Recent content by speach

These processors are very close performance wise but the DDR4 would break the bank on the 6700k. You won't notice a difference in real world usage.

Why not get a 4790k? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117369&cm_re=4790-_-19-117-369-_-Product Mated with this you are still within budget: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130770 Take a peek and let me know what you think.

You're going to have a hard time selling this unit on Tom's because it is part of a very niche market (high-end gaming laptops are a finite piece of hardware for the most part which lowers desirability on older models). With the recent launch of Skylake powered MSI laptops the pricing on these...

I know I can buy one locally for $800 CAD new right now (about $550 USD) so I'm hoping to find a decent, working model for around $400 USD.

It's just a jumping off point hence the "around'. Thanks for the input though.

Looking for a GTX 980Ti, brand/model doesn't matter (Reference models are fine as well). Looking to spend around $400 USD. Aesthetics are unimportant so scratches, scrapes or scuffs are all acceptable as long as the unit is in good working order. I will pay via paypal and also cover shipping...

Unfotunately with the pricing you have you are more likely to get a 4xxx Series rather than a Skylake. Demand is high and supply is low so half of them are selling for a profit right now. Food for thought. Good luck!

It turns out the only way to update to the latest bios version is to use @bios, as dangerous as it can be. I ran it with all extraneous Windows applications disabled and it went off without a hitch. Hopefully this helps someone in the same situation. As expected, all bios function returned to...

I recently acquired a GA-X58A-UD5 and the bios is finicky at best. My conclusion after troubleshooting is that it is somehow corrupted most likely due to a "successful" @bios flash. Whenever I try to install the latest bios revision (FF), q-flash says the bios image is bad and rejects it. Is...

Gigabyte's GA-Z97X-UD5H is supposed to be rock solid from what I've heard. Search for something with a thick PCB and solid capacitors and you'll be fine. MSI also makes a really good military spec Z97 board which might bear looking into.

Drives can spin up even if the supply is failing. I wouldn't rule it out without testing a replacement.