PC Enthusiast-Fi (PC Gaming/Hardware/Software/Overclocking)

[JbstormburstADV]

  The JBL LS305 is very good for the price, I bought a pair for my dad.  I think they raised their price from $240 to $300 for a pair but you might be able to find it on Massdrop for the old price.

So I've heard, except I'm not sure about getting separate units since I'd also need to pick up a receiver.

 

[Za Warudo]

  So I've heard, except I'm not sure about getting separate units since I'd also need to pick up a receiver.

You mean for a volume control?  You can get a Schiit Sys passive preamp for $50 for that.

 

[Phishin Phool]

Just finished an overhaul of my old pc went from Phenom II 955 black tri core, 4 gb ddr2, gtx 580 sc, biostar mobo, 1.5tb wd hdd to
Core i5 4670k
8 gb crucial ddr3
Gigabyte z97x-udh-5 black mobo
Gtx 970
Intel 730 ssd (boot/windows drive)
Kingston 256 gb ssd
Still have hdd

My liquid cpu cooler won't mount so I need to get another so atm stock hsf but gaming is at a whole new level

 

[bowei006]

Just finished an overhaul of my old pc went from Phenom II 955 black tri core, 4 gb ddr2, gtx 580 sc, biostar mobo, 1.5tb wd hdd to
Core i5 4670k
8 gb crucial ddr3
Gigabyte z97x-udh-5 black mobo
Gtx 970
Intel 730 ssd (boot/windows drive)
Kingston 256 gb ssd
Still have hdd

My liquid cpu cooler won't mount so I need to get another so atm stock hsf but gaming is at a whole new level

 
Still using a 965BE
 
My main problems with it are not with it but rather indirectly.
 
Obviously coding in gaming is almost never optomized for the best technologies to take advantage of fully what a processor can offer. 
 
This means that some of my favorite non AAA games have schiit support in where they will only run off one core with schitty code. 
 
And this also means some of the more demanding games will stutter.
 
It's not the CPU but in the end, the only way to fix it is to get a new CPU. Something I don't really want to do.
 
The main problems I am having are with games like World of Tanks and Crysis 3.
 
Whre WoT is so poorly optomized that my 965 runs it like crap as it only runs off one core.
 
And where in Crysis 3/Metro Last Light, my measured FPS is 45-60fps on ultra max everything. But it stutters a lot. Mainly due to my CPU
 
I hvae an i5 4xxx in my summer PC and those games don't feature the same 'stutters' that would be more visible on a better analysis of 'true' fps and performance (forgot the name of that tool)
 
 
Still too poor to change it

 

[ibob4tacoz]

Is there any other sad pandas out there in Arizona, who are too paranoid to overclock very far this time of year? 2500k with all Noctua cooling in a spacious Fractal case, but pushing above 65 degrees under load seems meh to me (mainly for longevity's sake).

Glad to see you here mang. We all have AC, so if you're worried about ambient temps affecting you, it should be fine. As for the CPU temps themselves, 65° is actually a bit below what I would sit at, as Tangster (I think) said. Anything below 80° would be fine.

 

[62ohm]

Pretty certain my 4670k, especially at 4.8GHz would be sufficient for at least a couple more years..
 
The dilemma I'm having right now is I need high bandwidth GPU(s) for my games, but dual R9 290 / 290x would be too much for my PSU. Don't feel like changing my PSU yet, and while 970 SLi would fit into my power limit just fine, it would defeat the purpose of changing my GPU in the first place.
 
I hope the newer ATi cards would consume less (much less) power than the current R9 290x as according to Anandtech, a single overclocked R9 290 can consume as high as 480 watts of power alone..

 

[ibob4tacoz]

Pretty certain my 4670k, especially at 4.8GHz would be sufficient for at least a couple more years..

The dilemma I'm having right now is I need high bandwidth GPU(s) for my games, but dual R9 290 / 290x would be too much for my PSU. Don't feel like changing my PSU yet, and while 970 SLi would fit into my power limit just fine, it would defeat the purpose of changing my GPU in the first place.

I hope the newer ATi cards would consume less (much less) power than the current R9 290x as according to Anandtech, a single overclocked R9 290 can consume as high as 480 watts of power alone..

What GPU are you running right now? And was that a question or a statement?

 

[62ohm]

What GPU are you running right now? And was that a question or a statement?

 
670 SLi, sorry if that doesn't sound like a question but it is. Keep in mind that getting R9 290 CF here would cost $940 NZD, $200 less than 970 SLi. But then again it doesn't matter if my PSU can't run the cards I guess..

 

[ibob4tacoz]

670 SLi, sorry if that doesn't sound like a question but it is. Keep in mind that getting R9 290 CF here would cost $940 NZD, $200 less than 970 SLi. But then again it doesn't matter if my PSU can't run the cards I guess..

You could use the $200 for another PSU, but that kind of changes nothing. In my opinion, it's really down to software (AMD Catalyst vs. Nvidia GeForce Experience), noise (Depending on design), and cost of power. I'm not willing to pay another $30 a month just for 10 more FPS. I personally would go Nvidia for less power consumption and in some cases, quieter fans, but it's down to you.

 

[bowei006]

  Pretty certain my 4670k, especially at 4.8GHz would be sufficient for at least a couple more years..
 
The dilemma I'm having right now is I need high bandwidth GPU(s) for my games, but dual R9 290 / 290x would be too much for my PSU. Don't feel like changing my PSU yet, and while 970 SLi would fit into my power limit just fine, it would defeat the purpose of changing my GPU in the first place.
 
I hope the newer ATi cards would consume less (much less) power than the current R9 290x as according to Anandtech, a single overclocked R9 290 can consume as high as 480 watts of power alone..

If history has shown much....AMD rarely has the least power consuming cards. Rarely...but not always. The 5000x ATi cards were winners in power consumption and idle against Fake Fermi 

 

[62ohm]

You could use the $200 for another PSU, but that kind of changes nothing. In my opinion, it's really down to software (AMD Catalyst vs. Nvidia GeForce Experience), noise (Depending on design), and cost of power. I'm not willing to pay another $30 a month just for 10 more FPS. I personally would go Nvidia for less power consumption and in some cases, quieter fans, but it's down to you.

 
Which is what I am thinking as well ($200 NZD is not enough for a new PSU btw, a Seasonic Platinum 1200 would cost me $380 NZD). But then again, games like Skyrim and Guild Wars 2, which is what I mostly play nowadays benefits so much from memory bandwidth (see my dilemma?).
 

  If history has shown much....AMD rarely has the least power consuming cards. Rarely...but not always. The 5000x ATi cards were winners in power consumption and idle against Fake Fermi 

 
Well at the very least I hope the newer ATi cards with HBM would be able to force the green team to reduce their prices..

 

[Coolzo]

Glad to see you here mang. We all have AC, so if you're worried about ambient temps affecting you, it should be fine. As for the CPU temps themselves, 65° is actually a bit below what I would sit at, as Tangster (I think) said. Anything below 80° would be fine.

Ey! Hmm yeah I suppose you and sir Tangster are indeed correct, as my 6000+ lasted for years at 75-80C with no issues (until upgrading to the Sandy). There is but one more issue I wish to tackle, which is making my PC quieter. I do plan on *probably* replacing my PSU with a nice platinum-rated silent Seasonic; anyone have further recommendations for reducing noise without compromising cooling too much? I've looked into water cooling, and although it would provide potentially higher performance it doesn't seem to be quieter (perhaps even louder).

 

[Phishin Phool]

I used an ANtec Kuhler 650 h20 in the past and found it to be pretty quiet - certainly less noisy then the fans on my gpu under load.

 

[Tangster]

Ey! Hmm yeah I suppose you and sir Tangster are indeed correct, as my 6000+ lasted for years at 75-80C with no issues (until upgrading to the Sandy). There is but one more issue I wish to tackle, which is making my PC quieter. I do plan on *probably* replacing my PSU with a nice platinum-rated silent Seasonic; anyone have further recommendations for reducing noise without compromising cooling too much? I've looked into water cooling, and although it would provide potentially higher performance it doesn't seem to be quieter (perhaps even louder).

With what you've said about your current setup I've no doubt the largest source of noise in your system is the GPU. Get a 3rd party GPU cooler. You're already using Noctua fan which are quiet, so there isn't much left.

 

[DonutDeflector]

While taking about PSUs, I have a CX430 in my rig. I know bowei006 really doesn't like them but at least it didn't explode! I should probably go with some Seasonic deals and get a different PSU. While tapping the PSU it sounds really unassuring with its cheap-ish "dink, dink" sound.

EDIT: My rig barely used power. (FX-6300 and GTX 750)