New PC, needs feedback please! :)

2

Comments

  • JirikiJiriki retired ns1 player Join Date: 2003-01-04 Member: 11780Members, NS1 Playtester, Squad Five Silver
    That looks nice, altho I don't recognise the cooler etc. I have Noctua and its great. Overclocked my i5-2500k to 4.2Ghz.

    I'd also pick Asus over other vendors. And i5-2500k has best price / performance ratio.

    Do you really need 16GB of RAM? Do you edit videos? I suppose it will speed up the computer (it will cache disk) but I'd rather go for bigger SSD drive so you can fit more stuff. Depends how much you have data.
  • TemphageTemphage Join Date: 2009-10-28 Member: 69158Members
    16 GB of RAM is very excessive, but at the same time RAM has become so laughably cheap these days (and about time too) I'd recommend that everyone have at least 6GB these days.

    GSkill seems to be pretty much the best choice these days - great customer support, uber-cheap RAM in a variety of flavors, and in my experience (and apparently Newegg users), it works as-advertised.
  • SopsSops Join Date: 2003-07-03 Member: 17894Members, Constellation
    All the performance tests I have seen show there is no gain in having more then 4GBs of ram unless you are editing video or compiling large bits of code. So why spend money buying more today when it will be cheaper tomorrow?

    It used to be the golden rule that more ram is better but we have gotten to the point where people can afford way more then they will ever use.
  • JirikiJiriki retired ns1 player Join Date: 2003-01-04 Member: 11780Members, NS1 Playtester, Squad Five Silver
    What OS does with spare ram is it caches the disk which is like a million times faster. If you use same files all the time, its almost like having an SSD but not quite.
  • SopsSops Join Date: 2003-07-03 Member: 17894Members, Constellation
    Yes, to a limit. There are performance tests you can look up to see how added ram will affect loading times of some common programs and the difference passed 4GB is negligible (maybe a couple tenth of a second) or no difference at all.

    Having a huge amount of ram won't give you the performance of a SSD.
  • lolfighterlolfighter Snark, Dire Join Date: 2003-04-20 Member: 15693Members
    I'd argue for 6GB. I have 4GB and it's quite sufficient for now, but we all know that sooner or later we'll need more. 6GB isn't going terribly overboard, and it'll keep your computer current for longer. Yes, you could upgrade when it becomes necessary, but if you buy 6GB now rather than sticking an extra 2GB stick in there later you can get matching chips and dual-channel or triple-channel them. If I were to build a new computer now I'd go with 6GB. It's not necessary, but I see it as a sensible investment.
  • SopsSops Join Date: 2003-07-03 Member: 17894Members, Constellation
    I have 2x2GB right now, when it is time to upgrade I figure I can get get 1x4GB stick and have 4GB a channel and still have a slot open for another future upgrade.

    I am in favor of future proofing other components but I figure ram is so easy to upgrade you may as well holdout for a good deal.
  • lolfighterlolfighter Snark, Dire Join Date: 2003-04-20 Member: 15693Members
    I'm pretty sure that you don't get everything working together neatly like that with different RAM module sizes. The two 2GB modules will be dual channel together, the 4GB module will be single channel and run slower. And my guess is that the 4GB module will bottleneck everything so you're essentially downgrading your speed by upgrading your capacity.

    Mish-mashing RAM together will result in less-than-optimal speed. If you want optimal speed you need to either plan ahead or be willing to throw out all the RAM you have in your machine now when you upgrade.
  • SopsSops Join Date: 2003-07-03 Member: 17894Members, Constellation
    It matters that the total quantity of ram in channel one be equal to the quantity in channel two and as always speed/voltage have to match to prevent down clocking. But you can have 2x2GB in one channel and 1x4GB in the other.
  • lolfighterlolfighter Snark, Dire Join Date: 2003-04-20 Member: 15693Members
    How do you do that when RAM slots are paired? On a typical 4-slot mainboard, slots 1 and 3 will be paired, and slots 2 and 4 will be paired. If you stick your RAM modules in slot 1 and 4, they don't run dual-channel.

    So let's say that you can actually get dual-channel with RAM modules of different sizes, which I still don't think is possible outside of a few rare Intel chipsets. You stick your two 2GB modules in slots 1 and 3. Where does the 4GB module go?
  • SopsSops Join Date: 2003-07-03 Member: 17894Members, Constellation
    The memory slots on my motherboard are mapped A1 A2 B1 B2, I would put the two 2GB sticking in both A slots and the one 4GB stick in the B1 or B2.

    <!--QuoteBegin-Asus User Manual+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Asus User Manual)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->You may install varying memory sizes in Channel A and Channel B. The system maps the <u>total</u> size of the lower-sized channel for the dual-channel configuration. Any excess memory from the higher-sized channel is then mapped for single-channel operation.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    I have not come across anything stating ram is paired like you suggest.
  • lolfighterlolfighter Snark, Dire Join Date: 2003-04-20 Member: 15693Members
    What chipset is that? Are you sure it's not a unique feature of a specific subset of chipsets, rather than a feature common to all mainboards?
  • SopsSops Join Date: 2003-07-03 Member: 17894Members, Constellation
    I have an Asus M4N75TD which is not particular high end, I am pretty sure it is not a unique feature but I do not know how common it may or may not be.
  • spellman23spellman23 NS1 Theorycraft Expert Join Date: 2007-05-17 Member: 60920Members
    I read that as "We will use what we can in dual channel mode and the rest in lame mode"

    i.e. to maximize awesome, buy paired sticks.
  • SopsSops Join Date: 2003-07-03 Member: 17894Members, Constellation
    It means if you put 4GB in channel A and 2GB is channel B you will get a total of 4GB in dual channel and the remaining 2GB in single channel. Or if you put 4GB in channel A and 4GB in channel B you get 8GB in dual with no remainder.
  • DiscoZombieDiscoZombie Join Date: 2003-08-05 Member: 18951Members
    gonna try to piggyback off of this thread since I've got an SSD question/hardware issue that isn't worthy of its own thread.

    I've got this SSD:
    <a href="http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0351760" target="_blank">http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_...duct_id=0351760</a>
    and this mobo:
    <a href="http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354230" target="_blank">http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_...duct_id=0354230</a>

    just my luck, this mobo was recalled shortly after I got it:
    <a href="http://www.intel.com/support/chipsets/6/sb/CS-032521.htm" target="_blank">http://www.intel.com/support/chipsets/6/sb/CS-032521.htm</a>

    the recall was very vague and didn't sound like a huge issue and I didn't feel like taking apart my whole computer, returning the mobo, and re-installing everything on a new mobo, just because my computer "could experience an issue with integrated SATA ports 2–5 that may result in these SATA ports experiencing a functional issue over time."

    anyway, the SSD is my boot drive of course, and it boots almost instantly and I love it. However, pretty much from day one, maybe 25% of the time I will turn on my computer and the BIOS tells me no bootable device was found. I press the reset button and it will generally work fine after that. Anyone run into anything like this before? Would you guess this would be related to the SATA problems with the motherboard or is it more likely to be the drive itself (or my configuration)? I'm probably just going to ignore it unless my computer stops booting entirely, at which point I will cry, and then I'll see if plugging the SSD into another port helps, and if not, I'll see if I can get the mobo replaced for free because of the recall and if not I'll just buy a new one.
  • SopsSops Join Date: 2003-07-03 Member: 17894Members, Constellation
    <!--quoteo(post=1854820:date=Jun 20 2011, 04:33 PM:name=DiscoZombie)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (DiscoZombie @ Jun 20 2011, 04:33 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1854820"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->then I'll see if plugging the SSD into another port helps<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    You could just do this now, if the problem goes away then at least you have identified the cause.
  • duxdux Tea Lady Join Date: 2003-12-14 Member: 24371Members, NS2 Developer
    My ssd boots windows 7 up so quickly that my internet occasionally refuses to connect properly so I end up having to reboot. No idea how that works.
  • TravCarpTravCarp Join Date: 2010-06-04 Member: 71962Members, Reinforced - Supporter
    <!--quoteo(post=1855000:date=Jun 21 2011, 11:27 AM:name=dux)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (dux @ Jun 21 2011, 11:27 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1855000"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->My ssd boots windows 7 up so quickly that my internet occasionally refuses to connect properly so I end up having to reboot. No idea how that works.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Must be nice, what kind?
  • JirikiJiriki retired ns1 player Join Date: 2003-01-04 Member: 11780Members, NS1 Playtester, Squad Five Silver
    edited June 2011
    SSD FTW!

    My SSD boots my Win7 faster than dux stays alive with his lerk.
  • perfectheatperfectheat Join Date: 2007-06-28 Member: 61405Members
    That is a really nice build you got there. I'm actually putting together a rather similar build.
    <b>
    Case: Fractal Design Define XL Black Pearl, 1x 140mm Front, 1x 180mm Top, 1x 140mm Back
    CPU: Intel Coreâ„¢ i7 Quad Processor i7-2600K 3,4GHz, Socket LGA1155, 8MB, Boxed
    Mother Board: ASUS P8P67 EVO B3, Socket-1155 ATX, P67, DDR3, 3xPCIe(2.0)x16, CFX& SLI, SATA 6Gb/s, USB 3.0, FW, BT, EFI
    PSU: Corsair TX V2 850W PSU ATX 12V V2.3, 80 Plus Bronze, Standard. 4x 6+2-pin PCIe, 8x SATA, 140mm
    Cooler: Corsair H60 Hydro Series CPU Cooler Socket 775/1155/1156/1366, AM2/AM2+/AM3, 1700 RPM, 74.4 CFM, 120mm
    Memory: Corsair Vengeanceâ„¢ DDR3 1600MHz 16GB CL9 Kit w/4x 4GB XMS3 modules, CL9-9-9-24, 1.5V, Vengeance Heatspreader, 240 pin
    SSD: Corsair SSD Force Series™ 3, 120GB SATA 6 Gb/s (SATA3.0), 550MB/510MB/s read/write, SandForce® SF-2281
    HD: Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB 7200RPM, SATA 3.0 Gbps, 3,5", 32MB Cache, 8.9ms
    Graphics Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2GB GDDR5 PCI-Express 2.1, 2xDVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, Dual Fan and BIOS
    OS: Windows 7 Pro
    </b>
    Not 100% sure on everything yet though. Will be using it for 3Ds Max, After effects, Photoshop, UDK, new and old games etc... I'll probably go for the 6950, XFX or Sapphire, and flash it to a 6970 down the line. A NVIDIA card would probably be a bit better in Max, at least in the viewport, but then again they are a bit more expensive, go warmer, create more noise and so on. I will mostly use it for hobby projects so it's not such a big deal. Either way it will be a hell of a lot better then the ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 I have in my laptop!
  • JirikiJiriki retired ns1 player Join Date: 2003-01-04 Member: 11780Members, NS1 Playtester, Squad Five Silver
    edited June 2011
    <!--QuoteBegin-Someone+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Someone)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->anyway, the SSD is my boot drive of course, and it boots almost instantly and I love it. However, pretty much from day one, maybe 25% of the time I will turn on my computer and the BIOS tells me no bootable device was found. I press the reset button and it will generally work fine after that. Anyone run into anything like this before? Would you guess this would be related to the SATA problems with the motherboard or is it more likely to be the drive itself (or my configuration)? I'm probably just going to ignore it unless my computer stops booting entirely, at which point I will cry, and then I'll see if plugging the SSD into another port helps, and if not, I'll see if I can get the mobo replaced for free because of the recall and if not I'll just buy a new one.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Yeah well it might have something to do with the recent SATA problems on intel drives. The sata2 ports can break your drive. Using the sata3 ports or an external sata chipset ports should fix this.

    <a href="http://www.tomshardware.com/news/sandy-bridge-sata-error-sata-3,12112.html" target="_blank">http://www.tomshardware.com/news/sandy-bri...ta-3,12112.html</a>

    Updating bios might be a good idea too. I had the same problem but that was because my bios had reset the mass storage boot order.

    I've also got the problem in Win7 dux described.

    And to OP, your computer sure looks beefy. Not sure if I would go that highend for everything but that's your money.
  • SkieSkie Skulk Progenitor Join Date: 2003-10-18 Member: 21766Members, NS2 Playtester, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited June 2011
    <!--quoteo(post=1855133:date=Jun 21 2011, 10:11 PM:name=perfectheat)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (perfectheat @ Jun 21 2011, 10:11 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1855133"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->That is a really nice build you got there. I'm actually putting together a rather similar build.
    <b>
    Case: Fractal Design Define XL Black Pearl, 1x 140mm Front, 1x 180mm Top, 1x 140mm Back
    CPU: Intel Coreâ„¢ i7 Quad Processor i7-2600K 3,4GHz, Socket LGA1155, 8MB, Boxed
    Mother Board: ASUS P8P67 EVO B3, Socket-1155 ATX, P67, DDR3, 3xPCIe(2.0)x16, CFX& SLI, SATA 6Gb/s, USB 3.0, FW, BT, EFI
    PSU: Corsair TX V2 850W PSU ATX 12V V2.3, 80 Plus Bronze, Standard. 4x 6+2-pin PCIe, 8x SATA, 140mm
    Cooler: Corsair H60 Hydro Series CPU Cooler Socket 775/1155/1156/1366, AM2/AM2+/AM3, 1700 RPM, 74.4 CFM, 120mm
    Memory: Corsair Vengeanceâ„¢ DDR3 1600MHz 16GB CL9 Kit w/4x 4GB XMS3 modules, CL9-9-9-24, 1.5V, Vengeance Heatspreader, 240 pin
    SSD: Corsair SSD Force Series™ 3, 120GB SATA 6 Gb/s (SATA3.0), 550MB/510MB/s read/write, SandForce® SF-2281
    HD: Samsung SpinPoint F3 1TB 7200RPM, SATA 3.0 Gbps, 3,5", 32MB Cache, 8.9ms
    Graphics Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2GB GDDR5 PCI-Express 2.1, 2xDVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, Dual Fan and BIOS
    OS: Windows 7 Pro
    </b>
    Not 100% sure on everything yet though. Will be using it for 3Ds Max, After effects, Photoshop, UDK, new and old games etc... I'll probably go for the 6950, XFX or Sapphire, and flash it to a 6970 down the line. A NVIDIA card would probably be a bit better in Max, at least in the viewport, but then again they are a bit more expensive, go warmer, create more noise and so on. I will mostly use it for hobby projects so it's not such a big deal. Either way it will be a hell of a lot better then the ATI Mobility Radeon X1600 I have in my laptop!<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Switch the 2600K for a i5 2500K. Saves you a hundred bucks and only a very minor speed drop. 2500K is at the very best high-end price point. Got it myself running at 4,5GHz with air cooling.
    <b>I would also change the Corsair memory and power. Both of mine were dead on arrival</b>, pretty much the same types as well.
    Personally I went for GTX570 instead of Radeon (I previously had a Radeon) because the ATi drivers are a hassle with Server 2008 R2. Why Server? Because I got it for free, unlike Win7. And the latter is quite bloated as well.

    My setup gets back to Windows login screen in 17 seconds after pressing Restart button in Windows, if all the programs shut down neatly. This is with the already oldish OCZ Vertex 2.

    Avg. fps in NS2 is about 70-80.
  • lolfighterlolfighter Snark, Dire Join Date: 2003-04-20 Member: 15693Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1855342:date=Jun 22 2011, 02:35 PM:name=Skie)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Skie @ Jun 22 2011, 02:35 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1855342"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec--><b>I would also change the Corsair memory and power. Both of mine were dead on arrival</b>, pretty much the same types as well.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Hell, if I could count on the goddamn chips to actually DIE, I would buy Corsair every time. A dead chip is a warranty issue. A chip that intermittently decides to ###### up your data and BSOD your system is a gigantic turd under your doormat.
  • TychoCelchuuuTychoCelchuuu Anememone Join Date: 2002-03-23 Member: 345Members
    FWIW none of my 6 Corsair DIMMs have ever given my any issues, although I have heard that their PSUs aren't the greatest. I'd echo the "drop down to an i5" comment, because the savings are so huge, but if you're actually going to be doing a crapton of After Effects work, I suppose an i7 might be worth it, especially if you overclock the heck out of it. Still, is shaving time off of your renders important enough to spend that much money?
  • lolfighterlolfighter Snark, Dire Join Date: 2003-04-20 Member: 15693Members
    Better metaphor! A chip that intermittently decides to ###### up your data and BSOD your system is an open can of mayonnaise hidden in your ventilation system.
  • ThaldarinThaldarin Alonzi&#33; Join Date: 2003-07-15 Member: 18173Members, Constellation
    I once over volted some of my RAM. Corsair replaced them for free on the warranty. Even though it was totally my fault.

    Never insult Corsair, they're my best friend <3
  • lolfighterlolfighter Snark, Dire Join Date: 2003-04-20 Member: 15693Members
    Not Corsair, just RAM in general. I've never had a RAM chip fail graciously. Never had a RAM chip that just died and prevented the system from booting until I removed it. That would be great. Well, not great, but great as errors go.
    They always just flake out, making the system unstable and force you to play happy fun guessing time to figure out what part of the computer is broken. Is the CPU faulty? Is the PSU not delivering enough volts? Has your north bridge half-died? Is your graphics card on the fritz? I'm sure as ###### not gonna tell you! Have fun!

    Worse is I once had a broken graphics card that manifested as a MEMORY error. And intermittently so. So half the time the computer would run normally, and even a memory test would come up empty. The other half, I'd load up Firefox and it'd crash when trying to load a page and then five minutes later the computer would BSOD and a memory test would show massive errors. And all this caused by a graphics card. ###### I hate electronics.
  • duxdux Tea Lady Join Date: 2003-12-14 Member: 24371Members, NS2 Developer
    <!--quoteo(post=1855019:date=Jun 21 2011, 05:37 PM:name=TravCarp)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (TravCarp @ Jun 21 2011, 05:37 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1855019"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Must be nice, what kind?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    It's an OCZ vertex 2E 240gb

    <!--quoteo(post=1855063:date=Jun 21 2011, 07:40 PM:name=Jiriki)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Jiriki @ Jun 21 2011, 07:40 PM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1855063"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->SSD FTW!

    My SSD boots my Win7 faster than dux stays alive with his lerk.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Tell me there's an sg there next time!
  • Chris0132Chris0132 Join Date: 2009-07-25 Member: 68262Members
    <!--quoteo(post=1855967:date=Jun 24 2011, 05:17 AM:name=lolfighter)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (lolfighter @ Jun 24 2011, 05:17 AM) <a href="index.php?act=findpost&pid=1855967"><{POST_SNAPBACK}></a></div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Not Corsair, just RAM in general. I've never had a RAM chip fail graciously. Never had a RAM chip that just died and prevented the system from booting until I removed it. That would be great. Well, not great, but great as errors go.
    They always just flake out, making the system unstable and force you to play happy fun guessing time to figure out what part of the computer is broken. Is the CPU faulty? Is the PSU not delivering enough volts? Has your north bridge half-died? Is your graphics card on the fritz? I'm sure as ###### not gonna tell you! Have fun!

    Worse is I once had a broken graphics card that manifested as a MEMORY error. And intermittently so. So half the time the computer would run normally, and even a memory test would come up empty. The other half, I'd load up Firefox and it'd crash when trying to load a page and then five minutes later the computer would BSOD and a memory test would show massive errors. And all this caused by a graphics card. ###### I hate electronics.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    Yeah it took me about ten years to realise that the constant bluescreens I'd been getting on every computer I ever owned was probably because they all had crappy memory.

    Bought some new memory, installd it myself, reinstalled it in a slot that didn't require me to bend it through 15 degrees, worked a charm.
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