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"I Need a New PC!" 2015 Part 1. Read the OP and RISE ABOVE FORGED PRECISION SCIENCE

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kraspkibble

Permabanned.
Use this little program no install needed. Once you have the windows iso just click the cd icon and choose the windows iso. Also make sure you have the right usb selected because it you format it(Loss all your current data).

i have the iso file on my desktop (total 3.2GB). when i open the program there are different options. i don't know what to set the partition scheme/target system and file format.
 

RGM79

Member
RGM79, this is the exact items I'm looking at that I didn't specify. Lemme know what you think, thanks for all the help.

This GPU: www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NH5T1MS/ref=aw_wl_ov_dp_1_1?colid=1TZVGVB1UQKRI&coliid=I38CA7HYCNUQM4

This RAM: www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00FGNYFF2/ref=aw_wl_ov_dp_1_2?colid=1TZVGVB1UQKRI&coliid=IG0PEOXPGL76

This motherboard: www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00K2RQDXY/ref=aw_wl_ov_dp_1_7?colid=1TZVGVB1UQKRI&coliid=I2IXQKKR0M3XTV

Case wise, I'll take any recommendation, big or small.

Are you looking to buy from Amazon only? You can save $30 on the cost of the RAM easily, and the GA-Z97X-SLI goes for less than $120 elsewhere.

Well, based on you not needing to overclock or run dual graphics cards, here's what I recommend for you:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($242.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($127.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($354.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 350D MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($63.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1111.55
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-30 17:25 EST-0500

The processor is basically the same as i7 4790 (4 cores and hyperthreading), without the onboard graphics and at a slightly lower speed. It's a bit over $50 cheaper than the 4790 you were looking at. The CPU cooler I recommend because the stock Intel cooler can get quite loud. The motherboard is cheaper than the Gigabyte Z97X-SLI, and it is better suited to the budget because you do not need SLI nor overclocking. The G.Skill memory is faster and cheaper than the Patriot kit you linked. The Antec 620 watt power supply is enough for a single GTX 970 and nearly any single graphics card you might upgrade to in the future.

If you have any concerns about the case, tell me, otherwise I think it's quite nice and should be easy enough to build with.
 

Pie and Beans

Look for me on the local news, I'll be the guy arrested for trying to burn down a Nintendo exec's house.
Yo PC GAF. I ducked my head in last month to consider upgrades, but I've elevated the threat level to "new rig" since girlfriend wants a more capable PC for some work and with a few replacement parts mine will be good to go for her and I can half-justify dropping painful cash on preparing for Oculus Rift to steal me away from her.

The closer I can veer to £600 rather than £700 the better, but heres what I've picked out to consider currently (CPU fan and HDD already purchased, and can just luzz my old DVD drive in too):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£167.50 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool GAMMAXX 400 66.3 CFM CPU Cooler (Purchased For £0.00)
Motherboard: MSI Z97 Guard-Pro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£74.60 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£60.51 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For £0.00)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card (£269.98 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Cooler Master K280 ATX Mid Tower Case (£30.92 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£54.12 @ CCL Computers)
Optical Drive: LG GH22LS50 (Purchased For £0.00)
Total: £657.63

Mainly looking for guidance on motherboard I guess (dont think I'll be SLI-ing shit since I buy a new GFX card like every decade at this rate, but who knows), possibly RAM (do people really need 16gb+ for anything?). Adding on a SSD kinda nukes my budget a bit too much at this point too, so thats why I haven't.

The main driving force is I'll be looking towards a 'good' VR experience in 2015 with Oculus CV1. Looking to buy over the next month or so really.
 
Because it's a fair amount under budget now (which I appreciate) RGM, is there anything I should do that future proofs the build at all? Or would me changing my mind about cards later on be the only major thing that would change what is there?
 

RGM79

Member
Because it's a fair amount under budget now (which I appreciate) RGM, is there anything I should do that future proofs the build at all? Or would me changing my mind about cards later on be the only major thing that would change what is there?
You could step up to X99 for a stronger CPU and DDR4 RAM for added future proofing. There were quite a few recommendations for X99 parts just a page or two ago. As for graphics, the GTX 980 generally isn't recommended because it's only a slight improvement over the GTX 970 for a lot more money - but it is currently the strongest single card for graphics.
 

knitoe

Member
So My old PC died and i'm currently looking to get new one asap.

Most of the parts in this list are in decent discount in my local pc store and i was wondering would this be a decent PC? I'm looking to do some gaming at 1080p and i'm not going to OC.

Already got Win8, DVD drive and good monitor.


CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master HYPER TX3 EVO
Motherboard: ASROCK H97 PRO4 Socket1150 4xDDR3 D-Sub
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz CL9 1.5V
Storage(SSD): Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5"
Storage: WD CAVIAR BLUE 1TB SATA3 7200RPM 6Gb/s 64MB
Video Card: SAPPHIRE DUAL-X R9 280 3GB GDDR5 OC PCI-E 3.0+NSF Space Edition
Power Supply: XFX 550W PRO Core Edition ATX-80+ Bronze Certified
Case: ZALMAN Z9 PLUS 4x120MM FAN CONTROL ATX

Not sure why people are against / afraid of OCing. It's a free speed boost that makes a noticeable difference today and in the future. A 2500K, from 3 years ago, OC to 4.5GHz would still be going strong, while a 2500, would be a candidate for a replacement.
 
Not sure why people are against / afraid of OCing. It's a free speed boost that makes a noticeable difference today and in the future. A 2500K, from 3 years ago, OC to 4.5GHz would still be going strong, while a 2500, would be a candidate for a replacement.

I'm a noob to OC, will it increase power consumption?
 

kharma45

Member
I'm a noob to OC, will it increase power consumption?

Yes it will, but nothing that PSU cannot handle if you were to choose it. The power consumption on Haswell is low to start with.

The increase will only happen under load too. For normal use it won't clock up and use the extra power.

The 4670K/4690K and a Z97 Motherboard are a very worthwhile investment.
 

kharma45

Member
Yo PC GAF. I ducked my head in last month to consider upgrades, but I've elevated the threat level to "new rig" since girlfriend wants a more capable PC for some work and with a few replacement parts mine will be good to go for her and I can half-justify dropping painful cash on preparing for Oculus Rift to steal me away from her.

The closer I can veer to £600 rather than £700 the better, but heres what I've picked out to consider currently (CPU fan and HDD already purchased, and can just luzz my old DVD drive in too):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£167.50 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool GAMMAXX 400 66.3 CFM CPU Cooler (Purchased For £0.00)
Motherboard: MSI Z97 Guard-Pro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£74.60 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£60.51 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For £0.00)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card (£269.98 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Cooler Master K280 ATX Mid Tower Case (£30.92 @ Scan.co.uk)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£54.12 @ CCL Computers)
Optical Drive: LG GH22LS50 (Purchased For £0.00)
Total: £657.63

Mainly looking for guidance on motherboard I guess (dont think I'll be SLI-ing shit since I buy a new GFX card like every decade at this rate, but who knows), possibly RAM (do people really need 16gb+ for anything?). Adding on a SSD kinda nukes my budget a bit too much at this point too, so thats why I haven't.

The main driving force is I'll be looking towards a 'good' VR experience in 2015 with Oculus CV1. Looking to buy over the next month or so really.

The 4690K isn't worth the £15 over the 4670K. They don't really overclock any better.

Made a few small changes that saves money overall. The corsair PSU isn't great. Too many DOA units. Better case and mobo.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£152.00 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool GAMMAXX 400 66.3 CFM CPU Cooler (Purchased For £0.00)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£87.56 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£56.57 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For £0.00)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card (£269.98 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case (£45.98 @ Novatech)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£36.98 @ Novatech)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer (Purchased For £0.00)
Total: £649.07
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-30 23:51 GMT+0000
 

hitgirl

Member
Best AC router? I used the Asus Dark Knight Router for a few years and was thinking of just getting the AC version. Their software is pretty decent and I also have that asus pcie wifi card with heatsink.
 

knitoe

Member
Best AC router? I used the Asus Dark Knight Router for a few years and was thinking of just getting the AC version. Their software is pretty decent and I also have that asus pcie wifi card with heatsink.
1. Linksys WRT AC1900
2. Netgear Nighthawk AC1900
3. Asus AC68U AC1900
 

LegendX48

Member
I assume this is a good place to ask so, anyone know of good sata power cable extensions? Need one cause I installed a new HDD but I had to take my disc drive out so I could get the new hard drive powered.

edit: Meh, nvm, just ordered a molex to sata power cable
 

Kayant

Member
i have the iso file on my desktop (total 3.2GB). when i open the program there are different options. i don't know what to set the partition scheme/target system and file format.

That doesn't matter too much tbh but since you're building a modern system it's safe to go for the GPT partition scheme for UEFI computer. The only thing left to do is to choose the iso as I explained before and click start and confirm you're ok with your USB being formatted.
 

Pie and Beans

Look for me on the local news, I'll be the guy arrested for trying to burn down a Nintendo exec's house.
The 4690K isn't worth the £15 over the 4670K. They don't really overclock any better.

Made a few small changes that saves money overall. The corsair PSU isn't great. Too many DOA units. Better case and mobo.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£152.00 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool GAMMAXX 400 66.3 CFM CPU Cooler (Purchased For £0.00)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£87.56 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£56.57 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For £0.00)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card (£269.98 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case (£45.98 @ Novatech)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£36.98 @ Novatech)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer (Purchased For £0.00)
Total: £649.07
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-30 23:51 GMT+0000

Fair cop that looks good to me, thanks! Fund scraping begins, sell everything that isn't nailed down, just get me into fucking VR land.
 

The Llama

Member
You could step up to X99 for a stronger CPU and DDR4 RAM for added future proofing. There were quite a few recommendations for X99 parts just a page or two ago. As for graphics, the GTX 980 generally isn't recommended because it's only a slight improvement over the GTX 970 for a lot more money - but it is currently the strongest single card for graphics.

Technically that would be the Titan Z or 295x2 :p

Not sure why people are against / afraid of OCing. It's a free speed boost that makes a noticeable difference today and in the future. A 2500K, from 3 years ago, OC to 4.5GHz would still be going strong, while a 2500, would be a candidate for a replacement.

The next thread title needs to be "You WILL overclock!"
 

Ryne

Member
Not sure why people are against / afraid of OCing. It's a free speed boost that makes a noticeable difference today and in the future. A 2500K, from 3 years ago, OC to 4.5GHz would still be going strong, while a 2500, would be a candidate for a replacement.

For me, the fear is of messing up the overclock and breaking something. I have a 2600K with the standard Intel fan that I don't know how to mess with properly without perhaps creating an unrecoverable issue.

Also finding the right, step by step guide that is precise without being too verbose was kinda difficult. I did find one that I thought was good, but my MB/CPU combo didn't match the one they were using.
 

knitoe

Member
For me, the fear is of messing up the overclock and breaking something. I have a 2600K with the standard Intel fan that I don't know how to mess with properly without perhaps creating an unrecoverable issue.

Also finding the right, step by step guide that is precise without being too verbose was kinda difficult. I did find one that I thought was good, but my MB/CPU combo didn't match the one they were using.
1. Get CPU cooler.
2. Set CPU core Voltage to 1.35V.
3. Set CPU multiplier to 45.
 
I've bought parts to upgrade my PC to play current-gen games and now all that's left is the GPU. I want something between $200 and $250. I'd like to have an Nvidia card again but the 280x is tempting - I just feel it's too power-hungry or too loud or overall better performance at the cost of everything else. My dream card is a Maxwell 960 but it STILL hasn't been announced! Should I stay on Team Red or get a slightly weaker 760 or 770?

My PC + upgrades arriving soon
Core i3 2100 -> i5 2500
4GB Crucial -> 8GB Team Vulcan
Gigabyte 6850 -> ?
500 GB Hitachi HDD -> same + 240GB Crucial SSD
Antec 620W Bronze PSU
Win7 x64 -> Win8.1 x64
 

RGM79

Member
NoRéN;145412125 said:
bought some ram, 1600 but it's running at 1333.

Do i just go into the bios > xmp and set to auto?
Yes, that should be all you have to do. If it doesn't play nice, you may need to update the BIOS.

I've bought parts to upgrade my PC to play current-gen games and now all that's left is the GPU. I want something between $200 and $250. I'd like to have an Nvidia card again but the 280x is tempting - I just feel it's too power-hungry or too loud or overall better performance at the cost of everything else. My dream card is a Maxwell 960 but it STILL hasn't been announced! Should I stay on Team Red or get a slightly weaker 760 or 770?

My PC + upgrades arriving soon
Core i3 2100 -> i5 2500
4GB Crucial -> 8GB Team Vulcan
Gigabyte 6850 -> ?
500 GB Hitachi HDD -> same + 240GB Crucial SSD
Antec 620W Bronze PSU
Win7 x64 -> Win8.1 x64
I wouldn't go for the GTX 760 now. Either hold off for a month or get the R9 280X.
 
After years of wanting to get a gaming PC, I'm finally financially able to buy and build my own.

I would like your opinions on my build. I'd like to know how it would run new games like Far Cry 4 and if you see any changes that would be worth the money or any changes that would save me money and not hurt performance.

Here it is:

PC Build

AMAZON
$215 Intel Core i5 4690k
$90 Windows 8.1 OEM
$155 Kingston Hyper X Fury 16 DDR3 Ram
$35 CM Hyper 212 EVO
$105 Crucial MX100 256GB
$55 1TB WD Blue

NEWEGG
$185 Gigabyte Z97x UD5H
$350 MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G
$95 EVGA 850W Bronze Power Supply
$130 Corsair Air 540
 
You could go with a 650-750w PSU at the same or greater efficiency and a lower price. I'm assuming your planned motherboard is ATX - if it's not, you could go for the Thermaltake Core V21 at $70 and get a more compact cube case with equal cooler compatibility.
 

Miutsu

Member
So as a first time overclocker I got my i5 4690k to 4.4Ghz with 1.225 core voltage (tried 1.200 and 1.250 and both gave me BSOD when stress testing).

I used prime95 small fft test and OCCT mostly for 10 mims each, also tried several games and everything seems stable. With prime95 the hotest temp overall was 76c (however I haven't seen temps this high while gaming).

What I wanted to know is, did I do good? Or did I overdo it? RealTemp reports 32~ish, the CPU is equipped with a CM Hyper Evo 212 and the chasis has one intake and one exhaust fan, both connected to the MB.

Since its my first time overclocking I wanted some feedback and to know I won't kill my CPU (which I would like to last me 3-4 years).
 

knitoe

Member
That's a lot of voltage for that speed.
Just making it easy. 99% should run at that 4.5GHz @ 1.35V. Going lower would require testing.
So as a first time overclocker I got my i5 4690k to 4.4Ghz with 1.225 core voltage (tried 1.200 and 1.250 and both gave me BSOD when stress testing).

I used prime95 small fft test and OCCT mostly for 10 mims each, also tried several games and everything seems stable. With prime95 the hotest temp overall was 76c (however I haven't seen temps this high while gaming).

What I wanted to know is, did I do good? Or did I overdo it? RealTemp reports 32~ish, the CPU is equipped with a CM Hyper Evo 212 and the chasis has one intake and one exhaust fan, both connected to the MB.

Since its my first time overclocking I wanted some feedback and to know I won't kill my CPU (which I would like to last me 3-4 years).
As long as you stay under 85C (fully load) and 1.35V, CPU will be fine 24/7 for many years. You current setup is probably not stable since you increase voltage from 1.225V to 1.250V and failed. To be more sure, stress test for a few hours.

Gaming would never push the CPU, higher temps, more than stress testing.
http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/30/lgs-21-9-curved-4k-monitors-ces/

Some sweet LG monitors coming from CES this year.

34" 21:9 Freesync curved.
Supposedly, they are IPS panels. I wished my 4K GSync was a IPS.
 

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
What's the status/timeline on the DDR3->DDR4 transition? I see that DDR4 products are available but have a decent price premium over DDR3, and haven't looked into what going DDR4 does to motherboard cost. If someone was aiming to do a decent gaming build in Summer 2015 ($800-1200 range), does it make sense to futureproof with DDR4 or would we expect the transition to take long enough that DDR3 is still the way to go for a build designed to last 5-6 years? I would guess that processor sockets are going to change fast enough that you'd still go DDR3 and when you want to upgrade processor, you'd need to swap mobo anyway. There's no way DDR4 is that big of a performance boost, almost nothing seems to be RAM limited to begin with.
 

The Llama

Member
What's the status/timeline on the DDR3->DDR4 transition? I see that DDR4 products are available but have a decent price premium over DDR3, and haven't looked into what going DDR4 does to motherboard cost. If someone was aiming to do a decent gaming build in Summer 2015 ($800-1200 range), does it make sense to futureproof with DDR4 or would we expect the transition to take long enough that DDR3 is still the way to go for a build designed to last 5-6 years? I would guess that processor sockets are going to change fast enough that you'd still go DDR3 and when you want to upgrade processor, you'd need to swap mobo anyway. There's no way DDR4 is that big of a performance boost, almost nothing seems to be RAM limited to begin with.

Right now X99 is the only platform that uses DDR4. I think Intel's next consumer platform, which should be out by next summer, will use DDR4, at which point you won't really have a choice as to whether you want to use it or not.
 

RGM79

Member
What's the status/timeline on the DDR3->DDR4 transition? I see that DDR4 products are available but have a decent price premium over DDR3, and haven't looked into what going DDR4 does to motherboard cost. If someone was aiming to do a decent gaming build in Summer 2015 ($800-1200 range), does it make sense to futureproof with DDR4 or would we expect the transition to take long enough that DDR3 is still the way to go for a build designed to last 5-6 years? I would guess that processor sockets are going to change fast enough that you'd still go DDR3 and when you want to upgrade processor, you'd need to swap mobo anyway. There's no way DDR4 is that big of a performance boost, almost nothing seems to be RAM limited to begin with.

DDR3 has already been mainstream for 5-6 years (2008). There's no way it'll last another 5 years. DDR4 already became a thing with X99 platform, and although Skylake/Z170 will initially sport both DDR3/DDR4 compatibility when it's released in mid 2015, there's no reason to assume that DDR3 will keep going that strong.

At the very least, I'd wait until you buy to see what the RAM situation is like.

I assume this is a good place to ask so, anyone know of good sata power cable extensions? Need one cause I installed a new HDD but I had to take my disc drive out so I could get the new hard drive powered.

edit: Meh, nvm, just ordered a molex to sata power cable

You should be fine, the power draw of a DVD drive won't be an issue for molex.
 

RGM79

Member
After years of wanting to get a gaming PC, I'm finally financially able to buy and build my own.

I would like your opinions on my build. I'd like to know how it would run new games like Far Cry 4 and if you see any changes that would be worth the money or any changes that would save me money and not hurt performance.

Here it is:

PC Build

AMAZON
$215 Intel Core i5 4690k
$90 Windows 8.1 OEM
$155 Kingston Hyper X Fury 16 DDR3 Ram
$35 CM Hyper 212 EVO
$105 Crucial MX100 256GB
$55 1TB WD Blue

NEWEGG
$185 Gigabyte Z97x UD5H
$350 MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G
$95 EVGA 850W Bronze Power Supply
$130 Corsair Air 540

Do you have to buy everything from Newegg and Amazon, or is it just preferred? I took a look, and you can save about $210 with my version of your build, which is also made to all be purchased from Newegg and Amazon. There's potentially even more cost savings if you are willing to buy from multiple manufacturers, or at least get almost everything pricematched through NCIXUS or something.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($215.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($126.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($127.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($345.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Mid Tower Case ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 750W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1183.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-31 00:12 EST-0500

The Gigabyte Z97X-SLI motherboard should be enough for your needs. The G.Skill RAM is faster and cheaper than what you had. The power supply is enough for GTX 970 SLI and is a gold rated unit that is manufactured by Super Flower, an excellent brand and has good reviews.

You can get a product key for Windows 7/8.1 from reddit's microsoftsoftwareswap for $20 or less. They're legitimate unique keys.
 
Do you have to buy everything from Newegg and Amazon, or is it just preferred? I took a look, and you can save about $210 with my version of your build, which is also made to all be purchased from Newegg and Amazon. There's potentially even more cost savings if you are willing to buy from multiple manufacturers, or at least get almost everything pricematched through NCIXUS or something.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($215.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($126.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($127.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($345.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Mid Tower Case ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Rosewill Capstone 750W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1183.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-31 00:12 EST-0500

The Gigabyte Z97X-SLI motherboard should be enough for your needs. The G.Skill RAM is faster and cheaper than what you had. The power supply is enough for GTX 970 SLI and is a gold rated unit that is manufactured by Super Flower, an excellent brand and has good reviews.

You can get a product key for Windows 7/8.1 from reddit's microsoftsoftwareswap for $20 or less. They're legitimate unique keys.

Thanks a lot. That's awesome.
 

McBryBry

Member
New to the PC game. How do you install drivers/setup the system to automatically download the drivers I need?

Also, what parts need drivers frequently?
 

M.Bluth

Member
New to the PC game. How do you install drivers/setup the system to automatically download the drivers I need?

Also, what parts need drivers frequently?

Only your GPU will get frequent updates.
As for updating, the GeForce Experience will let you know when there's a new update to download, if you use an NVIDIA GPU.
I haven't used an AMD GPU for a few years now, so I don't know how it works now, but I assume the client can notify you, too.
 
New to the PC game. How do you install drivers/setup the system to automatically download the drivers I need?

Also, what parts need drivers frequently?

Actually almost nothing needs to be installed. Drivers for mouse and keyboard and other stuff will likely be automatically done by Windows.

Motherboard in rare cases would need a BIOS update to work with certain configuration and you would need to get that from the manufacturers website. It might get an update once in a long while, but these are typically not needed.

GPU is the thing that is going to definitely need a driver. Either use the disc that comes with it, or you can go to the website on the PC where you need to install it and get the latest drivers. GPU drivers are very very common, and you will receive notices by the GPU software that you need to update. Usually to improve performance in games.
 
New to the PC game. How do you install drivers/setup the system to automatically download the drivers I need?

Also, what parts need drivers frequently?

GPU is the only thing that requires driver updates ever so often, since new games release every month, if you have an nvidia gpu nvidia experience will have a pop up message every time there's a new driver update.. For the rest go to the websites of the parts you have find your part and they'll have the drivers you need and don't worry about updating them again unless an issue comes up.
 

RGM79

Member
Actually almost nothing needs to be installed. Drivers for mouse and keyboard and other stuff will likely be automatically done by Windows.

Motherboard in rare cases would need a BIOS update to work with certain configuration and you would need to get that from the manufacturers website. It might get an update once in a long while, but these are typically not needed.

GPU is the thing that is going to definitely need a driver. Either use the disc that comes with it, or you can go to the website on the PC where you need to install it and get the latest drivers. GPU drivers are very very common, and you will receive notices by the GPU software that you need to update. Usually to improve performance in games.

I highly recommend downloading all of the latest motherboard drivers from the manufacturer's website, though. Basic drivers will work, but you never know what functionality you could be missing out on.
 

vocab

Member
Messed with some auto over clocking profiles. Probably wasn't a good idea. Hopefully I didn't damage anything after that disaster.
 

kraspkibble

Permabanned.
i've decided to just change the case and buy a DVD drive. despite reading all those links i just can't figure out how to make a bootable USB. doesn't make any sense to me but thanks for the help! :)

now i can't figure out how i will connect front panel ports to the motherboard (z97 gaming 5). i'm probably gonna get a corsair 200r now. same price as the NZXT S340. i know where the USB 3.0 ports go, i think i know where the power/restart/led pins go but cant figure out where the audio ports connect. i've tried downloading the motherboard manual and reading through it.

i'm so close to giving up on building this pc. since saturday i've been researching everything to do with building a pc and i mean for hours each day reading stuff and watching videos. maybe this is all just beyond me and i should stick with my ps4.
 
i've decided to just change the case and buy a DVD drive. despite reading all those links i just can't figure out how to make a bootable USB. doesn't make any sense to me but thanks for the help! :)

now i can't figure out how i will connect front panel ports to the motherboard (z97 gaming 5). i'm probably gonna get a corsair 200r now. same price as the NZXT S340. i know where the USB 3.0 ports go, i think i know where the power/restart/led pins go but cant figure out where the audio ports connect. i've tried downloading the motherboard manual and reading through it.

i'm so close to giving up on building this pc. since saturday i've been researching everything to do with building a pc and i mean for hours each day reading stuff and watching videos. maybe this is all just beyond me and i should stick with my ps4.

The motherboard manual even usually tells you what to do step by step. Once you have the pieces in front of you it is really intuitive. But without actually seeing them is always a puzzle. Don't fret.

edit: i bet if you post pictures here, someone will tell you exactly what to do depending on the hour this happens.
 

Kayant

Member
I highly recommend downloading all of the latest motherboard drivers from the manufacturer's website, though. Basic drivers will work, but you never know what functionality you could be missing out on.

.

Yep I don't have internet with mine until I got the network drivers(gigabyte-z97-mx-gaming 5 using a killer nic). Best to get things like the network driver just in case.

i've decided to just change the case and buy a DVD drive. despite reading all those links i just can't figure out how to make a bootable USB. doesn't make any sense to me but thanks for the help! :)

now i can't figure out how i will connect front panel ports to the motherboard (z97 gaming 5). i'm probably gonna get a corsair 200r now. same price as the NZXT S340. i know where the USB 3.0 ports go, i think i know where the power/restart/led pins go but cant figure out where the audio ports connect. i've tried downloading the motherboard manual and reading through it.

i'm so close to giving up on building this pc. since saturday i've been researching everything to do with building a pc and i mean for hours each day reading stuff and watching videos. maybe this is all just beyond me and i should stick with my ps4.

As Vulcano's assistant said just look at the manual it will tell you where cables need to go and will give you a labelled layout of where each port is on the motherboard. No need to change the case if you really like it ;). It's basically like lego for the most part. Most things will only fit a certain way.
 
New to the PC game. How do you install drivers/setup the system to automatically download the drivers I need?

Also, what parts need drivers frequently?

GPU is the only thing that requires driver updates ever so often, since new games release every month, if you have an nvidia gpu nvidia experience will have a pop up message every time there's a new driver update.. For the rest go to the websites of the parts you have find your part and they'll have the drivers you need and don't worry about updating them again unless an issue comes up.


The AMD Gaming Evolved app/launcher does the same. It checks for an update every time it launches.
 

Ray Wonder

Founder of the Wounded Tagless Children
Is there a simple reason why my PC would crash while updating Nvidia drivers for a GTX 780. It BSODs as soon as it says it's done installing. If not, I'll go troubleshooting through the internet.
 

kharma45

Member
DDR3 has already been mainstream for 5-6 years (2008). There's no way it'll last another 5 years. DDR4 already became a thing with X99 platform, and although Skylake/Z170 will initially sport both DDR3/DDR4 compatibility when it's released in mid 2015, there's no reason to assume that DDR3 will keep going that strong.

At the very least, I'd wait until you buy to see what the RAM situation is like..

Where did you read that?
 

riflen

Member
Is there a simple reason why my PC would crash while updating Nvidia drivers for a GTX 780. It BSODs as soon as it says it's done installing. If not, I'll go troubleshooting through the internet.

NVIDIA have had some problems with their drivers in the last 6 months or so. I also started getting blue screen crashes when updating recent driver builds. I also believe there have been some buggy Windows updates recently that haven't helped.

In the end, I worked around it by using DDU in safe mode.

Where did you read that?

That rumour has been around a few months now. There's no official confirmation yet on Skylake memory compatibility afaik.
 

Ray Wonder

Founder of the Wounded Tagless Children
NVIDIA have had some problems with their drivers in the last 6 months or so. I also started getting blue screen crashes when updating recent driver builds. I also believe there have been some buggy Windows updates recently that haven't helped.

In the end, I worked around it by using DDU in safe mode.

Thanks I'll check that out
 
OK, I'm finally getting around to overclocking my CPU that I bought a few months back. What is this CPU Ring V thing that I've been reading about? Please educate me as to what this should/can be set at. Thanks!

i7-4790K
MSI Z-97 Gaming 5, BIOS 1.7
 
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