Upgrades for Dangman!!

Looks good! Don't forget to register the XFX card on their website to get the lifetime warranty.
 
I love the phantom a buddy of mine has the white & red version. They are sexy I want one myself but I cant justify 130 bucks when my case does what I need :(
 
Danny Bui said:
1) NZXT Phantom

2) Fractal Design R3
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Those two cases are great choices. I'm a fan of the the almost Stormtrooper-esque looks of the Phantom in white, but I also love the R3's simplicity. It will be nice to have another competitor if we can get Fractal Design in the US. They remind me a lot of Lian-Li. I haven't had the best experiences in the past with Lian-Li due to their non-existent support so I've stayed away from them since despite liking the simple/clean look of their cases.
 
Heh, time for a 32"+ monitor. :p

Oh, I've got an FT02 for sale, if you're interested. :D
 
Well that sucks:

My plans for a ESXI server are now on hold: I was planning on reusing my old gaming setup but now it might be fucked: It makes a loud continuous beeping noise when it boots which means a DRAM issue according to the motherboard manual. I've tried a known working RAM stick in each of the four RAM slots of that motherboard. Still the same loud continuous beeping noise each time. I've also reset CMOS. Same loud continuous beeping noise. Also tried my old RAM in another PC and they worked and Memtested for 8 hours each just fine. So definitely the RAM is not the issue.

Which leads me to believe that the actual DIMM slots might be the issue. No warranty left or existent even since I bought the mobo used. Damn. Hmmm, I cannot tell if the issue developed while it sat in a box for the last two months or if it was gonna eventually develop if I stuck with it for another few months.

So for the time being, my ESXi server plans are now on hold. :( Fuck. Wanted to try out ESXi and then run an Amahi Home Server, unRAID, and a ZFS file server VM this week.

But on the bright side, still enjoying my main PC upgrades and finally happy that I can do this now without little to no slow downs :):
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Yup two Eve Online clients at the same time on their own monitors and a 3rd monitor for monitoring :).
 
Per your old gaming rig that you want to turn into ESXi having problem

1. Is it completely no boot ? meaning zero video with error beeps?
2. Try lifting the entire board out on its own to reduce potential of short circuits? You said clear CMOS, I suppose that implies jumper only.
 
lightp2 said:
1. Is it completely no boot ? meaning zero video with error beeps?
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It boots and POSTS (meaning I have video and can entire the BIOs just fine) but has that loud continuous beep during the entire time the PC is on. Messing with the RAM settings in the BIOS have not yielded a successful reduction of that beep.
lightp2 said:
2. Try lifting the entire board out on its own to reduce potential of short circuits? You said clear CMOS, I suppose that implies jumper only.
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When I cleared CMOS, I physically removed the battery for one minute as per the motherboard instructions. Dunno if getting the mobo out of the case will do anything but worth a try since I've seen weirder shit happen. Will get on that later today.
 
Finally a new upgrade!

Considering that there's a 45minute drive on a good day, Southern California traffic, my less than fuel-efficent car, the cost of gas, and sales tax, I have had little desire to go to Microcenter in the past despite their CPU mobo deals. Simply wasn't worth the effort, gas, or time. However, a week and a half ago, since I was in the area for a job interview, I finally decided to swing by Microcenter for a bit of retail therapy and a much needed upgrade:
IMG_2680.jpg


Just in case some of you can't read it, I bought the Phenom II X4 B93 for $44 out the door. I've tried numerous settings and configs but I just could not get that unlocked 4th core on my Phenom II X3 stable in games.

However, I've been quite busy lately so I didn't get a chance to install that CPU until earlier tonight. I had the CPU installed for less than 30 minutes before I decided to do a light OC on it. Remember that I'm coming from a Phenom II X3 720 OC'd to 3.5Ghz to 3.6Ghz:
PhenomIIX4B93OC1.png


Not too bad. But I like to thoroughly test/use the system while it's OC'd before I go the next level. So I'll be sticking to ~3.3Ghz for the time being. The above was just a quick and dirty test. I'll be leaving the OCCT test running overnight just to make sure this OC is stable. With that said, I played FNV for a little while with this OC so it's not totally unstable.

Before you ask, yes I know that Microcenter came out with that $100 Core i5 2500K deal a few days after I bought the above AMD CPU. Yes I was a little miffed when I found out about that deal. With that said and to head off the inevitable "Why didn't I upgrade to Intel while I was at MC anyway?", I needed to save my money anyway for something I've been wanting a long time:
704440_10100184038322672_1326077361_o.jpg


My first DSLR! And it's a thing of beauty. Unfortunately it did wipe out most of my "fun time" money so no new games, further hardware upgrades, hookers and blow will be coming for me this year. Gotta save some money for more camera lens and a trip to Taiwan.

With that said, still excited as hell that I now have a DSLR and another CPU core for another VM.
 
Congrats! I know that camera equipment has kept me from doing any major hardware updates.

Right now I'm torn between going and shooting or finishing my build (including a stop at MC).
 
Ahhh, just the thread;

Danny, I have been thinking for some time that I wanted to recognize your contribution and this seems like an appropriate place.

What you do here is simply outstanding and is one of the real highlights of this site and community. Folks don't know how good they have it.

Glad you have some nice toys, you deserve them!
 
Skillz said:
Do you still have that x3?
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Yup. Not sure what I'm going to do with it though.
tiraides said:
What does your camera lens wish list look like?
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Still doing research on that but I know for sure that Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 is on that list since it's relatively cheap and seems like a good starting point. Also I can see why people say the included kit lens is "bad" now.

@ PinataUT and jojo69
Thank you!

As a side note, the combination of redoing the thermal paste, grabbing a lower power CPU (apparently the B93 is more energy efficient than the 720), only overclocking the CPU to 3.3Ghz rather than 3.6Ghz, and replacing the stock fan has dropped my idle CPU temps by about 7C to 8C. So not too bad.
 
Danny Bui said:
tiraides said:
What does your camera lens wish list look like?
Click to expand...

Still doing research on that but I know for sure that Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 is on that list since it's relatively cheap and seems like a good starting point. Also I can see why people say the included kit lens is "bad" now.
Click to expand...

The 50mm f/1.8 should be a first for all DSLR users due to its cheap price and low aperture (which, for non-camerabugs, allows more light to enter the lens).

But a lot of the "good" lenses with an f/2.8 or lower aperture aren't cheap... you may be better off going with the flash as your second purchase.
 
Danny Bui said:
Yup. Not sure what I'm going to do with it though.
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Well; here's the deal. I've got an x6 I'm running in my HTPC and well, it's a little overkill for that since I don't need that kind of processing power in an HTPC. Even though I am currently folding on it, so it's getting used. Along with the 570 GTX I have installed in it take advantage of the huge QRB from F@H.

I also have a spare AM3 motherboard that I don't have a CPU for, which I would ideally like to toss a cheap CPU in it so I can pull that 570 out of the HTPC and move it to the garage where it wont heat up my room + create a lot of noise. Mostly just the noise I am concerned with; but the heat can become an issue at times if I leave the door closed for too long. The garage in the Winter would be perfect however.

So finding someone with two AM3 CPUs to trade for my 1090T X6 has been something I'm seriously thinking about. ;)


Danny Bui said:
Still doing research on that but I know for sure that Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 is on that list since it's relatively cheap and seems like a good starting point. Also I can see why people say the included kit lens is "bad" now.
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It's a descent lens, but it's not very durable. Mine broke recently after owning it for about 5 years. Plastic came apart since the entire thing is made mostly of plastic instead of metal. Also the auto focus was ridiculously loud. People would ask me all the time about the noise it's making. Though for indoor, low light shots, it was the best lens I've ever had. I'm shooting with the T2i though.

One lens I don't own, but I've had the pleasure of borrowing a few times is Canon's 10mm - 22mm wide angle lens. I took some awesome shoots with that lens. One day I will actually have the money to afford to buy one.
 
tiraides said:
The 50mm f/1.8 should be a first for all DSLR users due to its cheap price and low aperture (which, for non-camerabugs, allows more light to enter the lens).

But a lot of the "good" lenses with an f/2.8 or lower aperture aren't cheap... you may be better off going with the flash as your second purchase.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tip. I was actually thinking of the Canon 40mm f2.8 STM as my second purchase but I can see the reasoning for the flash.
Skillz said:
Well; here's the deal
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PM sent

Skillz said:
It's a descent lens, but it's not very durable. Mine broke recently after owning it for about 5 years. Plastic came apart since the entire thing is made mostly of plastic instead of metal. Also the auto focus was ridiculously loud. People would ask me all the time about the noise it's making. Though for indoor, low light shots, it was the best lens I've ever had. I'm shooting with the T2i though.
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$100 to $110 for a lens that lasts 5 years seems like a good deal to me.
Skillz said:
One lens I don't own, but I've had the pleasure of borrowing a few times is Canon's 10mm - 22mm wide angle lens. I took some awesome shoots with that lens. One day I will actually have the money to afford to buy one.
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Damn, looks nice too.
 
It's almost three years since I last did a new platform upgrade. Time to change that:

 
:D

I'm getting a good deal on the CPU if my luck holds out. :)
 
Best deal = Free. Unless its the gift that keeps on giving, then its usually not the best.
 
All right so far the tally is:

$138 - Intel Core i7 4770K
$136 - Asus Z87-A
$140 - Samsung Evo 250GB SSD
$108 - Seagate 3TB Hard Drive
-----
Total: $522 shipped

Why yes, I did get the Core i7 4770K for $138 shipped thanks to Intel Retail Edge :D. Finding out that I qualified for Intel Retail Edge was the real major catalyst for my current upgrade spree. :). This is going to be a great Christmas present for me.

Now I just need to find a HD 7950 3GB for a good price and see if I can get that case hookup from a friend and I'm set :).

Some of you may be wondering my logic for some of those parts are. I would say that my logic is totally based on cold hard solid facts and data but some of it isn't.

Asus Z87-A Motherboard:
My last two motherboards have been Gigabytes. While solid motherboards, I was getting a bit tired of Gigabyte's habit of not updating their older motherboards to work with newer CPUs. Granted, that's still the case with this Asus mobo and Intel's tick-tock strategy but at least I know ahead of time that I'm looking at another CPU, mobo, and RAM in the future. Also, dealing with quite a few Gigabyte LGA 1150 mobos at work have kinda turned me off on those particular Gigabyte mobos due to their quirky behavior and no so solid UEFI interface compared to MSI, AsRock, or Asus. Since I've been recommending this Asus for quite some time now due to the HardOCP review of it, I figure I should put my money where my mouth is this time.

Samsung SSD and Seagate:
Both were were Black Friday deals. I've been meaning to get a SSD for quite some time now but I was waiting for funds to show up and for the right deal. $140 for 250 GB is about as good as it's gonna get for the foreseeable future. As for the Seagate 3GB, I'm starting to run out of space on my three main storage drives. Those total up to 4TB. So adding this 3TB for a total of 6TB (I'm moving one of the 1TB drives over to my server) should keep me safe for now.

HD 7950 3GB or higher:
Every time I do a video card upgrade, I'm also doubling the VRAM:
9800 Pro 128MB
7900GS 256MB
8800GT 512MB
HD 6850 1GB

In each and every one of those upgrades, I start ed to run out of VRAM within a year due to newer games and Windows 3D interface. So to avoid that this time, I'm going to get triple the VRAM. That should keep me set for another three years of use and open for Eyefinity later on. The HD 7950 3GB just happens to be the cheapest (when it was available) video card with 3GB of VRAM or more that can actually provide enough power for that VRAM to be used. Though I'm really wishing AMD would hurry the hell up and released the R9 280.
 
Thus far, really good stuff.

But finding a 7950 at a reasonable price is darn near impossible ATM.

I'd say grab a 280x or 770 4gb and be happy.

EDIT: I've seen a couple of 7970s on craigslist for 220-230 per.... might be worth a look. (obv that's buying 2, for 450ish.... good luck finding a single 7900 anything at this point)
 
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horrorshow said:
Thus far, really good stuff.

But finding a 7950 at a reasonable price is darn near impossible ATM.

I'd say grab a 280x or 770 4gb and be happy.
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For some reason, that extra $50 for the 280X is just too high of a threshold for me. $250 is the max I'm willing to spend......well for now anyway.

The GTX 770 4GB is just too expensive for it is. Not buying used this time around.
 
Dangman said:
For some reason, that extra $50 for the 280X is just too high of a threshold for me. $250 is the max I'm willing to spend......well for now anyway.

The GTX 770 4GB is just too expensive for it is. Not buying used this time around.
Click to expand...

Then, you're in a tough spot my friend.
 
Dangman said:
All right so far the tally is:

$138 - Intel Core i7 4770K
$136 - Asus Z87-A
$140 - Samsung Evo 250GB SSD
$108 - Seagate 3TB Hard Drive
-----
Total: $522 shipped

Why yes, I did get the Core i7 4770K for $138 shipped thanks to Intel Retail Edge :D. Finding out that I qualified for Intel Retail Edge was the real major catalyst for my current upgrade spree. :). This is going to be a great Christmas present for me.

Now I just need to find a HD 7950 3GB for a good price and see if I can get that case hookup from a friend and I'm set :).
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:(

Now I have to get something new and shiny....
 
Dangman--would you be interested in this card? I have one sitting on a shelf and it needs a home!

http://products.xfxforce.com/en-us/Graphics_Cards/AMD_Radeon™_HD_7970/FX-797A-TNBC

Don't expect I'll use it again. Know you were wanting a 7950 but this could work for you. I could possibly make some dollars off it but am not interested in selling. Came back from RMA and never even bothered to try it out so don't feel right about selling it. Rather give it to someone who can use it and is willing to see if it works. PM me if you are interested in it. Trust that XFX sent me a working card on the RMA!
 
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Thanks for the offer.

I really need that 4770K now: My current CPU and/or motherboard can no longer hold its rather low overclock of 3.3GHz (up from 2.8Ghz). The system did feel a tad snappier with the extra 500Mhz.
 
Looks I can get started on my upgrade!:


Still looking for a new case though. My case hookup fell through (so no free case) and now I'm debating what case to get. So far, it's a three-way tie between the NZXT Phantom, Corsair 600T, and the NZXT Phantom 530.

As for the video card, I'm going to hold off on that until next year. Gonna see if there's going to be a R9 280 card. If not, it's probably going to be the R9 280X. Like I said, I want a card with 3GB of VRAM.:D

Finally the HSF: like with the RAM and PSU, I'm going to reuse my Coolermaster 212+. If it doesn't do a good job keeping the 4770K cool while OC'd, I'm picking up the Corsair H80i or the H90.
 
Which case stands out most to you?

R9 280? When are going to join the big leagues?

Get another fan for your Hyper 212 Plus, if not two better ones. I'm waiting on a couple of Gentle Typhoons to come in the mail and...

Whoops! :eek: Did I give away too much?
 
tiraides said:
Which case stands out most to you?
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Upon careful consideration (and remembering my experiences with the Phantom 530 earlier today), I'm dropping the 530 and now the two contenders are the Phantom and the 600T. Those two cases stand out to me in equal ways sadly.
tiraides said:
R9 280? When are going to join the big leagues?
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Considering that the most I've ever spent on a video card is $177 for the HD 6850, the R9 280 (assuming that it is $250) or the R9 280X (when it gets back to $300) are big leagues enough for me:D
tiraides said:
Get another fan for your Hyper 212 Plus, if not two better ones.
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Exactly what I'm planning on doing.

tiraides said:
I'm waiting on a couple of Gentle Typhoons to come in the mail and...

Whoops! :eek: Did I give away too much?
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:eek::confused:;):cool::D
 
Dangman said:
Still looking for a new case though. My case hookup fell through (so no free case) and now I'm debating what case to get. So far, it's a three-way tie between the NZXT Phantom, Corsair 600T, and the NZXT Phantom 530.
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Do give consideration to the Silverstone FT02 and FT03 cases.
 
All the edgy plastic around the Phantom turns me off - not as clean looking as the 600T, IMO. The FT02 is beautiful, though; wish I kept mine.

Dangman said:
Welcome back home man! :)
...
Looks like I'm definitely going to be over budget.....again. :eek:
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lol... I was like, who's this "Dangman" guy... sounds familiar... :p yup, that's how long it's been. Wish I had the time for this place like I used to. Glad to see familiar names are still around. ;)

Over-budget? that's a perpetual problem.
Dangman said:
Why yes, I did get the Core i7 4770K for $138 shipped thanks to Intel Retail Edge :D ...
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Heh, if I qualified for Edge, I'd be upgrading way too often (as if my 2yr cycle isn't often enough). And sadly, my buddy at Intel is leaving. :(
tiraides said:
Now I have to get something new and shiny....
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sup tiraides! yah, my upgrade itch is comin back, too. I havent been building as often as I used to (for myself nor for others).
 
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