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[king grimlock]

This might be an odd question but I have shag/long/static generator carpet and aside from discharging myself often or wearing one of those clip things is there anything else I can do to minimize the risk of damaging my components?

 

[Chinbo37]

Ok all my parts are here. Well except the graphics card and wifi card that will arrive shortly. I'm gonna start this tonight after work.

So what tools should I have handy? Screwdriver, tweezers...anything else?

Following the videos in the op, so I should set aside like 2 hours for this?

Sorry is it your first build? My first build took much longer than 2 hours, but thats start to finish including software and drivers. My second build was much shorter.

If you arent even going to install software and drivers I would set out 2-3 hours. For everything 4 to 5, but that is taking into consideration making your wiring look good, making everything perfect, trouble shooting, etc.

 

[RGM79]

I'm planning to buy this ram:

http://m.newegg.com/Product/index?itemnumber=20-231-659

It's the cheapest 16 gb ram I can find. Any thoughts?

Looks like a great buy.

This might be an odd question but I have shag/long/static generator carpet and aside from discharging myself often or wearing one of those clip things is there anything else I can do to minimize the risk of damaging my components?

Put the PC and parts on an antistatic mat? Not sure if buying one would be worth it. Or maybe you can improvise an antistatic surface to work on, if you're a DIY kind of guy. This seems to have a good explanation and guide.

 

[Reckoner]

nvmd

 

[knitoe]

This might be an odd question but I have shag/long/static generator carpet and aside from discharging myself often or wearing one of those clip things is there anything else I can do to minimize the risk of damaging my components?

All I do is to make sure to discharge all power from the PC and on me. First, by, turning off the PSU switch or disconnecting the power cable from it. Then, press the PC power button a few times. Finally, before touching the hardware inside, touch the case with your hands to discharge any static electricity on you.

 

[tigerin]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($64.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($212.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master N400 ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $814.50
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-26 03:14 EST-0500

Unfortunately you missed the sale on the graphics card and RAM. For $815 I can recommend a cheaper motherboard and RAM and keep that same graphics card (it's the cheapest R9 280X there is). However, if you're willing to drop the SSD, it'd be possible to keep the same motherboard and move up to a stronger graphics card for just under $800.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($101.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($247.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master N400 ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $796.55
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-26 03:18 EST-0500

It seems like the second option is better since it's easier to buy a ssd and put it in later compared to the first option. Am I right?

I can raise my budget to $1,000 if it helps avoid cutting corner to meet the $800. I don't want to be stingy and regret it later on.

Yes, you can install Windows without a DVD drive. Microsoft provides an official automated tool for it, it's actually faster and it'll save you the cost of the DVD drive. All you need to have is the license key that you type into the Microsoft tool.

Yes.

Just use a usb stick/storage device

Sweet! I will stop by my school and check if they have any student discount for it, I think they sell physical discs but it should have a code, right?

 

[Muffin Awesome]

Unfortunately you missed the sale on the graphics card and RAM. For $815 I can recommend a cheaper motherboard and RAM and keep that same graphics card (it's the cheapest R9 280X there is). However, if you're willing to drop the SSD, it'd be possible to keep the same motherboard and move up to a stronger graphics card for just under $800.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($101.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($247.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master N400 ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $796.55
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-26 03:18 EST-0500

Would you reccomend this build for someone who has a:

BitFenix prodigy case, and wishes to play MGS V and GZ at 1080p60fps? Also some emulation and mostly steam games?

And other side question, interested in the streaming aspect to a second screen while in bed or in another room. Primarily interested in the details above though. Thank you.

Sorry I do realize the mobo would change, but in your opinion would this core work?

 

[abracadaver]

What do you think about a Xeon 1231 for gaming?

 

[digitalrelic]

Are there any games that would approach 4GB of VRAM used @ a 1080P resolution? Lets say Assassin's Creed Unity Maxed out with every setting, including full AA options maxed out.

Or, under anyone's estimations, would games within the next year or two use 4GB of VRAM or more @ 1080P? Witcher 3 / Star Citizen / Arkham City etc...

I'm debating whether going SLI with GTX 980's would be worth it for future-proofing if I'm only sticking to a 1080P screen.

 

[abracadaver]

Are there any games that would approach 4GB of VRAM used @ a 1080P resolution? Lets say Assassin's Creed Unity Maxed out with every setting, including full AA options maxed out.

Or, under anyone's estimations, would games within the next year or two use 4GB of VRAM or more @ 1080P? Witcher 3 / Star Citizen / Arkham City etc...

I'm debating whether going SLI with GTX 980's would be worth it for future-proofing if I'm only sticking to a 1080P screen.

Shadow of Mordor needs 6GB for utra textures

 

[RGM79]

It seems like the second option is better since it's easier to buy a ssd and put it in later compared to the first option. Am I right?

I can raise my budget to $1,000 if it helps avoid cutting corner to meet the $800. I don't want to be stingy and regret it later on.

Sweet! I will stop by my school and check if they have any student discount for it, I think they sell physical discs but it should have a code, right?

Yeah, SSDs are a fairly easy install. If the SSD you buy is larger than your current Windows installation then it's an easy matter of cloning the hard drive to the SSD with free software like Macrium Reflect or whatever version of Acronis or other drive cloning software that some SSDs come bundled with.

For up to $1000, I'd probably just recommend the second parts list plus an SSD, maybe the R9 290X. The motherboard may be relatively low cost, but there's reports that you'll get more than enough overclocking potential out of it, according to reviews such as Bit-Tech's, although they didn't mention what cooler was used. The 212 Evo cooler we recommend often works well up to 4.5GHz, possibly higher. There's nothing else I'd really change unless you needed something specific.

Yeah, buying Windows will get you the license code, which is the important part.

Would you reccomend this build for someone who has a:

BitFenix prodigy case, and wishes to play MGS V and GZ at 1080p60fps? Also some emulation and mostly steam games?

And other side question, interested in the streaming aspect to a second screen while in bed or in another room. Primarily interested in the details above though. Thank you.

Sorry I do realize the mobo would change, but in your opinion would this core work?

Yeah, with a different motherboard it should do just fine. Can't say for sure about Phantom Pain, but if Ground Zeroes is any indicator, the R9 290 should handle it on high-very high settings according to these two benchmarks that show the R9 290 just short of 60FPS on what I think is max settings (source: [1][2]).

The R9 290 is a fairly capable card at high settings. The i5 4690K is a very capable processor, it will definitely do emulation and most games very well. I can't really think of a game that doesn't run well on the 4690K unless it was poorly optimized and doesn't run well in general.

What sort of streaming are you doing? Steam in-home game streaming or media streaming? Is your budget the same as the other guy's budget? Any other considerations?

What do you think about a Xeon 1231 for gaming?

It's a cheaper alternative to the i7 4790, but it also can't be overclocked. If you needed the hyperthreading for a specific purpose like video editing/encoding or something else that can make use of more than 4 cores then the E3 1231 is an alright processor, but for just gaming the cheaper i5 4690K is a better bet and will have a longer useful life because it can be overclocked.

 

[tigerin]

Yeah, SSDs are a fairly easy install. If the SSD you buy is larger than your current Windows installation then it's an easy matter of cloning the hard drive to the SSD with free software like Macrium Reflect or whatever version of Acronis or other drive cloning software that some SSDs come bundled with.

For up to $1000, I'd probably just recommend the second parts list plus an SSD, maybe the R9 290X. The motherboard may be relatively low cost, but there's reports that you'll get more than enough overclocking potential out of it, according to reviews such as Bit-Tech's, although they didn't mention what cooler was used. The 212 Evo cooler we recommend often works well up to 4.5GHz, possibly higher. There's nothing else I'd really change unless you needed something specific.

Yeah, buying Windows will get you the license code, which is the important part.

Great! I will mostly use Microsoft Office for school-related assignments and gaming. Guess I'll go with the second option and if I can afford, will go for the ssd and the R9 290X. I have to calculate in the keyboard, mouse, monitor, and Windows 8 os which should be over $1,000.

How noticeable of a difference will it be without a ssd?

Is this the R9 290X you're talking about? http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-r9290xedfd
How much advantage does it have over the regular R9 290?

 

[RGM79]

Great! I will mostly use Microsoft Office for school-related assignments and gaming. Guess I'll go with the second option and if I can afford, will go for the ssd and the R9 290X. I have to calculate in the keyboard, mouse, monitor, and Windows 8 os which should be over $1,000.

How noticeable of a difference will it be without a ssd?

Is this the R9 290X you're talking about? http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-r9290xedfd
How much advantage does it have over the regular R9 290?

Loading times for everything on an SSD are cut immensely, down to a couple of seconds. Cold booting Windows from an SSD takes no more than 30 seconds, often a lot less. Even on my 5~6 year old PC, restarting MGS Ground Zeroes from a checkpoint felt almost instantaneous, no more than a 5 second turnaround although I haven't timed it. Probably varies by the game, though. Lots of people like having Windows on an SSD just for how responsive it feels.

That XFX R9 290X would be one model I can recommend, but there's also the slightly cheaper Powercolor R9 290X PCS+ for $304 after rebate and comes with a slightly faster set speed than the XFX. It has a very effective cooler, few negative user reviews on Newegg, and it received praise from eTeknix, TechPowerUp, and Tom's Hardware.

The difference between the R9 290 and the 290X isn't that large to be honest, but it could be wider by what model you get and how large the factory or manual overclock is. It depends on the cost, usually the R9 290 is recommended more often, but if the budget allows then the R9 290X is still better for price-to-performance than the GTX 970 or 980.

 

[Rubixcuba]

How about this for $1406? A lot less fancy looking, mostly same specs except for cheaper case but stronger graphics card. Not sure about shipping or pick up as I forgot to ask you what city you were in.

Well Centre Com is an amazing site, custom build option was very fun to play with. I came up with the following using your suggested build as starting point:

CPU: Intel i5-4690 3.50GHZ
Motherboard: MSI B85-G43 Gaming Motherboard
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 4GB
Memory: Kit Kingston Hyper X DDR3-1600 8GB (4GBx2)
Storage: Western Digital 1TB Blue 3.5"
Storage: Crucial M550 256GB 2.5"
Power Supply: Corsair VS650 650W
Case: Thermaltake Black Versa H24 Mid Tower Case ( USB3.0 )
OS: Windows 8.1 64 Bit
Cost = $1505 AU - (Postage would be +$25 to Newcastle, NSW)

So I went back on the GPU for a slightly increased CPU and larger capacity SSD. Ideally I'll be running games/important software from the SSD. Whilst I'm not fussed about the case aesthetics as much, does the low pricepoint of the Thermaltake have any issues that may arise in the future?

Much thanks for input!

 

[Damerman]

Can anyone who went from an atx to a similar mini itx build testify to the ability of an itx board?

Im going from an 1155 asrock atx with a i7 3770 to a 1150 asus itx with the i7 4790k. I know that a k processor with an itx board doesnt make much sense, but i dont plan to overclock... Plus i heard that the asus z97-i is able to get a little bit of overclockong in.

 

[smokeandmirrors]

Memtest is returning a bunch of failing addresses. time for some new ram, and this time I don't want to go cheap...

is it worth it to go to 16gb at this point? I'm already at 8gb. Everything else I have is still in good shape.

 

[RGM79]

Well Centre Com is an amazing site, custom build option was very fun to play with. I came up with the following using your suggested build as starting point:

CPU: Intel i5-4690 3.50GHZ
Motherboard: MSI B85-G43 Gaming Motherboard
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 4GB
Memory: Kit Kingston Hyper X DDR3-1600 8GB (4GBx2)
Storage: Western Digital 1TB Blue 3.5"
Storage: Crucial M550 256GB 2.5"
Power Supply: Corsair VS650 650W
Case: Thermaltake Black Versa H24 Mid Tower Case ( USB3.0 )
OS: Windows 8.1 64 Bit
Cost = $1505 AU - (Postage would be +$25 to Newcastle, NSW)

So I went back on the GPU for a slightly increased CPU and larger capacity SSD. Ideally I'll be running games/important software from the SSD. Whilst I'm not fussed about the case aesthetics as much, does the low pricepoint of the Thermaltake have any issues that may arise in the future?

Much thanks for input!

The Thermaltake seems decent for a low priced case for what few user reviews there are, but there are zero professional reviews. The Bitfenix Comrade for $65.50 is slightly better, but still noted for being less sturdy in user and professional reviews. Maybe the Corsair Spec-01 for $70 is best, it seems well-liked and doesn't seem to skimp on quality as much as other cheap cases.

The MSI B85-G43-Gaming motherboard is expensive, but it works. A better alternative would be the ASRock Fatal1ty H97 Performance for $132. H97 is a newer chipset than B85, and the ASRock model has more USB 3.0 ports and faster SATA3 for all SATA ports while the MSI model only has 2 SATA3 ports and 4 slower SATA2 ports. With those changes, it comes to $1518.

Can anyone who went from an atx to a similar mini itx build testify to the ability of an itx board?

Im going from an 1155 asrock atx with a i7 3770 to a 1150 asus itx with the i7 4790k. I know that a k processor with an itx board doesnt make much sense, but i dont plan to overclock... Plus i heard that the asus z97-i is able to get a little bit of overclockong in.

Do you really need to upgrade? the 3770 isn't too far away from the 4790K, especially if you have no plans to overclock. If you want a smaller PC, is buying a socket 1155 mITX motherboard to go with your i7 3770 an option? Prices for H61/H67 motherboards aren't too bad. This Gigabyte H61N-USB3 model for $60 doesn't look bad, it has good user reviews on Newegg and Tweaktown liked it a lot.

Moving up to the 4790K will only net you 10% performance increase for what, $400+ for the CPU plus a decent Z97 mITX motherboard? Overclocking the 4790K would slightly improve performance to maybe a 15~20% improvement from the 3770 at best, but you wouldn't be overclocking very much, would you?

Memtest is returning a bunch of failing addresses. time for some new ram, and this time I don't want to go cheap...

is it worth it to go to 16gb at this point? I'm already at 8gb. Everything else I have is still in good shape.

It's said that DDR3 prices will only rise once it's phased out in favor of DDR4. Going with 16GB or not depends on what you're doing with the PC. I feel that 8GB is enough for most people, but 16GB isn't too far out of reach of most peoples' budgets and more doesn't really hurt when high speed 16GB only costs about $107 (in the US, anyway).

 

[smokeandmirrors]

It's said that DDR3 prices will only rise once it's phased out in favor of DDR4. Going with 16GB or not depends on what you're doing with the PC. I feel that 8GB is enough for most people, but 16GB isn't too far out of reach of most peoples' budgets and more doesn't really hurt when high speed 16GB only costs about $107 (in the US, anyway).

hundred bucks is my budget so that works perfectly. Computer is mainly used for gaming and light stuff but I do wanna do some game dev but even then that's not going to require that much. I just figured it wouldn't hurt to have it if I'm gonna replace it anyway.

 

[smashism]

Here is a fun one. I recently upgraded from a 6850 to a brand new 290.
I also have a very old case (like still has a floppy drive port old), and a 500 watt power supply.

When playing any graphic intensive games for a long time my computer shuts down. No error message or anything.

Is this due to heat or power supply not a large enough capacity?

 

[rtcn63]

Here is a fun one. I recently upgraded from a 6850 to a brand new 290.
I also have a very old case (like still has a floppy drive port old), and a 500 watt power supply.

When playing any graphic intensive games for a long time my computer shuts down. No error message or anything.

Is this due to heat or power supply not a large enough capacity?

Possibly the CPU is overheating?

 

[NoRéN]

Here is a fun one. I recently upgraded from a 6850 to a brand new 290.
I also have a very old case (like still has a floppy drive port old), and a 500 watt power supply.

When playing any graphic intensive games for a long time my computer shuts down. No error message or anything.

Is this due to heat or power supply not a large enough capacity?

The power consumption on the 290 is pretty high. i'm guessing it's the power supply that needs an upgrade. What PSU is it?

 

[KissVibes]

I have an issue with my PC. Whenever I turn on the backlight for my keyboard, I get a humming noise in my headphones. This has happened with three different keyboards, all different manufactures.

What is this issue and how the hell do I get it to stop?

 

[Drama Zed Nod]

PC Bros,

I've been doing all sorts of shit to try and figure out why FC4 keeps freezing.

Now it very well could be that the game is just a buggy mess but i've noticed some freezing in other games, just not to the same extent.

I ran Precission X while FC4 was playing and as you can see in the GPU usage part of the graph, there are huge spikes where the GPUs stop responding.

I don't really know enough about the other stuff to know if these graphs are telling more of the story than i know?

I have 2 780Tis but they are not the same brand and slight differnet clock speeds if that helps?

This
http://www.evga.com/products/Specs/GPU.aspx?pn=88601331-dbce-436d-8eb3-37f1f63b6745

Base Clock: 1020 MHZ
Boost Clock: 1085 MHz
Memory Clock: 7000 MHz Effective
CUDA Cores: 2880
Bus Type: PCI-E 3.0
Memory Detail: 3072MB GDDR5
Memory Bit Width: 384 Bit
Memory Speed: 0.28ns
Memory Bandwidth: 336 GB/s

and this

http://www.palit.biz/palit/vgapro.php?id=2240
Memory : 3072MB / 384bit
DRAM Type : GDDR5
Clock : 980MHz (Base) / 1046MHz (Boost)
Memory Clock : 3500MHz (DDR 7000MHz)

the rest:
1440p Rog Swift
16GB DDR 3 RAM
4770k @ 4.4 (watercooled)
840 Evo SSD
Windows 7

I thought that it might be Samsung Magican but i just disabled RAPID mode and killed it before getting these stats, so it defo wasn't that.

 

[RGM79]

Here is a fun one. I recently upgraded from a 6850 to a brand new 290.
I also have a very old case (like still has a floppy drive port old), and a 500 watt power supply.

When playing any graphic intensive games for a long time my computer shuts down. No error message or anything.

Is this due to heat or power supply not a large enough capacity?

What are your exact system specs? The R9 290 can consume up to 300 watts, but I wonder how much the rest of your system needs.

If you have a very cheap 500 watt power supply, sometimes they will crap out before actually getting to 500 watts because they actually only put out maybe 300~400 watts at 12 volts and add the rest of the wattage from the 3.3 and 5 volt to "combine" for a total of 500 watts. Better quality 500 watt power supplies actually do supply 500 watts or more where you actually need it and don't resort to adding wattage from different rails for a fake 500 watt rating.

PC Bros,

I've been doing all sorts of shit to try and figure out why FC4 keeps freezing.

Now it very well could be that the game is just a buggy mess but i've noticed some freezing in other games, just not to the same extent.

I ran Precission X while FC4 was playing and as you can see in the GPU usage part of the graph, there are huge spikes where the GPUs stop responding.

I don't really know enough about the other stuff to know if these graphs are telling more of the story than i know?

I have 2 780Tis but they are not the same brand and slight differnet clock speeds if that helps?

This
http://www.evga.com/products/Specs/GPU.aspx?pn=88601331-dbce-436d-8eb3-37f1f63b6745

Base Clock: 1020 MHZ
Boost Clock: 1085 MHz
Memory Clock: 7000 MHz Effective
CUDA Cores: 2880
Bus Type: PCI-E 3.0
Memory Detail: 3072MB GDDR5
Memory Bit Width: 384 Bit
Memory Speed: 0.28ns
Memory Bandwidth: 336 GB/s

and this

http://www.palit.biz/palit/vgapro.php?id=2240
Memory : 3072MB / 384bit
DRAM Type : GDDR5
Clock : 980MHz (Base) / 1046MHz (Boost)
Memory Clock : 3500MHz (DDR 7000MHz)

the rest:
1440p Rog Swift
16GB DDR 3 RAM
4770k @ 4.4 (watercooled)
840 Evo SSD
Windows 7

I thought that it might be Samsung Magican but i just disabled RAPID mode and killed it before getting these stats, so it defo wasn't that.

What power supply do you have? If you suspect the different GTX 780 Ti might be causing issues because they are different speeds, have you tried setting them to the same clock and memory speed?

 

[Pollux]

EVERYTHING WORKS!!!!!

I'll post pictures latwr

 

[Hispanicguy]

Hey guys.

I currently have a 2010 iMac and I have finally decided I need to upgrade to a gaming PC.

This PC will be used mostly for gaming. I don't NEED to run everything on Ultra/Max settings. Medium would be good enough for me, as well as 60 FPS. Just as long as I am able to run anything that's out now, as well as have little problems running things in the future.

I'll be using the occasional Twitch and Spotify but other than that, no other big programs. Strictly gaming.

If it helps, I already have a monitor:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-27...lver/8767178.p?id=1218890757451&skuId=8767178

...and that is what I'll be using for games. I may buy another one so I can browse on one screen and game on the other.

Could you please recommend parts? My budget is between $1000 and $1300. I'm in the US. I don't have a deadline but if you were to post up something, I would start my purchases this weekend.

I've been thinking of a custom PC for a longggggg time and it excites me knowing I've taken the first steps.

I appreciate the help and thank you in advance.

 

[Riposte]

Think about this - This "laptop" has a 17 inch screen and weighs 8 pounds. The MAX battery life is 3.5 hours. And you are paying 2,300. There isnt much portable about this.


If I were you I would get a 14 inch or smaller laptop which runs office, Chrome, you can watch movies and play music as you study etc. One with a much longer battery life. I think you could get something for 500 to 600.

That would leave you 1,700 to build a gaming rig which you can easily do with help from people on this forum.

Your points are taken, but there's a few problems.

First, I don't really need a laptop for general things, which is why I haven't had one for all of my college career (and this has never hurt me in the slightest). I don't even really want one, so I'm reluctant to begin with. The issue now is that I'm facing the possibility of classes involving rather advanced software and the school is being shitty about providing lab computers and properly distributing software (then again, most people have laptops, so it's rather justified). I'm talking about stuff including Unreal Engine 4, which I think requires some level of power.

To be honest, it's hard for me to accept buying a laptop for something like 500 dollars, when that's 500 dollars I could spend on a powerful PC/Monitor or even contribute to an Oculus Rift fund. I could get a cheaper laptop, but that doesn't really do what I want, since I wouldn't bother with a laptop otherwise. I realize there's some awkwardness in combining the two though. (On the other hand, weight isn't a big deal to me, I could heft that shit no problem. Power is less of an issue on a college campus, where I will make most of its use.)

The response here has been strongly against the laptop, maybe reasonably so, but it's weird that it's so well received elsewhere, like in the user reviews. I suppose the problem is with the very concept of a gaming laptop (and this one was touted as "the first true gaming laptop" by one review I saw, given its power), not so much this particular one? And, just how bad is the price? How low would it need to be?

How about a more portable case for a desktop? I been loosely browsing this topic and some places around the net, but I couldn't find anything that says "GTX 980" in something that would be relatively easy to carry into school once every two or three days. That would be nice, because I could have a gsync monitor at home.


BTW, is the verdict out whether the 980 will be able to support all the soon to be announced DX 12 features? I recall reading some speculation that it may not.

 

[kcxiv]

Just ordered me the 970 from amazon i cant wait, i got approved on their visa credit card, got 70 bucks credit, put that bitch towards a 970 on my debt card, tomorrow it arrives! lol So i got the 970 for about 270, not bad.

 

[Nakazato]

OK guys got the Money for a new video card. Do I

A) get the 970

B) get 290

C) put money aside and wait

 

[spicy cho]

Wait, new stuff is coming out soon

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

OK guys got the Money for a new video card. Do I

A) get the 970

B) get 290

C) put money aside and wait

If you need something RIGHT NOW, 290.

If not, wait.

 

[Objectively Bad Opinion]

OK guys got the Money for a new video card. Do I

A) get the 970

B) get 290

C) put money aside and wait

Unless your current GPU isn't working, I'd just wait.

Otherwise I'd recommend the 290, too.

 

[Aguero9320]

Any ETA on the new stuff... I built my HTPC with the intent to add a nice GFX card later, and was thinking about pulling the trigger this month on a 970 or a 290, but I can wait if it will be worth it!

What should we be looking out for?

 

[Nakazato]

If you need something RIGHT NOW, 290.

If not, wait.

Unless your current GPU isn't working, I'd just wait.

Otherwise I'd recommend the 290, too.

Just got a 270. But I'll wait as long as possible

 

[ThoseDeafMutes]

Any ETA on the new stuff... I built my HTPC with the intent to add a nice GFX card later, and was thinking about pulling the trigger this month on a 970 or a 290, but I can wait if it will be worth it!

What should we be looking out for?

We have no specific dates, but "soon" (<3 months most likely). The R9 300 series is expected to come out in this timeframe. Possibly a "Titan II" from Nvidia in response. Likely price drops on existing cards from both companies, so even if you wind up with the same stuff you would have bought today, it will be cheaper.

 

[Aguero9320]

We have no specific dates, but "soon" (<3 months most likely). The R9 300 series is expected to come out in this timeframe. Possibly a "Titan II" from Nvidia in response. Likely price drops on existing cards from both companies, so even if you wind up with the same stuff you would have bought today, it will be cheaper.

Thanks! Will hold off and keep an eye on this thread!

 

[b0bbyJ03]

I recently upgraded from a 970 to a 980. once i got the card i installed it and there was a driver update via Geforce Experience. Everything works but i noticed i get stuttering regularly on games that should be running super smooth. I was playing Bioshock infinite and Batman Arkham Origins and even tho they run at 60 fps for the most part i get a lot of random stuttering. I'm thinking about reinstalling the drivers but I was wondering if there is anything else I should be considering. Any advise would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[RGM79]

Hey guys.

I currently have a 2010 iMac and I have finally decided I need to upgrade to a gaming PC.

This PC will be used mostly for gaming. I don't NEED to run everything on Ultra/Max settings. Medium would be good enough for me, as well as 60 FPS. Just as long as I am able to run anything that's out now, as well as have little problems running things in the future.

I'll be using the occasional Twitch and Spotify but other than that, no other big programs. Strictly gaming.

If it helps, I already have a monitor:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/asus-27...lver/8767178.p?id=1218890757451&skuId=8767178

...and that is what I'll be using for games. I may buy another one so I can browse on one screen and game on the other.

Could you please recommend parts? My budget is between $1000 and $1300. I'm in the US. I don't have a deadline but if you were to post up something, I would start my purchases this weekend.

I've been thinking of a custom PC for a longggggg time and it excites me knowing I've taken the first steps.

I appreciate the help and thank you in advance.

Well, $1000 and $1300 are pretty far apart. $300 is about the cost of a high end graphics card on its own. Would you rather spend less or more? The i5 4690K and a single R9 290 ought to meet your needs (1080p 60FPS at medium-high settings), I could spec your build at about $800~900 and it'll do what you want.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($101.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 Low Profile Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($61.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($247.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $813.55
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-26 21:26 EST-0500

I don't suppose you have any extra wants or needs? Any preference for the size of the PC? The type of computer case, such as case window, or sound absorbing? How about case color/style, or even what color the internal parts are? If I were to splurge a bit and go with slightly better parts all round than needed, it could be closer to $1300.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($106.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX200 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($209.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Toshiba Product SeriesT01ACA 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($71.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 290X 4GB PCS+ Video Card ($303.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($107.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1300.66
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-26 21:23 EST-0500

OK guys got the Money for a new video card. Do I

A) get the 970

B) get 290

C) put money aside and wait

Any ETA on the new stuff... I built my HTPC with the intent to add a nice GFX card later, and was thinking about pulling the trigger this month on a 970 or a 290, but I can wait if it will be worth it!

What should we be looking out for?

Wait for the AMD R9 3XX line. It'll be released within a few months and at the very least you'll see how they compare and if Nvidia might be pressured to put some price cuts on their existing 900 series cards.

 

[Hispanicguy]

Well, $1000 and $1300 are pretty far apart. $300 is about the cost of a high end graphics card on its own. Would you rather spend less or more? The i5 4690K and a single R9 290 ought to meet your needs (1080p 60FPS at medium-high settings), I could spec your build at about $800~900 and it'll do what you want.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($101.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 Low Profile Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($61.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($247.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $813.55
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-26 21:26 EST-0500

I don't suppose you have any extra wants or needs? Any preference for the size of the PC? The type of computer case, such as case window, or sound absorbing? How about case color/style, or even what color the internal parts are? If I were to splurge a bit and go with slightly better parts all round than needed, it could be closer to $1300.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BK 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($106.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX200 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($209.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Toshiba Product SeriesT01ACA 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($71.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 290X 4GB PCS+ Video Card ($303.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($107.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1300.66
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-26 21:23 EST-0500

Extra wants or needs? Hmmm..in terms of color, I wouldn't mind some blue in there. A window in the case sounds good as well. Case size? I would take whichever you recommend. Not too concerned with that.

Even though my first instinct was to go the cheap route, in the long run, I think going for that $1300 build would be a better investment. It'll be good knowing I have that extra power just in case.

 

[hooijdonk17]

Is there a card in the $100 area that would be worth replacing mu 7770 with? I game at 900p.

 

[RGM79]

Extra wants or needs? Hmmm..in terms of color, I wouldn't mind some blue in there. A window in the case sounds good as well. Case size? I would take whichever you recommend. Not too concerned with that.

Even though my first instinct was to go the cheap route, in the long run, I think going for that $1300 build would be a better investment. It'll be good knowing I have that extra power just in case.

Well, they both have the same processor and similat graphics card. I'll redo the parts list when I get home to add the extras you wanted.

 

[Damerman]

Moving up to the 4790K will only net you 10% performance increase for what, $400+ for the CPU plus a decent Z97 mITX motherboard? Overclocking the 4790K would slightly improve performance to maybe a 15~20% improvement from the 3770 at best, but you wouldn't be overclocking very much, would you?

i should have said that i'm giving my old build with the 3770 to my brother.I just wanted to know if mITX perform worse than normal ATX, everything else equal.

 

[RGM79]

Extra wants or needs? Hmmm..in terms of color, I wouldn't mind some blue in there. A window in the case sounds good as well. Case size? I would take whichever you recommend. Not too concerned with that.

Even though my first instinct was to go the cheap route, in the long run, I think going for that $1300 build would be a better investment. It'll be good knowing I have that extra power just in case.

Here you go.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BL 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($149.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($106.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX200 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($209.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Toshiba Product SeriesT01ACA 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($71.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 290X 4GB PCS+ Video Card ($303.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1302.66
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-27 01:46 EST-0500

Is there a card in the $100 area that would be worth replacing mu 7770 with? I game at 900p.

The Sapphire R7 260X 2GB ($103 after rebate) will give you a decent boost. Those framerates are at 1080p, so assume slightly better performance for 900p. For the R7 260X in general, a 450 watt power supply is recommended.

i should have said that i'm giving my old build with the 3770 to my brother.I just wanted to know if mITX perform worse than normal ATX, everything else equal.

Other than the size difference and lack of expansion, it won't perform very differently from ATX motherboards. How well it'll overclock will depend on the model of motherboard and what CPU cooler you have.

 

[gdt]

If the motherboard only came with 2 sata cables but it looks like I need 3....am I fucked? I'd like to finish this tonight.

Edit: need 3 for ssd, hdd, and optical drive.

 

[RGM79]

If the motherboard only came with 2 sata cables but it looks like I need 3....am I fucked? I'd like to finish this tonight.

You'll have to leave one drive temporarily unplugged until you can get another cable. Were you hoping to add an existing hard drive you had lying around?

 

[Uraizen]

For those who remember, I made my decision. I said "Fudge it" and just got a GTX 980. I had a bigger budget than I thought. I did, however, pass on the 290 recommendations to friends looking to upgrade on a budget.

 

[BreezyLimbo]

So I have an SSD now, and uh, anything I should do(Other than defragmenting) in order to take care of it?

 

[Sikamikanico]

Okay, so I took the plunge and got everything I need for a new PC, including an extra monitor so I can have a triple display. I've only got a smallish corner desk at the mo, can anyone recommend a decent bracket/stand for 3 x ilyama 24" LED monitors in landscape? The choices on Amazon are somewhat lacking in detail, and I don't want to get the wrong thing!

Edit: this was the closest thing I could find that said it'd do the job.

 

[gdt]

I can't get all 8 pins into the 12v connection for the life of me. 6 fit in fine, but the detachable one with 2 pins won't go in at all.

 

[RGM79]

I can't get all 8 pins into the 12v connection for the life of me. 6 fit in fine, but the detachable one with 2 pins won't go in at all.

You're talking about the graphics card, right?

So I have an SSD now, and uh, anything I should do(Other than defragmenting) in order to take care of it?

There's not much you really need to do. Windows 7 and 8 will automatically detect that it's a SSD and enable stuff like TRIM and disable defragging.

In the BIOS do you have SATA controller mode set to AHCI?