Tf Computer Nerds (Gamers, Overclockers, Server-Ists Etc)

[Muel]

Think there's been a bit of an issue with bios on those so far, only 40 pcie lanes are showing not the full 80. Kind of makes it useless for multi gpu stuff.

I assumed it would only show as 40 anyway? Not sure how it's a bad thing though, 40 lanes doesn't bottleneck 4 way GTX980 SLI on a single CPU so why would it on 2?

Hadn't noticed that bit before. Interesting feature for a WS board considering lots of 2011 stuff has locked multipliers.

They've still got locked multis, I'm pretty sure the boost thing is just turbo boost...

[forteh]

Still no good for playing arma3 with its 32bit executable and 2-4 core usage

[ZeroMatt]

I assumed it would only show as 40 anyway? Not sure how it's a bad thing though, 40 lanes doesn't bottleneck 4 way GTX980 SLI on a single CPU so why would it on 2?

They've still got locked multis, I'm pretty sure the boost thing is just turbo boost...

Well they do kind of claim 80 lanes, but yeah it's not as much of an issue as the box saying that Quad SLI multi-graphics card setups only support x8/x8/x8/x8 configuration rather than full x16.

Still want one though

Edit: Never really read anything about the turbo boost stuff but can you realistically change the boost speeds a lot?

I know it'll never happen (dunno if it would even work) but just wish there were some unlocked 2011 chips with QPI/DMI.

Edited November 12, 2014 by ZeroMatt

[Muel]

Well they do kind of claim 80 lanes, but yeah it's not as much of an issue as the box saying that Quad SLI multi-graphics card setups only support x8/x8/x8/x8 configuration rather than full x16.

Still want one though

Edit: Never really read anything about the turbo boost stuff but can you realistically change the boost speeds a lot?

I know it'll never happen (dunno if it would even work) but just wish there were some unlocked 2011 chips with QPI/DMI.

I thought all quad SLI setups were limited to PCIE x8?

You can't change turbo boost settings, it just temporarily boosts the clockspeed on one or a few cores depending on what load the CPU is experiencing. Good idea, apart from they only boost a tiny bit, so a 3.5ghz 6 core will boost single cores to 3.9ghz, so you'd never actually notice that it's boosting.

I really want one of these... Bit pissed off that you can only run 4 DIMMs per CPU though, that's pretty lame. In order for the ram to run in quad channel you'd need to load the board up, so you've got no room to add more in the future. Mind you with 4gb being the usual DIMM size you'd still have 32gb.

[HippY]

If I come across the sort of money that one of those boards and a pair of CPUs to go in it, I'll buy a house instead.

Still, £415 for the motherboard and £375 each for the CPUs I would get is a lot more "affordable" than the previous dual cpu boards. They're not the cheapest CPUs in the line up either, I'd get 2x E5-1650 which essentially 5930K specs from what I can see.

nope

The mobos accept only e5-2xxx v3 cpus, obly them( and up ) support multi cpu configs. They are for heavy rendering, it is as close as you can get to a server in a pc enclosure as you can

To the guy with the 6+ year old psu

change it, as components are getting older and its getting decalibrated. It is fine until a while but it can damage components if it produce wrong outputs

[forteh]

Right so the DOA i5 750 went back and I got refunded, bought a replacment i5 750 that night, after a delay in posting I now have it fitted and sitting at 4Ghz (2.66 stock) with an instant blitz of prime95 seeming stable, will do further testing

Max temp under load is 68°C so far.

edit: quick and dirty benchmark in arma3, previously I was getting average of 34fps with 2km view distance, now I am averaging 43fps with 3km view distance. Good increase especially considering the cpu is 625mhz slower!

Edited November 21, 2014 by forteh

[Muel]

nope

The mobos accept only e5-2xxx v3 cpus, obly them( and up ) support multi cpu configs. They are for heavy rendering, it is as close as you can get to a server in a pc enclosure as you can

To the guy with the 6+ year old psu

change it, as components are getting older and its getting decalibrated. It is fine until a while but it can damage components if it produce wrong outputs

Look dude, just enjoy the pornography I provide you with. You don't need to drag it down with your "facts" and your "specs".

On a serious note, where have you read that? I can't find a source. If that's true then it is also gay.

Right so the DOA i5 750 went back and I got refunded, bought a replacment i5 750 that night, after a delay in posting I now have it fitted and sitting at 4Ghz (2.66 stock) with an instant blitz of prime95 seeming stable, will do further testing

Max temp under load is 68°C so far.

edit: quick and dirty benchmark in arma3, previously I was getting average of 34fps with 2km view distance, now I am averaging 43fps with 3km view distance. Good increase especially considering the cpu is 625mhz slower!

What kind speedz are you hoping for dude?4ghz as a quick and dirty OC from a 5 year old chip is pretty impressive.

[forteh]

If I can get it up to 4.5 I would be super happy, I know the i5s don't push as high as the i3s but the extra horsepower means you don't need so many clock cycles for the same performance. Even at the stock 2.66ghz it was only 3-4fps slower than the i3 at 4.6!

Currently I just pumped the voltage up to 1.37 ( max spec is 1.4 and with vdroop goes up to 1.39 under load) so have tweaking to do. I discovered my 6+ year old tube of arctic silver ceramique so applied that, temps should drop by up to 5℃ over the next 25 hours of heat cycling so have a load of room available for heat if I need to push the voltage up higher

[AndrewEH1]

Right, about to start building a Micro ATX/Mini ITX gaming PC

I've ordered this case:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-179-CS

Need to find a motherboard, i7 processor, power supply and a graphics card. Oh and an SSD!

Going for quite a high spec. Any recommendations?

Edited November 27, 2014 by AndrewEH1

[forteh]

Been playing with this i5 some more and currently at 4.2 ghz (221x19) @1.375vcore, ram @ 1768 mhz (2x4 gb bog standard crucial ddr3 1600!) only carried out a brief prime95 test but it's nicely stable for arma3, peaked at 70°C in the small fft torture test

Had to lose 2x2 gb ram as they didn't like playing ball with the higher bclk, will probably stick it on ebay, still selling for 25 quid! Arma3 doesn't need 8 gb to run but I was using the extra 4 gb for a ramdisk to stream the map/terrain/buildings data for arma, it is now a lot slower loading but there is someone selling a 60gb ssd in the local paper for 25 quid

Also been tweaking my arma3 settings, now playing very high/ultra settings, 3km view and object distance with 8xfsaa and ultra fxaa. Loading into the editor in the middle of a town is now 60 fps constant where as it was 35 with the i3 @ 4.62 ghz

Very pleased for a 40 quid upgrade

[HippY]

Right, about to start building a Micro ATX/Mini ITX gaming PC

I've ordered this case:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-179-CS

Need to find a motherboard, i7 processor, power supply and a graphics card. Oh and an SSD!

Going for quite a high spec. Any recommendations?

what will you use the PC for?

What specs are you thinking about?

Multiple Graphics cards?

Any brands that you prefer?

RAM?

What is your budget?

[AndrewEH1]

what will you use the PC for?

What specs are you thinking about?

Multiple Graphics cards?

Any brands that you prefer?

RAM?

What is your budget?

Gaming of course. Video/Photo stuff on the side.

Probably only one graphics card, my old gaming rig (it was a massive tower which is why I'm trying to build a smaller PC) had an NVIDIA one so will probably go down that route.

Intel for processors, 12GB of RAM should be enough really. I do have my old 12GB of RAM which I was just going to re-use unless anything has changed significantly.

Budget is about £800, maybe more.

Edited November 28, 2014 by AndrewEH1

[MadManMike]

So, as you're probably aware, GTA5 will be out soon for PC. I'm planning to get it and ditch the XBOX 360 version.

Before I can do that, I need a graphics card - the rest of my system is capable, 2.5ghz quad core Phenom II, 4gb RAM.

I'm running dual monitors and I'd like the cheapest card that will run it. I'm not fussed about running it on full settings, if that's going to cost me tons of cash...

Any suggestions on a good capable gfx card that doesn't cost the earth?

[forteh]

Gaming of course. Video/Photo stuff on the side.

Probably only one graphics card, my old gaming rig (it was a massive tower which is why I'm trying to build a smaller PC) had an NVIDIA one so will probably go down that route.

Intel for processors, 12GB of RAM should be enough really. I do have my old 12GB of RAM which I was just going to re-use unless anything has changed significantly.

Budget is about £800, maybe more.

You have 12gb ram already? Triple channel socket1366 i7? Why not get a xeon 56xx processor and overclock the tits off it?

If you just have 4+8 sticks ignore me

[forteh]

So, as you're probably aware, GTA5 will be out soon for PC. I'm planning to get it and ditch the XBOX 360 version.

Before I can do that, I need a graphics card - the rest of my system is capable, 2.5ghz quad core Phenom II, 4gb RAM.

I'm running dual monitors and I'd like the cheapest card that will run it. I'm not fussed about running it on full settings, if that's going to cost me tons of cash...

Any suggestions on a good capable gfx card that doesn't cost the earth?

I think you might be suffering with your cpu and ram, from what I've read you don't meet minimum specs for either

Last thing you want to do is go buy a new gpu to play gta5 only to find out you need to upgrade the cpu and ram to get decent framerates. I think gta is one of those games like arma that is very cpu intensive and will often bottleneck the gpu.

Case in point, arma3 on my i3 530 @ 4.62ghz with gtx660 pulled 35 fps, swap the i3 for an i5 750 @ 4.2ghz and it pulls 60+ in the same environment. The fps is constantly low until you get the cpu horsepower, even if you spend a couple of grand on a gtx titan! Arma3 is a light infantry simulator/sandbox with huge open worlds and hundreds of ai components much the same as gta so I suspect you may need more than just a gpu

[AndrewEH1]

You have 12gb ram already? Triple channel socket1366 i7? Why not get a xeon 56xx processor and overclock the tits off it?

If you just have 4+8 sticks ignore me

Que? Overclocking is beyond me, I just want something that I can fit and forget. The last rig lasted over five years perfectly before the PSU melted (dust).

Edited November 28, 2014 by AndrewEH1

[MadManMike]

I think you might be suffering with your cpu and ram, from what I've read you don't meet minimum specs for either

Last thing you want to do is go buy a new gpu to play gta5 only to find out you need to upgrade the cpu and ram to get decent framerates. I think gta is one of those games like arma that is very cpu intensive and will often bottleneck the gpu.

Case in point, arma3 on my i3 530 @ 4.62ghz with gtx660 pulled 35 fps, swap the i3 for an i5 750 @ 4.2ghz and it pulls 60+ in the same environment. The fps is constantly low until you get the cpu horsepower, even if you spend a couple of grand on a gtx titan! Arma3 is a light infantry simulator/sandbox with huge open worlds and hundreds of ai components much the same as gta so I suspect you may need more than just a gpu

Ah man

I might have to start looking at a new CPU then. I'll see what's around in AMD form and what my motherboard can take.

Based on what you've said, I think I might be running the XBOX a little while longer...

[forteh]

What's your old cpu/ram? 12gb is an uncommon volume for most systems, however it was used quite a lot in the first generation i7s that used the 1366 socket as they used triple channel ram as opposed to the more normal dual channel.

If you have 1366 motherboard then chances are you will be able to get a 6 core xeon x5650 (server chip) which once clocked up to a decent speed will out perform even the 5th generation i7 processors. The best bit is you can buy the cpus second hand for about 60 quid and it will extend the life of your existing system for a while to come for not much expenditure

See here for info

Of course if you're not interested in doing the overclock yourself then I can thoroughly recommend one of ocuks pre-overclocked bundles, they're not clocked to the point of death but have a good plug and play safe speed and all components are preconfigured and set up bar the heatsink.

Something like this should see you good, just add ssd, hdd, gpu, psu and optical drive from the old machine

[forteh]

Ah man

I might have to start looking at a new CPU then. I'll see what's around in AMD form and what my motherboard can take.

Based on what you've said, I think I might be running the XBOX a little while longer...

Better to wait until it is released, acquire a copy from piratebay your friendly local internet download retailer to see how well it runs, if it's acceptable then go buy it, if it's not then continue to play on the xbox

For the most part intel are waaaay ahead of amd in the performance stakes but don't think you have to buy new though, with a little research and forethought you can build a very capable system based on a second generation core processor (2500k/2600K) which can overclock to insane speeds and pull plenty fast enough for any games. There are a huge amount of disgruntled arma3 players who spent thousands building top spec machines just to play the game and they get maybe 5% more performance than someone with a 4 year old system!

For reference I just upgraded my cpu with a 40 quid i5 750 (first gen i5 quad core) and now have the same performance in arma3 as my work machine (4th gen i7 running at the same clock speed!). You could probably pick up a complete 1st gen core board/cpu/ram for about 100 quid

[MadManMike]

I've fitted an SSD this week, so that base is covered.

My CPU is a 2.5 Quad AMD Phenom II Black Edition - I don't know the specs exactly, I'm no expert on hardware, I just know it was quick enough for my photo editing and music production when I built it.

RAM, again, not entirely sure, I just know it's 4GB (2 x 2GB) 1333mhz seems to ring a bell?

I'm running 32-bit Windows 7 Ultimate, so I never bothered to invest in more RAM.

That bundle you linked to looks great, but £360 is way over my budget. I was hoping to just need a £60/70 graphics card

I guess I'll just keep my eyes on some second hand bits on eBay.

[forteh]

You might find that it might play it ok with not much more than a gpu upgrade but from what I've read 6gb is the min specs, that said the rockstar website is completely uninformative and gives no recommended specs

The bundle I linked to was for andrew

Increasing the amount of ram is a cheap upgrade (I probably have a couple of 2x2 sticks you can have for a few quid and will take you up to 8gb), you would obviously need to go up to 64bit but then that's only a quick visit to the bay of pirates.

If you're willing to put the legwork in with overclocking you can build a very capable system for not a lot of money, pick up a p55 or h55 chipset motherboard, an i5 750 or 760 and a decent cooler and you're good to go.

For example: -

Motherboard - same as mine, cheap, no frills, overclocks like a beast!

Processor - the xeon x3430 is the bottom end intel server chip but is basically an i5 750 with an 18x multiplier (so absolute top level overclock might be slightly more limited) but can still be pushed to 3.6ghz very easily.

Gpu wise I would be looking at the gtx600 series, I picked up a gtx660 for 65 quid, the 660ti typically goes for 65-70 but is a fair proportion faster, the 670 would be best bang for buck. One last thing would be your psu, you might be able to wing it with your current one (I certainly am! ) but you might find it's falling over if it is a cheapy no name brand.

edit: you would get more performance out of a 2nd gen intel core processor (i5 2500k or i7 2600k) as they changed the architecture and were a damn sight faster, however this drives second hand prices up as they can still compete with later hardware without much hassle.

If you need help with the first gen core overclock I'm quite happy to walk you through it and get it running up to speed

Edited November 28, 2014 by forteh

[weirdoku]

Right, about to start building a Micro ATX/Mini ITX gaming PC

I've ordered this case:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-179-CS

Need to find a motherboard, i7 processor, power supply and a graphics card. Oh and an SSD!

Going for quite a high spec. Any recommendations?

I too want a micro/mini ATX gaming PC but don't play much games to justify it. That 240 carbide case is so cute lol. Was gonna get the bigger brother when they came out but nothing wrong with my CM690 case still.

[HippY]

Gaming of course. Video/Photo stuff on the side.

Probably only one graphics card, my old gaming rig (it was a massive tower which is why I'm trying to build a smaller PC) had an NVIDIA one so will probably go down that route.

Intel for processors, 12GB of RAM should be enough really. I do have my old 12GB of RAM which I was just going to re-use unless anything has changed significantly.

Budget is about £800, maybe more.

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/wDTYwP

for + £300 ( mobo+ram+cpu X99) you can get a 5820K 16 GB DDR4 ram an a good mATX X99 mobo

That bundle you linked to looks great, but £360 is way over my budget. I was hoping to just need a £60/70 graphics card

R7 260x?

CPU might bottleneck it but well, it is cheap and gpu

I too want a micro/mini ATX gaming PC but don't play much games to justify it. That 240 carbide case is so cute lol. Was gonna get the bigger brother when they came out but nothing wrong with my CM690 case still.

my next build will be an mITX, as portability can come handy and they can pack a serious punch!

[Muel]

Listen to Forteh Mike. Your current CPU and Ram will limit the bandwidth of your system but will be fine running a GTX660.

You will have to drop the setting a bit, but it should run OK.

Ignore X99, it's not a good gaming platform, it's for workstations and power users IMO.

EDIT: Ordered a Raspberry Pi earlier for some experimenting. Got a spare monitor so going to play with the idea of building an all in one. (Zip tie it to the back).

Edited November 28, 2014 by Muel

[MadManMike]

Awesome, thanks for all the advice guys!

I guess I'll just have to give it a test when it comes out, then see what, if anything, needs replacing.