re: PC Discussion - Gaming, Performance and Enthusiasts

In other news, I bought a cheap digital sound level meter. My PC is 17db (31db ambient and 48db with the computer on).

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Any opinions on the mobo? Is it worth extra to get something like an Asus Z97-PRO. Microcenter does have this board as on open box for $174, which seems a hefty discount.

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For starters, the Z97-Pro and Extreme6 are nearly identical in specs. The Extreme6 in fact has a few insignificant extras over the ASUS. The $174 price is only like $10 cheaper than new, unless you're referring to the version that comes with a Wifi adapter.

Unless it's the Wifi version, I see nothing compelling that justifies spending the extra $30 on the ASUS.

In fact, what's your reasoning for even going with the Extreme6? The only key differences between it and the Extreme4 are the second LAN chipset and an eSATA port that nobody uses. The extreme 6 also has an ultra M.2 gen3 slot, but you can't use that and SLI at the same time. So unless the local Microcenter is running a deal on the Extreme6 that matches the Extreme4 price, probably no point in throwing $20 into stuff you won't use.

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Currently I cant get a wired connection to the room. If I needed to buy a wireless card, would it make more sense to up the motherboard

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Do you mean up the motherboard to a model that comes with a WiFi adapter? That's rarely a sensible solution, because that's a feature motherboard makers generally reserve for their higher-end models, boards starting at the $200 range. So you'll end up paying for not only the wifi card, but extra features that you may or may not have any use for. For example, there's a Wifi version of the Extreme6, but it's $198. So you're paying a premium for the Wifi, on top of the extra you're paying for a board with stuff you may never use. Instead, it may make more sense to grab the Extreme4 for $124, plus a $30 PCIe x1 or USB wifi adapter.

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Not sure if I want to try something like H100 instead of the evo for cpu cooling. Should I grab some additional fans for the r4?

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I think the stock fan setup of the R4 is pretty good. I don't think adding or replacing fans would be of any practical benefit in terms of overclocking ability. An H100 would certainly improve temps. The Haswells run hot, and from what I've gathered, the improved TIM in the Devil's Canyon revisions only improve it by a few degrees when you get into higher OCs involving voltage changes.

Regarding the power supply, there's a pretty good deal going on a 750W Seasonic 80+ Gold semi-modular PSU at Newegg. $65 after a promo code and rebate: LINK

Don't worry about the lower wattage. 750W is still overkill even for SLI. A couple of 970s won't draw more than 350W or so. I recently upgraded to 2 980s, and now I feel silly with my 1250W seasonic. It was necessary when I got it, but now it could be running 4 of those cards, overclocked, and still have breathing room.

Regarding the SSD, you might as well get the 256GB MX100 for the same price. It's essentially the replacement for the M500 and outperforms it. (Unless of course microcenter is running some steal of a deal on the M500).

Regarding the RAM, there are some faster kits available for cheaper:
LINK (this one is the fastest of the three -- 1866mhz CL8 and still only 1.5v. The other two are 2133 CL10 1.6/1.65v)
LINK
LINK

Hi

I took some better pics of my PC yesterday. Found my tripod. I need to read some photography books and/or get a better camera.

We need to have a PC reunite BF3 party

Master race is old and has kids

My gaming hours are generally 9:00pm to midnight, unless something good is on TV at 9, like South Park nights.

I was looking at ugly cases today, and came across this photo gallery from an OEM site:

LINK

High school senior portraits, anyone?

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Tomshardware has the 970 and 290x on the same tier. Is the extra power draw/heat worth considering for the slight savings with AMD?

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As a long-time user of AMD cards, I would still have to say no, especially if you're not going to do any kind of serious overclocking. What have I become?

The 970/980 are hard to beat, but require not-yet-perfected modded bios to be overclocked the way you can with Tahiti (and Hawaii to some degree). However, heat is a huge barrier in the R9-290/x cards.

I'm in favor of abandoning Hawaii GPUs unless they're dirt cheap. They're hot, power-hungry, and still have driver-related quirks after a year on the market. They never achieved the perfection of their predecessor (Tahiti).

BUT, AMD is next up to bat against NVIDIA, and I have high expectations.