# Looking for some help with my new build



## Dean Porter (Feb 26, 2013)

Hey guys,
I am looking to upgrade from my current system as it seems to struggle with a few games, for example, GTA IV, DayZ/ArmA II, BF3 Ect...

The current specs are

Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 460 1GB OC External Exhaust
Motherboard: EVGA X58 Classified Quad-SLI
Case: CoolerMaster HAF X Case
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB
CPU:	Intel Core i7 950
OS: Windows 7



Future upgrade:

Graphics Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 680 OC 4GB
Motherboard: Unsure?
RAM: Corsair Dominator Platinum 32GB (4x8GB) DDR3
Or: Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3
HDD: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB SSD 
CPU: Unsure between the Intel Core i7 3820 and the Core i7 3770K or maybe some other Intel suggestions?
OS: Windows 7


Thanks in Advance for your support, Feel free to tweak my list for the best results and compatibility. I am chasing the best performance for as cheap as I can get. 


Cheers,
Dean.


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## Dean Porter (Feb 26, 2013)

The purpose of the computer is for gaming.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

First, look over our suggested build list: http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...ams-recommended-new-builds-2012-a-668661.html
Brand & Model of the PSU? You'll want to be at 620W minimum with a good quality unit for the GTX 680 GPU.
2x4GB is more than plenty for gaming, as well as most other apps.
SSD's are not a good value at this time considering the high price vs. minimal benefits.


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## Vadigor (Apr 19, 2009)

The components you list are distinctly high end: a 500$ GPU and a 300$+ CPU. At that price level you are most definitely *not* getting the best bang for your buck. If, as you say, you're looking for the best price-performance point you should steer well clear of the high-end range as you're paying a premium for diminishing returns.

I suggest you go with an AMD HD 7850 2GB or an Nvidia GTX 660 2GB for graphics and an Intel i5 3470 or 3570 processor. That alone will save you more than 400$ while sacrificing little performance at single-monitor resolutions.

Any 100-150$ Z77 motherboard by Asus or Gigabyte will be fine. As Tyree said, you also need a decent PSU (XFX/Seasonic) and 32 or even 16GB of RAM is overkill.

Any SSD will be a dramatic improvement over a mechanical drive. The Pro version costs around 80$ more but the only difference is the doubled write speed. That sounds like a lot but isn't really important in your situation and the read speeds are identical.


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## Dean Porter (Feb 26, 2013)

Tyree said:


> First, look over our suggested build list: http://www.techsupportforum.com/for...ams-recommended-new-builds-2012-a-668661.html


- Alright I'll have a look over that. Cheers.




Tyree said:


> Brand & Model of the PSU? You'll want to be at 620W minimum with a good quality unit for the GTX 680 GPU.


- Ahh... At the moment I have a Coolmaster 850W or something.



Tyree said:


> 2x4GB is more than plenty for gaming, as well as most other apps.


- Alright, it's just with some of the stuff I do these days with my current 6GB of RAM on the G19 Performance monitor is saying that I'm using all of my RAM. Just thought I'd go all out so I didn't have a problem.



Tyree said:


> SSD's are not a good value at this time considering the high price vs. minimal benefits.


- Hmm.. Alright, Just seems to be everywhere I look that my HDD at the moment is a huge bottleneck, don't really want that to be a factor.






Vadigor said:


> The components you list are distinctly high end: a 500$ GPU and a 300$+ CPU. At that price level you are most definitely *not* getting the best bang for your buck. If, as you say, you're looking for the best price-performance point you should steer well clear of the high-end range as you're paying a premium for diminishing returns.


- Yeah sorry, I Don't mind spending quite a bit of cash but I just didn't want people going over the top and suggesting over the top units such as the 'Intel Core i7 3970X' Or something.



Vadigor said:


> Any 100-150$ Z77 motherboard by Asus or Gigabyte will be fine. As Tyree said, you also need a decent PSU (XFX/Seasonic) and 32 or even 16GB of RAM is overkill.


- Hmm, any suggestions on the Motherboard now that you no I'm not going for as cheap as you originally suspected?




Vadigor said:


> Any SSD will be a dramatic improvement over a mechanical drive. The Pro version costs around 80$ more but the only difference is the doubled write speed. That sounds like a lot but isn't really important in your situation and the read speeds are identical.


- Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB SSD, Woah, Just read over the specs, Loooks Goood. Thanks for the heads up mate!



Additional Info:

- I do do a little compiling of Approx 40k Line scripts.
- I do have 2x 24' BenQ Monitors


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## Vadigor (Apr 19, 2009)

Dean Porter said:


> Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB SSD, Woah, Just read over the specs, Loooks Goood. Thanks for the heads up mate!


I just noticed that I left out some information there. What I was referring to was the fact that the Pro version of the 840 is 80$ more expensive than the regular 840 250GB, with only double the write speed to show for it. So in short, any SSD will 



Dean Porter said:


> Hmm, any suggestions on the Motherboard now that you no I'm not going for as cheap as you originally suspected?


The suggested build list has a few higher-end mainboards but to be honest I doubt they're worth it. As they're all LGA 1155, the basic performance is identical and the only thing you're paying more for are features that you're unlikely to use such as support for dual-GPUs or extra SATA 3 connectors, which will underperform as they're not part of the chipset but on distinct controllers such as Marvell.



Dean Porter said:


> Alright, it's just with some of the stuff I do these days with my current 6GB of RAM on the G19 Performance monitor is saying that I'm using all of my RAM. Just thought I'd go all out so I didn't have a problem.


Windows 7 will always try to maximize memory usage, so that's likely what you're seeing. The attached screenshot shows my current RAM usage: of 16 GB nearly 11GB is supposedly unavailable. What you're actually seeing is that only 3GB of RAM is actively in use, with 8GB in "standby" which basically means it's cache. With your budget I'd recommend 16GB, even if it's likely going to be overkill.



Dean Porter said:


> Yeah sorry, I Don't mind spending quite a bit of cash but I just didn't want people going over the top and suggesting over the top units such as the 'Intel Core i7 3970X' Or something.


In my opinion the entire i7 range is over the top for anything but CAD users or heavy media encoding tasks. The same applies to 500$ graphics cards: they're likely to be outmatched by the mid-range card of the next generation. Unless you want bragging rights or want to run videogames at ultra across multiple monitors they're just not worth the price of admission.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Your using the 6GB (3x2) of RAM on a Dual Chanel Mobo. That puts you in Single Channel Mode and performance suffers. That "could" related to your RAM issue. 
A 2x4GB matched pair gives your Dual Chanel Mode, and it's performance advantages, and will be more than enough RAM.
SSD's offer faster boot/access times but little else for their very premium price.
I would want to replace that, CoolerMaster 850W or something, PSU for the new build.


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## Dean Porter (Feb 26, 2013)

Vadigor said:


> I just noticed that I left out some information there. What I was referring to was the fact that the Pro version of the 840 is 80$ more expensive than the regular 840 250GB, with only double the write speed to show for it. So in short, any SSD will


- Ahh righto. I also mis-interpreted that too, sorry.




Vadigor said:


> The suggested build list has a few higher-end mainboards but to be honest I doubt they're worth it. As they're all LGA 1155, the basic performance is identical and the only thing you're paying more for are features that you're unlikely to use such as support for dual-GPUs or extra SATA 3 connectors, which will underperform as they're not part of the chipset but on distinct controllers such as Marvell.


- Ahh alright, so you think I'd be better with something cheaper?




Vadigor said:


> Windows 7 will always try to maximize memory usage, so that's likely what you're seeing. The attached screenshot shows my current RAM usage: of 16 GB nearly 11GB is supposedly unavailable. What you're actually seeing is that only 3GB of RAM is actively in use, with 8GB in "standby" which basically means it's cache. With your budget I'd recommend 16GB, even if it's likely going to be overkill.


- Overkill is fine, as long as we're not underdoing it. Do you also recommend Windows 8? I just really dislike the interface but if the performance is worth it... I guess it's the best option.




Vadigor said:


> In my opinion the entire i7 range is over the top for anything but CAD users or heavy media encoding tasks. The same applies to 500$ graphics cards: they're likely to be outmatched by the mid-range card of the next generation. Unless you want bragging rights or want to run videogames at ultra across multiple monitors they're just not worth the price of admission.


- This is true, but going with higher end gear means it lasts longer before getting outdated and needing to be updated each year?



Tyree said:


> Your using the 6GB (3x2) of RAM on a Dual Chanel Mobo. That puts you in Single Channel Mode and performance suffers. That "could" related to your RAM issue.
> A 2x4GB matched pair gives your Dual Chanel Mode, and it's performance advantages, and will be more than enough RAM.


-The motherboard itself I am pretty sure has 6 RAM slots, that is Tripple channel right? 3 Red slots and 3 Black slots. (On work PC at the moment, 350 Kms away from my Gaming PC)




Tyree said:


> SSD's offer faster boot/access times but little else for their very premium price.


- Ahh Okay.



Tyree said:


> I would want to replace that, CoolerMaster 850W or something, PSU for the new build.


- Okie dokies, will do. Just another 850?





*Would I just be better off copying the Suggested builds and adding my own card?*


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

My apologies about the RAM. You Mobo is indeed Triple Chanel and you want to stay with a matched set (3 sticks). Your 6GB should be more than plenty but if you want more, go with a 3x4 GB matched set.
A good quality 650W PSU is more than plenty for a GTX 680 GPU. SeaSonic & XFX are top quality.


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## Dean Porter (Feb 26, 2013)

Tyree said:


> My apologies about the RAM. You Mobo is indeed Triple Chanel and you want to stay with a matched set (3 sticks). Your 6GB should be more than plenty but if you want more, go with a 3x4 GB matched set.
> A good quality 650W PSU is more than plenty for a GTX 680 GPU. SeaSonic & XFX are top quality.


All good mate.

I was just thinking of replacing the whole lot, Mother board, Graphics card, RAM, PSU, CPU, ect... as it's all most likely out of date by now haha.

Maybe even change to Win 8 if you lot think it's work dealing with the new UI for performance gain.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

If you want to build new, use our suggested build list as a guide. 
Personally, I do not like 8 and do not recommend it. Your money-your choice.


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## Terrere (Jan 29, 2013)

Performance gains in Windows 8 are minimal at best for gaming. If you prefer the UI for Windows 7, which most do, you will be perfectly happy with performance on Windows 7.

Here is a benchmark for Windows 8 and Windows 7 in BF3. Windows 8 does seem to perform better, but less than 2 fps.

Benchmark Results: Battlefield 3 : Windows 8 Versus Windows 7: Game Performance, Benchmarked


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## Dean Porter (Feb 26, 2013)

Tyree said:


> If you want to build new, use our suggested build list as a guide.
> Personally, I do not like 8 and do not recommend it. Your money-your choice.


- Yeah, alright then, thanks mate.



Terrere said:


> Performance gains in Windows 8 are minimal at best for gaming. If you prefer the UI for Windows 7, which most do, you will be perfectly happy with performance on Windows 7.
> 
> Here is a benchmark for Windows 8 and Windows 7 in BF3. Windows 8 does seem to perform better, but less than 2 fps.
> 
> Benchmark Results: Battlefield 3 : Windows 8 Versus Windows 7: Game Performance, Benchmarked


- Alright I'll Stick with Win 7


On another note, Is the Corsair Dominator Platinum (2x8) RAM sticks better then the suggested G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB? Cheers.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

> On another note, Is the Corsair Dominator Platinum (2x8) RAM sticks better then the suggested G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB? Cheers.


Not really. We recommend both so either will do.

I would stick with the G.Skill just because of their warranty.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Either brand of RAM is good and both, as well as most all RAM, have a lifetime warranty.


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## Dean Porter (Feb 26, 2013)

Masterchiefxx17 said:


> Not really. We recommend both so either will do.
> 
> I would stick with the G.Skill just because of their warranty.





Tyree said:


> Either brand of RAM is good and both, as well as most all RAM, have a lifetime warranty.


- Alright so the difference here doesn't matter?

G.Skill Sniper 16GB (2x8GB) (1600MHz)
Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB (2x8GB) 2400MHz

Reffering to the 1600MHz and the 2400MHz.




Tyree said:


> as well as most all RAM, have a lifetime warranty.


- Yeah both brands have Lifetime Warranty.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Go with 1600MHz on the RAM.


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## Vadigor (Apr 19, 2009)

Dean Porter said:


> Ahh alright, so you think I'd be better with something cheaper?


Yes. When it comes to motherboards, the only things that matter are whether the socket matches your CPU and whether it has the features that you will need. In 90% of cases, this just boils down to an internal USB3 header and one to two SATA3 connectors. As the LGA 1155 spec contains both of those on the chipset, any motherboard in the line should suffice.




Dean Porter said:


> Do you also recommend Windows 8? I just really dislike the interface but if the performance is worth it... I guess it's the best option.


As others have said, go with Windows 7. The W8 interface was designed for tablets and from what I've heard is enough to drive so-called power users insane. As for performance, I strongly doubt that there will be any difference at all, the differences between the two is simply not great enough to affect performance. If you take a closer look at the the benchmark Terrere linked, the results there vary from game to game and all fall within the margin of error with one exception where performance _dropped_ in W8. Add to this possible compatibility issues and it's just foolish to consider W8 for desktop use at this time.



Dean Porter said:


> This is true, but going with higher end gear means it lasts longer before getting outdated and needing to be updated each year?


Whether you need to update depends on your requirements. If you want to be able to play any current game at max settings, you'll be updating your build every year no matter what you do. If you want high quality with good performance a budget build (800-1200$) will last more than two years. If you're content with dropping quality to mid and in some cases low you can push another year. Frankly the high-end spectrum of PC components is solely for "enthusiasts" with money to burn.




Dean Porter said:


> Alright so the difference here doesn't matter? [..] Reffering to the 1600MHz and the 2400MHz.


There's a difference in spec of course, but you won't see any real-world difference in performance. Stick with 1600 MHz CAS9, it's the current standard.



Finally, a note on your motherboard. The one currently in your PC is an LGA 1366, a high-end board. It seems a bit of waste to "downgrade" to an LGA 1155 but the problem is that the specification has been superseded by the LGA 2011 so you won't find any Ivy Bridge CPUs for it. Moving to an i5 3750 will net you some increase in performance but frankly it's unlikely that your CPU is the bottleneck in your system. From your first post I see that you're getting performance issues in a few games and those are likely caused by the GPU hitting its limit, unless you're referring to 64 player MP in BF3 which is CPU dependent. In that case, the best way forward might be simply upgrading your GPU and leaving everything else as is. Your 6GB of RAM should also be more than enough but you can buy a 4-module 16GB kit and only use 3 of them if you want the upgrade. Then you can reuse the GPU and the 4-module kit when you replace your mainboard further down the line.


Alternatively, if you want to replace everything, we would indeed recommend that you have a look at the suggested builds and make any changes if you're drawn to a particular brand or model of GPU. The GTX660/HD7850 is likely the best value for money at the moment. With your budget you'll also want to add an SSD. Of course they're expensive but it's the single most visible performance upgrade you can currently get.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

SSD's are not a good value at this time, regardless of the budget, considering the high cost vs. the minimal advantage.
I would be hesitant to suggest a 4x4GB set of RAM. If you keep the Tri-Chanel Mobo go with the 3x4GB set. If you go to a Dual Chanel Mobo, use a 2x8GB matched pair.


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## Vadigor (Apr 19, 2009)

Tyree said:


> SSD's are not a good value at this time, regardless of the budget, considering the high cost vs. the minimal advantage.


Frankly, I disagree. Sure, SSDs are much more expensive per GB and can be less reliable but the performance difference is marked in standard usage, impressive in disk-intensive tasks and staggering in videogames. Moving to an SSD is currently the only upgrade that will offer an instantly noticeable performance increase. I agree that they're not worth it for most users but power users and gamers that don't object to the premium price will do well getting one.



Tyree said:


> I would be hesitant to suggest a 4x4GB set of RAM. If you keep the Tri-Chanel Mobo go with the 3x4GB set.


I was operating under the assumption that there wouldn't be any 3 module kits. While that seems to be true for European sellers, apparently newegg does stock some. A 4 module kit might still be interesting if you're planning to upgrade your mainboard in a year or so. As far as I know, DDR4 won't come to server formats until 2014 so you should have no trouble carrying the RAM over to your next mainboard.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Vadigor said:


> Frankly, I disagree. Sure, SSDs are much more expensive per GB and can be less reliable but the performance difference is marked in standard usage, impressive in disk-intensive tasks and staggering in videogames. Moving to an SSD is currently the only upgrade that will offer an instantly noticeable performance increase. I agree that they're not worth it for most users but power users and gamers that don't object to the premium price will do well getting one.


The only offering from an SSD that you will really see is a faster boot time. It's not like we are against them we just don't recommend them at this time due to the huge price.

Wait for the OEM PC manufactures start using them, that will bring the price down.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

General pricing-
About $.10 per GB for a 750GB 64MB Cache platter Hdd.
$1 per GB for a 120GB SSD.
For that extravagant pricing difference, you get faster boot/access times.


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## Vadigor (Apr 19, 2009)

Tyree said:


> General pricing-
> About $.10 per GB for a 750GB 64MB Cache platter Hdd.
> $1 per GB for a 120GB SSD.
> For that extravagant pricing difference, you get faster boot/access times.


True, but those access times add up quickly. Videogames especially will load a great deal quicker. Applications also load much quicker.

I suppose that for those getting only a single drive, the SSD has too many downsides. But I don't use my boot drive for anything other than the OS, applications and games. So documents are always on a dedicated drive for me, regardless of the space available on the main drive (Hell, my last had 500GB going unused while my data drive needed constant archiving to keep enough space available.) With that, the capacity of the boot drive becomes next to meaningless for me.

Frankly, if we're talking per dollar values, I don't see why you would possibly include a 500$ GPU in the recommended build list. Spending the 300$ premium on an SSD instead will net you a greater real-world performance difference than the GPU will. The Samsung 840 250GB brings the price down to 0.68$ per GB. By your logic we should recommend something like the WD Green 3TB as it shatters the price you give, costing a mere 0.047$ per GB. Clearly a bargain.

I also don't see mass-market OEMs including SSDs any time soon. There is simply no market for them for the exact reasons you give. I think we all know what non-IT savvy consumers will do when faced with the choice of getting Product A with 250 of something or getting Product B with 2000 of something.


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## Dean Porter (Feb 26, 2013)

Haha woah, Okay gents, settle settle 

In the first place I was interested in an SSD, yes, purely because I am an impatient *******. Whether they are overpriced or not doesn't bother me, With my external HDDs sitting on my desk all day Reving up and down has pissed me off to the point I don't care how much I spend to make it more silent hence the reason I was looking towards the COOLER MASTER Silent Pro Gold Series 800w to hopefully quieten my PC down a bit because with the HAF X (HAF Being the acronym for High Air Flow) There is quite a lot of fan noise.

I am also quite worried about the temperatures that my board runs at usually sitting on Desktop runs at about 70 degrees, and goes up to about 80 degrees when Gaming, not sure what it gets up to when I compile me scripts. But anyway, that is another problem.

When I get home later tonight I'll Hit up that 3Ds or what ever it is called and post the benchmark here so you're all able to have a look at what is ******* up. Should be good watching my PC slowly kill itself in a benchmark. Haha.

Alright so I'll stick with the G.Skills Ram sticks and Windows 7. Think I covered everything? 

The main reason for my upgrade was for GTA V but by the looks of it, it isn't even going to be released for PC... Sigh... -.-

Cheers Fellas.


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## Vadigor (Apr 19, 2009)

Dean Porter said:


> In the first place I was interested in an SSD, yes, purely because I am an impatient *******. Whether they are overpriced or not doesn't bother me, With my external HDDs sitting on my desk all day Reving up and down has pissed me off to the point I don't care how much I spend to make it more silent hence the reason I was looking towards the COOLER MASTER Silent Pro Gold Series 800w to hopefully quieten my PC down a bit because with the HAF X (HAF Being the acronym for High Air Flow) There is quite a lot of fan noise.


Fans that displace a lot of air will never be quiet. If you're that bothered with drive spinup, consider the WD Red series and stay away from Green. The Red has the least aggressive spindown and you can even disable head park entirely IIRC.



Dean Porter said:


> I am also quite worried about the temperatures that my board runs at usually sitting on Desktop runs at about 70 degrees, and goes up to about 80 degrees when Gaming, not sure what it gets up to when I compile me scripts. But anyway, that is another problem.


Run Prime95 and a benchmark like Unigine Heaven (...not at the same time) and monitor your temps with RealTemp and GPU-Z. That idle temperature can indicate different things: your PC is still processing a lot while idle, your case temperature is too high due to inadequate airflow or you have problems with your hardware.




Dean Porter said:


> The main reason for my upgrade was for GTA V but by the looks of it, it isn't even going to be released for PC... Sigh... -.-


Unlikely. With every new version we see the same lack of evidence for a PC version and cries that Rockstar is killing the franchise by not releasing it, but it's always turned up eventually.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Dean Porter said:


> Haha woah, Okay gents, settle settle
> 
> In the first place I was interested in an SSD, yes, purely because I am an impatient *******. Whether they are overpriced or not doesn't bother me, With my external HDDs sitting on my desk all day Reving up and down has pissed me off to the point I don't care how much I spend to make it more silent hence the reason I was looking towards the COOLER MASTER Silent Pro Gold Series 800w to hopefully quieten my PC down a bit because with the HAF X (HAF Being the acronym for High Air Flow) There is quite a lot of fan noise.
> 
> ...


SSD. your money-your choice. We only recommend what we know to be a good value.

PSU- top quality and as near silent as you can get, SeaSonic or XFX.

Overheating- commonly caused by dust buildup and/or lack of clean sufficient power.

Benchmarks- just numbers. If the PC performs to your liking, it's good.


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## toothman (Jul 13, 2008)

SSD's aren't cost-effective enough for budget gaming builds, but if you'd just spend the same money going from a $300 GPU to a $420 GPU, you'll get more from your money from the SSD. That's my opinion from the time I've spent gaming on one.

It can also depend heavily on the game. WoW is good example.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

Tyree said:


> SSD. your money-your choice. We only recommend what we know to be a good value.


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## Dean Porter (Feb 26, 2013)

Vadigor said:


> Fans that displace a lot of air will never be quiet.


- Understandable. 



Vadigor said:


> If you're that bothered with drive spinup, consider the WD Red series and stay away from Green. The Red has the least aggressive spindown and you can even disable head park entirely IIRC.


- I currently have WD Black and not sure if that is any better then the Red but it's still annoying as.



Vadigor said:


> Run Prime95 and a benchmark like Unigine Heaven (...not at the same time) and monitor your temps with RealTemp and GPU-Z. That idle temperature can indicate different things: your PC is still processing a lot while idle, your case temperature is too high due to inadequate airflow or you have problems with your hardware.


-I would believe that it is definitely not dust nor lack of airflow as I have the HAF X Case which has 1 x 230 mm red LED fan and 3 x 200 mm fans and the case being cleaned once a month.




Vadigor;4053006[URL="http://www.cinemablend.com/games/GTA-V-PC-Version-Evidence-Emerges-51932.html" said:


> Unlikely[/URL]. With every new version we see the same lack of evidence for a PC version and cries that Rockstar is killing the franchise by not releasing it, but it's always turned up eventually.


-Sounds promising however the trailer graphics them self are pretty poor. Was thinking that they would have rendered everything a little higher if they were aiming for the PC side of things. It would basically destroy the GTA series by not releasing it on PC.




Tyree said:


> SSD. your money-your choice. We only recommend what we know to be a good value.


- Yeah, alright, I think I'll just get one for the quietness and just because I am impatient.



Tyree said:


> PSU- top quality and as near silent as you can get, SeaSonic or XFX.


- To be completely honest I have never ever heard of those brands before.



Tyree said:


> Overheating- commonly caused by dust buildup and/or lack of clean sufficient power.


-I would believe that it is definitely not dust nor lack of airflow as I have the HAF X Case which has 1 x 230 mm red LED fan and 3 x 200 mm fans and the case being cleaned once a month..
and a 850w PSU Admittedly it is a couple of years old.



Tyree said:


> Benchmarks- just numbers. If the PC performs to your liking, it's good.
> True.





toothman said:


> SSD's aren't cost-effective enough for budget gaming builds


-Alright just so we're all on the same page. I started off saying a cheapish build because I didn't want anyone going out and giving me a list of the absolute top notch gear such as the over priced 690 or a Intel Xeon E5-2690 for an example when I only need it for gaming, photoshop and compiling 40-50k line scripts.

- I am quite happy to purchase an SSD purely for the quietness and startup speed increase. 



toothman said:


> but if you'd just spend the same money going from a $300 GPU to a $420 GPU, you'll get more from your money from the SSD. That's my opinion from the time I've spent gaming on one.


- Alright, awesome!



toothman said:


> It can also depend heavily on the game. WoW is good example.


- Yeah haha, I used to play wow, but got to level 85, was late at night, went to bed and never played again. Was 85 for about 10 minutes before I quit. :/


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

SeaSonic makes the best quality PSU's without question and all XFX are made by SeaSonic. Some ThermalTake and Corsair used to be made by SeaSonic but they chose to go to a lower quality supplier to increase profit.


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## Vadigor (Apr 19, 2009)

Dean Porter said:


> To be completely honest I have never ever heard of those brands before.


You're unlikely to have heard of many component manufacturers. As Tyree said, they're the top contenders in quality and service when it comes to PSUs.



Dean Porter said:


> I currently have WD Black and not sure if that is any better then the Red but it's still annoying as.


Haven't had that issue with the Black I use. It basically breaks down as follows:

Black: 7200 RPM performance
Blue: Generic consumer drive
Green: "green" sub-6000 RPM drive, aggressive head park and will often need to spin up after inactivity
Red: recent release, designed for systems that are always on (NAS) and can eliminate spindown, fairly new so I'm not sure if it delivers on its promises, supposedly 5400 RPM


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