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[reKon]

So I've already started buying the parts I need for my build. I bought some of that Kingston Fury ram for $64 a pop yesterday as well as the 600 watt PSU.

I think I can save some even more money on this build. Here are my thoughts - I will be watching a lot of media from that will l be stored on the HDD and the last version of my build included a 2 TB 7200 3.5 hard drive.

The build also includes a cheaper 120GB SSD card. My intention down the road is to buy a high performance 256 GB or 512 GB SSD when the average prices really drop down for these things (they have been steadily dropping) and save more of my game files on the SSD.

I was thinking and realized that I could save money money on this build if I use some old parts. Instead of buying a 2TB hard drive, I could use this, which I bought 6 months ago: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B99JUBQ/?tag=neogaf0e-20 (currently sits in my old laptop, which I don't use much)

The case has 2 slots for 2.5 inch hard drives and 1 for a 3.5. Then I can just buy another 3.5 or 2.5 inch hard drive if I need the space (although if it buy a 3.5 inch hard drive, then I think I might need to do a lot of disassembling.

If I decide to go with the hybrid 2.5 inch 1 TB 5400 RPM drive above has my main storage, I'm probably going to see a significance decrease in performance if I have my game files saved on this drive right? (unless I'm playing the same game over and over). Again, I'm more likely to using this PC for media and not necessarily gaming. Hopefully I can snag a deal like this because 256 GB on the SSD would be better, but, but I just don't want to pay $80+ for a drive that I'm only going to use for 1-2 years: http://slickdeals.net/f/7525142-256...far-fillers-visa-checkout-tigerdirect-com?v=1

Current build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i 57.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97E-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($116.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (Purchased For $63.99)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (Purchased For $63.99)
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($62.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate 1TB 2.5" 5400RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($0.00)
Case: Silverstone ML07B HTPC Case ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Silverstone 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply (Purchased For $118.00)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($20.33 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Logitech K400 Wireless Slim Keyboard w/Touchpad ($19.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $781.24
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-15 10:43 EST-0500

 

[Hindl]

Hey guys, I'm about 4 months late but thanks to this thread I built my first PC! Thanks to everyone in here, I never would've done this without the guides in here. Here's some shitty phone pics:

Anyway, I have a new question. My router is on the 1st floor of my house, but I'm up on the second floor. Also, there's no ethernet ports to plug my PC into, so I've been using a USB Wifi Adapter, which has generally been working out ok. But I want to start doing streaming, and I'd want a wired connection. I want to avoid having to string up a 100ft long ethernet cable, and I looked into getting a Wifi bridge to pick up the signal and provide ethernet ports on the second floor. Does anyone have any recommendations for good Wifi bridges/other alternatives? Thanks

 

[Dragon1893]

Anyone have any advice on what's the best gpu you can buy right now with a 200 euro budget?

 

[garath]

Hey guys, I'm about 4 months late but thanks to this thread I built my first PC! Thanks to everyone in here, I never would've done this without the guides in here. Here's some shitty phone pics:





Anyway, I have a new question. My router is on the 1st floor of my house, but I'm up on the second floor. Also, there's no ethernet ports to plug my PC into, so I've been using a USB Wifi Adapter, which has generally been working out ok. But I want to start doing streaming, and I'd want a wired connection. I want to avoid having to string up a 100ft long ethernet cable, and I looked into getting a Wifi bridge to pick up the signal and provide ethernet ports on the second floor. Does anyone have any recommendations for good Wifi bridges/other alternatives? Thanks

It's worth trying a powerline adapter if you don't want to run an ethernet cable. It runs network over your existing in-house powerlines.

 

[Donos]

It's worth trying a powerline adapter if you don't want to run an ethernet cable. It runs network over your existing in-house powerlines.

Read that they are pretty good (never tried it). Hindl, be aware that a Wifi bridge halves you connection/broadcast.

 

[Hindl]

It's worth trying a powerline adapter if you don't want to run an ethernet cable. It runs network over your existing in-house powerlines.

Read that they are pretty good (never tried it). Hindl, be aware that a Wifi bridge halves you connection/broadcast.

Alright thanks guys! I'll look into that it looks better than a Wi-Fi bridge

 

[Water]

I just realized I should have asked this here.

Can someone recommend to me a keyboard? Ideally:

- Not loud
- Light key activation/short travel (light like what you might find on a chiclet-style keyboard). No long travel.
- Backlighting would be nice but not necessary
- Macros not necessary
- Kitchen sink not necessary
- Needs to be available for purchase in the US. Local or Amazon preferred.
- < $150, and the lower the better if the quality is there.

Very few scissor switch boards are made with quality in mind.
With your criteria, I'd go for Lenovo's desktop version of their Thinkpad laptop keyboards (widely considered to be the best keyboards found on a laptop).
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F3U4TQS/?tag=neogaf0e-20

If you were willing to compromise on the "short travel" thing and stretched the budget slightly, you could get a Topre and be set for a decade. Their switches have fantastic typing feel (the best I've experienced) and considerably lighter key activation than scissor key boards are capable of. They are not completely silent, but quieter than the quietest Cherry switch, since the keypress causes a rubber dome to compress instead of a spring going "click". If you don't bottom out the keys forcefully, there's little sound. The board I'm linking here is Topre's cheapest, but still a high end keyboard - the whole cost goes to quality, not bells and whistles. I have owned another Topre model for a couple of years now, and never regretted investing in it.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DGJALYW/?tag=neogaf0e-20

 

[NoRéN]

Sold.

 

[knitoe]

Read that they are pretty good (never tried it). Hindl, be aware that a Wifi bridge halves you connection/broadcast.

Yes, try powerline first, but wifi bridge doesn't not half your connection / broadcast. In fact a AC setup, would be even faster than the fastest powerline setup. Are your talking about a repeater?

 

[Saintruski]

I looked through the OP a few times hard. maybe I missed it and it's there but this is also a very good resource.

http://www.logicalincrements.com

if your new to building PCs I always used to point people to that site then help from there.

 

[manfestival]

OK GAF so I need your assistance. I love upgrading my computer as much as the next person but budget isnt so high anymore so I will take my income tax to replace parts.

So my computer runs everything at high or very high (but not ultra) settings at around 40+ fps. I know the next generation is upon us and I want to run games like GTA 5 and etc very smoothly. I want to avoid getting an all new computer all together so I will not replace my GPU , case and PSU(500/80). My CPU I currently have is the AMD X4 965 and I have 8 gigs of ram. My motherboard(which im sure has been bottlenecking my system) is a biostar TA790GXB3. How exactly behind the curve am I on these pieces? I swear it doesnt feel like I am all that far compared to previous generations where the hardware felt like it was so ahead 3 years down the road.

Any advice or even smaller change that I can make?

I am quoting myself because I didnt get a response. I am not looking for someone to build a computer for me. Just looking for ideas generally or if I should keep my set up and overclock or whatever it is. Should I replace my parts? I mean everything runs ok. I just feel like enough time has passed and there should be a ton of new tech that has passed and been added , which should translate into a smoother and better graphical experience.

 

[Bel_Air_Jeff]

Anyone have any recommendations for a good gaming modem?

I use my PC on a wired connection, and I use my Wii U, Laptop, and 3ds on the wireless connection.

Trying to spend less than $60.

Edit: My service provider is Comcast, btw.

 

[The Llama]

Anyone have any recommendations for a good gaming modem?

I use my PC on a wired connection, and I use my Wii U, Laptop, and 3ds on the wireless connection.

Trying to spend less than $60.

Edit: My service provider is Comcast, btw.

Do you mean router, not modem?

 

[kennah]

I looked through the OP a few times hard. maybe I missed it and it's there but this is also a very good resource.

http://www.logicalincrements.com

if your new to building PCs I always used to point people to that site then help from there.

It's not in the op for a reason.

 

[Donos]

Yes, try powerline first, but wifi bridge doesn't not half your connection / broadcast. In fact a AC setup, would be even faster than the fastest powerline setup. Are your talking about a repeater?

Yeah sorry, thought bridge is the same as repeater.

 

[RGM79]

I have a project with a society that I am working on to build a a very cheap (as budget orientated as you can get) miniATX/small form factor PC that can play local competitive indie game, Source games and for streaming purposes (Twitch, etc.). The small form factor is for storage purposes. With this in mind, I thought the obvious choice would be to go with an AMD APU A10 7800 or A8. I want to complete this build by March 2014 and purchase it in February 2014. Given this build will also be demonstrated as it is built, I also want something that if fairly upgradable with additional GPU's or RAM being bought in later years. I'm in the UK if this helps too. At the moment these are the parts I am looking at. The blanks or for advice on what components to purchase.

APU + Stock Cooler: A10 7800 : £100- £110
Motherboard:
RAM (8GB DDR3):
Case:
SSD (120GB) or HDD (1TB): Around £50
PSU (500-600W):
Accessories (Cables Ties, thermal Paste, etc.): £10

No monitor, M&KB, sound card or GPU is needed.

I want the build to be around £250-300. I understand this is pushing the limits, but I would be happy with estimates slightly above too.

Yeah, AMD sounds like a great place to start from. You will probably want to come back in about two months just before you actually buy, because prices can always change, especially for things like RAM.

Still, here's an example build. I was able to bring it closer to £250 by going with 4GB of RAM. Going with 8GB will cost a bit over £300, but if it's initially being used for what you say it is, even 4GB should be enough. When you do need more RAM for when you start doing streaming, it's easy enough to get a second stick of 4GB RAM and install it.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD A10-6800K 4.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (£83.95 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A88XM-DS2 Micro ATX FM2+ Motherboard (£36.50 @ Aria PC)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£32.00 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£40.39 @ Aria PC)
Case: Silverstone PS08B (Black) MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£36.59 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£46.09 @ Aria PC)
Total: £275.52
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-15 22:46 GMT+0000

Hmm I worked out an Intel build for your budget. The G3258 definitely has stronger CPU performance, but the integrated graphics is weaker than in the AMD APU. Fine for 2D, not so sure about source engine games. Assuming you do drop in a graphics card in the future and do some CPU overclocking, it'll prove stronger than the APU build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor (£49.04 @ Ebuyer)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.97 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Anniversary Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£65.03 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£32.00 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£40.39 @ Aria PC)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£29.77 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£46.09 @ Aria PC)
Total: £287.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-15 23:25 GMT+0000

So I've already started buying the parts I need for my build. I bought some of that Kingston Fury ram for $64 a pop yesterday as well as the 600 watt PSU.

I think I can save some even more money on this build. Here are my thoughts - I will be watching a lot of media from that will l be stored on the HDD and the last version of my build included a 2 TB 7200 3.5 hard drive.

The build also includes a cheaper 120GB SSD card. My intention down the road is to buy a high performance 256 GB or 512 GB SSD when the average prices really drop down for these things (they have been steadily dropping) and save more of my game files on the SSD.

I was thinking and realized that I could save money money on this build if I use some old parts. Instead of buying a 2TB hard drive, I could use this, which I bought 6 months ago: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B99JUBQ/?tag=neogaf0e-20 (currently sits in my old laptop, which I don't use much)

The case has 2 slots for 2.5 inch hard drives and 1 for a 3.5. Then I can just buy another 3.5 or 2.5 inch hard drive if I need the space (although if it buy a 3.5 inch hard drive, then I think I might need to do a lot of disassembling.

If I decide to go with the hybrid 2.5 inch 1 TB 5400 RPM drive above has my main storage, I'm probably going to see a significance decrease in performance if I have my game files saved on this drive right? (unless I'm playing the same game over and over). Again, I'm more likely to using this PC for media and not necessarily gaming. Hopefully I can snag a deal like this because 256 GB on the SSD would be better, but, but I just don't want to pay $80+ for a drive that I'm only going to use for 1-2 years: http://slickdeals.net/f/7525142-256...far-fillers-visa-checkout-tigerdirect-com?v=1

Current build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i 57.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97E-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($116.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (Purchased For $63.99)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (Purchased For $63.99)
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($62.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate 1TB 2.5" 5400RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($0.00)
Case: Silverstone ML07B HTPC Case ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Silverstone 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply (Purchased For $118.00)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($20.33 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Logitech K400 Wireless Slim Keyboard w/Touchpad ($19.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $781.24
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-15 10:43 EST-0500

It would save you money, but yeah, the hybrid flash memory on the hard drive will not really help for games or movies.

 

[RGM79]

Anyone have any advice on what's the best gpu you can buy right now with a 200 euro budget?

It varies by where you're buying from, but checking PCPartPicker's Spanish, Italian, and German prices, your best bet would be an R9 280, or maybe wait for the GTX 960 rumored to launch in about a week or so.

I am quoting myself because I didnt get a response. I am not looking for someone to build a computer for me. Just looking for ideas generally or if I should keep my set up and overclock or whatever it is. Should I replace my parts? I mean everything runs ok. I just feel like enough time has passed and there should be a ton of new tech that has passed and been added , which should translate into a smoother and better graphical experience.

I assume you mean the Phenom II X4 965. If by smoother and better you mean you want better and more stable framerate, you'd be looking to replace both CPU and motherboard. If you have the budget for it, I'd recommend Intel i5 4690K and Z97, which will run roughly $300 USD. There are cheaper options if you aren't interested in overclocking with Intel.

If you have a decent CPU cooler, you might want to try overclocking and see how well that does, maybe it might have decent gains in framerate.

It's not in the op for a reason.

It seemed to be that way, but if you don't mind, can I ask what reason that is?

 

[kennah]

We prefer to give an upgradeable base than 'best for the money'. Thus amd is not recommended under most cases.

 

[Solid Samus]

does anyone know whether or not this mobo in specific

GIGABYTE GA-Z97X-SLI

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128714

needs a bios update to support an i7-4790k?

 

[kennah]

does anyone know whether or not this mobo in specific

GIGABYTE GA-Z97X-SLI

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128714

needs a bios update to support an i7-4790k?

Z97 doesn't. Z87 does.

 

[Solid Samus]

Z97 doesn't. Z87 does.

Thanks for the quick response! I'm buying the last few parts for my build here on my work break and I really appreciate it

 

[The Reloader]

First time builder here! I would really appreciate some feedback on this build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($317.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($116.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($62.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.97 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($67.98 @ OutletPC)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.75 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1382.13
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-15 22:27 EST-0500

Question: Will I need any other essential component? Will I need to buy any extra internal cables for the build or any accessories? I know I'll also be buying some thermal paste.

 

[The Llama]

First time builder here! I would really appreciate some feedback on this build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($317.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($116.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($62.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.97 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($67.98 @ OutletPC)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.75 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1382.13
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-15 22:27 EST-0500

Question: Will I need to buy any extra internal cables for the build or any accessories? I know I'll also be buying some thermal paste.

I'd get a better power supply (someone else can recommend something, I'm not great with PSU's). You can probably drop the optical drive too, unless you know you'll need it (you can install Windows with a USB drive since you can legally download the ISO). You can also probably drop the 4790k down to a 4690k and save some money. It gives pretty much the same performance in games (I have a 4790k and like it, but its not necessary at all).

Your motherboard will come with all the cables you need, so don't worry (the power supply will come with the power cables, and the case might come with 1 or 2 for its fans). You don't need to buy thermal paste, the HSF will come with it, and there's no real performance to be gained by using "better" paste.

 

[The Reloader]

I'd get a better power supply (someone else can recommend something, I'm not great with PSU's). You can probably drop the optical drive too, unless you know you'll need it (you can install Windows with a USB drive since you can legally download the ISO). You can also probably drop the 4790k down to a 4690k and save some money. It gives pretty much the same performance in games (I have a 4790k and like it, but its not necessary at all).

Your motherboard will come with all the cables you need, so don't worry (the power supply will come with the power cables, and the case might come with 1 or 2 for its fans). You don't need to buy thermal paste, the HSF will come with it, and there's no real performance to be gained by using "better" paste.

Awesome, thanks!

 

[RGM79]

First time builder here! I would really appreciate some feedback on this build

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($317.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($116.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($62.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.97 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($399.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($67.98 @ OutletPC)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($18.75 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1382.13
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-15 22:27 EST-0500

Question: Will I need to buy any extra internal cables for the build or any accessories? I know I'll also be buying some thermal paste.

Motherboard and power supply already come with all the cables you should need, unless you're adding in a bunch of extra hard drives. Thermal paste already comes with the Cooler Master heatsink, unless you want something more expensive/better by a few degrees.

What is the computer for? If it's just games and not video editing or 3D design, go for the i5 4690K, it'll give you the same performance in terms of framerate. The hyperthreading that the i7 4790K has over the i5 won't make a difference in 95% of games.

The power supply you chose is a great brand and good quality, but if you ever want the option to go SLI with dual GTX 970 in the future, I'd advise getting a 700-800 watt PSU instead. If you don't want or need to run SLI, you can save money and buy this XFX 550 watt bronze modular power supply for $25 after $35 discount. It's actually made by Seasonic so it's pretty much the same thing as buying a Seasonic power supply. Reviews are good.

Same thing with the motherboard - the model you chose has SLI as a feature in mind. If you will never run dual GTX 970 in the future, you could get a cheaper and/or smaller motherboard.

The Phanteks Enthoo Pro is a great premium case for a good price, but if you want to save some money, you could go with a smaller case that's just as good in terms of airflow. That will depend on the size of the motherboard.

You can buy a Windows 7/8.1 license from reddit's microsoftsoftwareswap for $20 or less, and just download the official Windows installer instead.

 

[The Reloader]

.

Work wise, I'll be using it to run iterative simulations on computation heavy models on Matlab & Simulink, which is the reason I went with the i7 4790K . And of course for gaming.

SLI...hmm. I don't know what the future holds. I may one day decide to SLI and regret not having the motherboard. I think I'll keep it.

Thanks!

 

[RedSwirl]

I've asked this like three times before, but just so I can put it on my wishlist somewhere, what are the best cooling choices for overclocking an i5-4670k?

 

[Solid Samus]

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($331.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.85 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($359.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($359.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1603.51
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-12 03:23 EST-0500

Here's the build I ended up picking up. Any thoughts? I'm actually not buying the second video card until my next paycheck, but I've purchased everything else in the last month, and I already had storage and an operating system lying around. I also got several parts and the kb/m cheaper than listed.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($317.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($86.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($116.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($341.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($341.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT S340 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($77.99 @ Micro Center)
Keyboard: Logitech G510s Wired Gaming Keyboard ($78.39 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse ($69.98 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1561.02
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-16 00:14 EST-0500

Can't wait to game on it :3 and finally play Arma 3 at something better than 20-40fps. I'm upgrading from an i3-2120 and AMD Radeon HD 7750 with 4 gigs of shitty ram

 

[The Llama]

I've asked this like three times before, but just so I can put it on my wishlist somewhere, what are the best cooling choices for overclocking an i5-4670k?

The best is probably liquid nitrogen, but that can be a bit pricey

Whats your budget?

 

[RGM79]

Work wise, I'll be using it to run iterative simulations on computation heavy models on Matlab & Simulink, which is the reason I went with the i7 4790K . And of course for gaming.

SLI...hmm. I don't know what the future holds. I may one day decide to SLI and regret not having the motherboard. I think I'll keep it.

Thanks!

No problem. If you want to keep your options open, it's pretty cheap to get a 750 watt power supply now that will keep your options open for future upgrades or even carry over to a future build.

The EVGA Supernova B2 750 watt bronze rated model goes for $60. If you're looking for something a bit higher quality, there's the Rosewill Capstone 750 watt gold rated for $80. Ignore the comment about the Antec, turns out user reviews weren't so great.

Here's the build I ended up picking up. Any thoughts? I'm actually not buying the second video card until my next paycheck, but I've purchased everything else in the last month, and I already had storage and an operating system lying around. I also got several parts and the kb/m cheaper than listed.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($317.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($86.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($116.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($341.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) ($341.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT S340 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($77.99 @ Micro Center)
Keyboard: Logitech G510s Wired Gaming Keyboard ($78.39 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse ($69.98 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1561.02
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-16 00:14 EST-0500

Can't wait to game on it :3 and finally play Arma 3 at something better than 20-40fps. I'm upgrading from an i3-2120 and AMD Radeon HD 7750 with 4 gigs of shitty ram

Oh, you posted over a month ago, I didn't immediately remember what sort of PC you were looking to build. Your PC looks fine to me. You probably could have gotten a better power supply for the money as the CX line is kinda average, not as good as other brands and models. Still, 750 watts is good to cover you for pretty much all you'll ever need.

I've asked this like three times before, but just so I can put it on my wishlist somewhere, what are the best cooling choices for overclocking an i5-4670k?

Best budget cooler? Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo. For under $30, you'll get to overclock to around 4.5GHz.
Best air cooler? I'd recommend a Noctua NH-D15. Pricey at around $90 and larger than the 212 Evo, but Noctua puts a lot of care and design into their cooler, and it is one of the absolute best models you can buy, I'd recommend it over water cooling.
Best water cooler would be the NZXT Kraken X61, Swiftech H220-X or H240-X, and Thermaltake Water 3.0 Ultimate, all will perform similarly.

 

[The Reloader]

oooh... I didn't like what I read about micro stuttering in SLI. That would probably drive me crazy. I think I'll stay as a single GPU guy. With that, here's my revised list. Again, feedback would be greatly appreciated :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($317.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($96.48 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($62.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.97 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 4GB Twin Frozr Video Card ($549.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Enermax OSTROG ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Directron)
Power Supply: Cooler Master VSM 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1374.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-16 01:05 EST-0500

 

[Smokey]

Ahhh I see. So I don't really need to do anything to take advantage of G-Sync, that is working at any time I am running a game above 35 fps. Now if I wanted to get my games running at a full 144fps at 1440p, THAT would take some new cards. Thanks for the help that clears that up.

So if I am looking to run games around 60fps and above at 1440p, should the 780ti be enough? I mostly play DotA2 and WoW, but I do play most big titles, such as DA:I, Alien: Isolation, Lords of the Fallen, ect.

You'll be fine with one 780ti. You may have to lower settings in newer games. And that 3GB of VRAM could be an issue at the resolution with newer titles.

But for the most part you are fine. You said you have a Swift. Are you sure GSYNC is on? When gaming the light in the bottom right corner of the monitor will be red. You need to activate GSYNC within Nvidia Control panel, and make sure Vsync is off in the game.

 

[RGM79]

oooh... I didn't like what I read about micro stuttering in SLI. That would probably drive me crazy. I think I'll stay as a single GPU guy. With that, here's my revised list. Again, feedback would be greatly appreciated :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($317.75 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($96.48 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($124.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($62.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.97 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 4GB Twin Frozr Video Card ($549.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Enermax OSTROG ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Directron)
Power Supply: Cooler Master VSM 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1374.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-16 01:05 EST-0500

I don't recommend the GTX 980. The price increase for such a small performance increase over the GTX 970 is not very good, the GTX 980 can even be matched by a GTX 970 with some tweaking.

You don't need to spend $100 on a power supply. This Rosewill Capstone 750 watt gold rated power supply ($80) and is well reviewed by both professionals and the community. Actually, for a single graphics card you can go down to 650 watts or so and be fine. The GTX 970 and 980 only require 500 watts and 30 amps. In that case, there's this Seasonic M12II 620 watt modular power supply for $55.

 

[cheezcake]

ALRIGHT GUYS. I think it's time to bite the bullet and upgrade my trusty old GTX 570. Gonna go for a GTX 970, probably the ASUS STRIX or the Gigabyte Windforce OC. Only question is are there any price drops on the horizon to wait for, or should I just go for it?

 

[kharma45]

Just go for it.

 

[Prophet Steve]

ALRIGHT GUYS. I think it's time to bite the bullet and upgrade my trusty old GTX 570. Gonna go for a GTX 970, probably the ASUS STRIX or the Gigabyte Windforce OC. Only question is are there any price drops on the horizon to wait for, or should I just go for it?

Go for it.

 

[Chance Hale]

Just got a 1TB Samsung 840. Haven't set up a drive in a while so what should I do for the best speed results and what's a good resource to test that everything is working as expected?

Edit: Ignore my fool self, I've become one of those monsters who don't read OPs

 

[Dragon1893]

It varies by where you're buying from, but checking PCPartPicker's Spanish, Italian, and German prices, your best bet would be an R9 280, or maybe wait for the GTX 960 rumored to launch in about a week or so.

I've been looking at the R9 but those cards are just too damn big, wont fit into my case.
If the specs that leaked today are real the 960 is 2 gb... I'm not expecting to buy a 4gb card with my budget but I'd like to go with 3.

 

[cheezcake]

Just go for it.

Go for it.

Cheers fellas, I'll pick it up tomorrow

 

[RGM79]

I've been looking at the R9 but those cards are just too damn big, wont fit into my case.
If the specs that leaked today are real the 960 is 2 gb... I'm not expecting to buy a 4gb card with my budget but I'd like to go with 3.

What case do you have?

 

[kraspkibble]

got all my items in the basket and just need to put in my card details.

total build price £1067.

i5-4690k (not overclocking just now)
8gb
msi z97 gaming 5
msi gtx 970
750w evga supernova
250gb samsung ssd (will add 1TB later)
define r5 case

i have the 8.1 oem disc...will i be ok with that or should i try get the retail version? can't seem to get a straight answer on what the differences are .


problem is i just cant bring myself to go ahead with it. i'm not confident about building it incase i mess something up. only have experience changing RAM/HD.

 

[Hazaro]

I've asked this like three times before, but just so I can put it on my wishlist somewhere, what are the best cooling choices for overclocking an i5-4670k?

CM 212, any rifle style that's over $25 pretty much. Depends more on your chip than the cooling due to Intel. Doesn't matter much. I prefer air even more now.

got all my items in the basket and just need to put in my card details.

total build price £1067.

i5-4690k (not overclocking just now)
8gb
msi z97 gaming 5
msi gtx 970
750w evga supernova
250gb samsung ssd (will add 1TB later)
define r5 case

problem is i just cant bring myself to go ahead with it. i'm not confident about building it incase i mess something up. only have experience changing RAM/HD.

Did you watch any of the videos in the second post? It's pretty easy.

 

[kraspkibble]

CM 212, any rifle style that's over $25 pretty much. Depends more on your chip than the cooling due to Intel. Doesn't matter much. I prefer air even more now.

Did you watch any of the videos in the second post? It's pretty easy.

i've watched countless videos on how to build a pc and to be honest have a fair idea what to do but i've never build a pc before so just really nervous about the whole thing. and it's a lot of money if something doesn't work.

 

[Saintruski]

Best budget cooler? Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo. For under $30, you'll get to overclock to around 4.5GHz.
Best air cooler? I'd recommend a Noctua NH-D15. Pricey at around $90 and larger than the 212 Evo, but Noctua puts a lot of care and design into their cooler, and it is one of the absolute best models you can buy, I'd recommend it over water cooling.
Best water cooler would be the NZXT Kraken X61, Swiftech H220-X or H240-X, and Thermaltake Water 3.0 Ultimate, all will perform similarly.

Disagree on water cooling if your talking AIO coolers. Ernermax Liqtech 240 (Model ELC-LT240-HP newest model introduced at CES now on their site) wins out not only in performance, but in build quality, and fan quality. They dont use the asustek like everyone else, you would have to bring a hammer and screw driver to the fins just to bend those suckers, they are almost custom loop quality. And they recognize even the small things like that the pump gives off heat, so they have a heatsync on the pump.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3fWYb_8mRQ jayztwocents review of the last model


Case: Corsair 900D
Motherboard: ASUS Rampage V Extreme
CPU: Intel 5960x @ 4.6GHz
GPU: EVGA 980 Classfied @ 1650MHz
RAM: Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB DDR4 @ 3000MHz
PSU: EVGA 1600 G2
Raid Card: SUPERMICRO AOC-SAS2LP-MV8
OS and Software Drive: Samsung M.2 XP941 512GB
Game Drives: 3 x Intel 730 Series 480GB Raid0
Mass Storage: 8 x Seagate 3TB Drives

 

[j0hnny_385]

CM 212, any rifle style that's over $25 pretty much. Depends more on your chip than the cooling due to Intel. Doesn't matter much. I prefer air even more now.

Did you watch any of the videos in the second post? It's pretty easy.

Listen to Haz, for the first Haswell batch (i5-4670K & i7-4770K) you're in for a lottery.
My 4670K is an utter piece of overheating shit.

 

[RGM79]

Disagree on water cooling if your talking AIO coolers. Ernermax Liqtech 240 (Model ELC-LT240-HP newest model introduced at CES now on their site) wins out not only in performance, but in build quality, and fan quality. They dont use the asustek like everyone else, you would have to bring a hammer and screw driver to the fins just to bend those suckers, they are almost custom loop quality. And they recognize even the small things like that the pump gives off heat, so they have a heatsync on the pump.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3fWYb_8mRQ jayztwocents review of the last model

Sorry, don't know about build quality as generally that's not an issue with $120+ closed loop coolers.

Tweaktown's benchmarking shows the Enermax Liqtech 240 falling two degrees behind the Kraken X61 in stock load temperatures and four degrees behind in overclocked load temperatures. Then the Thermaltake Water 3.0 Ultimate beats the X61 by a slight margin.

Guru3D's testing came away with just acceptable middle of the pack performance, nothing special.

 

[roytheone]

I am planning to upgrade my CPU (and as a result, also my motherboard), but I am debating between trying to do it myself, or letting a PC shop do it. On the one hand, the PC shop route is much safer and almost without risk, but doing it myself gives me more freedom in choosing my parts, is cheaper, and lets me use a free windows 8.1 key I can get through my university. (I doubt that the PC shop will be willing to use that key, they want to make money and sell me a new key) So how hard is it to replace the motherboard+CPU myself? I already replaced the PSU, RAM and GPU myself, and that went fine.

The things I want to change:

Motherboard: old: Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H New: Gigabyte GA-Z97P-D3
CPU: old: I7 870 new: Core i5-4690K
Cooler: old: stock intel new: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
My case is a silverstone PS03

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

My 4670K is an utter piece of overheating shit.

 

[Kayant]

i've watched countless videos on how to build a pc and to be honest have a fair idea what to do but i've never build a pc before so just really nervous about the whole thing. and it's a lot of money if something doesn't work.

If you're really afaird of breaking anything I suggest buying from scan as iirc you can get scansecure or something along those lines at checkout for insurance. Really the worst that can happen is messing up installing the CPU. Just remember to align the corner on the socket to the one on the CPU.

 

[Portugeezer]

Ok, my HDD finally arrived, time to build my rig... Hope it goes well.