stconquest

Here, something like this one. This one is in pounds, not dollars, but it would not cost much more in North America. http://www.thenexusforums.com/index.php?/topic/503530-computer-specs/page__st__10

Time for a new computer =/ ...or you can play around with your system to run on lower quality settings... maybe find some mods that lighten the load on your CPU. That processor is a big problem. I can help you shop parts if you want. A new gaming rig: i5 2500k 8 GB DDR3 1600 Mhz RAM (good RAM) Good motherboard (ASRock probably) ATI Radeon HD 6870 750w+ Power Supply Liquid CPU Cooling (maybe a good air cooler, saves $25 or so) Purposeful Case (good airflow/features) 500+ GB Hard Drive, 7200 RPM for around $850-$950.

What are your computer's specifications? CPU? How much RAM? Video Card? Operating System? Even Power Supply, motherboard, etc...

This is what I would build with a budget in mind: Motherboard - ASRock Extreme 3 Gen 3 - £110: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Z68-Extreme3-Motherboard-PCI-Express-ASRock/dp/B005FGQLQQ/ref=sr_1_9?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1324525399&sr=1-9 Processor - Intel i5 2500K - £170 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-Sandybridge-i5-2500K-Quad-Core-Processor/dp/B004FA8NX2/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1324524082&sr=1-1 Graphics Card - XFX Radeon HD 6870 - £135 http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-Radeon-HD-6870-DisplayPort/dp/B0047ZH7GE/ref=sr_1_3?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1324527593&sr=1-3 RAM - G-Skill Ripsaw 8GB 1600Mhz - £35 http://www.amazon.co.uk/G-Skill-Ripjaws-Sandybridge-Platforms-PC12800/dp/B004HZG4ZO/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1324527717&sr=1-1 Power Supply - Corsair 850w - £95 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CMPSU-850TXV2UK-Enthusiast-Performance-Supply/dp/B004O0P9XK/ref=pd_cp_ce_2 Hard Drive - WD Caviar Blue 1TB 32MB Cache - £110 (Hard Drives are expensive right now) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Western-Digital-Caviar-SATAIII-Internal/dp/B00461LT6S/ref=sr_1_5?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1324528343&sr=1-5 Case - Coolermaster HAF 922 - £85 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Coolermaster-HAF-922-Tower-Chassis/dp/B00290GKJO/ref=sr_1_3?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1324528746&sr=1-3 CPU Cooling - Corsair H60 - £50 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CWCH60-Water-Cooler/dp/B004MYFOE2/ref=pd_cp_computers_1 LOL, actually kept it under £800. Add £10-£20 in fans (1 for CPU cooler... 1 or 2 for case), and shipping. So, this is just to give you a general build. Save £60 by going AMD FX 6100 with the Sabretooth board. Both the AMD ASUS Sabretooth, and the Intel Asrock Exteme 3 Gen3 are 110 pounds. ...and goodluck with whatever route you choose... If you have questions just ask.

If you could list prices it would allow me to search and compare deals. The AMD FX Series (Bulldozer) is great, but for around 25% more you can grab the Intel "Sandybridge" i5 2500K. It is the best bang for your buck CPU right now. The sabretooth boards are really beefy, great boards. It will allow you to overclock easily and keep your parts controlled and cool. Not sure if you have access to ASRock boards, but they are the best bang for your buck boards right now. The ASRock boards are high quality, and are significantly cheaper than the ASUS lines. I would look into svaing money on the board, and grabbing the better CPU. So... Amazon.co.uk? Prices are better than I thought :dance: I would recommend these CPU's: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-Sandybridge-i5-2500K-Quad-Core-Processor/dp/B004FA8NX2/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1324524082&sr=1-1 or, a little more money: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-Sandybridge-i7-2600K-Quad-Core-Processor/dp/B004FA8NOQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1324524082&sr=1-2 Really consider the i7 2600 if you are absolutely sure you will not overclock. If you feel comfortable with overclocking, or can be motivated to learn, the i5 2500K will be everything you need. It will surpass (in performance) the stock i7 2600 easily. I run an AMD 1055t overclocked to 3.8Ghz. I like my chip, but would rather have an i5 2500K oc'd to around 4.5 Ghz. That is what you can do with the i5... 4-4.5 Ghz, or even higher. Motherboards: Seems prices scale a bit differently than in NA. I will list a few for each processor. ASRock (Intel) http://www.amazon.co.uk/Z68-Extreme3-Motherboard-PCI-Express-ASRock/dp/B005FGQLQQ/ref=sr_1_9?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1324525399&sr=1-9 http://www.amazon.co.uk/ASRock-Z68-Extreme4-Motherboard-Technology/dp/B005FE52X6/ref=sr_1_10?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1324525399&sr=1-10 Asus (Intel) http://www.amazon.co.uk/ASUS-SABERTOOTH-P67-REV-3-0/dp/B004O9YB3A/ref=sr_1_72?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1324525635&sr=1-72 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-P8P67-PRO-REV-3-1/dp/B004ZIFWBK/ref=sr_ob_71?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1324525699&sr=1-71 For an Intel build, any of these four boards will do wonderfully. Each one supports either Crossfire or SLI, and are designed to make overclocking easier/more stable. If you do decide to go with the AMD FX 6100 (which is okay, especially when trying to save a little money), the ASUS Sabretooth board you mentioned is good. I did not find anything better for that price. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-SABERTOOTH-990FX-ASUS-AM3/dp/B0053GR2HA/ref=sr_1_29?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1324526367&sr=1-29 You should overclock the 6100 though, get the most out of the thing. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CWCH60-Water-Cooler/dp/B004MYFOE2/ref=pd_cp_computers_1 Either CPU direction you take consider something like that CPU cooler. What you would do (with the H60) is buy a second fan for it... match the CFMs (around 65 cfms). You would have a fan on each side of the radiator both moving air through the fins in the SAME direction... out the back case exhaust. It will give you a good boost in cooling, on top of the already decent cooling of the H60, for the price of a fan.

Please explain the relevance of posting a $750+ video card when the OP suggested a 150 pound budget for their card. Wolf, you will love this card: http://www.amazon.co.uk/XFX-Radeon-HD-6870-DisplayPort/dp/B0047ZH7GE/ref=sr_1_4?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1324447511&sr=1-4 Here is another good deal: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-GeForce-DirectCU-Graphics-Express/dp/B005G50ERI/ref=sr_1_3?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1324447601&sr=1-3 This one is an older gen card (Directx11 1st gen), but it is a great card. It is like getting a 6970 for 145 pounds. Problem is that it is used: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/B003CIX4JG/ref=sr_1_86_olp?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1324447844&sr=1-86&condition=used Another 6870: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Radeon-6870-Twin-Frozr-R6870TWINFROZR/dp/B004O2QDY2/ref=sr_1_164?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1324448081&sr=1-164 Another 6870, not familiar with this brand though: http://www.amazon.co.uk/VTX3D-Radeon-Graphics-Express-Technology/dp/B005VR1TA2/ref=sr_1_284?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1324448287&sr=1-284 And just to humor our good friend Blackrain: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gigabyte-GeForce-3072MB-GDDR5-PCI-Express/dp/B004V4KON4/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1324448549&sr=1-1 882 pounds for the 590... enough to build an ENTIRE system. :thumbsup:

Where are you ordering your parts from? At 150 pounds, I am guessing an ATI 6870 from amazon.co.uk would be your range. Don't go lower. An ATI 6970, or nVidia 570, would be best... if you decide to splurge. Now specs... i5 sandybridge 2500K - 200 pounds 8 GB of 12800/1600Mhz RAM (good RAM) - 50 pounds Motherboard (solid construction, right features, well cooled) - 150-200 pounds... maybe cheaper if you find a deal. Decent Power Supply (750w+, good amperage) - 100 pounds Decent Case (Don't skimp out on a case) - 75+ pounds Hard Drive - 75 pounds CPU Cooling (Corsair H60)- 75 pounds I put together a complete system with a friend (who lives in the UK) on amazon a week ago. 820 pounds total... fitting the criteria I posted above. 200 pounds cheaper than Cyberpower, with equal quality parts or better. As far as an SSD, would have to look at them again. They are still expensive because they are still a "niche" market. You want around 500 MB/s read, and roughly the same write speeds. I can grab specific parts (all parts for a build) from amazon and link them here... if amazon is an option for you.

:thumbsup:

Okay, for starters... It depends what you have to do to get to 4.0Ghz. In my case (running a 1055t @ 3.8 ), if I go to 3.93 I lose my ability to come out of sleep mode. If I go to 4.0, I won't post(bios/windows) at all. To gain any higher than 3.8 on my "unique" chip... I would have to increase the voltage beyond recommended maximum. For 200mhz, I opted to run at a stable 3.8 and kept the voltage below the recommended max. Just food for thought =). PCI Slots: You have two PCI-E x1 slots (they are the short ones), one PCI-E x16 (this is where your card is), and a second PCI-E x4 (this is for the second card). If you have anything in the two PCI-E x1 slots, you will have to remove it... if you add a second video card in the PCI-E x4 slot. The only reason I mention the PCI-E slots is that there are two channels that can relay data from that area of your board: 1. The main PCI-E x16. The one you are using now. 2. The secondary graphics PCI-E x4. This one is attached to two other PCI-E's as well. The PCI-E x1 slots(two of them, the short ones). These short ones are used for certain sound cards, tv tuner, or other types of similar peripherals. If you add a second video card, these two slots will become unusable. I hope I don't sound too confusing, as I sound a bit confusing to even myself :D PCI-E x16 (main video) PCI-E x4 (secondary video) PCI-E x1 (peripheral) PCI-E x1 (peripheral) You have 4. ..oh, and cooling... I asked because of the non-existent heatsink in a certain area of the motherboard(VRM). Having enough cool air flowing over that are will be extra important for the life of you board. As you increase your overclock, and add video cards, you will be requesting more power. The VRM is responsible for transforming the power from your PSU so that your parts(CPU/RAM/Video) can use it. The more power flowing, the hotter it will potentially get.

I had this problem. Solution: Open console "~", then type: setstage MS12b 60 That will advance you the step necessary to begin a dialogue with the assisstant.

800w Corsair... at least 60 amps... probably 65(like their current standard). Just get the model, and search it. BTW...why are you trying to push for 4Ghz on the CPU? If you are stable at 3.9, you are just risking damage to your system for very little(actually closer to none :whistling: ) improvement. Looking at your Mobo... it seems Gigabyte skimped out on a heaksink for the VRM(voltage regulating module). How is your case cooled? How is your CPU cooled(just curious)? Note: Are you using the PCI x1 slots(there are 2 of them) for anything(sound card, etc...). As stated by gigabyte, the PCI x1 slots become unusable when you place a second video card in as they share the same channels for data.

Get a second/third monitor, run the Eyefinity. =) I would not go higher than the 6970/570(maybe 580), depending on a budget of course. Any higher is relative "overkill", especially at current prices. A second 6870 with a new primary(32" display), while keeping the 24" as a secondary is a thought. I believe 6870's x2 would handle that. Going 3 24" displays in Eyefinity might require a beefier (6970+)card.

Your CPU/Graphics Card are fine. It probably has something to do with your unique setup. Have you dusted out your PC in the last 6 months? I am running a Phenom II 1055t @3.8 and a single ATI 5850. I max out all vanilla settings, including max draw distance and stuff, and is am still locked in at 60 FPS over 95% of the time. The only time I have truly taxed my system is when I install some ENB fx settings.