Help with a few PC Build questions

[Termie]

Originally Posted by zeroprotocol

Checking in here.
So I *think* my settings are 9-9-9-24-2N.

I am in the BIOS right now and under DRAM Timing Configuration, there is:

XMP 1.2 Profile 1: DDR3-1600 9-9-9-24 1.50V

Below that there is "Load XMP Setting"
It has the options for "Auto" and "XMP 1.2 Profile 1"

Going to guess here and say I should select the "XMP 1.2. Profile 1" option?

I do a little but further down, under Voltage Configuration:

DRAM Voltage: 1.500V

Little different BIOS for me, so I am learning my way around.
Anything else I should check?

That looks right - go ahead and load the XMP profile, restart, and check the BIOS again to see what it actually set.

You haven't made any other changes in the BIOS, correct? If not, then let's see if uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers works. You might try a utility like Driver Sweeper to pull all the old Nvidia driver files off the system.

[zeroprotocol]

Originally Posted by Termie

That looks right - go ahead and load the XMP profile, restart, and check the BIOS again to see what it actually set.

You haven't made any other changes in the BIOS, correct? If not, then let's see if uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers works. You might try a utility like Driver Sweeper to pull all the old Nvidia driver files off the system.

Alright. Set that in the BIOS, came back to check and it looks like the timings took.
I have not touched anything else in the BIOS.

downloading a few things righ tnow, then going to do some game testing.

Might be a good time to upgrade my GPU. Any suggestions?
The AMD 7870 look tempting with the price they have right now.

Appreciate the help.

ZP

[Termie]

Originally Posted by zeroprotocol

Alright. Set that in the BIOS, came back to check and it looks like the timings took.
I have not touched anything else in the BIOS.

downloading a few things righ tnow, then going to do some game testing.

Might be a good time to upgrade my GPU. Any suggestions?
The AMD 7870 look tempting with the price they have right now.

Appreciate the help.

ZP

The GTX260 is about equivalent to an HD5770. Stepping up to an HD7850 would offer about twice the performance, while the HD7870 would offer 2.2x the performance. Either would be a good bet.

But before you do that, let's make sure you don't have any serious issues with the build. Actually, you can run the system on just the onboard video for a while to see if it's stable. To do that, pull the GTX260 out of the system entirely and hook the monitor into one of the motherboard video outputs. Use it for a day like that to see if it holds together - you can even run some games at low detail to see if anything crashes.

[zeroprotocol]

Originally Posted by Termie

The GTX260 is about equivalent to an HD5770. Stepping up to an HD7850 would offer about twice the performance, while the HD7870 would offer 2.2x the performance. Either would be a good bet.

But before you do that, let's make sure you don't have any serious issues with the build. Actually, you can run the system on just the onboard video for a while to see if it's stable. To do that, pull the GTX260 out of the system entirely and hook the monitor into one of the motherboard video outputs. Use it for a day like that to see if it holds together - you can even run some games at low detail to see if anything crashes.

Cool on the GPU's. I did a quick peek at Newegg and can grab a 7870 for about $210 after rebates and such. Might make the plunge.

Did all the checking in the BIOS. All looks good from what I can tell.

I did some testing last night with Planetside 2. Everything looked good. I am a little hesitant to fire up Sniper Elite V2, so I might just hold off on that until I get my new GPU.

Anything else I can test?

think im going to order this GPU today:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161411

Pretty good one? SHould be a big increase from my GTX 260.

Outside of that, only thing I can think of next is SSD's and adding more memory.

Appreciate all the help!

Cheers,

ZP

EDIT: Actually, poking around NewEgg a bit, I see some good prices on some GTX 660's:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...&SID=u00000687

Not bad at all....suggestions between the two?

[Termie]

Originally Posted by zeroprotocol

Cool on the GPU's. I did a quick peek at Newegg and can grab a 7870 for about $210 after rebates and such. Might make the plunge.

Did all the checking in the BIOS. All looks good from what I can tell.

I did some testing last night with Planetside 2. Everything looked good. I am a little hesitant to fire up Sniper Elite V2, so I might just hold off on that until I get my new GPU.

Anything else I can test?

think im going to order this GPU today:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161411

Pretty good one? SHould be a big increase from my GTX 260.

Outside of that, only thing I can think of next is SSD's and adding more memory.

Appreciate all the help!

Cheers,

ZP

That HD7870 would be a pretty good choice, but it's out of stock. I'd recommend going with this highly-customized PowerColor model for $10 more with a very substantial overclock: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131466

Before purchasing that upgrade, I'd again suggest you try 3dMark11 to check for stability. Here's the link: http://www.3dmark.com/3dmark11/

My guess is that there was just a driver problem with Sniper Elite, but if there are problems with 3dMark11, which the drivers should be able to handle with ease, then you know there's another problem.

[zeroprotocol]

Originally Posted by Termie

That HD7870 would be a pretty good choice, but it's out of stock. I'd recommend going with this highly-customized PowerColor model for $10 more with a very substantial overclock: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131466

Before purchasing that upgrade, I'd again suggest you try 3dMark11 to check for stability. Here's the link: http://www.3dmark.com/3dmark11/

My guess is that there was just a driver problem with Sniper Elite, but if there are problems with 3dMark11, which the drivers should be able to handle with ease, then you know there's another problem.

Ok. What I will do then this evening is download that and give it a spin. I'll report back any findings.

I'll look at that card as well. Is there a benefit going AMD over Nvidia, or is it just personal preference at this point? Both have some good options around the $200-230 mark, and I am cool with choosing the best solution for my system.

Thanks again.

Cheers,

ZP

[Termie]

Originally Posted by zeroprotocol

Ok. What I will do then this evening is download that and give it a spin. I'll report back any findings.

I'll look at that card as well. Is there a benefit going AMD over Nvidia, or is it just personal preference at this point? Both have some good options around the $200-230 mark, and I am cool with choosing the best solution for my system.

Thanks again.

Cheers,

ZP

Let us know how that testing goes.

The only other card I would mention, and that's if you want to stretch your budget a bit, is the GTX660ti for $250AR: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814133467

AMD is winning a lot of fans lately for a very strong driver release and fairly competitive prices. Nvidia hasn't done much lately, but the 660ti has dropped a lot in price over the past two weeks. Not quite the price/performance of the 7870, but if you like Assassin's Creed more than Far Cry (the respective bundled games) or play games with PhysX, the 660ti might be worth it to you.

[zeroprotocol]

Just thought I would put out a quick update.
I just got back into town after going on a unexpected business trip. My plan was to get back in town and buy my GPU. Well, hehehe, low and behold, I went to do so and the card above is discontinued. On top of that, looks like Nvidia cards are the only cards that have a game bundled with it.

That being said, did some thinking on my trip.
Decided that I definitely want a aftermarket CPU cooler for my new build, as I think I might want to try out OC'ing in the near future.

That said, any suggestions for a CPU Cooler for my i5-3570k?

I guess i will ask as well, GPU suggestions, since the above changed a bit?

So far, my system has been stable after what I did above. now its time to add a few cherries on top to the whole thing.

Cheers!

ZP

[Eureka]

Keep an eye out in the Hot Deals section of this forum. The best bang for buck deal fluctuates in and out. I think last week there was a GTX 660 for around $165, IIRC. Check to see what the current deal is. You'll want either a 660/660ti or a 7850/7870, at minimum.

Almost any well-reviewed cooler will help you get a good overclock. I paid $10 AR for my Corsair CAFA50 and it keeps my 3570 at 4.5ghz/1.3V and I've not seen it go above 75C yet, even under stress testing (but then again, it's winter here). The Hyper 212 coolers are also well reviewed, and I remember seeing them at around $10-20 on sale a week ago or two. They normally go for $30-40 if you're impatient.

[Termie]

You can still get a GTX660Ti for $250AR, this one from Galaxy: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814162121

If you liked the deal I mentioned before, you should like this one as well.

An equally good deal is this HD7950 for $280AR: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202006

Just pick your budget and whether you like one set of free games more than the other. If you want to try your hand at GPU overclocking, go for the HD7950.

By the way, a CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Plus or 212 Evo should work very well for your CPU - just look for the best price.

[mfenn]

Originally Posted by Termie

You can still get a GTX660Ti for $250AR, this one from Galaxy: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814162121

If you liked the deal I mentioned before, you should like this one as well.

An equally good deal is this HD7950 for $280AR: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202006

Just pick your budget and whether you like one set of free games more than the other. If you want to try your hand at GPU overclocking, go for the HD7950.

Originally Posted by Termie

By the way, a CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Plus or 212 Evo should work very well for your CPU - just look for the best price.

Both versions are unfortunately kind of overpriced at Newegg right now. ($25 AR and $35). The TPC 812 is only $40 AR though, and it uses a sweet vapor chamber for good heat transmission to the fins.