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[thespot84]

corsair is giving away threaded cable kits with psu's

http://www.corsair.com/en-us/landin...ntent=offer&utm_campaign=psucablenbundleoffer

 

[LilJoka]

Does anyone use custom fan profiles for their GPU?

I've had my EVGA GTX 970 SSC for almost 2 weeks, and I'm a tad concerned at my temps. Idle is fine, in the 30s, but I've seen it go as high as 78C under load.

I know the fans dont kick on until the card reaches 60C, I'm assuming the peaks in the 70s are before the fans can catch up and compensate for the heat. Should I set a custom fan profile to keep the card cooler?

Why increase noise when temps are still safe?

There is one issue though, after 70c the 970's clocks drop a little.

Maybe try undervolting it.

May also want to look at the case air flow, an extra exhaust fan can do marvels.

Ehm, help me guys. I had a dramatic lapse in my common sense antivirus and I accidentally opened a docx e-mail attachment. In my defense it was adressed to my mom(shared mailbox from my telecom provider), had appropriate names and I spaced out and thought it was something meant for her. Upon opening however I noticed it seemed to be some sort of 10 page manifesto/propaganda text and my common sense antivirus started screaming out nooooo. I opened it in wordpad because this pc doesn't have office installed, so I'm hoping that's already a good thing. But I did check all of my running processes/startup and saw nothing out of the ordinary. I promptly scanned the file on virustotal.com which gave an all clear, after which I deleted the file from my temp folder. I still felt uneasy though and decided I needed to do a deeper scan so I ran microsoft defender and did a full scan which was all clear. Knowing that Microsoft defender is an untrustworthy piece of poop, I backed it up with an mbam threat scan with rootkit scanning turned on which also came back with the all clear. I checked my logbooks and saw nothing out of the ordinary either. My pc is behaving normally but I'm still kind of paranoid because it was a massive fuckup of epic proportions. I'm hoping I avoided infection with some piece of bullshit malware but how can I be even more sure than I currently am?

TL;DR: Fucked up, opened docx attachment - scanned pc with mbam, windows defender, scanned file with virustotal. Nothing detected. Am I ok? Should I nuke this windows install from orbit? Which I'm kind of hoping to avoid.

I would of just gone with MBAM and called it a day. So yeah your fine, i do the same every so often.

 

[Lockjaw333]

Why increase noise when temps are still safe?

There is one issue though, after 70c the 970's clocks drop a little.

Maybe try undervolting it.

May also want to look at the case air flow, an extra exhaust fan can do marvels.



I would of just gone with MBAM and called it a day. So yeah your fine, i do the same every so often.

Do you have a source for that? Not questioning you, I've just read on other forums that the card throttles at 80C, not 70C.

I have a Lian Li case which I really, but that isn't great for air flow. I've toyed with the idea of buying a different case with better airflow. Are there any good options under $100 US?

 

[LilJoka]

Do you have a source for that? Not questioning you, I've just read on other forums that the card throttles at 80C, not 70C.

I have a Lian Li case which I really, but that isn't great for air flow. I've toyed with the idea of buying a different case with better airflow. Are there any good options under $100 US?

Should be able to test this yourself, but on my MSI and even the Gigabyte G1, the clocks (13Mhz) and voltage drop (~20mV - this will hurt overclocking) when you go over 67-70c. Then the next one is 80c as you say, although much larger throttle back. If your below 80 its all fine really.

The final throttle temp is your maximum temp target in MSI AB.

Source would be my own card and the 970 thread at overclock.net.

 

[vanguardian1]

Cripes, it sucks something fierce that I don't really have a choice but to build an intel system for myself.... I haven't used them since the '486 era by choice.... Anyways, I would like a few extra opinions of this

Spoiler

sintel

side of the fence.

I currently have :

Asus M5A97 (wonderful board, I love it)
Athlon Phenom II X4 960T
4x 2gb DDR3-1333
AMD (Sapphire) R260xOC 2gb (I got it 1 year ago for $100 after $10-mir)

Pc Gaming-wise I mainly want better performance for Skyrim and Civilization 5 (turns), and I'll be getting Homeworld remastered in a week (yay!), maybe Cities Skylines next month and Dark Souls 2 SOTFS in April (if they discount current PC owners fairly, $30 max here, I'll think about $40, higher forget it).

In my wishlist at NewEgg is :
ASRock Z97 Anniversary edition
Intel I5-4460
2x 4gb DDR3-1333 (plus I'll grab half the memory from my current setup for 12gb, 'cause 8gb is killing my 120g SSD for virtual memory with all of the stuff I run)
Keep the video.

Note : The spoiler is just 'cause I'm an old-ish school AMD fan.

 

[RGM79]

Cripes, it sucks something fierce that I don't really have a choice but to build an intel system for myself.... I haven't used them since the '486 era by choice.... Anyways, I would like a few extra opinions of this

Spoiler

sintel

side of the fence.

I currently have :

Asus M5A97 (wonderful board, I love it)
Athlon Phenom II X4 960T
4x 2gb DDR3-1333
AMD (Sapphire) R260xOC 2gb (I got it 1 year ago for $100 after $10-mir)

Pc Gaming-wise I mainly want better performance for Skyrim and Civilization 5 (turns), and I'll be getting Homeworld remastered in a week (yay!), maybe Cities Skylines next month and Dark Souls 2 SOTFS in April (if they discount current PC owners fairly, $30 max here, I'll think about $40, higher forget it).

In my wishlist at NewEgg is :
ASRock Z97 Anniversary edition
Intel I5-4460
2x 4gb DDR3-1333 (plus I'll grab half the memory from my current setup for 12gb, 'cause 8gb is killing my 120g SSD for virtual memory with all of the stuff I run)
Keep the video.

Note : The spoiler is just 'cause I'm an old-ish school AMD fan.

Z97 motherboards are meant to be paired with an overclocking K series processor like the i5 4690K or the i7 4790K, otherwise if you've done your research and want the 4460 for your budget or you have no desire to overclock, you could go with a cheaper H97 motherboard. Of course, if you're overclocking then I recommend a CPU cooler, the $30 Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo will do for up to 4.5GHz overclocks, assuming it fits your case.

Depending on how much your budget is, I'd actually suggest up to 16GB of faster memory - the cost of 1866MHz or 2133MHz RAM is actually not much more than 1333MHz, usually less than $10 at any size/amount of RAM. For example, the cheapest set of 16GB of 1333MHz RAM is $109, whereas 16GB of 1866MHz and 2133MHz RAM can be had for $115. I don't recommend mixing RAM of different speeds as it will all slow down to match the speed of the slowest installed RAM, so for higher memory speed you will need to replace all of it, but you seem to already be aware of it.

If you can tell us a budget I'll gladly check prices and recommend some parts for you.

What framerate are you currently getting in Civilization and Skyrim? From the benchmarks I've found, the R7 260X should be capable of doing just under 60FPS at highest settings at 1080p for both games with i5/i7 Intel CPUs. (Source: [1][2][3][4])

 

[LiquidMetal14]

I might be tinkering with PC today on the 5939k. Anyone have one OC'd with some settings to share?

 

[gdt]

Is the OP still reasonably up to date? Just got my refund and I'm gonna put some of it towards a new PC. Starting from scratch.

 

[LilJoka]

I might be tinkering with PC today on the 5939k. Anyone have one OC'd with some settings to share?

For starters just play with Vcore to see how the chip scales. Keep the DRAM Freq low to run a 100Mhz bclk. Or if you know you will be running higher DRAM Freq later, start with the 125Mhz bclk and strap.
After that your just going to have to read the guides to optimise the other voltages and potentially allow more cpu freq or lower vcore.

 

[RGM79]

Is the OP still reasonably up to date? Just got my refund and I'm gonna put some of it towards a new PC. Starting from scratch.

It's a guideline more than a current menu of prices. What's your budget, intended uses, and what country are you in? We can spec out a current parts list for you.

 

[Tymerend]

So, I've been thinking of getting a new monitor recently. My local Microcenter is carrying a 27" Acer 2560x1440 for $350. Model K272HUL. Anyone have experience with it? Seems like a rather good price. It's only 60Hz, but that doesn't bother me.

 

[knitoe]

I might be tinkering with PC today on the 5939k. Anyone have one OC'd with some settings to share?

Mine is running 4.4GHz@1.28V

 

[ilikesleepingmore]

It's a guideline more than a rigid menu of prices. What's your budget, intended uses, and what country are you in? We can spec out a current parts list for you.

I'm in the USA. I have an old 2011 entry level mac, so I'm thinking about jumping back to PC for my new computer so I wouldn't have to spend $2k+ on the mac that I want.

I'm looking to build my first PC with a dual monitor setup, budget is $1,000 to 1,400. I plan to do some video/photography editing, podcast recording and possibly some gaming.

Could you recommend parts? I have zero idea on how to piece everything together.

 

[gdt]

It's a guideline more than a current menu of prices. What's your budget, intended uses, and what country are you in? We can spec out a current parts list for you.

I guess my budget is $800 to $1k (am not getting a monitor) and live in the US east coast. Gaming and general web usage (downloading stuff and 1080p video play lack etc).

 

[LiquidMetal14]

For starters just play with Vcore to see how the chip scales. Keep the DRAM Freq low to run a 100Mhz bclk. Or if you know you will be running higher DRAM Freq later, start with the 125Mhz bclk and strap.
After that your just going to have to read the guides to optimise the other voltages and potentially allow more cpu freq or lower vcore.

Definitely aware of the tolerances and technicalities but I was mainly looking for some actual settings to get a headstart before playing with voltages. Appreciate the response though.

Mine is running 4.4GHz@1.28V

This is a good start. How's your IMC cooperate with your memory? I have the 3000mhz XMP active for now.

 

[Backlogger]

Hello, I'm in the market for a new graphics card and been leaning towards an R9 290

Looking for confirmation/feedback on whether or not this is a good card for the price:


MSI Radeon R9 290 Gaming LE Twin Frozr IV 4GB 5GHZ GDDR5 HDMI DisplayPort 2xDVI PCI-E
http://www.ncixus.com/products/index.php?sku=105694&promoid=1482

Currently has free shipping and I believe no tax. Plus I have an additional code for $10 off bringing it down to $261. This is lower than Newegg's price AR and they are OOS. Currently 4 eggs, but I wanted GAF's feedback.

Thanks in advance

 

[knitoe]

This is a good start. How's your IMC cooperate with your memory? I have the 3000mhz XMP active for now.

Using Asus X99 Deluxe, any XMP settings I use crashes. So, I just manually select 2666mhz and 100 blk.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Using Asus X99 Deluxe, any XMP settings I use crashes. So, I just manually select 2666mhz and 100 blk.

X99 Pro and my HyperX has 2666 and 3000 with a 125blk x30 to get me to 3.5ghz. I need to get in deep and absorb but time is not a luxury right now.

 

[RGM79]

I'm in the USA. I have an old 2011 entry level mac, so I'm thinking about jumping back to PC for my new computer so I wouldn't have to spend $2k+ on the mac that I want.

I'm looking to build my first PC with a dual monitor setup, budget is $1,000 to 1,400. I plan to do some video/photography editing, podcast recording and possibly some gaming.

Could you recommend parts? I have zero idea on how to piece everything together.

Do you have any specific higher quality monitors in mind, or are you just looking for run-of-the-mill twin 24" 1080p monitors? I can't really recommend any higher end monitors because I'm not a monitor guy, so I'll assume you won't mind some average 1080p monitors so you can get a stronger PC. Do you have any preference for the size of the PC or features like sound-absorbing cases?

Here's a decent build to start from. There's a bit left on the budget for a stronger graphics card for gaming if you like, the GTX 750 Ti is entry level but will handle games at low to medium settings on 1080p. PC building walkthrough guides and videos are very easy to find online, and you can ask us for advice when you get your parts.

If you live near a Microcenter, you could pick up the processor in-store for a decent discount. The 4790K is available there for $280.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.73 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($100.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($120.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Toshiba Product SeriesT01ACA 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($71.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($124.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($138.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($138.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1252.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-19 19:40 EST-0500

I guess my budget is $800 to $1k (am not getting a monitor) and live in the US east coast. Gaming and general web usage (downloading stuff and 1080p video play lack etc).

This is a fairly normal build that will handle most games at 1080p well at higher settings. As I asked the other person above, do you mind how large the PC is? I went with a normal mid-size tower, but if you'd like a more compact PC it's possible without performance penalties, it just limits how many more hard drives and other things you can add in the future.

If you live near a Microcenter, you could pick up the processor in-store for a decent discount. The 4690K is available there for $200.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($100.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 Low Profile Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($61.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.99 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Tri-X Video Card ($269.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $933.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-19 19:54 EST-0500

Hello, I'm in the market for a new graphics card and been leaning towards an R9 290. Looking for confirmation/feedback on whether or not this is a good card for the price:

MSI Radeon R9 290 Gaming LE Twin Frozr IV 4GB 5GHZ GDDR5 HDMI DisplayPort 2xDVI PCI-E
http://www.ncixus.com/products/index.php?sku=105694&promoid=1482

Currently has free shipping and I believe no tax. Plus I have an additional code for $10 off bringing it down to $261. This is lower than Newegg's price AR and they are OOS. Currently 4 eggs, but I wanted GAF's feedback.

Thanks in advance

Looks fine, $261 isn't a bad price at all. I know the regular version was well-rated in professional reviews, and as far as I know MSI's LE editions are the same as their regular overclocked models (same PCB and cooler) but just clocked a bit lower.

 

[Pollux]

Is it going to be a problem on this build that I don't have a CPU cooler? Also, can I go ahead and build this and then update the SSD to 256 later? I don't really plan on gaming at anything above 1080P and this build is already pushing my budget to the limit since I need to get a mouse, keyboard, windows 8.1, and paying micro center to build it.

CPU - Intel i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory - Team Zeus Red 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage - Crucial M550 128GB 2.5" SSD; Western Digital Cavier Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Graphics Card - MSI GTX 970
Case - What they have available that looks good and is under $60
Power Supply - Depends on what they have (probably a SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply).

 

[The Llama]

Is it going to be a problem on this build that I don't have a CPU cooler? Also, can I go ahead and build this and then update the SSD to 256 later? I don't really plan on gaming at anything above 1080P and this build is already pushing my budget to the limit since I need to get a mouse, keyboard, windows 8.1, and paying micro center to build it.

CPU - Intel i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory - Team Zeus Red 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage - Crucial M550 128GB 2.5" SSD; Western Digital Cavier Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Graphics Card - MSI GTX 970
Case - What they have available that looks good and is under $60
Power Supply - Depends on what they have (probably a SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply).

Won't be a problem to not have a CPU cooler, but it can be a pain to add one later (you'd basically need to disassemble the whole thing) and since you're getting a K cpu and a Z mobo, you're throwing away free performance (and an extra 1-3 years of longevity) by not overclocking.

You can always add more storage later on, so I wouldn't worry about that, unless you mean replacing the 128GB SSD with a 256GB one, which would be a pain.

 

[RGM79]

Is it going to be a problem on this build that I don't have a CPU cooler? Also, can I go ahead and build this and then update the SSD to 256 later? I don't really plan on gaming at anything above 1080P and this build is already pushing my budget to the limit since I need to get a mouse, keyboard, windows 8.1, and paying micro center to build it.

CPU - Intel i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory - Team Zeus Red 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage - Crucial M550 128GB 2.5" SSD; Western Digital Cavier Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Graphics Card - MSI GTX 970
Case - What they have available that looks good and is under $60
Power Supply - Depends on what they have (probably a SeaSonic 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply).

If you're going to get the 4690K for overclocking, then yes, I recommend a CPU cooler. If you won't be overclocking then the included Intel cooler will be fine, but then you might as well get a cheaper non-overclocking i5 processor and H97 motherboard.

If you plan to get a larger SSD in the future, then yes it'll be fine, you can use software like Macrium Reflect to clone Windows to the new SSD and format the old one.

That said if you're building on a budget, there are ways to better optimize your costs. How much do you have to spend? Are you buying all the parts from Microcenter or are you alright with buying parts from other retailers to save a bit of money?

 

[Pollux]

Won't be a problem to not have a CPU cooler, but it can be a pain to add one later (you'd basically need to disassemble the whole thing) and since you're getting a K cpu and a Z mobo, you're throwing away free performance (and an extra 1-3 years of longevity) by not overclocking.

You can always add more storage later on, so I wouldn't worry about that, unless you mean replacing the 128GB SSD with a 256GB one, which would be a pain.

Can I just add another 128GB SSD at a later date, or even a 256GB one without having to replace the first SSD?

Is an SSD even necessary? Some builds I've been looking at, like some over at r/pcmasterrace don't even have SSDs.

If you're going to get the 4690K for overclocking, then yes, I recommend a CPU cooler. If you won't be overclocking then the included Intel cooler will be fine, but then you might as well get a cheaper non-overclocking i5 processor and H97 motherboard.

If you plan to get a larger SSD in the future, then yes it'll be fine, you can use software like Macrium Reflect to clone Windows to the new SSD and format the old one.

That said if you're building on a budget, there are ways to better optimize your costs. How much do you have to spend? Are you buying all the parts from Microcenter or are you alright with buying parts from other retailers to save a bit of money?

I'm buying everything at micro center b/c there is one near me, and I was going to have them build it since I'm terrified of fucking this up b/c it's my first time building a PC and I've been on Mac for the last 10 years so I really just want the peace of mind that someone did it right. I also need this for work and some other stuff - so the next time I need a new PC I'll already have this one and I'll feel far more comfortable getting all the parts individually and building it myself. I know I could save approximately $200 by buying parts separately and building it myself but I'm willing to spend $200 just for my peace of mind.

As for budget, anywhere from 800-1,300 or so

 

[The Llama]

Can I just add another 128GB SSD at a later date, or even a 256GB one without having to replace the first SSD?

Is an SSD even necessary? Some builds I've been looking at, like some over at r/pcmasterrace don't even have SSDs.

You can always add more storage in the future without any complications. Just the way you worded it, I wanted to make sure you weren't going to replace the current SSD with a newer one (which wouldn't make much sense anyway, but better safe than sorry).

As for if they're necessary, not per se, but I wouldn't do a decent build (which you certainly have) without one. It won't affect gaming performance much (just load times, if you install games on the SSD), but overall Windows usage is so much better with an SSD.

 

[vanguardian1]

Z97 motherboards are meant to be paired with an overclocking K series processor like the i5 4690K or the i7 4790K, otherwise if you've done your research and want the 4460 for your budget or you have no desire to overclock, you could go with a cheaper H97 motherboard. Of course, if you're overclocking then I recommend a CPU cooler, the $30 Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo will do for up to 4.5GHz overclocks, assuming it fits your case.

Depending on how much your budget is, I'd actually suggest up to 16GB of faster memory - the cost of 1866MHz or 2133MHz RAM is actually not much more than 1333MHz, usually less than $10 at any size/amount of RAM. For example, the cheapest set of 16GB of 1333MHz RAM is $109, whereas 16GB of 1866MHz and 2133MHz RAM can be had for $115. I don't recommend mixing RAM of different speeds as it will all slow down to match the speed of the slowest installed RAM, so for higher memory speed you will need to replace all of it, but you seem to already be aware of it.

If you can tell us a budget I'll gladly check prices and recommend some parts for you.

What framerate are you currently getting in Civilization and Skyrim? From the benchmarks I've found, the R7 260X should be capable of doing just under 60FPS at highest settings at 1080p for both games with i5/i7 Intel CPUs. (Source: [1][2][3][4])

First things first. 2 thumbs up for your avatar!

Secondly, budget is extremely important, I'm pushing it as much as I can to get the cheapest quad-core Intel, because I do quite a bit of everything and may or may not do rendering/editing if this setup works as well as I want it to. I used to overclock, but backed off in preference to stability & lower maintenance approach. *shrugs*
Back to business, I checked the H97 boards at Newegg, and for the components I'd want, the Asrock H97 Pro4 would do, but cost more than the Z97 board I mentioned (even before it's $10 MIR), so why bother? I'll also benefit more by going 4 more gigs of ram for $30 than $120 for 16g of 10% faster ram.
Anyways, anything specific this ole' American AMD fan needs to learn about building an intel platform now?


Btw, my god-ly modded skyrim barely reached 30fps on my old monitor @ 1280x1024, and I hadn't tried it since I got my new x-mas toy, a 1080p 24" Acer monitor.
My framerate in Civ5 seems fine @ 1920x1080, but later in the game with wait time for turns on a *small* map with just 4-5 civs takes far too long for my taste. (I'm an offline player because I use satellite internet, otherwise limited to dial-up over here)

 

[gdt]

Do you have any specific higher quality monitors in mind, or are you just looking for run-of-the-mill twin 24" 1080p monitors? I can't really recommend any higher end monitors because I'm not a monitor guy, so I'll assume you won't mind some average 1080p monitors so you can get a stronger PC. Do you have any preference for the size of the PC or features like sound-absorbing cases?

Here's a decent build to start from. There's a bit left on the budget for a stronger graphics card for gaming if you like, the GTX 750 Ti is entry level but will handle games at low to medium settings on 1080p. PC building walkthrough guides and videos are very easy to find online, and you can ask us for advice when you get your parts.

If you live near a Microcenter, you could pick up the processor in-store for a decent discount. The 4790K is available there for $280.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.73 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($100.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($120.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Toshiba Product SeriesT01ACA 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($71.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Superclocked Video Card ($124.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($138.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($138.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1252.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-19 19:40 EST-0500



This is a fairly normal build that will handle most games at 1080p well at higher settings. As I asked the other person above, do you mind how large the PC is? I went with a normal mid-size tower, but if you'd like a more compact PC it's possible without performance penalties, it just limits how many more hard drives and other things you can add in the future.

If you live near a Microcenter, you could pick up the processor in-store for a decent discount. The 4690K is available there for $200.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($100.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 Low Profile Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($61.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ Adorama)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.99 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Tri-X Video Card ($269.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($51.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $933.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-19 19:54 EST-0500



Looks fine, $261 isn't a bad price at all. I know the regular version was well-rated in professional reviews, and as far as I know MSI's LE editions are the same as their regular overclocked models (same PCB and cooler) but just clocked a bit lower.

Hey thanks a lot for this. This looks like it's it.

I'm debating on whether I should get the ssd or if I can go for it later. Maybe use the extra money on a better graphics card?

 

[The Llama]

Hey thanks a lot for this. This looks like it's it.

I'm debating on whether I should get the ssd or if I can go for it later. Maybe use the extra money on a better graphics card?

The only better GPU's you could get would be a 290x, 970, or 980. Going from a 290 to any of those is definitely not worth sacrificing a SSD for.

 

[gdt]

The only better GPU's you could get would be a 290x, 970, or 980. Going from a 290 to any of those is definitely not worth sacrificing a SSD for.

Ok wow there it is then. Gonna order this stuff soon. Thanks a lot.

Edit: gonna have to add an optical drive as well, I burn lots of CDs and such. But that's only another $20. A friend of mine is still in school so I'll have her buy windows 8 for me through her school.

 

[RGM79]

Can I just add another 128GB SSD at a later date, or even a 256GB one without having to replace the first SSD?

Is an SSD even necessary? Some builds I've been looking at, like some over at r/pcmasterrace don't even have SSDs.

I'm buying everything at micro center b/c there is one near me, and I was going to have them build it since I'm terrified of fucking this up b/c it's my first time building a PC and I've been on Mac for the last 10 years so I really just want the peace of mind that someone did it right. I also need this for work and some other stuff - so the next time I need a new PC I'll already have this one and I'll feel far more comfortable getting all the parts individually and building it myself. I know I could save approximately $200 by buying parts separately and building it myself but I'm willing to spend $200 just for my peace of mind.

As for budget, anywhere from 800-1,300 or so

I think this Microcenter build works out for your budget as it leaves some room for choice, but you didn't say what mouse and keyboard you were going to get. It includes assembly from Microcenter. I can't believe they charge $130 for assembly and testing, though. NCIXUS does all that for $50 or $60 and they even provide 1 year warranty on the completed PC.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($159.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.99 @ Micro Center)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Micro Center)
Other: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($109.99)
Other: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.99)
Other: Microcenter Assembly Fee ($129.99)
Other: ASUS Radeon R9 290X Overclocked 4GB GDDR5 PCIe 3.0 Video Card ($289.99)
Total: $1159.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-19 23:41 EST-0500

First things first. 2 thumbs up for your avatar!

Secondly, budget is extremely important, I'm pushing it as much as I can to get the cheapest quad-core Intel, because I do quite a bit of everything and may or may not do rendering/editing if this setup works as well as I want it to. I used to overclock, but backed off in preference to stability & lower maintenance approach. *shrugs*
Back to business, I checked the H97 boards at Newegg, and for the components I'd want, the Asrock H97 Pro4 would do, but cost more than the Z97 board I mentioned (even before it's $10 MIR), so why bother? I'll also benefit more by going 4 more gigs of ram for $30 than $120 for 16g of 10% faster ram. Anyways, anything specific this ole' American AMD fan needs to learn about building an intel platform now?

Btw, my god-ly modded skyrim barely reached 30fps on my old monitor @ 1280x1024, and I hadn't tried it since I got my new x-mas toy, a 1080p 24" Acer monitor.
My framerate in Civ5 seems fine @ 1920x1080, but later in the game with wait time for turns on a *small* map with just 4-5 civs takes far too long for my taste. (I'm an offline player because I use satellite internet, otherwise limited to dial-up over here)

I forgot to ask, but were you getting everything from Newegg or are different retailers alright? Fair point about the motherboard, I was expecting it to cost more, turns out it's only a few dollars difference. As for the RAM, it's your choice, it is cheaper to reuse some of your old RAM.

Nothing's really different when assembling or setting up an Intel system. The motherboard socket pin contact method is different, but installation is easy enough.

Hey thanks a lot for this. This looks like it's it.

I'm debating on whether I should get the ssd or if I can go for it later. Maybe use the extra money on a better graphics card?

I'm in agreement with The Llama, given a choice between the R9 290 and a SSD or R9 290X or the GTX 970, you will see more a difference if you opt for the SSD instead. The R9 290X and GTX 970 don't offer enough of a performance difference to be worth it, at best they're about 10~20% faster for some games but in many ways the R9 290 offers near equal performance.

Edit: If you do want to move up to an R9 290X, there's these three choices for $292~304.

Gigabyte R9 290X for $292 after $20 rebate
Powercolor R9 290X PCS+ for $294 after $30 rebate
Sapphire R9 290X Tri-X for $304 after $20 rebate and $10 promo code

 

[Smokey]

Or 400. Grumble grumble.

you never know when a smokey firesale will pop up

one must always be ready kennah

 

[CyanideFuse]

A quick question about GPU voltage limits:

My MSI GTX 970 is reported to be reaching its voltage limit (shown as 1 in Afterburner) when using out-the-box speeds without an overclock. The OV max limit is 0. The voltage limit is reached the moment the card is stressed to any extent e.g. playing any game; non-stressed usage is showing a 0.

My card boosts to 1316MHz as standard. I can overclock it to get 1516MHz without any voltage changes and with a power boost of 110%.

If I apply a voltage change I can change the core voltage slider to +18. Any more and the OV Max limit is set to 1 which I have read is very bad for a card (http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...ws/61310-nvidia-geforce-gtx-780-review-5.html).

Should I be concerned that the voltage limit is being registered as 1 even with the non-OC clock speeds when gaming? I haven't had any adverse problems with the card (not to get involved in the VRAM issue!)

 

[_13500]

I'll be blunt, the GTX 960 is a poor choice. If you're using it as a stop gap, there are faster stop gaps for less money. Nvidia is not competitive around $200 on a bang for the buck basis, so unless you have a real need for Nvidia for whatever reason, I really must suggest other options.

A 280 is cheaper. It is the same speed on average when VRAM is not a bottleneck, and has 50% more VRAM ensuring it doesn't hit that bottleneck sooner (280 begins to pull away from the 960 at higher res and settings). A 280X is barely more expensive (around $200 on the egg), and is certainly faster and also has the VRAM surplus.

You have a 750W PSU, and with a liquid cooler your CPU is going to crank up your energy bill once you OC, so you're not a low wattage user. A 960 is frankly an odd choice, given the rest of your system. You said you already bought it so I guess you're stuck with it?

I just chose nvidia for hardware reliability. You are right about 280 but as I read in some reviews about "intense works environments" the temps soar due to its wattage.

I already ordered the GTX 960 but it wasn't in stock so, I can still cancel it.

 

[kharma45]

I just chose nvidia for hardware reliability. You are right about 280 but as I read in some reviews about "intense works environments" the temps soar due to its wattage.

I already ordered the GTX 960 but it wasn't in stock so, I can still cancel it.

Nvidia chips are no more or less reliable than AMD. It all depends on who makes the cooler etc.

 

[_13500]

Nvidia chips are no more or less reliable than AMD. It all depends on who makes the cooler etc.

Sorry, I didn't express well. This is what I mean:

http://www.legionhardware.com/images/review/Palit_GeForce_GTX_960/Power_02.png

Higher power consumption with the consequent increase of temperature, and at the same time a more powerful cooler system with consequent increase of power needed.

Anyway, as I said, the graphic card right now is not an important component for my build. I prefer keep money today and wait to the new full native DX12 graphics series.

 

[LilJoka]

A quick question about GPU voltage limits:

My MSI GTX 970 is reported to be reaching its voltage limit (shown as 1 in Afterburner) when using out-the-box speeds without an overclock. The OV max limit is 0. The voltage limit is reached the moment the card is stressed to any extent e.g. playing any game; non-stressed usage is showing a 0.

My card boosts to 1316MHz as standard. I can overclock it to get 1516MHz without any voltage changes and with a power boost of 110%.

If I apply a voltage change I can change the core voltage slider to +18. Any more and the OV Max limit is set to 1 which I have read is very bad for a card (http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...ws/61310-nvidia-geforce-gtx-780-review-5.html).

Should I be concerned that the voltage limit is being registered as 1 even with the non-OC clock speeds when gaming? I haven't had any adverse problems with the card (not to get involved in the VRAM issue!)

I dont think there is actually a problem here.
The cards boost until they hit 1 of 3 limits, voltage, TDP or temperature.

At stock clocks you wont ever hit the TDP or Temp limits, so the card boosts till it reaches its highest binned speed up to the voltage limit (+0mV, around 1.20v).

Thats why when you raise the Voltage limit on an overclock you tend not to hit it, since its way more likely you will hit the TDP limit first.

Edit
some consfusion
OV Limit is bad, you shouldnt be getting this at stock
Voltage limit is fine, and is what im referring to above.

So double check as you mention both in your post, but they are totally different.

 

[CyanideFuse]

I dont think there is actually a problem here.
The cards boost until they hit 1 of 3 limits, voltage, TDP or temperature.

At stock clocks you wont ever hit the TDP or Temp limits, so the card boosts till it reaches its highest binned speed up to the voltage limit (+0mV, around 1.20v).

Thats why when you raise the Voltage limit on an overclock you tend not to hit it, since its way more likely you will hit the TDP limit first.

Basically OV Limit is triggered when you hit the voltage limit. Thats not dangerous at stock, nor is it at +87mV since its such a small voltage. People are running these at 1.30v now (+100mV)

Thanks for that.

Edit to your edit:

My card doesn't allow much voltage change seeing as OV Max is reached at +18. I assume people that are pushing higher voltages have better chips or are they ignoring the reading?

The card never hits OV Max at normal settings and overclocking (without voltage change).

 

[LilJoka]

Thanks for that.

Edit to your edit:

My card doesn't allow much voltage change seeing as OV Max is reached at +18. I assume people that are pushing higher voltages have better chips or are they ignoring the reading?

The card never hits OV Max at normal settings and overclocking (without voltage change).

Whilst overclocking my card i payed no attention to these flags, I just monitored my power limit and voltage and clock speeds in the MSI AB OSD to see what was happening. I think im also running +18mV the smallest positive increment.

Ill check mine this evening to see whats happening, im also running 1516Mhz/3850Mhz.

I have a feeling that the OV Limit is probably triggered soon as you exceed +0mV, but nvidia have said its safe to be using up to +87mV, that is if your card can reach that without hitting other limits first.

 

[gdt]

Thanks a lot for the help guys, so before I order just to make sure.

I need:

All the parts listed for me above + plus an optical drive.

A new copy of windows 8 to install the os (disc copy)?

Do I also need motherboard drivers on a flash drive like someone mentioned above?


Is that it?

 

[RGM79]

Thanks a lot for the help guys, so before I order just to make sure.

I need:

All the parts listed for me above + plus an optical drive.

A new copy of windows 8 to install the os (disc copy)?

Do I also need motherboard drivers on a flash drive like someone mentioned above?


Is that it?

Windows can be installed via USB drive very easily with official Microsoft tools, it's actually faster than disc most of the time, so that's one of the reasons why we tend to leave optical drives out of most of the builds we recommend. You said you needed it though, so you could just install Windows 8.1 from the disc instead.

As for an official copy of Windows 8, you can pick one up from just about any place that also sells PC parts for roughly $90-100. If you want to save money, then it's possible to buy a Windows license key from somewhere unofficially, but that comes with a few risks.

Windows 8.1 licenses can be bought from reddit's microsoftsoftwareswap for $20 or less. These are most likely legitimate keys that are resold from educational programs like Technet or Dreamspark. However, you are dealing with a person instead of a retailer, and informal Windows keys sales are unapproved by Microsoft and probably breaking some licensing agreement to be clear, but it's not illegal. The risks involved are that the person could be selling you a fake or used key, or that Microsoft may deactivate your license and refuse to reactivate it, although it's somewhat unlikely. We've had people here using those keys without issues for a long time and others who say Microsoft deactivated their key after several months.

The motherboard comes with drivers on a CD included in the box, but while they work they may also be outdated. It's usually recommended to download the latest drivers from the motherboard manufacturer's website, copy them onto a flash drive, and then move them over to the new PC after Windows is finished installing so you can install the drivers. Motherboard software utilities are usually not needed but can help manage or enable some desired motherboard features like USB fast charging or fan speed control.

 

[gdt]

Windows can be installed via USB drive very easily with official Microsoft tools, it's actually faster than disc most of the time, so that's one of the reasons why we tend to leave optical drives out of most of the builds we recommend. You said you needed it though, so you could just install Windows 8.1 from the disc instead.

As for an official copy of Windows 8, you can pick one up from just about any place that also sells PC parts for roughly $90-100. If you want to save money, then it's possible to buy a Windows license key from somewhere unofficially, but that comes with a few risks.

Windows 8.1 licenses can be bought from reddit's microsoftsoftwareswap for $20 or less. These are most likely legitimate keys that are resold from educational programs like Technet or Dreamspark. However, you are dealing with a person instead of a retailer, and informal Windows keys sales are unapproved by Microsoft and probably breaking some licensing agreement to be clear, but it's not illegal. The risks involved are that the person could be selling you a fake or used key, or that Microsoft may deactivate your license and refuse to reactivate it, although it's somewhat unlikely. We've had people here using those keys without issues for a long time and others who say Microsoft deactivated their key after several months.

The motherboard comes with drivers on a CD included in the box, but while they work they may also be outdated. It's usually recommended to download the latest drivers from the motherboard manufacturer's website, copy them onto a flash drive, and then move them over to the new PC after Windows is finished installing so you can install the drivers. Motherboard software utilities are usually not needed but can help manage or enable some desired motherboard features like USB fast charging or fan speed control.

Ok thanks. Do I also need a sound card or a wifi receiver? I would hook this up to my surround sound btw.

 

[RGM79]

Ok thanks. Do I also need a sound card or a wifi receiver? I would hook this up to my surround sound btw.

Whether you want wifi connectivity is up to you. Do you know if you can hook it up via ethernet instead? Ethernet is preferred, but you can get a decent wifi adaptor for less than $30.

You probably won't need a sound card, the motherboard has 3.5mm audio jacks for 7.1 channel surround sound. If you want to use digital audio like S/PDIF and/or TOSLINK , maybe I should recommend you a different motherboard that comes with those outputs instead.

What sort of surround sound speakers do you already have, and what input connectors do they take?

 

[exmachina64]

you never know when a smokey firesale will pop up

one must always be ready kennah

I should open a credit line for gaffers to buy parts from you.

 

[gdt]

What sort of surround sound speakers do you already have, and what input connectors do they take?

You probably won't need a sound card, the motherboard has 3.5mm audio jacks for 7.1 channel surround sound. If you want to use digital audio like S/PDIF or TOSLINK , maybe I should recommend you a motherboard that comes with those outputs instead.

Umm

It's a regular receiver which accepts HDMI/TOSLINK/3.5mm AUX input. So I guess I'm fine?

Edit: yeah gotta get a wifi card. Just added one to the parts list.

 

[RGM79]

Umm

It's a regular receiver which accepts HDMI/TOSLINK/3.5mm AUX input. So I guess I'm fine?

Edit: yeah gotta get a wifi card. Just added one to the parts list.

HDMI will probably be easiest, then 3.5mm. What wifi card are you getting?

 

[gdt]

HDMI will probably be easiest, then 3.5mm. What wifi card are you getting?

Sweet I'll just use the HDMI then. That's how everything else in connected of course. I'll use that for the video as well.


Just added the first one I saw.

TP-Link TLWDN4800

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/tp-link-wireless-network-card-tlwdn4800

 

[Crisium]

Sorry, I didn't express well. This is what I mean:

http://www.legionhardware.com/images/review/Palit_GeForce_GTX_960/Power_02.png

Higher power consumption with the consequent increase of temperature, and at the same time a more powerful cooler system with consequent increase of power needed.

Anyway, as I said, the graphic card right now is not an important component for my build. I prefer keep money today and wait to the new full native DX12 graphics series.

That link doesn't work for me, but fair enough, I don't need convincing that the 960 draws significantly fewer watts than the 280 series. Hopefully the 2GB of VRAM doesn't bottleneck your stopgap gaming.

If you plan to OC your CPU though (and with liquid, I think you should) don't forget that's basically adding another video card to your system.

 

[kennah]

you never know when a smokey firesale will pop up

one must always be ready kennah

I'm not allowed to upgrade my gpu for two years or I would have jumped on it.

 

[RGM79]

Sweet I'll just use the HDMI then. That's how everything else in connected of course. I'll use that for the video as well.


Just added the first one I saw.

TP-Link TLWDN4800

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/tp-link-wireless-network-card-tlwdn4800

If you're going to spend more than $30, then get this Gigabyte wifi card ($33) instead. Advantages and extra features over the TP-Link model include the addition of wireless AC, Bluetooth, and the antenna is on a wire, you can place it higher to get a better signal than the small plastic covered antennas.

 

[gdt]

If you're going to spend more than $30, then get this Gigabyte wifi card ($33) instead. Advantages and extra features over the TP-Link model include the addition of wireless AC, Bluetooth, and the antenna is on a wire, you can place it higher to get a better signal than the small plastic covered antennas.

Thanks man. Looks like I'm set. Now to start ordering this stuff.

 

[CommandThrower]

Quick question for you folks. I just bought a new Samsung 840 EVO to replace my old six year old HDD. I'm trying to clone it over, but it just won't work. 'Turns out my old HDD has bad sectors, which just kill the cloning regardless of the program I use. Not even Clonezilla works.

Am I borked? Will I just need to install windows and everything from scratch on this new SSD? I'm at a loss on how to proceed.


EDIT: If it helps, my SSD is being hooked into a USB adapter until we got the old HDD cloned onto it. It's not hooked into my computer. 'Not sure if that would cause any problems, but there's that.