Grunty

Thanks very much for your reply. Do you know why the rule of thumb is to use the same fans? I figured the typhoons were the better fans though so I'll use those on the rad and then I guess I could always add led accents in the case later to match the front fans.

Hi Everyone, I recently ordered a CM Storm Scout 2 case and H80i GT cooler. I have two Scythe Gentle Typhoon 120mm and two Corsair SP120 LED fans. I originally planned to install the Typhoons as front intake and the SP120s in a push-pull on the rear-mounted H80i GT radiator so it would look cool in the window of my case. However, I was wondering if I am hampering my CPU cooling performance significantly by choosing this setup? Alternatively, could I use one Typhoon as the pull on the rad and then use an SP120 LED as the push, in hopes of getting better performance but still having the glow in the case window? Thanks in advance for any input and advice.

Thanks so much, everyone! I'm looking to buy one of those used ones from Ebay. They have Gigabyte R9 270s from $100-115 so I thought that's a great deal. I heard the Gigabyte ones overclock the best.

I built my current system with a 4.5ghz 2500k and 768MB GTX 460 in 2011. Everything ran pretty good when I was using an old 1280x1024 monitor. However, my games aren't running as great after I recently bought a 1080p 40" LED. I'm a MMORPG player and have never played any of those high-end shooter games. The MMOs I do play (previously TERA and now Final Fantasy XIV) are still quite graphics intensive though. My current setup runs Final Fantasy XIV between 35-44 fps with shadows and physics on low but everything else on high settings. If I switch to a r9 270, will I be able to run everything near max/ultra settings? Other than the difference between 768MB and 2GB, how much of a difference will I notice going between the two cards? Will there be a big improvement? Thanks very much.

I've never built an AMD system until today, for my friend who wanted a budget gaming rig for MMOs. I used an FM2+ motherboard and was confused about not having a place to connect the 8-pin wire from the power supply. May someone tell me the reason behind this not being there? Is it opnly AMD that doesn't have this feature? I've built two Intel systems and they always had the 8-pin for power supply hookup on the motherboard.

Hi Everyone, I'm a college student with limited budget. Right now, NewEgg Ebay has 40" 1080p Changhong LED TVs on sale for $229. Does anyone have any experience with this brand? I think I remember Linus mentioning the name on a livestream awhile back. NewEgg's main site has 9 customer reviews for the unit and they are all overall positive (8 of 9 reviews are 4-star and above). Any insight on the brand would be helpful. Thanks.

This was hilarious

I forgot to add that everything is from NewEgg (crossing my fingers for working Edit button soon).

My post got cut off and Edit doesn't work. I wanted to add: CPU Heatsink: Hyper 212 EVO $29.99 Total Cost w/ Ship: $790.42 I also wanted to comment that the 280 GTX is slightly better than my 460 GTX, which runs most games max settings at 60+ FPS. The CPU easily overclocks from 3.3GHz to 4.2GHz with load temps in the mid-50s using the Hyper 212+ for cooling. This build is similar to the $840 build I did for myself in April 2011, except for this build has 8GB RAM (instead of 4GB) along with a better Mobo and GPU.

I think cost of the case should definitely be a factor when building a PC because a first-time builder using a buying guide will not have case lying around. Open box, refurbished, and combo deals should be emphasized rather than thrown out when using an $800 budget so I included those when possible. The GTX 280 is Case: CM 690ii Advanced - $89.99 PSU: Corsair TX650 - $89.99 Mobo: MSI Z77A-G45 Thunderbolt - $144.99 RAM: 2x4GB G.Skill Ripjaws 1600MHz - $40.49 HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200RPM - $89.99 CPU: Intel i5 2500k - $219.99 GPU: EVGA GTX 280 (Refurbished) - $89.99

Okay so I had the idea reversed in my head. Thanks for clearing up my misunderstanding of how dust builds up. Since I have two exhaust fans but only one intake fan, adding another intake fan should even out the pressure.

You should have a second person help you install the heatsink if at all possible. When I originally built my system, my stepdad helped hold the Hyper 212+ heatsink in place while I fit and tightened the screws. When I redid the thermal paste about a year later, I reinstalled the cooler by myself and it was a much longer and frustrating process keeping everything aligned. It's definitely possible by yourself but a bit annoying and more time consuming than with using a friend to help hold it in place.

I apologize for double posting but I wanted to add a related question. I just read on a separate forum, that a sign of not having enough exhaust is having the inside of the case build up a lot of dust. My case seems to easily build up dust on the inside, even having dust screens in place. Should I worry about replacing the exhaust fans before I replace the stock intake fan?

Thanks for the helpful responses! Okay so from these responses, I should replace the fan on my heatsink as well as the top and rear exhaust fans with AP121s but not the front intake fan. What would be a good fan for the intake fan? The CPU is a 2500k overclocked to 4.2GHz @ 1.31V. My desktop is back at the dorms during break so I don't have the temperature readings in front of me but I think they run mid-to-upper 50s after gaming for 3-4 hours. I have a 460 GTX installed and I heard they are infamous for creating a lot of heat inside the case too. I want to improve airflow and get the overall temperatures down and hopefully not have to run the fans as hard as the stock ones because I'm assuming the aftermarket ones will be more efficient. Am I correct in thinking I won't have to run them as hard to get the same or better cooling?

Hello Linus Community! In April of 2011, I built my first PC and it runs nicely. Recently, I have been considering upgrading the fans inside of the case and on my CPU cooler to see if I can get lower temperatures in order to try for a better overclock, lower temperatures of other components, and equivalent or better cooling at lower RPMs since all four of my fans are turned up to 100% and it is noisy. There are two 140mm fans inside of the case -- one front & one top -- and two 120mm fans -- one rear case & one CPU cooler. I'm not sure if I will be able to notice a large improvement in temperature and that's where I would like the community to chime in. The suggestion I would like to avoid would be anything related to purchasing a new CPU cooler. I really love the appearance and the good reviews of the AP121s but am open to suggestions, except for ugly Noctua fans. Due to having to budget funds for purchasing textbooks for Spring semester, I don't have money to make any purchases right away so any current sales will not influence my decision. Thanks in Advance, Nick AKA Grunty