Phalanx108

Waiting game, i guess.

Dual Chip setups or SLI/Crossfire are not always faster by default. Unless the program you are trying to run has specific support they can end up being slower than a single, higher end card.

If I could recommend a nice board for a good price, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=13-130-693 or for a little more, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=13-130-692. Intel socket 1150, and rock solid performance. I am more partial to the MSI (M/X)Power series of boards however, but the gaming ones are still really nice.

I got a pretty wrecked spine back in my early days. Busted vertebrae from T11 to L4. Still have to wear a spinal brace at times to help cope, it's stuck with me.

At the moment, I'd say the Titan isn't worth the investment. That's coming from someone with 2. They are great cards, sure, but the Titan Ultra is on the books, so you don't want to get one just so see the all new one in stores a week later :thumbsup:

I am quite interested in benching the new cards. Just a waiting game really.

If you want to be really pedantic about it, the resolution change influences FPS with older cards, but it shouldn't tank that much for sure.

Imma let you finish, but glossy screens are basically just matte screens with a glass screen protector over them. The difference you are experiencing in quality is most likely down to placebo.

Here is, unfortunately, a bit of a problem. Your PSU is weak, you'd probably need to upgrade it to run a better card. Then, once you've done that and upgraded your card, there's a big chance that the CPU will bottleneck it. The X3's were never anything special. But if you were looking at a new CPU after that, you'd likely need a new motherboard as well... Long story short, minimum would very likely require a better PSU :|

I've never had an overheated CPU cause that static sound however. Generally (if it's set to do so), the computer should just shut off. :| Then there's the whole If it were just an overheat then the issue wouldn't just go back to smooth operations after a simple restart, you'd need to let it cool back to normal range obviously. However, you are definitely correct about the small change aspect though. It shouldn't theoretically jack up the voltage for a small change, but that doesn't make it impossible... I'd need to see the computer to make a suitable diagnosis. Another thing: 60o is being a bit conservative. If it gets to 60 and stables out there, then it's perfectly fine.

Up the voltage a little, then try again. Don't crank it up to like 30v though, just do it a little at a time until it's stable at 3.5GHz.

The current GPU will suffice for now, don't stress out over the upgrade. Just get it when you can comfortably afford it. I've never heard of the Zalman GNPX7 cooler, though. Looked through my store's stock to check it out in person and we don't have any here either, so I can't help you there,

I can't fault it. It's a pretty good setup for the price you've got there. I wouldn't change anything.

If you want to splash out a little to keep it up to pace, but not as far as to get a new CPU, then I would suggest the Hyper 212+. Great cooler with solid performance at all RPM's. With a Hyper 212+ and a good thermal paste like Arctic MX-4 for example, I'd suggest about 3.9-4GHz on 1.33-1.35 V range. If you want to push the limits a little more, 4+GHz at 1.4xx V range would be pretty obtainable, but while it may be stable don't expect it to last. The lifetime of the CPU will dive down after 1.4V, at least the Phenom x4. With stock cooling... hm, probably stick with 3.5, but you could maybe go with up to 3.7GHz, on the 1.33-1.35 V range, which should suit fine. However, that boils more down to what your general ambient and case temperatures are. Naturally enough, you don't want to OC very far, if at all with stock cooling if your ambient temperature is about 30C. Let me know how you go.

Here's a run-through on how to rollback your drivers, relying on you not uninstalling the previous version. ->Go to Start, Control Panel ->Click "System" ->In the left pane, click Device Manager ->Expand "Display Adapters" ->Right click your graphics card, go to Properties ->Select the Driver Tab ->Click on Rollback Driver. After that, just do a restart and let me know how it goes. I can run you through a driver reinstall if you need.