Getting back into desktop computing

[Super Nade]

Ok folks, after a long hiatus from desktop computing (since 2009!?), I am getting back into it. My last desktop was a Q6600 based setup...yeah, it has been THAT long!

Well, the parts arrived yesterday and I am excited to start putting it together.

• ASUS MAXIMUS HERO
• i5 4670K
• ASUS GTX 750Ti (*)
• Corsair 300R
• Antec HCG 850M (850W)
• Crucial M500 480Gb SSD
• Team Group Elite 2 x 8Gb DRAM (*)
• Coolermaster Glacer 240L CPU AIO
• Coolermaster Devastator KB+Mouse (*)
• LG 25UMS 25" IPS 2560 x 1080 Ultra WS monitor (*)

(*) Will be upgraded down the line.



Honestly, I did not do as much research as I should have when I picked these parts. Price was the primary consideration. Anyway, I plan on getting the most out of this setup, especially the relatively cheap 750Ti by performing whatever (Volt) mods necessary etc...At this point, I don't really care about overclocking the DRAM.


So, I guess my first stop is to read hokie's Haswell guide.

 

[ivanlabrie]

You should mine with the 750 ti while not gaming...

http://www.whattomine.com/

I'm looking forward to getting a GTX 880 or two
Nice setup, but maybe you meant i5 3570k...

 

[Super Nade]

Nice setup, but maybe you meant i5 3570k...

Hehe, shows you how out of touch I am! Edited first post. It is the Haswell i5 K series. As for mining, I'll check it out. For the most part, this rig is going to be used to analyze ion-channel signals and gaming (not in any particular order)

 

[ivanlabrie]

Ah, makes sense Missed the Haswell part heh

I tried a 750 ti for gaming and it's pretty darn good for the price, super low power and kinda cute lol

It would make you 1.20usd per day at full bore (50w from the wall, gpu only). xD

 

[Super Nade]

Well, that is not bad at all and I'll definitely give it a go. I don't pay much for electricity any way as San Luis Obispo, CA has fantastic weather year round. My monthly electric bill is typically < $25. I have yet to turn on the AC or heat. A far cry from my previous residence in Indianapolis.

I am definitely going to Volt Mod the 750Ti (using dumo's guide), given that it has a 6pin connector and better cooling than the stock card.

 

[ivanlabrie]

They oc like crazy! You'll love it

(the GB I had did close to 1500mhz core and a decent mem oc)

 

[Silver_Pharaoh]

Yeah I hear those 750Ti's are nifty mining machines

Nice build btw.
Pics sometime soon?

 

[Theocnoob]

I have to ask, why didn't you go with the i7? 8 threads are better to have than 4 in today's world. Especially for gaming, and especially if you plan to buy a more powerful GPU down the line, more threads are better. New ports coming over from the next gen consoles are likely to run more than 4 threads.

 

[Super Nade]

Yeah I hear those 750Ti's are nifty mining machines

Nice build btw.
Pics sometime soon?

Pictures coming soon. I was busy this week preparing for my half-marathon (smashed my old PR or 1:36:48 by 4+ minutes at 1:32:38).

I have to ask, why didn't you go with the i7? 8 threads are better to have than 4 in today's world. Especially for gaming, and especially if you plan to buy a more powerful GPU down the line, more threads are better. New ports coming over from the next gen consoles are likely to run more than 4 threads.

The choice was mainly a budget issue. I did not want to compromise on Cooling, PSU and the MB. Perhaps I could have made do with a 256Gb SSD instead of the 480Gb and maybe obtained a cheaper monitor, but I found reasonable deals so this is what I ended up getting. Once I beat the CPU and GPU to death, I'll upgrade.

 

[Silver_Pharaoh]

Pictures coming soon. I was busy this week preparing for my half-marathon (smashed my old PR or 1:36:48 by 4+ minutes at 1:32:38).

Congrats!

 

[Super Nade]

Ok guys, here is a quick update on where I am thus far. SS's etc will follow in due time. On an unrelated note, I smashed my 20:11 5k PR last week. Ran an 18:47 5k! Not bad for a 34 yr old noob runner eh?

CPU @ 4.7GHz, 1.295V AIDA 14hr Stable

The voltage seems a bit high, but I am still learning how to tweak with this board. There are about 300 billion options to play with. I am running into temperature issues when I go the 4.8 @ 1.325V route. It does not help that local ambient temps are pushing 100 F.

​

GPU @ 1350 MHz Core, memory at stock.

This one is a real head scratcher because I am not able to circumvent the 135MHz boost clock limit. I used GPUz download the BIOS and edited it using Kepler Bios editor to double TDP and set the boost clock to 1500MHz. Flashed using NVFlash from within Windows. Overclocking using MSI Afterburner.

Questions:

1. How do I know that NVFlash worked?
2. Is it possible to get rid of the 135MHz core clock boost cap?

Thanks!

 

[Adragontattoo]

Nade,

I am STILL running a C2Q (IIRC it is a 9300) as my main desktop. The MAIN reason I am looking to upgrade is simply due to my wanting to be able to use more than 8gb of RAM.