AlectharAlan ShoreWe're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered Userregular
edited September 2011
PWR_FAN is fine. Go with that.
As to your previous questions: Yes the CPU_FAN is for the 212+ fan. Yes, you should plug your other fans into those other ports, and yes you can leave the LEDs off. You might want to include them just in case for boot up, you can always take them off later.
So I run a CORSAIR 520W HX power supply. I'm looking to upgrade mobo/proc/RAM, currently running a GTX560 Ti and will eventually look at SLI'ing two of them together. I'm thinking I'll definitely need a new power supply if I want to SLI, but if I just upgrade the guts and wait on the SLI until later, should it be fine?
It looks like there are some adapters you can buy, but frankly for how cheap you can get a SATA DVD burner these days, it's probably better to just pick up a new SATA one and not deal with any potential hassles for a few more dollars than the adapter.
So I run a CORSAIR 520W HX power supply. I'm looking to upgrade mobo/proc/RAM, currently running a GTX560 Ti and will eventually look at SLI'ing two of them together. I'm thinking I'll definitely need a new power supply if I want to SLI, but if I just upgrade the guts and wait on the SLI until later, should it be fine?
I'll probably want to upgrade for SLI though, yeah?
Or would it be good?
For SLI you'll want 650W. Modular supply wise, your best options are the XFX XXX Edition 650W supply (if you can find it in stock), Thortech's Thunderbolt 650W unit, or the HX650.
Thanks. The SLI will likely be at least several months ahead. Curious why you recommend the GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3P over the GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 in the OP? Tried to find the differences, apparently it's just Crossfire support and dual gigabit LAN?
Thanks. The SLI will likely be at least several months ahead. Curious why you recommend the GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3P over the GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 in the OP? Tried to find the differences, apparently it's just Crossfire support and dual gigabit LAN?
The other difference is that it looks like the -UD3P is the better board for OCing. There's a reason Gigabyte's site specifically tells you that the -UD3P has a 12 power phase VRM while completely neglecting to mention the VRM design of the -UD3 (a bit of googling says that the -UD3 has a 7 phase VRM). And you can see that the -UD3P has an extra heatsink over the VRM.
The -UD3 will likely be good enough for a decently big OC, but the -UD3P will be better. Whether you want to spend an extra $40 for a more aggressive OC is up to you.
So my parts for my new build are showing up today. Quick question. I've got a 120gb SSD and a 1TB HDD.
What's the best way to use these? Just OS on the SSD? OS + games? Something else?
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minor incidentexpert in a dying fieldnjRegistered Userregular
I'd say OS + current games (assuming you aren't playing like 15 games at once) on the SSD. Keep everything else on the HDD. Steam Mover will help tremendously with this, if Steam is your channel of choice for games.
Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
Wow, GO newegg. Ordered my case and parts late Monday evening, and the case is out for delivery here in Louisiana today with ALL my components (top to bottom build) getting into Texas this afternoon and presumably to me tomorrow night. I'm really impressed. Now let's hope I don't get any DOAs.
Between finishing my A+ exams, work normalizing after semester rush, and an ahead of schedule PC parts shipment, this is going to be a gloriously nerdtastic weekend. :P
Thanks. The SLI will likely be at least several months ahead. Curious why you recommend the GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3P over the GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3 in the OP? Tried to find the differences, apparently it's just Crossfire support and dual gigabit LAN?
The other difference is that it looks like the -UD3P is the better board for OCing. There's a reason Gigabyte's site specifically tells you that the -UD3P has a 12 power phase VRM while completely neglecting to mention the VRM design of the -UD3 (a bit of googling says that the -UD3 has a 7 phase VRM). And you can see that the -UD3P has an extra heatsink over the VRM.
The -UD3 will likely be good enough for a decently big OC, but the -UD3P will be better. Whether you want to spend an extra $40 for a more aggressive OC is up to you.
Good to know. Looks like I'll be fine with the UD3.
That GPU is definitely a concern. How much more is left in your budget?
I'd guess an extra £30-40, but the site I'm building this on, for some reason, only has three GPU options, the best of which I selected. Is it *that* bad?
So I'm saving money right now for a completely new computer, but a couple of quick questions:
Is it a good time to buy a computer between now and the end of the year, or am I out of step with the technology price cycle?
I have a five year old computer with a 550W Antec power supply. Should I cannibalize it or get a new one, like one of the Earthwatts models?
Is there any good reason for a full tower other than "just because I want one"?
New AMD processors are coming out in theory later this month (but they were supposed to be out last month so who knows when they are actually coming). Intel's next batch comes early 2012.
That GPU is definitely a concern. How much more is left in your budget?
I'd guess an extra £30-40, but the site I'm building this on, for some reason, only has three GPU options, the best of which I selected. Is it *that* bad?
Well, if it's the best you can do, it's the best you can do. Just know that it's basically the absolute lowest card anyone would reasonable suggest buying. It'll probably play most current games (at reduced setting). So it'll be serviceable for a little while, but it will definitely be the first component you need to upgrade in the future.
So I'm saving money right now for a completely new computer, but a couple of quick questions:
Is it a good time to buy a computer between now and the end of the year, or am I out of step with the technology price cycle?
I have a five year old computer with a 550W Antec power supply. Should I cannibalize it or get a new one, like one of the Earthwatts models?
Is there any good reason for a full tower other than "just because I want one"?
New AMD processors are coming out in theory later this month (but they were supposed to be out last month so who knows when they are actually coming). Intel's next batch comes early 2012.
I've got a new build in the works to. And personally, I'm holding off ordering until the post-Thanksgiving sales.
That GPU is definitely a concern. How much more is left in your budget?
I'd guess an extra £30-40, but the site I'm building this on, for some reason, only has three GPU options, the best of which I selected. Is it *that* bad?
Is it cheaper to select one of the worser 2 options they give you, and then just buying a GPU on your own to replace it?
Looking at the Phenom II X4 and the Sandy Bridge i5-2500K, I'm seeing that the latter is 32nm and the former 45nm. But what practical difference does that make? More efficiency? Less heat? It does look like the i5 uses more power.
Ultimately, I'm not sure what it is that makes the i5 cost $90 more than the Phenom. Pure overclock ability maybe?
Looking at the Phenom II X4 and the Sandy Bridge i5-2500K, I'm seeing that the latter is 32nm and the former 45nm. But what practical difference does that make? More efficiency? Less heat? It does look like the i5 uses more power.
Ultimately, I'm not sure what it is that makes the i5 cost $90 more than the Phenom. Pure overclock ability maybe?
The i5 cost $90 more because it's a vastly superior processor. The chart below tops out at the i5-2400, but it'll give you a good sense of how things stack up. Notice that even the least powerful Sandy Bridge, the i3-2100, gives slightly better performance than the X4 970 and the x6 1075T.
That GPU is definitely a concern. How much more is left in your budget?
I'd guess an extra £30-40, but the site I'm building this on, for some reason, only has three GPU options, the best of which I selected. Is it *that* bad?
Is it cheaper to select one of the worser 2 options they give you, and then just buying a GPU on your own to replace it?
This is absolutely an option; I could quite easily opt to buy no graphics card and purchase one separately. The question then is, which GPU offers the best bang for my ~£100 budget?
Again, thanks in advance, I can't stress just how helpful and reassuring you guys are.
That GPU is definitely a concern. How much more is left in your budget?
I'd guess an extra £30-40, but the site I'm building this on, for some reason, only has three GPU options, the best of which I selected. Is it *that* bad?
Is it cheaper to select one of the worser 2 options they give you, and then just buying a GPU on your own to replace it?
This is absolutely an option; I could quite easily opt to buy no graphics card and purchase one separately. The question then is, which GPU offers the best bang for my ~£100 budget?
Again, thanks in advance, I can't stress just how helpful and reassuring you guys are.
I'm assuming you're in the UK? If so, and if you can stretch that another £20 I'd get this HD6850. Otherwise, get either a 5770 or 6770 (they're the same card just re-badged).
If you wait a few days this should be updated for September, but may not change much either, so: Handy best video card bang for you buck guide. The blog linked in the OP has some suggestions too, though it doesn't bother with low end budget cards. And beated, anyway, blast.
And in a throwback to yesteryear, id has released the recommended specs for Rage:
Recommended:
OS: Win XP SP3, Vista, Win 7
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad or Equivalent AMD
Memory: 4GB
Hard Disk Space: 25GB
Video Card: GeForce 9800 GTX, ATI Radeon HD 5550
That GPU is definitely a concern. How much more is left in your budget?
I'd guess an extra £30-40, but the site I'm building this on, for some reason, only has three GPU options, the best of which I selected. Is it *that* bad?
Is it cheaper to select one of the worser 2 options they give you, and then just buying a GPU on your own to replace it?
This is absolutely an option; I could quite easily opt to buy no graphics card and purchase one separately. The question then is, which GPU offers the best bang for my ~£100 budget?
Again, thanks in advance, I can't stress just how helpful and reassuring you guys are.
I'm assuming you're in the UK? If so, and if you can stretch that another £20 I'd get this HD6850. Otherwise, get either a 5770 or 6770 (they're the same card just re-badged).
Thanks, though perhaps this would be a better option? I'm a rank newbie when it comes to computer hardware but the price is lower and the clock speeds are higher, so that's good, right?
I'm inches away from pressing the buy button here, so here's that list one last time:
Graphics card: MSI HD 6850
Processor: Intel Core i3 2100
Motherboard: Asus P8H61-M LX2 (Rev. 3)
RAM: 4.0GB Corsair DDR3 1600mhz XMS3 (2x 2GB)
HDD: 500GB S-ATAIII 6.0Gb/s
Optical drive: 22x DVD±RW DL S-ATA
Sound: Onboard 7.1 Audio
Case: Piano Black ATX
PSU: 500W Xigmatek
3 year warranty
Price = ~£400
There are no obvious compatibility issues here, are there?
Been a week now since I installed the Psu and gpu and everything is running great. Still nor getting the desired visuals in witcher 2 but I hear no one is with a gtx 460
Manage 60fps on high but it drops drastically to around 20-30 during bigger fight scenes. I'm being pedantic,i know.
I'll post pics of the finished PC once the monitor arrives. Massive thanks to our very own pabh for giving it to me for free, just paid delivery in it. No more 1280*1024!
Edit: @cojones take a gander at dabs.co.uk. I bought my gpu from there and it was considerably cheaper than scan. Silly delivery charges. Also Theres some pretty cheap gtx460s there
@Cojones
That looks perfectly reasonable, although did someone here suggest the Xigmatek? I would go with an Antec, Corsair, or XFX supply for the same price.
@Cojones
That looks perfectly reasonable, although did someone here suggest the Xigmatek? I would go with an Antec, Corsair, or XFX supply for the same price.
Thanks very much for the reply. Given that the site I'm buying from has some kind of sponsorship deal with Xigmatek, they provide a free +1 year upgrade to my warranty if I buy a Xigmatek PSU. Seemed like a good deal.
Posts
As to your previous questions: Yes the CPU_FAN is for the 212+ fan. Yes, you should plug your other fans into those other ports, and yes you can leave the LEDs off. You might want to include them just in case for boot up, you can always take them off later.
Battle.net
Am I doing this right or wrong?
It only came with 2 PCI-e 6 pin cords, this one with the red end, and the 6+2 pin hardwired in one that I already have in the HD6870.
Battle.net
My old DVD-R/RW drive I was planning on reusing is IDE instead of SATA.
Is there a converter I can buy? Or would it be cheaper to just buy a SATA drive?
I don't really burn DVD's or anything, I can live without that. But I need the drive for installation CDs
And hats off to you fine gentlemen for walking me through this.
Hell you can get a Bluray reader that burns DVDs/CDs for $65 if you don't have anything that plays them already and it interests you.
Guess $24 is a good enough price for me.
Yes, you'll be absolutely fine.
Battle.net
Or would it be good?
For SLI you'll want 650W. Modular supply wise, your best options are the XFX XXX Edition 650W supply (if you can find it in stock), Thortech's Thunderbolt 650W unit, or the HX650.
Battle.net
About to pull the trigger on:
GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3
Intel Core i5-2500K
and some standard 2x4GB 1600Mhz DDR3.
The other difference is that it looks like the -UD3P is the better board for OCing. There's a reason Gigabyte's site specifically tells you that the -UD3P has a 12 power phase VRM while completely neglecting to mention the VRM design of the -UD3 (a bit of googling says that the -UD3 has a 7 phase VRM). And you can see that the -UD3P has an extra heatsink over the VRM.
The -UD3 will likely be good enough for a decently big OC, but the -UD3P will be better. Whether you want to spend an extra $40 for a more aggressive OC is up to you.
What's the best way to use these? Just OS on the SSD? OS + games? Something else?
Between finishing my A+ exams, work normalizing after semester rush, and an ahead of schedule PC parts shipment, this is going to be a gloriously nerdtastic weekend. :P
Updated to reflect your advice, build thread. About to pull the trigger. Any final thoughts? Minor things I missed?
Included
Operating System: No Operating System - I will install my own
Motherboard: NEW! Asus P8H61-M LX2 (Rev. 3)
Included
Memory: 4.0GB Corsair DDR3 1600mhz XMS3 (2x 2GB)
Hard Drives: NEW! 500GB S-ATAIII 6.0Gb/s
Included
Optical Drive: 22x DVD±RW DL S-ATA
Included
Graphics card: NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450 1GB
Sound card: Onboard 7.1 Audio
Included
Case: Piano Black ATX
Included
PSU: 500W Xigmatek
Warranty: 3 Year Platinum Warranty
Well within my budget, I'm just slightly concerned that the graphics card might be a little weak. Advice?
That GPU is definitely a concern. How much more is left in your budget?
Is it a good time to buy a computer between now and the end of the year, or am I out of step with the technology price cycle?
I have a five year old computer with a 550W Antec power supply. Should I cannibalize it or get a new one, like one of the Earthwatts models?
Is there any good reason for a full tower other than "just because I want one"?
New AMD processors are coming out in theory later this month (but they were supposed to be out last month so who knows when they are actually coming). Intel's next batch comes early 2012.
Well, if it's the best you can do, it's the best you can do. Just know that it's basically the absolute lowest card anyone would reasonable suggest buying. It'll probably play most current games (at reduced setting). So it'll be serviceable for a little while, but it will definitely be the first component you need to upgrade in the future.
I've got a new build in the works to. And personally, I'm holding off ordering until the post-Thanksgiving sales.
Is it cheaper to select one of the worser 2 options they give you, and then just buying a GPU on your own to replace it?
Ultimately, I'm not sure what it is that makes the i5 cost $90 more than the Phenom. Pure overclock ability maybe?
The i5 cost $90 more because it's a vastly superior processor. The chart below tops out at the i5-2400, but it'll give you a good sense of how things stack up. Notice that even the least powerful Sandy Bridge, the i3-2100, gives slightly better performance than the X4 970 and the x6 1075T.
This is absolutely an option; I could quite easily opt to buy no graphics card and purchase one separately. The question then is, which GPU offers the best bang for my ~£100 budget?
Again, thanks in advance, I can't stress just how helpful and reassuring you guys are.
I'm assuming you're in the UK? If so, and if you can stretch that another £20 I'd get this HD6850. Otherwise, get either a 5770 or 6770 (they're the same card just re-badged).
Recommended:
OS: Win XP SP3, Vista, Win 7
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad or Equivalent AMD
Memory: 4GB
Hard Disk Space: 25GB
Video Card: GeForce 9800 GTX, ATI Radeon HD 5550
Case (600t white) and disc drive: $175
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.723268
SSD: $135
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233193
HD: $60 (might throw in another one)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
Mobo + psu: $350
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.730292
CPU + RAM: $405 (I know I should get only 8 gigs and an i5 instead, but I'm an elitist asshole)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.723489
NOW, here's my question: should I get a gtx 570 or 2 560's in SLI?
570: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130593
560: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121446
Eventually I'm gonna add a nice sound card and another SSD, as well as a CPU cooler for overclockery.
Thanks, though perhaps this would be a better option? I'm a rank newbie when it comes to computer hardware but the price is lower and the clock speeds are higher, so that's good, right?
I'm inches away from pressing the buy button here, so here's that list one last time:
Processor: Intel Core i3 2100
Motherboard: Asus P8H61-M LX2 (Rev. 3)
RAM: 4.0GB Corsair DDR3 1600mhz XMS3 (2x 2GB)
HDD: 500GB S-ATAIII 6.0Gb/s
Optical drive: 22x DVD±RW DL S-ATA
Sound: Onboard 7.1 Audio
Case: Piano Black ATX
PSU: 500W Xigmatek
3 year warranty
Price = ~£400
There are no obvious compatibility issues here, are there?
Thanks for your time.
Manage 60fps on high but it drops drastically to around 20-30 during bigger fight scenes. I'm being pedantic,i know.
I'll post pics of the finished PC once the monitor arrives. Massive thanks to our very own pabh for giving it to me for free, just paid delivery in it. No more 1280*1024!
Edit: @cojones take a gander at dabs.co.uk. I bought my gpu from there and it was considerably cheaper than scan. Silly delivery charges. Also Theres some pretty cheap gtx460s there
That looks perfectly reasonable, although did someone here suggest the Xigmatek? I would go with an Antec, Corsair, or XFX supply for the same price.