efficient and proper...but it's obvious they didn't have any usability experts in those meetings.
I replaced it with a Corsair Carbide 500R, and haven't looked back.
Antec 900 Two. I've been debating whether or not to pick up such as a 600T to replace it with, but then I'd have to do something with the old case and I wouldn't wish having to build in it on any of my friends. I actually had to RMA the case and build my rig in it twice because the first one arrived so damaged that it wasn't square enough to insert the ATX backpanel guides in to. All the hardware I have crammed in there is super cramped, due to 2x GTX 460s that require 2 6 pin connectors each. It was not fun to get everything in there twice. Antec will never see another dime from me.
Man, I have been fighting the good fight against that case since Day One on this thread. Fucking thing cruises on the fact that it was one of the first big, fan-loaded mid towers that wasn't beige, and Antec keeps selling it, despite the fact that it's terrible.
Yeah, I completely fucked up when I decided to buy it. I think I picked it out based on bay/fan numbers and available discounts, rather than whether it was worth a shit.
Heh... I got my case last night and for some reason when the UPS guy left it in front of my door he decided to put the doormat on top of the box as if he was trying to hide a smaller package. Yea I don't think that is going to fool anyone.
Posts
The GTX 690 (2 680s), GTX 590 (2 580s), and I think the AMD 6990 (2 6970s?) are all 2 chips on one board. The 590 may have used detuned 580 chips though.
They are also very very expensive, like $1000 expensive.
The ones I linked are all mid towers, but even the modern mid towers are kind of big. Definitely bigger than yesteryear.
As for overclocking its just a way to force a chip to operate faster than it was rated for (although not necessarily faster than its design potential, although you could go that far and fry your chip). For instance, I have an i7 2600k that was sold as a 3.5ghz processor that is currently running at 4.5ghz.
Its easy enough to do, but I understand people's trepidation as you run the risk of either frying your chip or significantly reducing the lifespan of your chip. Although for the most part both of these risks are mitigated with proper cooling.
There have been several "multi-GPU" cards. The only "Atlus" I'm aware of is a maker of video games.
3dfx pioneered SLI and developed multiple GPU cards. ATI has made them as far back as their "Rage" days.
Battle.net
where the fuck did I get Atlus from
It's probable that the drive is just bad. If it won't initialize, I'd recommend returning it for a refund or replacement.
Battle.net
Anyway, I'm very very happy with this thing, so thanks again.
Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H
Battle.net
Where the pikchures at?
BF3 Battlelog | Twitter | World of Warships | World of Tanks | Wishlist
I figured as much. Even plugging it into my old system, I was unable to get it to initialize.
Speaking of pikchures (kinda crappy ones).
ASRock H77 Pro4-M LGA Micro ATX
ADATA Premier Pro SP900 128 GB SSD
Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EARX 1TB (From old computer)
EVGA GeForce GTX 660 Ti
Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB
SILVERSTONE Strider Plus 500W
SilverStone Temjin Series TJ08B-E
One of my favorite features of the case, removable fan filter.
Cables are a little bit messy. Wish I had an option to receive short cables with the power supply, may end up ordering them in the future. There isn't a window on it, and all the cables are out of the way of the fans, so I may just leave it. The blue SATA was for the blue HDD that is getting returned now.
Second removable filter. At first I was kinda angry when I de-boxed the case and saw this thing just floating on top, with mounting holes but no screws/mounting points on the actual case. Turns out theres a bunch of tiny magnets on it so you can just slide it off and wash it.
Thanks to Alecthar for making this happen. Probably would have been lost without the guidance. The ASRock mobo was super easy to work with, as well, which made this a breeze.
Definitely never buying from them again.
I would assume there are tutorials on overclocking on the web.
Current computer specs:
Antec 1200
Asus P5Q Pro
e8400 @ 3.6
Gskill 4GB (2x2) PC2-8500 ram
Powercolor 4850
Corsair HX-620w PSU
2x 640GB WD blacks
1x Crucial M4 128GB SSD (not installed yet, bought today)
Well they learnt their lesson with the p280 because the filters are very easily removed
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better
bit.ly/2XQM1ke
If you can get a 7870 for $220, go for it. Otherwise, buy a 7850, it'll definitely be within that price range.
Battle.net
My DVD drive just died. I think you all know what this means.
Time to tack a $300+ video card purchase onto a $20 Newegg transaction.
My current system was built in mid-2010 and is an Phenom II x4 955 BE (overclocked) and a 5870. I bought Guild Wars 2 yesterday and I noticed some FPS lag during some of my boss fights. I game at 1920x1080.
Can someone make a strong case one way or another for a Radeon HD 7950 ($330) versus a GTX 670 ($400)? The 670 comes with a free copy of Borderlands 2, which I probably wouldn't buy, but will probably play if I do buy the card.
EDIT: I have the power supply to support either card, and I don't plan on a monitor upgrade anytime soon. Other PC games I play or own include Team Fortress 2, Starcraft 2, and Diablo 3. I had modest driver issues with my current 5870 for the first year that I owned it, but that wouldn't necessarily stop me buying another AMD card.
Path of Exile: snowcrash7
MTG Arena: Snow_Crash#34179
Battle.net: Snowcrash#1873
I'm laughing at this far more than I should. Oh jeez.
Well, I have a 670 and I can play GW2 at 1920*1080, settings cranked to the max, with Super Sampling on and hold a steady 50fps. I have an i7 3770k though and I'm not sure how CPU dependent the game is. I imagine your FPS would be even higher if you turned off the Super Sampling though.
A third option I've just become aware of: the Microcenter near me has this Visiontek Radeon HD 7970 for $387 after tax.
EDIT: apparently the reference cooler for the 7970 sucks. Bleh.
EDIT EDIT: the reference Galaxy 670 is $380 before a $20 rebate which I may or may not get. Seems like a sweet deal?
Path of Exile: snowcrash7
MTG Arena: Snow_Crash#34179
Battle.net: Snowcrash#1873
I generally prefer to pay a few more dollars and get a reputable brand like EVGA. Up to you if you want to roll the dice on that though.
I'm a little torn because, while EVGA's customer service appears to be way better, the percentage of negative reviews on Newegg is way higher for EVGA 670s as opposed to Galaxy 670s.
Path of Exile: snowcrash7
MTG Arena: Snow_Crash#34179
Battle.net: Snowcrash#1873
EVGA had a bad batch of 670 PCBs make it through QA, so that's why those reviews are so cruddy. Should be fine now.
Why not go with a 660 Ti? It's definitely enough for 1080p.
Battle.net
The 192-bit memory bus concerns me, and I figure if I'm gonna upgrade from a 5870 I may as well go whole-hog.
On the bright side, no one's trying to convince me to get a 7950 instead, so once I grow a pair, a 670 it'll be. Thanks for the feedback ya'll.
EDIT: excitement:
Nice promo code from Newegg today to knock the MSi card down to $372 before a $25 MIR (not holding my breath, certainly, but it's a great deal regardless).
Path of Exile: snowcrash7
MTG Arena: Snow_Crash#34179
Battle.net: Snowcrash#1873
The 192-bit bus would really only be restrictive at higher resolutions (1440p and comparable) that demand good video memory performance. Obviously you've already made the call, but for people who game at 1080p, I really don't see the need for more than the 660 Ti.
Battle.net
Next upgrades will be a 480-512GB SSD (when they drop to the ~$300 price range), and probably a Haswell chip and motherboard in 2013. The slow march of progress trods on!
Path of Exile: snowcrash7
MTG Arena: Snow_Crash#34179
Battle.net: Snowcrash#1873
Antec 1200?
This is one of the things that made me want to scream about my 1200. The god damn fan filters were BEHIND THE HDD BAYS. I'm sure to some engineer this seemed efficient and proper...but it's obvious they didn't have any usability experts in those meetings.
I replaced it with a Corsair Carbide 500R, and haven't looked back.
Couldn't hurt to try.
Antec 900 Two. I've been debating whether or not to pick up such as a 600T to replace it with, but then I'd have to do something with the old case and I wouldn't wish having to build in it on any of my friends. I actually had to RMA the case and build my rig in it twice because the first one arrived so damaged that it wasn't square enough to insert the ATX backpanel guides in to. All the hardware I have crammed in there is super cramped, due to 2x GTX 460s that require 2 6 pin connectors each. It was not fun to get everything in there twice. Antec will never see another dime from me.
Man, I have been fighting the good fight against that case since Day One on this thread. Fucking thing cruises on the fact that it was one of the first big, fan-loaded mid towers that wasn't beige, and Antec keeps selling it, despite the fact that it's terrible.
Battle.net
I love the 500R. The 1200 was monstrous, because at the time very few cases were being built to accommodate 11+" video cards (which I had at the time, because the GTX 260 was fucking monstrous).
The 500R is MORE spacious on the inside, in terms of space where it counts (the case is much longer than it is tall), has a great mother board tray, and has AMPLE behind the board storage. Even going so far as having the case on that side have a pop out space for the cables to rest in, so the case doesn't bow out on that side.
My 500R is the cleanest computer build I've ever had, in terms of cable management, because the case makes it so easy. Plenty of grommets, plenty of space. Corsair really sold me on their cases with the 500R (puts his corporate shill hat on).
Yeah, I completely fucked up when I decided to buy it. I think I picked it out based on bay/fan numbers and available discounts, rather than whether it was worth a shit.
against: expensive
think that covers all the bases