Maximum PC

Hey folks! I finally got the money for a new computer build and have the following core parts already purchased or on the way:

Intel 3570K
Gigabyte Z77-UD3H
Asus Radeon 7850
Corsair 2x4gb RAM
Crucial m4 128gb SSD

I can get it all built and running just fine, but I have two things I am a bit unsure about.

User Profiles and SSD

I want to move all of my document and download folders to my secondary hard drive. I am moving from XP to W7 so I dont have much experience with the new User Profile structure. I have read two methods for doing this, a registry hack that shifts the entire folder over, and a built in "Relocate" option for each folder under the User.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/windows- ... /2941?pg=2

I'm leaning towards just using the built in Relocate thing, the registry hack seems more trouble than its worth. However I was wondering if using a symbolic link on the root Users folder would work?


Lucid Virtu and interaction with Radeon ZeroCore

I want to know more about this Lucid Virtu thing. I have read that Ivy Bridge transcodes videos much faster than other options wich I would like to make use of for ripping my DVD library and making copies for the ipod/pad. I also spend the majority of my computer time doing web browsing, multimedia, and indie/casual/midrange gaming (3d gaming that is not overly demanding).

Does Lucid have graphics switching options like Optimus or the ATI setup for laptops, where you can tell it to go integrated or discrete on a program basis? or is it just auto switch whenever it detects 3d rendering?

If I set up Lucid in a split setup and hook my monitor to the motherboard instead of the 7850, will I still be able to take advantage of the ZeroCore Power function? What kind of performance loss would I expect in this setup? Should I even bother?

Thanks for taking a read through, I appreciate any and all responses!

You just right-click on your documents/downloads/whatever folders and then change the location under the location tab. I'm pretty sure there is graphics switching on it.

I found one method that works beautifully, it uses symbolic links in your C:\ drive and to the OS, going into a symbolic link might as well be the same thing as if the folder was really there. The problem is, it has a higher chance of failure if the Windows install isn't fresh. I've done this a few times and I rendered my computer useless because I couldn't log in.

But the nice thing is, the next time you reinstall or refresh your computer, all you have to do is recreate the user names verbatim and repeat the process and you're right back on your feet.

You have to manually add programs that trip the discrete GPUs, otherwise it sticks to the integrated GPU. Also, I'm not sure how the current implementation is, but you also can't access the control panels because they don't think your graphics card is there (they may have fixed it). And I think if you want to take advantage of QuickSync and Intel's insane encoding speeds, you have to run the monitor through the discrete.

I forget how this all worked, I tried it for a bit and figured it was too much of a pain for me.

Thank you for the reply LatiosXT, I completely forgot to check out Lifehacker for info and of course they had the perfect article for me.


Regarding Lucid Virtu, I did a bunch of reading and it doesn't sound like it plays nice with AMD's ZeroCore Power function, and if it still breaks Catalyst Control usage then it won't be worth the effort to get working.


So thanks again!