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] - Haswell? More like Has...damnit, I had something for this...

13738404243109

Posts

  • mr_michmr_mich Mmmmagic. MDRegistered User regular
    With BF4 coming out, and 7950's going on sale...am I stupid for wanting to add a second one to my rig? I used to have Crossfire 6850's and sold them, then picked up a Sapphire 7950 and love it.

    My Z68 mobo can support it, and I've got an i5-2500k. The real question mark is whether or not my Corsair HX650 can roll two 7950's...from what I can tell it doesn't have the power connectors, and I'm reluctant to try and molex my way into it. It's probably not worth it; I'm sure BF4 will look great on a single 7950, even at 1440p.

  • AlectharAlecthar Alan Shore We're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered User regular
    mr_mich wrote: »
    With BF4 coming out, and 7950's going on sale...am I stupid for wanting to add a second one to my rig? I used to have Crossfire 6850's and sold them, then picked up a Sapphire 7950 and love it.

    My Z68 mobo can support it, and I've got an i5-2500k. The real question mark is whether or not my Corsair HX650 can roll two 7950's...from what I can tell it doesn't have the power connectors, and I'm reluctant to try and molex my way into it. It's probably not worth it; I'm sure BF4 will look great on a single 7950, even at 1440p.

    The HX650 should have enough molex connectors for both cards, at least if it's a recent model. It will easily handle dual 7950's, unless you have crazy numbers of HDDs and other stuff.

  • rizriz Registered User regular
    Yo. Is there a router thread I can't find? If not, I come here seeking wireless router advice. Friends recommended these $200 jobs that seem to be made for spanning entire homes. I'm in a one-bedroom apartment and my devices will either be hard-wired, a few feet away on the couch or at most one room away. There are a lot of other wireless signals crowding the airwaves here though. I'm running low on funds so I don't want to spend a ton on something fancy I don't need. Thoughts?

  • HamurabiHamurabi MiamiRegistered User regular
    I think buying a printer for grad school (read: lots of printing) is worth it.

    But I also realize now that it probably isn't worth min-maxing on a printer, and that I should just get whatever's cheap at Staples.

  • HamurabiHamurabi MiamiRegistered User regular
    Is there a particular reason that ATI cards are on sale like every day on NewEgg, but nVidia cards almost never are?

  • emp123emp123 Registered User regular
    Hamurabi wrote: »
    I think buying a printer for grad school (read: lots of printing) is worth it.

    But I also realize now that it probably isn't worth min-maxing on a printer, and that I should just get whatever's cheap at Staples.

    Honestly, I found it cheaper to print using the schools printer than I did to print from home. I think my school was charging 2-3c per single sided black and white page.

    I think my undergrad was pretty expensive though (I dont remember the price but I didnt use it because it was expensive), and my sister's masters program charged something closer to 5-7c.

  • Irate FetusIrate Fetus Registered User regular
    Alecthar wrote: »
    By "put this together" I assume you mean you actually built it. Aside from being significantly more expensive than necessary (why buy a Z77 board with 1 video card and a proc you can't overclock? Why a 750W supply for a single card? Why the 650D?) there's nothing wrong with it that an SSD won't cure. The GTX 680 is still a really great card, and the recent i5s are really close to each other in terms of stock performance, so it's unlikely you're really missing anything by not being on board with Haswell.

    That said, I wouldn't bother with an 840 Pro. It's really quite expensive, and you won't much of that performance on an everyday basis. The Samsung 840 EVO, Crucial M500, or (if you must go against the tide of popular opinion) Corsair Neutron are all solidly reliable SSDs with more than enough speed to satisfy virtually any consumer.

    If you haven't built the PC: What's your budget for the machine, do you want to overclock and what resolution is your monitor?


    Yeah, it was actually built nine months ago. I had no idea what I was doing (I’m still learning.) I’ll look into the SSDs you mentioned.

    I took my monitor with me on deployment and a coworker cracked the screen when he accidentally let go of the elastic band I was using to tie it down, he paid me back so I’m in the market for a new one. I might pick up two of these since I spend a lot of my free time drawing and the real estate of a dual monitor setup is really nice for painting. I also play games though, but I’m not super competitive about them.

    I’d like to overclock at some point in the future, but I think buying a processor capable of doing that right now would be a waste. I’ll just hold off for a year or so.

  • tsmvengytsmvengy Registered User regular
    Hamurabi wrote: »
    Is there a particular reason that ATI cards are on sale like every day on NewEgg, but nVidia cards almost never are?

    ATI is discounting cards to compete with the 760. Older nvidia cards like the 660ti have been on sale too!

    steam_sig.png
  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    Hamurabi wrote: »
    Is there a particular reason that ATI cards are on sale like every day on NewEgg, but nVidia cards almost never are?

    Because Nvidia are OWNING the market at the moment.

  • shwaipshwaip Registered User regular
    emp123 wrote: »
    Hamurabi wrote: »
    I think buying a printer for grad school (read: lots of printing) is worth it.

    But I also realize now that it probably isn't worth min-maxing on a printer, and that I should just get whatever's cheap at Staples.

    Honestly, I found it cheaper to print using the schools printer than I did to print from home. I think my school was charging 2-3c per single sided black and white page.

    I think my undergrad was pretty expensive though (I dont remember the price but I didnt use it because it was expensive), and my sister's masters program charged something closer to 5-7c.

    as someone who just finished grad school, you should see what printing options are available first. Before I got into a research lab, I just paid the per-page fee. After, I used the printer in the lab, for free.

    If you really want a printer, pick up a cheap black and white laser.

  • GriswoldGriswold that's rough, buddyRegistered User regular
    Capsaicin wrote: »
    So since I built my computer, I'm looking to do some benchmarking and stress testing. Any recommendations?

    Recently the A/C in my house died and internal temps were over 85 degrees F. I still decided to play Rome II and my CPU temp reached 70 degrees C (i7 4770k at stock clock speeds). This sorta had me worried that maybe I hadn't installed my CPU cooler properly (212 evo).

    Any tips?

    70C under load is not ridiculous. Haswell be hot.

    If you're hitting 85+ under non-stress-test circumstances, that might be slightly more concerning, but the chip won't throttle itself until 95C.

    FFXIV: Brick Shizzhouse - Zalera (Crystal)
    Path of Exile: snowcrash7
    MTG Arena: Snow_Crash#34179
    Battle.net: Snowcrash#1873
  • cardboard delusionscardboard delusions USAgent PSN: USAgent31Registered User regular
    This new BRIX computer looks pretty cool, still requires a HD, memory and OS but $500 isn't that bad. engadget.com/2013/09/12/gigabyte-brix-gaming-pc/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=feedly

    You could probably piece together an HTPC/Steambox yourself for cheaper though I'd imagine.

  • SmokeStacksSmokeStacks Registered User regular
    This new BRIX computer looks pretty cool, still requires a HD, memory and OS but $500 isn't that bad. engadget.com/2013/09/12/gigabyte-brix-gaming-pc/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=feedly

    You could probably piece together an HTPC/Steambox yourself for cheaper though I'd imagine.

    Adding the cost of RAM, a hard drive, and an OS, and you're looking at over $700... for an HTPC/gaming PC comprised of a Core i3 at 1.9GHz with integrated video.

    If you're looking for a mobile gaming PC, there are tons of LAN party cases out there that, although they aren't as small as a BRIX, are still easily movable, and will give you a considerably better value for your dollar. If you're building an HTPC than it probably won't be moving very often, which means you can probably use an HTPC case or mini/microATX case and still have it not take up much room in your entertainment center, and fit in with your other electronics. I guess if you needed a mobile ultraportable device and didn't want to carry around a laptop it might make sense (taking your PC to and from work maybe?), but I don't know.

    I just don't see the market for a device like that. I mean I'm having a hard time coming up with a usage scenario that would make it worth that much of a price premium compared to the tiny hobby PCs we already have. Yeah, it's a far cry ahead of the old ultracompact desktops that were rocking Intel Atoms, or whatever $35 Android/ARM microcomputer is popular right now, but there are other comparably specced NUCs that are cheaper.

    The only thing that really whets my whistle is the model with the integrated projector, but if they plan on using the case as a heatsink with a powerful CPU and a projector inside it than I think the thing is going to melt itself into slag.

  • CapsaicinCapsaicin I asked my 2 y/o son to draw a pic of my German mom, and thats what we got. Registered User regular
    Griswold wrote: »
    Capsaicin wrote: »
    So since I built my computer, I'm looking to do some benchmarking and stress testing. Any recommendations?

    Recently the A/C in my house died and internal temps were over 85 degrees F. I still decided to play Rome II and my CPU temp reached 70 degrees C (i7 4770k at stock clock speeds). This sorta had me worried that maybe I hadn't installed my CPU cooler properly (212 evo).

    Any tips?

    70C under load is not ridiculous. Haswell be hot.

    If you're hitting 85+ under non-stress-test circumstances, that might be slightly more concerning, but the chip won't throttle itself until 95C.

    After a reboot, my bios complained of a fan speed error. Looks like the fan on my cooler is having issues hitting 600 rpm. Might be time for a new fan.

    capsaicin_zps254b275f.png
  • HamurabiHamurabi MiamiRegistered User regular
    shwaip wrote: »
    emp123 wrote: »
    Hamurabi wrote: »
    I think buying a printer for grad school (read: lots of printing) is worth it.

    But I also realize now that it probably isn't worth min-maxing on a printer, and that I should just get whatever's cheap at Staples.

    Honestly, I found it cheaper to print using the schools printer than I did to print from home. I think my school was charging 2-3c per single sided black and white page.

    I think my undergrad was pretty expensive though (I dont remember the price but I didnt use it because it was expensive), and my sister's masters program charged something closer to 5-7c.

    as someone who just finished grad school, you should see what printing options are available first. Before I got into a research lab, I just paid the per-page fee. After, I used the printer in the lab, for free.

    If you really want a printer, pick up a cheap black and white laser.

    afaik, we just pay the regular per-sheet price, which is 10 cents/sheet. Given that professors don't seem to like duplexing, I can't halve that to $.05/sheet. I think given the number of papers I'll have to print in two years of a religious studies/PoliSci grad program, that a cheap Office Depot printer will more than pay for itself.

    If not in terms of sheer cost savings vs. printing at the library, then certainly in the peace of mind and convenience of being able to instantly print whatever I want without having to make a stop anywhere.

  • SoggybiscuitSoggybiscuit Tandem Electrostatic Accelerator Registered User regular
    This new BRIX computer looks pretty cool, still requires a HD, memory and OS but $500 isn't that bad. engadget.com/2013/09/12/gigabyte-brix-gaming-pc/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=feedly

    You could probably piece together an HTPC/Steambox yourself for cheaper though I'd imagine.

    Adding the cost of RAM, a hard drive, and an OS, and you're looking at over $700... for an HTPC/gaming PC comprised of a Core i3 at 1.9GHz with integrated video.

    If you're looking for a mobile gaming PC, there are tons of LAN party cases out there that, although they aren't as small as a BRIX, are still easily movable, and will give you a considerably better value for your dollar. If you're building an HTPC than it probably won't be moving very often, which means you can probably use an HTPC case or mini/microATX case and still have it not take up much room in your entertainment center, and fit in with your other electronics. I guess if you needed a mobile ultraportable device and didn't want to carry around a laptop it might make sense (taking your PC to and from work maybe?), but I don't know.

    I just don't see the market for a device like that. I mean I'm having a hard time coming up with a usage scenario that would make it worth that much of a price premium compared to the tiny hobby PCs we already have. Yeah, it's a far cry ahead of the old ultracompact desktops that were rocking Intel Atoms, or whatever $35 Android/ARM microcomputer is popular right now, but there are other comparably specced NUCs that are cheaper.

    The only thing that really whets my whistle is the model with the integrated projector, but if they plan on using the case as a heatsink with a powerful CPU and a projector inside it than I think the thing is going to melt itself into slag.

    I agree, but I can certainly see the value in one of those BRIX computers. Basically, the thing is about the same size as an AppleTV or Rokubox and it has IrisPro integrated graphics so its likely it wont be completely terrible at gaming. You aren't going to be building anything that small with that much power anytime soon.

    I am personally more interested in the upcoming Haswell NUCs - they are supposed to have an IR receiver built in! It would make an excellent htpc if that were the case. That would be an excellent pairing with a HDHomeRun Prime, and there is literally no way I could build anything smaller.

    Steam - Synthetic Violence | XBOX Live - Cannonfuse | PSN - CastleBravo | Twitch - SoggybiscuitPA
  • minirhyderminirhyder BerlinRegistered User regular
    Hi guys, I could use some help troubleshooting my sister's PC that I built recently.

    Facebook freezes when she uses Chrome. Only Facebook, not the entire browser.
    The entire computer freezes for some 5 seconds when she's using Firefox.

    That's it as far as I know. Where do I even start troubleshooting these issues?
    The OS is Win7 Ultimate and it's a fresh install and these problems persisted pretty much from day 1.

  • XeddicusXeddicus Registered User regular
    If it's just web browsers it's a software problem. Or virus. Windows update, scans of all kinds.

  • IncindiumIncindium Registered User regular
    The Firefox problem could be Flash related. Try making sure it's got the latest version of Flash installed. Also check that video drivers are current. Sometime old video drivers can cause problems when browsers are trying to use hardware acceleration for Flash or other plugins.

    steam_sig.png
    Nintendo ID: Incindium
    PSN: IncindiumX
  • NogginNoggin Registered User regular
    Ooo, my motherboard and video card became a combo, saving $22 and adding a 16 gb flash drive. And the fractal case dropped back to $80.

    Yuuuup

    Battletag: Noggin#1936
  • iRevertiRevert Tactical Martha Stewart Registered User regular
    edited September 2013
    minirhyder wrote: »
    Hi guys, I could use some help troubleshooting my sister's PC that I built recently.

    Facebook freezes when she uses Chrome. Only Facebook, not the entire browser.
    The entire computer freezes for some 5 seconds when she's using Firefox.

    That's it as far as I know. Where do I even start troubleshooting these issues?
    The OS is Win7 Ultimate and it's a fresh install and these problems persisted pretty much from day 1.

    Chrome has its own task manager you could pop that when it freezes and see if it can give you any info.

    Its only facebook that does it with firefox? It's sounding like some extension isn't up to date or is bugging out.

    iRevert on
  • AlectharAlecthar Alan Shore We're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered User regular
    Hamurabi wrote: »
    shwaip wrote: »
    emp123 wrote: »
    Hamurabi wrote: »
    I think buying a printer for grad school (read: lots of printing) is worth it.

    But I also realize now that it probably isn't worth min-maxing on a printer, and that I should just get whatever's cheap at Staples.

    Honestly, I found it cheaper to print using the schools printer than I did to print from home. I think my school was charging 2-3c per single sided black and white page.

    I think my undergrad was pretty expensive though (I dont remember the price but I didnt use it because it was expensive), and my sister's masters program charged something closer to 5-7c.

    as someone who just finished grad school, you should see what printing options are available first. Before I got into a research lab, I just paid the per-page fee. After, I used the printer in the lab, for free.

    If you really want a printer, pick up a cheap black and white laser.

    afaik, we just pay the regular per-sheet price, which is 10 cents/sheet. Given that professors don't seem to like duplexing, I can't halve that to $.05/sheet. I think given the number of papers I'll have to print in two years of a religious studies/PoliSci grad program, that a cheap Office Depot printer will more than pay for itself.

    If not in terms of sheer cost savings vs. printing at the library, then certainly in the peace of mind and convenience of being able to instantly print whatever I want without having to make a stop anywhere.

    I've seen this B/W Laser recommended on The Wirecutter. I wouldn't buy a cheap inkjet, you'll spend a shitload of money on ink, and it will break halfway through a job at some point and you'll just buy a new cheap inkject rather than waste the time replacing a $30 printer.

    I think scanning can just as easily be done with a phone or tablet camera. If you need to scan a lot of stuff, or do really high quality scans, a separate scanner would probably be better anyway.

  • ZxerolZxerol for the smaller pieces, my shovel wouldn't do so i took off my boot and used my shoeRegistered User regular
    Yeah go laser or bust. Fuck inkjets forever.

  • AlectharAlecthar Alan Shore We're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered User regular
    Zxerol wrote: »
    Yeah go laser or bust. Fuck inkjets forever.

    Truer words and all that.

  • cardboard delusionscardboard delusions USAgent PSN: USAgent31Registered User regular
    I was wondering if anyone is running SLI GTX 670s or something of the like. Trying to determine if I should grab another or just sell it and get a brand new card with at least 3GB of VRAM. Looking at new titles and especially BF4.

  • minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    I was wondering if anyone is running SLI GTX 670s or something of the like. Trying to determine if I should grab another or just sell it and get a brand new card with at least 3GB of VRAM. Looking at new titles and especially BF4.

    I am, and I've never met a game I couldn't max out at 1440p.

    Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
  • IanatorIanator Gaze upon my works, ye mighty and facepalm.Registered User regular
    vegeta_666 wrote: »
    I got everything (including my new 7950!) installed in my new case with a new PSU! Games run so well now and it is the best thing ever.

    However there's a bit of an oddity. When I turn on the computer it will turn on for a brief moment, lights and fans and everything and then seemingly switch off. A few seconds later it will boot again and will start to run properly. Any reason for this? Should I be concerned?

    Edit: Also there's a huge side case fan that came with it that can be seen it in the second picture. It doesn't seem to plug in anywhere on the motherboard though, not the usual fan spots.

    Maybe a bit late, but re: the fan, if the plug can't reach any of the mobo fan headers I think the front 3-way fan switch has an open header behind the front of the case.

    steam_sig.png
    Twitch | Blizzard: Ianator#1479 | 3DS: Ianator - 1779 2336 5317 | FFXIV: Iana Ateliere (NA Sarg)
    Backlog Challenge List
  • HamurabiHamurabi MiamiRegistered User regular
    Alecthar wrote: »
    Hamurabi wrote: »
    shwaip wrote: »
    emp123 wrote: »
    Hamurabi wrote: »
    I think buying a printer for grad school (read: lots of printing) is worth it.

    But I also realize now that it probably isn't worth min-maxing on a printer, and that I should just get whatever's cheap at Staples.

    Honestly, I found it cheaper to print using the schools printer than I did to print from home. I think my school was charging 2-3c per single sided black and white page.

    I think my undergrad was pretty expensive though (I dont remember the price but I didnt use it because it was expensive), and my sister's masters program charged something closer to 5-7c.

    as someone who just finished grad school, you should see what printing options are available first. Before I got into a research lab, I just paid the per-page fee. After, I used the printer in the lab, for free.

    If you really want a printer, pick up a cheap black and white laser.

    afaik, we just pay the regular per-sheet price, which is 10 cents/sheet. Given that professors don't seem to like duplexing, I can't halve that to $.05/sheet. I think given the number of papers I'll have to print in two years of a religious studies/PoliSci grad program, that a cheap Office Depot printer will more than pay for itself.

    If not in terms of sheer cost savings vs. printing at the library, then certainly in the peace of mind and convenience of being able to instantly print whatever I want without having to make a stop anywhere.

    I've seen this B/W Laser recommended on The Wirecutter. I wouldn't buy a cheap inkjet, you'll spend a shitload of money on ink, and it will break halfway through a job at some point and you'll just buy a new cheap inkject rather than waste the time replacing a $30 printer.

    I think scanning can just as easily be done with a phone or tablet camera. If you need to scan a lot of stuff, or do really high quality scans, a separate scanner would probably be better anyway.

    Yeah, I think this is the one I wind up pulling the trigger on.

    For scanning I can just use my phone or our library's really nice scanners that will email me PDFs.

  • TheCanManTheCanMan GT: Gasman122009 JerseyRegistered User regular
    I always forget where everyone buys their cables online. Could someone help me out?

  • emp123emp123 Registered User regular
    TheCanMan wrote: »
    I always forget where everyone buys their cables online. Could someone help me out?

    monoprice.com

  • bowenbowen How you doin'? Registered User regular
    Make sure to bulk order cables, because the shipping is a tad bit crazy on them.

    Was going to get an iphone cable, even though with shipping it's still cheaper than bestbuy, decided I'd get 3 just to have spares if I'm dropping $10 on shipping.

    not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
  • TheCanManTheCanMan GT: Gasman122009 JerseyRegistered User regular
    bowen wrote: »
    Make sure to bulk order cables, because the shipping is a tad bit crazy on them.

    Was going to get an iphone cable, even though with shipping it's still cheaper than bestbuy, decided I'd get 3 just to have spares if I'm dropping $10 on shipping.

    Ordered a couple of 3' 3.5mm M-to-M mobile audio cables, and shipping was only $2. I got two of them because they're so cheap (both because they probably won't last long and they cost so little they might as well be disposable).

  • bowenbowen How you doin'? Registered User regular
    Ah, I refuse to use their lowest level option because the post office apparently refuses to deliver packages to me. That explains it then. I must've done the same thing then too.

    not a doctor, not a lawyer, examples I use may not be fully researched so don't take out of context plz, don't @ me
  • minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    Yeah, Monoprice has cheap shipping, but if you're on the east coast it takes like two fucking weeks or so to arrive.

    Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
  • SoggybiscuitSoggybiscuit Tandem Electrostatic Accelerator Registered User regular
    edited September 2013
    Yeah, Monoprice has cheap shipping, but if you're on the east coast it takes like two fucking weeks or so to arrive.

    Which I why I use Amazon for everything. If you need an HDMI cable (6 foot), Amazon is actually cheaper w/2 day shipping (if you've got prime, of course).

    Soggybiscuit on
    Steam - Synthetic Violence | XBOX Live - Cannonfuse | PSN - CastleBravo | Twitch - SoggybiscuitPA
  • PrecursorPrecursor Registered User regular
    Hey guys,

    I'm having some issues with my HDD, specs below:

    Intel i5-2500k
    ASUS P8Z68-V
    G.Skill 2x4GB DDR3 1333 1.5V
    MIS 6950 2GB Twin Frozr
    Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB
    Antec TruePower New 650W

    I'll occasionally get times where my screen will freeze and the HDD light comes on and I can hear the HDD rapidly seeking. After about 10 seconds it'll snap out of it. Is my HDD dying or is this kind of performance normal? I know in the summer the temp will get up as high at 39°C. Did the heat damage it? It idles at 34°C.

    Quashdom.png
  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    Hmm. Is there any free space on your hard drive, and have you messed with your virtual memory settings?

  • XeddicusXeddicus Registered User regular
    And those temps are fine. So if it is dying it wasn't from heat.

  • iRevertiRevert Tactical Martha Stewart Registered User regular
    @minirhyder

    Any change in the facebook freezing after updating flash/java/etc

  • tsmvengytsmvengy Registered User regular
    Precursor wrote: »
    Hey guys,

    I'm having some issues with my HDD, specs below:

    Intel i5-2500k
    ASUS P8Z68-V
    G.Skill 2x4GB DDR3 1333 1.5V
    MIS 6950 2GB Twin Frozr
    Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB
    Antec TruePower New 650W

    I'll occasionally get times where my screen will freeze and the HDD light comes on and I can hear the HDD rapidly seeking. After about 10 seconds it'll snap out of it. Is my HDD dying or is this kind of performance normal? I know in the summer the temp will get up as high at 39°C. Did the heat damage it? It idles at 34°C.

    Could be dying, could also be a software issue. You could try using resource monitor to see what is accessing the drive when this problem comes up.

    steam_sig.png
This discussion has been closed.