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Upgrade to my build.
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12-07-2012 5:00pm#1TL;DR at the bottom
Hi, I am currently considering an upgrade to my build. I would like to upgrade some core components. My PC's most intense usage is that of gaming.
I have a quad core CPU @2.8GHz, and so I've no wish to upgrade that (I assume this isn't bottle necking me, or anywhere near it - I can OC it if necessary, it idles around 30 degrees). I would like to upgrade my GPU. It is a PALIT GTX 460 768mb. It is a good card, and I would SLI if that were possible (just so I could it to use) but my mono does not officially support SLI
I could potentially sell it for maybe 60 euro or something. Should I just get a new card altogether? Or a mobo that supports SLI, so that I can just buy another 460?
Also, my PC actually makes quite a bit of fan noise. Is this due to the case, some fan, or some combination of the aforementioned? Is there anything I can do to fix this?
Here is my current build:
4GB-Kit GEIL Value PC3-10600 DDR3-1333 CL9
AMD Phenom II X4 925 Box, Sockel AM3
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus, alle Sockel
MSI 770-G45, AM3
NZXT Gamma Tower pure black, ohne Netzteil
Palit GTX460 768MB, PCI-Express
Super-Flower Amazon 80Plus 650W
Xilence Power Gehäuselüfter 12cm
Also, is it worth getting maybe 6GB of RAM? TBH, I'm finding my 4 is only really tasked when I'm lazily/unnecessarily multitasking (not bothering to close games while doing something else).
Any suggestions? My budget, I suppose, is around €300.
TL;DR
300 budget, want more FPS in games, quieter computer. More RAM?
Thanks!!!
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Well my GPU is auto-set. It idles at 40% (minimum it can go), and kicks up to 60ish% when playing a game. It's a very cool card that idles at 33ish degrees., and peaks at just under 70, which AFAIK, is good.
Might it be my CPU's fan (as you can see, it's not a stock fan in using).
But really, although I can clearly tell when my GPU kickstarts under load, the noise of my PC is noticeable immediately upon booting. It's by no means deafening, but it would certainly be nice to have a quiet computer.
Thanks 0 -
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You may find that if the machine is a few years old it needs a good clean out and some of the fans replaced. I'd certainly look at getting a decent cooler for your CPU and pushing it a bit if you're not going to upgrade.
Shove in a good AMD graphics card and check the reviews and unboxings for the quietest ones. Look at the 7850 imo for what you're doing.
If its still to noisy you're either very sensitive or you have a chassis fan problem you'll need to investigate.
Of course you could just spend your €300 on some Bose noise canceling headphones
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First off I'd say, that you need to decide priorities. Generally you choose performance or quietness, unless you go high budget and both. That isnt to say you cant go middle of the road, but just you need to make up your own mind if you want to shave a few dB or get another 10FPS in BF3.
BTW, what res is your monitor?
Regarding noise, lets try track down the source:
First load up prime95 and run it, In PlaceFFTs, 4 Workers(4Cores), ten mins, try and get a good idea what that sounds like in your head(unless you have a dB meter handy).
Second run a Furmark burn in for 10 mins, see how loud that gets.
Switch between the two if you need to, then report back to us on which you think is worse.
Oh, and just in case you havent realised, the fans go 100% on boot for like 2 seconds, so thats meant to be noisy as f@ck.
Next, the more efficiently you move air through the case, the slower the fans can run, thus less noise. Monotype linked a great guide recently, have a search for that. If you can take a photo(good light pls) of the case, side off, and use paint to mark in the fans, size and direction(its marked on the rim) that might allow the pros here to point you.
RE Performance:
What are you playing. You've a better spec than my machine(by a good bit), and I get away with a fair amount of the current games market. That said, I havent tried BF3 or Crysis2 on her
How well maintained is your system, XP or Win7? How old is the install? How much ram do you use idle from boot? If you disable filtering you should be able to do well on most things I'd wager. Its x16 AA that'll kill your rates big time.0 -
I don't think I'm being sensitive. So the case is likely not the problem? Would you recommend getting a new card altogether?GCDLawstudent wrote: »You may find that if the machine is a few years old it needs a good clean out and some of the fans replaced. I'd certainly look at getting a decent cooler for your CPU and pushing it a bit if you're not going to upgrade.
Shove in a good AMD graphics card and check the reviews and unboxings for the quietest ones. Look at the 7850 imo for what you're doing.
If its still to noisy you're either very sensitive or you have a chassis fan problem you'll need to investigate.
Of course you could just spend your €300 on some Bose noise canceling headphones
Is it worth OCing my CPU? Will it give me some extra FPS? Or will a good GPU still be the bottleneck?
The chassis fan I'm using is one I bought seperate from the case for something like €2.50.
Thanks, I know it's awkward sorting out a subjective problem like sound ^^.0 -
It could be any moving part best thing is to open the case and stick you ears to it
I don't know much about AMD CPUs - I used to always use them but Intel has really over taken them. If its a quad core it should be okay in the short term. If you're not going to upgrade it then OCing it is the only option really.0 -
Windows 7, on an M4 Crucial SSD 128GB. about 1 - 1.2 GB on boot (fairly clean I think). I Have a 22inch Samsung 1920 x 1080 (I play all games at this resolution).
I'm not getting bad FPS in games, I generally max them, leaving out AA ofc. But I'd like to have a smoother Crysis experience (both one and two), and I expect Rome: Total War 2 will be resource intensive. I'd like to have 60 FPS nearly all the time in Skyrim too it's pretty ok, I mac it and probably average 45ish, but the texture pack dug more into that.
I'll see what I can do about running benchmarks, I don't have access to my PC right now
The install of Windows is coming up to a year old now, so relatively fresh.
I've heard my friend's computer (i7 and GTX 260 - worse card but way better CPU) and it's much quieter).
Is it more likely to be my GPU than my CPU fan?0 -
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Those were y general initial opinions. I would like to have the fan/noise issue sorted though.A better cooler than the one already have? Would that cost much?
Just so I can be clear, why would you recommend heavily OCing my CPU? Surely it's not even close to bottle necking me?
Thoughts on RAM btw?
Actually I would not bother buying a new cooler, just oc that cpu as best you can, you should get maybe 3.6ghz or something and spend your €300 all on the gpu.
AMD cpu and gaming generall not the best, so I would push the mhz as far as possible. AMD cpu for sli is a big no no, terrible in multi gpu.
I would spend all my cash on a new gpu, you don't really need more ram.
If you shop around you might get a nice HD7950 for about the €300. That would be pretty sweet if gaming is your main thing.
I will get some cable ties, I think. There are so many thick, unused power cables coming from the PSU
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Do you really think a game will take advantage of the 3 and a half GHz if I OC it? I'll definitely do it if so.0 -
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