Posts by Kimberly Gomez34

Allow me to add some useful links alongside Best Buy, along with a few helpful screenshots from those sites 😁

On another note, RAM prices just keep on sliding:

http://www.newegg.com/p/product&product_id=49255

by the way, that shop is basically a retail outlet for Micro Center

That’s exactly my point. Honestly, nobody—not even someone planning some insane overclocking session—actually needs a motherboard that costs more than $1,000$400. So, what's the actual benefit of paying a massive premium for these high-end boards?

They don't. Opinions on Dell tend to fluctuate, but when you weigh the feature sets against the price point and the warranty coverage—it’s definitely a smart buy

It doesn't matter which manufacturer you go with. There's a negligible chance his RAM won't be compatible—he'd have to be incredibly unlucky—but even if it is, he can easily just return it.

If he downloaded that Speccy tool, all the details should be listed right there.

To actually control the fan speed, you're going to need a PWM-enabled fan with a 4-pin connector.

You could also go with $33 more for the Gigabyte model—it comes with an extra year of warranty, though you’ll need to double-check if it actually fits in your case (it's 296mm)

Specifically regarding the first expansion slot, for instance (like this one listed at 315mm):



Otherwise, this one is a guaranteed fit, and performance-wise, they are all essentially identical.

It might also be worth looking at this option (though it runs about $67 pricier than the 2GB version)

For the power supply, this unit would work too, especially since it carries a 5-year warranty.

Steven Cooper85 said:Hey everyone.
Could someone explain what those RAM timings like CL9, CL10, or CL11 actually mean? Which one is better?

(CAS) latency doesn't really matter in the real world; don't stress over it and just grab the cheaper option. speed tests and latency

Go with the EVGA version for the GPU, or maybe an ASUS Prime if you have the space in your case (ASUS usually offers a longer warranty too). You definitely need a decent CPU cooler, and I’d strongly suggest a 550W power supply—something reliable like an EVGA unit—especially if you plan on overclocking either the CPU or the GPU.

To verify the power supply, you'll need to pop off the side panel of the case to check the specific model name. If this is a pre-built system, there's a 99% chance the PSU is bottom-of-the-barrel junk and won't handle anything serious. That said, it isn't a dealbreaker if $1000 you just want to run something like a GTX 960, an R9 280, or an R9 380 paired with 4GB of RAM and the current PSU—you'll still have some headroom left over
.
I'd recommend downloading Speccy. It’ll let you see if those 4GB of RAM are running as two 2GB sticks or a single 4GB stick, and it will give you the full, exact model name of your graphics card

Give this a shot:

Alright everyone, after diving deep into some intensive research and running through various troubleshooting steps, I've realized there are a few critical things you need to keep in mind during the installation process:

Installation Mode: Use BIOS (only). If you select LEGACY, you're going to run into major touchpad issues.

Once you've finished installing Windows 10, you simply need to follow this specific driver installation order:
1. Intel NB_Chipset_M Baytrail-M 2. Intel
2. Intel I/O Driver
...and then you can install the rest of the usual junk.

Note: Once everything is set up, double-check that your touchpad is actually enabled via >> Fn + F7

What do you mean it isn't working? Which specific model are you running?

So the touchpad itself is responsive, but the scroll function is just dead?

Thomas Diaz53 said:What kind of performance gains are we looking at with my current setup?

The main advantage here is how Vulkan manages resources more efficiently; it streamlines the communication between the GPU and the CPU, which significantly cuts down on bottlenecks. You might see a nice boost, especially since cards even weaker than a GTX 750 Ti are sitting at the same price point right now. 🤷

Nowadays, the real bottleneck isn't the hardware—it's the software. In your case, it's poor game optimization. As long as they finish the game and rush out a sequel, you're stuck dealing with outdated APIs like DX11 versus these newer standards.

If you can hold out for the GTX 960, do it. It’ll likely land in a similar price bracket to an HD 7770.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:Man, I wish! If only my GTX 450 actually supported DirectX 12.😲

It looks like this was actually announced a year or two ago. Word is we’re looking at an 11.0 release, or potentially some 11.1 feature-level updates. 🙂

By the way, what do you think? 🙂

Thomas Diaz53 said:I honestly don't have the patience to sit around waiting for that GTX 950 anymore, especially since I have no idea what kind of price tag it's actually going to carry.
Should I go with this R9 270? It definitely packs more punch than that MSI 370, which at least supports DirectX 12. However, the R9 270 is two years older, whereas the MSI has only been around for three.
Wait, if you look at the minimum requirements for FIFA 16, it says DirectX 11. http://fifa16news.com/fifa-16-minimu...rediction.html
What does it even mean when someone says FIFA 17 probably won't even need DirectX 12? lol

You missed the point entirely, even though it was explained perfectly clearly.

The R9 270 supports DirectX 12.
The R9 270 and the R9 370 share the exact same feature level within DirectX 12 because they belong to the same generation; essentially, the 370 is just a rebranded version of the 265.
Let’s be realistic here: games aren't going to flip a switch overnight and become DirectX 12 exclusive, nor is every single title ever released going to require it.
If a game requires DirectX 12, it’s going to run on any card that supports DirectX 12. It isn't like one specific feature level will work while another fails completely. At most—and that's assuming higher feature levels aren't just marketing fluff like we saw with the whole DirectX 10 era—you might just find yourself unable to toggle certain graphical settings in specific titles. Since Pro Evolution Soccer isn't exactly pushing the envelope of cutting-edge technology, I'm fairly certain we won't see anything out of the ordinary there.

Thomas Diaz53 said:I also get the feeling this XFX AMD Radeon R9 270 DD edition might actually outperform those 370 cards—you know, the ones with DirectX 12 support like the 265...
But here's my dilemma: I can't figure out if this XFX card will ever actually get DirectX 12 support, and if that's going to be a dealbreaker for the FIFA 17 minimum requirements. Now, you tell me how to solve that one...

I just posted the Link above. Ultimately, we are looking at some pretty old hardware here (the 370 is basically the third iteration of GCN 1.0). Because both the 270 and the 370 belong to the same generation, they both share the same DirectX 12 Feature level, specifically 11_1.

Thomas Diaz53 said:So, should I just grab an Nvidia card for the price you guys are suggesting? Even though I'm not exactly... well, I've always been an AMD guy.

Just hold out for the GTX 950 instead; you'll be making a much smarter move when it drops (supposedly in about 2 or 3 weeks).

Robert Rodriguez2 said:That's true, but there is no DirectX 12 support 😳, meaning any support will only be partial
.

🙂

Feature levels remain identical across rebrands

http://wccftech.com/amd-confirms-gcn...-120-gcn-1112/

http://wccftech.com/directx-12-suppo...-3-intels-rov/

TL;DR: So summarizing, all IHVs fully and completely support the DirectX 12 API. No hardware vendor can claim 100% support of all specifications and the differences are usually negligible in nature. That said, if one is deciding by features observable by the end user and gaming experience, the slight advantage and edge goes to Nvidia with its Feature level 12_1 support. Keep in mind however, that developers usually code for the lowest common denominator, which means Nvidia’s edge depends entirely on how many devs use it.

Every GPU that offers even minimal DirectX 12 support—specifically Nvidia cards from the 4xx series onwards and AMD cards starting from the HD 7000 series—will benefit from its primary Feature: reduced CPU overhead. Everything else is just fine-tuning that depends on individual game developers, and honestly, much of it might just be clever marketing. Regardless, Nvidia looks the most cutting-edge with their 12.1 support.

crimsonstag84 said:Assuming your power supply isn't the issue:

http://www.newegg.com/vga-sapphire-r7...uefi-bulk.aspx

🙂

http://www.bestbuy.com/?name=graphics-card-051.806.949

It’s cheaper and packs more punch—plus, those 3xx series clocks and drivers are a total breeze to work with. Just keep in mind the R7 370 is basically just a rebrand of the R7 265.

The silver lining with rebrands is that you get long-term driver support for the GPU architecture, whereas Nvidia tends to drop Kepler cards pretty quickly once new titles hit the shelves. Those "exclusive" drivers for the 390 are really just window dressing for the launch; there's no reason the previous generation should be left in the dust since the hardware is essentially identical.

rowdybadger18 said:I’ve honestly never heard a saga quite like this one regarding the FX8320. Thanks for the heads-up. 😉

You'll find the exact same pattern when dealing with AMD and their voltage specs (even back with the Phenom line) click

They actually released a much more detailed deep dive covering all the Phenom chips, but I can't seem to track down the link anymore.

That’s my final word on the matter. 😬

rowdybadger18 said:If the CPU is designed for a specific (lower!) voltage, why don't you just feed it 300 volts instead of 230? 😁

Raising voltage equals raising temperature. Once you hit the thermal wall—where you simply can't cool it effectively at X voltage anymore—that's the limit. Anything beyond that is just bad overclocking caused by heat generated by pushing too much voltage through the hardware you actually have (motherboard and cooler)

Saying something is "designed" for a certain voltage is a very relative concept; for example,

Since we are talking about power draw, manufacturers seriously overdid it with the voltage on FX processors. If you're using an FX chip, the first thing you should do is disable the Turbo option in the BIOS. If you're happy with the speed, you should undervolt it—meaning, find the absolute lowest voltage required for stable operation. That way, the processor runs cooler, the motherboard stays cooler, the surrounding components stay cooler, and you save a little bit on your electric bill...

I know a few guys who pulled 4.6GHz out of an FX8320 at just 1.35v; even here on the forums, one guy on Tomislavov hardware managed 5.1GHz at 1.38v!

In my case, the CPU runs at 4.4GHz @ 1.368v, whereas at stock speeds of 3.5GHz, the voltage was 1.4v. This means the processor is overclocked yet undervolted, so it's faster while consuming less power than the factory settings... with Turbo enabled, the voltage used to spike up to 1.45v, so I personally recommend disabling it; in my opinion, it does more harm than good...

I believe every FX8320 can handle 4.0GHz @ 1.35v, some even much more. Some might only need under 1.3v for 4.0GHz, but it all depends on the silicon lottery; you have to play around with it.

Regarding that second sentence, 🐔

End of story, as far as I'm concerned ☕

rowdybadger18 said:So my plan is to list some guy's name on Google, set a dirt-cheap price for a Phenom, offer mail delivery via COD, and just laugh when one of you guys falls for it. 🤣 Anyway, you're claiming that overvolting doesn't hurt the processor? I beg to differ.

And why exactly is overvolting such a problem?

🙂

You don't have to agree with me, but your logic is about as sound as saying the Earth is flat.

rowdybadger18 said:My Phenom never once ran at overclocked speeds. When I list it on Craigslist, it’ll be a much better pick than some overclocked Phenom of the same age.

🤣

Overclocking isn't inherently the issue here; the real "problem" with OC-ing is if you push things way past the limit—specifically elevated temperatures. It's an aspect most people completely overlook 😁

Look, if someone overclocked strictly by the book and kept their temps within the recommended range (around 60-70°C), then their CPU is in just as good shape as yours. At the end of the day, heat is the single biggest enemy of hardware components.