1. #1

    Some technical questions

    I was planning to buy new PC soon and there are some things I'm curious about and I couldn't find proper answer on the net. I would be grateful if someone could provide meaningful answers or at least link to some resources which might explain the stuff to me.

    - RAM speed - in description of Intel's Ivy bridge and Haswell CPUs it says that they support 1333 and 1600 Mhz RAMs. However, in all reviews of those CPUs I see tests done with 2133 RAMs. So do those CPUs support those faster RAMs? If yes - is there any performance increase between 1600 and 2133 in case of those CPUs?

    - Power consumption and PSUs - hypothetical situation. We have a PC and we have 2 PSUs with different strength. Each of those PSUs is powerful enough for the PC. We run the PC with first PSU, then we run it with the second. Will actual power usage of the PC (at the plug) be different in both cases, and if yes - by how much (in % of difference in PSU's power)? What I'm getting to: will getting stronger PSU result in higher power usage of the build, even if the extra power is not needed?

    - Assuming I will try to overclock CPU (planning to get i5 4670K) can anyone tell me how stable PC will be? I know it depends on how much I overclock, so let's assume it would really be minimal. I remember that years ago when I tried to overclock CPU, even only a bit, it made my PC crash every now and then.

    - If I have built-in GPU in my CPU (is it even listed in GPUs section of hardware manager?), and a standard GPU - is there a way to make one app run with the CPU's GPU, and another with standard GPU, at the same time? I assume that using software rendering will not make use of CPU's GPU?
    Last edited by procne; 2013-06-28 at 03:14 PM.
    I have enough of EA ruining great franchises and studios, forcing DRM and Origin on their games, releasing incomplete games only to sell day-1 DLCs or spill dozens of DLCs, and then saying it, and microtransactions, is what players want, stopping players from giving EA games poor reviews, as well as deflecting complaints with cheap PR tricks.

    I'm not going to buy any game by EA as long as they continue those practices.

  2. #2
    If your RAM modules and motherboard support 2100MHz+ then yes.

    No, you pull what you need.

    It's as stable as you overclock it (ie you need to test if it is or not, and either lessen the overclock or increase the voltage).

    Generally no, it either uses the dedicated GPU or the onboard GPU. Some special cases exist where you can use both at the same time.
    Computer: Intel I7-3770k @ 4.5GHz | 16GB 1600MHz DDR3 RAM | AMD 7970 GHz @ 1200/1600 | ASUS Z77-V PRO Mobo|

  3. #3
    RAM Speed - There is a performance difference in RAM at higher speeds but you won't likely notice it outside of benchmarking in most cases.

    Power consumption -Your system will only draw what it needs to run at a given load, given the same specs a system with a 500W PSU and one with a 1500W PSU will draw the same watts per hour at the outlet.

    Overclocking - If done right and there's no issues with the motherboard, RAM, or CPU it should be just as stable at 4.2GHz as it would be at stock speeds.

  4. #4
    Well, why does http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/...processor.html
    list only 1333 and 1600 memory types?

    With built-in GPU I was asking if you can run 2 apps - 1 on built-in GPU, and another on onboard GPU. Not one app on both GPUs
    I have enough of EA ruining great franchises and studios, forcing DRM and Origin on their games, releasing incomplete games only to sell day-1 DLCs or spill dozens of DLCs, and then saying it, and microtransactions, is what players want, stopping players from giving EA games poor reviews, as well as deflecting complaints with cheap PR tricks.

    I'm not going to buy any game by EA as long as they continue those practices.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by procne View Post
    Well, why does http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/...processor.html
    list only 1333 and 1600 memory types?

    With built-in GPU I was asking if you can run 2 apps - 1 on built-in GPU, and another on onboard GPU. Not one app on both GPUs
    Those are the "officially supported" RAM speeds.

    Like I said, no unless there's a special program which enables you to.
    Computer: Intel I7-3770k @ 4.5GHz | 16GB 1600MHz DDR3 RAM | AMD 7970 GHz @ 1200/1600 | ASUS Z77-V PRO Mobo|

  6. #6
    Moderator chazus's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by procne View Post
    Well, why does http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/...processor.html
    list only 1333 and 1600 memory types?
    With built-in GPU I was asking if you can run 2 apps - 1 on built-in GPU, and another on onboard GPU. Not one app on both GPUs
    Yeah, it's what it's "Designed for". They often use super fast RAM in benchmarks to rule out any difference in ram for performance differences.

    Also, I think you're confused. The "Built in GPU" and "Onboard GPU" are the same thing (to most people). I know you're referring to the dedicated GPU card, and the one inside the CPU. It -is- possible to assign one monitor to the GPU and one monitor to the iGPU (the one on the CPU), however not individual programs. Not only that, but it's really not recommended to use the iGPU because you lose GPU power for anything that needs remote video capability, and end up with a generally worse experience.

    Is it possible? Yes. Do you want to do it? No.
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  7. #7
    Dreadlord Ripox's Avatar
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    1. they only list 1333 and 1600 as the 'officially supported' speeds but ofc anything above that will still run if your motherboard can support it
    2. There is almost 0% performance gain in games by increasing RAM speed higher than 1600mhz
    3. It will only draw how much is being used, if your PC demands 200w and a PSU is 50000w, it will still only draw 200w even if you change the PSU to a 250w PSU
    4. You really should overclock unless you're in such a crazy tight budget that you cant afford a Z-board, a K-type CPU, and a CPU cooler. These days it is much easier than before and there is no negative effects to your PC. Some motherboards, e.g. the MSI Z87 lineup, have an "OC GENIE 4" switch on the MoBo which you can just flick to the 'gaming' side and it instantly over clocks your system. You can pop into the UEFI BIOS for these motherboards and specify the CPU speed and the RAM speed you want your CPU and RAM to be overclocked to when you flick that switch one. Its as easy as that. You don't even have to reboot to use OC Genie 4
    5. I'm sure its possible but why would you? If the program is so graphically intensive that putting it on your GPU thats already handling another application will cause issues, then putting it on the iGPU will cause even more problems because discrete GPU >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> iGPU

    When you're ready to go for a build, make a thread and specify your location, budget, what you need and want, etc.

  8. #8
    I have some more questions so I hope nobody will mind necroing.

    6. I don't want a huge case so I decided to get something micro-atx. Is there something else I should be aware of than getting motherboard and case in proper size? Like special PSU?
    This is the MB I plan to get currently: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/pro...px?pid=4486#sp
    I don't plan to use SLI / Xfire.

    7. How are SSDs placed in the case? Do they come with some mechanisms with which they can be inserted? Or does case itself must have some special pockets?

    8. I was told Radeon drivers have some issues and are not as efficient as they should be, or simply cause crashes. The only info I could find was about some problems with crossfire. Was that a rumor or non-crossfire configs do suffer from drivers?
    I have enough of EA ruining great franchises and studios, forcing DRM and Origin on their games, releasing incomplete games only to sell day-1 DLCs or spill dozens of DLCs, and then saying it, and microtransactions, is what players want, stopping players from giving EA games poor reviews, as well as deflecting complaints with cheap PR tricks.

    I'm not going to buy any game by EA as long as they continue those practices.

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