Odedge's New Computer

Odedge · Feedback-Master ..

Odedge's New Computer

Bl!tz · ...ǝp¡s ɹǝɥʇo ǝɥʇ uo

héhé...looking like a solid upgrade is planed here
i know ur feeling about ASUS bad taste in mouth....even if i m back to them for my last mobo, u should seriously think to give MSI a try...even if the customer support is as s**y as for other companies i found their products always being cheap and nicely done

they have lot of choice on the 1155 socket with large pricing choice, the look is generally awesome, thoses military components finally impressed all reviewers and tbh i never had any serious problem with MSI products ( 1 gfx dead after 3 years of intense use ....the 9 others gfx and the 6 mobos never gave me problems)

dunno how it s in us but here u can find interressant upgrade kits (ram+cpu+mobo) here s an example

imo all manufacters build nice mobos with nice options, u just have to pick the one that fits to ur tastes....some features are very nice like EFI, USB3 and sata high speed transfer

about the cpu cooler tell us what allow ur case? if watercooling kits are possible than no doubts!: goooo!!!! (require 2x120 or 1x120mm room for radiator and fans) the price is quite the same as for big aircooling kits but the efficience is not comparable...i rarely was as happy as i am for my Corsair H100

about the gpu i find the ASUS 6950 very powerfull for its price , i didnt succed to unlock the hidden shaders to transform it in 6970 (via bios flash) but even as a 6950 only it never failed in anygame till now...i know the MSI model is more expensive but kicks the butt too

u dont tell a lot about what u plane to spend in so it s quite difficult to try to help here ....haha

mAlkAv!An · calculating Pi by hand

RAM: I am usually a big fan of many MHz but to be honest, a higher ram clock is one of those things that you'll never notice unless you run specific benchmarks. Regarding the prices I would buy 4x4GB. DDR3-1333 will be the cheapest but some DDR3-1600 and 1866 kits have a nice price too and are looking more solid.

CPU cooler: In fact there is no need for a high-end cooler if you'll not doing extensive overclocking. I have a mid range cooler (30€ EKL Brocken) by myself and it can handle a 2600k at 4ghz or 4.5ghz 24/7 (not mentioning oc sessions beyond 5ghz). If loudness is important for you, I recommend to get such a solid 120 cooler and adding one or two silent 120mm fans.

Motherboard: There are many z68 boards available for 200$ or less. In my opinion it's not easy to pick a certain manufacturer. Looking at MSIs GD55/65 f.e. they dont offer the best performance/price ratio. Gigabyte UD3P or Asrocks Extrem3 might be worth a look for you.

If customer service or something like supporting the national industry matters to you, you should look for EVGA (f.e. P67/Z68 SLI).

SSD: Here I would say it's a choice of the controller. Many drives are very similar using sandfcorces SF-2281 which is looking good at the paper (write speed 500+MB/s). In more real world scenarios Marvells controller is faster. Crucial m4 SSD is one of those that uses the latter one f.e.

Video Card: If you dont have the urgent need of a faster card you should wait until AMDs HD7000 cards are available. Also I dont feel HD6950/70 to be worth the extra money over a HD5850.

Bl!tz · ...ǝp¡s ɹǝɥʇo ǝɥʇ uo

totally agree with malk on the gfx choice, the 6950 only leads by a toe on the 5850... but u can find 6950 for 180 euros...and honnestly i was in pain to find a 5850 from here

but if u can wait the 7xxx serie (which seem to be a massive improvement to the AMD/ATI series u ll probably have more choices options

...and while reading me back i have to say that Malk is 100% right on the cpu cooling too...i m an enthousiast ...if u dont oc ur cpu...no need to spend money on WC :p

...but now i shut up or i ll be asskicked by one of thoses intel freaks! muhaha...

mAlkAv!An · calculating Pi by hand

HD5850 is EOL so you will hardly find any of those ^^ Sapphire did a HD5850 + 5870 remake in the bginning of 2011 and I got one of those for 100€ new... Few 6950 cost <200€ but like you know only 1gb versions ^^

-- Edited by mAlkAv!An on Tuesday 3rd of January 2012 01:57:28 PM

VaLkyR_Anubis · Unreal Old Friend

Sounds like a good plan, in my opinion! However, allow me to tell you my ideas.

If you wanna buy the i7 2600K, you could buy this motherboard Motherboard. I know it is a ASUS one, but my brother got this one and it works perfectly. It is stable, reliable and got nice features.

In point of RAM, the clock doesn't matter so much, because in games you don't really notice the difference (as already mentioned), you only notice you have to pay more money. Nothing else! My brother got 16GB DDR3 1333Mhz by G.Skill and this RAM performs very well. So do you wanna pay more money for a higher clock only, but not that huge performance improvement?

A suitable CPU cooler would be this one Enermax or you could also use one of these new liquid cooling solutions, e.g. Corsair. However, it depends on your case and what you actually want.

Your HD5850 is still a good GPU, even for latest games, but if you wanna upgrade, so be it. Go ahead for a HD6950 or GTX570. But you could also think of a GTX 560 Ti 448, because it is smaller, lower power consumption and the performance is almost the same one like GTX 570. Nevertheless, buying a new GPU, there it depends on the point, if you like AMD or Nvidia more and which price you wanna pay.

In the end, some more infos might be a bit helpful. ;)

Odedge · Feedback-Master ..

Thanks for the input. I like that you are giving your opinions and just talking tech to help me get up to speed.

My budget is around $1500 (with or with out a monitor), but can spend more if needed. I know a i5-2500k is a better value than the i7-2600k, but I don't want to upgrade for a while, so I will spend more money. I don't want to spend more money than the i7-2600k because it's not worth it to me.

I have been reading that faster RAM doesn't really make a difference for gaming. Maybe it will for mapping? I want to get at least 1333MHZ, but if 1600 doesn't cost that much more, I will buy it for the sake of knowing it's faster.

I think I would like to try an MSI motherboard. I know ASUS have a good reputation, but for some reason, I don't seem to forget easily when a computer part fails on me. But I should keep an open mind.

I don't want to go with water cooling (it freaks me out a bit), so I will stick with good air cooling. Though I have never overclocked anything, I wouldn't mind trying it with the CPU, maybe running it at 4MHZ, as long as I can do it easily and can use fan CPU cooler.

If I go with a new monitor (1920x1080), that would be the reason to possibly get a new video card. Right now, BF 3 is the game of choice and actually, I don't mind running it on low (it still looks good). But since it's a CPU intensive game, I want a smoother frame rate experience. Maybe it's my eyes, but when that game gets into the 40s, I can tell a difference. Plus, that game is very busy visually, so that might make things worse. I may wait to see how things are, then maybe upgrade the card.

I will update my first post later with price points.

A few questions to help me limit my choices (which makes it easier to pick).

Q1: Is there a better chipset to stick with Z68 or P67?

Q2: How do you pick a RAM kit that can run at the max speed? As I mentioned, by current RAM won't run at 1333, even though the Motherboard supports it. I think it's because of the voltage? I read that for socket1155, you really should stick with 1.5v memory, even though up to 1.65v is safe.

Q3: Are there any cool motherboard features I should be aware of (besides USB 3.0)?

Thanks

mAlkAv!An · calculating Pi by hand

I had the same feelings for my 24/7 RAM - I got 4x4GB DDR3-1600 just because it looks better to me and because the specific kit has nice visuals.

BF3 runs better with Nvidia cards. Btw, a HD6950/HD5870 is just ~17% faster as a HD5850 (HD6970 - 33%) in this game at 1920x1080 + 4xMSAA.

Q1: They are basically the same but Z68 has a few extra features like SSD caching. In fact I don't think it matters for you. If you get a P67 board make sure the chipset is Rev. B3.

Q2: I dont get what you mean. If you have DDR3-1333 and it wont run at its rated speed/voltage it's a reason for a warranty replacement. To reach higher clocks it is nesseccary to adjust additional voltages. Looking at your pc specs you are using DDR2 so I'm wondering if you are talking about DDR2-667 or really DDR2-1333, which is not easy to reach and the mobo won't support this for sure.

Q3: USB 3.0 and SATA-III 6GB/s are the most important ones. If you ever plan to run CF or SLi (I dont recommend this ^^) you should look for an appropiate board. But then again it will only run at x8/x8 lanes unless you get an expensive board with an additional NF200 chip.

Bl!tz · ...ǝp¡s ɹǝɥʇo ǝɥʇ uo

Q2: it s always mentionned in the ram & mobo specs, watch mobo max values but be sure there s not a lil "oc", because the lil oc means u require custom settings to get that speed...normally!....

here for example if u buy DDR3/1600 RAM it should run @ 1600 with stock settings buying RAM with highest value means custom settings to get that speed...

Bl!tz · ...ǝp¡s ɹǝɥʇo ǝɥʇ uo

Q3: EFI replace nicely bios and is user friendly...i had to go back from MSI EFI to Gigabyte old BIOS...i remember a serious feeling:" what a jump in the back!"

Odedge · Feedback-Master ..

@ Malk

I am not against nVidia cards, but the reason I went with the 5850 is that it could run 3 monitors (with a Display Port active adaptor). I don't think any nVidia card that's around $300, can do this? Good point about the 6950 vs 5850. I will wait for a video card as that's an easy upgrade compared to the other parts.
I read about the SSD caching, but don't know if I would really want to use it (it requires 18 GBs?). I will keep either chipset as an option. As for the "Rev. B3", is there any way to find this out when you are ordering it?
Here is my current memory (TigerDirect.com) and motherboard (TigerDirec.com / Intel.com). I am trying to remmber, but to run the memory at 1333MHZ, it went over 1.5 volts and the system wouldn't start past the Boot section. This has always bugged me because they both say 1333MHZ, but I guess not all 1333MHZ ram uses the same voltage? If not, then the computer industry is a bit stupid.
USB 3.0 is cool, though I don't know when I would ever buy a device for this. I will have to double check my current hard drives to see what level of SATA they support and shop accordingly. I wonder if getting an extra 5850 might be more cost effective. I have never been a big fan of CF/SLI. I have never run it, but it seems to be a bit complicated for what you get.

@ Blitz

I have been noticing that notation of "(OC)", which I know to be overclocking values. I gues I need to figure out if all Memory runs at the same voltage at the same speed?

For anyone who has a intel i7/5-2600/2500k... how do you overclock the processor? The BIOS or does intel have a program that lets you do this?

Here is my current prices that I will spend for each product. I don't mind going a bit higher (and obviously lower).

CPU=$325
CPU Cooler=$50 > $100
Motherboard=$200
RAM=$100
SSD=$200
Monitor=$300 > $350

More questions!

Q4: What is the difference between "PC12800 and PC3-12800 memory (TigerDirect.com Search). Is the first one for Dual Channel and the second one for Tri Channel memory?

Q5: The first generation i7 processors used tri-channel memory (which is better than dual channel). The second generation of i7 processors (which are better than the first), use dual channel? Seems a bit odd when the newest Intel processor that came out is going/using quad channel memory.

*Odedge is a bit confused*

mAlkAv!An · calculating Pi by hand

A manufactuerer, called KFA² (Galaxy) just released a GTX570 with 4x monitor support. But this one already costs 300€ here so I doubt you'll get one for 300$.

SSD caching is just benefitial if you have no SSD at all. It uses a small flash drive to to put heavily used files on it to speed up windows/program loading times.

Usually the rev B3 is clearly declared by every online shop. For example: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=402131&CatId=6978

Ok I see. On another site they say your patriot RAM is specified for 1.7V RAM voltage. On your S775 its no problem to use such voltages by the way due to a different architecture. There are also older DDR3 RAMs that have a default voltage of 2V+. In your case it might be possible to run DDR3-1333 at 1.5V if you increase the latncys from 7-7-7-20 to 9-9-9-27 for example.

I just bought a relatively cheap 32GB USB stick for 30€ and it already takes full advantage of USB 3.0. USB 2 is limited to 35MB/s transfer rates and that's really a pain in the ass if you copy big files or use an external HDD for storaging for example.
Crossfire has a main disadvantage that is called micro stuttering. If you have 'sensitive' eyes this is really a no-go. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOtre2f4qZs

No, RAM manufacturers have certain specification and those are often very similar to each other. But in fact the real possible speed depends on the chips that are working on the modules. Overclockers know those chips and can also tell you where to find them. Sadly you won't find any of those on 4GB sticks.

Nearly every mainboard manufacturer has an own windows tool for monitoring and adjusting clocks + voltages. But for a serious overclocking, espacially if it is used 24/7, I highly recommend to do it within the BIOS.

Q4: There is no difference. The term PC3 is used to name DDR3 but sometimes you'll find a short version. Just make sure you'll buy a kit with two sticks and watch out for a default voltage of 1.5V (older ones usually have 1.65V). Memory is not programmed to run in a specific config. You can buy 2x dual-channel kits and run them in quad-channel for example or take 2x single sticks from different kits to run them in dual-channel mode.

Q5: Yes thats right but it happened for a reason. S1366 (first i7) was Intels new high-end platform and came along with Triple Channel DDR3, the first 6-core CPUs and enough PCI-E lanes for SLi/CF connfigs. S1155 / Sandy Bridge (second i5/i7) was meant to offer a good performance and price but no high-end. Thats is why there is only dual channel ddr3, x8/x8 sli/cf by default or "just" 4-core CPUs but no six-core. In fact the performance is very good because intel introduced a new microarchitecture at the same time which is working more efficiently and offers a better performance-per-MHz ratio.
Now S2011 was just released and this is Intels new high-end platform as you can see on the QuadChannel, 6-core CPUs or better Multi-GPU performances... but also on the prices.

I hope you dont lose track of my post. I was just too lazy to use multi-quotes because this is not very comfortable on this forum.

Bl!tz · ...ǝp¡s ɹǝɥʇo ǝɥʇ uo

yup the only thing i was told on each oc forum was to never buy ram with stock voltage over 1.5v...seem to make sence, in fact quite all posts related to ram problems comes from guys expecting highest frequencies or having problems with too high voltages....what is quite funny is that 90 % of the time the problem comes from a bad reading of ram spects when user buy them
u ll rarely have problem if u do a lil search and buy only "tested and approved " rams (for ur mobo), there s often a listing^^
some ram manufacters have solid reputation...often because nice products and excellent customer service: Corsair, kingston and OCZ
some rams are recommended by manufacter because of their good compatibility: MSI often recommend Kingston and MSI customers seem to be especially happy with Corsair & Kingston
u can find nice pricing on less (or not) reputed manufacter like zeppelin....imo on the RAM better to stick with reputed manufacters

Odedge · Feedback-Master ..

@ Malk

I thought SSD caching could use your existing SSD drive to help speed up other Hard Drives? Not a big deal either way, but that's how I understood it. I know windows can use a flash drive to help with caching though.
As for my RAM, maybe it's an issue with me not configuring it correctly. I thought I had to just adjust the voltage/speed, which worked in the BIOS, but was rejected during the boot process.
For external drives, I use eSata, which works fine for the little amount of time I use them for. Most of my backing up is internal.
Thanks for that video on micro stuttering, another reason not to bother with SLI/CF.
I would like to take whoever comes up with Memory/RAM terminology and smack them around a little bit. It's way to confusing compared to how simple it should be (RAM type/Speed/Timings).
Thanks for the explanation on Q5. So going with a second generation i7 is probably best overall, because I doubt Tri-channel memory makes that much of a difference.
I didn't loose track at all and I agree multi-quoting can be a challenge on this forum. It's all good.

@ Blitz

As I have read and what you and Malk said, I wills stick with a stock voltage of 1.5v. I think the problem with my existing memory is due to incompatible voltages.
I check my Intel board and the list that it had was extremely short and I didn't even recognize the companies who made the RAM.
I am a big fan of buying from brands I have heard of, even if it just makes me feel better. I checked out the MSI site and will probably stick with either an Intel or MSI motherboard. My uncle who had to deal with Asus a few times said their customer service was horrible.

Hopefully by this weekend, I will have some "final contendors" and will post them up for everyone's feedback.

Thanks!

Bl!tz · ...ǝp¡s ɹǝɥʇo ǝɥʇ uo

MSI just did this lil OC guide for 1155 sockets...not really a guide in fact and nothing too technical but just enough to give u an idea of what is possible, how and what to expect from it... wink

mAlkAv!An · calculating Pi by hand

Lol, you don't need a guide to overclock sandy bridge CPUs, this intel videos says it all :p
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GR5_X1CfUA

On a more serious note it's really quite easy.

Odedge wrote:
@ Malk
I thought SSD caching could use your existing SSD drive to help speed up other Hard Drives? Not a big deal either way, but that's how I understood it. I know windows can use a flash drive to help with caching though.

If you have already a 'real' SSD (not a little 10-20GB flash drive) and install the OS + your favorite games/progs on it there nothing left to speed up. The good thing is you can speed up your old hdd post hoc - but if you really spend 200$ for a 120GB SSD it would be somehow a waste of money not to use it properly smile

Odedge · Feedback-Master ..

Thanks guys....

Malk wins for being funnier and to the point. Blitz wins for being thorough! That guide helps me to like MSI a bit better.

Odedge · Feedback-Master ..

OK, after enough research, here are my final choices.

CPU:
Intel 2600k

Motherboard:
Intel DP67BGB3
Asus P8P67 Pro Rev 3.1
MSI P67A-GD65

CPU Cooler:
Corsair CWCH60 Hydro H60
Corsair CWCH70 Hydro H70
Corsair CWCH80 Hydro H80

SSD:
Corsair CSSD-F180GB3-BK (180 GB)Corsair CSSD-P128GBP-BK (128 GB)
Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 (128 GB)
OCZ OCT1-25SAT3-128G (128 GB)

I have decided to give ASUS a try for the motherboard, I can't dwell on the past too much. I like the Intel for it's "reliability", I like MSI and Asus for it's extra features with the Asus getting the nod for it's BIOS and RAM speed.

Since I want to possibly overclock the CPU and my room tends to get warm in the summer, I will try one of the Corsair Watercoolers.

For the SSD, I want at least 128 GB and would like to get a relatively fast drive to take advantage of SATA 6Gb connections.

For the Memory, I think I should pick a Motherboard first, then go from there. I want to get the most out of it (speed wise).

Final opinions are welcome and I would like to order it by Sunday. Thanks again. smile

Odedge · Feedback-Master ..

Bump?

Achernar · Amateur UT mapper

While I'll refrain from commenting on the makes and models. The only thing that I would be concerned about is the 128GB size limit. While the speeds are fantastic the size would soon see this drive becoming a slave in short order as application and games sizes increase. So my only thought would be to opt for the larger option. But this is pretty personal I guess as I don't tend to upgrade very often. Just my 2c.

Lord_PorkSword · Connoisseur of Bourbon!

Only realized I hadn't replied to ya thread at all...doh!
Maybe if ya had started the thread after ya kicked my ars3 in BF3 I could have had an excuse for not responding. wink

anyway...my two cents..

CPU - 2600k is a great processor!

Motherboard - Personally I like Asus or Gigabyte however from the link you posted HardOCP have given the thumbsup to the MSI one so that could be a winner!

Cooler: If it doesn't get too hot in your place go midrange for the H70, otherwise save yaself 10 bucks and get the Antec h20 620 which performs very similar(maybe slightly better) I'm very happy with my 620.

Regarding SSD's - Definately get a 120gig minimum! With occasional games (like UT3) saving massive amounts of data to ya my documents directory you'll want more space. As Malk said earlier in the thread, SSD's come down to the controller. Sanforce has higher raw speed but Marvells controller performs better with keeping the drive clean(from what I remember) hence keeping the drive faster in the long run. For that reason I went with a Marvell based SSD and couldn't be happier! BF3 runs nicely off my SSD btw! (hint hint hint)

Once you install windows on ya SSD redirect ya temp and cache directories(for windows itself and ya internet browser) onto a standard 'platter' drive to keep ya SSD 'clean.

Hope that helps! smile

-- Edited by Lord_PorkSword on Tuesday 17th of January 2012 10:21:04 AM

Bl!tz · ...ǝp¡s ɹǝɥʇo ǝɥʇ uo

Odedge wrote:
OK, after enough research, here are my final choices.

CPU:
Intel 2600k

Motherboard:
Intel DP67BGB3
Asus P8P67 Pro Rev 3.1
MSI P67A-GD65
CPU Cooler:
Corsair CWCH60 Hydro H60
Corsair CWCH70 Hydro H70
Corsair CWCH80 Hydro H80
SSD:
Corsair CSSD-F180GB3-BK (180 GB)Corsair CSSD-P128GBP-BK (128 GB)
Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 (128 GB)
OCZ OCT1-25SAT3-128G (128 GB)
I have decided to give ASUS a try for the motherboard, I can't dwell on the past too much. I like the Intel for it's "reliability", I like MSI and Asus for it's extra features with the Asus getting the nod for it's BIOS and RAM speed.
Since I want to possibly overclock the CPU and my room tends to get warm in the summer, I will try one of the Corsair Watercoolers.
For the SSD, I want at least 128 GB and would like to get a relatively fast drive to take advantage of SATA 6Gb connections.
For the Memory, I think I should pick a Motherboard first, then go from there. I want to get the most out of it (speed wise).
Final opinions are welcome and I would like to order it by Sunday. Thanks again.

lol, i think all is said, u did a good analysis of the advices and ideas and imo ur choices are solid & logical

now it belong to you to pick a manufacter for each part

i just have build two computers more for my sista and for my nephew, one with an ASUS mobo on a intel/nvidia MSI GFX system and the other on a MSI 990XA mobo and a 6 core AMD bulldozer/AMD Asus GFX...all what i can tell is that i feel 100 times more comfortable with MSI...(and AMD too btw)...their bios/EFI is more intuitive and logical to me

same for the gfx, no way to compare afterburner from msi and smart doctor from asus....even on my current asus gfx i still using the msi tool...lol^^

about the cooling, i agree with Mick and imo if u still on a 1x120mm radiator/fan size ...antec is top notch (and quite more pretty...+ u dont need to open ur case to set the fan speed...which is the case with corsair)

if u have the "room" for a 2x120mm" wc :corsair all the way! the H100 is logicaly outperforming the 1x120mm models....

antec 620 seem a good choice yeah

about the ram, u just have to show ur choice when u ll have pick a mobo to stick em on and Malk will probably be the best guy around here to help you to confirm if ur choice is ok or not

good luck for the final ride

Odedge · Feedback-Master ..

Thanks for everyone's input and helping me out with the decision process. I just placed my order and this is what I am getting.

Intel 2600k Processor
Corsair H70 Liquid CPU Cooler
Intel DP67BGB3 Motherboard
Corsair Vengeance 16 GB Ram
Corsair Force GT 180 GB SSD
Viewsonic VA2703 27" Monitor

I got the Corsair H70 because of the warranty over the Antec.

I went with the Intel motherboard because my current one has been reliable and the one issue it had, Intel backed up the product and replaced it. I would rather go a bit conservative with the MOBO.

I know 16 GB of RAM is overkill, but what the heck. At worse, I can just save 2 sticks of RAM as backup. I will see if I can even come close to using that much.

I went with the Corsair Force GT 180 GB because of the extra space and if the mail in rebate comes in, it will be around $220. From what I read, this one has the synchronous memory which works better for both uncompressed and compressed data. If not, ohh well! disbelief

I also got the monitor so gaming is a bit more fun and mapping/blender/gimping is a bit more productive?

I will stick with my current video card and see how it goes. I may get the new "5850" version of the ATI 7000 series.

Thanks again. biggrin

mAlkAv!An · calculating Pi by hand

I think you have a very nice and rock solid system.

The SSD is nice and will 'lose' less performance as the cheaper 120gb async ones when writing compressed data.

Many people say 16GB RAM is overkill but regarding the low DDR3 prices and the fact that you don't seem to upgrade your rig several times a year or even on a monthly/weekly basis I would say it's the right choice. I was already in situations where a single program (f.e. UDK or Mudbox) did use so much memory that 8GB weren't enough... I also pushed Mudbox past the 16GB barrier. If you don't need the extra 8GB RAM there is always one thing you can use it for: RAMDSIK.

Not sure if the bigger monitor will help though since resolution is the same (some 27" use 2560x1440)?

I am also looking for AMDs HD7950 (it's expected to come in february) but I fear the price will be too high, at least until Nvidia releases it new Kepler cards later this year :(

mAlkAv!An · calculating Pi by hand

A ramdisk is a part of the RAM that can be used as a 'hard'drive. SSD might be fast but in comparison to a ramdisk they are still 10 times slower. Of course this is a very specific usuage and many people won't need it but there are lots of special scenarios where it can be very helpful.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAM_disk

I wonder if you don't mid the slushy look of interpolated pixels if not running the native resolution? I couldn't stand this to be honest, that's one of the reasons why I sticked with my CRT monitor for very long, they look good at any resolution.

-- Edited by mAlkAv!An on Friday 20th of January 2012 08:45:22 AM

Odedge · Feedback-Master ..

mAlkAv!An wrote:
If you don't need the extra 8GB RAM there is always one thing you can use it for: RAMDSIK.

Not sure if the bigger monitor will help though since resolution is the same (some 27" use 2560x1440)?

I am also looking for AMDs HD7950 (it's expected to come in february) but I fear the price will be too high, at least until Nvidia releases it new Kepler cards later this year :(

What is RAMDSIK?

My current 22" monitor runs at 1440x900 (1680x1050 is default). I don't think I have ever run a monitor at it's full resolution (except for gaming). So I figure with the larger screen size, I can run it at full resolution and not have the icons/text be too small.

The only thing that should cause me to get a better card is the bigger monitor/resolution. Right now BF 3 runs fairly well with my current setup and having a new processor/RAM should help make it more consistant.

I don't forsee a new game coming out in the near future that I would play to make me upgrade.

Bl!tz · ...ǝp¡s ɹǝɥʇo ǝɥʇ uo

i think it s a block of ram affected by a soft to speed up the net navigations, compilations times and other things like that...to be confirmed though :p
wow....i always try to use the native resolution of a screen, i though that it was giving less job to the gfx...ok ok ....herbtea^^

Odedge · Feedback-Master ..

I heard something about Photoshop using RAMDisk.

I don't think it helps the quality of the "picture" to run it at a different resolution. Hopefully, the 27" and 1080p will be a good compromise. i will know this weekend.

mAlkAv!An · calculating Pi by hand

You can use any apllication with a RAM disk, just keep in mind that the memory is volatile. That's why special ramdisk progs create an image before shutdown that is beeing loaded with next os start.
The most advantages you will get with fairly big files, for example if working with high-res 32bit-per-channel images or very-high-poly models.

@valkyr
Please no AMD/ATI bashing here. All you need for PS4/5 GPU acceleration is a SM3/OpenGL2 card (opengl 3 for advanced mode).
http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/404/kb404898.html

That aside I'm sure Odedge is a happy Gimp user.

Edit:

Heres a speed comparison of my 120GB SF-2281 SSD and a RAM disk with 4 GB DDR3-1600:

http://h10.abload.de/img/s511120gb_asssdjnp90.png

http://h10.abload.de/img/ramdisk_asssd14qjf.png

-- Edited by mAlkAv!An on Sunday 22nd of January 2012 11:06:36 AM

VaLkyR_Anubis · Unreal Old Friend

I'm not familar with RAMDisk, first time I heard of this, but one thing is sure. When you use Photoshop, you really need a Nvidia GPU! Why? This is simple, by using a Nvidia GPU in Photoshop, you can work in higher resolutions and faster, because the application gets very accelerated by the GPU. I don't know if AMD GPUs do have a similar features, but it makes a difference! However, it is just a idea. :)

mAlkAv!An · calculating Pi by hand

First of all I highly recommend doing the overclock within the bios but not using a windows tool.
You should disable turbo boost and and set the cpu multiplier to a fixed rate insted, f.e. x40. 4 GHz is a good start for those CPUs.
Never use Auto voltages. They are usually much higher than neccessary. Most 2600k will run at 4ghz with the default voltages, some need even less than default. You have to keep in minds that the 'target' bios cpu core voltage is not the same as the real voltage while stressing the cpu. Check your voltages with tools like CPU-Z while testing your cpu with stressing tools like prime 95, orthos prime or occt.
To give you an example, my 2600k needs ~1.15V to run stable at 4 ghz, still the bios value is ~1.2V.
Besides I suggest to tweak additional cpu voltages like VCCSA/VCCIO/VTT (they are called differently by different manufacturers). Don't use auto settings for those ones too please. They can kill a CPU easier than the core voltage.

-- Edited by mAlkAv!An on Wednesday 1st of February 2012 10:58:23 AM

Odedge · Feedback-Master ..

My computer has been running good for a week now. The only weird thing is that some times my keyboard doesn't work after Windows starts. If I unplug it and plug it back in, it work instantly. I have tweaked the startup option to boot faster, so I wonder if that's an issue.

I was able to easily make the RAM run at 1600 MHZ using Intel Extreme!!!!! Tuning Utility. It does allow me to overclock the CPU, but it won't allow me to change the multiplier for the "non-Turbo" speed. It does allow me to tweak each individual core while in turbo mode, which is odd.

It does allow me to tweak the reference clock though as well as voltage, but I don't like messing with voltage. If I tweak the Reference Clock, it says it will change the memory speed as well (which I don't want to mess with). From what I have seen on Youtube, it's better to just deal the multiplier.

I presume if I overclock it, I should disable turbo boost?

There is also an "Autotune" feature, but it seems like it will only change the voltages. I guess I can try it and use the lowest setting.

Once I get the computer setup like it used to be, I will do a comparison between the two. I do some informal and formal benchmarks (3d Mark11, how long it takes to load a specific BF 3 map, how long it takes to open the UT 3 editor, and so on).

Lord_PorkSword · Connoisseur of Bourbon!

Not sure about the 1155 sockets, as I have a 1366 socket myself, but you should disable turbo boost if overclocking.
Voltages can be left alone(or set to auto) unless you're going for a big overclock.

Lord_PorkSword · Connoisseur of Bourbon!

Cheers for the heads up with using the auto setting on voltage for overclocking.

I watched a few tutorials on overclocking my 920 and the few ones I looked at just left it as auto(as I'm not pushing it to extremes).

And I agree with never using a Windows tool to control overclocking...always do it via the bios!

Odedge · Feedback-Master ..

mAlkAv!An wrote:
You should disable turbo boost and and set the cpu multiplier to a fixed rate insted, f.e. x40. 4 GHz is a good start for those CPUs.

I looked in the BIOS, but I don't think it allowed me to go higher than the stock 34. I do have an "outdated" BIOS though, so I wonder if that is limiting my choices.

I will check again, just to be sure.

mAlkAv!An · calculating Pi by hand

Older BIOS versions should work fine. Perhaps you have a read trough this guide: http://downloadmirror.intel.com/19482/eng/DP67BG_PerfTuningGuide01.pdf
They say that you need to access the 'Processor Overrides' option in the performance tab. http://content.hwigroup.net/images/products_larges/113707/14/intel-dp67bg.jpg

Odedge · Feedback-Master ..

I have downloaded that PDF and will look into it. Thanks for the help. biggrin