(a larger SSD and no HDD since an external drive is being used)
Which store is that? He should look into an OCZ SSD ARC 100 240GB. Also, that's way too much overkill for an H81 motherboard. If he wants to play GTA 5, it would be a good idea to step up to an i3; he can see online that playing on a dual-core causes stuttering (the minimum FPS in that test shows it, though that site isn't exactly reliable, but you can see similar results elsewhere)
True, that site is fake. People constantly point that out on the Tom's Hardware and AnandTech forums.
man I live in the US, that site is not trustworthy even here, everyone knows that this website doesn't even do benchmarks, you'd better find an American website, even a 6-year-old in the States knows that site is a joke, how can you rely on it!?
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dude it seems you don't get it do you!? that's just a website, they don't even do actual benchmarks. I live in America, not you—just go into any local shop and mention that site, they'll laugh in your face. even a 6-year-old kid in the US knows this.
You know its GW & PC hardware sites in action when 770 = R290.
yeah so called tech sites I don't believe in that (nobody does ) Always have inaccurate benchmarks.
Those tech sites need to check their systems. 😁 An OS reinstall on an AMD machine is clearly needed. Why people read this site is beyond me. No other website has anything remotely close to those numbers.
I've seen this firsthand. I once ran some benchmarks for a game—something like > or maybe a Far Cry title—and the numbers were incredibly strange. Meanwhile, sites like TechSpot, PCGamesHardware, and GameGPU, along with YouTubers like Linus Tech Tips and Teess Tech, all reported nearly identical results that were worlds apart from that one Polish site I follow.
To be honest, I have my reservations about GameGPU; it feels like they might round their numbers off too aggressively, or perhaps their testing methodology is just a bit eccentric—like if they tested ten different processors and somehow ended up with a perfect 100fps across the board in a benchmark. That said, their core data remains very much in line with the other major outlets, so I still find their findings relatively credible.
First things first—have you actually installed the drivers for that Nvidia card yet?
Second—head over to the Nvidia Control Panel, go to 3D settings, then global settings, and set the preferred graphics to the high-performance Nvidia processor.
Third—are you positive that your GPU (I'm assuming it's a 610M) is actually more powerful than the integrated graphics? That's a pretty weak card; it's barely an upgrade over an Intel HD 2000.
Regarding that Pentium, you can actually perform an overclock on non-Z chipsets too, provided you run a BIOS update.
For example, moving from budget options up to more premium boards, you've got the As Rock H81M-HDS, the Asus B85M-G, the MSI H97 PCMATE, and then those lower-end H97 / Z97 anniversary editions from As Rock.
Just keep in mind that a cooler is included with every processor.
It performs perfectly fine in most titles, though you might run into some bottlenecks in a few newer games since it's just a dual core. Ultimately, it all comes down to what you plan on doing with the machine. Plus, you always have the option to upgrade later on.
Not a chance. You bought "high density" RAM that your motherboard clearly isn't designed to handle. You aren't the first person on this forum to run into issues with those sticks from eBay.
DDR5 should work just fine. With that, you shouldn't even need to swap out your power supply since the 7750 pulls very little power. Honestly, the only reason to change it would be if you wanted an upgrade for peace of mind with something higher quality, but as far as raw wattage goes, you're totally good.
EDIT
It looks like he hasn't moved that item on the marketplace yet (though he did drop the price once $17) Here is his latest listing
I'm asking because some guy reached out to me, but I'm in no rush to pull the trigger on a purchase.
It's weaker than the 7770, but we're talking pocket change here.
I see it runs Grand Theft Auto V just fine—even the 1GB DDR3 version handles it on low settings—so it shouldn't be an issue.
Did that guy end up selling?
Regarding that 7xxx series, the 7750 DDR5 sits right around the level of a 4870 (which is part of the recommended minimum specs). Honestly, I wouldn't touch a card with DDR3 memory in this day and age.
Look, if you go with something like a GT730, you're asking for trouble. Based on the official specs, those cards aren't even hitting the bare minimum for Grand Theft Auto V; they actually underperform compared to an old HD4870. You'd basically be throwing money away without any guarantee it'll even run—and if it does, expect a slideshow. In my opinion, if you actually want to play games, you need to be looking at the used market.
Regarding the power supply, the dream scenario would be picking a GPU that draws all its power directly from the PCI-E slot. That said, an HD7770 isn't exactly a power hog either, especially since your CPU doesn't pull much juice. My advice? Upgrade that PSU first. Grab a used Chieftec or an FSP for about 50-$33 bucks on Craigslist or something similar.
It’s true—for that kind of money, you aren't going to find anything brand new that outperforms a GT 740 DDR5 or an R7 240 DDR5. You can definitely get much more bang for your buck on the used market, but like you mentioned, your power supply is a bit of a disaster waiting to happen (only 20A on the +12V rail) and just isn't high quality. Max is my recommendation here. I usually try to avoid suggesting Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace deals, but given your budget, this is honestly your smartest move. Sure, you might find cards slightly cheaper elsewhere, but the seller I linked is reliable (they have about 10 positive transactions on a forum, zero negatives, shipping included, and it's a full bundle with a little extra warranty left over). As for the power supply, you can find something significantly better than what you have for just 50-$$33. If you decide to stick with your current unit, I think you'll need this kind of cable, assuming the PSU supports it (I don't think it does), and if it doesn't come with the card, then
Regarding Grand Theft Auto V—supposedly, you'd see around 70 FPS on "Normal" settings, while on "High," you're looking at an average of 31 FPS according to this source (assuming an R7 250X, which is basically an HD7770)
I honestly think most people who walk into a retail store just get talked in circles by the sales clerks. They'll claim certain power supplies are superior just to push them, or tell you they can handle subpar, overpriced graphics cards—it's all nonsense. At the end of the day, people just settle for whatever mediocre gear they can afford. I've seen plenty of folks venting about this exact same thing online.
Hannibal9, look, just click those links, toss them in your cart, and finish the checkout yourself without letting anyone manipulate you. You'll realistically come out ahead by about 99.99% if you do.
Did you happen to use the same RAM sticks on that other Intel motherboard? It strikes me that this "new" board might just be struggling to handle the specific memory you're throwing at it—it’s a common enough headache.
Those old single-fan core edition ice models were notorious for being loud. You could see people complaining about them all over the forums back then. But with this latest series, they’ve rolled out those new black coolers, and honestly, I haven't heard a single person complaining about the noise level yet.
It’s possible you're dealing with a different faulty component entirely. Try unplugging everything—your hard drive, all USB peripherals, and so on—then attempt to boot it up again.
That's fair. If you aren't planning on overclocking, there's really no need to drop cash on such an expensive cooler. You could easily manage an OC with a Standard PC Component (a solid budget pick)
If you're looking to get serious about overclocking, instead of wasting money on that Contact cooler, I'd suggest looking at the Corsair DS (though it looks like they're sold out everywhere), or maybe this. Just double-check your clearance; a 161mm cooler might not fit if you have a standard mid-tower case.
EDIT
Honestly, don't even bother trying to push that motherboard. Your best bet would be to just undervolt
1 x Intel Core i7-2600K 3.5GHz, 14MB, 95W, LGA 1155 1 x ASUS M5A97 R2.0, AM3, AM3+, chipset, 5200 MHz BUS, DDR3 2 x 4GB DDR3 Kingmax 1600MHz sticks 1 x Cooler Master Hyper T4 1 x Seagate 1TB HDD, SATA III, 7200 rpm 1 x Zalman Z3 Mid Tower Case (Standard ATX) 1 x EVGA 500 W Power Supply, Hyper series, 12cm fan 1 x NVIDIA GTX 1060, Double Dissipation Edition $1640
If you're looking for a real powerhouse, you could always go even higher $40 on the specs. In that scenario, you might want to scale back slightly on the motherboard or the cooler to balance things out.
