Buying a new PC [NL] [Archive] - PlanetSide Universe

MasterCalaelen

2012-07-05, 08:48 AM

1. What is your budget and does that include shipping/taxes?

I'm looking at a budget of around € 1.000,-, excluding shipping/taxes.

2. Where do you live (Please list if possible town, state, and country)?

The Netherlands

3. What do you need this computer to do (like gaming, Photoshop, and so on)?

Gaming, video editing, graphics work (Photoshop primarily) and watching movies.

4. What parts will you need for the computer? Please list what parts specifically.

Getting a completely new computer, so I'll be needing all the parts.

5. Are you reusing any parts for this computer? If so please say what parts.

Not re-using anything.

6. What kind of monitor/resolution do you have or want to get to use for the computer?

I want a monitor with the highest possible resolution (which is 1900x1200 if I'm not mistaken, not including 2560x1440 monitors which are crazy expensive). I want to spend a maximum of € 350,- on a monitor (preferably closer to € 300,- though) and was thinking of getting a 27". I'm however not sure if 27" monitors are worth getting over a 24" in terms of price/quality.

7. Do you have a legit OS? If so what OS and is it 32-bit or 64-bit?

I'll be needing a new OS, as I'm currently using XP, and want to pick up 7 (or 8 if you think it's worth it).

8. What are you looking for the motherboard to have feature wise? Like SLI, Crossfire, Firewire, USB 3.0, Sata 6.0 Gb/s, and so on.

Not too familiar with some of those things, anything that I would need to properly do what I want to do on my computer would need to be on it.

9. Any plans to overclock the CPU or GPU?

I don't know how to overclock or how safe it is to do, so unless it would save me money or get me a huge performance advantage by doing so, probably not.

10. What time kind of time frame are you planning on ordering these parts?

My current computer is dying rather fast I'm afraid (getting quite some issues with it) so between now and a month from now, give or take.

Website I'd be using would be www.4launch.com (http://www.4launch.com) (Dutch website) as that's where I got my current computer. Although I'll be looking to compare it with some other places to see what place is cheapest.

I want a DVD-Burner as well as a case with ports at the front (at least 2 USB ports)

Mutant

2012-07-05, 09:14 AM

highest possible resolution

3840 × 2160 × 30 bpp @ 60 Hz needs 16.00 Gbit/s from a 4-lane DP1.2 link of 17.28 Gbit/s

I quite like this one for €7,999
http://www.kelkoo.nl/p-lcd-tv-100311823/toshiba-55zl2b-19800743

On a serious note, you can get a 27" 2560x1440 within your €300 budget;
http://www.ebay.nl/itm/New-ACHIEVA-Shimian-QH270-Lite-27-LED-Quad-HD-DVI-2560x1440-16-9-6ms-PC-Monitor-/110833856200?pt=Computer_Monitors&hash=item19ce366ec8

review (http://www.anandtech.com/Show/Index/5885?cPage=2&all=False&sort=0&page=1&slug=the-achieva-shimian-qh270-a-350-27inch-wqhd-sips-display)

Goku

2012-07-05, 09:31 AM

I'm putting a build together right now on that site he linked. The budget he gave me is going to be lacking a lot to have a proper GPU to drive that resolution.

You are either looking at a Core i5 3450 and GTX 560 Ti with those screens that are more expensive like that one Mutant linked or a the same CPU+GTX 670 with a entry level IPS like this (http://www.amazon.de/LG-IPS235V-Monitor-Reaktionszeit-mattschwarz/dp/B005JRIPG0/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1341496039&sr=1-2) for a bit over your budget. Neither of those include the OS, but what I recommend you do is try out Windows 8 with the current build release and see if its anything you want. If not just buy Windows 7 at another time.

You could always increase the budget by roughly 100-200 to allow for a proper GPU. Your work with video editing and Photoshop would also benefit from an i7 and more ram, but that seems out of the reach atm.

MasterCalaelen

2012-07-05, 10:00 AM

I honestly don't know what price I'd be looking at for a decent computer, so I put down € 1.000,- to see what that'd get me.

I want to get a solid computer that won't have issues running the latest games or software in 6 months from now. And thinking realistically about what my current setup cost 8 years ago, the budget I put down is a little too optimistic.

Say I up the budget to € 1.500, is that going to help in getting something better put together?

I thought the resolution I put down is the standard these days, yet you say it would require a high-end GPU, is that resolution not that common after all or .... ?

In regards to Windows 8, you suggest buying that? Or can I try it for free somewhere? Cause I don't feel like paying for W8 and than ending up having to buy W7 when it turns out it's not that great.

Mutant

2012-07-05, 10:12 AM

In regards to Windows 8, you suggest buying that? Or can I try it for free somewhere? Cause I don't feel like paying for W8 and than ending up having to buy W7 when it turns out it's not that great.

Windows 8 Release preview is available atm.
I am using it on my gaming box atm, its fine for any non critical use.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/release-preview?SignedIn=1

You will then need to buy it when windows 8 goes gold likely in 3-4 months.

Goku

2012-07-05, 10:14 AM

You either are looking at 192x1080 (monitor I linked) or 2560x1440 (mutant's). The 1920x1080 will run flawlessly on a GTX 670, even that card will have issues at times at 2560x1440 unfortunately. Going a resolution that high will require more frequent vga upgrades. Unless you have the money for that I wouldn't do that imo.

Next budget. Doing that will allow a 3770, 16GB of vram, and even a SSD. Maybe able to come in under that to be honest. Just depends on the screen you want.

Windows 8 you can download for free, since its like a open beta currently. Come the release you will have to look into 7 or 8 by then though for what you want to use. Make sure there isn't any issues with 8 currently with the programs you run most commonly.

MasterCalaelen

2012-07-05, 10:40 AM

I thought you were refering to the 1900x1200 resolution I mentioned I wanted when you said it would require a beast of a GPU, that's why I was surprised.

I don't see any benefits for my computer use to get a 2560x1440 resolution monitor, other than that it will look slightly better, so it's definitely going to be a 1900x1200 (or 1900x1080).

What's your opinion on 27" vs 24", are 27" monitors equal in price/quality as 24" these days? I don't want to sacrifice quality for a little more size.

In regards to the monitor you linked, it has a 5ms response time. From my limited knowledge, that seems rather slow?

Mutant

2012-07-05, 11:01 AM

24" vs 27" is not really a break in itself, if you have the space arguably larger is always better.

what you need to compare are;

Resolution (higher is better as you can always run games in a lower res, but pixels cost money)

Input lag (lower is better, but unless you are a pro gamer anything under ~ 50ms will be fine so that is almost all monitors around but worth checking)

Image quality (largely down to panel type today this is TN vs IPS. IPS is much better for image quality - ie Color representation and viewing angles, but ISP costs more and often takes a hit on input lag but not always.)

1920x1080 24" TN Acer S240HLbid 24" (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-S240HLbid-widescreen-monitor-Backlight/dp/B005QVZ79C/ref=dp_cp_ob_computers_title_1) £130<-- good value
1920x1080 27" TN ASUS VE278Q 27" (http://www.amazon.co.uk/VE278Q-Widescreen-Display-Response-Picture/dp/B0041RXPQY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1341501176&sr=8-4) £210<-- extra size for not too much extra
1920x1080 24" IPS Dell Ultrasharp U2412M 24" (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-Ultrasharp-U2412M-Widescreen-Monitor/dp/B005LNDPPS/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1341501453&sr=1-1) £230<-- exchange the extra size for best on image quality
2560x1440 27" IPS Dell U2711 Ultrasharp 27" (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dell-U2711-Ultrasharp-Premier-Widescreen/dp/B003A4H17S/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1341501453&sr=1-2) £520<-- best at everything and most expensive

Then you get this odd ball that i pointed out in my previous post;
2560x1440 27" IPS Achieva ShiMian QH270-Lite 27" (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Achieva-ShiMian-QH270-Lite-27-LED-Quad-HD-DVI-2560x1440-16-9-Wide-PC-Monitor-/261009327574?pt=Computer_Monitors&hash=item3cc55e45d6) £200<-- best at everything and great value but risky as sold from South Korea.

BTW Sorry for working in £, much easier for me.

Goku

2012-07-05, 12:30 PM

Here is what I have put together:

2x Corsair 2x4GB DDR3 Memory - €79.80 (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-112726)
EVGA GTX 670 - €371.90 (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-124983)
Intel Core i7 3770 - €273.90 (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-123747)
LG DVD/RW Drive - €16.70 (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-111277)
MSI Z77A-G43 - €93.90 (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-123640)
Samsung 1TB HDD - €75.70 (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-078737)
XFX 550W Power supply - €56.90 (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-112436)

Total = €968.80 that includes any kind of tax as far as I can tell

Cases you can choose from:
Corsair Midi Tower Obsidian 550D - €114.90 (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-122261)
Corsair Carbide 500R - €98.60 (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-116360)
Cooler Master Midi Tower CM 690 II Advanced - € 101.90 (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-124599)
Fractal Design Midi Tower Define R3 - € 85.90 (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-120303)
Corsair Midi Tower Carbide 300R - € 79.00 (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-125924)
Cooler Master Midi Tower CM 690 II Advanced (different version) - € 73.90 (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-118458)
Antec Midi Tower One Hundred - € 45.90 (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-104318)

Sorry if you didn't know what IPS is. That has far better picture quality verse a TN monitor which mostly everyone has. I figured, since you are doing Photoshop this would benefit you. I have one and I notice the difference in games in terms of how crisp the image looks, PS2 especially.

Do you think that will benefit you? Otherwise you can get by with a cheaper TN panel. These do have a lower response also, but I don't think its going to make a major difference when it comes to even FPS gaming. If I had to choose the U2412 is a good option IMO.

In terms of overclocking you are looking at another €30 for the K version of the 3770 that allows you to OC plus another €20 to €40 for a proper cooler. Performance boost really depends on the game/program you are using. If it doesn't sound beneficial I wouldn't worry about it. That 3770 is a great little processor.

It does look like you may have the room for a SSD if you think that is worthwhile. Like this 256GB (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-124994) or 128GB (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-120468) SSD. The prices on these are dropping like crazy, so you may be better off just waiting for the larger capacities to get at a better pricing so you don't get stuck with a 128GB.

MasterCalaelen

2012-07-05, 02:10 PM

First off, thanks a ton for the help so far Goku and Mutant. I'll be taking a close look at the hardware you two have suggested when I have time to sit down and focus on it.

Overclocking: I have never done it, and don't have a clue if it would be worth the performance gain or if it would benefit me in my computer use, so I guess it's best to leave it be for now.

SSD: I'll have to look into it, but they do look rather expensive for the storage size still, so I might wait it out a bit till at least the 256G drops in price.

Monitor: Read something about ISP monitors not being able to display back, and therefor suffering in contrast, is this true, and if so, really noticeable?

What's you guys' opinion on 120Hz monitors. Would it be worth it for what I plan to use my computer for?

Sound: Is the on-board soundcard on that mobo decent, or do you recommend getting an actual seperate soundcard? I find good quality audio important, but don't know how good on-board soundcards are these days.

Thanks again for all the work so far, wouldn't know where to start without you guys!

Goku

2012-07-05, 02:34 PM

Concerning the monitor. Not sure on black levels, I have heard people talk about that. I can't say blacks look like shit on mine or something along those lines. However the color difference is amazing IMO. 120 Hz is a iffy one. Some people notice the difference and others don't. Keep in mind you will have to have both high minimum frame rate not just a good avg in order to notice the difference. This means you will be turning down the settings depending on the game in order to have the actual high FPS (100+) to take advantage of the refresh rate. Other then gaming it won't have any impact on anything else.

Sound I always have a dedicated sound card. Do you have one right now? You maybe better off just trying the onboard and if it isn't to your liking just getting a one after.

MasterCalaelen

2012-07-05, 02:56 PM

I won't bother was 120Hz than, as I don't game that much (will change with PS2 most likely though!) and the games I've played over the last few years were RPGs, and from what I've read up on 120Hz is a benefit mainly for FPS games.

I'm currently using an onboard soundcard. The sound is good, but it does start sounding distorted when I turn it up, or my speakers shut down, but I think that's just an issue with my speakset. I'll take your suggestion on trying the onboard one and than deciding if I want a dedicated card or not.

Goku

2012-07-05, 03:13 PM

What do you think of IPS or are you going to stick with TN?

Sounds good on the VGA.

What case do you like currently?

MasterCalaelen

2012-07-05, 04:29 PM

What do you think of IPS or are you going to stick with TN?

Going to look into the black/contrast thing with IPS a bit further, but I am leaning towards an IPS from everything else I've read/watched.

What case do you like currently?

This (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-118458) one looked nice, but it doesn't seem to have ports on the front, which is a must.

And I'd also like a Firewire port, which I thought would be pretty standard but only one of the cases you listed has it. Unfortunately, it's the worst looking case of the bunch, so I'm not quite sure yet to be honest.

Did you suggest those cases because they are the only ones that would fit the hardware you listed, or was there another reason?

Vancha

2012-07-05, 05:40 PM

This (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-118458) one looked nice, but it doesn't seem to have ports on the front, which is a must.

And I'd also like a Firewire port, which I thought would be pretty standard but only one of the cases you listed has it. Unfortunately, it's the worst looking case of the bunch, so I'm not quite sure yet to be honest.

Did you suggest those cases because they are the only ones that would fit the hardware you listed, or was there another reason?
What's your taste in cases? Do you prefer boring, or tacky? I'm guessing this case is going on a desk, since you need the ports on the front? Would front-bottom be better than front-top?

Goku

2012-07-05, 06:10 PM

Firewire is pretty dead, which is why its not common anymore. The motherboard I suggested doesn't even have this. Either we are going to need to find you a motherboard with one or a case. These are the cases on Newegg (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=Property&N=100007583&IsNodeId=1&PropertyCodeValue=562%3A300061%2C562%3A289194%2C56 2%3A289195%2C562%3A8431%2C562%3A34740%2C562%3A2891 85%2C562%3A8439%2C562%3A289187%2C562%3A289186%2C56 2%3A289190%2C562%3A289191&bop=And&Order=PRICE&PageSize=20&Page=1) with Firewire. Find some you like and go around the sites you normally shop on to see if you can find them.

Is the Carbide 500R the one you don't like? I'm kinda shocked as I thought that appealed to both people who like flashy and clean simple looks tbh.

Vancha

2012-07-06, 04:55 AM

Is the Carbide 500R the one you don't like? I'm kinda shocked as I thought that appealed to both people who like flashy and clean simple looks tbh.
The side panel constitutes desecration. The whole thing's this sleek, angled beauty and then they slap a bulbous tumor on the side. With a flat side panel and sound dampening foam, or a simple side window, that case would be gorgeous.

MasterCalaelen

2012-07-06, 05:40 AM

The side panel constitutes desecration. The whole thing's this sleek, angled beauty and then they slap a bulbous tumor on the side.

That, and I don't like the fact it's white/black. I prefer all black or black with some silver metal.

My current PC is on my desk, but I'm probably going to have it below my desk this time around to save space. Having all the ports at the back seems annoying to me in any circumstance, as you have to hang over your desk and fiddle around, or even worse, get on your knees under your desk.

I don't have any specific preferences for how a case looks, other than it needing to be black or black/silver and that it needs to look clean.

I guess not having a Firewire port isn't that big of a deal, I haven't used it in years to be honest. I used it back in the day for connecting my video cameras, but I guess if I ever need to I can just grab a USB>Firewire cable.

Vancha

2012-07-06, 05:59 AM

White's sort of the in-thing right now, with gunmetal grey potentially becoming popular soon.

The case you liked has it's ports on the top, so if you're putting it under your desk that's even better for you.

http://images.bit-tech.net/content_images/2010/02/cooler-master-cm-690-ii-case-review/4.jpg

Another possibility...
http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-120303

Two fans at the front, one at the back. Look up reviews if you're wondering how it gets air. Again, the ports are up top.

MasterCalaelen

2012-07-06, 06:21 AM

Decided I'm going to go with this (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-118458) one. It looks great IMO, and from everything I've read about it it seems like a solid and easy to use case.

Vancha

2012-07-06, 07:12 AM

Can't go wrong with the 690.

Goku

2012-07-06, 08:39 AM

MasterCalaelen the CM690 Advanced II doesn't have the firewire you are looking for. Does that not matter anymore?

The Carbide 400R (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-112730) has what you are looking for. Does that look any better to you? Also has USB 3.0 in the front if you ever get a device to take advantage of that. The CM 690 doesn't have that.

MasterCalaelen

2012-07-06, 08:59 AM

I guess not having a Firewire port isn't that big of a deal, I haven't used it in years to be honest. I used it back in the day for connecting my video cameras, but I guess if I ever need to I can just grab a USB>Firewire cable

I posted that a couple posts up.

The CM690 also has USB 3.0 ports, so the only difference would be the Firewire connection. The CM690 looks better IMO, so I'm probably still going to get that one.

Appreciate you looking around for me though!

Goku

2012-07-06, 09:09 AM

I went through this thread at 2:00 AM last night, must of not noticed that. I was about to say you needed a new board for that Firewire to due to the internal connector not being there, so that is solved at least. That site has like 5 different 690s. I was referencing one off newegg due to being in English. That one didn't have it. Sounds like you are set on the case at least.

Any idea on the monitor?

Mutant

2012-07-06, 10:48 AM

120Hz is worth it if you can find a decently priced one and play a lot of FPS, but they're pretty rare. There was an LG 22 inch model that was only €139 at Alternate, but I don't know if it's still in production.

I would take IPS over 120Hz any day. (Although both would be nice)
Getting constant > 60 FPS is just not going to happen with nice settings for PS2.

MasterCalaelen

2012-07-06, 11:32 AM

Sounds like you are set on the case at least.

Glad we've got the most important part out of the way :lol:

Any idea on the monitor?

Still debating if I want to go for a 24" or 27".

MasterCalaelen

2012-07-09, 02:24 PM

Just wanted to let you guys know that I wasn't just wasting you time with all my questions, and that I'm still planning on buying it. The last few days have just been really busy with work so I haven't had any time to sit behind a computer and work on this.

I've got tomorrow off so I'll be looking to make some decisions than.

Doxy

2012-07-09, 03:32 PM

Go for 27 1920x1080. They are not that expensive and im pretty sure you'll appreciate extra size.

MasterCalaelen

2012-07-10, 12:57 PM

Decided I'm going to go with the DELL U2412M as my monitor. The better image quality and the ability to adjust the height pulled it ahead of a 27".

Goku

2012-07-10, 01:26 PM

Good choice!

MasterCalaelen

2012-07-13, 01:01 PM

Decided I want to get an SSD for my build after all, as the benefits seem to be pretty big.
Did some researching and came up with the OCZ 120GB Vertex 3 (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-107540).

Is that a good SSD, quality and price wise?

Also, does the i7 3770 Goku suggested outperform the i5 2500K and 3570K?

vampyro

2012-07-13, 01:07 PM

As far as SSDs, the best reviews for reliability are:
Samsung 830 Series
Crucial M4
Intel 320 Series

Listed in no particular order.

Vancha

2012-07-13, 01:16 PM

Also, does the i7 3770 Goku suggested outperform the i5 2500K and 3570K?
It only significantly outperforms them in regards to 3D modelling, video editing/rendering/converting and other CPU intensive tasks. If you do a lot of video editing, the time it'll save you will be worth the price. If you primarily just do photoshop work...I'm not sure how much of a boost it'll give you.

Gaming-wise they're pretty much on an even-keel.

MasterCalaelen

2012-07-13, 01:17 PM

Yeah, I was actually doing some additional reading and it does seem the Crucial M4 is a better buy than the Vertex 3.

Vancha

2012-07-13, 01:36 PM

Yeah, I was actually doing some additional reading and it does seem the Crucial M4 is a better buy than the Vertex 3.
Out of curiosity, what are the prices of the Samsung 830s compared to the Crucial, for "Europeans"?

In the US they're a fair bit more expensive, yet in the UK they're slightly cheaper.

MasterCalaelen

2012-07-13, 01:40 PM

The Crucial M4 256GB (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-114323) is € 192,- and the Samsung 830 256 GB (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-121887) is € 174,-.

So slightly cheaper, just as in the UK it seems.

Vancha

2012-07-13, 04:40 PM

I'd go with the Samsung, then. It doesn't come with a sata cable, but you get one with the motherboard.

MasterCalaelen

2012-07-13, 05:16 PM

I'd go with the Samsung, then. It doesn't come with a sata cable, but you get one with the motherboard.

They are pretty even aren't they? The Samsung appears to be behind the M4 in terms of random I/O but shines at sequential work where it beats the M4.

Vancha

2012-07-13, 05:32 PM

They are pretty even aren't they? The Samsung appears to be behind the M4 in terms of random I/O but shines at sequential work where it beats the M4.
If you say so. I just look at the real-world benchmarks and the Samsung seems to have the lead in those, but supposedly they're nary distinguishable in actual use, so it purely comes down to price.

MasterCalaelen

2012-07-13, 05:42 PM

If you say so. I just look at the real-world benchmarks and the Samsung seems to have the lead in those, but supposedly they're nary distinguishable in actual use, so it purely comes down to price.

Just letting you know what I read from a comparison between the two on tomshardware.com. I don't know if those benchmarks were real-world or some best-case scenario.

With the difference so marginal I guess the Samsung would be the better buy due to it being cheaper.

Thanks for pointing it out to me, appreciate it.

Vancha

2012-07-13, 05:55 PM

The PCMark 7 section has some real-world benchmarks. Things like opening programs, startup time, loading times etc.

Edit: That was meant to be a just-about-low-enough-to-see-it-sailing-over-my-head "if you say so", not a prickly "if you say so". :p

MasterCalaelen

2012-07-14, 03:26 PM

A few (hopefully the last) questions:

Memory:

How much benefit would I get from getting 16GB instead of 8GB of memory? Also, what benefit do you get from more expensive memory? Isn't 16GB 16GB?

CPU:

A lot of people are saying the i5 2500K would be a better pick than the i7 3770 as it's close in performance but costs a lot less? Any feedback on that from the pro's in here. Maybe that only goes for gaming and not for things like video editing and graphics work?

Windows:

Home or Professional? The only benefit Professional seems to have is the ability to run programs in XP compatibility if they don't have W7 compatibility, but I'm not sure how relevant that would be?

Power Supply:

Is 550W enough for the build Goku posted if I also add in a SSD? If so, what kind of sick builds would you need to run in order to require bigger PSUs (is that even an official abbreviation for a power supply lol?)

Sorry for asking so many questions, but I'm quite a noob in this area and I want to try and understand everything as best as possible before I make a purchase.

Goku

2012-07-14, 03:46 PM

How much video editing and photoshop do you do? I recommended the i7 for the video editing mostly as it is faster verse a i5, from what I understand photoshop doesn't always make use of HT. The ram I know is beneficial in Photoshop and I think will help with the video editing. RAM is pretty cheap right now, so even more reason to do it IMO.

In terms of gaming you won't notice any difference in having more ram or an i7.

Windows I'm sure you will be all set with just home premium. Do you have any programs from XP that don't work on 7?

Due to not overclocking 550W is all you need. System probably will be at most 350W during full load.

MasterCalaelen

2012-07-14, 04:11 PM

How much video editing and photoshop do you do?

At the moment not too much, but that's partially because video editing is pure torture on my current setup. So the i7 is only better than the i5 in terms of video editing, and possibly a few specific Photoshop actions?

Would I need to OC the i5 2500K in order to get equal performance to the i7, or would it be similar by default? Is an OC i5 2500K better, or equal as the i7 3770 for gaming?

Windows I'm sure you will be all set with just home premium. Do you have any programs from XP that don't work on 7?

Haven't really looked into it, but I can't think of any programs I have on my computer that would not run in W7. The only reason I brought it up was because it was the only thing Pro had over Home that could possibly be of any use to me.

MasterCalaelen

2012-07-15, 10:20 AM

This is what I've got right now:

CPU: Intel Core i7 3770 3.40GHz 8MB (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-123747)
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-124983)
Memory: Corsair 2x8GB, DDR3, PC10666, CL9, XMS3 (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-126139)
Mobo: MSI Z77A-G43 iZ77, SATA600 RAID, USB3.0 (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-123640)
SSD: Samsung SSD 2.5", 256GB, SATA600, 830 Series (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-121887)
HDD: Samsung Harddisk 3.5" 1TB, SATA300, 7200rpm, HD103SJ (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-078737)
Case: Cooler Master Midi Tower CM 690 II Advanced (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-118458)
PSU: XFX ProSeries Core 550W (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-112436)
CD/DVD Burner LG DVD-/+/RAM GH22NS70.AUAA50B 22x/22x/12x SATA (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-111277)
Monitor: Dell LED Monitor U2412M 24" (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-114532)

Any comments, tips, suggestions, issues?

Vancha

2012-07-15, 10:41 AM

As always, I'd change the 670 to the ASUS or Gigabyte version for less noise.

Edit: Actually, I think I'd go with the P8Z77-M over the Z77A-G43. Either the G43's overpriced or that's a good deal for the P8Z77-M...

Goku

2012-07-15, 10:51 AM

At the moment not too much, but that's partially because video editing is pure torture on my current setup. So the i7 is only better than the i5 in terms of video editing, and possibly a few specific Photoshop actions?

Would I need to OC the i5 2500K in order to get equal performance to the i7, or would it be similar by default? Is an OC i5 2500K better, or equal as the i7 3770 for gaming?

Haven't really looked into it, but I can't think of any programs I have on my computer that would not run in W7. The only reason I brought it up was because it was the only thing Pro had over Home that could possibly be of any use to me.

Yes and yes. i5 and i7 are identical for gaming. Overclocking gives a performance boost in only certain games, however it can potentially expand the life time of your build. If you don't think you will benefit from the HT on the i7 I would go for the 3570K (K means it can overclock) if you are interested in doing this. Otherwise the 3450 will suffice if you have no plans for HT or overclocking.

Sounds like Home Premium is for you.

This is what I've got right now:

CPU: Intel Core i7 3770 3.40GHz 8MB (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-123747)
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-124983)
Memory: Corsair 2x8GB, DDR3, PC10666, CL9, XMS3 (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-126139)
Mobo: MSI Z77A-G43 iZ77, SATA600 RAID, USB3.0 (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-123640)
SSD: Samsung SSD 2.5", 256GB, SATA600, 830 Series (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-121887)
HDD: Samsung Harddisk 3.5" 1TB, SATA300, 7200rpm, HD103SJ (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-078737)
Case: Cooler Master Midi Tower CM 690 II Advanced (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-118458)
PSU: XFX ProSeries Core 550W (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-112436)
CD/DVD Burner LG DVD-/+/RAM GH22NS70.AUAA50B 22x/22x/12x SATA (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-111277)
Monitor: Dell LED Monitor U2412M 24" (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-114532)

Any comments, tips, suggestions, issues?

If you are concerned about wattage look into this (http://www.amazon.de/Antec-High-Current-Gamer-Stromversorgung/dp/B0047YISS6/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342363631&sr=8-1-fkmr0). I think you can order from there. Everything else looks good if you want to keep with that 3770 and ram.

@ Vancha that P8Z77-M is a mATX board. No reason to be getting that if he doesn't need it IMO.

Vancha

2012-07-15, 11:22 AM

Should it be the other way around? An mATX is just as good unless you need an ATX for some reason in particular.

Goku

2012-07-15, 11:35 AM

No I don't think so. If you have room for an ATX that totally trumps mATX imo. I only recommend mATX if the user is on budget and needs bare minimum or wants a small form factor case.

Vancha

2012-07-15, 11:50 AM

How so? The only thing the G43 has on the P8 is an extra space between the PCI-E X16 slots, but he won't be doing SLi with that PSU anyway. The P8 has more phases, better voltage control and a better UEFI, considering his CPU*, he's not losing anything at worst, and gaining otherwise.

*I just noticed you don't have the 3770k, Cal. You're spending 280 Euros on the top of the top of the range CPU, you might as well spend another 30 to be able to make it better.

Goku

2012-07-15, 12:08 PM

When I did this he didn't sound too interested in overclocking, so all that is pretty moot. He can change his mind of course. If he does another board he maybe better off with.

MasterCalaelen

2012-07-16, 06:47 AM

As always, I'd change the 670 to the ASUS or Gigabyte version for less noise.

The ASUS is € 40,- and the Gigabyte is € 20,- more than the GeForce, so unless they have other benefits over the GeForce, or the GeForce makes a complete racket in comparison I'll probably save the cash.

On another note, I'm going to sit down and re-look at the whole CPU deal again to see what would best suit me. With the 3770 only being better than cheaper CPU's when it comes to video editing, it might not be worth it.

@Vancha, from what I read/hard I though the 3770K wasn't a very good card for OCing due to temperature issues?

Vancha

2012-07-16, 07:48 AM

MasterCalaelen

2012-07-16, 08:00 AM

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/geforce-gtx-670-test-review,review-32475-14.html

That's at full load though. Most of the time they won't be quite that loud. I'm pretty sure the ASUS was the same price as the Gigabyte when I checked, but never mind.

The 3770k is fine for overclocking, you just can't push it as far as say, the 2700k. You probably won't get more than an extra 5-10% out of it with the stock cooler though.

GeForce: €372,90 (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-124983)
Gigabyte: €399.00 (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-124980)
ASUS: €413,00 (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-125027)

Maybe you checked the prices on a different website, or maybe I'm looking at the wrong versions?

While the noise difference is definitely noticeable, I really don't find it annoying enough to spend extra money on it, especially since that's at full load and out in the open.

I'd probably just grab an extra/better cooler if I ended up getting an OC CPU, as I assume the stock cooler wouldn't be enough for an OC 2500K/3570K either?

Vancha

2012-07-16, 09:06 AM

GPU: No, either I remembered wrong or they put the price up. That site has some incredibly odd pricing here and there...

CPU: Again, you'd be able to bump them up a little bit, but you'd probably hit a wall quite quickly. How often do you do video work, per week?

Goku

2012-07-16, 10:05 AM

Like Vancha said its up to you whether or not you can take up what is offered by HT. I don't really recommend overclocking on stock coolers due to how much the heat goes up from the increased GHz/voltage either. You can get a cheap, but good cooler like the Coolermaster Hyper 212+/EVO that you can get good clocks with.

MasterCalaelen

2012-07-16, 11:02 AM

CPU: Again, you'd be able to bump them up a little bit, but you'd probably hit a wall quite quickly. How often do you do video work, per week?

Barely any at the moment since doing video editing on my current setup is a complete chore. I'd probably end up doing some video editing 2-5 times a month, which in all honestly probably isn't worth the extra € 100 euro that the 3770 would cost I'd reckon.

Goku

2012-07-16, 11:10 AM

Are yo interested in overclocking then? If so just get the 3570K in my opinion otherwise a 3450 will suffice.

MasterCalaelen

2012-07-16, 11:20 AM

Are yo interested in overclocking then? If so just get the 3570K in my opinion otherwise a 3450 will suffice.

I was a little hesistant about that at first as I've never done it before and thought it would be difficult and dangerous, but I've heard it's really not that hard anymore, so I'd be interested in giving it a go. At the least grab a CPU with the capability of doing so, so the 3570K.

Vancha

2012-07-16, 11:42 AM

Aye, I'd go with the 3570k then (*cough*andtheasusmotherboardimentionedearlier*cou gh*).

Goku

2012-07-16, 12:02 PM

Aye, I'd go with the 3570k then (*cough*andtheasusmotherboardimentionedearlier*cou gh*).

I'm just saying the ASUS board has the same amount of phases as the MSI. Not sure on the voltage control as I cannot find any reviews on this board. In regards to the UEFI do you mean the actual interface? I do not have any complaints about my UEFI interface on my MSI board.

I am still confused to this day about phases. Some people say you only need 4 + 1 config while others say you need way more. Mine has the 4+1 and I was getting 4.8GHz on my 2500K no problem. So who knows?

Maybe we should recommend a board with six or more? lol

Also I would get that PSU I linked earlier instead of that one in your current build due to overclocking possibility now.

This is a good CPU cooler (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-118466) to go along with it too.

Vancha

2012-07-16, 12:25 PM

Yeah I was reading out of context info on the phases, they're both 4+1. The ASUS UEFI is definitely regarded as the most user-friendly, though other than that they're just as good as each other.

Mutant

2012-07-16, 12:29 PM

Here is some very handy info on VRMs
http://www.overclock.net/t/943109/about-vrms-mosfets-motherboard-safety-with-125w-tdp-processors

MasterCalaelen

2012-08-26, 07:46 AM

Been little over a month that I made this thread, and the issue I had with my current computer was fixed so the new build wasn't as urgent anymore as before.

I've made a few adjustments to the setup since last time through research and a friends suggestions and here's what I'm at currently:

CPU: Intel Core i5 3750K 3.40Ghz 6MB (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-123754)
CPU Cooler: Antec Cooler 920 (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-108968)
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-124983)
Memory: G.skill 4x4GB, DDR3, PC12800, CL9, RipjawsX F3 (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-126490)
Mobo: Asus P8Z77-v (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-123639)
SSD: Samsung SSD 2.5", 128GB, SATA600, 830 Series (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-118013)
HDD: Samsung Harddisk 3.5" 1TB, SATA300, 7200rpm, HD103SJ (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-078737)
Case: Cooler Master HAF XM (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-125362)
PSU: OCZ Voeding Fatal1ty 750W, Modulair (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-103491)
CD/DVD Burner: LG DVD-/+/RAM GH22NS70.AUAA50B 22x/22x/12x SATA (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-111277)
Mouse: Logitech Muis G400 Optical Gaming Mouse (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-113113)
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-107671)

I've included a more powerful PSU as well as an aftermarket CPU Cooler as I have decided to overclock.

I'm wondering if I should go for the MSI GeForce GTX660Ti (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-128262) instead of the GTX670, any opinions on that?

A friend also recommended the Asus P8Z77-v Pro Thunderbolt (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-128489) but the only thing it seems to have over the Asus P8Z77-v (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-123639) is the Thunderbolt port. Is it worth the extra € 50,-?

Any other recommendations or better buys? Planning on ordering this week.

Rbstr

2012-08-26, 12:32 PM

IMO Thunderbolt is worthless. You should probably look into it and decide for yourself, though.

I'd get the 670 if it's comfortably in your budget...if it's not you can still save some money on the motherboard by ditching SLI and extra ports, but still stay in the Z77 chipset.

Goku

2012-08-26, 03:17 PM

Scrap that Antec 920. If you must have a liquid cooling system go for Corsair H80 (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-101694). After reading about a issue where someone had a leak with that cooler it was a total pain in the ass for the guy to get money to get new parts. This is still on going, since June. Corsair however has a good policy in place that if the unit leaks they will cover your parts that were killed off without issue. If you don't feel like throwing money at the CPU cooler get this Hyper 212 EVO (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-118466).

Scrap that 750W PSU. I doubt its really that good in terms of quality and your system will never need that much watts. This Antec 620W (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-101694) is plenty. I'm running my system heavily OCed on a 520W and it likely will consume more then your system, so 750W is a total waste.

Total waste of money going for that higher end mobo as well. You could likely even get away getting this cheaper ASUS (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-124840) model. Some people just like going way too overboard on motherboards. Really is the most wasteful area you can spend money on a computer as there is no reason to get a $300 motherboard vs a $150 one if you don't make use of the extra features.

RAM is Ok. You could look into 2x8GB dimms or even 2x4GB if you don't really need 16GB in the end.

If you are concerned about the extra money on the video card, don't bother with that extra money on the cpu cooler and mobo and puts that towards getting a 670 instead. I would go for another 670 too, either the MSI (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-125913) or Gigabyte (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-124980).

MasterCalaelen

2012-08-26, 06:26 PM

Thanks for the suggestions Goku (and Rbstr), I'll look into them tomorrow. Quick question regarding the GPU, why do you suggest the MSI/Gigabyte over the EVGA?

Also, I noticed there are two version of the MSI, a PE and an OC one. What's the difference? I assume OC means overclocked, but the OC one is cheaper than the PE so that doesn't make much sense.

Vancha

2012-08-26, 06:47 PM

The OC is simply an overclocked rebrand of the stock cooler, the PE (power edition) has a custom cooler (better/quieter), voltage control and possibly a higher overclock than the OC.

MSI's and Gigabyte's cooler is better than EVGA's.

MasterCalaelen

2012-08-27, 11:37 AM

CPU Cooler:

I don't have any special preference to liquid cooling, the only thing I want it a cooler capable of keeping my CPU cooled properly. The Hyper 212 Evo you linked seems to have a lot of positive feedback, the only concern I have is that it's pretty big, and I'm not sure if it'll fit in my case, especially since I'd be using all my memory slots?

GPU:

I'll stick with the GTX670 than, and I'll swap it to the Gigabyte version since you guys say it's better than the EVGA.

PSU:

From what I've read and all the reviews it seems like a good quality PSU, and I liked the addition of the red LED as well, but I realized that you won't even see the red LED if it's bottom mounted.

If you're running a heavily OC'd computer on a 520W PSU, than what would you need to be doing to require these 750W+ PSUs? SLI/Crossfire in addition to heavy OCing or something?

Going to look around a bit at some other PSU's as I'd like a modular one, but I'll definitely keep the amount of Watts in mind.

Goku

2012-08-27, 11:58 AM

CPU cooler won't have any issues in that case of yours.

In terms of a modular PSU check these out:
http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-123847
http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-081814
http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-120025 (I would go for this one)

In terms of using greater than 750W you really need to be looking at multi GPU.

MasterCalaelen

2012-08-27, 05:11 PM

For pretty much all the PSU's I've been looking it the reviews all talk about (certain) cables being too short when using a bottom mounted case.

Considering there's no mention of cable lenghts or whether or not the PSU is designed for top or bottom mounting, is it just a case of hope you get lucky?

Seems pretty bad that they companies don't list cable length or at least whether or not it's bottom or top mounted. Having to end up buying extension seems like poor service.

Goku

2012-08-27, 07:54 PM

The cables will fit. However depending on the design of the case you maybe unable to do a proper cable job with certain ones. Most likely the 4/8 pin that goes in by the CPU. That is the one I normally have issues with at sometimes I can't route it behind the mobo tray, but instead just bring it up over the VGA in order to put it in. You shouldn't have any issues plugging in everything, just may not look the prettiest.

If you really want to know if you call the company I'm sure they will tell you.

Rbstr

2012-08-28, 10:43 AM

When it comes right down to it, it's all in a box so you don't have to make it pretty if it works fine.

MasterCalaelen

2012-08-28, 04:37 PM

Not that I don't trust you Goku, but just to make sure you understood what my concern was, that CPU Cooler isn't going to be a problem with my 4 memory sticks? Seen various reviews and some videos of larger CPU Coolers blocking memory slots so just want to make sure of it.

Other than that, with the recommendations you guys gave me I've changed it to this:

CPU: Intel Core i5 3750K 3.40Ghz 6MB (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-123754)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-118466)
GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX670 OC 2GB (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-124980)
Memory: G.skill 4x4GB, DDR3, PC12800, CL9, RipjawsX F3 (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-126490)
Mobo: Asus P8Z77-v (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-123639)
SSD: Samsung SSD 2.5", 128GB, SATA600, 830 Series (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-118013)
HDD: Samsung Harddisk 3.5" 1TB, SATA300, 7200rpm, HD103SJ (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-078737)
Case: Cooler Master HAF XM (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-125362)
PSU: Corsair Enthusiast TX650M 650W Modulair (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-114086)
CD/DVD Burner: LG DVD-/+/RAM GH22NS70.AUAA50B 22x/22x/12x SATA (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-111277)
Mouse: Logitech Mouse G400 Optical Gaming Mouse (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-113113)
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-107671)
Monitor: Asus VE278Q 27" LED (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-107539)

Any last suggestions/changes/comments or anything?

Goku

2012-08-28, 04:46 PM

In general to avoid the clearance issue just don't get the ram with the huge heatsinks. Really do not add to anything at all besides looks. You can get this kit (http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-115686) instead to avoid the issue and it will perform the same, plus its cheaper.

Everything looks good to me also.

MasterCalaelen

2012-08-28, 05:52 PM

Quick question about the thermal paste for the CPU Cooler, it doesn't state it's included anywhere but the image shows it alongside all the other accessoires so I'll assume it's included, but is the thermal paste that comes with it any good?

Goku

2012-08-28, 06:35 PM

This stuff is what I would get off that site http://www.4launch.nl/shop/#p-4-productid-020802

What they give your with the EVO probably isn't bad, but you only have enough for one use. With that I would recommend getting your own stuff anyway.

MasterCalaelen

2012-09-09, 03:54 PM

So I picked up all my parts last Friday, put it together over the weekend and was looking forward to putting it to the test in some games today.

Went with PS2 as it was the quickest to finish dowloading, jumped in-game, everything maxed out and ready to go, or so I thought.

Launched the game and ran around for a bit when I went to my other computer for a sec, when I came back the screen was black and it didn't have any input anymore. Didn't know what was up so I relaunched PS2 about 5-10 minutes later, played for about 5 minutes when the GPU locks up, screen goes black and that's it.

Opened up the MSI Afterburner to see what the temps where, and they seem pretty high. It's running at 72-73C at the PS2 main menu, going up to 80-83C when I'm actually in-game (by myself without anyone around or anything happening) instantly. Fans are running @ 100% as well when I'm in-game and reaching those temperatures.

Setting the fans to manual doesn't seem to even be doing anything as I notice zero difference in spin speed or sound when I have them at 10% or 100%.

I'm using a MSI GeForce GTX660Ti with the latest drivers and no overclocking or anything.

Anyone have any suggestions as this is a pretty dissapointing start :(

Goku

2012-09-09, 04:09 PM

Sounds like a bad gpu. What are the idle temps when your are just in windows?

MasterCalaelen

2012-09-09, 04:34 PM

Sounds like a bad gpu. What are the idle temps when your are just in windows?

Alright, pretty embarassing to admit, but I was looking at the wrong graphic. The numbers I mentioned was the capacity percentage, not the GPU temperature.

GPU temperature is sitting around 45C when playing, which is fine.

While it's good news that the GPU isn't overheating, the bad news is that I have no clue what caused those two crashes.

As I said, screen goes black, monitor says no more input and that's it. Turning off the computer takes a couple of seconds of holding down the power button. Could it be that the CPU is overheating? Any suggestions on where to look?

Goku

2012-09-09, 05:35 PM

Do you have the extra motherboard connector installed from the PSU? The 4 or 8 pin depending on the board.

Download core temp to see the temperature of your CPU. Post what they are.

MasterCalaelen

2012-09-09, 05:54 PM

The extra connector is installed.

CPU temps are between 40 and 50C during gameplay, Core #2 seems to be hotter than the other 3 having a low-high of 39C-67C where the others are all low 30C-low 50C.

Goku

2012-09-09, 06:39 PM

Doesnt sound like over heating to me. Try doing a pass through uniengine heaven benchmark and see if it crashes.

MasterCalaelen

2012-09-09, 07:28 PM

Results, ran it twice, first time on standard settings second time on max settings:

First round:

FPS:
76.6
Scores:
1930
Min FPS:
32.4
Max FPS:
172.2

Hardware
Binary:
Windows 32bit Visual C++ 1600 Release Mar 7 2012
Operating system:
Windows 7 (build 7601, Service Pack 1) 64bit
CPU model:
Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3570K CPU @ 3.40GHz
CPU flags:
3409MHz MMX SSE SSE2 SSE3 SSSE3 SSE41 SSE42 HTT
GPU model:
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti 9.18.13.602 2048Mb

Settings
Render:
direct3d11
Mode:
1920x1080 4xAA fullscreen
Shaders:
high
Textures:
high
Filter:
trilinear
Anisotropy:
4x
Occlusion:
enabled
Refraction:
enabled
Volumetric:
enabled
Tessellation: disabled

Second round:

FPS:
37.4
Scores:
942
Min FPS:
10.3
Max FPS:
99.5

Hardware
Binary:
Windows 32bit Visual C++ 1600 Release Mar 7 2012
Operating system:
Windows 7 (build 7601, Service Pack 1) 64bit
CPU model:
Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3570K CPU @ 3.40GHz
CPU flags:
3410MHz MMX SSE SSE2 SSE3 SSSE3 SSE41 SSE42 HTT
GPU model:
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti 9.18.13.602 2048Mb

Settings
Render:
direct3d11
Mode:
1920x1080 8xAA fullscreen
Shaders:
high
Textures:
high
Filter:
trilinear
Anisotropy:
16x
Occlusion:
enabled
Refraction:
enabled
Volumetric:
enabled
Tessellation:
extreme

No issues in either round with crashing or the likes.

Goku

2012-09-09, 08:53 PM

Interesting. Any other games exhibiting what PS2 is doing?

MasterCalaelen

2012-09-10, 04:43 AM

Interesting. Any other games exhibiting what PS2 is doing?

Haven't been able to try out any other games as none had finished downloading yet. TF2 is done now so I can give that a go.

Why did you say it was interesting?

*edit* Just played TF2 for almost an hour without any issues. It's not a very heavy game though, especially in comparison to PS2. I'm waiting for the SW:TOR trial to download so I can give that a go as that's a much heavier game.

*edit2* Just gave SW:TOR a go, ~10 minutes in, same thing. Screen goes black saying no more input, little buzzing sound and that's it. Computer keeps running but no more input to the monitor.

Goku

2012-09-10, 08:56 AM

MasterCalaelen

2012-09-10, 09:09 AM

If it was only PS2 causing it is why, but it doesn't seem that way due to SWTOR crashing. Try more games to see if it continues.

Download OCCT (http://www.ocbase.com/). Select the CPU: Linpack tab and see that can run stable for a hour. This doesn't stress the GPU, only CPU and RAM. I'm thinking this sounds like a possible ram issue. Verify all the correct settings for the ram (timings and voltage) are setup correctly in the bios. Should be under the overclocking part.

Have a post up on the PS2 Forums and they suggested OCCT as well, just ran it for 15 minutes and no issues, with temps between 60-70C.

I don't really own any other games short of very old ones like TF2, so I'm kinda out of luck on that.

How can I find out what the right timing and voltage for my RAM is? There wasn't any info like that in the box.

Goku

2012-09-10, 09:15 AM

MasterCalaelen

2012-09-10, 09:15 AM

Should be a sticker on the ram saying what it is. By the looks of it though I think it should be 1600MHz, 9-9-9 (not sure of the last number here, but probably 24 or 27), and 1.5V. Thats if you got all four sticks of ram kit.

Alright yeah, it's CL9-9-9-24 1.5V. I'll check that in the BIOS.

Just ran the OCCT GPU thing and when I stopped it at 10 minutes it happened again. I heard the windows sound just before I reset it though, so it seems it just kills the video input and reboots the system.

I also checked the RAM in the BIOS, it's at 1.5V, but I can't find the 9-9-9-24 thing anywhere?

Goku

2012-09-10, 10:08 AM

MasterCalaelen

2012-09-10, 10:38 AM

Did you try the Linpack? I didn't say GPU. Though it still crashed :/. Try downloading 3DMark11 and running that to see what happens too.

I don't know much about the new UEFI bios with ASUS as I haven't used it. Look it up in the manual. Otherwise I would be pointing you towards a dead end most likely.

Already ran the OCCT CPU Linpack, mentioned it in a previous post, you must've missed it. I ran it for 15 min w/o any issues with temps between 60-70C.

I'll give 3DMark11 a go.

*edit*Swapped the GPU power cables with 2 new ones, and put them into different connectors. Did the same with the PSU power cable, but still running into the same issue.

*edit2*3DMark 11 results: http://www.3dmark.com/3dm11/4352916

3DMark Score
P8131
Graphics Score
8966
Physics Score
6684
Combined Score
5921
Graphics Test 1
42.36 FPS
Graphics Test 2
41.46 FPS
Graphics Test 3
54.75 FPS
Graphics Test 4
27.31 FPS
Physics Test
21.22 FPS
Combined Test
27.54 FPS

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