TalonDemonKing posted:

Like I said, it's just some stuff I'm doing at this internship. I've always been weak in the 'Picking PC Parts from a catalog and not loving it up'; so the teacher is having me do this kind of stuff.

So far what I need it do:
1) Small form factor (Apparently this is important for the A+ test?)
2) Able to stream to multiple devices (High amount of cores)
3) No network storage (Large internal storage)
4) Capability to play videos directly to a TV (Needs video/audio cards?)

I don't expect y'all to do this for me, but if you could spread some knowledge to me about picking parts, I'd appreciate it.

daspope posted:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($223.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($31.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($147.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 750W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($82.98 @ Newegg)

This is the assortment of parts I've bought over the last ~18 months. I have a heavy mid-tower ATX case that I would like to replace. I've started with the recommendations in from the thread, but this is proving quite a bit more daunting than I had anticipated. I believe I want/need ~2 2.5 internal bays, 1-2 3.5 internal, 0-as few as possible external, 2-3 PCI slots (GPU and wireless), and as minimalistic as reasonable. Obviously, I'll need a new motherboard, but I'm trying to figure out mATX vs ITX within the available cases and parts I own.

Aero Cool DS Cube - I kind of like it but it's not actually that small.
Cooler Master N200 - Seems nice but on the lower end of quality

Fractal Design Node 804 - I think I like this, more drive space than I need
Fractal Design Node 304 - I might have psu/gpu collision
Corsair 380T
Corsair Obsidian 250D

My non-modular PSU might be a bit on the larger side at 5.91" x 3.39" x 6.42" (150 x 86 x 163 mm). I plan to grab a 1070 or whatever makes sense later this summer.

I guess I'm looking for any strong opinions that people have about these small cube or similar cases. I'm also realizing that I might have trouble finding a good Z97 mITX or mATX board.

edit: If I really want to pull off a smaller build, would I be better off not trying to reuse my CPU?

daspope posted:

To clarify a bit, I paid less for those parts a while ago. I know I can't use the ATX board. I was trying to figure out if it's reasonable to transition to a smaller build with some of the not too old parts that I have. I suppose I should just edit that down to the CPU and PSU.

This just may not be the most reasonable thing to do. I might be better starting a new build and selling these parts.

KingKapalone posted:

I've noticed that the GTX 980 doesn't really have a home in the OP. Do the X80 cards and now the 1080 sort of always land there?

Look Sir Droids posted:

I have a 960 now (pc built about a year ago). I have a pretty small case so I'll need a version that isn't bulky, but any reason I can't swap in a 1070? My PSU is 550w so I should be able to accommodate the power increase.

Saukkis posted:

Probably not. This came up in the GPU Megathread and how I understood it, is that the step up is valid for only 3 months and you can't step up to graphics cards that are in "limited availability" as defined by EVGA. I would expect the new cards to have limited availability for the foreseeable future. I have a hard time thinking what is the step up program good for. Pretty much the only scenario where it's useful is if you buy a too powerless card by mistake and can't return it to the store.

tuyop posted:

I don't think I understand. The psu is an external laptop charger that plugs directly into the motherboard, which has a 24-pin ATX port. The board came with a two-way ATX to SATA splitter. I'm wondering if I can just buy a cord like this that adds more SATA power plugs to the existing splitter, or if I need to go with a full (SFX) power supply. The current psu would be powering up to 5 drives (3x2.5" and 1 3.5" HDDs and one SSD) and maybe a low-profile GPU someday.

tuyop posted:

I don't think I understand. The psu is an external laptop charger that plugs directly into the motherboard, which has a 24-pin ATX port. The board came with a two-way ATX to SATA splitter. I'm wondering if I can just buy a cord like this that adds more SATA power plugs to the existing splitter, or if I need to go with a full (SFX) power supply. The current psu would be powering up to 5 drives (3x2.5" and 1 3.5" HDDs and one SSD) and maybe a low-profile GPU someday.

nuclear_cheetos posted:

So I plan on changing my current platform of choice back to the PC after like a 5 year hiatus. A shitload of unfinished console titles and the overall cost of ownership increasing for little benefit has forced my hand (also I want to play Undertale and other indies before they get to PSN and not pay 20 dollars for something that's routinely on STEAM for 3 bucks).

This is a pretty vanilla Skylake build but my intention was to give it a decent amount of headroom for overclocking with the CPU and the memory. Effectively I'm going to grab a loaner card from a friend and use a 1080p television as a monitor until I decide if I want to go all in or not, and if I do I grab an actual monitor and likely a GTX 1080, if I don't it's getting a GTX 1070 and being used as a living room PS4 replacement.

The only real benchmark is Overwatch at locked 60, which I think this should be able to do, my only real concern is the power supply being strong enough to OC.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

melon cat posted:

I'm helping a buddy build a low-end rig for video-editing. Vitals:

• Country: Canada
  
• What are you using the system for? Web, Office, video and photo editing (semi-professional level)
  
• Budget? No more than $1000
  
• Software to be used: MS Office, Adobe CC (After Effects, Premiere. A bit of Illustrator)
  

Checked online for some possible builds, and I'm considering the following parts:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Could I do any better without increasing the cost?

I'd prefer to avoid Apple machines. I dislike them for... reasons.

melon cat posted:

No particular reason. To be honest, I was looking at the build mainly from a cost/value perspective.

Thanks for this revised list! I wasn't aware that the 750 Ti is the new value GPU. But am I wrong for considering DDR3 over DDR4, entirely for cost considerations? I was under the impression that DDR4 is better suited for higher-end builds (ie. not best for cheapskates... like my friend may or may not be), but of course I could be very wrong for thinking that.

KingKapalone posted:

When thinking about which GPU to get to power my current 1200p monitor, how much should I be thinking about what sort of monitor I'll have in the next 3 years during the GPU's lifespan? VR seems like a real possibility and I might just say screw it and buy a 1440p monitor at the same time as the GPU meaning I'll need the GTX1080.

WHAT A GOOD DOG posted:

So I'm getting this: link

I recently bought an i5 6600k because, well, gently caress it. Ya know? However I bought it literally yesterday so I could return it and just get a 6600.

I have a Gigabyte NVIDIA Geforce GTX 770 and an SSD. Reviewers and the fractal design website say it'll fit.

I'm worried about the PSU. I used a website to calculate necessary electricity requirements that recommended a 400W+ PSU so I should be fine Link to test results.

Should I be good to go? I won't be overclocking or anything.

Josef bugman posted:

Okay, went to bed and got up this morning and the LED, RESET, POWER and HD LED cables are not sticking in to the mobo, they just keep falling out if I move anything around near them.

Any advice guys?

Josef bugman posted:

As someone new to all this I really don't want to be putting hot glue near anything that could be in the computer. I've been doing the best I can with the plastic ties and tying stuff together but everything just keeps falling out of their sockets.

Should I just use a bit more force?

Josef bugman posted:

Sorry, using the term "socket" wrong, its the little nubby things that have the LED connector things in them. I am having difficulty keeping them connected.

AVeryLargeRadish posted:

Could you take a picture or something? Because you are having issues I have never heard of or experienced and I am pretty baffled about what could be going wrong and whether something is wrong with your hardware or you are doing something wrong.

Josef bugman posted:

I really do not know. Got everything installed





It is now not turning on, got everything tuned in but nothing appears to be happening. If you need any more pictures please do ask.

Josef bugman posted:

Also, just as a quick question but what parts should be moving when I turn the computer on?

Josef bugman posted:

I only have an SSD and no DVD drive. But they do all spin when I turn it on, so there is that.

Josef bugman posted:

Checked and double checked. Now the lights won't come on on the front of the case.

Removed the stuff by stuff I mean the RAM, the graphics card and the SSD.

Josef bugman posted:

Also done. Still not turning on at the front either.

Josef bugman posted:

Not any more. It now is just quiet and it is doing nothing.

Maugrim posted:

Hi guys, I'm in the UK and looking to buy the cheapest/best value graphics card that will give me decent performance (at 1680x1050) in the new Doom and The Witcher 3. I'm fine with low graphics settings as long as the framerate is ok. I'm aware that there's a new gen of graphics cards out soon so what I'm looking for is an interim card that will remove the huge bottleneck caused by my old GTX 460 and tide me over by letting me play those two games, without breaking the bank as I'm unemployed right now.

I generally go with NVidia cards but happy to go with AMD this time around if it makes sense. Any advice? Thanks!

e: hmm I just looked at the recommended specs for Doom and I may have to skip it until I can afford a high-end card...

Killed By Death posted:

I'm trying to make a decent PC for my parents, while not spending a great deal. This is what I have so far:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor (£88.24 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock B85M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£53.08 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£26.91 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£69.99 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1100 MicroATX Mini Tower Case (£29.99 @ Novatech)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply (£32.99 @ Novatech)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£12.37 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £313.57
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-23 12:46 BST+0100

Does anything here stand out as massively foolish/wrong?

Maugrim posted:

Yeah I see, thanks! It looks like most of the ebay lots are heading well over 150 as they approach the end of the auction though.

Would a 960 do in a pinch? It's (barely) above official min spec for Doom and the 2GB versions are going for well under 150 in some places.

HMS Boromir posted:

Just add one of these if you want a hard drive. I wouldn't drop down to a smaller SSD to go with it though, if you were thinking of doing that - 120GB SSDs are a pretty poor value.

The 4460's specs indicate how much of your RAM the integrated GPU can use as graphics memory, it has no bearing on dedicated GPUs. Besides, that 4GB 740 is some kind of joke in GPU form. Trying to run games at the kinds of resolutions and graphics settings that require 4GB of VRAM on a 740 would probably give the poor thing a heart attack.

Deviant posted:

Here we go with the addons. Guess I'll just grab a cooler master one off amazon.

quote:

Edit: What is this tiny little L shaped bit with a screw hole on one end and a punched out hole on the other end for?

DiabloStarCraft posted:

I'm looking at getting an upgrade for my brothers computer, hopefully so it can play games a bit better. He plays at 1080p and he'd like to play The Witcher 3, but right now his PC doesn't cut it, and I'm wondering, say I had £100 to put somewhere, where would be the best place to put it -


edit: Also, god these 1070s look nice, but I'm betting I won't feel much of a jump over my 970? I game at 1440p

broken pixel posted:

Thanks! I'll definitely look in to a new PSU, and if I see an HDD at a good price, I'll consider it, too. My RAM is 2 4GB sticks, so I'll look at that, as well.

Swedish Metal posted:

What country are you in? USA
What are you using the system for? Gaming
What's your budget? ~$1500 with a monitor
If you're gaming, what is your monitor resolution? I would like to be maxed out 1080P and possibly 1440P if I can find a reasonable monitor (though 1080P is perfectly acceptable)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($238.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($43.45 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z170A KRAIT GAMING 3X ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($120.48 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($91.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Founders Edition Video Card ($449.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT S340 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1159.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-30 19:24 EDT-0400

I'm open to suggestions/criticisms regarding this build, but I do have a few questions:

What would be a suitable monitor? I don't know where to begin with these, but I do know I would like at least 24" or larger. It'll more than likely be a single monitor setup.
The CPU cooler... any feedback would be great. How far can I push overclocking with this? Is it worth using or should I upgrade to a LCL for 4+GHz?

I'm waiting roughly 2 weeks before ordering anything to make sure this isn't an impulse buy. Plus, it's hard to come by 1070's at the moment...

Thanks for the help goons

Fat_Cow posted:

Any season most of the HDDs on Newegg are rated 4 Star? I am in the market for a 4 TB HDD to expand my storage but the lack of five stars makes me hesitant of pulling the trigger.

Fat_Cow posted:

Alright then. Should I just spring for a WD Blue 4 TB despite the black having more RPM? WIll it impact me as much?

goodness posted:

CharlieFoxtrot posted:

What's the best thing to do with old computer components? I'm planning to upgrade from a system I built in 2012. I don't really have need for a HTPC (and the Bitfenix Prodigy case is kind of a lame size for that anyway), and I don't think I can really make a sale or hand-me-down with it since one of the reasons I'm upgrading is severe hardware failures (hard drive stops getting recognized, random hard-lock bluescreens with the last forcing me to reformat). I would just shove it in a closet but that closet already has an even older build from 2007 and a monitor that no longer works

DrNutt posted:

Is it pretty common for a fresh install of Windows to not even have Ethernet capability? I'm currently using my girlfriend's laptop to copy the installation disc that came with my motherboard to a thumb drive in the hopes that the correct drivers are on there. This is kind of frustrating given how 'optional' disc drives are these days.

DrNutt posted:

The biggest problem I've found is finding the right driver. I should have stuck with MSI because Gigabyte's driver download support appears to be garbage.

FamDav posted:

Speaking, what would be required to game at 4K in the year 2016? Trying to decide if I want a 4K or 1440p monitor.

Popete posted:

Well my desktop seems to have crapped the bed overnight. Got up this morning and the thing won't boot and just power cycles. May be a short somewhere.

Anyways it's probably time for a new build. Only thing I'm undecided on is the GPU, any reason to get the 970 GTX over a RX-480? Seems like the 480 is superior and cheaper but I admit I haven't kept up with GPUs in years.

Anime Schoolgirl posted:

-With PCIE, there isn't a whole lot in terms of that form factor, plus not enough people here have bought those drives to recommend.

crutt posted:

What country are you in? US
What are you using the system for?  Gaming?
What's your budget? 500-700.

If you're gaming, what is your monitor resolution? 27”,1080p, ultra

Current rig:

Asrock z77e-itx, i5-3570k, 8 ddr3 1600, HD7870, 250gb ssd, PC power silencer mk3 600w PSU, bitfenix prodigy mini-itx case

Is it worthwhile to just get a new graphics card or am I missing out with the newer Intel processors? I'd like to be able to play newer stuff at ultra smoothly.