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The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE
I assume it was a typo when you suggested H81 or B85 chipset mobos for high non overclocking performance. H81 is the ultra barebones not worth it chipset for people who need the cheapest possible system, you should have said H87, which is similar to B85.

Also the Antec True power Classic PSUs are seasonic built and are useful for people who need a 140mm PSU.

Your case section:

You should add the corsair obsidian 250D to the mITX section, and the Obsidian 450D to the mid tower section. I would also suggest adding the coolermaster N200 and corsair SPEC cases as Ultra budget options.

CPU coolers: The NH-D14 is pretty old now, Noctua's new NH-U14s outperforms it depending on the review you read. You should at the very least add the U12s and U14s to the list.

PC stores: Add ITSdirect to the list of Australian Stores. They are from my experience best in class for customer service, prompt shipping, and computer assembly.

You might also want to note that for people too nervous to build themselves, PC stores often will build your PC for you from your list of parts for a small fee. Also, PCcasegear in Australia has awesome prebuilts, with no markup beyond assembly fee, that all use goon approved parts and don't rip you off. If someone in Australia wants a prebuilt gaming pc, they should go there.

edit: made more suggestions

edit2: tell people about pros/cons of blu-ray drives (don't be judgemental about it though), also this is a good site I found where you can see who the OEM of PSUs are:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/power-supply-oem-manufacturer,2913-4.html

You should also tell people to refer to johnnyguru reviews.

The Lord Bude fucked around with this message at 17:05 on Apr 8, 2014

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The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE

DrAlexanderTobacco posted:

Unless I've missed it in the (Excellent) OP, Logical Increments is a fantastic site to get a good idea of what components are in what price range, and what they'd go well with WRT other components.

It's not really. It frequently tells you to do dumb things.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE

novak posted:

Can I get an opinion on my new build? The rig is going to be used only for gaming, not planning on overclocking. HDD + OS and eveverything else missing will be recycled from an older machine. Case is going to be a Fractal Design R4.



There is no scenario where a gaming computer should have a Xeon processor in it. Those are for servers and workstations.

Ocular posted:

Hi guys, just wanted to say thank you for such a greatly informative thread. My current PC has finally thrown in the towel after a number of years, and lately I've been itching to upgrade. My current PC started shutting off randomly a few weeks ago, and the frequency of the shutdowns became much more common until it would stay on for maybe 2-3 hours before just shutting off completely. Most of the time after a shutdown it would not even POST for a while. Eventually I was able to have it boot up successfully, consistently, however it's now just locking up after 3-5 minutes in Windows, Safe mode, BIOS, whatever. Luckily, I've run into a good chunk of cash and have decided to take the plunge on a new build. This current PC is simply a nightmare at this point, and so far out of date.

My general uses for this build will primarily be heavy gaming and streaming video at 1920x1200 with the liklihood of a secondary monitor at some point. I don't intend to increase the resolution beyond 1920x1200, if I do acquire a secondary monitor it would just be for general use while in a game and such. Please forgive my overall ignorance, I've been out of this game for a long time.

Unfortunately I have had poor experiences ordering hardware online, and have opted to simply purchase all my components directly through my local Canada Computers. The price is generally the same, with the exception of a few sales here and there.

Simply put, at 1920x1200 I'm aiming for top end performance with all/most new releases, to be more specific, I'll be playing a lot of Arma 2 and 3, as well as DayZ Standalone and Planetside 2, amongst other fairly graphically/CPU intensive games. I'm hoping to build a system that will last me a fair while, although I fully acknowledge that future proofing is impossible. I just want a system that will keep my rear end covered for the next fair while, essentially. I'd certainly love to max out Arma and DayZ with no issues, initially, but of course I am looking to perform well in new releases coming up. My goal is to just run everything more or less totally maxed out with no issues, if possible.

My build is based mainly off the OP with any changes just to accommodate the fact that I am buying locally. The build I have thrown together quickly is as follows. Any advice is greatly appreciated. All components are available at my local Canada Computers immediately.


I intend to do some overclocking, but I'm not sure what aftermarket cooler I should be aiming for, for the CPU, would the stock cooler be ample enough for moderate overclocking of this chip?

I am able to salvage my 800gb of internal storage, along with my 2TB external drive. I really want this SSD however I am contemplating dropping the SSD from this build for the time being just to bring the initial costs down, then in a short while I would order it online as locally it appears relatively pricey, and online I can save something like $50. It's not a huge deal or anything. I've never used an SSD, so if they are as amazing as they seem I might just throw caution to the wind and spend the cash on it.

My budget is strange, realistically I have a budget of around $1500, but I'd prefer not to spend all of it. This build along with the SSD comes to roughly $1200 locally, which is a comfortable spot for me, so I am prepared to take the plunge. I`d just certainly appreciate a sanity check with this build. Thanks again!

One other thing, I couldn`t help but be tempted by an i7-4770K and GTX 770; looking over the price to performance ratio it really doesn`t seem worth it. For heavy gaming at 1920x1200 would I be perfectly set with the build I put together or is there really any reason I should even be considering the 4770K and GTX 770? Thanks so much in advance, I really appreciate it. Sorry for rambling.

1. You won't get any benefit from an i7, but getting a gtx 770 would let you go crazy and max out all the graphics settings on everything.

2. Either way, you don't need a 650w power supply, cut 100w out and get the G-550.

3. You also don't really need a mid tower case/full sized motherboard - there is no reason not to simply get an obsidian 350D (maybe add an extra 140mm front fan to get positive air pressure for keeping dust out, and lower temperatures since you're overclocking; if you're serious about overclocking then replace all the existing fans so that you have 3 Noctua or bitfenix spectre pro fans; 2 as intake and one as rear exhaust) or one of the quiet oriented cases if you want things as quiet as possible (but this will impact your ability to overclock.) Remember those ultra quiet insulated cases are only quiet if you focus on noise reduction throughout the PC - If you try and stick an overclocking build in one you end up with cpu coolers and graphics card coolers that have to work overtime to cope with the reduced airflow.

4. I strongly recommend not using an ancient 800gig hard drive. Just buy a WD red in whatever capacity suits you.

5. You won't be overclocking on the stock cooler. A hyper 212 evo is adequate for mild overclocking, but for anything else get a Noctua U14s, or a U12s if you have motherboard/case compatability issues with the biggger coolers.

You can also get a decent mATX mobo that does everything you need it to. MSI Gamer branded stuff has those horrible Killer brand NICs though. I particularly like Asus, they have excellent bios software, and their boards tend to have lots of fan headers to plug in all your case fans (and they let you control them through software/bios).

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE

OnceIWasAnOstrich posted:

I currently have a computer that is mostly ~3 years old with a nicely overclocked 2500k. I don't see much point to replacing the CPU considering all the other things that would need to be replaced and the minimal improvement over a 4.6ghz Sandy Bridge. I do have a 2gb 7850 that doesn't quite cut it for the 1440p monitors I am using. I am thinking about the options I have for replacing the graphics card.

The main problem I have is the power supply in this computer is a 5 year old Seasonic 430W. First of all it hits the 5 year warranty expiration next week, so I'm starting to worry about it lasting, but also I am not sure if it could even handle a ~230W GPU on top of what is probably ~130-140W for the overclocked processor in addition to all of the hard drives and random other crap in the system. Is it time for a new power supply?

Also, I don't think this is the solution, but I have also considered adding a second 7850, since it seems to have relatively comparable performance to a 770, maybe a little better excluding any Crossfire issues (which I am not that familiar with, is it still terrible?) and would be probably $250 cheaper, $200 if I managed to sell the 7850, and $150 cheaper than a 760 which it significantly outperforms.

Remember that even a 770 falls into 'only just adequate' territory when talking about 1440p. If you can afford it, a 780 or R9-290 would be your ideal options, along with a new 550w psu.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE

Chemondelay posted:

I'm looking at getting a bog-standard "Goons will like this" build per the OP. It's more or less purely for gaming, and I'm starting from scratch, so I need to pick up a monitor too. I was leaning towards the Dell U2412M by default, but I'm wondering whether it's worth going for a 120hz TN screen. Just have a couple of questions:
  1. What are people's subjective opinions on 120hz for gaming? (I'm not worried about any weirdness with video playback, because we have a separate HTPC/HDTV setup.)
  2. Is a GTX 760 likely to have enough grunt to get much out of a 120hz screen anyway?

Personally for me the improved picture quality of an IPS trumps the improved frame rate of 130hz any day, unless you're a pro gamer. You will need a 770 at least or maybe a 780 to be consistently hitting 120 fps at max details. Our gpu recommendations all assume 60hz monitor.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE

letgomyAgo posted:

I'd like to plug the Antec GX700 for the OP. I built a system in one last fall and it was a really nice case at a very cheap price point. 50 bucks gets tool-less and customizable HDD trays, fits 11.5' GPUs, can fit a hyper 212, support for dual 120mm top fans or a 240mm rad. Even the materials were really good for a budget case. Metal clip on face plates for the drive bays, metal guard for the front intake. The asthetic is nice in my opinion as well, everything painted in a sort of military olive drab with a flip up access switch for the fan controller.

A good case I would plug for anyone looking for a good budget solution.

http://www.antec.com/product.php?id=706394&fid=5022074

we aren't in the habit of recommending leet gamer crap that looks like it was designed by an acid tripping toddler and has crazy pants fan configurations , sorry.

look at the recommendations we already have. Do you see a trend emerging?

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

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deimos posted:

Holy mother of god, did anyone else see the Recommended requirements for Watch Dogs PC?

Recommended:
OS: Windows Vista (SP2), Windows 7 (SP1) or Windows 8 (Please note that we only support 64 bit OSs.)
Processor: Eight core - Intel Core i7-3770 @3.5 GHz or AMD FX-8350 X8 @ 4 GHz
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: DirectX 11 graphics card with 2 GB Video RAM - Nvidia Geforce GTX 560 ti or AMD Radeon HD 7850
DirectX: Version 11
Hard Drive: 25 GB available space
Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c Compatible Sound Card with Latest Drivers

Supported Video Cards at Time of Release: nVidia GeForce GTX460 or better, GT500, GT600, GT700 series; AMD Radeon HD5850 or better, HD6000, HD7000, R7 and R9 series Intel® Iris™ Pro HD 5200


Those are some weaksauce GPU requirements to go with that huge CPU requirement.

the new middle earth game is even crazier... It recommends a core i7 3770 and a gtx670. Minimum is i5 750 and gtx 560.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

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z06ck posted:

That's pretty funny cause the 3770 is not 8 core

they're counting hyper threading as being 2 cores so as not to confuse consumers with facts.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE
Looks like Newegg has just started shipping to Australian customers. Australian Goons can save hundreds of dollars on the components for a new PC, even with shipping factored in. Remember though that American consumer protection law is complete garbage, so do this at your own risk - you won't have nearly the same level of protection if something goes wrong with your stuff down the line.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

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Caddrel posted:

I'm getting ready to order the parts for my first custom PC, thanks to the great help in this thread. I have a few questions, mainly about the case. I'll post the parts list first then describe my use case.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B85M-G43 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($67.49 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($138.57 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card (Purchased For $239.20)
Case: Corsair 350D MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Wireless Network Adapter: Intel 62205ANHMWDTX1 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($35.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $896.19

I'm trying to stay under $900, but could go up to $1000. I'll mainly be gaming with it on a single 1080p monitor. Eventually I might want to add another monitor, but not for anything graphics intensive on the side.

The SeaSonic 520W PSU seems like overkill on wattage, but it was the cheapest modular PSU and is reportedly much quieter than the Rosewill.

I'm also not sure about the case. Since this is my first time assembling a PC, I'd like the case to be fairly hassle-free and accommodating of neat wiring. And since my apartment is pretty dusty, good dust protection is important to me too. I'm willing to spend more on the case if it will improve in those areas.

Does the Corsair 350D seem like the best case for me, or would there be a better one for neat-wiring and dust protection?

corsair is best in class for ease of use. If dust is a concern, buy a second 140mm intake fan to maintain positive pressure, and demciflex filters for at least the top panel.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE

smelly cabin filter posted:

How difficult an install is the coolermaster 212 evo? A lot of the reviews seem to say the instructions are terrible.

Not hugely difficult in the grand scheme of things but a massive pain in the arse compared to the impeccable mechanism used by Noctua coolers. Look up youtube videos if you want to get a sense of it.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE

Grumpwagon posted:

I wonder if it's worth putting a note in the quick picks part list that if you're not overclocking or going for a minimum noise build that the stock heatsink is way easier to install, and adequate for normal workloads.

I probably would have been fine with the stock one. Now that it's installed, I like how quiet it is, but all things considered, I might have been better off saving the $30.

I don't really like the idea of encouraging people to go with the stock cooler, they make such an awful noise - If an extra $30 for something that should last through the lifespan of two computers is too much of a financial burden, then ok I guess but it's a trivial amount of money to spend on a sizable quality of life improvement - I spend nearly twice that on coffee each week.

Constant background noise from fans and stuff is damaging to human hearing. I treat is as a matter of principle that people should be trying to minimize the noise their pc makes - at least the majority of time that it's idling - unless they have a really good reason to do otherwise.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE

Torabi posted:

My AMD 5870 has been doing fine but the fact that it has a single fan is causing trouble. It is getting really noisy and temperatures when idle are starting to suck. I play a lot of videogames but I'm no fancy 1080p person, I have two 1680x1050 monitors, but I obviously only play on one. I play around with Maya and recently bought Unreal 4. Unreal 4 is definitely making the GPU cry a bit. I'm already planning on buying a new fan for my CPU and some additional ram but sadly I can't change the fan on my GPU.

I was thinking of a 760 GTX since I am rather sick of AMD now. But the 700 series is almost a year old now? No word on the 800 series either so right now seems like the worst time to buy a new card. Saying my budget won't really help since everything is overpriced in Sweden, so something that might be reasonably priced in the US is probably much more expensive here. But still, if you have any suggestions then do tell.

Sucks that the 760ti is only for OEM.

You're unlikely to see an 860 till Q4 - Q1 2015 is more likely. the 750 and 750ti are actually next generation parts that were recently released. Assuming you're not planning on getting a 1080p monitor, you'd do fine with a 750ti. If you think you might get a 1080p monitor at some point in the next couple of years, then get a 760.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE

Biaga posted:

Ok, well I have lurked here for a few days and feel I am ready to ask for some help in building a decent machine (and open myself up to criticism). This will be the first build project that I have undertaken.

Computers have not been my strong suit, but I am very interested in building a machine that will match my gaming goals. I play a number of mmos, and the current machine I have has suited me so far but my interests in some of the newer titles (Titanfall, Watchdogs) has brought me to the startling realization that my computer is no longer keeping pace.

My current set up is as follows, please let me know what I need to scrap and what could possibly be salvaged.

Processor: Intel Pentium Duel CPU E2200 @ 2.20GH
Video Card: AMD Radeon HD 7700 Series
Memory:8.2GB DDR3
OS: Windows 7, 64-bit
PSU: Corsair CX430 (After reading the OP I realize this is unpopular but it came highly recommended and I was ignorant)
HD: The one I am using currently is terrible, but I have a Scandisk Ultra Plus 256GB SSD I received as a gift (random I know, but I got it) which I am hoping to use.
MotherBoard: ASUS LGA775 (http://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P5G41TM_LX/)
Display: 1600x900


My Price point is around 700$.

Any suggestions are welcome, and please forgive my slow learning.



As a secondary, I am curious to see what this thread has to say about The Vanquish II (http://www.digitalstormonline.com/vanquish-ii.asp) I know its to good to be true but I am curious to use it as a comparison to learn what to look out for and what I should try and avoid.

You have nothing worth salvaging, (except maybe a dvd drive if you have one) but it's going to be hard to fit a new monitor in your budget, so I suggest keeping your old one for now, and planning your build on the assumption that you'll get a new 1080p screen somewhere down the line when you can afford it. By all means do use your free SSD. It's probably not quite as good as our recommended Samsung 840EVO, but you shouldn't look a gift Drive in the SATA port:rimshot:.

As for that digital storm thing: Aside from paying far too much, they screw you with a lovely CX series PSU, and a really barebones cheapo motherboard, not to mention a not particularly great, overly blingy case.


Start with something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B85M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Red 1TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($229.20 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($58.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $718.13
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-11 00:08 EDT-0400)

From here, you need an operating system, and a wireless adapter if you want wireless, and a dvd drive if you don't already have one and you want one. A $30 Hyper 212evo would cut noise down, but we're already skirting the very edge of your budget. If you are certain you want to keep your current monitor for the life of this PC, then you can save money with a gtx750ti instead of the 760.

Oviously add your new SSD as the operating system/programs/games drive.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

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Spielmeister posted:

Speaking of that site, I wonder if anyone actually goes for the $800 gloss finishes or the $500-$1000+ liquid cooling options they have available for their other models? :signings:

Anyway, I've been thinking of switching over to an overclocking build rather than the one I posted in the last thread. The 1080p gaming part still stands. Is there anything too crazy/stupid on here? Oh, and does anyone know if it's safe to start an account with Newegg or NCIX right now in light of the Heartbleed bug? The LastPass checker can't seem to get any information about them.

PCPartPicker part list /

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Z87M-Plus Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($132.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Kingston 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Red 3TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($127.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($259.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 550D ATX Mid Tower Case ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($23.29 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($98.86)
Total: $1328.06

The U14S isn't compatible with that motherboard unless you mount it with the fans pointing up - I'd suggest getting a U12s, or changing motherboard - you can view a compatibility list on Noctua's website. That case also isn't that great either as a quiet case or as a silent case, I suggest choosing the obsidian 450D if you want a midtower sized case oriented towards performance, or a fractal design Define R4 or Nanoxia DS1 if you value silence - but a super silent case is kinda at cross purposes with the overclocking thing. Given the mATX motherboard, you could also go with the smaller 350D, or something like a fractal design arc mini.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

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C. E. Croix posted:

So my premade Dell is almost staring down a decade, and with XP support ended, I should finally get around to building a PC for the first time. I'm using the value system as base, as I would like to keep it under $900, and I'm looking to game at an acceptable performance.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B85M Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($71.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R7 265 2GB Video Card ($172.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 450W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus VN248H 23.8" Monitor ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $764.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-11 14:11 EDT-0400)

I have an old DVD drive and 140GB harddrive that I would like to re-use, since I since I'm not sure about a SSD with a cheap, first time build like this.

do not under any circumstances reuse some ancient 140gig hard drive - if it's even compatible. Your PC would run like poo poo. Get a 130gig ssd and a 1tb WD red if you want more storage, you have ample budget room.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

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fletcher posted:

I tried to turn on my PC this morning and got an CPU fan failed error message. How did the fan on my 212 EVO die after only a few months?? There wasn't even a lot of dust in there.

check manually to see if the fan is still spinning. Often the minimum fan speed of the cooler when the CPU is idle will be below the threshold set in the bios to report a fan error. If this is the case either ignore it, or reduce the alert threshold - my Asus mobo has it set at 600 rpm by default but the CPU cooler fan can happily run at 400 rpm.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

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Agent Escalus posted:

I'm not really wanting to spend more than $100 on a mobo. It seems that if I can find one that'll support the new hardware and has all the connections I want, why bother going for one that's pricier? So far the only compromises I can see are having 2 DDR3 slots instead of 4, and maybe only having DVI output instead of DVI plus HDMI...which I'd only use on the mobo for backup in case the new vidcard failed/error-ed, same with the onboard audio.

But is this a good mentality to have? To cut corners on the mobo to free up $ for a slightly faster CPU? Is this something I should NOT skimp on?

As long as it's a reputable brand (Asus, Asrock,MSI would be the main ones) just compare the features and feel free to not buy a motherboard that has stuff you don't need. Start by comparing the chipset - Z87 if you need overclocking or multi gpu support, B85 is fine for everything else - then look at things like ram slots, number of PCI-e slots - and layout, if you want a big cooler - quality of the Audio chip, quality of the NIC - Intel ones are the best, cheaper boards will often use realtek or something, leet gamer crap often has Killer. Number of USB ports, USB headers for front panels, fan headers - then start looking at how the board is laid out, especially on tiny boards - some brands for eg put the CPU socket so close to the PCIe slot that you can't fit a tower cooler. z87 boards tend to pile on the overclocking features as you go up in price but b85 boards should all be much of a muchness other than obvious things like the above.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

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Rockopolis posted:

Thanks for the advice, I think tonight I'm going to order the fan controller, another memory stick, the Noctua NH-U14S CPU cooler and NF-S12A case fan.

What is the rule for case fan positioning and numbers?
Rear fan, intake?

Is there a minimum number of fans for a non-overclocked computer with no graphics card (yet)? I took a look at the BIOS thermometer last night, as is I think it's running in the middle thirties Celsius.

Office work type systems can happily make do with one fan. 2 fans is better for higher end systems with a graphics card. The typical (sensible) gaming PC has 2 intakes and one exhaust (or in some cases one large intake fan and a smaller exhaust fan) because this creates positive pressure that helps keep dust out. Anything beyond 3 case fans and you'd really want to have a bloody good reason. 99% of people have no reason to get a case with more than 3 fans.

Stay away from anything with fans smaller than 120mm. Better cases will have 140mm or bigger fans, or at least the option to add them.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

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Touchfuzzy posted:

Gryphon
--
-Supports up to 1866MHz RAM
-6 SATA 6GB/s side-facing ports
-2 PCI Express 3.0 x16 or dual at x8
-Intel LAN
-Realtek ALC892 audio
-4 USB 3.0
-4 USB 2.0


Maximus
--
-Supports up to 3000MHz RAM (Through overclocking. You might be able to touch that with the Gryphon too, but it's not guaranteed, I guess.)
-8 SATA 6GB/s side-facing ports
-2 PCI Express 3.0 x16 or dual at x8
-Intel LAN
-ROG SupremeFX Audio 8-Channel High Definition audio (Better? :shrug:)
-6 USB 3.0
-4 USB 4.0


Other than those main things, I guess it's just other tiny bits like...the layout of the PCI slots themselves. As for quality, both the RoG boards and Gryphon/Sabertooth boards are claimed to be more robust/stable than other boards they make, so both are good quality. The Gryphon has the whole BIOS Flashback button, if that's something you think is useful.

Also something I saw was that the Maximus specifically said that six of its eight SATA ports are controlled by the Intel Z87 chipset, while the other two are by ASMedia ASM1061. The Gryphon doesn't say, and I'm not qualified enough to give a poo poo as to what that means.

Basically, I'd say both are good. If it was between these two, I'd probably pick the Gryphon since I myself don't need the few extras the Maximus gives. But I also haven't looked at any ATX boards, either.

That supremeFX thing is an actual soundcard on a daugterboard. It's the best sound you'll get without buying something separately. The ALC 892 is on the crappier side of things sound wise.

Note that ROG boards have a ton of extra overclocking related stuff, both on the board and in the UEFI - pages and pages of advanced tweaking options. The ROG board is objectively superior to the gryphon (but we tend not to recommend it because it costs a fortune and most of the features are wasted on the average user).

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE

C. E. Croix posted:

One last revision.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B85M Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($71.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital RE4 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($81.15 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($45.62 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus VN248H 23.8" Monitor ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1058.67
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-14 18:46 EDT-0400)

Added a more powerful PSU in, and I think I might be good to go.

Why do you have a RE4 hard drive? Get a WD red or blue

stinkles1112 posted:

So I'm looking at doing my very first PC build, primarily to be a media center and do some amateur audio recording of my lovely garage band. I'm looking to have a main monitor for the music room and to use the living room TV as a second monitor for Netflix and etc. The most graphically intensive game I'm likely to be playing on it regularly is, like, Hearthstone, so I'm not super concerned about getting a great video card but I'd like to be able to run Starcraft 2 (the only other PC game I really play at all) on max if I want to, and I definitely want to have good dual monitor support. Money isn't really an object but I'd like to keep it relatively inexpensive since I'm not looking for Pro Gaming here. This is what I have so far:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B85M-G43 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($74.24 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($71.10 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($139.99 @ Best Buy)
Storage: Western Digital Red 1TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.99 @ Micro Center)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-222BB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($34.98 @ Amazon)
Sound Card: Asus Xonar DX 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card ($78.65 @ NCIX US)
Total: $738.93
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-14 20:33 EDT-0400)

So what would the thread recommend by way of a GPU and PSU?

A 750ti would suit you fine by way of gpu, and just get a 400-450w PSU, from the brands we recommend in the OP. You also don't need a case that large if you're getting an mATX mobo - get a fractal design Define Mini or Nanoxia DS4 if you want to stay with quiet, or a Fractal Design ARC mini/corsair Obsidian 350D for better cooling.

If your aim is to have a quiet PC then you probably want to look into a cpu cooler like a hyper212 evo, or a Noctua U12S (more expensive but probably a little quieter and much easier to install).

What speakers/headphones do you have that you think you need a separate sound card? Unless you've spent at least a couple hundred dollars here you probably don't.

The Lord Bude fucked around with this message at 03:06 on Apr 15, 2014

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE

CuddlyZombie posted:

Hey, so, last week, a bunch of you guys, especially Hace, did me a huge favor and helped me pick out parts for a PC. Tomorrow I'll be ready to actually place the order, and I figured that since it's been a week I'd better ask for one last once-over to make sure that this is still a good thing to get. I can see that the price went up a little due to some deals expiring, but it's not by very much and I'd still be happy with it as-is, if it's fine. Also, I think the merchants shifted around, getting as many things with Amazon Prime would have been ideal, but perhaps PCPartPicker finds whichever retailer is cheapest overall? I really appreciate all the help you guys gave me last week and could use it again one more time.

Again, the PCPArts picker link is here: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3nDzx, though I tried changing some of the retailers so I could either always get free shipping or be able to pick stuff up in-store at microcenter, and wound up with this: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3rXXH Because sales tax here in Chicago is ludicrous, I'm trying to order online as much as I can, so only the CPU I'm willing to pick up locally.



Oh and lastly, I'm considering getting a wireless keyboard, as well. What's the best way to find one that isn't too pricey but won't break on me after a couple months?

You generally can't go wrong buying Microsoft or Logitech. I don't know how a wireless keyboard will go from a gaming perspective though.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE
I think far more effort has gone into creating really good gaming mice with wireless capabilities in recent years, whereas I'm struggling to think of a wireless gaming keyboard. I happily game on my G602 mouse, but I'd never game on 'random $20 wireless laptop mouse'. My suggestion would be to buy a normal keyboard - mechanical if you want to spend a little more. (that's the other thing, I'd never go back to a non mechanical keyboard and I can't think of any keyboard on the market that is both wireless and mechanical.)

Then, for media centre use, either buy a separate media centre keyboard that has a touchpad built into it - logitech makes these - or do what I do and use free software/apps that let you use your smartphone and tablets as wireless controls for your computer - they exist for every smartphone platform and are really good. Many media centre software has it's own such app, and there are generic ones which let you use your phone as a touchpad/keyboard.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE

Agent Escalus posted:

I suppose I might as well post what the semi-final parts list shall be for feedback and advice (prices are in CDN and I intend to poke around; these are just the current prices from Memory Express):

Case: Zalman Z9 U3 ($79 with $20 mail-in rebate, so $59)

CPU: Intel i5-4570, 3.20GHz w/ 6MB Cache ($225)

RAM: Kingston HyperX Red 8GB DDR3-1600MHz (on sale for $85 instead of $90, but might change to 2 sticks given advice above though that'd be more money)

Graphics: Asus GTX 760 2GB PCI-E ($305, or $295 after rebate)

Audio: Sound Blaster Z PCI-E ($90, and yes I have good speakers and want quality over onboard mobo crap)

HD: Western Digital 3TB SATA III w/ 64MB Cache (on sale for $130 instead of $150)

SSD: Kingston SSDNow V300, 120GB ($80 instead of $110)

Media: LG 12X Blu-Ray Combo Drive w/ 3D Playback ($65, and nowhere on the page does it say that you have to pay extra in order to play the drat BDs. Wasn't even aware that was a thing until this thread. Should I expect a bamboozling?)

Motherboard: Still figuring that out. I think given that my new case comes with 3 fans, the right number of fan connections should be a factor?)

Power: ThermalTake Smart Standard 750W ($90. Think 750W is too much? Too little? Just right?)

OS: Whatever Windows 8/8.1 costs for a new user. Like 7 plenty but it came on my laptop so no disc or future installs. And since the next DirectX is 8.1 only...

Misc: Logitech G13 Gameboard ($70, wanted one of these for a while)

Thoughts?

That case is not a bad one, per se but it's really ugly and I think you can do better for $80 - the thread favourite obsidian 350D should be cheaper, and is a better case, as an example.

Definitely try and get a motherboard with 3 chassis fan headers, or a fan controller (some cases have a built in fan controller). 3 fan headers on a motherboard is kinda a rarity except for expensive overclocking oriented motherboards, so a fan controller would be the more cost effective option.

Your Soundcard: My opinion on soundcards is that they are overkill for people with crappy speakers, but not that great in the grand scheme of things for people with serious speakers. If I knew exactly what you had I could be more specific, but my advice would be:

1. Higher quality motherboards now come with really good in built sound, as good as or better than cheap soundcards - If we're talking a couple hundred dollars worth of speakers do this.

2. Soundblaster isn't that good. If you have more than a couple hundred dollars worth of speakers and want a soundcard, get something like an Asus Xonar Essence.

3. If we're talking serious sound gear, like >$500, forget about soundcards and get a proper external DAC, connected via Optical (check that your board has a toslink port, most do these days). Something like this would be your entry level choice: http://audioengineusa.com/Store/Digital-Audio-Converters/D1-24-Bit-DAC

Do not buy that power supply. There is no such thing as good 750w power supplies that cost that little, and thermaltake is not known for making good power supplies. You want a 450w power supply, preferably made by seasonic, or one of the others listed in the OP

Kingston SSDs are crap. Unless you have special needs, there is really no reason to buy anything other than a Samsung 840EVO, they outperform anything else on the consumer market, and are super reliable. Intel SSDs are almost as fast and can potentially be better in special circumstances (like not having TRIM support) but this isn't you.

You haven't said what type of Western Digital hard drive that is - If It's a green, I strongly suggest getting red instead; greens have terrible performance for gently caress all power savings. If it's a black, be mindful that it will be much noisier for only a marginal performance gain.

Blu-ray disks come with tons of DRM, so they require special media centre software to decode them for playback. Often you'll need to buy new versions to support newer disks with newer DRM. Arcsoft Total Media theatre is my favourite, and it's relatively affordable. Some drives come bundled with software (but it's often a trial version or several versions out of date).

The Lord Bude fucked around with this message at 13:27 on Apr 15, 2014

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE

Grumio posted:

Hi thread, just wanted to say thanks for the great resource. I haven't built a computer in almost a decade, so I've been trying to catch up on all the modern hardware. Based on this thread's recommendations, here's what I've put together for a work/gaming PC. Not a lot of surprises, but any comments or critiques are welcome.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Motherboard: ASRock B85M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($87.00 @ CPL Online)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($99.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($179.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($309.00 @ CPL Online)
Case: Corsair 350D MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($139.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: Antec TruePower Classic 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($109.00 @ CPL Online)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($22.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($115.00 @ CPL Online)
Keyboard: Ducky DK2108-BUSLLA Wired Gaming Keyboard ($99.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Total: $1456.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-15 22:19 EST+1000)

:australia: I hate how much hardware costs in Australia. I don't have a lot of other options for sourcing, as shipping here is too expensive. I'm saving a bunch as it is because I can pick up these parts directly from the stores. I haven't picked out a monitor yet, but I'd rather see a few in person before deciding.

I did have a few questions for the thread:

-As I mentioned, I haven't had a new system in a long time and have been using an old Dell laptop as my main computer for over 5 years. As a result, I haven't really had the chance to play a lot of fancy or high-spec games in a long time. I don't really see myself buying too many big new releases or cranking up the graphics settings with this new computer, in part because I'm not really in the habit of it. That being said, I would like to get back into some flight sims and catch up on some of the games I've missed (Total war, Last of us, Bioshock, etc).
Should I keep the GTX 760 I've got in here currently, or go with something like a 750 Ti? An EVGA 750 Ti at $195 is an attractive alternative.

-Reading lots of reviews for the 4570, it sounds like the stock heatsink is efficient and quiet. Should I spend the extra $40 on a coolermaster 212?

-I haven't found any of the PSUs in the recommended list, but went with something similar. Does that PSU look decent enough, or should I select something else from this list? I could also go with the 450W version.

Thanks!

It's almost as if you read some sort of guide, like, at the beginning of the thread or something, and were able to use it to make correct selections for everything.

Your GPU: I think the 760 is ideal for 1080p gaming. I'd stick with it.

Personally, I think stock coolers are loud and obnoxious, and I suggest replacing it with something better, like the 212evo. The Noctua U12s costs a little more but is better - cooler and quieter - and is also much much easier to install, which you may care about if you are a novice builder. Otherwise save money and get the hyper212

A 450w power supply is adequate for your system. The Antec true power classics are built by seasonic, so quality is not an issue, besides them not being modular which makes keeping cables tidy a pain in the arse. Feel free to buy any PSU listed under 'Seasonic' at PCCasegear.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE
Have you tried the G602? I don't notice a difference at all coming off my deathadder.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE

Sir Unimaginative posted:

There's EDIT: no real mouse megathread but this one got turned into mousechat long ago. I stuck with MX518s for several years, until they became the G400. I ended up switching to the G500 and I couldn't be happier, and I don't know what I'll do if an earthquake or something destroys it and I have to look at the G500S or its competitors.

Also Chrome decided to read all lateral scrolling as vertical scrolling at some point because damnit Google.

Note on gamepads:

Yes, if you want something failsafe, the Xbox 360 wired controller is a hell of a default, but it's by no means the only option.

Xbox 360 Wireless controllers require batteries (read: Sanyo Eneloops). Also you'll need the kit (good luck finding one) or a receiver puck for existing controllers (also good luck) because the proprietary port on top is just for charging and for show.

Xbox 360 controllers of both stripes often don't play well with DirectInput games and emulators (I suppose that's what X360CE is for), and Xbox 360 wireless controllers don't work with as many games as Xbox 360 wired controllers do (and nothing can help you there).

Logitech makes the F310 wired gamepad and F710 wireless gamepad; both DirectInput/Xinput switchable, and the F710 has turbo to boot (but also an extra $20 on its tag and forced wireless). Not bad alternatives to the 360.

If you're feeling adventurous:
+ Unofficial drivers have made Sony's DualShock 3 work on computers over both mini-USB and Bluetooth. DirectInput vs Xinput can be set in server.
+ The DualShock 4 is already DirectInput compatible over micro-USB, but unofficial drivers open up touchpad and gyro controls and Xinput and Bluetooth compatibility. This is probably the overall best controller available for ... anything, really, if you can deal with the price and the effort to set it up.
- Earlier PlayStation controllers, and other console controllers, are often compatible with adapters, but also often require unsigned drivers (which are a headache on 64-bit Windows and possibly a nightmare with Secure Boot enabled) and/or are not particularly well-tested or well-validated, and are almost certainly not Xinput-compatible, and are not recommended.

Xbox One controller drivers are still vague Microsoft promises away and no one knows if you'll need to buy all-new Windows-specific controllers or whether they'll work with Xinput or just Store games. Microsoft's quashed attempts at unofficial drivers so far (which, if found, are still in the unsigned and not terribly functional phase). I would not try to make an Xbox One controller a primary or guest gamepad.

This probably isn't an exhaustive list of gamepads and doesn't try to cover racing wheels, flight sticks or other controllers, but anything beyond this that's actually useful will be a welcome surprise.

Xbo360 controllers also have horrible D-pads (and imitation 360s like the razer controller are even worse) so get something else if your reason for wanting a controller is emulating old 2d sidescrollers or something.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE

Ignoarints posted:

No, I wanted one but reports from some users about input lag (while minor, and only relative to more expensive mice) makes me want to avoid it. It's a shame because the design and battery life are extremely appealing. Would it really matter? I dont know. I am obsessively overly sensitive to mouse input. I'm riding on a G700 that's slowly failing me until either I find something that at least equals its performance or just get another 700.

My battery life in that mouse is just so bad though. I have a stack of eneloops constantly charging because it dies in 2 or 3 hours.

I just mentioned this in the mouse thread but my g602 mouse that I bought in january is still on its original batteries.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE

stinkles1112 posted:

Thank you for the advice! I actually haven't picked out the headphones and speakers I'm going to use yet but my intention is in fact to spend at least a couple hundred dollars, because I really want faithful and high quality playback, particularly from the headphones, for doing my recording/editing. I'm also trying to improve my signal/noise ratio as much as possible and it was my understanding that a discrete sound card was very helpful for that as well.

In that case read further down from my original response where I made a more detailed post to another guy about sound stuff.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE

Sir Unimaginative posted:

You could go cheaper than that, or better quality than that, or get one of these.


Oh hey, I forgot Razer.

Yeah, the Sabertooth costs 80 bucks (so 2 360 controllers or a DS4 and an F310), it's arranged like a 360 controller, and it looks like this.

Also Razer is the company at the center of the DRM Mouse scandal, and even though they've tried to make the software prettier and more pleasant it's still their M.O. so I don't understand why people in here would give them actual dollars for any products.

I have one of their previous gen ones - having the d-pad as 4 separate buttons completely breaks the D-pad's ability to be meaningfully used as a d-pad in 2d games.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE

stinkles1112 posted:

So something like that Maximus VI Gene from upthread would probably suit my needs adequately? That's an awful big price jump though, is there a board with similar quality on-board sound that doesn't double my cost, or is that just how it's gonna be?

Look for a mobo with an ALC 1150 chip. $200 worth of headphones is justification enough to upgrade from non 1150 mobo sound, $200 doesn't stretch nearly as far if we're talking speakers. It may turn out to be cheaper to get a dedicated sound card or external DAC and pair it with a cheaper mobo. For reference something like this:

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-sound-card-xonaressencestx

Is what I would call a good quality soundcard. Bear in mind this would be far superior to even the onboard in the Maximus mobos. That supreme FX card on maximus mobos is a very nice upgrade from regular crappy onboard but it isn't worth paying that much extra for the motherboard just for that, when you aren't going to use even 5% of the mobo features.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

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deimos posted:

If you have $200 headphones you're better off with a USB DAC.

I tend to agree but that xonar has better stats than the entry level USB dacs and I didn't want to suggest someone spend 400 dollars unless I knew they were really into audio.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

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Crackbone posted:

Nothing other than what you mentioned, but those are kind of a big deal since they're the criteria you use to judge if a wireless adapter is good or not.

Unless it's been fixed in windows 8, USB wireless adapters also often don't work properly when you resume the computer from sleep, and you have to reset the adapter.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

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smelly cabin filter posted:

Yeah I meant a decent one that doesnt have cables going to a reciever like all the intel ones. I guess this should be ok.

I have one of those tiny realtek wireless usb things, it works ok but it gets quite hot. Also the plastic casing just fell off and the heat caused the adhesive that holds the wireless unit to the metal usb part to separate.

It still works but I wouldnt use one on anything that I cared about having a stable connection on.

That is by definition not a decent one though - there is a reason why Intel and Asus adapters are the best performers - they have recievers that you can place away from the interference of the PC and in a good spot.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE

Serephina posted:

The absurdity of this!

What type of use case calls for this; who has trouble picking up wireless signals to their static pc tower?

The back of most people's towers are against a wall near the floor. It's not a good spot.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

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Brianbloke posted:

I built my computer a good few years ago and I've began to notice it beginning to struggle on a few games.
I have an SSD, 8gigs of Ram, GTX570 and i5 2500k.
No idea how to overclock -just saying- since I never took an interest, however will probably do it soon.
I mostly play Arma 2/Arma 3 which I've been told it uses the processor more than other games.

Would you suggest on upgrading the Processor or the GPU?

The only thing you really need to upgrade is your GPU. Get a gtx760 or 770.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE

Oggumogoggum posted:

I've been revising this for weeks now. I think I'm finally done. I don't know if I'm going to change anything.

I'll be buying this is a few weeks when I finish (and am paid for) a rather large data entry job I'm doing.

Are there any issues? Is this PSU good enough?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($287.91 @ DirectCanada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($36.72 @ DirectCanada)
Motherboard: Asus Z87M-Plus Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($148.69 @ DirectCanada)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($107.33 @ Memory Express)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.54 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($101.02 @ Newegg Canada)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($453.28 @ NCIX)
Case: Corsair 350D MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($103.67 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($112.98 @ NCIX)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($22.03 @ Vuugo)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (Purchased For $0.00)
Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor (Purchased For $289.99)
Wireless Network Adapter: Intel 7260HMWDTX1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($67.78 @ Amazon Canada)
Keyboard: Logitech K120 Wired Standard Keyboard (Purchased For $11.00)
Other: 6 ft DisplayPort Cable ($6.05)
Total: $1857.99
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-16 12:08 EDT-0400)

You won't get more than a mild overclock with that hyper212 evo - stick with it if you're just dabbling, get a Noctua U12S (or U14s/D15 if they fit) if you have more serious ambitions. If you're serious about overclocking stuff, replace the stock fans on that case with Noctuas or bitfenix spectre pros - at a minimum get a second 140mm front fan for positive air pressure, and consider a demciflex filter for the top of the case.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE

PsychicToaster posted:

Looking to game on a budget. I really only casually play games, lately it's been Diablo 3 and League of Legends, so I don't need a ridiculously high-end machine that could run all the next gen games. I like having a high framerate, the detail level isn't really a big deal but it'd be nice to see some higher level graphics. I have been out of the loop on PC building for years now since my rig had lasted me so long, so I'm clueless when it comes to what's good for a fair price.


I'm looking to spend maybe $650.00 USD. I don't mind prebuilt machines if anyone has any recommendations. I know this post is horribly vague but I've been living under a rock for awhile in the PC world. Can you help a goon out?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($118.97 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock B85M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($78.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Red 1TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($129.50 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($45.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $743.39
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-17 01:20 EDT-0400)

This is kinda the minimum I'd recommend, although I know it's a little over your budget. I assume you have a screen, mouse, keyboard, and headphones/speakers.

If you have a windows licence you can transfer, feel free, that will save you money. Add wireless and/or a dvd drive if you need those things. If you desperately need to pare it back even more, you could take out the SSD, but I strongly recommend not doing that.

The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE

Serephina posted:

So, the rest of my parts are coming tomorrow and I'll finally assembly a *new* computer into this Obsidian 350D case, instead of my old one re-housed. yay!

Trouble: there's been some INFERNAL VIBRATION coming out of the case that I've been too lazy to hunt down properly, but it's not the case itself but rather something in it. Should I be looking to get rubber washers or something when I put my new mobo in? It's really annoying, much louder than eg an old HDD.

What does the noise sound like? is it a metalic rattling? and if so do you have a Noctua Cooler?

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The Lord Bude
May 23, 2007

ASK ME ABOUT MY SHITTY, BOUGIE INTERIOR DECORATING ADVICE

Torabi posted:

What do you guys think of this card? Gigabyte 770 GPU.

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4629#sp

It has three fans and my buddy recommends the gigabyte brand. Never bought an Nvidia GPU before. My current AMD 5870 only has one fan so it would be nice to get something quieter. I'ts currently between that Gigabyte card and this MSI card:
http://www.msi.com/product/vga/N770_TF_2GD5OC.html#overview

They cost the same in Sweden. Any thoughts?

MSI currently has the quietest cooler, although it doesn't perform quite as well in absolute terms compared to the EVGA cooler as far as cooling goes. I'd take MSI over Gigabyte any day.

It doesn't matter with Nvidia graphics cards because Nvidia enforces certain minimum standards, but when it comes to other stuff you should avoid Gigabyte products, they have a shoddy reputation.

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