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Ram upgrade question :
I have 8GB in 4*2GB right now (the 4*2 was a better deal than any 2*4GB I could find at that point), but I'm running so many things at once I need to upgrade (firefox often crashes because of OOM for example)
Should I get 1*8GB (making it 8-2-2-2) or 2*8GB (making it 8-2-8-2) ? I would prefer 1*8GB because I couldn't find a 2*8GB that was cheaper than the equivalent 2*(1*8GB) but I'm afraid of the performance hit of losing dual channel (I know how to check for timings and voltages btw, but is there something else to check for to ensure compatibility ?)
I mean, I don't actually know how much of a difference dual channel makes ?
I will get a 2nd stick someday anyway, so I'm basically asking if it can wait until I need it or if it's important to get it at the same time.
I don't want to use a pagefile (for dumb reasons, but I'm stubborn) so that's not a solution.
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That Firefox problem you have might be because it's a 32-bit program on Windows, you have a lot of tabs open, and some of your extensions don't behave well regarding memory use. If that's the case, it won't be fixed with more RAM.
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On November 30 2013 23:49 Ropid wrote:
That Firefox problem you have might be because it's a 32-bit program on Windows, you have a lot of tabs open, and some of your extensions don't behave well regarding memory use. If that's the case, it won't be fixed with more RAM.
I use nightly x64, so that's not it (plus, I'm around 7.6GB/8 when that happens)
And it's not the only program that crashes, basically it's the program that asks for more memory at the wrong time, which is often firefox because it's the one whose memory requirements change most often (opening tabs)
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On November 30 2013 22:23 Bleak wrote:
Just bought this system. I truly think it was well worth it and will serve me well, just want some opinions:
CPU: Intel i5-4570
GPU: Nvidia GTX-680
RAM: 8 GB
1 TB Western Digital HDD
I got pretty much that recently (except 7870 vs 680, and ssd vs hdd), around 500 for the full build, so if you're around that then it was probably pretty good (probably a little more considering the 680).
It should serve you well for any current gen games.
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On November 30 2013 23:52 Natolumin wrote:Show nested quote +On November 30 2013 23:49 Ropid wrote:
That Firefox problem you have might be because it's a 32-bit program on Windows, you have a lot of tabs open, and some of your extensions don't behave well regarding memory use. If that's the case, it won't be fixed with more RAM. I use nightly x64, so that's not it (plus, I'm around 7.6GB/8 when that happens)
If you buy two of those single 8GB sticks, you should get the exact same timings on them, so no difference to buying a 2x8GB kit.
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On November 30 2013 23:53 Dgiese wrote:Show nested quote +On November 30 2013 22:23 Bleak wrote:
Just bought this system. I truly think it was well worth it and will serve me well, just want some opinions:
CPU: Intel i5-4570
GPU: Nvidia GTX-680
RAM: 8 GB
1 TB Western Digital HDD
I got pretty much that recently (except 7870 vs 680, and ssd vs hdd), around 500 for the full build, so if you're around that then it was probably pretty good (probably a little more considering the 680). It should serve you well for any current gen games.
Well I live in Turkey so prices are more extravagant. It costed quite alot, however as far as I can see for what I intend to use it for (everyday use + mainly gaming on 1920x1080 ultra/max settings) this setup seems like it's going to be pretty good for quite a while. However if you got all of them for 500 usd...Damn...It costs more like 1k here because of Dollar vs Turkish Lira currency exchange stuff  Thankfully I have the cash.
The PC has not arrived yet, I have a question: This is the first time I'm using a NVIDIA GPU. Does it have anything similar to Catalyst Control Center where I can set default resolution/HDMI setup etc.? And is there anything important that I should know about this?
Also, this new setup will be on Windows 8. Anything not really working well on W8?
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Everything's fine about Windows 8 as far as I know, perhaps working better than on Windows 7.
Right-click menu on the desktop has a "NVIDIA Control Panel" entry.
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On November 30 2013 23:58 Ropid wrote:Show nested quote +On November 30 2013 23:52 Natolumin wrote:On November 30 2013 23:49 Ropid wrote:
That Firefox problem you have might be because it's a 32-bit program on Windows, you have a lot of tabs open, and some of your extensions don't behave well regarding memory use. If that's the case, it won't be fixed with more RAM. I use nightly x64, so that's not it (plus, I'm around 7.6GB/8 when that happens) If you buy two of those single 8GB sticks, you should get the exact same timings on them, so no difference to buying a 2x8GB kit.
You're getting out of memory errors when your up to 7.6/8GB RAM. Silly question - do you have swap disabled? Because it's entirely possible that's why you are getting OOM errors. Also, why do you have swap disabled? (Erm, age showing. Swap aka Paging File aka Virtual Memory.)
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Hi TL gurus!
I wanted to get your input before I make the purchases for my system upgrade to see if I have my head in the right direction.
The most taxing thing I'll use the system for is gaming.
What is your current build?
To be upgraded:
AMD Phenom 9850 Quad-core 2.5ghz
Dual EVGA 9800 GTXs in SLI (which has extended my build for sooo long)1
ASUS M2N-SLI mobo
To be kept: (unless suggested otherwise of course)
Antec 1200 case
Antec CP-850
Transcend 128gb SSD
WD Black HDD 1TB
To what are you thinking of upgrading?
$150 3rd gen i5-3670K at Microcenter:
$250 GTX 760, either the extra long Gigabyte version or the EVGA equivalent + Show Spoiler + leaning toward the EVGA as I've had such good luck with their customer service.
$130-150 The 8x/8x SLI capable version of the Z77 board from Gigabyte or ASUS
$60-90 8GB DDR3 RAM... here I'm hoping for suggestions for what clock speed/brands/etc I should shoot for.
Do you plan on overclocking? Other misc needs?
I don't plan on immediately over-clocking but I would like the option to milk the most time out of the build.
I do plan on buying another GTX 760 for SLI whenever the price drops precipitously or i start noticing a big dip in performance. I've had such good luck extending builds with SLI that I aim to keep on with that.
What is your monitor's native resolution?
I currently run two monitors, one in 1920x1080 and another in 1680x1050. Gaming is all done in 1920x1080 and the side monitor run streams at the same time occasionally.
Why do you want to upgrade? What do you want to achieve with the upgrade?
The impetus for the upgrade is a slowly failing GPU. I've been getting kernel restarts during intense applications that have been gradually getting worse. They aren't however solved by clean driver wipes, going back to an old driver build, re-seating the cards, etc etc... I think it's just heat and age and all that fun stuff.
What is your budget?
As close to 500 as possible, and yes I know I'm over with my estimation as of now. This is not a hardcap, but a general guideline of getting the absolute most bang for around this price point. I'd rather spend more than 500 and get a good build. This is the reason for the i5-3670 as I feel it's the best bang for your buck particularly at the 150 price point, but I'm willing to spend the 250 on the 7series nvidia card (unless otherwise directed to a more cost efficient card).
What country will you be buying your parts in?
USA
If you have any brand or retailer preferences, please specify.
I have amazon prime, but am not wedded to it. For the processor I've set aside the day to drive to Microcenter tomorrow and make that purchase.
Any guidance you could offer would be greatly appreciated!
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On November 30 2013 23:52 Natolumin wrote:Show nested quote +On November 30 2013 23:49 Ropid wrote:
That Firefox problem you have might be because it's a 32-bit program on Windows, you have a lot of tabs open, and some of your extensions don't behave well regarding memory use. If that's the case, it won't be fixed with more RAM. I use nightly x64, so that's not it (plus, I'm around 7.6GB/8 when that happens) And it's not the only program that crashes, basically it's the program that asks for more memory at the wrong time, which is often firefox because it's the one whose memory requirements change most often (opening tabs)
I've left both chrome and Pale Moon open for a week and got low memory warnings on 8GB. Neither browser are really memory efficient haha.
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@Kronen
I have two comments to make however this is somewhat personal opinion.
If you're upgrading your processor, why not go with the most recent generation? I'm talking about Haswell and getting an i5 4670k. It's more expensive, that's for sure, but it's also better than the 3570k. It's $200 at microcenter, so for $50 you're getting the most recent generation, which is good in the long run. $50 is $50, a good heatsink is like $70 so... just throwing that out there, food for though.
Second comment is about the GPU you're going to get. GTX 760 is a good card there's no doubt, however if you're going to upgrade in the future with SLI, why not get the AMD equivalent, which is the 7950, with 3 Gb of VRAM? The GTX 760 only comes in 2 Gb versions (and if it does come in 4 Gb versions then it's probably silly priced). That way you're future proofing yourself, as of today there are two games that already use more than 2 Gb of VRAM at 1080p (Crysis 3 and BF4) so with a 3 Gb card you're sure not to hit that bottleneck (since games in the future can be assumed to be more demanding than current ones).
I realize that a GTX 760 will reach its chip's limit before its VRAM limit on such games, however if you're going to SLI/Crossfire, then the extra muscle you're getting might get bottlenecked by VRAM.
So something like this card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202007&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=
It's not like the 760 is that much better (if at all) than the 7950. Just my 2 cents
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If I am buying ivy bridge and mobo, Does the H6x mobo have issues with ivy bridge? I read it need additional bios upgrade. What should I get then? H7x or B7x?
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6 series boards need a BIOS update to support Ivybridge so you would need a Sandybridge processor first in order to update the BIOS. Some manufacturers do however ship boards with updated BIOS (which is advertised as Ivybridge Support or whatever).
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@Incognito
I'm totally open to the AMD cards and was honestly hoping for some expertise in that arena. I've had good luck with my Nvidias and like the driver updates and programs generally, but have friends who swear by AMD. Also Xfire is for whatever reason opens up board options because if its ease of use. The 7950 at the price point you mention with 3gb is almost universally out of stock however. Is there an equivalent in the R-whatever series? or a vendor that you know has it in stock? I'll scour the racks of Microcenter too.
Yes, the heatsink negates the cost of the mobo generation choice, but if I'm going OC I'm goign to need a good heatsink anyway. The choice was just a proportional one as you'll pay 30% more for what is estimated to be a 7%-10% upgrade in performance. My gut is leaning towards the older generation just because of the cost effectiveness alone. I could be swayed either way honestly if the argument for build safety could be made as the older generation does run hot.
EDIT: microcenter doesn't even list 7950s so probably a no-go there as well :-(.
EDIT: If the VRAM is a potential bottle-neck, would I be better served with a 660 and 3gbs over the 760? They're roughly the same price point.
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@skyR OMG beautiful find! Thank you much, I'll be keeping an eye on that in the coming hours. Thanks also for the R9 info. I'll finagle and see what I can muster on that front as well. I'm intrigued by the possibility of a VRAM bottle-neck as it had not occurred to me. My concern is tempered by your initial post saying to not worry unless a game I'm looking forward to is going to utilize more than the 2gb mark. Honestly, I'm not that big of an FPSer, and when I do play them, I'm comfortable playing on lower settings to get max FPS (thank you years of dual 9800s, lol).
EDIT: skyR, how the hell did you find that price? derp found it... thanks all the same though!! :-)
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On December 01 2013 01:58 felisconcolori wrote:
You're getting out of memory errors when your up to 7.6/8GB RAM. Silly question - do you have swap disabled? Because it's entirely possible that's why you are getting OOM errors. Also, why do you have swap disabled? (Erm, age showing. Swap aka Paging File aka Virtual Memory.)
Yes I have swap disabled : my HDDs are spinned down 90% of the time (thanks to using ramdisks for things like firefox cache and other volatile information), so my system is quite silent. I don't want the disks spinning up to use the pagefile.
On November 30 2013 23:58 Ropid wrote:
If you buy two of those single 8GB sticks, you should get the exact same timings on them, so no difference to buying a 2x8GB kit.
That's not exactly my question, I would only get one single 8GB stick if possible, but since it's not the same size as the sticks currently in my system, the mobo wouldn't be using dual channel. I think the performance impact of this would be minimal (and I haven't seen any indication of the contrary) but I want to be sure it wouldn't cause any problems : if you put two sticks that don't dual channel together in dual channel emplacements, does it still work ?
(Or I could buy one, try and buy a second afterwards if necessary, that's also a solution I guess)
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Holy shit the NH-D14 looks fucking huge. I think it'll fit though. Silly question, but motherboards seem so flimsy...How does it support a 1.2kg heatsink hanging off the side that's attached with such little leverage?
Edit: Also, is it normal to take a few days for NCIX to invoice/process orders on Black Friday?
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NCIX only processes orders on weekdays.
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On December 01 2013 06:12 Mavvie wrote:
Holy shit the NH-D14 looks fucking huge. I think it'll fit though. Silly question, but motherboards seem so flimsy...How does it support a 1.2kg heatsink hanging off the side that's attached with such little leverage?
Edit: Also, is it normal to take a few days for NCIX to invoice/process orders on Black Friday?
The big heatsinks are mounted on a backplate on the other side, which provides some support.
In practice it seems rarely a problem unless the system is being handled roughly in transit.
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EPT
