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$1100 High End Build

Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 1:28 am
by QuantumInteger
Hello, I'm new here.

I am planning on building a gaming rig sometime between now and before Christmas, to take advantage of the holiday sales on components. My basic goal for making a gaming rig is to primarily play games as well as a general purpose rig for video editing (nothing intensive) and possibly photoshop. My interest in gaming stemmed from the Steam 2012 summer sale. Because of the sale, I was able to get a lot of games at heavily reduced price but my current computer cannot play a lot of the games on my library with sufficient frame rate. All in all, I don't consider myself a hardcore gamer, I mostly play games for fun or for the social aspect and not particularly to compete or anything. That being said, I have a lot of games that I want to play but require a mid range to high end build to run. I have set out to do just that. I have a Viore 22' 1080p LED TV as well as an Altec speaker and subwoofer and a Microsoft mouse and keyboard combo. I'm not really into that dual monitor stuff although some of my friends are. I am also not planning on overclocking very much (at the moment) so I'm not particularly interested in elaborate heat sink setups or nitrogen cooler. I've seen some videos on Youtube and they seem too excessive for me. My gaming preferences on the PC are mostly about games that I prefer to play on the PC as opposed to my Xbox, either primarily for the better graphics or because of convenience. Generally speaking, I'm building my gaming rig to run games like Civilization V, Assassin's Creed (all of them), Bioshock 1-3, GTA IV (with the ICE mod), GTA V when it comes out, Dishonored, Skyrim, Deus Ex Human Revolution, Hitman Absolution, Witcher 1 and 2, Far Cry (including 3 when it comes out), the COD series, Batman Arkham City, etc at the highest possible settings. I know that Battlefield 3 and Crysis are benchmarks for gaming but I'm not interested in that extreme level of gaming. All in all, I'm looking at building a rig that could play games at high or ultra high settings for the next 3-5 years.

But enough with my rambling, here is my possible build:
*Quick note: Some of these come with rebates and instant discounts. The listed prices are shown with instant discounts as rebates tend to change more often.

EVGA GeForce GTX 570 with SLI support (239.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130613
Intel i5 3570K (for possible future overclock) (219.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504
Corsair Vengeance 16 gig RAM (2 x 8 gig) (in case I want to go 32 gig later) (84.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233299
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H motherboard (144.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128544
OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W power supply(109.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341018
Thermaltake Chaser MK-1 (159.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133191
Western Digital WD Black 1TB Hard Drive (109.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136533
Asus DVD Burner (19.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204
Logitech Desktop Microphone 600 (for Skype/Ventro/GVoice) (9.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121018
Kaybles Model DHDMI-158K 15ft HDMI cable (for connecting to my monitor) (7.99)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812576012

That is essentially what's on my Newegg wishlist right now. I based my build on the one recommended by Gaming PC Builds (http://www.gamingpcbuilds.com/best-1000-gaming-build/). I'm looking at a cost of about $1100 give or take. I picked the Thermaltake Chaser primarily because of its aggressive look, LED lights, compartmentalization perks that make building a rig easier, modulated and adjustable straps and covers, and superior ventilation, thus justifying its higher cost over other cheaper alternatives. Again, I'm going for longevity here. I went with the Z77 because of its supposed superiority over the Z68 and its support for USB 3.0. I have a USB 3.0 1TB external hard drive and because it's a new standard, I want to stay ahead of the curve. I settled on 700W as a good power benchmark so the ModXStream it is. The one part the conflicts me the most is the GPU. For higher end gaming (running GTA IV with ICE mod for example), some people suggested the GTX 670. I went for the GTX 570 because the Gaming PC Build recommended it. I have looked at GeForce GTX 670s from MSI and EVGA. Both are significantly more expensive than the 570 by about $100. The MSI is cheaper, at least on Newegg, by about $50 due to bigger instant savings and rebates. I want to stay near $1100 but I am willing stomach a higher cost (anything below $1300) as long as it is worth the money. I was told that while MSI's customer support is restricted to North America, EVGA has better customer support and is available worldwide. I live in Los Angeles, California and goes to school in San Diego so that issue isn't of particular importance to me. What I am looking at is cost. Is there really a performance difference between the MSI version and the EVGA version that wouldn't justify the MSI's lower cost? For what I am aiming to do, which is a better choice; the 670 or the 570? I am particularly new to hardware computers being mostly a software guy myself so I'm shopping around for ideas before setting out to build my own computer.
Here are the GTX 670s that I am looking at:

MSI GeForce GTX 670 (359.99 with $30 rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127675
EVGA Geforce GTX 670 FTW (389.99 with $20 rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130787

I also have some other questions if people here care to answer them:
1) Would I need additional heat sinks? The Thermaltake Chaser MK-1 comes with 3 so do I need more (assuming I don't overclock)? If I do, I want to get fans that have LED lights, any suggestions?
2) Should I wear protective gloves when putting together the computer?
3) I know the motherboard can provide really good sound but would it be wrong (or excessive) to invest in a sound card that could give me 5.1 surround sound?
4) I'm not entirely sure from the descriptions but does the Gigabyte motherboard provide me with a separate microphone port aside from the audio port? I need it for the microphone I'm getting.
5) Ah, the age old question; assuming that I don't go to 32 gig, 2 x 8 or 4 x 4?
6) Any suggestions on how I should monitor the heat level in my rig? I've seen some people get LCD monitors that can be built into the front ports on the case but I'm not really interested in those mods. Any on the software sides or cheap hardware alternatives? What about softwares to regulate fan speed (automatically)? What temperature range should I look for?
7) What about drivers? How do I get them. I was told that my motherboard comes with a CD but what about the others? I'm thinking of using DriverMax to get all of my drivers but I'm open to suggestions.
8) Should I invest in a wireless card? Mostly for convenience sake. If so, suggestions?
9) SSDs. Are they worth it?
10) Any good (video or otherwise) walkthroughs? If so, please share.

Thanks.

Re: $1100 High End Build

Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 10:11 am
by Jjay
I am not one of the experts here, but a week ago i posted a question about a build very similar to yours for pc gaming and some light editing. There are a some helpful answers including your question about the ssd and a detailed answer about a sound card. I suggest you read it before anybody replies and perhaps you will be able to get a few answers ticked off your list.

viewtopic.php?f=33&t=84595&p=1142193#p1142193

Re: $1100 High End Build

Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 5:31 pm
by PenGun
#2
No. Nothing is fixed till you bleed on it. ;)

#7
Always toss any CDs you get with anything. Go to the hardware sites of the companies that made the parts and get the latest drivers.

#8
Wireless routers are cheap.

#9
They are now. They load games fast for me and that is probably worth it.

Re: $1100 High End Build

Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 6:19 pm
by RickyTick
The GTX670 is fairly pricey.
Consider the GTX660 or 660 Ti. Read through this for more information. http://techreport.com/review/23527/revi ... phics-card

Re: $1100 High End Build

Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 6:28 pm
by QuantumInteger
What about the Sapphire Radeon HD 7950? It's cheaper and if I buy it off Newegg, I get 3 free games.

Re: $1100 High End Build

Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 7:34 pm
by derFunkenstein
If you're interested in even one of those games, I think the Radeon may be the way to go. The more out of that bundle you really do want to play, the better it is for you. The 7950 is a fast card - way better than the 500 series card you initially picked, and also faster than a vanilla GTX 660. The 660Ti is the closest competitor performacne-wise, though performance between AMD and nVidia varies wildly depending on the games you play. At 1080p, both cards are more than enough.

Re: $1100 High End Build

Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 10:40 pm
by QuantumInteger
derFunkenstein wrote:
If you're interested in even one of those games, I think the Radeon may be the way to go. The more out of that bundle you really do want to play, the better it is for you. The 7950 is a fast card - way better than the 500 series card you initially picked, and also faster than a vanilla GTX 660. The 660Ti is the closest competitor performacne-wise, though performance between AMD and nVidia varies wildly depending on the games you play. At 1080p, both cards are more than enough.

Thanks for the suggestion but I decided to go with the EVGA GTX 670 FTW. The reason is because the EVGA version has exhaust ports that dumps air outside the case rather than circulate them back into the case. I wanted the Windforce because of its superior cooling but the exhaust port of the GTX 670 combined with the superior cooling ability of my case meant that the Windforce's advantage was negligible. Also, I got a really good deal from Micro Center in Orange County (http://www.microcenter.com/product/393197/02G-P4-2678-KR_NVIDIA_GeForce_GTX_670_FTW_2048MB_GDDR5_PCIe_30_x16_Video_Card). The unit is 350 after rebate and I get two free games (AC3 and Borderlands 2) with my purchase. Also, AMD's drivers have been known to be crappy and unstable and their GPU's are incompatible with some games. I decided on Nvidia and EVGA due to better support. I was also able to nab an i5 3570K for 169.99 (in store pickup only) and a Thermaltake Chaserk MK-1 for 119.99 from the same store. If anybody is in the market for new parts and live near one of their stores, definitely check them out. Also, if anyone is interested in my final build, go here: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ofzH. I'm going to make a video later when I build the rig.

Re: $1100 High End Build

Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 9:13 am
by Chrispy_
Also, AMD's drivers have been known to be crappy and unstable and their GPU's are incompatible with some games.


It's statements like these that make me a bit sad. Not because I really give a crap about AMD or Nvidia, but because people believe the sort of rubbish that they hear in fanboy flamewars;

AMD's windows drivers have actually been as good (arguably better) than Nvidia drivers for a long time. The Catalyst team founded well over a decade ago pretty much quashed AMD's issues and the rest is just stigma. I have always had at least one AMD and one Nvidia card at all times for at least this last decade and honestly the drivers for both sides have been pretty good. However, if there was any kind of competition, AMD would win hands down. Nvidia has a recurring history of not fixing things, having buttons in drivers that don't work, and typically not handling outputs to unusual resolutions and devices as gracefully.

I'm sure there are more, but both at home and at work, Nvidia drivers are just lacking that last bit of polish that would allow me to call them "reliable". For the most part they are fine, but I am quite happy to report that both at home and at work, AMD drivers have been "reliable" these past few years. As in no major problems, and the minor problems usually fixed within a short period of time.

The second thing is that the Catalyst control panel typically lets you do more stuff. Fan control, temperature monitoring, overclocking etc. The nvidia panel doesn't let you do this, not even with registry tweaks anymore - you have to install nTune which is pretty obnoxious software in my opinion. Most people just download a 3rd party tool like Afterburner or RivaTuner, which says it all....

And finally, AMD's OpenCL seems to get better support in the productivity scene than Nvidia's CUDA. I've noticed things like Photoshop 2D acceleration working better on AMD cards than Nvidia ones and viewports in software like 3DS Max running better on a low-end AMD than a high-end Nvidia.

Your mileage may vary but as someone who has used and managed anything up to 500 different machines a year running a mix of AMD and Nvidia, I have a strong preference towards AMD drivers at the moment.



But anyway (off-topic rant aside), your build looks pretty solid - I would have picked a better SSD as the Intel SRT caching drive, since I was fairly disappointed booting of a V200 using the same Jmicron controller as used on the S50. However, I believe Intel's SRT uses the SSD differently and the S50 seems to have enough positive user reviews saying that it works well. At $39 it's hard to complain ;)

Re: $1100 High End Build

Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 10:03 am
by QuantumInteger
Thanks for your reply. I really appreciate someone taking their time to write a carefully crafted response. My beef with AMD is usually mild. I don't really like their drivers as they've crashed on me in the past. Things may have changed now but I feel safer and more comfortable sticking with Nvidia. Also, the GTX 670 is preferable for overclocking so I'm picking it as a perfect companion for the case. My picking the GTX 670 over the Radeon 7950 was a really hard decision, with both being comparable in power. I ended with the GTX because I plan on OC'ing and the GTX 670 was better for that. Most of my gamer friends suggested the GTX 670 so I also took their consideration into mind. With SSD cards, I actually switched to a Crucial M4 64 gig SSD instead. The Crucial M4 was a better deal on Amazon so I went with that instead.

Re: $1100 High End Build

Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 11:32 am
by parism
I am an EVGA fan and have 2 GTX 460s in SLI. Great cards but their fans are loud, at least the version I got (blower fans). Your EVGA 670 card also has a blower fan so be aware that as the fan RPM ramps up the noise will also increase. I got rid of the blower fan and installed an Arctic Cooling heartsink/fan with 3 fans (for each card) that is ultra quiet (despite having 3 fans) due the enormous size of the heatsink. Expensive yes, but the cards are now virtually silent. Just my 2c...

p

Re: $1100 High End Build

Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 11:55 am
by rogue426
I'm going to suggest reading the TR Guide first before making your choices.The Sweet Spot build can be fine tuned for purposes.
http://techreport.com/review/23814/tr-w ... stem-guide
I have the EVGA 670 card you linked, I had to RMA it after 3 months for failure, the process was painless and I received a new card within a week.I've had no complaints with it, however if any of the games bundled with 7950 appeals to you by all means grab that one instead , its cheaper and comes with free swag.

Re: $1100 High End Build

Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 6:37 pm
by UltimateImperative
Have you already bought the OCZ power supply? Given OCZ's financial troubles, you might want to stay away from them unless you have a really good discount. You could get a really nice Seasonic or Corsair for that kind of money.

Where do you see that the Chaser includes a heatsink? It has fans, but afaik no CPU heatsink included. The cheap, practical option for a mild overclock would be a Cooler Master Hyper 212 (+, Evo) for $30-35. Pretty quiet, good performance (given the price), easy installation (especially compared to my monstrous Thermalright Silver Arrow).

Also, re: silly looking cases, the Zalman Z9/Z11 look pretty boss at a ridiculously low price.

Re: $1100 High End Build

Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 8:20 pm
by Airmantharp
AMD's drivers have been effective in single-card setups, but less than effective in multi-card setups. Doesn't affect most people, but something to keep in mind.

Re: $1100 High End Build

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 5:04 am
by QuantumInteger
Okay, so my build is done. Thus far, it seems like everything is operating as it should. I've successfully put the computer together, everything lit up with any burning or fire and I was able to install Windows 7 without issue. However, there was one minor problem...I couldn't get HDMI or DVI out from the motherboard. In fact, I could start the computer on and my TV monitor would not get any signal from the HDMI to HDMI or DVI to HDMI cable that I have. I was able to get video out after hooking my DVI to HDMI cable to my GTX 670. However, the quality is pretty crappy because a few things look lower res and washed out, even at full 1080p. I installed all of the proper drivers but when I tried installing the VGA_64 drivers from the Gigabyte Z77-UDH3 site (http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4153#dl), it gives me this: Image. I have not idea what is going here.

Re: $1100 High End Build

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 5:32 am
by yogibbear
Doubt the mobo let's you use the CPU's onboard GPU (i.e. HD4000) while a dedicated card is plugged in. i.e. there is ZERO reason to install that VGA_64 driver.

Just go to nvidia.com and install their drivers for the 670. Default resolution when you build a PC is usually bottom of the barrel... so if it looks fuzzy, just right click and increase the resolution to 1080p in the desktop settings area of control panel / right click desktop appearance.

Why have you built a $1100 build without an SSD? Seriously go buy a 256 GB Samsung 830 in the black friday sales right now! (if you can't afford one, then just opt for an <$80 128GB 830.)

Sound over HDMI to a TV is a PAIN IN THE ASS with some older GPUs. I was pretty sure that both Nvidia and AMD had sorted these problems out. (I've had zero issues getting sound to a TV via HDMI with a 560ti nor with a 7770) Are you plugging it into a LED LCD TV? Typically they have 2 different types of HDMI-in ports and 1 can accept PC + sound, and another will just accept VGA quality pic over HDMI with no sound. Check your TV's manual if the ports aren't labelled. You want the active HDMI or whatever I think it is called. Then I think you need to go into sound properties and set the audio device in playback settings to whatever the nvidia High Definition Audio device is called instead of the (usually) default mobo onboard sound to get it to transmit via the HDMI out of the GPU.

Re: $1100 High End Build

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 5:53 am
by QuantumInteger
yogibbear wrote:
Doubt the mobo let's you use the CPU's onboard GPU (i.e. HD4000) while a dedicated card is plugged in. i.e. there is ZERO reason to install that VGA_64 driver.

Just go to nvidia.com and install their drivers for the 670. Default resolution when you build a PC is usually bottom of the barrel... so if it looks fuzzy, just right click and increase the resolution to 1080p in the desktop settings area of control panel / right click desktop appearance.

Why have you built a $1100 build without an SSD? Seriously go buy a 256 GB Samsung 830 in the black friday sales right now! (if you can't afford one, then just opt for an <$80 128GB 830.)

Sound over HDMI to a TV is a PAIN IN THE ASS with some older GPUs. I was pretty sure that both Nvidia and AMD had sorted these problems out. Are you plugging it into a LED LCD TV? Typically they have 2 different types of HDMI-in ports and 1 can accept PC + sound, and another will just accept VGA quality pic over HDMI with no sound. Check your TV's manual if the ports aren't labelled. You want the active HDMI or whatever I think it is called. Then I think you need to go into sound properties and set the audio device in playback settings to whatever the nvidia High Definition Audio device is called instead of the (usually) default mobo onboard sound to get it to transmit via the HDMI out of the GPU.


I do have an SSD. It's only a Crucial m4 64 gig so I'm only installing essential applications on there like video editing, photoshop, my drivers, etc. Everything else like Steam games go on the 1TB toshiba drive. Both are plugged into SATA 6gb/s on my motherboard. I don't do sound over HDMI because I have a speaker that plugs using conventional jacks. I'm not an audiophile and for the sound quality and clarity that it gives me is enough. Thus I disabled sound over DVI and routed it to the case's jack instead. If I had sent the sound over DVI to my LED TV, the sound would have came out of its speakers instead. Not ideal considering that it would be subpar and if I plugged my speaker into the TV, then the setup is the same. I did HDMI out using the same TV, speaker, and DVI cable setup before with a Macbook Pro Mid 2011 and the picture quality was phenomenal. Granted I bough a cheap mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter that didn't carry sound (I think), the picture quality was good and I plugged my speakers into the MacBook Pro for sound. The MacBook Pro had Intel HD 4000 it provided really good visual quality. The GTX's DVI output is a bit fussier and the glare/contrast of the screen annoys my eyes compared to my old setup. My old setup had more vibrant colors compared to what it is now. I'm new to computer building so I'm just wondering if I messed anything up along the way. Also, the rig makes a single beeping sound after it passes the BIOS. Not sure if that is any need for concern.

Re: $1100 High End Build

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 6:28 am
by yogibbear
QuantumInteger wrote:
yogibbear wrote:
Doubt the mobo let's you use the CPU's onboard GPU (i.e. HD4000) while a dedicated card is plugged in. i.e. there is ZERO reason to install that VGA_64 driver.

Just go to nvidia.com and install their drivers for the 670. Default resolution when you build a PC is usually bottom of the barrel... so if it looks fuzzy, just right click and increase the resolution to 1080p in the desktop settings area of control panel / right click desktop appearance.

Why have you built a $1100 build without an SSD? Seriously go buy a 256 GB Samsung 830 in the black friday sales right now! (if you can't afford one, then just opt for an <$80 128GB 830.)

Sound over HDMI to a TV is a PAIN IN THE ASS with some older GPUs. I was pretty sure that both Nvidia and AMD had sorted these problems out. Are you plugging it into a LED LCD TV? Typically they have 2 different types of HDMI-in ports and 1 can accept PC + sound, and another will just accept VGA quality pic over HDMI with no sound. Check your TV's manual if the ports aren't labelled. You want the active HDMI or whatever I think it is called. Then I think you need to go into sound properties and set the audio device in playback settings to whatever the nvidia High Definition Audio device is called instead of the (usually) default mobo onboard sound to get it to transmit via the HDMI out of the GPU.


I do have an SSD. It's only a Crucial m4 64 gig so I'm only installing essential applications on there like video editing, photoshop, my drivers, etc. Everything else like Steam games go on the 1TB toshiba drive. Both are plugged into SATA 6gb/s on my motherboard. I don't do sound over HDMI because I have a speaker that plugs using conventional jacks. I'm not an audiophile and for the sound quality and clarity that it gives me is enough. Thus I disabled sound over DVI and routed it to the case's jack instead. If I had sent the sound over DVI to my LED TV, the sound would have came out of its speakers instead. Not ideal considering that it would be subpar and if I plugged my speaker into the TV, then the setup is the same. I did HDMI out using the same TV, speaker, and DVI cable setup before with a Macbook Pro Mid 2011 and the picture quality was phenomenal. Granted I bough a cheap mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter that didn't carry sound (I think), the picture quality was good and I plugged my speakers into the MacBook Pro for sound. The MacBook Pro had Intel HD 4000 it provided really good visual quality. The GTX's DVI output is a bit fussier and the glare/contrast of the screen annoys my eyes compared to my old setup. My old setup had more vibrant colors compared to what it is now. I'm new to computer building so I'm just wondering if I messed anything up along the way. Also, the rig makes a single beeping sound after it passes the BIOS. Not sure if that is any need for concern.


DVI and HDMI are effectively the same standard for visual quality.. so unless your adapter is some shoddy POS then it can't be this. (assuming you don't need sound as you've said).

When you say fuzzy? Do you mean the resolution looks bad, or have you just not calibrated the monitor? (Brightness / sharpness / RGB etc.)

The single beep is a normal happy boot noise. You will know if it makes an angry beep. (The mobo manual will tell you what the different beeps mean). If it really bothers you you might be able to disconnect the speaker, but I actually like the beep noise a healthy mobo makes.

Re: $1100 High End Build

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 7:04 am
by QuantumInteger
I need to calibrate the monitor. I didn't think it was needed since the settings for my tv should be stored locally. Going to a new computer reset all my settings. In essence, staring at the screen hurts my eyes. Everything is too high contrast or too.

Re: $1100 High End Build

Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 8:16 am
by vargis14
I am a little late coming to the conversation......so here is what i know. I have all 3 of my PCs hooked up to LCD or a plasma TV..The 2 LCD tvs are vizios, sure not the best tv's but for the money i have no complaints. To get my sound from my PC to my analog speaker system is very simple. I just use A HDMI cable and use that to get sound to the TV then I use the RCA audio out jacks on the back of the tv to get sound to the analog speaker system. If your speaker system only supports a 1/8 inch audio jack they do make a adapter that lets regular rca cables drop down to 1/8 inch. Then i disable the tv speakers in the tv's menu. Sound quality is quiet good. But i am running just stereo sound from self powered monitor speakers that are very old but good.

As for you picture i do not know why you are using adapters for dvi but the only adapter i use is a mini HDMI to regular hdmi adapter to get video from my 560ti sli setup to my tv. My 2 other rigs have full size HDMI outs on there AMD video cards.
As for adjusting your tv's picture please note this...if the sharpness is too high it will wash out your picture a lot. As for adjusting your tv's brightness contrast color and gamma along with clear type in your windows OS.
All you have to to is goto control panel and select display and select calibrate color. It will launch a calibration deal that will start with adjusting your gamma with a slider in windows. Then it will do a brightness setup where you set the brightness with the tv menu controls and after that a contrast setup where you also use your tv menu controls. Then a color calibration will come up with a grayscale calibration screen along with red green and blu sliders so you can make sure your color is adjusted correctly. Then the last thing is the clear type adjustment that will give you many examples of text and you select what ones look best on your display to make text clear and crisp. Good luck!

Re: $1100 High End Build

Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:47 am
by QuantumInteger
Thanks for your reply. I finally figured out what was going on. I have an DVI to HDMI cable. On my GPU, there were two DVI ports, DVI-I and DVI-D. I plugged my connector into DVI-I assuming that since it supported analog and digital, I wouldn't have any issue. What followed was washed out colors, black texts that were bluish in hue, incorrect color schemes and uncalibrated gamma saturation. After switching to DVI-D, my picture improved drastically. I'm having a hard time going between two different drives. I wish there was a way to make the SSD and HDD function as one drive. Unfortunately, RAID is incompatible with SSD and HDD. Anybody got any general suggestions, tips, etc?

Re: $1100 High End Build

Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 7:46 am
by yogibbear
QuantumInteger wrote:
Thanks for your reply. I finally figured out what was going on. I have an DVI to HDMI cable. On my GPU, there were two DVI ports, DVI-I and DVI-D. I plugged my connector into DVI-I assuming that since it supported analog and digital, I wouldn't have any issue. What followed was washed out colors, black texts that were bluish in hue, incorrect color schemes and uncalibrated gamma saturation. After switching to DVI-D, my picture improved drastically. I'm having a hard time going between two different drives. I wish there was a way to make the SSD and HDD function as one drive. Unfortunately, RAID is incompatible with SSD and HDD. Anybody got any general suggestions, tips, etc?


I use OS and all programs and My Docs for my SSD.
Videos, music, steam, et. al. all sit on my HDDs.

Admittedly I use a 240GB SSD that has 90 GB free... but there's Skyrim, Hitman Absolution, CS:GO, Natural Selection 2, and Fallout: New Vegas, Assassin's Creed Revelations all on the SSD via Steammover. So in reality I'm only using about 70GB on the SSD that isn't games.

Basically just move your Downloads, Music, My Pictures, My Documents etc. onto the HDD and you should trim off some space so that your 64GB drive is big enough. Easiest way to do this is to go START->right click on any of Documents/Music/Pictures and then create a library folder in your HDD and default it to that location.

Re: $1100 High End Build

Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:10 am
by vargis14
I know this all too well since I have only a 60 gb ssd that is a relic from 2 years ago. Do as yogi suggested, so chrome or any other browser you use downloads to the HDD and not the ssd.
Also make sure if you have them.....you iTunes account and steam or origin or any other game or video downloading service is setup to use the HDD only. That way you won't accidentally overfill your ssd. I am sure others might have more ideas also :lol:
Enjoy your new rig!!

Re: $1100 High End Build

Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 5:33 pm
by Prestige Worldwide
Too lazy to read entire thread but...

The 670 FTW is awesome. I've had one since July and am really happy with it. It dynamically overclocks while keeping cool and quiet, when I play BF3 and other demanding games it OCs to 1200mhz automatically and temps and stability are still great. I bought it for more than I would have liked to ($410 CAD) but man I love this card. Overall the 670 has better frame times than both high-end Radeons so it's a more fluid experience (something that's more important to me than average framerate).

Re: $1100 High End Build

Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 9:19 pm
by JustAnEngineer
I've split the drive renaming problem discussion to a new thread in the Windows forum, where it may get more helpful responses.
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=84877

--JustAnEngineer, SBA forum moderator