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So what I'm gathering is that the problem with the 7700 in my case is that it overperforms for the streaming + SC2/Dota2 capabilities I want to run, but it will be an underperforming card in the future in comparison to other upgrades? If I'm considering playing other games in the future, should I consider investing in a better card now, or just upgrading the card when the time arises? I'm leaning towards just sticking with the 7700 (I don't mind the extra power) because, in addition to having the option to upgrade, it simplifies my needs at the PSU. I think I'm going to go to with the Rosewill because it is really well built (as I see that now from the 80+ Gold rating).
From the feedback you guys have given, it seems like I don't have to worry about the SSD too much; I have numerous options. It seems like if I do opt for the 840 Pro, I might have a little troubleshooting to do in the future but it doesn't seem too serious.
Myrmidon, thanks for clearing up the fan thing for me. I understand a lot better now. However, I'm not sure what you mean about the Z77 vs. Z87 boards. How will that affect my current build? Are you saying don't look at the Haswell 277 mobos? I'm really not sure which mobo to choose; I don't want to deal with too many headaches regarding it.
I just wanna make sure this rig can handle OC and streaming as well. Thanks for being patient with me guys 
On May 19 2013 16:54 Ropid wrote: About the mobo, don't overlook the GA-Z77X-D3H. It has pretty much the exact same performance as the -UD3H. It's missing power/reset buttons, a number display for errors, and Gigabyte says the UD3H uses more copper (no joke). Those extra features all sound suspiciously useless.
Thanks for the input Ropid. I'll definitely take a look at both of these, and compare them as well as taking a look at what Haswell plans to release.
Now looking at the SSD, if there really will be not much performance difference between the 830, 840, and 840P, I'll probably opt for the 830 or the 840. I do have an HDD I can use to back stuff up as well.
Current build stands at: mobo: GA-Z77X-D3H/UD3H SSD: 840/m4 ~$100 PSU: Rosewill Capstone 450 ~$60 CPU: intel i5 3570k. ~$220 GPU: AMD radeon hd7770 ~$110 HD7770? Can someone please confirm this is the correct GPU? I have no idea which one it is.
HSF: HR-02 Macho ~$55 Case: Open to suggeston
That puts me at about... $545 + mobo cost + case cost.
Also I see that the samsung 840 SSD has one at 128 GB and one at 250 GB, which one should I get?
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Well I'm confused with what you're getting...
The current boards which is Z77 that you see on Newegg are for Ivybridge (eg. Core i5 3570k). They're not going to work with Haswell (eg. Core i5 4670k).
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On May 19 2013 17:13 skyR wrote: Well I'm confused with what you're getting...
The current boards which is Z77 that you see on Newegg are for Ivybridge (eg. Core i5 3570k). They're not going to work with Haswell (eg. Core i5 4670k).
I'm kind of confused as to what I'm getting too 
So you're saying if I get an intel Corei5 3570k, then I should definitely not get a Haswell?
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Haswell are the next CPUs being released by Intel. So if you were to purchase a Core i5 3570k (Ivybridge) then you wouldn't need to get a Haswell unless you want two computers?
You're also missing memory.
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On May 19 2013 17:36 skyR wrote: Haswell are the next CPUs being released by Intel. So if you were to purchase a Core i5 3570k (Ivybridge) then you wouldn't need to get a Haswell unless you want two computers?
You're also missing memory.
I dunno, people kept talking about a Haswell so I have no idea lol. I'm going to re-use some older RAM sticks that I have. I'm under the assumption that the Core i5 3570k is a really good CPU, sufficient for streaming SC2 and DotA2 while also handling the overclock, so I think I'm going to stick with that (if I'm correct).
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Define old. To work with what you are planning to buy it needs to be DDR3. Also if it's 1067Mhz or Single channel you probably want to consider buying new RAM.
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On May 19 2013 17:55 iTzSnypah wrote: Define old. To work with what you are planning to buy it needs to be DDR3. Also if it's 1067Mhz or Single channel you probably want to consider buying new RAM.
I don't know what anything you said means, but how much will 8GB of new ram will cost me? I heard someone say arond $35 for 8GB. Is that correct?
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Depends a lot. Speed latency capacity manufacturer eg.
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2x4gb typically costs $50-$70 now. $35 is outdated pricing.
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On May 19 2013 17:00 Jugan wrote: So what I'm gathering is that the problem with the 7700 in my case is that it overperforms for the streaming + SC2/Dota2 capabilities I want to run, but it will be an underperforming card in the future in comparison to other upgrades?
The 7770 is only bad choice for easy-to-run games like SC2/Dota2 inasmuch as it is more expensive than a 7750.
Basically, for those easy-to-run games the 7750 will run them on maximum graphics settings no problem. But for harder to run games (say the Total War series or Battlefield 3 or whatever), neither of those two graphics cards will easily run those games on maximum graphics settings- though the 7770 will allow somewhat higher quality graphics settings than the 7770. And you can go better still with a more expensive card. So basically if you really only play SC2/Dota2, then you may as well save $20-30 and get the cheaper 7750. If graphics-intensive games are actually important to you, then you might consider a better card than the 7770 given your budget. And last - streaming adds no additional stress or demands on your graphics card.
As for the other thing, tech-minded folks are all a-twitter about Haswell because it's the next big CPU-family release. Ivy Bridge is the current-gen CPU family release.
ix-3xxx = Ivy Bridge, for instance i5-3570k ix-4xxx = Haswell, for instance... I think it's i5-4670k, but I don't know what the actual product # will be.
For Ivy Bridge chips you need a 7-series mobo (aka socket 1155). As in Z77 or B75. For Haswell chips you will need an 8-series mobo (aka socket 1150). As in Z87 and whateever the non-overclocking designations will be.
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Sandy Bridge: Prior version of Intel CPUs (2700K, 3930K). These used the same socket that Ivy Bridge uses -- LGA 1155 -- but had somewhat different chipsets (a BIOS flash could enable compatibility on some SB chipsets for IB chips).
Ivy Bridge: Current latest version of Intel CPUs (3570k, 3770k, etc.). Z77 mobos are the chipset that support Ivy Bridge and allow overclocking. There are other chipsets which have different features, but do NOT support overclocking (some basic info: http://www.pugetsystems.com/blog/2012/04/12/z68-z77-and-h77-whats-the-difference/ )
Haswell: Next version of Intel CPUs, coming in June (4770k, etc.). Z87 mobos are the chipset that will support Haswell and allow overclocking, iirc.
Note that you physically cannot install a CPU of one socket into a motherboard that doesn't support that socket.
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Can somebody recommend/link me to a "stock" put-to-gether computer that will run HOTS on ultra settings smoothly? Obviously the cheaper the better.
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Wow, you guys have been truly amazing in helping me. I really appreciate all the effort you guys are putting in to help me understand. I'll probably spend for either 4GB or 8GB of ram, my friend tells me 4GB is all I really need.
I think I'm going to stick with an Ivy Bridge i5 3570k and go with a Z77 mother board. Do you guys think the price will drop for both of them when Haswell comes out? I'm looking for something reliable, and since we don't know how well Haswell will do, this seems like the correct choice for me. However, I also want to make sure this is the correct choice for the streaming and overclocking I want to do as well.
Also, I'm curious as to what you guys suggest as an upgrade to the hd7770, along with some examples of games the upgrade would help run on ultra settings.
For the SSD, I think I'm going to settle on getting the Samsung 840 series. Should I get the 120GB or the 250GB version? I've been finding the 120 for around $100, and the 250 for around $170. Wondering if that is accurate pricing, or if I'm looking in the wrong place. Also, the CrucialM4 is only about $70; how big of a downgrade would it be from an 840?
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On May 20 2013 04:21 Jugan wrote: Wow, you guys have been truly amazing in helping me. I really appreciate all the effort you guys are putting in to help me understand. I'll probably spend for either 4GB or 8GB of ram, my friend tells me 4GB is all I really need.
I wouldn't really go for 4 GB anymore these days. Right now, I have SC2 open taking 1.8 GB, Firefox with quite some tabs checks in at 0.9 GB and then there's various other programs that are between 50 and 150 MB. In total you can hit your 4 GB limit without trying too much if you like to keep programs active.
I think I'm going to stick with an Ivy Bridge i5 3570k and go with a Z77 mother board. Do you guys think the price will drop for both of them when Haswell comes out? I'm looking for something reliable, and since we don't know how well Haswell will do, this seems like the correct choice for me. However, I also want to make sure this is the correct choice for the streaming and overclocking I want to do as well. Intel doesn't drop prices on older models when they introduce a new generation, so don't expect massive discounts of Ivy Bridge stuff. Retailers may offer some discount in order to clear out old stock, but don't count on anything worth mentioning.
Also, I'm curious as to what you guys suggest as an upgrade to the hd7770, along with some examples of games the upgrade would help run on ultra settings. Leaving that question for someone else to answer.
For the SSD, I think I'm going to settle on getting the Samsung 840 series. Should I get the 120GB or the 250GB version? I've been finding the 120 for around $100, and the 250 for around $170. Wondering if that is accurate pricing, or if I'm looking in the wrong place. Prices seem to be in the right range. What size to get depends on how much stuff you intend on storing on the SSD. Ideally, keep at least 20% of the space free, so the wear leveling algorithms can be more effective and you retain good performance. A 120 GB model will fit Windows, your basic software (browser, mailclient, skype, etc...) as well as 2-4 games (depending on the size) with some room to spare.
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Thanks for the input Ram. I really do like running multiple programs at once, so I think I'll go to 8GB. I might end up buying the 250gb SSD if I can only fit 2-4 games on a 120GB model. I do, however, have a 1tb external that I can use for media and whatnot.
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I think 4GB is fine if you're stuck, especially in current RAM prices. SC2 takes up less than 2GB. I have mine at 1.6GB after playing for an hour. It may require you to be a bit prudent with your active programmes (no million tabs open in Chrome + half a dozen other programmes running, but all in all, it's very doable.
An ancillary reason might be that swapping programmes in and out of memory on an SSD won't be too bad, will it? I don't want to use this as the main reason though. Pricing and prudence justify 4GB in some cases in my opinion :D
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If my video card only has DVI out, and I have a DVI to HDMI converter such as this, will I be able to plug the HDMI into my television and have audio?
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Afaik the signal output by recent GPU through their DVI-D ouput meets the HDMI specifications, including audio, so yes it should work. a source
[Edit: tested an old Nvidia 260, and it seems to work]
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On May 20 2013 17:02 Mandarinez wrote:If my video card only has DVI out, and I have a DVI to HDMI converter such as this, will I be able to plug the HDMI into my television and have audio?
No DVI does not carry Audio.
Usual solution would be getting an optical audio cable and using both DVI and optical cables. But ofc check you have optical on your computer and tv.
Edit: apparently I am wrong maybe?
Quote from Wiki "So, DVI-D devices output HDMI signals, many including audio, (examples: ATI 3000-series and NVIDIA GTX 200-series video cards),[7] and some multimedia displays input that HDMI signal, including audio, by using a DVI to HDMI adapter. Exact capabilities vary by video card specifications."
Interesting, so it could work if your gpu is even slightly recent (last 5-6 years). Also your tv might need support for a newer HDMI revision.
And as Ropid says, if you have onboard graphics then everything is much simpler.
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