The Official PC building thread - 4th Edition

Longevity isn't the big factor for me. *touch wood* i've had pretty good luck as far as items surviving beyond +5 years. Except of course my Eco coolit cpu liquid cooler :S

But my Mega Killer MASSIVE tower almost equals it in performance.

 

I'm thinking hard at getting a second monitor and doing just that, go dual hi-res IPS monitors. Hopefully this fall I can do that.

As to the laptops I guess I was slightly wrong it wasn't an A8 but was still a quad core A6. I paid $350 for this last Christmas:

Acer Blue 17.3" Aspire A6-3400M Laptop PC with AMD A6-3400M Processor and Windows 7 Home Premium (AMD A6-3400M APU with Radeon ™ HD 6520G - Core Speed 1400​​(MHz))

It worked flawlessly in full-screen 1080P using HDMI with sound through the HDMI cable to the TV/HiFi system.

I also did the same thing with my i5 Acer that is two or three years old now with the 46" Sony 1080P down in Fort Myers at the Condo same situation. I did need to buy a 1W 10dbi dual antenna USB WiFi adapter (b/g/n) and snag someones connection near by.

This is my Acer i5 laptop which was $500 a couple of years ago:

Acer Dark Gray 17.3" AS7750-6423 Laptop PC with Intel Core i5-2430M Processor and Windows 7 Home Premium


I can't say I like Windows 8 but I could make it work if needed. However there are some real nasties that I truly don't like and I still can't believe Delta was dumb enough to switch over to it.

If you are not aware of GodMode it's pretty cool and works very well on Vista and 7 but also mostly on 8. I did come across a few things that weren't supported. But for people in Admin positions it can make life a lot easier from my experience.

The “Monster” Control Panel
===========================
The godmode will enable the “Monster control panel” that includes all functions and is quite large. See below for specific codes to create specific links.

1. Create a new folder (right-click and click on “New Folder”). Right-click on the folder and click on rename, copy and paste this:

GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

2. This folder will now be a shortcut to the Windows 7 godmode. The godmode allows you to quickly access many Windows 7 functions via a GUI.


Specific Godmode Codes
======================
There are other codes for specific features and functions. The “monster control panel” above will give you the complete list of all features at once, but that list is quite lengthy so you might want to create multiple, smaller and specific links:

Important: To use the codes below you have to insert the word “Godmode.” before the code and then insert the complete string as the folder name.

Example: Godmode.{00C6D95F-329C-409a-81D7-C46C66EA7F33}

Code:

Control panel features Code
==============================================================================================
Enter a default location.                               {00C6D95F-329C-409a-81D7-C46C66EA7F33}   
Use biometric devices with Windows.                     {0142e4d0-fb7a-11dc-ba4a-000ffe7ab428}   
Select a power plan.                                    {025A5937-A6BE-4686-A844-36FE4BEC8B6D}   
Select which icons and notifications appear on taskbar. {05d7b0f4-2121-4eff-bf6b-ed3f69b894d9}   
Store credentials for automatic logon.                  {1206F5F1-0569-412C-8FEC-3204630DFB70}   
Install a program from the network.                     {15eae92e-f17a-4431-9f28-805e482dafd4}   
Choose the programs that Windows uses by default.       {17cd9488-1228-4b2f-88ce-4298e93e0966}   
Assembly Cache Viewer.                                  {1D2680C9-0E2A-469d-B787-065558BC7D43}   
Manage wireless networks.                               {1FA9085F-25A2-489B-85D4-86326EEDCD87}   
Network.                                                {208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}   
Computer.                                               {20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}   
Devices and Printers.                                   {2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}   
RemoteApp and Desktop Connections.                      {241D7C96-F8BF-4F85-B01F-E2B043341A4B}   
Windows Firewall.                                       {4026492F-2F69-46B8-B9BF-5654FC07E423}   
Windows Explorer.                                       {62D8ED13-C9D0-4CE8-A914-47DD628FB1B0}   
System.                                                 {78F3955E-3B90-4184-BD14-5397C15F1EFC}

I agree stay away from OCZ for SSD's, anyone's before them. The HP Netbook I just worked on with the 570GB SSD it was a Hitachi and I was very impressed how it performed, very much!

As good ole Russ would say...

Best Regards,
Stevo

I miss Russ!

 

Thanks for the seasonic link, Kevin, that's about what I was thinking, in the 30-40 range.

Yes, of course, you're correct.

We have done a huge amount of comparing, including running about 20 hd-dvds - we picked up a combo hd-dvd/blue ray optical drive, and my brother bought some old closeout hd-dvd movies. The quality of the up-scale totally depends on the file size - I can see the difference in a 720 p Nanny McPhee 2005 (terrific movie) at 2.75 gigs, versus the other one at 4.3 gigs - the 4.3 is exceptional and believe me - very close to blue-ray quality. I don't get paid by Cyberlink, but I'm telling you it is that good. Even the 1080p downloads look much better with true theater, but I think I do better with a 720 p in a file size of at least 2 gigs.

I see I have some homework to do - never heard of it. Can you link me? Sounds like a really good idea. Yes - playback only.


Classicshell for fixing up windows 8. Great tip Sam!

Italics are mine. It is important to be precise, the British would tell us. Russ would probably find that amusing. I did. Sam, was that tongue-in-cheek? Have fun Russ, wherever you are.

Wow, Stevo thanks for that - $350, or $500. I was way wrong. That is a big help and a huge surprise - from that info an HTPC laptop is therefore still a very viable option. I'll have to familiarize myself with the Acer line.

And since you're thinking of maybe dual 27" monitors, Stevo, I'll try to remember to shoot a photo of the two my brother is using out in the sunroom for his CAD workstation - it is an impressive sight!


Jeff, I was looking at that gigabyte board you linked to, and while it has five full slots, only the first two, slots 2 and 3, are x16, with no spacing, and I don't believe you'll find any single slot 7000 cards powerful enough for your needs. But probably 8x is okay, so that's slot 2 and 4, and normal 2-slot boards will work. I just wonder why they made 2 and 3 the x16 slots - poor board layout in my opinion.

If that's the best that's available for now, I personally don't think you need to worry about a motherboard for a while. If you pick up two Ghz Edition 7970s, to try to future proof yourself for a bit, or at least nothing less than 7950s, at your "sweet spot" of 1920x1200, those CF 7000 boards and your 6 core should have you rocking out for quite a while.


God Mode? Stevo, you're kidding, right? I can tell you aren't, so I'll have to try it. I'm gonna forward the link to your post to my brother, and see if he wants to play with it on his dual 27" CAD system.


Hey guys, I was going to post this over on the gaming thread, but Stevo liked the Metro Last Light screens I posted, at least the first 3, and since I won't be doing too much more gaming for a while, I figured that since all the gang is over here, including deadrum, fred, ripper, sytyguy, zosolv, and of course ddp - why not just do one post right here? Blaze might even show up again. Here they are: In honor of Russ.

I can only speak for the infantry move mechanics - your post reminds me that I have still not touched the intro to scuba diving, helicopter, or jet planes.

Did I happen to mention that there are snakes all over the game?



Early on you could kill them and I did a few times, but I can't find those screenies. But more recently they announced that animals would henceforth ignore players, which undoubtedly reduces cpu load for multiplayer. Still they're fun to have.

There are also lots of birds, and beautiful butterflies everywhere. Visually the game is quite beautiful.



For you system builders, I am running this at 2560x1600 with a 9450 quad at 3.343 ghz, and two 7950 graphics cards in crossfire, at 975 core clock. I have everything maxed, but when you choose the ultra setting, it places 2 items at very high, not ultra. When I move them to ultra my frames drop to around 25, but leaving it as it is, the basic ultra setting, I am getting around 32 fps, which does not lag and I don't notice any microstutter.

I am off the gaming computer now for an extended period until I see some progress on the real estate front, so I don't know when I'll be back to Arma3 alpha - the full game might be out by then, but I'm crossing my fingers that the scuba and vehicle controls will have been simplified like the infantry movement is.

By the way, regarding that infantry showcase, I was able to beat it a couple times in veteran mode, from this vantage point in a group of rocks high up on the first approach hill. But you better kill the first group of 4 guys who move down from the hill I'm aiming at to attack your teammates, before they get below your line of sight, otherwise your team will be dead and to try to get them you will have to move to your left and expose yourself too much, especially if you have enemy set to expert skill level.



Look at the red arrow - is that a tiny tiny enemy down there? When you can't quite make out something, hit B for binoculars, and don't move the mouse - the binocular will sight in right where you were looking. Oh my god, in the binocular image below, you can see that it for sure IS an enemy! The great thing is you can kill him from where you are - in single shot mode - but you have to switch back to your gun sights of course. By the way, they don't seem to apply bullet drop - you can aim right at the guy as far away as he is. Maybe that will be changed later. In Dragon Rising, they had major bullet drop.

Oh - and regarding your gun sights, you have the choice of cursor, or red dot. You can zoom in with either. It seems to me that red dot is more accurate (but that might just be my imagination.) CURSOR: While in cursor, if you hold down the right mouse for about 2 seconds, you are zoomed in still with cursor, nothing blocking your field of view. This is handy for running around, helps you to spot enemies. You can un-zoom any time. RED DOT: If you just tap right mouse, you get the red dot sight. If you then hold right mouse for 2 seconds, it zooms in. I believe you have to keep holding it to stay zoomed in. But if you switch to binoculars and then back, it will stay zoomed in without holding right mouse. Zoomed in mode is what you are seeing in the picture above.

Below are the binoculars.



In veteran, they assign the enemy as normal skill (on regular it's novice skill for enemy.) But you can change enemy to expert, and in that case I have not been able to beat the infantry showcase with expert enemy so far. This vantage point is still quite good, and works for a while, until they move into better positions, or if a machine gunner manages to cross to the middle before I kill him and gets a bead on me.

What I need to do is relocate after a while. The enemy AI, in expert mode, is truly VERY intelligent and challenging.

Walking Dead the game is fantastic. It got huge reviews. I would say, don't rush it, Jeff, and be sure to examine every part of your situation - look around for all the points that you can click on. I missed a couple and had to watch a walk-through once or twice.

Rich

(PS: Russ was / is larger than life! Whatever you're busy with now buddy, you're in our thoughts.)

 

I have a strong feeling that I might be an ArmA 3 player some time soon. One of the few franchises never to see a console version or true mainstream exposure. Let's keep it that way yes? We all saw what happened to Call of Duty...

I am on Episode 3 of the Walking Dead game, by the way. Quite riveting storyline.

 

I found the little girl especially captivating. Some great voice acting in that game.

 

I agree. Clementine is such a cute little sh*t. The whole game made me feel bad because she had to witness all the horrific stuff. I mean, excellent game, excellent plot, GREAT characters and none of them are really stereotypical. Never boring to play for a single second of it. But the whole Walking Dead franchise can be a little depressing at times
--------------------------------------------------

Just read an interesting article about the upcoming gaming consoles:

http://www.extremetech.com/gaming/156273-xbox-720-vs-ps4-vs-pc-how-the-hardware-specs-compare

Basically, they're going to be the hardware equivalent of a mid-range AMD gaming laptop. 8 Jaguar cores, essentially a slightly spruced up Bobcat, or "Piledriver on a diet" at 1.6GHz. My Phenom II certainly isn't shaking in its boots. It's a painfully low clock on a cut-down mobile architecture. Fundamentally solid CPUs or not, they are NOT that fast at all.

The GPUs are slightly more competent, being a 7790 and a 7850 equivalent for the Xbox and PS4 respectively. My very dated 6850s easily stomp all over either of those cards when Crossfired though. A step in the right direction, however, giving them properly modern GPUs. The consoles will decimate the previous generation hardware-wise, but you can bet your ass that the GPUs will take plenty of shortcuts as well. They will not be as powerful as their desktop counterparts.

The Phenom II was never particularly impressive but has always managed to remain fairly competitive. Bulldozer/Piledriver were a step backwards in every way, and for most practical purposes, are much slower. Not to mention their horrific power consumption and heat. Even Russ(a long-time advocate for PileDriver/BullDozer) finally admitted that the Phenom II X6 had no problem outperforming Piledriver in most stuff once he was able to compare them in daily-usage scenarios. Consider that Bobcat and Jaguar perform even worse than Piledriver per-clock per-core, and the consoles will be clocked very low to avoid power consumption and longevity issues. My aging Phenom II X6 is sitting comfortably with a VERY significant processing power advantage.

--------------------------------------------------
All this made it even more laughable for me when some made claims that the PS4 would be faster than gaming PCs. They're not even faster than a very dated gaming PC like mine, let alone something with a properly OC'd IvyBridge and a high-end 7 series card.
--------------------------------------------------

BTW, 6 cores and an OC does manage to keep me within the ballpark of an equivalent Intel Quad setup quite admirably. I still have ample room for video upgrades within the power of this CPU. Especially if I can snag a newer motherboard and get a better OC out of my basically proven golden chip. Also, Intel CPUs remain horrendously expensive, even more so than the very jacked-up, out of production price I paid for the Thuban.

It was mentioned before that the X6 is slowly starting to become limited in games... where exactly? You mean all those brand new titles that average well over 60FPS effortlessly? A motherboard and new RAM is a tangible and practical upgrade for me. A whole new platform with an expensive Intel CPU is not.
--------------------------------------------------

Metro: Last Light performance analysis seems promising

http://www.kotaku.com.au/2013/05/metro-last-light-pc-performance-benchmarked/

You'll notice that the 6850 does not do very well in this game. I have three things to say about that:

1) The game has just gotten a patch that significantly improves AMD performance and puts them mostly on-par with Nvidia. These graphs do not reflect that.

2) Metro is one of the few games that has near-perfect, bug-free Crossfire scaling. Metro 2033 scales at about 90%.

3) DAMN do I love to tweak

So I stand to perform very well with this game. Remember that my settings will be configured and tweaked much differently from theirs. I can almost guarantee you I'll be able to run it admirably at near-maxed. Metro 1 also showed dismal numbers like this, but the addition of proper Crossfire scaling, some tweaks to fix flaws in the configuration(FOV, messed up V-Sync, etc) and some good old-fashioned elbow grease have me running it absolutely maxed out at an average of 60. No kidding. This engine is much like CryEngine in that it can be tweaked significantly to gain performance for absolutely zero loss in visuals. Like Crysis, it will never run properly until said tweaks are discovered and applied. Game developers almost always make serious errors in configuring their own games. Moving CPU Physics to another core, disabling texture streaming to reduce stuttering drastically, etc.

 

Let's face it, we all knew claims that new games consoles would be faster than decent gaming PCs would be false, simply because we know what sort of hardware you can currently buy for the price of a games console. I never paid that statement any heed whatsoever.

 

Neither did I, but it's sure satisfying to know just how HUGE of a performance difference there is. I always worry a bit that my PC is becoming outdated. Not yet And I aim to make some pretty large improvements once I get working for the summer.

Considering recent announcements, and my past history with Microsoft consoles, I will likely be ignoring the Xbox entirely. The PS4 however, I do intend to get at some point.

 

After the announcement that the new consoles were going to be x86 architecture I was some what hopeful that they would be moderately powerful. Not besting or matching a top of the line PC, but to be honest I expected a lot more.

 

Yes but the move to x86 also means they will be infinitely easier to program for...

 

Remember these are AMD CPUs we're working with. Modern AMD CPUs with a reasonable TDP envelope are around this sort of performance level anyway. While you might be able to shoehorn a 77W Ivy Bridge CPU into a games console, a 125W Bulldozer wouldn't work.

 

Also take into consideration the advantages of coding a game that will be running on identical hardware no matter what. They'll be able to squeeze an amazing amount of power out of the consoles, of that I have no doubt. Just look at the 360 struggling to run Oblivion with nerfed settings early in its life cycle, but later being able to run Skyrim quite well with vastly better graphics. This time around, they are much closer to off-the-shelf parts, so will be able to be used effectively right from the get-go.

Still, the power difference is pretty astounding. They are kind of a joke. Even a few hundred more MHz would makes a difference. 2GHz would be better maybe, and isn't that hard to cool, especially considering the laptop chips already more or less exist, and in nowhere near as a big a chassis.

 

any thoughts on this monitor guys?

ASUS VS278Q-P Black 27"

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236302

 

Looks good to me. A gamer could appreciate that model. Certainly an agreeable price for a 27" LED screen. Looks like a very good response time. Rather odd that it doesn't have DVI. But perhaps they're moving away from that Technology eh? Most modern cards/integrated come with HDMI and or Display port.

 

Yes, that little girl in Walking Dead sure pulls on your heart-strings. Poor kid has had to really toughen up, with the horrors she has witnessed.

(Red added by me.)

Haha, Jeff - I guess you DO love to tweak, and better yet, you know how to tweak. Well, then, you're going to like that game.

But you might like it best on the second play-through, since the first play-through adds so much stress in terms of counting bullets, counting mask filters - twice I had to restart THE ENTIRE CHAPTER - because somewhere along the line I got mentally sidetracked and flat ran out of filters just at a new checkpoint. (If they had the option to load the checkpoint before the last - like some games - that would have worked also, lol.)

Do you figure you'll encounter any vram limitations on the game - or will it just mean that you'll have to wait, from time to time, for the new textures to load up. Or do you figure you're in good shape anyway, with one gig of vram per card, at 1920x1200?

(Don't get me started. I'm still sore that MSI put out their fabulous flagship Lightning 7970 graphic card without dual link dvi, since - as you say Kevin - most high-res monitors are now coming with displayport rather than dvi.)

That's a heck of a price ZoSolv. At first I was shocked - I thought it was a 3.6 megapixels like Stevo just picked up, but I see it's 1080p, about 2 megapixels, which makes a lot more sense. If it were me, before plunking down my $300 I would scan through all 91 reviews to get a feeling for what to expect.

Rich

 

My mom has an Asus. It's worked without too much fault. I recall seeing a flicker once upon a time. Which suggests poor caps. But perhaps they use better ones now? And who knows, Asus may be simply slapping their name on another companies panel! Not uncommon in the business scheme of things

 

At 1920 x 1200 I think I'm fine with 1GB of Vram. As long as I keep AA low or off, or use low levels of FXAA, I should be okay. Just purchased it today on Steam. Also, the motion blur and a few other features are really subjective and preferential, so I might turn some small things down. I will not, however, sacrifice on any actual graphics settings. I will either tweak it to playability or wait for new cards.

 

Actually it does have DVI. The monitor comes with a HDMI -to- DVI cable and it has two HDMI inputs so you could hookup an HDMI and a DVI to it.

 

Well, converters aside LOL! That cable will likely get some use. Good catch LOL! I guess I should have looked at the specs a little closer. I kind of skimmed through it :S

 

Ya, I've done that plenty of times too....