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"I Need a New PC!" 2014 Part 1. 1080p and 60FPS is so last-gen and your 2500K is fine

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K

Kysen

Member
One of my hard drives is making a clicking noise every few hours while idle, is it about to fail? I only bought it this year(2TB Seagate).
 
W

wilflare

Member
should I turn on
Intel Smart Connect
Intel Rapid Start
on my system?

are the default sleep/hibernate settings in the BIOS/Windows 8 optimal? any suggested changes?

I think mine is set to S3 for now
 
N

nicjac

Member
Hey guys,

it's me again. After doing a bit of research, I decided against the idea of using Scan to build my computer and instead decided to go ahead and build it myself. This gives me more choices for the parts selection.

To briefly recapitulate my needs:
- Gaming machine first and foremost
- Has to be CUDA-compatible for GPU-accelerated work in MATLAB. So I am pretty much stuck with nVidia, not that it's necessarily a bad thing.
- I would like a long-lasting system without the need to upgrade for a while

Some random comments/questions:
- I opted for a GTX 780 Ti for now. Still undecided. Would the 780 be OK for most (all) games? It appears that the Ti has vastly superior CUDA performance though.
- I am not sure about the power supply. Seems ok but it doesn't appear in the OP? The Cool Master PSUs are much more expensive.
- I went for the corsair watercooling solution. Any disadvantage compared to more conventional fan-based cooling?
- Any must have tool to get to facilitate the build?

Here is the build:

Code: 
[url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2vpGB]PCPartPicker part list[/url] / [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2vpGB/by_merchant/]Price breakdown by merchant[/url] / [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2vpGB/benchmarks/]Benchmarks[/url]

[b]CPU:[/b]  [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i74770k]Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor[/url]  (£250.43 @ Ebuyer) 
[b]CPU Cooler:[/b]  [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-cpu-cooler-h60cw9060007ww]Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler[/url]  (£52.73 @ Ebuyer) 
[b]Motherboard:[/b]  [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-maximusvihero]Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard[/url]  (£149.81 @ Ebuyer) 
[b]Memory:[/b]  [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cml16gx3m2a1600c10]Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory[/url]  (£120.19 @ Scan.co.uk) 
[b]Storage:[/b]  [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te250bw]Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk[/url]  (£118.79 @ Amazon UK) 
[b]Storage:[/b]  [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st2000dm001]Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive[/url]  (£60.00 @ Aria PC) 
[b]Video Card:[/b]  [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-03gp42884kr]EVGA GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB Video Card[/url]  (£571.75 @ Amazon UK) 
[b]Case:[/b]  [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcadefr4bl]Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case[/url]  (£77.70 @ Aria PC) 
[b]Power Supply:[/b]  [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-rm750]Corsair RM 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply[/url]  (£93.98 @ Dabs) 
[b]Optical Drive:[/b]  [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-optical-drive-sh224dbbebe]Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer[/url]  (£11.98 @ Ebuyer) 
[b]Operating System:[/b]  [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-wn700615]Microsoft Windows 8.1 - OEM (64-bit)[/url]  (£79.08 @ Amazon UK) 
[b]Total:[/b] £1586.44
[i](Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)[/i]
[i](Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-04 11:26 GMT+0000)[/i]
 
S

sleeping_dragon

Banned
Ok guys I go straight to the point. Amd fx 8350 or Intel i5 4670k ? I mainly use for video editing and encoding. The Amd is cheaper and had better encoding performance but everyone on here seems to prefer Nvidia.
 
D

Durante

Member
mkenyon said:
I've been pushing for the abandonment of ATX in favor of mATX for well over a year now.
Click to expand...
Well, I disagree strongly. Some of us need 5 PCIe slots - and that's with 1 GPU :p

Also, more space is always better for cooling. Honestly, the only advantage of small cases is that they're small, and who really needs that?
 
V

VisceralBowl

Member
Are there any ITX boards that support Ivy Bridge? I kinda want to switch over to a small form factor case.

EDIT: Okay, I found a few.
 
K

kharma45

Member
VisceralBowl said:
Are there any ITX boards that support Ivy Bridge? I kinda want to switch over to a small form factor case.
Click to expand...

Lots. Depends on what you want to spend.

-PXG- said:
My 2500k still pimpin.
Click to expand...

Word. £120 well spent.

sleeping_dragon said:
Ok guys I go straight to the point. Amd fx 8350 or Nvidia I5 4670k ? I mainly use for video editing and encoding. The Amd is cheaper and had better encoding performance but everyone on here seems to prefer Nvidia.
Click to expand...

It's an Intel i5 not NVIDIA.

what software are you using?

KAL2006 said:
http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Other+products/GLADIATOR+i5+4.40GHz+Overclocked+Pre-Built+Bundle+?productId=58254

Opinions of this overclock bundle in comparison to the 4670k one from here
http://www.scan.co.uk/3xs-overclocked-bundles
Click to expand...

I wouldn't buy from Aria, heard a lot of bad things. Still some from Scan but not as many.
 
E

Exis

Member
Question

My desktop has been sitting in a corner for two years, it is a AMD Phenom X6, Radeon 6790 with 12 gigs of RAM.

Can I simply upgrade the video card to something modern and get decent performance?
 
K

kennah

Member
Exis said:
Question

My desktop has been sitting in a corner for two years, it is a AMD Phenom X6, Radeon 6790 with 12 gigs of RAM.

Can I simply upgrade the video card to something modern and get decent performance?
Click to expand...
It would certainly be playable in a lot of stuff
 
J

Jibbed

Member
Sup guys, quick questions (UK peeps in particular).

I'm looking to sell on the following...
- ASUS P8Z68-V Pro/Gen3 motherboard (pristine)
- ASUS GTX 560Ti 1GB (pristine)
- 128GB Crucial M4 SSD (pristine)
- NZXT Tempest Evo II case (slightly worn externally)

I'm upgrading soon to a smaller form factor with the majority of my current parts going in the 'new' PC. The main issue I have is I don't have any of the boxes, documentation etc. to go with them... would eBay be my best bet? Or maybe trading them in to somewhere like CEX? And how much would you estimate these parts would be worth now?

All parts are 2 years old for the record.

Edit: Here's what I'm planning for my new build (new in bold), if there are any glaring errors or whatever then let me know.

Fractal Design Mini
i7-2600K
ASUS P8Z77-M Pro
GTX 770 4GB
16GB Corsair Vengeance
250GB Samsung 840 EVO SSD
CoolerMaster 850W Modular PSU (overkill I know but I'm stuck with it)
 
S

sleeping_dragon

Banned
kharma45 said:
Lots. Depends on what you want to spend.



Word. £120 well spent.



It's an Intel i5 not NVIDIA.

what software are you using?



I wouldn't buy from Aria, heard a lot of bad things. Still some from Scan but not as many.
Click to expand...

oh shit! lol, I meant Intel i5 4670K or AMD 8350, anyone?
 
D

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
Here's hoping 2014 is the year when we finally see a large, high resolution OLED monitor.
 
LiquidMetal14

LiquidMetal14

hide your water-based mammals
Big discrepancies between the ASUS DCUII/Gigabyte Windforce 780ti's and the MSI Twin Frozr IV. Enough to sway my purchase to 2 MSI cards and save almost 200 on 2 GPU's.

I'm about a month out from purchasing them so maybe there will be a sale around.

Reading reviews for all 3 makes me confident in buying any of them and my current case setup has 8 intake fans so cooling won't be an issue, I feel.
 
E

Ensirius

Member
AkIRA_22 said:
Yeah as rock have come along way, unfortunately for you... Its done so since the 2000 series Intel chips.
Click to expand...

chaosblade said:
I'm running at 4.5GHz at stock voltage on my Extreme4 Gen3. They weren't too bad at that time.
Click to expand...

I got a ASRock Z68 Pro3 B3 and as I said, I can't even OC my 2500K to 4.00 GHZ as it becomes unstable as hell. Temps are perfect with my Noctua NH-U12P SE2.

What would be a nice mobo for my 2500K?
 
B

Big_Al

Unconfirmed Member
Great thread as always :) The title made me chuckle as well being a 2500k owner. This year I think my only big upgrades shall be an 800 series Nvidia card and some more RAM, depending on how good the cards are that is. Maybe an SSD drive as well.
 
dorkimoe

dorkimoe

Member
wilflare said:
Did you manage to overclock to 120? what card are you playing it with?
Click to expand...

I did not try yet because I came from a 1680x1050 so right now I am in HD heaven and literally amazed at how big this thing is so I cant imagine making any changes to it. I picked up a GTX780 and they arrived the same day :). I was running a HD5850 which has reported bios skip error with the monitor? so i rushed the card here.

Im not sure if i will try and overclock or not..haven't read much about it. :(

I would say the only flaw so far is the base, it tilts but its a little cheep which is fine once you get it situated though
 
K

Kyzer

Banned
Im going to be slowly accumulating the parts to build a new pc, and I need it to be good for recording music. My understanding is that mastering software especially can be extremely CPU intensive. Anyone have experience with this?
 
Xisiqomelir

Xisiqomelir

Member
Sweet, in on pg. 1!

I know you guys will rage but I replaced my cata-failed system drive with a normal 1TB instead of an SSD. As someone who runs Arch and OpenBox who consistently posts <7 second times on systemd-analyze and has the massively untidy >3k item download folder list instantly in Thunar, I just wanted the space over any marginal "snappiness" improvements.
 
Bboy AJ

Bboy AJ

My dog was murdered by a 3.5mm audio port and I will not rest until the standard is dead
Couple of questions:

1. What's the best way to purchase things? I assume not all at once. Are there price trackers out there? Do people add their build to Camel/Slickdeals and buy at the right time? PCPP is cool but its price tracker isn't fantastic. And I don't see alerts anywhere.

2. AMD cards are overpriced, new GPU architecture around the corner. Is this an inopportune time to buy an all new gaming PC? I get that "there's always something better" but there are better times to jump in than others.

3. 5.1 sound and HDMI are built in these days, yeah? No need for a sound card or anything, unless I'm an audiophile?

Thanks.
 
T

TerryLee81

Member
Xisiqomelir said:
Sweet, in on pg. 1!

I know you guys will rage but I replaced my cata-failed system drive with a normal 1TB instead of an SSD. As someone who runs Arch and OpenBox who consistently posts <7 second times on systemd-analyze and has the massively untidy >3k item download folder list instantly in Thunar, I just wanted the space over any marginal "snappiness" improvements.
Click to expand...

It's really more than "marginal snappiness improvements". But large drives are still expensive, yeah.
 
K

kennah

Member
Xisiqomelir said:
Sweet, in on pg. 1!

I know you guys will rage but I replaced my cata-failed system drive with a normal 1TB instead of an SSD. As someone who runs Arch and OpenBox who consistently posts <7 second times on systemd-analyze and has the massively untidy >3k item download folder list instantly in Thunar, I just wanted the space over any marginal "snappiness" improvements.
Click to expand...

No rage at all. You're the only one who can decide what acceptable performance is for you.

That said, it's so hard to use mechanical os drives after a bit of SSD

Bboy AJ said:
Couple of questions:

1. What's the best way to purchase things? I assume not all at once. Are there price trackers out there? Do people add their build to Camel/Slickdeals and buy at the right time? PCPP is cool but its price tracker isn't fantastic. And I don't see alerts anywhere.

2. AMD cards are overpriced, new GPU architecture around the corner. Is this an inopportune time to buy an all new gaming PC? I get that "there's always something better" but there are better times to jump in than others.

3. 5.1 sound and HDMI are built in these days, yeah? No need for a sound card or anything, unless I'm an audiophile?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

1. If you're patient and frugal, you can save literal hundreds on your system by taking time to build (my personal PC ~$2,300 retail price, I've paid ~$1,400). PC Parts Picker's price thing does suck. Price trackers are great, but really the best deals are found by taking advantage of companies that will price match. Find a good sale price, then take it to Staples (for example) and get them to beat it by another 10%. There was a case a couple years ago when Future Shop was still listing an SSD for $400 after its price drop to 200, so people were getting 25% of the DIFFERENCE, so another $50 off. Examples like that.

2. The card you buy won't suddenly stop working when new cards come out. It's always a good and always a bad time to buy. Good because your parts will last a long time, and bad because there is ALWAYS something new. ALWAYS. But once you buy once, then you can upgrade slowly from there. It's the initial plunge that is difficult. That said, it's nice to be mindful of when things are coming out soon and to at least wait to see what the difference between the old and the new is.

3. Unless your'e very particular on your sound/using expensive headphones/audiophile level gear in your house, it isn't necessary. That's not to say that a difference wouldn't be noticeable, but it isn't a requirement. Onboard/HDMI solutions have come a long way in the last bunch of years.
 
N

Nachtmaer

Member
Delibes said:
My 2500k is fine but my asrock mobo is terrible. I can't oc for shit.
Click to expand...

That sucks. Mine has been running at 4.1GHz ever since I got it. I know it's nothing fancy, but it's good enough for me since I don't want to mess with voltages. The only complaint I have about my MSI P67A-GD65 (B3) is that takes forever to get past the POST.
 
E

Evo X

Member
Great thread.

My 2500k is still chugging along. Got it at 4.7Ghz right now. Paired with a 780Ti, runs every game I want maxed out. Don't see the need to upgrade until DDR4 mobos come out.
 
longdi

longdi

Banned
Nice job to keep PC dreams alive!

BTW, could you add HWInfo to your utilities list: http://www.hwinfo.com/

imo, its more comprehensive as a monitoring tool than hwmonitor. its also updated more often and the author is very helpful over at their forums.
 
longdi

longdi

Banned
dorkimoe said:
I did not try yet because I came from a 1680x1050 so right now I am in HD heaven and literally amazed at how big this thing is so I cant imagine making any changes to it. I picked up a GTX780 and they arrived the same day :). I was running a HD5850 which has reported bios skip error with the monitor? so i rushed the card here.

Im not sure if i will try and overclock or not..haven't read much about it. :(

I would say the only flaw so far is the base, it tilts but its a little cheep which is fine once you get it situated though
Click to expand...

congrats! with a GTX780, overclocking the refresh rate is dead easy! just go to custom resolution in nvidia cp and key in 90hz (30x3) and select LCD reduced, leaving the rest untouched, hit test and if it works, it works! Next you can go to 120hz...dead easy.

Go here for some 60-120hz comparison/tests. Also a must to use the frameskipping test to ensure the overclock dont drop frames.
http://www.testufo.com/#test=framerates

Although, you would like to keep a lookout for image retention after the overclock, look for static parts like facebook toolbar etc. Its just retention, it will go away after awhile. May have to reduce the overclock if you getting bad IR
And the gamma/brightness will go down with higher hz, so you also need to calibrate the colors/brightness upwards.
 
K

kn1ves24

Member
Hello all,

So with the new year starting and "next gen" gaming starting I'm thinking of trying to slowly upgrade components so I don't fall too far behind.

My current setup

- ASRock P67 E4 Gen3 mobo
- i5 2500K
-16GB DDR3 1600
-Two GTX 570's SLI

For now I'm perfectly happy with the performance I'm getting out of the mobo and CPU. What I would like to do it upgrade the graphics cards to something a bit newer.

Ideally I want to move away from SLI and go back to a single card, but I want that single card to out perform my current setup. I'm not looking to run stuff at 4k resolutions or 120fps. I just want to run stuff smoothly at 1080p and be good for the next 12-18 months. I've used AMD and Nvidia cards so I don't hold any preference there. Nvidia cards have been nice for the added physx support.

I know the CPU becomes a limiting factor at some point but for the time being I'm hoping the 2500k can hold me over.

So suggestions for a graphics card?
 
Z

z1ggy

Member
Is it worth moving from a Quad AMD Phenom II core to an I5? Is there a big difference regarding gamming?

Also, subscribed.
 
C

CreepingFear

Member
Happy 2014 PC Builders. I think it's going to be a very dry year for me as far as computer parts. I'll be saving for 2015 though. Luckily, I just got a 780 Ti to hold me over.
 
J

jimboton

Member
Will my 2500K still be 'fine' even if I don't want to OC it?

I don't know whether to upgrade this year to a good Maxwell GPU or to go for a completely new build. Would much rather get the GPU upgrade of course if a default 2500K is not likely to be a bottleneck for the next couple of years or so.
 
B

bigfunkychiken

Member
z1ggy said:
Is it worth moving from a Quad AMD Phenom II core to an I5? Is there a big difference regarding gamming?

Also, subscribed.
Click to expand...

Going from a FX-8320 (close enough in single-core performance to Phenom II) to an i5-4670k was huge. Many games run fine on the 8320, but some games (examples: Arma III, Saints Row III/IV, GTA IV, Skyrim, emulation) run like crap (are limited by your CPU). I went from 20-40fps in SR4 on the 8320 to a completely solid 60 on the i5. If 60fps matters to you (and if you have a decent GPU; I have the 7950), then i5 is definitely worth the upgrade IMO.

I'll never buy an AMD CPU again.
 
K

kamspy

Member
Let me run this past you guys. Weird things happening here that I can't find an answer for on Google.

So, to start things off, I had a Phenom II 955. Served me well for a long time. One day I was playing a game (I forget which) that had a CPU utilization bug. Basically while playing the game got my CPU north of 80c. After that, the CPU would routinely heat up past 70c in other games. Before this, it never broke 61c. I tried all the hardware related stuff. New TIM, new cooler. Did not help my load temps. Still breaking 70c routinely.

Fast forward to the AMD 1100t I got to replace it. Same exact story (game was LOTR War of the North), just happened a few days ago. Same story with heat. Now exceeding 70c. Never broke 60c before. New TIM, new fan. No fix.

Keep in mind that the max temp AMD recommends for both of these is 63c (much lower than what Intel procs allow, in case you were thinking that 70c isn't horrible).

So now I've got two questions.

1. WTF is happening here? Is there some kind of thermal cherry that get's popped when the CPU goes way above the thermal limits?

2. What's a good CPU+Mobo combo I can get for south of $400 next month? Looking to buy in early Feb when I get my tax return. I've got a GTX 680 if that's any help. I'm not opposed to going back to AMD if I can save some dough, but I can't get a straight answer on how their new chips stack up. Mixed reports etc.

I mainly play AAA tripe like Assassin's Creed, Bioshock, Crysis etc (sorry).

EDIT: I see the post above me has ruled out the new AMD chips. So what's the best mid level i5?
 
DukeSucks

DukeSucks

Member
Just wanted to chime in and say that even though I don't understand most of what you all say, I read a lot of it to help me learn some things. Great OP, happy 2014 to everyone.
 
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