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[BigMastadon]

Quick Networking question guys/gals:

I have had the Linksys 802.11ac EA6350 for two months now and tonight I've been watching the WWE Network for about six hours now. There have been two moments in which it has reset (could tell because I lost connection on my phone and my PC) twice over that time. It has not done this at all for the past two months with my laptop.

My phone and PC both use the 5ghz option while my laptop uses the other one. Is this something I should be concerned about? Anything I can do to correct it? Weird it hasn't done this before tonight and I am hosting guests tomorrow night for Wrestlemania.

 

[RGM79]

Quick Networking question guys/gals:

I have had the Linksys 802.11ac EA6350 for two months now and tonight I've been watching the WWE Network for about six hours now. There have been two moments in which it has reset (could tell because I lost connection on my phone and my PC) twice over that time. It has not done this at all for the past two months with my laptop.

My phone and PC both use the 5ghz option while my laptop uses the other one. Is this something I should be concerned about? Anything I can do to correct it? Weird it hasn't done this before tonight and I am hosting guests tomorrow night for Wrestlemania.

Have you tried firmware updates for your router?

 

[BigMastadon]

Have you tried firmware updates for your router?

I have not done that yet. I'll try that now.

Edit: Up to date with the latest firmware already.

 

[MildSoss]

Raidmax power supplies are kinda mediocre, going by what I've seen and what I've been led to believe. If you have the RX-535AP (it's the only 535 watt power supply they seem to have) then your power supply is only rated for 432 watts on the 12 volt rail according to the label, and probably puts out even less than that in real life usage.

It definitely can't run the R9 290X and I wouldn't try the GTX 970 even as power efficient as it is. First thing would be to upgrade your power supply, and then a graphics card according to your budget.

Yeah, that seems to be the one. What power supply would you recommend for both these cards?

 

[BreezyLimbo]

So I have a question, is having 2 monitors hooked up to my computer like, super CPU intensive or GPU intensive?

 

[SRG01]

I've considered looking for one, thought they probably existed, but couldn't find one.

There's an entire subreddit for it, but I'm still slightly apprehensive.

 

[CreepingFear]

So I have a question, is having 2 monitors hooked up to my computer like, super CPU intensive or GPU intensive?

If you are just gaming on one screen, no. Most modern computers can handle multiple screens easily. Now say you were doing Eyefinity or Nvidia Surround Gaming, that's a different story, then yes it would be gpu and cpu intensive. I run two 1080p monitors, with one being my main gaming monitor and the other being a portrait mode monitor for browsing and looking at OBS.

 

[Dead]

Bought a Dell U2715H

I've entered the realm of 1440p gaming. And it is good.

I was close to buying the Asus ROG Swift, but after seeing it in store, the poorer color reproduction and viewing angles killed it for me. The Dell has incredible color, near invisible bezels, and the response time is fairly good too. Couldn't be happier. It looks incredible.

Btw, I'm not familiar with the cable spec, is there a reason I would want to use DisplayPort instead of HDMI?

 

[Nesmaster75]

The Corsair 380T is a unconventional and unique case design, but it's a fairly popular case and brand, and the H100i seems to be a popular cooler to install in the 380T. I'm sure you can find build videos for it.

Hmm, after looking around, there is an alternative choice for the power supply. The Corsair CS750M is $74 after discounts and the official specs say it's only 140mm long which makes it extremely compact and easier to manage, a definite plus for a compact case like the 380T. More compact yet has higher capacity, looks pretty decent on paper.

However.. there are a large proportion of negative reviews on Newegg that gives it an average of just 3/5 stars after 23 reviews.. On the flip side, the Amazon page for the same power supply averages an excellent rating of 4.5/5 star rating after 60 reviews. I have no idea what's going on, maybe Newegg was selling a bad production batch? The negative Newegg reviews indicated that it either died early or had a bad buzzing/humming vibration. Professional reviews for the Corsair CSXXXM line by GreatWall seem decent enough though (review: [550W][650W][850W])

Yeah, a GTX 970 can physically fit in there, just not the super long ones like the Gigabyte models with the triple fan Windforce cooler. I recommend the EVGA GTX 970 SSC ($330). It brings the cost of the PC up to about $1120, though. Still within budget?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($227.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($95.99 @ Best Buy)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($101.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Fury Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($64.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0 Video Card ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 380T Mini ITX Tower Case ($114.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Corsair CSM 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($73.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1123.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-22 11:50 EDT-0400

Hey man, sorry for not writing back the last few days - super busy with school life. Going with that EVGA card would still be within budget so that's not a problem, but I'm curious why you'd go with that over the MSI. I've never owned either brands so I'm just curious to hear your take on them both. I've done a horrendous amount of research on both but I'm still really lost on which one I should go for. I'm probably not gonna go crazy with overclocking, but I will when some games need it.

Thanks so much again for all your help by the way. You've literally built this thing with me & I really appreciate it. Looking to order parts tomorrow!

 

[BreezyLimbo]

If you are just gaming on one screen, no. Most modern computers can handle multiple screens easily. Now say you were doing Eyefinity or Nvidia Surround Gaming, that's a different story, then yes it would be gpu and cpu intensive. I run two 1080p monitors, with one being my main gaming monitor and the other being a portrait mode monitor for browsing and looking at OBS.

Oooh ok. Thanks~! I was planning on having one monitor have videos and the other have games.

 

[CreepingFear]

Oooh ok. Thanks~! I was planning on having one monitor have videos and the other have games.

That's fine, I do that all the time. Keep in mind if you are watching something like flash video, it will take some fps away from your game because of the hog that flash is, but you can get away with it for most games.

 

[RGM79]

I have not done that yet. I'll try that now.

Edit: Up to date with the latest firmware already.

Hmm, not really sure, then. Might have just been a hiccup. You could try resetting your router settings, but unless you keep getting disconnected, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Yeah, that seems to be the one. What power supply would you recommend for both these cards?

Depends on how much you want to spend. The cheapest PSU I can recommend for either is the EVGA 600B ($35 after $10 rebate), as 600 watts will be enough for either graphics card. If you spend more, you can get a higher quality model with higher wattage or modular cabling.

So I have a question, is having 2 monitors hooked up to my computer like, super CPU intensive or GPU intensive?

If you're playing games that run on both monitors, then it can get GPU intensive. If you're not playing games on both monitors or only use one monitor for games, then it doesn't matter, just about any desktop PC can handle dual monitors easily.

There's an entire subreddit for it, but I'm still slightly apprehensive.

Oh, I'm not really a reddit user, so I'm not sure either about it. Unless they're willing to accept Paypal payment after shipping info was confirmed or something.

Hey man, sorry for not writing back the last few days - super busy with school life. Going with that EVGA card would still be within budget so that's not a problem, but I'm curious why you'd go with that over the MSI. I've never owned either brands so I'm just curious to hear your take on them both. I've done a horrendous amount of research on both but I'm still really lost on which one I should go for. I'm probably not gonna go crazy with overclocking, but I will when some games need it.

Thanks so much again for all your help by the way. You've literally built this thing with me & I really appreciate it. Looking to order parts tomorrow!

I used to recommend the MSI Gaming 4G a lot because it was a pretty balanced card, it had a good factory overclock, a silent fan mode, and a compact twin fan cooler (compared to long triple fan coolers) that was still pretty effective. The newer EVGA SSC which is sold at the same price as the MSI model is pretty much superior when it comes to that, though. It has a slightly higher clock speed (1.19GHz vs 1.14GHz), also comes with a silent fan mode, and an improved cooler (improved from the older ACX 2.0 cooler) that appears to be better than the MSI Twin Frozr cooler design.

Compare the cooler designs here: MSI Twin Frozr V and EVGA SSC ACX 2.0+

You can see that the MSI model has a partial memory cooling plate while the EVGA model has a larger plate that more or less covers the entire circuit board.

Now, in real life use, you probably wouldn't notice the differences too much, to be honest. Framerate differences between the two aren't that great, they're probably within ~5% of each other. However, both are retailing for the same cost ($340 according to PCPartPicker) so why not get the slightly better card if both cost the same?

That build has jumped in price by about $40 overall, though. When are you planning to buy and build the PC? A day or so before you buy, we could go over the parts again to see if we can reduce the cost again or find alternative parts.

 

[Diablos]

What calculator are you using? I'm getting 450~500 watts recommended by the one I usually use including your overclocking settings, some slight capacitor aging, and the R9 280.

You're right, I messed up. I'm getting under 500W now too. Makes me feel better.

Now my only hurdle is getting over the fact that I won't get a free copy of Witcher 3. #firstworldproblem

 

[Nesmaster75]

I used to recommend the MSI Gaming 4G a lot because it was a pretty balanced card, it had a good factory overclock, a silent fan mode, and a compact twin fan cooler (compared to long triple fan coolers) that was still pretty effective. The newer EVGA SSC which is sold at the same price as the MSI model is pretty much superior when it comes to that, though. It has a slightly higher clock speed (1.19GHz vs 1.14GHz), also comes with a silent fan mode, and an improved cooler (improved from the older ACX 2.0 cooler) that appears to be better than the MSI Twin Frozr cooler design.

Compare the cooler designs here: MSI Twin Frozr V and EVGA SSC ACX 2.0+

You can see that the MSI model has a partial memory cooling plate while the EVGA model has a larger plate that more or less covers the entire circuit board.

Now, in real life use, you probably wouldn't notice the differences too much, to be honest. Framerate differences between the two aren't that great, they're probably within ~5% of each other. However, both are retailing for the same cost ($340 according to PCPartPicker) so why not get the slightly better card if both cost the same?

That build has jumped in price by about $40 overall, though. When are you planning to buy and build the PC? A day or so before you buy, we could go over the parts again to see if we can reduce the cost again or find alternative parts.

Okay, thanks for the insight on that. I'm more than likely gonna start ordering parts on Monday, but if you don't mind going over everything again that'd be great. Thanks!

 

[Mohasus]

Btw, I'm not familiar with the cable spec, is there a reason I would want to use DisplayPort instead of HDMI?

Some displays don't support 1440p over HDMI.

 

[vocab]

Sigh, When I move my mouse on certain things I get coil whine through the headphones, and I have no idea how to fix it.

 

[Exton]

Sigh, When I move my mouse on certain things I get coil whine through the headphones, and I have no idea how to fix it.

Try adding a ferrite core to your cord.

 

[RGM79]

Okay, thanks for the insight on that. I'm more than likely gonna start ordering parts on Monday, but if you don't mind going over everything again that'd be great. Thanks!

Not quite as cheap as it was before, but I knocked off about $37 with no drop in performance.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($227.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: PNY 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($61.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial BX100 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($62.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Toshiba Product SeriesT01ACA 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0 Video Card ($339.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 380T Mini ITX Tower Case ($114.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($83.95 @ Directron)
Other: ASRock Z97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($101.98)
Total: $1132.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-29 01:31 EDT-0400

Newegg and PCPartPicker seem to have both dropped the motherboard from their listings momentarily. It's back up on Newegg for $101.98 after rebate and shipping, but PCPartPicker hasn't updated their prices yet, so I had to add the motherboard with a manual price.

 

[MildSoss]

Depends on how much you want to spend. The cheapest PSU I can recommend for either is the EVGA 600B ($35 after $10 rebate), as 600 watts will be enough for either graphics card. If you spend more, you can get a higher quality model with higher wattage or modular cabling.

Awesome, thank you.

I think i'll end up going with a 970 card as well, seeing as I do all my gaming in 1080P hopefully it'll last me a while. :]

 

[Diablos]

Is a 4GB version of the 960 really going to provide that significant of a performance boost? Watch Dogs is really that texture heavy?

 

[dinopoke]

Hey guys, I want some feedback for a kinda weird build I'm making. So I know it's not really the best time to upgrade (with Skylake and new GPUs on the horizon) but here in Australia there's a 20% tech sale on Ebay for the next few days and I'm incredibly tempted to bite since my current PC is over 7 years old. So the idea is that I want to build a gaming PC which gives me leeway to upgrade the CPU, Mobo, RAM and GPU in a year or so's time if the new tech is worth it. Here's the build and hopefully you can answer some of the questions I have. Prices in AUD.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790S 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.77)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($101.60)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($137.09)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X F3-10666CL9D-8GBXL (2x4GB) DDR3 ($92.00)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($134.40)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($447.20)
Case: Silverstone TJ08B-E MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($109.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($159.20)
Sound Card: Asus Xonar Essence STX 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card ($188.00)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($45.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $1772.46

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-30 00:10 EST+1100

• I was originally looking at the i5 4690K but it turns out that isn't on sale. However the i7-4790S is (it's about the same price as the 4690K with the sale) . Is it worth it? I won't be overclocking since I might just upgrade straight the Skylake later on. Or should I go with a much cheaper CPU?
• So I'm going to do an mATX build. I've never done one before but it sounds quite interesting due to its portability. Is it viable for this build? Are there any issues or downsides I should know about? Would it still be viable if I, say, upgrade to a high end GPU when the new ones come out? If not, it doesn't matter since I would probably get a new mobo anyway and go with a full size one. How is the case? Are there any cheaper alternatives?
• I don't know much about the RAM I picked since they were the cheapest G.Skills on sale. Are these ok? I don't mind skimping on RAM too much since I can upgrade the DDR4 when the new mobos come out.
• Is the SSD good? Are the new models coming out that I should be aware of? Or would these be good for an investment?
• I picked the 970 as I heard it's the best bang for buck and I would like something fairly powerful right now before I consider upgrading.
• I know the PSU is overkill for this build but is it a good investment for when I want to upgrade to a higher end PC down the line? Same goes for the CPU Cooler.
• I'm also aware that I can't fit both the Wifi Card and the soundcard. Is there a mATX mobo which has two PCI-Express express slots? It's not too important though since I'm just going the buy the soundcard to save for later if I upgrade to a full sized tower. The soundcard is also an investment for when I better headphones.
• I think I'm going to hold off on buying a new monitor and wait for the IPS+Gsync monitors.
• I probably want to get peripherals like the mouse, keyboard and headphones but I haven't decided on those yet.

Sorry about all these questions if they sound pretty noobish. But all opinions are welcome and I would really appreciate the feedback!

 

[Polymath]

Is a 4GB version of the 960 really going to provide that significant of a performance boost? Watch Dogs is really that texture heavy?

I've seen a youtube video recently where watch dogs was using 6gb of vram @ 4k on a Titan X. So yeah i assume it's quite vram heavy depending on your resolution an AA settings.

 

[Idba]

Hey guys, I want some feedback for a kinda weird build I'm making. So I know it's not really the best time to upgrade (with Skylake and new GPUs on the horizon) but here in Australia there's a 20% tech sale on Ebay for the next few days and I'm incredibly tempted to bite since my current PC is over 7 years old. So the idea is that I want to build a gaming PC which gives me leeway to upgrade the CPU, Mobo, RAM and GPU in a year or so's time if the new tech is worth it. Here's the build and hopefully you can answer some of the questions I have. Prices in AUD.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790S 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.77)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($101.60)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($137.09)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X F3-10666CL9D-8GBXL (2x4GB) DDR3 ($92.00)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($134.40)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($447.20)
Case: Silverstone TJ08B-E MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($109.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($159.20)
Sound Card: Asus Xonar Essence STX 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card ($188.00)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($45.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $1772.46

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-30 00:10 EST+1100

• I was originally looking at the i5 4690K but it turns out that isn't on sale. However the i7-4790S is (it's about the same price as the 4690K with the sale) . Is it worth it? I won't be overclocking since I might just upgrade straight the Skylake later on. Or should I go with a much cheaper CPU?
• So I'm going to do an mATX build. I've never done one before but it sounds quite interesting due to its portability. Is it viable for this build? Are there any issues or downsides I should know about? Would it still be viable if I, say, upgrade to a high end GPU when the new ones come out? If not, it doesn't matter since I would probably get a new mobo anyway and go with a full size one. How is the case? Are there any cheaper alternatives?
• I don't know much about the RAM I picked since they were the cheapest G.Skills on sale. Are these ok? I don't mind skimping on RAM too much since I can upgrade the DDR4 when the new mobos come out.
• Is the SSD good? Are the new models coming out that I should be aware of? Or would these be good for an investment?
• I picked the 970 as I heard it's the best bang for buck and I would like something fairly powerful right now before I consider upgrading.
• I know the PSU is overkill for this build but is it a good investment for when I want to upgrade to a higher end PC down the line? Same goes for the CPU Cooler.
• I'm also aware that I can't fit both the Wifi Card and the soundcard. Is there a mATX mobo which has two PCI-Express express slots? It's not too important though since I'm just going the buy the soundcard to save for later if I upgrade to a full sized tower. The soundcard is also an investment for when I better headphones.
• I think I'm going to hold off on buying a new monitor and wait for the IPS+Gsync monitors.
• I probably want to get peripherals like the mouse, keyboard and headphones but I haven't decided on those yet.

Sorry about all these questions if they sound pretty noobish. But all opinions are welcome and I would really appreciate the feedback!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790S 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($325)
CPU Cooler:Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($45.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($124.00 @ IJK)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($90.00 @ IJK)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($519.00 @ CPL Online)
Case: BitFenix Phenom M Arctic White MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($109.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($129.00 @ CPL Online)
Sound Card: Asus Xonar Essence STX 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card ($209.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN3800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($35.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $1734.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-30 01:55 EST+1100

 

[Kezen]

Is a 4GB version of the 960 really going to provide that significant of a performance boost? Watch Dogs is really that texture heavy?

If you are running the ultra textures yes. They require around 3gb of VRAM.

 

[Coulomb_Barrier]

Bought a Dell U2715H



Btw, I'm not familiar with the cable spec, is there a reason I would want to use DisplayPort instead of HDMI?

This sums it up pretty well:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/2030...t-which-display-interface-reigns-supreme.html

 

[Stubo]

Hey guys, I want some feedback for a kinda weird build I'm making. So I know it's not really the best time to upgrade (with Skylake and new GPUs on the horizon) but here in Australia there's a 20% tech sale on Ebay for the next few days and I'm incredibly tempted to bite since my current PC is over 7 years old. So the idea is that I want to build a gaming PC which gives me leeway to upgrade the CPU, Mobo, RAM and GPU in a year or so's time if the new tech is worth it. Here's the build and hopefully you can answer some of the questions I have. Prices in AUD.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790S 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($324.77)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($101.60)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($137.09)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X F3-10666CL9D-8GBXL (2x4GB) DDR3 ($92.00)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($134.40)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($447.20)
Case: Silverstone TJ08B-E MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($109.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($159.20)
Sound Card: Asus Xonar Essence STX 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card ($188.00)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($45.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $1772.46

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-30 00:10 EST+1100

• I was originally looking at the i5 4690K but it turns out that isn't on sale. However the i7-4790S is (it's about the same price as the 4690K with the sale) . Is it worth it? I won't be overclocking since I might just upgrade straight the Skylake later on. Or should I go with a much cheaper CPU?
• So I'm going to do an mATX build. I've never done one before but it sounds quite interesting due to its portability. Is it viable for this build? Are there any issues or downsides I should know about? Would it still be viable if I, say, upgrade to a high end GPU when the new ones come out? If not, it doesn't matter since I would probably get a new mobo anyway and go with a full size one. How is the case? Are there any cheaper alternatives?
• I don't know much about the RAM I picked since they were the cheapest G.Skills on sale. Are these ok? I don't mind skimping on RAM too much since I can upgrade the DDR4 when the new mobos come out.
• Is the SSD good? Are the new models coming out that I should be aware of? Or would these be good for an investment?
• I picked the 970 as I heard it's the best bang for buck and I would like something fairly powerful right now before I consider upgrading.
• I know the PSU is overkill for this build but is it a good investment for when I want to upgrade to a higher end PC down the line? Same goes for the CPU Cooler.
• I'm also aware that I can't fit both the Wifi Card and the soundcard. Is there a mATX mobo which has two PCI-Express express slots? It's not too important though since I'm just going the buy the soundcard to save for later if I upgrade to a full sized tower. The soundcard is also an investment for when I better headphones.
• I think I'm going to hold off on buying a new monitor and wait for the IPS+Gsync monitors.
• I probably want to get peripherals like the mouse, keyboard and headphones but I haven't decided on those yet.

Sorry about all these questions if they sound pretty noobish. But all opinions are welcome and I would really appreciate the feedback!

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790S 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($325)

Isn't the 4970S the lower power (and lower clocked) version? I'd personally look at the 4690k for gaming.

mATX is absolutely viable. The main limiting factor is that you won't have as much space for expansion cards, which is already proving to be an issue between your sound card, GPU and wifi cards. You could go for a USB DAC/Amp (perhaps look at the FiiO products) or USB based WiFi solution or powerline adapters to get around these issues.

With RAM you basically want to choose something which runs at 1.5v and has the best speeds for the money. It doesn't make a huge difference on the intel platform but I'd maybe look at the HyperX Fury line - I know the 1866 sets are good value in most areas.

The MX100 is definitely a solid choice for an SSD, consider where you're going to be storing different things because you may also want to add a convention HDD for storing your media files and lesser played games etc. OS and frequently used games should be on the SSD in my opinion.

The 970 is still a very solid option regardless of the memory limitations. The benchmarks don't lie and the feature set on Nvidia cards are solid. Look at the EVGA ACX, Gigabyte Windforce, Asus Strix and MSI Twin Frozr options, pick whichever one offers the best speeds/price. It's also worth considering that not all of these have a zero fan speed feature during idle.

You could run this build on an EVGA 600B PSU to save yourself money, but it really depends on the sort of upgrade path you're looking at in the future. If you're going to get another board and go SLI for example it could be worth getting the 750W version of the EVGA.

The only concern I'd have with the NH-D15 is if it would fit in your choice of mATX case. It's a very tall tower and you'd have to check the clearance. Otherwise it's a really great option, but you could be just as well served with a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO unless you're really planning to push the clocks. Maybe one of the smaller Noctua options if the silence is important to you.

Keyboard and mouse are very personal choices, look around at reviews and if possible go to a store which allows you to feel a selection of mice. What suits my huge hands definitely would not suit everyone's hands for example.

Hope this helps!

Edit: Here's a quick tweak. I guess there will be some value off the price of some of these parts because of the 20% sale you mentioned. Or the prices have all gone up now, I'm not sure?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($325.00 @ CPL Online)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($85.00 @ IJK)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($159.00 @ Centre Com)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($90.00 @ IJK)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB FTW ACX 2.0 Video Card ($499.00 @ IJK)
Case: Silverstone TJ08B-E MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($109.00 @ CPL Online)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($145.00 @ CPL Online)
Sound Card: Asus Xonar Essence STX 24-bit 192 KHz Sound Card ($209.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($45.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $1815.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-30 02:42 EST+1100

Here is an example build using this CPU cooler in your chosen case. It looks like it fits pretty well:

 

[mercenar1e]

im thinking about upgrading to something current from an Intel i5 2500K.. i don't think i have the patience to wait for Skylake K lol what is the top tier CPU and best CPU per dollar for gaming?

 

[rtcn63]

im thinking about upgrading to something current from an Intel i5 2500K.. i don't think i have the patience to wait for Skylake K lol what is the top tier CPU and best CPU per dollar for gaming?

Don't. An overclocked i5 is plenty nowadays.

 

[Nesmaster75]

Not quite as cheap as it was before, but I knocked off about $37 with no drop in performance.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($227.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: PNY 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($61.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial BX100 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($62.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Toshiba Product SeriesT01ACA 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0 Video Card ($339.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 380T Mini ITX Tower Case ($114.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($83.95 @ Directron)
Other: ASRock Z97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($101.98)
Total: $1132.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-29 01:31 EDT-0400

Newegg and PCPartPicker seem to have both dropped the motherboard from their listings momentarily. It's back up on Newegg for $101.98 after rebate and shipping, but PCPartPicker hasn't updated their prices yet, so I had to add the motherboard with a manual price.

Awesome, thanks! I'm starting to order parts as we speak!

 

[BenH]

I posted a lot of my build a few days ago, but today I'm actually pulling the trigger. I found a micro center near me, so I'm actually picking up a bunch of these for less than the listed prices. Fox example, the mother board is only $50 because Micro Center is having a sale if you buy an Intel board with an intel cpu.

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Bhaimowitz/saved/kKBWGX

Given these savings, and the fact that micro center CPUs seem to cost a lot less than elsewhere, should I just take the plunge and upgrade to the i7 for $280 total? I don't mind paying the extra amount if the future-proofing is worth it.

Is his RAM combo acceptable? The reviews were good enough and at the store the price is right.

Also, any suggestions on the case? That one's sold out at micro center, though I can always just order it today from new egg and wait on it.

FYI, previous advice suggested that I drop the dvd, but my wife mentioned hat she would rather still have one, so that's staying in.

Thanks,
Ben

 

[RealityCheque]

This is my first build ever so any feedback would be appreciated.

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-Z97P-D3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" SSD
Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM HDD
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card
Case: NZXT S340
Power Supply: XFX XTR 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply

I'm fairly happy with the price range I'm aiming at (€1000-1200 ish) but are there any problems here? Am I missing anything? Not sure if i need to add extra cooling or not? Are there any subsitutes that could save money or improve perfromance?

Lastly do I need to add a wireless card or ethernet? I haven't got a clue if this is part of the motherboard etc? Can you tell I've never done this before?!

Thanks in advance for any and all advice.

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

I posted a lot of my build a few days ago, but today I'm actually pulling the trigger. I found a micro center near me, so I'm actually picking up a bunch of these for less than the listed prices. Fox example, the mother board is only $50 because Micro Center is having a sale if you buy an Intel board with an intel cpu.

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Bhaimowitz/saved/kKBWGX

Given these savings, and the fact that micro center CPUs seem to cost a lot less than elsewhere, should I just take the plunge and upgrade to the i7 for $280 total? I don't mind paying the extra amount if the future-proofing is worth it.

Is his RAM combo acceptable? The reviews were good enough and at the store the price is right.

Also, any suggestions on the case? That one's sold out at micro center, though I can always just order it today from new egg and wait on it.

FYI, previous advice suggested that I drop the dvd, but my wife mentioned hat she would rather still have one, so that's staying in.

Thanks,
Ben

The i7 and mobo total is 280? No reason not to go for it then.

Also you don't really need that Thermal Paste. The 212 cooler has some with it, and RGM used to show in his earlier post that the difference is very little. So not worth it.
Other than that, go for it, looks solid.

This is my first build ever so any feedback would be appreciated.

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-Z97P-D3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" SSD
Western Digital BLACK SERIES 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM HDD
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card
Case: NZXT S340
Power Supply: XFX XTR 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply

I'm fairly happy with the price range I'm aiming at (€1000-1200 ish) but are there any problems here? Am I missing anything? Not sure if i need to add extra cooling or not? Are there any subsitutes that could save money or improve perfromance?

Lastly do I need to add a wireless card or ethernet? I haven't got a clue if this is part of the motherboard etc? Can you tell I've never done this before?!

Thanks in advance for any and all advice.

Country?

But at first glance. Crucial SSD are normally cheaper, with comparable performance. Plus the 850 may have the same problem with the 840, so it's best to go the other route. Also the Black WD are expensive, Toshiba can be a good alternative for storage >= 2TB.

 

[Diablos]

If you are running the ultra textures yes. They require around 3gb of VRAM.

I'm getting the 960 4GB. Seems like a safer bet for the next couple years, even more than the R9 280. It isn't much more than the 2GB 960 and it's still not nearly as much as, say, a 970 or 980.

I have this problem when I want to upgrade stuff though... I feel like it's always the wrong time. For example, there aren't many 4GB 960's out there (I think the EVGA card is the only one, correct me if I'm wrong). I feel like if there were more out there, you'd find some may end up being priced a bit lower.

 

[RealityCheque]

The i7 and mobo total is 280? No reason not to go for it then.

Also you don't really need that Thermal Paste. The 212 cooler has some with it, and RGM used to show in his earlier post that the difference is very little. So not worth it.
Other than that, go for it, looks solid.



Country?

I'm in Ireland so buying from Eurozone and UK outlets.

 

[Alcander]

Hey guys, question:

I want to upgrade/rebuild my pc before the witcher 3 comes out. However I've heard people saying now isnt a great time to upgrade as new releases are on the horizon. When do you think would be an optimal time to upgrade, with a little time to spare before W3?

 

[mercenar1e]

Don't. An overclocked i5 is plenty nowadays.

my PC just feels sluggish with programs and games and i think its time.. i need to look into the best performing CPUs for gaming that wont make me regret the purchase when skylake releases lol

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

I'm in Ireland so buying from Eurozone and UK outlets.

These are my replacement suggestions, if they are cheaper for you, you should go for it.

Crucial SSD are normally cheaper, with comparable performance. Plus the 850 may have the same problem with the 840, so it's best to go the other route. Also the Black WD are expensive, Toshiba can be a good alternative for storage >= 2TB.

The PSU should be cheaper, as you don't really that gold rated or fully modular, of course if you want you can go for it.

Edit: haha just realized i didn't paste it in.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£74.09 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£56.34 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£50.95 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £181.38
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-29 19:01 BST+0100

 

[kennah]

my PC just feels sluggish with programs and games and i think its time.. i need to look into the best performing CPUs for gaming that wont make me regret the purchase when skylake releases lol

That's a Windows problem not a cpu problem. Current CPUs aren't any faster than an overclocked 2500k. There has been minimal advancement on speed, just efficiency.

If your computer feels sluggish, overclock. Get an SSD, get more ram. Your cpu is fine. Reload windows.

 

[yatesl]

I just sold my Gigabyte 770 2GB to someone

Spoiler

my brother

for £130. Like a mug, I've ordered a 970 G1 from Amazon for £290, despite the 3.6GB ram debacle. nVidia have me over a barrel.

Have I made a mistake? Should I have ordered a 290X for £280 instead? I really like ShadowPlay

 

[Saucy_XL]

I'm looking for graphics card around $200 for my new build. I've been looking for sales on 280x's, but I saw this deal for a 770 (refurb). From what I can tell 770 and 280x are almost even, with the 280x being a bit better at resolutions above 1080. The 770 is a good $40 cheaper than any 280x I can find at the moment. I will mostly be playing WoW, Civ5, and Dota2 at 1080 in case this matters. Would love some input about which card to go with.

 

[RealityCheque]

These are my replacement suggestions, if they are cheaper for you, you should go for it.

Crucial SSD are normally cheaper, with comparable performance. Plus the 850 may have the same problem with the 840, so it's best to go the other route. Also the Black WD are expensive, Toshiba can be a good alternative for storage >= 2TB.

The PSU should be cheaper, as you don't really that gold rated or fully modular, of course if you want you can go for it.

Edit: haha just realized i didn't paste it in.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£74.09 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£56.34 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£50.95 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £181.38
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-29 19:01 BST+0100

Thanks for the assist. Do you have any thoughts on cooling for the case and wireless cards etc? Do I need one or is it part of the mobo or is it a separate thing? Sorry for the noob questions, I'll learn...eventually!

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

Thanks for the assist. Do you have any thoughts on cooling for the case and wireless cards etc? Do I need one or is it part of the mobo or is it a separate thing? Sorry for the noob questions, I'll learn...eventually!

Yes, your CPU cooler choice fine and yes you do need the wifi card for that mobo.

These network cards are ok, whatever is cheaper for you.
tlwdn4800
gcwb867di


This thread is for assisting and asking questions so just ask away.

 

[RealityCheque]

Yes, your choices are fine and yes you do need the wifi card for that mobo.

This thread is for assisting and asking questions so just ask away.

OK so where is the fuel tank, and does it need diesel or petrol?!

 

[Kindekuma]

So this summer I plan to upgrade my Mini-ITX build a bit more.

I'm thinking of going for 1440p. I'm gonna have to get a new monitor and a new GPU as well. I'm running a 2GB EVGA GTX 680. While that card is perfect for my usage at 1080p, there just isn't enough VRAM and it will pose as a huge bottleneck in my performance at that resolution.

So my question is what single card on the market is perfect for achieving 1440p 60FPS? I hear that the 970 is more than enough but the VRAM amount doesn't leave for much overhead, and that the R9 290X (4GB edition, not 8) is the better card.

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

So this summer I plan to upgrade my Mini-ITX build a bit more.

I'm thinking of going for 1440p. I'm gonna have to get a new monitor and a new GPU as well. I'm running a 2GB EVGA GTX 680. While that card is perfect for my usage at 1080p, there just isn't enough VRAM and it will pose as a huge bottleneck in my performance at that resolution.

So my question is what single card on the market is perfect for achieving 1440p 60FPS? I hear that the 970 is more than enough but the VRAM amount doesn't leave for much overhead, and that the R9 290X is the better card.

Yes the 290x is better for higher res. But for 60fps, neither are quite enough. A 980 will be a better choice at this moment, but I would wait for the AMD 3xx or the next Nvidia.

 

[oneida]

I am looking to upgrade my graphics card. Current is an HD 6670. What's the best card to get for less than $200? My processor is an 8120 eight core.

 

[LilJoka]

So this summer I plan to upgrade my Mini-ITX build a bit more.

I'm thinking of going for 1440p. I'm gonna have to get a new monitor and a new GPU as well. I'm running a 2GB EVGA GTX 680. While that card is perfect for my usage at 1080p, there just isn't enough VRAM and it will pose as a huge bottleneck in my performance at that resolution.

So my question is what single card on the market is perfect for achieving 1440p 60FPS? I hear that the 970 is more than enough but the VRAM amount doesn't leave for much overhead, and that the R9 290X (4GB edition, not 8) is the better card.

What case, temps can be an issue in an ITX case with a 290X since its TDP is so much higher than a 970/980.

 

[oneida]

I am looking to upgrade my graphics card. Current is an HD 6670. What's the best card to get for less than $200? My processor is an 8120 eight core.

is the 290x worth $300? and will I need to buy anything else for it to be compatible with my PC?

 

[Haano]

Hmm I just ordered a GTX 780TI (to replace my elderly 6670) mainly because the power seemed to rival the GTX 980 but around 3/4 of the price, £250 shipped. I hope i have made the right decision. Anyone care to comment?

I am looking to upgrade my graphics card. Current is an HD 6670. What's the best card to get for less than $200? My processor is an 8120 eight core.

I also have a 6670 I went for a 780TI

 

[Kindekuma]

What case, temps can be an issue in an ITX case with a 290X since its TDP is so much higher than a 970/980.

I have a Cooler Master Elite 130. There's ventilation on the sides that the GPU can pull in air from.