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I'm finally starting to pick up parts for the computer I asked for advice on before.
+ Show Spoiler +On April 28 2014 11:36 skyR wrote:Show nested quote +On April 28 2014 10:31 Durak wrote:+ Show Spoiler +Looking for recommendations for parts for a new computer. There is no rush so I would like to get the parts at a good price.
Purpose: The computer is not going to be used for gaming. There will be some picture and video editing.
Resolution: 5120x1440. Already have two U713HM.
Budget: $800 max. Would rather be around $600 since performance doesn't need to be fantastic.
Parts: I am primarily concerned with cost-effective speed so I think SSD, CPU, and RAM are the most important. I'm willing to spend more for parts that are significantly better or harder to upgrade.
SSD: 240/256GB or a fast 120+ is preferable since I don't want to replace it later. I can make due with 128 because there won't any big games to take up space and I will use separate drives for storage.
HDD: 1TB+ unless there is some super cheap 500GB. Storage is cheap and I can always get more later.
CPU+RAM: All about cost-efficiency. I would be happy to spend more here if it will make a difference, as there won't be any gaming, but doesn't need to be the best.
GPU: Since there won't be any gaming, I doubt the videocard matters. The monitors allow for a lot of different connection types but I assume there would be some benefit for using 2x displayport or minidisplay-displayport?
PSU: don't need a lot of power since not gaming. Whatever is on sale and reliable.
Mobo+Case: Doesn't need to be big or allow for expansion.
Will install Windows 7 or 8 on the computer. I can probably get a legal copy of either for free so it depends which you suggest. I am thinking Windows 8 because it probably has performance and compatibility benefits.
Retailer preferences: Buying parts in Canada. I have a local Memory Express and I'm used to shipping from NCIX. Open to other retailers if there are price advantages.
P.S. I might also have a set of DDR3 2x4GB 1333MHz Patriot Gamer 2 Series RAM from a friend. If you suggest 1600MHz RAM or a mobo that isn't compatible, don't let this fact deter you.
Thanks for any suggestions! I'm happy monitoring NCIX for deals but I would like an idea of what to look for. For SSD, you're looking for a Samsung 840 EVO which is currently $95 for 120GB or $160 for 250GB. 120GB goes as low as $85 iirc and 250GB was down to roughly $140 just two or three weeks ago. If you don't mind something slower than there's also the Crucial M500 which is $130 for 240GB right now and was $120 a few weeks ago. Power supply selection in Canada sucks really bad, your best option is probably getting a Capstone 450 or 550-M from Newegg for $60 or $70 respectively using the $10 off new customer coupon. I don't think anything lower is worth it. For case, you can go with the Fractal Design Core 1000 for $25 (w/ promo code 422WTB06, ends 4/28) if you want something cheap though there is an enormous shipping fee ($15), at least on my screen. Still not bad for $40 though. If you want something nicer than you can get like a Corsair 350D or whatever at around $90 price point. Since you're running 2x 1440p, you'll need to use HDMI, DP, or dual-link DVI. Intel doesn't support dual-link DVI so that limits you to using HDMI and DP if you don't want a dGPU. Luckily, there's plenty of H81 and B85 boards that have both HDMI and DP, eg. Gigabyte H81M-HD3 and MSI B85M-G43. You can use either 1333MHz or 1600MHz, doesn't matter. For CPU, a Core i5 4570 is about $220 and 4670 is about $250. Whether you want to spend roughly $30 more for 200MHz is up to you. Keep in mind that Haswell will be refreshed in two or so weeks. The 4590 and 4690 will take the place of the 4570 and 4670 respectively and the 8 series boards will be replaced by 9 series boards so there may be some sales on the older inventory to clear stock. Nothing special about the refresh though if you're wondering. So that would total up to around $650 (assuming 250GB and the more expensive case) and a 1TB 7200 RPM HDD is about $65.
I'm thinking of picking these up tomorrow from newegg.ca:
Capstone-450 modular 450W - $79.99
840 EVO 250GB - $159.99
Corsair 350D - $94.99 (also has $10 mail-in)
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Subtotal: $334.97
It seems newegg.ca isn't offering the $10 new customer coupon anymore. However, I found the PAYPALCAFREE coupon which gives free shipping and that's worth $29.60 because of the case+PSU.
Total including taxes at $351.72 seems pretty decent, yeah?
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Only thing you should order from Newegg is the Capstone since it's a Newegg brand, unless you need a minimum order for that coupon. You can pricematch the 840 EVO 250GB at Memory Express to get it for ~$155 and the same for the Corsair 350D, pricematch with http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11180AC1859 at Memory Express to get it for ~$90.
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I guess those two pricematches would save me $10 but I end up saving about $30 in PST by ordering it through newegg. 
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Hello, I am trying to add another internal hard drive to my rig because I have a suspicion that my only one is going to die on me soon. (blue screen)
I have an Intel Core i5-3570K CPU @3.40 GHz
GeForce GTX 670
ASRock Extreme 4
Currently I have a Toshiba 7200 RPM 1TB Hard Drive.
I was looking for something below $150 US.
I can get to a Micro Center, but would like to order it preferably.
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What are you asking for, a recommendation for a specific model? They're mostly all fine except the occasional one here or there. Buy whatever unless it seems like a known clunker.
If you might ever use the drive for programs or OS, you want another 7200 rpm model (if it doesn't state 7200 rpm explicitly, it's not). That's pretty much it. 1 TB is in the $60 range. 2 TB in $90 range. And so on. With $150 you can get almost any consumer hard drive.
If you're getting a standard OEM packaging bare drive, make sure you have a spare SATA data cable to hook it up.
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Thinking of upgrading my gtx 295 to a newer videocard in hopes of consuming less power and being able to play modern games like Arma3 etc better. Another problem with my comp is that I have an i7 920 @2.6ghz
Thinking about buying this card, Radeon R9 280 3GB for $200 AR and some free games included, I want one of them.
http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/120776/newegg---msi-radeon-r9-280-3gb-384-bit-gddr5-video-card-3-select-amd-gold-games?page=2#comments
will this be a decent upgrade or will my CPU bottleneck the crap out everything? Will Mantle help with my problem a bit?
Thanks in advance
p.s. -> down the road I will build a brand new comp, but this one is starting to fail me so I'm hoping gfx card upgrade can hold me over for another 6mo+, and that this PC will remain useful even after upgrade
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Most games are GPU dependent so an i7 920 won't hold you back in most cases when it comes to gaming.
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United Kingdom20326 Posts
Arma 3 is really CPU bound isn't it? Mantle support is only in 2 games right now and for the ones where mantle support isn't in, Nvidia usually has the advantage for performance in CPU limited situations. A first gen i7 @2.6ghz is really slow - possibility of a strong OC though. d0 stepping does 4ghz on air easily generally, c0 is significantly worse but 3.4+ shouldn't be an issue with it, assuming mobo is ok for that stuff.
Most games are GPU dependent so an i7 920 won't hold you back in most cases when it comes to gaming.
But he specifically said a game that's known to be like 30fps at times with overclocked Haswell (more than twice as powerful)
hard to say what limits performance unless you actually check (run cpu usage per core graphs along side gpu usage etc)
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Thanks guys I'll keep an eye out on Nvidia but will prolly buy this card before sale ends, and try OCing the cpu
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I have a 660SC is it worth upgrading to a r9 280?
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United Kingdom20326 Posts
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Hey guys, after a way too long time gaming on (bad) laptops after my desktop broke down, I want back to having a decent machine that can load up a few browser tabs, play some game and not crash and die when I alt+tab between them. So here's my humble request for a build:
What is your budget?
600-800€
What is your monitor's native resolution?
1920x1080
What games do you intend to play on this computer? What settings?
Online I only play LoL, offline I'd like to play (heavily modded) Fallout3/NV, Skyrim and Fallout 4 in the future and I'd like to use the highest settings + high res. texture mods. Not really flashy, but I assume still CPU intensive stuff.
What do you intend to use the computer for besides gaming?
Not much really
Do you intend to overclock?
Nope
Do you intend to do SLI / Crossfire?
Nah
Do you need an operating system?
No
Do you need a monitor or any other peripherals and is this part of your budget?
No
If you have any requirements or brand preferences, please specify.
I went for AMD/ATI in the past, never tried Intel/Nvidia on my own builds. Wouldn't mind to switch, if you have convincing arguments for it.
What country will you be buying your parts in?
Germany
If you have any retailer preferences, please specify.
hardwareversand.de served me well in the past.
Thanks a lot in advance.
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United Kingdom20326 Posts
You probably want an Intel CPU (better performance for LoL, Skyrim and most CPU bound games) and one of the 3gb VRAM radeon cards, ~r9 280
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On May 14 2014 05:54 Cyro wrote:Show nested quote +On May 14 2014 05:23 Foxxan wrote:On May 14 2014 05:19 Cyro wrote:Do you intend to overclock?
I guess so. But i wont do it in the bios, i only do it if its possible to do it in windows(if its easy to do it) Bios is mandatory for safe and effective overclocking, pretty much. What's the difference between doing it in a bios screen or waiting 10 seconds for OS to load for you? Overclocking on the motherboard level bypasses OS+other software entirely for safety, stability and ease of use. It's not any more difficult or anything to do Okay. Then i am willing to do it in the bios then. My thought was that in bios it was complicated and in windows it was very easy. ![[image loading]](http://images.bit-tech.net/content_images/2013/09/gigabyte-ga-z87n-wifi-review/ga-z87n-10b-1280x1024.jpg) This isn't so bad Well, it's a little complex if you don't know what you're doing, but being locked into an OS, having settings apply on boot instead of before - and only having access to like a quarter of the settings even if you need the others, that's not much better. In-OS overclocking is pretty much dead, if it was ever alive
Ye alright.
Iam still pretty clueless.
So to boost the processor, you press on the frequency tab and do stuff there?
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United Kingdom20326 Posts
On May 21 2014 16:42 Foxxan wrote:Show nested quote +On May 14 2014 05:54 Cyro wrote:On May 14 2014 05:23 Foxxan wrote:On May 14 2014 05:19 Cyro wrote:Do you intend to overclock?
I guess so. But i wont do it in the bios, i only do it if its possible to do it in windows(if its easy to do it) Bios is mandatory for safe and effective overclocking, pretty much. What's the difference between doing it in a bios screen or waiting 10 seconds for OS to load for you? Overclocking on the motherboard level bypasses OS+other software entirely for safety, stability and ease of use. It's not any more difficult or anything to do Okay. Then i am willing to do it in the bios then. My thought was that in bios it was complicated and in windows it was very easy. This isn't so bad Well, it's a little complex if you don't know what you're doing, but being locked into an OS, having settings apply on boot instead of before - and only having access to like a quarter of the settings even if you need the others, that's not much better. In-OS overclocking is pretty much dead, if it was ever alive Ye alright. Iam still pretty clueless. So to boost the processor, you press on the frequency tab and do stuff there?
You change settings and test stability, yea. I prefer the classic style bios to that one on giga z87, so i don't know that very well. A typical OC (getting 95% out of the chip) would include setting, changing and testing stuff with:
Core multipier
Vcore
VRIN
and before that you have to set:
Uncore + uncore/ring volts to 33x @1.15v
VRIN LLC turbo
RAM to 1600 or stock speed below 1600 if it's not there
Aside from that, all you need is basic idea what you are doing (or guide + discussion here - http://www.overclock.net/t/1411077/haswell-overclocking-thread-with-statistics/0_30 - plus the x264 test - http://www.overclock.net/t/1411077/haswell-overclocking-guide-with-statistics/10980_30#post_21941059 - as well as a notepad document, and a time period of 10 minutes to a few weeks depending on how fast you are and how thorough you want to be with experimenting for small gains.
There's a few other settings like vcore voltage response to fast, power phase thing to extreme on giga board, some similar stuff on other ones (vr fault management disabled on asus) but they don't really do anything at all until you're pushing high overclocks (like 1.4vcore, they can help) - and there's a few other settings to tweak in some cases, but almost all of the time they do nothing helpful.
Also, most people want to raise uncore + uncore volts to get to ~40x or low ~40's range, but you can worry about that when you have the core overclock you want and everything works, because the performance going from 33 to 40x adds is usually measured in fractions of a percent and there's no reason for a regular user to go past ~40 or so, unless they run some niche program a lot that benefits from it
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You mean there's little reason for someone to overclock their CPU (haswell quad core) past 4.0 GHz?
Hmm I don't think I quite understood the last paragraph in your post.
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On May 22 2014 01:30 Incognoto wrote:
You mean there's little reason for someone to overclock their CPU (haswell quad core) past 4.0 GHz?
Hmm I don't think I quite understood the last paragraph in your post.
That was about the part of the CPU that's outside of the cores, which Intel calls "uncore". It's mainly the L3 level cache and the bus that connects the various parts in the CPU with the cores. You can configure that separately on Haswell and overclock the cores while leaving the uncore at a lower multiplier.
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On May 22 2014 01:41 Ropid wrote:Show nested quote +On May 22 2014 01:30 Incognoto wrote:
You mean there's little reason for someone to overclock their CPU (haswell quad core) past 4.0 GHz?
Hmm I don't think I quite understood the last paragraph in your post. That was about the part of the CPU that's outside of the cores, which Intel calls "uncore". It's mainly the L3 level cache and the bus that connects the various parts in the CPU with the cores. You can configure that separately on Haswell and overclock the cores while leaving the uncore at a lower multiplier.
Ahh riiiiiiight
I think I remember reading about it in that thread; basically ideally you want uncore and cpu frequency to be the same. I think it's bus ratio or something? Ideally it's 1. But irl it can be different from 1 and things won't matter. If it's 4.3:4.0 then it's fine, you won't really feel the difference between that and 4.3:4.2 for example.
thanks
I >need< to start overclocking CPUs it's driving me nuts.
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United Kingdom20326 Posts
I think it's bus ratio or something?
There are 5:5, 5:4 and 5:3 ratio's for Haswell to use 100, 125 and 166.7mhz base clocks, that's something else
"ideally" uncore can run at same speed as core, but it's not worth going from 1.15v to 1.35v on it when performance is identical on most loads - until you're at level of vcore that you don't want to pass, it's more power efficient to just keep pushing core
The first gen i7's had core/uncore adjustment as do phenom II's and FX, i think in order of importance it mattered a lot sometimes on phenom II, a little bit on the lga1366 i7's and hardly at all on FX and Haswell
As for OC, unlocked pentium with better thermal solution should be fun. Max OC on a £35 cooler i hope. I just worry a bit for lack of AVX instructions and HT, because the intel dual cores, fast as they are, kinda need them to compete with 4 thread steamrollers and 6 thread piledriver decently for some relatively important tasks like video encoding (livestreaming)
For an example of uncore performance, i changed 40x to 44 and my cinebench score changed from 949 to 952 @4.6ghz core. The performance difference there is so small that it's actually hard to benchmark - i've had cinebench runs at 46/40 higher than my ones at 46/46 and for most CPU bound tasks, it's within margin of error for performance. You need something that specifically scales with it in order to justify pushing past voltage sweet spots (maybe 1.2)
Core, meanwhile, +200mhz there takes the 952 to like.. 990-something
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Hey guys. This is going to be the first time I build my own computer so...I guess I just fill out this form?
What is your budget?
Approx ~850-900
What is your monitor's native resolution?
I'm going to be buying a monitor.
What games do you intend to play on this computer? What settings?
CSGO, LoL. I kind of want to have enough firepower to play Skyrim (modded heavily) with at least high settings though.
What do you intend to use the computer for besides gaming?
School work, watch videos
Do you intend to overclock?
Probably not. Sounds scary, and I'm a beginner, aka total newb
Do you intend to do SLI / Crossfire?
Probably not.
Do you need an operating system?
Yes, I think so. I'll probably install like Windows 7 or something.
Do you need a monitor or any other peripherals and is this part of your budget?
I'll need a monitor (and I guess speakers too). I already have mouse + keyboard.
If you have any requirements or brand preferences, please specify.
No brand preferences. Well, maybe leaning towards nvidia
What country will you be buying your parts in?
America.
If you have any retailer preferences, please specify.
No retail preferences.
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EPT
