Posts by Kimberly Gomez34

If you're looking to boost performance, maybe grab a new 850 EVO click - hopefully they'll expand their stock at other retailers soon too.

I was just thinking back to that whole discussion about coffee when it was trending. Brian Campbell36 is the kind of guy 😁
I think quite a bit of it was overpriced because it was bought through that link

Honestly 🤣
When people start hating on ASUS boards—they’re perfectly fine on Intel sockets, and honestly, they're even better than the Extreme 3 or 4 series and beyond.

And look—if you don't care—you can just sell one GPU if you're only playing casual games and stop worrying about the latency. Or, if you're thinking about getting serious, just sell both, toss in a little extra cash, and grab a much more powerful single GPU.

For an AMD setup like this, you'll definitely want an aftermarket cooler. Also, keep in mind that every FX Processor comes unlocked. Since a decent motherboard is recommended for this type of processor—and the one being used here qualifies—the overclocking potential is already built-in. It really just comes down to whether the user actually wants to push it. You don't have to deal with the extra expense of buying a "K" series Intel processor and a high-end Z-series motherboard just to get that flexibility.

To put it this way: pairing an Intel Core i7-3770 with a solid cooler and a mid-to-high range motherboard ends up costing about the same as an entry-level i5 paired with a budget motherboard.

Kenneth Jackson3 said:
Alright, great. It's sitting around 30-33 degrees at idle. I tested out Far Cry 4, Black Flag, The Witcher 3, and some modded Skyrim. It didn't break 41. I'm happy with that. Now I'm just going to play around with the voltage a bit. 😬

You really ought to test the load using something more demanding—since those games won't quite max it out—like Prime95 or OCCT. You should run it for several hours, but at least one hour where the temperature stays under 62C. That’s how you actually verify stability and fine-tune your undervolting. Though, in the real world, unless you're doing heavy 3D rendering, you likely won't hit the kind of load you get from these synthetic benchmarks.

The trick with undervolting is to dial it down until the PC can't even boot into Windows, then bump it up one increment at a time until it can handle a sustained load. For actual overclocking, though:

Overclocking these chips is pretty simple. Hop into the BIOS, change the vcore from auto to 1.3875V (which I believe is stock for the 965be), then bump the multiplier up from 17 to 17.5. That will bring you up to 3.5GHz. Save and see if you load into Windows. If you do, restart your PC and push the multiplier up to 18, which will bring you up to 3.6GHz. Save and load into Windows. Assuming you do, repeat until you can't load into Windows. Bump your vcore one step (to 1.4000V) and see if that lets you load into Windows. If it doesn't, bump it another step up (1.4125V) and try again. Once you're able to load into Windows, start to move your multiplier up again, bumping vcore whenever you fail to load into Windows, until you get your Processor up to x19 multiplier (3.8GHz).

Make sure you're able to load into Windows. Then download and run Prime95; I personally like the Blend test because it exposes an unstable machine pretty quickly and really pushes the temperatures high. Keep a close eye on your Processor temps with something like CoreTemp. If Prime crashes back to the desktop, or your system simply suffers a black screen restart while temps never rose above 55C, you've likely undervolted your Processor too much. Go back into the BIOS, raise the vcore another step, and try again. Keep increasing the vcore by one step until you're able to run Prime95 for a few hours.

If you're nice and stable in Prime95, and your Processor temps aren't breaking 55C-60C after a few hours, I'd say you have a solid overclock.

That advice applies to the Phenom series, so ignore the specific voltage and multiplier combos, but the principle remains identical.
Try pushing it to 4.2 - 4.4GHz and find that "sweet spot" voltage (the lowest possible setting where it remains fully stable). Or, if you don't want to increase speed, just leave the multiplier alone.

Brian Campbell36 said:The guys in the link say the following:

1.) you can take an ASUS P8Z77-VLX (LGA 1155)

http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P8Z77V_LX/

The repair shop is offering this as a replacement board, but if I go that route, I don't have the option to offset the value by picking up an SSD or something similar. (They claim they’re giving me a 24-month warranty, which sounds better than nothing)

WTF? This isn't right because:

1. That board isn't even equivalent to yours (it doesn't match the $567 you provided), and I don't get the warranty logic—what exactly are they "giving" you? ASUS provides a standard 3-year warranty by default; they aren't doing you any favors here. You'd just be getting a cheaper board with a year less coverage. You're losing out; you'd be better off choosing something else.

So, were they offering you some other kind of compensation? There aren't many high-end 1155 boards left anyway, so why not grab a beefy SSD (250-500GB), or maybe a 120GB SSD plus an HDD if you need the storage, or a cooler (or whatever else you need, monitor 23, or maybe even a printer, who knows) just to make sure you actually get your money's worth. Then, just buy the motherboard from a more reputable shop. It'll probably cost you a bit more upfront, but at least you'll get actual value out of that credit instead of being stuck with that specific board.

Robin Fox2 said:By the way, I think I finally unlocked that fourth core. I stumbled upon a guide online, enabled the setting in the BIOS, and now Windows is actually showing all four cores active. Honestly, though, I have no clue how I'm going to notice any real-world difference in performance. 🤷 😁

If you check CPU-Z, that processor should show up as an unlocked Ryzen 5 5500 rather than an AMD Athlon X3. It’s basically a total lottery; depending on which specific chip you pull from the box, you might get a rock-solid quad-core that was just factory-rated lower, or you might end up with one that had a defective fourth core. If you start seeing system crashes, Blue Screens of Death, or other weird instabilities, you'll know exactly what the culprit is. In that case, just head into your BIOS and reset everything back to factory defaults.

You're going to notice a massive performance boost in any game that actually puts a demand on the CPU compared to that old AMD Athlon X3. It’s like switching from a four-cylinder sedan to a V8; once you get into titles that need those extra cores, the difference is night and day.

Ryan Gonzalez4 said:A buddy of mine suggested this setup instead, claiming the synergy here is much better:

Sapphire R9 285 2GB OC, 2GB GDDR5 256 bit, 28nm, 2xDVI + HDMI
Intel Core i3-4160 Processor (3.60GHz,512KB,3MB,54 W,1150) Box
Gigabyte GA-H81M-S2PV, Socket 1150, Intel ® H81 express, 2 x 1.5V

What's your take?

To put it simply, the i3 is significantly weaker than the fx 8320, though it might actually hold its own better specifically for WoT. Furthermore, regarding features and expansion potential, that motherboard is pretty underwhelming compared to the one you're already using for the other socket.

Why don't they include DVI ports on graphics cards anymore?

They're being stingy with them.

It really depends on which software you’re using to monitor things (though people can never quite agree on whether you should trust socket temps versus actual Processor temps)

So, just scroll here—look for this green section

Regarding voltage, it all comes down to the specific chip you have. It's easily possible to stay under 1.3v, especially since those newer high-end models I mentioned have lower leakage, so they tend to perform better... It also heavily depends on your motherboard. In my experience, the Intel Core i7-3770 is generally one of the tougher ones to overclock effectively.

My Intel Core i7-3770 at 1.2vcore holds steady at 4.1 GHz.
For an Intel Core i7-3770K, I need 1.39vcore to hit 4.9 GHz, but it stays stable at 4.4 GHz with 1.2625v.

That's the 8320 paired with your motherboard.

On that same motherboard, I can hit 4.2 GHz at 1.308V under full load, even though the BIOS shows 1.275V.

You need to disable all those power-saving features (like C&C and similar). Also, if you notice a voltage drop—which you can see via CPU-Z in Windows while under max load compared to what's set in your BIOS—you should enable LLC (Load Line Calibration). That will stabilize your voltages, though it does bump up your temperatures slightly.

It’s possible your network card has kicked the bucket, but just to cover all bases, try reinstalling your LAN drivers first. If that doesn't work, you might want to try resetting your BIOS to its factory defaults—a quick CMOS reset should do the trick.

Also, try letting the machine run for a bit. I had an issue once where my network card would only start behaving after the PC had been powered on for a while; sometimes it took thirty minutes, other times closer to two or three hours before it finally stabilized.

edit

Glad to hear everything is back up and running!

mellowtiger83 said:Just slap an r7 260 x in there and you'll see a massive jump in performance. Everything else looks solid enough to keep you gaming for quite some time. You could hunt down a used 7870 on eBay, or maybe grab a gtx 660 or a 560ti and call it a day. Don't bother stressing over the processor right now; it’s still perfectly capable.
I'm telling you, don't swap the CPU yet. If that board and a decent cooler aren't cutting it, you have plenty of headroom to overclock it significantly. Your biggest gains will come from a dedicated graphics card. A gtx 260 is fine, but it's dated and simply can't hold its own against modern hardware.

700-$267That's a decent upgrade. Enjoy your games.

By the way, what's with this sudden hate for WoT? Everyone is playing it. lol

I even saw them being advertised on TV 🤣

I've never seen a game get promoted on American television programs before.

Gregory Ward said:So, we're talking about an office-style (horizontal 😁) desktop

Does the GPU need to be low profile?

Robin Fox2 said:Alright, thanks. My question now is: does it make sense to go for something more powerful given my current setup—specifically the CPU? Or is this upgrade roughly in line with what the processor can handle, and the one I have right now is just much worse?

No, honestly, even the Nvidia GTX 750 is a bit of overkill considering that CPU, though it's nothing extreme (you could always save it for your next build). Your only other option would be looking at something weaker than an R7 260, like an R7 250 with DDR5. By the way, have you tried unlocking the fourth core on that AMD Athlon X3?

Ryan Gonzalez4 said:So, what’s everyone’s take on this setup?

Personally, I’d be leaning toward grabbing this:

VTX R9 280 3GBD5-2DHXE graphics card$583

plus

an AMD FX-Series X8 8350 processor (4.0GHz, 16MB, 125W, AM3+) box edition$506

No way. A VTX at that price point isn't worth it, and that CPU just doesn't offer enough value for the money.

8320e + Cooler Master DS (if it fits) + R9 280 windforce + you absolutely have to overclock it to at least 4.2 - 4.4 GHz (you shouldn't run into any issues doing that with an 8320e)

WoT actually runs smoother on Intel, but since you already have a solid motherboard, it would be a waste not to grab an 8320/8320e and push some OC. You can really feel the difference in WoT when you do.click

650W.

It doesn't matter what the wattage says if the unit itself is junk.

It can't be the power supply because it worked perfectly fine for years, and then suddenly, it just won't boot anymore.

That is exactly the point—especially if the unit is old (even if it is a big-name brand claiming to be a "true" 650W).

It could also be the motherboard.

So you're running two GeForce 8800 GTX cards...

Could it be a power supply issue?

What on earth is Aidos supposed to be compared to Hyper? Cooler reviews are honestly the worst part of this hobby. You’ll find three to five different reviews for the exact same unit, only to be completely blindsided by how much the results vary.

Hyper really ought to sit somewhere in the middle ground between Thermis and Ereboss from Raijintek.

By the way, regarding idle temperatures—all coolers in this specific class are more or less identical at that stage.

As for that second cooler you mentioned—go ahead and post it.

Chris Robinson25 said:It could be a DLL error. A common headache with games is missing DLL files if you don't have certain stuff installed. I ran into that issue all the time back when I was using Windows 7.

You really ought to install the DirectX 9 package for Windows 7; otherwise, you're going to run into trouble with several games.

What kind of case are you running?

Worst-case scenario, if the cooler is too tall—just don't mount that panel. Honestly, some people leave it off anyway just to get better airflow and lower temps.

I probably messed up the link; there were quite a few of those LGA 775 dual cores available