So what's the current opinion between going with ATI/Radeon vs NVidia? I was thinking of picking up either a Radeon 6970 or a gtx570. For both I would go with the ~2gb versions. A quick google search seems to say there isn't much difference, so wanted to see what your opinions were.
They seem fairly on par to me. With cards that high-end, you'll be running everything on max at great framerates. I tend to prefer AMD because they tend to be a tad cheaper for roughly equivilant performance, run a tiny but cooler, and tend to offer displayport connectors.
You really can't go wrong with either, though. And right now most retailers are giving away free copies of Arkham City with GTX 560s or higher. I went with a 560 for my wife's build for that very reason.
I saw that...unfortunately I just bought AC last night for the 360.
Oh hey thread all my case modding gear came in the mail the other day, so I'll be posting up some photos in a week or two when I get into it.
I've decided to not go with wood panelling on my gaming PC, but I'm planning on doing it for an HTPC I'm building in an old generic chassis I've got laying around, should be fun.
I'm also very seriously considering selling off my 6870s for two 6950s, but I think it might be a better option to go with a second 128GB SSD or possibly a 256
Oh hey thread all my case modding gear came in the mail the other day, so I'll be posting up some photos in a week or two when I get into it.
I've decided to not go with wood panelling on my gaming PC, but I'm planning on doing it for an HTPC I'm building in an old generic chassis I've got laying around, should be fun.
I'm also very seriously considering selling off my 6870s for two 6950s, but I think it might be a better option to go with a second 128GB SSD or possibly a 256
Lookin' forward to seeing it.
I'm working on a mod of an old mac g5 case right now as well, it's a lot of fun.
What chipset do I need to use the 2500k-2600k CPUs? I have a Biostar Tpower I55 motherboard (which has a p55 chipset i guess) which currently houses my i5 CPU.
What chipset do I need to use the 2500k-2600k CPUs? I have a Biostar Tpower I55 motherboard (which has a p55 chipset i guess) which currently houses my i5 CPU.
thoughts on mSATA z68 boards and using them as...what was it intel cache fast wuchummacallit
btw I just realized that Havoc, Cyclops' kid, is in the x-men before Cyclops is.... wha?
Not to get too offtopic here, but Havok is Cyclops' brother.
That said, it didn't bother me. It worked well for the movie.
I thought first class was the best movie of the bunch, even with (or maybe because of) the creative license taken with the characters and timelines. And I was a collector: my Uncanny run goes back to the initial meeting with the Brood.
Can anyone tell me (or direct me to online sources that confirm) if the new AMD A-line processors can do 1080P decode and blu-ray playback nicely? I'm looking at an A4-3300 to put into a settop computer for streaming, web browsing, and blu-ray playback since my PS3 blu-ray drive shit the bed.
If you can wait, hard drives just took a beating because some factories flooded or whatever. Prices are up, stock is down.
Well that's disappointing. Newegg has several terrabytes cheaper than the one I linked, that look better too. But all are out of stock. Alas. Damn floods.
Now that I picked Neyla up a decent rig can anyone suggest to me a decent system for roughly $1000 with Win7 on it? I'd get the same thing I got Neyla, but matching computers is like couples dressed in matching clothing.
Would love something that will handle amped up graphics on WoW, SL and SW:ToR when it comes out.
Edit; Just need a tower, no keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers or anything like that.
Figure this thread is probably the spot for this question rather than making a new one myself: I'm looking at either upgrading my current desktop or potentially getting a new one. I'm pretty sure that my graphics card is the weak link right now (nVidia GeForce 220 if I recall), so I've long thought that I'd upgrade that directly sometime. Today I heard that 2-card setups actually seem to get better performance on BF3 than single-card setups with higher end cards. I'd never even considered adding a 2nd card instead of replacing the current one.
So A) What do I need to learn about 2-card setups vs single, How do I go about checking to see if my machine can handle adding a 2nd card? Cracking it open to check the motherboard? Would it need to be identical to the existing card?
For nvidia the two cards need to be petty much identical. Same manufacturer, same bios same specs. Sometimes you can get away with slight variation but sli is picky.
you'll also need to make sure your psu has the oomph to drive a pair of cards.
can you post your full system specs so we have a better idea what you're working with?
Fractal seems to be making some great cases lately. I was initially going to get a Corsair 650d but switched to a Fractal Arc Midi. I'll save myself a bit of money and get much superior (and quieter) cooling by replacing all of the stock fans and putting in two additional Cooler Master R4's. The Corsair 500r and 600t are viable options but I just don't like how they look.
So planning on picking up a new GTX 560 Ti, but I'm getting bogged down in the specifics. Can anyone explain the difference between this and this? One has the DS designation, but all my Googles are failing to enlighten me as to what that means.
Also, how significant is the 1gb v 2gb vram? I have a dual-screen setup, but I only ever game on one.
For nvidia the two cards need to be petty much identical. Same manufacturer, same bios same specs. Sometimes you can get away with slight variation but sli is picky.
you'll also need to make sure your psu has the oomph to drive a pair of cards.
can you post your full system specs so we have a better idea what you're working with?
Is that listed somewhere in the control panel or something? Otherwise I don't know what all falls into 'full system specs'
Fractal and corsair are both putting out some really nice cases right now, at very reasonable prices.
I feel like other than a few minor details and some price variation you can go either way based on your personal preference for aesthetics and have a very solid case.
the only thing my r3 doesn't have that I want is the ability to remove the hard drive cages.
Does a copy of windows need to be included in that budget?
Sadly. I don't have a copy of my WinXP and Neyla has Windows7 but I don't think you can do two installs on one OEM... Hell... I don't even think that "legal" is it?
So planning on picking up a new GTX 560 Ti, but I'm getting bogged down in the specifics. Can anyone explain the difference between this and this? One has the DS designation, but all my Googles are failing to enlighten me as to what that means.
Also, how significant is the 1gb v 2gb vram? I have a dual-screen setup, but I only ever game on one.
Fractal and corsair are both putting out some really nice cases right now, at very reasonable prices.
I feel like other than a few minor details and some price variation you can go either way based on your personal preference for aesthetics and have a very solid case.
the only thing my r3 doesn't have that I want is the ability to remove the hard drive cages.
Id like that and USB 3.0. And maybe an extra USB port or two on the front.
So planning on picking up a new GTX 560 Ti, but I'm getting bogged down in the specifics. Can anyone explain the difference between this and this? One has the DS designation, but all my Googles are failing to enlighten me as to what that means.
Also, how significant is the 1gb v 2gb vram? I have a dual-screen setup, but I only ever game on one.
From what I can tell they are functionally identical other than the AR or KR at the end of the EVGA model number, although only one has a lifetime warranty. EVGA only lists the AR on the 560ti product page, but the KR is in their database. Go for whichever card has the lifetime warranty. The DS stands for Dual Shock which is EVGA's custom two fan cooler design. The cooler might perform better and be quieter under load than the stock cooler, but it vents the majority of the heat from the card into the case (not a problem if your case has a well designed cooling/fan arrangement).
1gb vs 2gb of ram comes into play if you're gaming at resolutions 1080p and higher with lots of Anti-aliasing or post processing. However some games, like BF3, take advantage of more ram on video cards. I've read on other forums that they're seeing BF3 use 1.4-1.5gb of ram on their 2gb cards, but cards with 1gb are not bottlenecked. If you're looking to future proof yourself or run SLI/Crossfire later on you'd be smart to get a 2gb card.
Does a copy of windows need to be included in that budget?
Sadly. I don't have a copy of my WinXP and Neyla has Windows7 but I don't think you can do two installs on one OEM... Hell... I don't even think that "legal" is it?
That would certainly be a violation of the End User Licensing Agreement.
So planning on picking up a new GTX 560 Ti, but I'm getting bogged down in the specifics. Can anyone explain the difference between this and this? One has the DS designation, but all my Googles are failing to enlighten me as to what that means.
Also, how significant is the 1gb v 2gb vram? I have a dual-screen setup, but I only ever game on one.
they both have the same model number, just that one ends with AR signifying lifetime warranty, the other ends with KR indicating three year, so I'm fairly certain they are functionally the same card.
The ds appears to be some newegg identifying tag that doesn't mean anything for the actual card specs. E: or, its like said and they just didn't add it to the other card even though they both have the same cooler
Does a copy of windows need to be included in that budget?
Sadly. I don't have a copy of my WinXP and Neyla has Windows7 but I don't think you can do two installs on one OEM... Hell... I don't even think that "legal" is it?
That would certainly be a violation of the End User Licensing Agreement.
Figured as much... so yes, I'll need a copy of Win7 or whatever :P
For nvidia the two cards need to be petty much identical. Same manufacturer, same bios same specs. Sometimes you can get away with slight variation but sli is picky.
you'll also need to make sure your psu has the oomph to drive a pair of cards.
can you post your full system specs so we have a better idea what you're working with?
Is that listed somewhere in the control panel or something? Otherwise I don't know what all falls into 'full system specs'
Best guess at what constitutes the vitals:
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q8300 @ 2.50GHz
Vista 64-bit
8 GB RAM
Display adapter type NVIDIA GeForce GT 220
Total available graphics memory 4095 MB
Dedicated graphics memory 1024 MB
Dedicated system memory 0 MB
Shared system memory 3071 MB
Display adapter driver version 8.17.12.8562
Primary monitor resolution 1920x1080
DirectX version DirectX 10
I was all firm on my "not bothering with newegg again" stance until a few minutes ago. The DOA video card they sent me last week I returned on an RMA. I had initially just asked for a replacement, so I didn't bother sending in the crappy pack-in game (brothers in arms, maybe it's ok?). I changed my mind and just asked for a refund instead because I was annoyed at getting a second doa card from them, and when I got my invoice today it was minus $29.99, which was the game obviously. Well, the game is going for new on half.com for $1.50 so that wasn't going to work for me. I contacted newegg and said I could ship it back if I could get that money refunded and instead they just refunded it and said keep the game.
So..that was kinda cool of them.
Now I just have to re-decide if I'm going to bother with SLI right now as I'm pretty happy with the performance increase going to an i5 over my core2duo is already.
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q8300 @ 2.50GHz
Vista 64-bit
8 GB RAM
Display adapter type NVIDIA GeForce GT 220
Total available graphics memory 4095 MB
Dedicated graphics memory 1024 MB
Dedicated system memory 0 MB
Shared system memory 3071 MB
Display adapter driver version 8.17.12.8562
Primary monitor resolution 1920x1080
DirectX version DirectX 10
Unfortunately that doesn't let us know what motherboard you're packing, which is what we'd really need to know in order to make a call on SLI for you. Opening up the PC and taking a pic of the inside would help. My bet is that you're not SLI-capable, though, most off-the-shelf and even boutique units don't come with that standard.
Even if you were capable, though, SLI'd 220s doesn't exactly grab me, performance-wise.
So, i want my Battlefields to be prettier. I have a 2500k, a 560Ti, and 8gb of RAM.
I feel like a second 560Ti is a good choice.
- I have an ASUS P67Pro mobo.
- I have an Antec Truepower750. PSU calc says this is enough.
- The same model 560Ti I got from ASUS last time is back on NewEgg.
- I am a fan of the Batman, which is included as well.
Posts
I saw that...unfortunately I just bought AC last night for the 360.
Is it worth it to get the 2gb version of whatever card I get (the 6970 or gtx570)? Seems like, at least for the gtx570, that pickings are pretty slim.
With my extra money I'm also picking up a SSD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233154
My main concern is that most of the games I purchase are through Steam. Is it possible to install only some games to the SSD and others to the HDD?
Steam Mover - http://www.traynier.com/software/steammover
It'll let you selectively move individual games back and forth between your SSD and HDD.
Perfect
btw I just realized that Havoc, Cyclops' kid, is in the x-men before Cyclops is.... wha?
Not to get too offtopic here, but Havok is Cyclops' brother.
That said, it didn't bother me. It worked well for the movie.
I've decided to not go with wood panelling on my gaming PC, but I'm planning on doing it for an HTPC I'm building in an old generic chassis I've got laying around, should be fun.
I'm also very seriously considering selling off my 6870s for two 6950s, but I think it might be a better option to go with a second 128GB SSD or possibly a 256
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better
bit.ly/2XQM1ke
Lookin' forward to seeing it.
I'm working on a mod of an old mac g5 case right now as well, it's a lot of fun.
P67/z68 motherboards on the lga1155 socket
I thought first class was the best movie of the bunch, even with (or maybe because of) the creative license taken with the characters and timelines. And I was a collector: my Uncanny run goes back to the initial meeting with the Brood.
Can anyone tell me (or direct me to online sources that confirm) if the new AMD A-line processors can do 1080P decode and blu-ray playback nicely? I'm looking at an A4-3300 to put into a settop computer for streaming, web browsing, and blu-ray playback since my PS3 blu-ray drive shit the bed.
Well that's disappointing. Newegg has several terrabytes cheaper than the one I linked, that look better too. But all are out of stock. Alas. Damn floods.
so I need to put a new HDD in my rig. its preventing me from isntalling stuff even to my storage drive (which has the bulk of my programs).
Currently have:
30GB OCX vertex 1 (ithink) its just about full
1TB caviar green which isn't even half full
own
a 150 or something Hitachi drive that was in my macbook before i swapped it for a Caviar blue
options
1. Wait for HDD drought to end/hope for a good deal via newegg or whatnot
2. get another 1TB caviar green for $90
3. Pay more for another SSD drive. like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220602 or this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148441\ $90 to $119
4. Create a new partition on my storage drive and move the operating system to that
5. Put in the Hitachi drive as new system drive
option 4 and 5 are obviously the cheapest and would allow me more time to wait for a better price in the future.
i just don't know
Downstairs; in the flower shop above which I live, which is closed because it's after 6.
Blaaaah.
That is unfortunate.
But Fractal R3, nice choice! Love mine. 8->
PSN: technical_ta
Would love something that will handle amped up graphics on WoW, SL and SW:ToR when it comes out.
Edit; Just need a tower, no keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers or anything like that.
So A) What do I need to learn about 2-card setups vs single,
Thanks, folks.
you'll also need to make sure your psu has the oomph to drive a pair of cards.
can you post your full system specs so we have a better idea what you're working with?
Also, how significant is the 1gb v 2gb vram? I have a dual-screen setup, but I only ever game on one.
Is that listed somewhere in the control panel or something? Otherwise I don't know what all falls into 'full system specs'
I feel like other than a few minor details and some price variation you can go either way based on your personal preference for aesthetics and have a very solid case.
the only thing my r3 doesn't have that I want is the ability to remove the hard drive cages.
Sadly. I don't have a copy of my WinXP and Neyla has Windows7 but I don't think you can do two installs on one OEM... Hell... I don't even think that "legal" is it?
The DS has a lifetime warranty.
Id like that and USB 3.0. And maybe an extra USB port or two on the front.
From what I can tell they are functionally identical other than the AR or KR at the end of the EVGA model number, although only one has a lifetime warranty. EVGA only lists the AR on the 560ti product page, but the KR is in their database. Go for whichever card has the lifetime warranty. The DS stands for Dual Shock which is EVGA's custom two fan cooler design. The cooler might perform better and be quieter under load than the stock cooler, but it vents the majority of the heat from the card into the case (not a problem if your case has a well designed cooling/fan arrangement).
1gb vs 2gb of ram comes into play if you're gaming at resolutions 1080p and higher with lots of Anti-aliasing or post processing. However some games, like BF3, take advantage of more ram on video cards. I've read on other forums that they're seeing BF3 use 1.4-1.5gb of ram on their 2gb cards, but cards with 1gb are not bottlenecked. If you're looking to future proof yourself or run SLI/Crossfire later on you'd be smart to get a 2gb card.
That would certainly be a violation of the End User Licensing Agreement.
they both have the same model number, just that one ends with AR signifying lifetime warranty, the other ends with KR indicating three year, so I'm fairly certain they are functionally the same card.
The ds appears to be some newegg identifying tag that doesn't mean anything for the actual card specs. E: or, its like said and they just didn't add it to the other card even though they both have the same cooler
Figured as much... so yes, I'll need a copy of Win7 or whatever :P
Best guess at what constitutes the vitals:
Vista 64-bit
8 GB RAM
Display adapter type NVIDIA GeForce GT 220
Total available graphics memory 4095 MB
Dedicated graphics memory 1024 MB
Dedicated system memory 0 MB
Shared system memory 3071 MB
Display adapter driver version 8.17.12.8562
Primary monitor resolution 1920x1080
DirectX version DirectX 10
I was all firm on my "not bothering with newegg again" stance until a few minutes ago. The DOA video card they sent me last week I returned on an RMA. I had initially just asked for a replacement, so I didn't bother sending in the crappy pack-in game (brothers in arms, maybe it's ok?). I changed my mind and just asked for a refund instead because I was annoyed at getting a second doa card from them, and when I got my invoice today it was minus $29.99, which was the game obviously. Well, the game is going for new on half.com for $1.50 so that wasn't going to work for me. I contacted newegg and said I could ship it back if I could get that money refunded and instead they just refunded it and said keep the game.
So..that was kinda cool of them.
Now I just have to re-decide if I'm going to bother with SLI right now as I'm pretty happy with the performance increase going to an i5 over my core2duo is already.
Origin: Galedrid - Nintendo: Galedrid/3222-6858-1045
Blizzard: Galedrid#1367 - FFXIV: Galedrid Kingshand
Unfortunately that doesn't let us know what motherboard you're packing, which is what we'd really need to know in order to make a call on SLI for you. Opening up the PC and taking a pic of the inside would help. My bet is that you're not SLI-capable, though, most off-the-shelf and even boutique units don't come with that standard.
Even if you were capable, though, SLI'd 220s doesn't exactly grab me, performance-wise.
Battle.net
I feel like a second 560Ti is a good choice.
- I have an ASUS P67Pro mobo.
- I have an Antec Truepower750. PSU calc says this is enough.
- The same model 560Ti I got from ASUS last time is back on NewEgg.
- I am a fan of the Batman, which is included as well.
This is a no-brainer, right?