Building a gaming PC

[LeJimmie]

Hi everyone,

I'm not too well versed in this sort of thing and need answers to some questions.

Does this game support an NVIDIA SLI GPU setup? Or is that something automatically supported by games these days?

Would I need two of the same GPUs for maximum performance? (I have a Gigabyte GTX Geforce 770 4GB OC edition)

If not then what other cards would be well supported for SLI setups?

Thanks,

 

[BlackWolf500.298]

Nvidia SLI is by definition the combination of 2 or more Graphics Cards of the same type (like for example 2x GTX770) in the system, connected through and SLI bridge. The performance boosts are big, since the cards can work with double the capacity and each individual card is not driven to it's total performance limit. However as of now SLI cards can NOT use unified memory (as far as I know), meaning even if you have 2x 4GB of Vram since each card has 4GB you will not be able to use 8GB but only 4GB as far as I can tell.

I do THINK that TW3 has SLI support I am not sure though. If it does NOT have SLI support it will definitely get SLI support some time after release I think.

---------- Updated at 02:47 PM ----------

MSI Afterburner is the successor to Alexei Nicolaychuk's well-known Rivatuner. Despite its name, it is not proprietary to MSI, nor does it preferentially support MSI cards.

ASUS GPU Tweak is also not specific to ASUS cards. Between the two, choose the one that meets your needs better.

For AMD cards, consider RadeonPro as an alternative.

BUT still, as far as I know the companies are somehow connected to it. I always though that the actual support therefore might be better if you have the card which fits to the tool, even if the differences are minor. OF course I agree, you can use the programs for hardware of other companies as well.

____________________

So guys, I got a question on my own. Have been struggling with Internet lately, especially my old 54 Mbit/s Wlan setup and I have been wondering if you can advise me.

I tried Powerline but that is working very inefficiently, plus it somehow managed to cause a disturbance in out internet line so the company had to reset it so we were able to get internet again. Anyway....

Here is the situation:

Our internet line is on the 3rd level (living room).
My office is on the 2nd level (2 rooms next to the living room but one floor lower, 1 ceiling and 2 walls being in between)
I need strong internet for Youtube uploads and game downloads as well as streaming and multiplayer.
Also I might need Wlan for a PC that is planned for my second (larger) office/room which is another 2 rooms further away.

I was thinking about a 20m LAN-cable (yes, not the ideal choice, but there is no better one) connected to a Wlan Repeater. Meaning Lan cable from our main router to the repeater which can then send out a Wlan signal in the area that the 2 intended rooms are in.

Is this possible? I mean is it possible to have a WLan Repeater be connected by Lan and then send out a Wlan signal to have a strong connection? Also, does the length of the LAN cable influence the strenght of the signal? Do I need a LAN cable with UTP shielding?

Also, and that is very important. My main PC for which this whole setup is actually planned is with it's back to the wall below a desk. The Repeater, if going as planned, is however only 1 door and 5m away from the PC. What makes more sense: A Wlan card or a Wlan USB Stick?

Would really appreicate help from people who know a little bit something about that. I have..... temporary solutions atm, but I hope to change those for the better.

I just want a connection that is better than 54 Mbit/s. I know LAN is up to 1000 Mbit/s but I do not know if the length of the cable does not reduce that and also I can not make a whole in my office door or wall so Wlan would definitely have to be the option here. I think the idea with the Repeater and the 20m LAN cable is the best solution (especially since Powerline does not work and also I read it has some uncleared effects on health, so.... rather not do that even if it WOULD work....)

Thanks in advance for any advice

 

[Lieste]

I've had no trouble with wired LAN even with long-ish (20m) cables. You do use the shortest you can, but a few extra metres to go where it is needed is nothing.

I'd probably be tempted to drill and run shorter cabling to fixed wall sockets in each room that needs access, and then dispense with WLAN altogether, but then I don't use mobile computing at all - so WLAN is a totally unnecessary thing for me (I do have WLAN as part of my router, but I didn't pay extra to have it).
There is certainly no harm in having a WLAN router as one node of a LAN, but it will always be a compromise compared to a cabled solution where this makes as much sense.

I've always used *not the cheapest* CAT5 cables, but I don't know if that is the best solution for longer cable runs.

 

[BlackWolf500.298]

I've had no trouble with wired LAN even with long-ish (20m) cables. You do use the shortest you can, but a few extra metres to go where it is needed is nothing.

I'd probably be tempted to drill and run shorter cabling to fixed wall sockets in each room that needs access, and then dispense with WLAN altogether, but then I don't use mobile computing at all - so WLAN is a totally unnecessary thing for me (I do have WLAN as part of my router, but I didn't pay extra to have it).
There is certainly no harm in having a WLAN router as one node of a LAN, but it will always be a compromise compared to a cabled solution where this makes as much sense.

I've always used *not the cheapest* CAT5 cables, but I don't know if that is the best solution for longer cable runs.

Thanks for the answer, think I got a solution now.

Ordered 2 Cat6 cables (1x30m normal (shielded) and 1x20m flat (not shielded unfortunately) with 1000 Mbit/s) as a temporary solution.
Will connect my office PC with the 30m cable (20m are not enough) and leave the door open when needing internet for now.
In a few days I'll order a Router (from D-Link) I spotted on Amazon. I will connect the 30m LAN cable with the router, then connect the 20m Flat cable (which fits through my door) with that router and have a LAN connection that way. To extend WLan for the use on my second PC (planned bigger office/room/dont-know-how-to-call-it) and the Xbox in the other room I will use that router as well. So basically I will get Internet from the main router to this new D-Link router and spread it from there via LAN (PC Nr.1) and WLan (PC Nr. 2 which is further away and Xbox).

I already checked if it has enough LAN ports and it does. And as a router it has WLan. Do you think that works? Basically using it as an Extender/Access Point to get Internet to the lower floor (to 3 separate devices, 1 via LAN, the other 2 via WLAN).

I hope that works. I'll order the router withing the next days, as soon as I get confirmation if it can simultaneously provide Wlan and LAN and if I can connect it to my main router.

Whenever you change something you got a lot of trial&error on your hands -.-


______


The only problem I have and why I definitely need internet on THIS PC and not on my old one (because I could just upload videos with my old one) is that Shadowplay only runs if you have internet connection and I doubt I can get a stable frame rate while recording with FRAPS when having the game on Ultra, my PC is just not powerful enough for that (GTX970, i5 4690k 3,5Ghz, 8GB DDR3 RAM, Cool overall system(~ 30°C idle on all things))

 

[BlackWolf500.298]

- how can I delete accidental posts again?

 

[goopit]

So I'm thinking about getting new speakers

I have these shits http://www.euroo.net/ems-2100 they do well enough but I want my first experience of W3 to be special so yeah..

Should I buy the really expensive one that was recommended by that top10 video that I saw here http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/speaker-system-z623 or the moderately priced one http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/speakers-z130

I don't really know how to tell if they're good or not either

all I know is I want a subwoofer (which isn't normally included in speakers?)

 

[KingHochmeister]

I do THINK that TW3 has SLI support I am not sure though. If it does NOT have SLI support it will definitely get SLI support some time after release I think.

By the grace of the gods, it will have SLI support at release <3

http://www.geforce.com/whats-new/articles/the-witcher-3-wild-hunt-is-your-system-ready

"To support and drive all of these features at peak performance on our vast range of graphics cards, we’ll be releasing a Game Ready GeForce GTX The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt driver shortly before the eagerly-anticipated title goes live next Tuesday. Optimizing performance, the Game Ready drivers ensure the best possible experience, and come loaded with a SLI profile for peerless performance in multi-GPU systems."

 

[ImPeakingIt]

Power Supplies

Well my credit has just come through ($200aud) for my old power supply i sent away for RMA.

So i'm after a new power supply. For around $200 aud. It needs to have enough power to run possible overclocked sli 980s in the future aswell as an overclocked i7. I'd like it to have a zero fan mode awell. Modular. And no ugly cables.

this is the store i can only spend my credit. https://pccasegear.com/

Recommendations?

 

[volsung]

So I'm thinking about getting new speakers

I have these shits http://www.euroo.net/ems-2100 they do well enough but I want my first experience of W3 to be special so yeah..

Should I buy the really expensive one that was recommended by that top10 video that I saw here http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/speaker-system-z623 or the moderately priced one http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/speakers-z130

I don't really know how to tell if they're good or not either

all I know is I want a subwoofer (which isn't normally included in speakers?)

I can't offer much technical info about speakers myself but I've had a set of Logitech x-540 for years and they've served me well. If you have a decent sound card you will be surprised by the improvement in sound quality and if you can play loudly (eg. do not live in an apartment) you will also enjoy surround sound. For me it makes a huge difference, and most games nowadays support it.

If you are able get a good set of 5.1 speakers. Otherwise, those 2.1 Logitech you linked are probably OK. If you are truly interested in sound, also look for dedicated, shielded sound cards. From what I understand certain headphones give you amazing clarity but I really like the 5.1 audio experience.

TW2 for instance had excellent sound design, impressive with a 5.1 set. Graphics aren't the only feature that helps you get inside the game.

 

[GuyNwah]

Well my credit has just come through ($200aud) for my old power supply i sent away for RMA.

So i'm after a new power supply. For around $200 aud. It needs to have enough power to run possible overclocked sli 980s in the future aswell as an overclocked i7. I'd like it to have a zero fan mode awell. Modular. And no ugly cables.

this is the store i can only spend my credit. https://pccasegear.com/

Recommendations?

EVGA SuperNOVA 850W G2 Gold (full modular)
Antec HCG-850M (semi-modular)
CoolerMaster V850 80 Plus Gold (full modular, $20 over your budget)
Seasonic M12II 850W EVO (full modular)

The EVGA (made by SuperFlower) and CoolerMaster (a newer Seasonic model than the others) are the standouts. The others are older Seasonic models. The EVGA is the best bargain at $185.

 

[ImPeakingIt]

EVGA SuperNOVA 850W G2 Gold (full modular)
Antec HCG-850M (semi-modular)
CoolerMaster V850 80 Plus Gold (full modular, $20 over your budget)
Seasonic M12II 850W EVO (full modular)

The EVGA (made by SuperFlower) and CoolerMaster (a newer Seasonic model than the others) are the standouts. The others are older Seasonic models. The EVGA is the best bargain at $185.

Cheers. Yeah the EVGA is the one i was leaning towards. Seems like an unreal package at a great price. Also that 10yr warranty is crazy!

 

[GuyNwah]

jonnyguru: "EVGA's still going with that "Supernova" moniker, it seems. Yes, folks, you too can have a large exploding star inside your computer." It's a SuperFlower Leadex with an EVGA nameplate and warranty support. That's all good.

 

[Garrison72]

My CPU idle temp seems high, hovering around 45 degrees Celsius. I'm allowing the software to mange the fans, and I checked the dust filter which was clean. If anyone has input on this it'd be appreciated. I might call the shop tomorrow to see what they say. It was at around 34 when I fist got the rig. It's an MSI X99S.

 

[eskiMoe]

My CPU idle temp seems high, hovering around 45 degrees Celsius. I'm allowing the software to mange the fans, and I checked the dust filter which was clean. If anyone has input on this it'd be appreciated. I might call the shop tomorrow to see what they say. It was at around 34 when I fist got the rig. It's an MSI X99S.

CPU? CPU cooler?

 

[Garrison72]

CPU? CPU cooler?

CPU. It's an MSI X99S gaming 7 motherboard, and both the command center software and the digital readout inside the case say 46. When I run TW2 on ultra it's between 70-85. The weird thing is how in the last two days it just bumped up to mid 40s for no apparent reason. Not running any background programs either. The CPU is an intel core i7

 

[eskiMoe]

CPU. It's an MSI X99S gaming 7 motherboard, and both the command center software and the digital readout inside the case say 46. When I run TW2 on ultra it's between 70-85. The weird thing is how in the last two days it just bumped up to mid 40s for no apparent reason. Not running any background programs either. The CPU is an intel core i7

Those temps do seem high. And if it's only been happening in the last two days I recommend you contact the shop asap. And it would probably be a good idea to not stress your CPU in the meantime.

 

[Engagerade]

I agree with eskiMoe, those temps are far to high :/

 

[Garrison72]

Well shit. This is crap timing. I should mention I'm not using a monitor but a 32" HD TV. I wonder if that kind of display taxes the system extra somehow. I'll talk to tech support this week.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

My Haswell average idle temperatures are around +31.0°C. 46° does seem high especially for idle. May be your fan doesn't rotate fast enough (some silent profiles can boost silence at the cost of cooling). Or may be general ventilation inside the case isn't very efficient? Is your PSU air cycle separated from the rest of the case? In better cases they usually are, but a lot of cases don't separate them.

 

[Garrison72]

My Haswell average idle temperatures are around +31.0°C. 46° does seem high especially for idle. May be your fan doesn't rotate fast enough (some silent profiles can boost silence at the cost of cooling). Or may be general ventilation inside the case isn't very efficient? Is your PSU air cycle separated from the rest of the case? In better cases they usually are, but a lot of cases don't separate them.

Yes, it's separate. Everything is kind of cordoned off in a way, including all the cables, etc, so that there's a lot of empty space where the motherboard and GPU are. Which I think would be good for airflow. I've got the fans running full speed and it's down to the high 30s. Also, I was confusing my GPU with my CPU when I said it gets up to the 80s when I play TW2. I'm going to run the game and give it a quick test, see what the CPU temp actually is.