Processors

[deepfried 95]

If you remove the pagefile the 8GB will make a lot more sense - a lot less harddrive caching. But mileage will vary from game to game.

Why would you remove the pagefile? the pagefile is only used if its needed, if you remove it all you're doing is ensuring that if an app does run out of memory it will crash.

[stratblues24@hotmail.com 4]

I dont mean to hi-jack the thread. But, there seems to be a handfull of folks more kowledgeable in the art of PC building than myself. So I'd like to enlist their know-how on a system Im looking at putting together.

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Intel i7 3930k 6-core 3.2ghz lga-2011

ASUS Sabertooth x79 w/ lga-2011 socket

16gb Corsair ddr3 sdram

Nvidia GTX 560 Ti

Zalman EVO 212 (i think) heatsink

Silencer 910 ATX 12v power supply

Seagate Barracuda 1TB HD w 32mb cache

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Thoughts, comments, suggestions?

Thanks in advance

WhiskyJak

[mansen 1]

If you remove the pagefile the 8GB will make a lot more sense - a lot less harddrive caching. But mileage will vary from game to game.

Why would you remove the pagefile? the pagefile is only used if its needed' date=' if you remove it all you're doing is ensuring that if an app does run out of memory it will crash.

[/quote']

By removing it you force Windows to use the RAM for any caching.

[Voiska 0]

The RAM is 1333mhz and it's a 4gb stick so i can upgrade :)

[stratblues24@hotmail.com 4]

Shameless Bump

[deepfried 95]

If you remove the pagefile the 8GB will make a lot more sense - a lot less harddrive caching. But mileage will vary from game to game.

Why would you remove the pagefile? the pagefile is only used if its needed' date=' if you remove it all you're doing is ensuring that if an app does run out of memory it will crash.

[/quote']

By removing it you force Windows to use the RAM for any caching.

Thats not smart, some programs are designed to use the pagefile no matter how much RAM you have, plus any 32 bit program is only going to have access to 2gb of ram no matter how much you have installed.

The majority of games are compiled for 32bit windows and so can only use 2gb of RAM... having anything more than 4gb in your machine is a bit of a waste for gaming for the most part.

[mansen 1]

I assure it you it is working quite well - forcing the applications to actually use the RAM instead of being lazy with the pagefile increases loading speed. And for the record I have -NEVER- ran out of memory on my 8GB platform, even in bigger applications such as Photoshop.

As for the 2GB limit that is simply not true anymore - a lot of modern games have extended RAM access. And a lot of the older ones can be hacked to allow for more than their 32bit limits with a 1 click tool.

I fail to see any counter arguments as to why 8GB is a good idea - all you keep saying is "it's a waste, it's a waste"

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@WhiskyJak:

Looks like you have a pretty decent budget so I'll ask you - what exactly do you plan on using your computer for? The i7 processors are overkill for gaming purposes and will only give you a speed boost in Benchmark applications and high end production applications (Photoshop, 3D rendering, that sort of stuff)

If your goal is gaming I'd suggest something along the lines of the following instead which will also give you more gaming power since the 560TI is a bit too weak compared to the rest of the machine and will slow down the rest (bottleneck)

Intel i5 3750K

ASUS/MSI/GIGABYTE Motherboard from the Z77 generation (Cheapest ones work fine, the more expensive ones just add more features such as more USB ports and such. Just remember to get an ATX sized board, not the Micro-ATX and such - unless you're buying a tiny computer case)

8GB Corsair RAM (1600Mhz)

nVidia GTX690 or a Radeon HD7870 - Both are about on par and it mostly depends on your preference. I have the 7870 and it is absolutely wonderful. (Used to have a 560TI)

The EVO 212 looks quite fine for the job - even allows for some overclocking if you keep your case cool.

650W Corsair PSU - you really don't need more than this for a machine such as this as long as you buy a quality brand power supply.

The Seagate harddrive is fine - you can consider a small SSD upgrade at a later point such as the M4 series from Crucial.

[deepfried 95]

I fail to see any counter arguments as to why 8GB is a good idea - all you keep saying is "it's a waste' date=' it's a waste"

[/quote']

No, I said disabling the pagefile is a bad idea, having 8gb RAM is fine, its so cheap these days there is no real argument for economy.

[mansen 1]

Same argument - pagefiles. Go.

My pagefile has been off for the better part of a year now, and I have never, not once had any issues with running out of memory, not even when handling quite big photos in Photoshop.

It's all about the little performance improvements - disabling/moving pagefiles to an unused harddrive, not having system and games on the same drive, having an SSD.

The harddrive always has and always will be the bottleneck in your system - treat it as such.

[stratblues24@hotmail.com 4]

Thanks for the input!

I may not be a "complete" noob when it comes to computers; but I must admit I have never heard of an SSD. Would it be best to install the SSD in addition to the typical HD? Then, perhaps install whichever game you're currently playing onto the SSD as opposed to the HD for better data transfer rates?

Im not even gonna chime in on the pagefile debate as I have no idea how to do it, and no clue what its purpose would be.

[Voiska 0]

Right, my guitar sold so I'm buying the i5 2500k but when I searched on eBay for the nvidia gtx 550 theres like a thousand different ones. Made by Asus, pny, exga and they all look different on the exterior (fans, colours) but specs are the same. Can anyone shed some light on the differences or compatibility? Thanks