Support NeoGAF

[RGM79]

Wow, I am tired.

Put together my PC, chair and desk and had to rearrange and cleaned my living room.

The downside is I can't even use my graphics card yet. The monitor I borrowed from my brother is VGA only and my GPU doesn't support VGA.

With that said, what's a good monitor in the $120 range?

US? Do you need anything like built-in speakers? How about these two?

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/acer-monitor-umfs1aa001
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/acer-monitor-umvg6aab01

Aaand windows is giving me shit.

I activated windows with my win7 retail key and it says it's activated.

obviously it isn't because windows update doesn't work (says the service is not running and it very much is...)
(and I can guess why, their shitty DRM is probably kicking in because I changed my motherboard and cpu)

So wtf do I do now? Here I am with my useless legitimate copy of windows that I paid too much money for while every single person I know has pirated it.

I know there's some 'windows validation tool' or whatever but I'm going to assume that's going to brick my install? (And I have no way to contact MS right now as it's sunday early morning)

So what am I supposed to do now?

Sorry to hear that, I've never personally had to reactivate Windows. I've never heard of Windows screwing with people by refusing to update while being activated, though. Usually it just straight up tells you that you're not activated.

I'm not sure what validation tool you're talking about or why it would brick your PC?

I thought Microsoft had an automated phone line for product activation? I've only used it at work to activate Microsoft Office, though.

 

[RGM79]

So I'm finally ready to start ordering the first parts for my new build! This is all that I've picked out so far. Anyone want to take a quick look at it to see if I did something dumb? Little worried that the PSU won't be powerful enough. I'll also be abstaining from ordering a CPU and motherboard until skylake and the compatible mobos come out in a few weeks. So the motherboard and cpu in there now are just placeholders. Anyway, here it is....

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/x4njMp

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/x4njMp
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/x4njMp/by_merchant/

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor ($378.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BL 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock X99 Extreme4 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard ($184.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($337.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Superclocked ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($649.99 @ B&H)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($46.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1923.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-26 00:31 EDT-0400

There's not much to say, your build is nearly the same as I would have recommended. Well, Skylake is dual channel and you will probably want a 2x8GB kit of DDR4 RAM instead of that 4x4GB kit. And you may want to order that EVGA power supply soon, it's at the lowest price it's ever been and it'd be a shame if it went out of stock.

I just upgraded my memory from 8gb to 16, same brand, same speed just a higher amount. Everything works fine except for resuming from sleep, it always hard crashes my pc. I put my old Ram back in and the issue stops.
Anyone have an idea what could be causing this? A cold boot isn't an issue btw.

Can you tell us the model numbers of the two sets of RAM? You can use a program like Speccy or HWInfo to find out. You could try Memtest86+. Perhaps check and/or reset your BIOS settings? Or update your BIOS if any updates exist (I've solved RAM compatibility issues that way).

 

[eosos]

There's not much to say, your build is nearly the same as I would have recommended. Well, Skylake is dual channel and you will probably want a 2x8GB kit of DDR4 RAM instead of that 4x4GB kit. And you may want to order that EVGA power supply soon, it's at the lowest price it's ever been and it'd be a shame if it went out of stock.

Awesome, thanks for all of the tips. I replaced the RAM with this, actually turned out to be a little cheaper too. Going to start ordering it all this weekend. It's gonna be rough waiting for skylake!

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/h7JRt6

 

[MoonGred]

There's not much to say, your build is nearly the same as I would have recommended. Well, Skylake is dual channel and you will probably want a 2x8GB kit of DDR4 RAM instead of that 4x4GB kit. And you may want to order that EVGA power supply soon, it's at the lowest price it's ever been and it'd be a shame if it went out of stock.



Can you tell us the model numbers of the two sets of RAM? You can use a program like Speccy or HWInfo to find out. You could try Memtest86+. Perhaps check and/or reset your BIOS settings? Or update your BIOS if any updates exist (I've solved RAM compatibility issues that way).

Both are Corsair CMZ16GX3M2A1600C10. I'll try the Bios steps first, which hopefully fixes the issue. Just found it weird that everything works fine apart from resuming from sleep.

 

[EatChildren]

Requoting.

Hi. I'm looking for an affordable 1440p monitor.

Cheapest: ASUS VX24AH 24in WQHD Widescreen IPS Monitor http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=31511&cPath=1087

I'm looking at this, anybody have any experience with it? The Nixeus Vue 27" listed in the op doesn't appear to exist in Australia.

 

[MoonGred]

Requoting.

Would you be willing to go Korean? I was looking for the same thing about 6 months ago. Got an Xstar for about 350AUD shipped and haven't looked back.

The Asus wasn't around back then, but does seem to be good value, and looks a lot nicer than Korean monitors.

 

[EatChildren]

Would you be willing to go Korean? I was looking for the same thing about 6 months ago. Got an Xstar for about 350AUD shipped and haven't looked back.

The Asus wasn't around back then, but does seem to be good value, and looks a lot nicer than Korean monitors.

For that price I'd be bloody tempted. Where did you get it from?

 

[MoonGred]

For that price I'd be bloody tempted. Where did you get it from?

Ebay.The seller was really helpful as well. I did just noticed that now it actually comes down to 389AUD, which may make it less interesting.

 

[mrklaw]

My parts just arrived (14 hours after ordering them and on a saturday and from a neighbouring country, I am impressed)

I have some questions as every time I've built a pc in the past it has been with a new hard drive and a fresh windows installation.

-Do I have to reformat my hard drive (reinstall windows), or will windows 7 automatically sort things out for me?
I remember I didn't even have to install my motherboard drivers or sound drivers or anything when I installed windows 7 a few months ago on this new hard drive.
Please tell me my current hard drive and windows install is just plug and play for the new motherboard and cpu and ram, I'm a lazy lazy man and do not want to reformat unless I have to.

-I guess the SHITTY windows DRM is going to moan about the hardware changes and expect me to activate it again?
Do I have to call microsoft for this?

If I do I'm assuming that unlike the PC store I used they do not provide customer service on weekends.
Can I use my windows unactivated (or deactivated since i'm not reformatting if I don't have to) for a few days till I can call MS?

-If I need to call MS what do they want from me to fix the DRM for me to accept the new PC?

-IF I do need to reformat and reactivate windows I'm half tempted to just buy a 250GB SSD and cheap windows 8 key on reddit or something for now (do those still exist?) They had 10 euro windows keys before right?

fake edit : proofreading my post I see i'm already having upgrade fever,
NO stephan BAD,NO wasting money
'
edit :
I'm an idiot I just remembered I have a C partition for windows and D partition for everything else anyway , I'll just format the windows partition and reinstall windows.

New motherboard you should really reinstall.

Also, I would be really tempted to at least get a 120GB SSD. Prices on those are very affordable and the difference will really help you appreciate your new build.


Edit: and if you have a Windows 7 retail key, I thought that should work if you change hardware? The limitation was with the cheaper OEM keys you'd buy. Just call MS on Monday they're usually pretty helpful.

 

[StarlordDial]

Since i fucked up in buying 4 nf-a14 3000pwm industrial fans that i wanted to put into my kraken x61 and do a push-pull config ... I might have to lower the fans speeds and connect all 4 to the fan connector that the kraken has ...

Also .. Will the fan actually run 3000pwm at stock ? ;_;

 

[Jzero]

Requoting.

God damn, the newer Asus monitors always have the best bezels.

Ebay.The seller was really helpful as well. I did just noticed that now it actually comes down to 389AUD, which may make it less interesting.

That poor thing is butt ugly.

 

[sackboy2197]

My computer is not turning on today ú_ú It's been working perfectly for 3 months or so. I don't have the time to troubleshoot right now as I'm going out, but I figured I might start asking for help

I believe it's the PSU; after hitting the power button I can hear it starting, but nothing else is, not the mobo, nor the fans, nor the GPU. Like I said, I'll check later to see if I can determine the cause, but if someone has any insight it would be welcome.

 

[daxy]

Once I upgrade my old PC's Windows 7 to Windows 10, that won't suddenly unpark my Win7 licence key to use on another PC right?

 

[Maniac]

Man. I've made things even harder for me by upping the possible budget to about 1000-1200 DKK. There are some proper beasts in that price-range, especially when it comes to efficiency and quiet fans and stuff... PSUs are bastards.

The Seasonic M12II EVO 750 looks quite... Well, great. So does some of Corsairs bit more expensive models that're made by Seasonic. The EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2 also sounds pretty darn good; do you guys have any experiences or additional info about either of these, or others slightly above the budget I mentioned earlier?

And sorry that I'm such a hassle, RGM <3

I will, ofcourse, keep reading up on it all myself, but there's... So bloody many to choose from. JohnnyGuru has been a pretty great place to check out the PSUs I come across though, so atleast there's that.

 

[daxy]

Man. I've made things even harder for me by upping the possible budget to about 1000-1200 DKK. There are some proper beasts in that price-range, especially when it comes to efficiency and quiet fans and stuff... PSUs are bastards.

The Seasonic M12II EVO 750 looks quite... Well, great. So does some of Corsairs bit more expensive models that're made by Seasonic. The EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2 also sounds pretty darn good; do you guys have any experiences or additional info about either of these, or others slightly above the budget I mentioned earlier?

And sorry that I'm such a hassle, RGM <3

I will, ofcourse, keep reading up on it all myself, but there's... So bloody many to choose from. JohnnyGuru has been a pretty great place to check out the PSUs I come across though, so atleast there's that.

Here's a decent shortlist (click 'see full content'):
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

550W-650W is probably the most you'll need for a single card setup.
A high quality 750W is the very minimum for dual card, but might be better to get more so that the PSU isn't constantly drawing power near its limit from the socket. Plus, this of course depends entirely on how power efficient the cards you're getting are so for some it could do but others not.

Super Flower Leadex Gold is a very good PSU for your budget maybe. I personally went with a Cooler Master V650 recently, which is semi-modular, gold rated, well-priced, and Johnny Guru had good things to say.

 

[Dead_Pixel]

I'm looking to get into PC gaming because I'm not really satisfied with the lack of optimisation certain games are getting on my PS4 + I have a little extra money lying around.

The main problem for me is that I want to build something that will significantly more powerful than my PS4 as there's no point in me spending £500 only to just slightly outperform it. However, I've heard that PC parts in the UK are quite expensive and generally end up with a £1=$1 conversion making a £1000 PC the same specs as a $1000 PC when it should be closer to $1500 PC. Maybe someone who's from the UK can give me some better insight?

So yeah, here's my requirements:


Budget: £1000-£1200 (including monitor)

Main Use: Gaming

Monitor Resolution: 1440p?

List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: Playing the Witcher 3 at 1440p/60fps is the dream at ultra settings but I don't know if what I'm looking to spend is even remotely close to what the specs of a machine that could handle that would cost.

When will you build?: No real time limit at all. Could happily wait 6 months+ to be happy with a build.

Will you be overclocking?: Are there negatives to overclocking if you have a good cooling system?

So yeah... I know there aren't many UK Gaffers so I don't mind anyone else just suggesting me what I should ideally be looking to get for a price range of $1200 and if it can do what I want.

I may have missed vital information that you might need but I'm a PC novice, so bear with me

Hi there, fellow UK Gaffer!

I've recently built my first PC, for similar reasons as you, and I can't recommend it and this thread enough.

I hear you with your complaints about UK pricing in comparison to the U.S., but I feel building a PC on our small isle is still better value for money than investing in a console and the necessary subscription fees. Plus it's a full computer!

For your budget, you should be able to hit the IQ you desire. My build cost around £700 and I can run Witcher 3 on high with framerates in the 50s-60s, so you might be able to spend even less than you think. I'll let a more experienced member spec you a build though.

Welcome to the party

 

[knitoe]

My computer is not turning on today ú_ú It's been working perfectly for 3 months or so. I don't have the time to troubleshoot right now as I'm going out, but I figured I might start asking for help

I believe it's the PSU; after hitting the power button I can hear it starting, but nothing else is, not the mobo, nor the fans, nor the GPU. Like I said, I'll check later to see if I can determine the cause, but if someone has any insight it would be welcome.

It could also be the MB. Compariably, they usually have the highest failure rate. For the PSU, you can try paper clip trick and see if it turns on.

 

[sackboy2197]

It could also be the MB. Compariably, they usually have the highest failure rate. For the PSU, you can try paper clip trick and see if it turns on.

That's what I'll do once I get home. I certainly hope it's not the mobo D: Is there a way to see if it's the mobo? I don't have a spare PSU unfortunately.

EDIT: Well, plugged the Mobo PSU cable out and plugged it back in, and now everything is working.
That's a relief.

 

[Smelly Tramp]

I'm looking to get into PC gaming because I'm not really satisfied with the lack of optimisation certain games are getting on my PS4 + I have a little extra money lying around.

The main problem for me is that I want to build something that will significantly more powerful than my PS4 as there's no point in me spending £500 only to just slightly outperform it. However, I've heard that PC parts in the UK are quite expensive and generally end up with a £1=$1 conversion making a £1000 PC the same specs as a $1000 PC when it should be closer to $1500 PC. Maybe someone who's from the UK can give me some better insight?

So yeah, here's my requirements:


Budget: £1000-£1200 (including monitor)

Main Use: Gaming

Monitor Resolution: 1440p?

List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: Playing the Witcher 3 at 1440p/60fps is the dream at ultra settings but I don't know if what I'm looking to spend is even remotely close to what the specs of a machine that could handle that would cost.

When will you build?: No real time limit at all. Could happily wait 6 months+ to be happy with a build.

Will you be overclocking?: Are there negatives to overclocking if you have a good cooling system?

So yeah... I know there aren't many UK Gaffers so I don't mind anyone else just suggesting me what I should ideally be looking to get for a price range of $1200 and if it can do what I want.

I may have missed vital information that you might need but I'm a PC novice, so bear with me

The Witcher 3 on Ultra all maxed out on 1440p is not possible with a nvidia gtx 980 (this is already £420), according to some benchmarks on Tom's hardware you will require a gtx 980 TI to get an average of 60 fps with everything maxed out.

A GTX 980 TI with good cooling and OC ability is £540 minimum. With a budget of a £1000, this only leaves you with £460 to get everything else, and if you want an SSD and an i7, well the budget is no longer tenable.

Unfortunately pc parts in the UK are unbelievably expensive, and a budget of £1500 or near there will be needed, particularly if you are going to wait for intel's new skylake cpus, which although i'm sure will be quicker, will also be really pricey as well.

summary: wait for skylake, save more money if you want 1440p gaming.

 

[mrklaw]

The Witcher 3 on Ultra all maxed out on 1440p is not possible with a nvidia gtx 980 (this is already £420), according to some benchmarks on Tom's hardware you will require a gtx 980 TI to get an average of 60 fps with everything maxed out.

A GTX 980 TI with good cooling and OC ability is £540 minimum. With a budget of a £1000, this only leaves you with £460 to get everything else, and if you want an SSD and an i7, well the budget is no longer tenable.

Unfortunately pc parts in the UK are unbelievably expensive, and a budget of £1500 or near there will be needed, particularly if you are going to wait for intel's new skylake cpus, which although i'm sure will be quicker, will also be really pricey as well.

summary: wait for skylake, save more money if you want 1440p gaming.

I think you could put together a PC build with a 980ti for about £1000-1200, but not including the monitor. if you're set on 1440p then you may need to compromise on the GPU. Also the GTX980 is in no mans land in terms of value for money - 970 or 980ti are better options. Personally I'd recommend a few options
1) settle for 1080p and build something around a GTX970. Easily doable including a nice monitor for your budget.
2) go for the 980ti build but don't buy a 1440p monitor yet - save up and buy later
3) GTX970 and 1440p monitor. Benefit of higher resolution and possibly gsync so you can run at lower FPS and still be smooth. Then consider a GPU upgrade when pascal comes around next year

 

[eosos]

Just thought of this, but if I buy windows 8 sometime in August will I still be eligible for the free upgrade to Windows 10? Or will I have to buy Windows 10 at that point?

 

[Maniac]

Here's a decent shortlist (click 'see full content'):
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

550W-650W is probably the most you'll need for a single card setup.
A high quality 750W is the very minimum for dual card, but might be better to get more so that the PSU isn't constantly drawing power near its limit from the socket. Plus, this of course depends entirely on how power efficient the cards you're getting are so for some it could do but others not.

Super Flower Leadex Gold is a very good PSU for your budget maybe. I personally went with a Cooler Master V650 recently, which is semi-modular, gold rated, well-priced, and Johnny Guru had good things to say.

The earliest I'd do a dual card setup would be with Pascal, which will likely use less power than Maxwell, or use about the same with a massive leap in performance, so I figure it should be doable to have a dual-card setup with something along the lines of 750-800W, but I suppose that depends on quite a few things I suppose. Anyway, thanks a lot for the list, I'll check it out. Cheers

 

[Soonri]

Hi all, I've decided to put together a PC build for myself. It's my first time for this so I'm not sure if what I have is optimal. I'm looking to keep it to at about $1000 and wanting to play most games at ultra on 1080p. Also thinking about perhaps streaming with this build in the future.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2DGHFT
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2DGHFT/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($232.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($25.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($67.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($97.95 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($338.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($42.99 @ Directron)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($46.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $958.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-26 10:03 EDT-0400

 

[King Gilga]

I think you could put together a PC build with a 980ti for about £1000-1200, but not including the monitor. if you're set on 1440p then you may need to compromise on the GPU. Also the GTX980 is in no mans land in terms of value for money - 970 or 980ti are better options. Personally I'd recommend a few options
1) settle for 1080p and build something around a GTX970. Easily doable including a nice monitor for your budget.
2) go for the 980ti build but don't buy a 1440p monitor yet - save up and buy later
3) GTX970 and 1440p monitor. Benefit of higher resolution and possibly gsync so you can run at lower FPS and still be smooth. Then consider a GPU upgrade when pascal comes around next year

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/xngZmG

This is what I just did a bit ago mostly using flubit amazon and for the graphics card morecomputers.

Take out the headphones, get a MSI Z97M or w/e other motherboard, an aircooler (and a different case to fit a tall air cooler), and smaller non modular PSU, a smaller SSD and you should be in £1100- £1200 range. But they'd need to add a HDD too.

Dunno anything about monitors tho,

Don't see why he'd need an i7, though yeah probably better to wait till skylake if they're in no rush I guess, you never know.

 

[LordAlu]

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/xngZmG

This is what I just did a bit ago mostly using flubit amazon and for the graphics card morecomputers.

Take out the headphones, get a MSI Z97M or w/e other motherboard, an aircooler (and a different case to fit a tall air cooler), and smaller non modular PSU, a smaller SSD and you should be in £1100- £1200 range. But they'd need to add a HDD too.

Dunno anything about monitors tho,

Don't see what he'd need an i7, though yeah probably better to wait till skylake if they're in no rush I guess, you never know.

Problem is, that's already over budget and there's no 1440p monitor in there - going for a 1440p setup including the monitor is a bit too much for £1200. We'll see what Skylake is like cost/performance wise in a few weeks and work from there but it will certainly be a stretch.

 

[BeEatNU]

Just in case anyone missed it

I have some old video cards from my old build
EVGA GTX 770s 4GB cards
They are in perfect shape and never been over clocked
$175 each, buy both , you get free next day shipping

I take payment via paypal and I am GAF GOLD
PM me if interested

 

[TronLight]

Realistically, in game performances, how much of a boost would a 100mhz overclock be on a 970?

 

[Maniac]

I don't need media control and such, I would rather some extra buttons for games like Final Fantasy XIV. So something like the Corsair CGK95 RGB MX?

I also want to upgrade my WiFi router as I have had just about enough problems with my cheap solution. I'm currently looking at a Netgear Nighthawk X4 R7500. It's only for a one-room apartment but one with lots of devices connected through ethernet and WiFi, and I am streaming as well. Isn't that a great one?

I haven't tried that variant of the keyboard myself, but the sister-model without the macro keys is one of the best keyboards I've ever tried, so I can't recommend it enough. While it's on the more expensive side of things, it's... Honestly worth it in my opinion. The next time I need a new keyboard, I'll definitely be getting one of Corsairs RGB-series keyboards. I'd probably go with a TKL model since I don't really use macro keys, and I don't touch the numpad either.

As for the router, I have the same one, it's pretty damn great, and supports ridiculous speeds and a lot of devices, and the accompanying phone app & PC program is really good for configuration, troubleshooting and device management and all that jazz, so I'd definitely say it's a really good router. The signal is so reliable that I don't bother using ethernet cables for laptops at all anylonger, even when I have mates over for LANs and such. You really can't go wrong there.

 

[SneakyStephan]

US? Do you need anything like built-in speakers? How about these two?

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/acer-monitor-umfs1aa001
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/acer-monitor-umvg6aab01



Sorry to hear that, I've never personally had to reactivate Windows. I've never heard of Windows screwing with people by refusing to update while being activated, though. Usually it just straight up tells you that you're not activated.

I'm not sure what validation tool you're talking about or why it would brick your PC?

I thought Microsoft had an automated phone line for product activation? I've only used it at work to activate Microsoft Office, though.

It says I'm activated , I assumed it wasn't really activated because windows update doesnt work.


@ the bolded this is interesting to me as it's exactly what is happening to me.

How can I verify if my windows is properly activated or not? I'd like to eliminate that as a possible issue before I try reformatting again.

This is a fresh windows install (from yesterday) , I'm debating trying to reinstall again to see if it does anything to fix it :\
It shouldn't be broken but it is (everything else is working fine, internet, games, gpu, sound, my hard drive seems just fine too so I have no idea what is wrong)
Sometimes when I try to open winduws update the window goes white and stays white for like 10 minutes as well. So now I'm wondering if something is borked.

New motherboard you should really reinstall.

Also, I would be really tempted to at least get a 120GB SSD. Prices on those are very affordable and the difference will really help you appreciate your new build.


Edit: and if you have a Windows 7 retail key, I thought that should work if you change hardware? The limitation was with the cheaper OEM keys you'd buy. Just call MS on Monday they're usually pretty helpful.

I did reinstall (and reformat)

no thanks at the SSD suggestion I'm enjoying triple to quadruple framerates in cpu limited games already, I don't care about slightly faster loading times.
Went from 15-30 fps (depending on which map and how many players are ingame) in dirty bomb to 70-140 fps, it's soooooooooooooooooooooooo so so so so so smooth.
This new cpu has been a real eye opener, I've been blaming my gpu a lot for the microstutter I had in so many games (even at high framerates).
Only a few of my games were truely smooth before the others always felt choppy regardless of framerate.

But i've not seen a hint of any kind of stutter in the games I've tried since upgrading, the 60 fps I get now is not the 60 fps I got before. It's so much better.

 

[RGM79]

Man. I've made things even harder for me by upping the possible budget to about 1000-1200 DKK. There are some proper beasts in that price-range, especially when it comes to efficiency and quiet fans and stuff... PSUs are bastards.

The Seasonic M12II EVO 750 looks quite... Well, great. So does some of Corsairs bit more expensive models that're made by Seasonic. The EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2 also sounds pretty darn good; do you guys have any experiences or additional info about either of these, or others slightly above the budget I mentioned earlier?

And sorry that I'm such a hassle, RGM <3

I will, ofcourse, keep reading up on it all myself, but there's... So bloody many to choose from. JohnnyGuru has been a pretty great place to check out the PSUs I come across though, so atleast there's that.

Don't worry about that, you are moving out of the budget zone into the "dependable and awesome" tier of power supplies. That realhardtechx site is also handy if you want to see more reviews from other sources, they list reviews for Seasonic and Super Flower as well. In non-NA countries I think XFX can be found for good prices, and they do offer higher end models with better efficiency and semi or full modularity, you may want to look at that. And depending on the model some power supplies from Antec, Be Quiet!, Cooler Master, Corsair, Fractal, Rosewill, and Silverstone are quite good as well. I have no idea what kind of availability or company support exists in your country from these brands, though.

Hi all, I've decided to put together a PC build for myself. It's my first time for this so I'm not sure if what I have is optimal. I'm looking to keep it to at about $1000 and wanting to play most games at ultra on 1080p. Also thinking about perhaps streaming with this build in the future.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2DGHFT
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2DGHFT/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($232.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($25.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($67.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($97.95 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($338.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($42.99 @ Directron)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($46.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $958.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-26 10:03 EDT-0400

Looks decent if you're not planning to overclock. I will probably come back later with more definite suggestions, as I'll be busy for the next couple of hours.

In the meantime, there are "first time building?" questions located in the first post of this thread. You can copy the text and fill out answers and post them back here so we have a better understanding of your situation and what you want to do with your budget and PC.

It says I'm activated , I assumed it wasn't really activated because windows update doesnt work.


@ the bolded this is interesting to me as it's exactly what is happening to me.

How can I verify if my windows is properly activated or not? I'd like to eliminate that as a possible issue before I try reformatting again.

This is a fresh windows install (from yesterday) , I'm debating trying to reinstall again to see if it does anything to fix it :
It shouldn't be broken but it is (everything else is working fine, internet, games, gpu, sound, my hard drive seems just fine too so I have no idea what is wrong)
Sometimes when I try to open winduws update the window goes white and stays white for like 10 minutes as well. So now I'm wondering if something is borked.

I did reinstall (and reformat)

no thanks at the SSD suggestion I'm enjoying triple to quadruple framerates in cpu limited games already, I don't care about slightly faster loading times.
Went from 15-30 fps (depending on which map and how many players are ingame) in dirty bomb to 70-140 fps, it's soooooooooooooooooooooooo so so so so so smooth.
This new cpu has been a real eye opener, I've been blaming my gpu a lot for the microstutter I had in so many games (even at high framerates).
Only a few of my games were truely smooth before the others always felt choppy regardless of framerate.

But i've not seen a hint of any kind of stutter in the games I've tried since upgrading, the 60 fps I get now is not the 60 fps I got before. It's so much better.

Sorry, is this Windows 7 or 8/8.1? There is a Microsoft tool that could validate installations of Windows 7 that just checked to see if the install was legitimate (it can't brick PCs because it doesn't access anything and overwrite it as far as I know) but Windows 8/8.1 don't use that.

 

[SneakyStephan]

It's windows 7
I'll try the tool I guess.

LOL even the tool gives me an error
Fuck it I'll just try to reformat

 

[RGM79]

Just thought of this, but if I buy windows 8 sometime in August will I still be eligible for the free upgrade to Windows 10? Or will I have to buy Windows 10 at that point?

You should still be fine. I am almost certain that the time window for claiming the free upgrade to Windows 10 will stay open for one year after Windows 10 launches.

That said, unless you're buying a cheap Windows 7/8/8.1 license, why not just buy Windows 10 outright?

Once I upgrade my old PC's Windows 7 to Windows 10, that won't suddenly unpark my Win7 licence key to use on another PC right?

I don't quite think it works that way, otherwise Microsoft would simply be giving out free copies of W10 instead of offering it as an upgrade to 10. Can't say for sure though, I'm not sure if that's what Microsoft did when they were offering $15 upgrades from Windows 7 to 8 a few years back.

 

[solarus]

Got a used sapphire tri-x 290 for £166, did I do good?

 

[SneakyStephan]

It's windows 7
I'll try the tool I guess.

LOL even the tool gives me an error
Fuck it I'll just try to reformat

Yeah windows update does work now.

I went through the exact same process as the last time:
Format-> create a C and D partition -> install windows on C -> install mobo drivers+network card drivers+audio drivers + usb drivers from the CD that came with the motherboard

Last time I installed steam right away and started downloading games (worked fine) and then installed trove (worked fine) and then installed ARK (there were 7 steps to the installation process and it got hung up on the .net framework updates for almost half an hour)

Now I skipped that, went straight to windows validation and windows update and windows update started fine.

So my best guess is that the ARK install (which happened before I validated windows in system menu) or .net installation borked my windows install

 

[LilJoka]

Yeah windows update does work now.

I went through the exact same process as the last time:
Format-> create a C and D partition -> install windows on C -> install mobo drivers+network card drivers+audio drivers + usb drivers from the CD that came with the motherboard

Last time I installed steam right away and started downloading games (worked fine) and then installed trove (worked fine) and then installed ARK (there were 7 steps to the installation process and it got hung up on the .net framework updates for almost half an hour)

Now I skipped that, went straight to windows validation and windows update and windows update started fine.

So my best guess is that the ARK install (which happened before I validated windows in system menu) or .net installation borked my windows install

Yes on fresh install, doing .net updates or visual c runtime updates while running win update can break things! Best to do all win updates before moving on.

And shouldn't be using drivers from the CD they are usually out of date, get the latest ones from the manufacturers website.

 

[Rebel Leader]

I now have an SSD but is there a way I can transfer everything I have on my ssd (like drivers and windows updates) to the ssd?

Do I just use windows back up?

 

[SneakyStephan]

Yes on fresh install, doing .net updates or visual c runtime updates while running win update can break things! Best to do all win updates before moving on.

And shouldn't be using drivers from the CD they are usually out of date, get the latest ones from the manufacturers website.

Can't get online before installing the network card driver, seems windows 7 doesn't support modern motherboards out of the box.

I wasn't doing any .net updates while running windows update btw, windows update had never even been started yet (as windows hadn't validated itself yet, which I didn't notice until I went into the system menu or whatever it's called in english)

 

[LilJoka]

Can't get online before installing the network card driver, seems windows 7 doesn't support modern motherboards out of the box.

I wasn't doing any .net updates while running windows update btw, windows update had never even been started yet (as windows hadn't validated itself yet, which I didn't notice until I went into the system menu or whatever it's called in english)

Only install the LAN driver from the CD in that case, and then get the updated version of that too. Or use another PC.

That's odd, .net install from ARK may have not accounted for some other dependencies, this is not that rare tbh, I do a lot of installs and Windows is a little fragile before actually updating fully, it can trip up over itself when installing hundreds of updates too. Also I'm pretty sure you can recieve windows updates without activation for 30 days.

 

[RGM79]

Got a used sapphire tri-x 290 for £166, did I do good?

Considering the price of new R9 290 cards, that's an ok deal. Sapphire doesn't seem to offer the best warranties though, they only cover the original owner and require proof of purchase.

 

[Zatoth]

I now have an SSD but is there a way I can transfer everything I have on my ssd (like drivers and windows updates) to the ssd?

Do I just use windows back up?

Samsung has a Data Migration Software for their SSDs. Worked fine for me.

 

[Rebel Leader]

Samsung has a Data Migration Software for their SSDs. Worked fine for me.

I have a crucial BX 100 so I can't do that

I guess I'll reinstall windows without updates =/

 

[Übersandvich]

Hi guys, I am new to the "buying a beefy Desktop PC" thing, so I thought I would get some advice. I am interested in getting something along the lines of the 'Best Value' build on the chart, but I desire further information due to this being my first time.

I am based in the UK.

The computer needs to be quiet during non-gaming activities. I am willing to go over budget for parts that make it quieter. Tower size is not a big issue.

Current Specs: All I have is a five year old mid-range laptop. Cannot play anything new since I spilled water on it.

Budget:£800 for the tower + case, excluding storage media. I already have a 1080p monitor and some cheap mouse and keyboard setup. If I want to replace those, I will budget them separately from the tower in the future.

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 monitor I already have.

Applications: I'd like to be able to play games at console or greater settings at 1080p, 60fps. MGSV:TPP in particular (which I understand has not come out yet). I also have been CUDA programming, but this of low importance. I would also like to emulate PS2 games to a good standard, especially Dragon Quest 8 (which I hear is the hardest) and Final Fantasy X, also of low importance.

Uses: Apart from video games, general media consumption such as watching HD videos and listening to lossless music. Reading/Playing visual novels in japanese.

Overclocking: I'll dabble in it, so yes. Unless it makes the computer very noisy.

Any advice would help.

 

[LilJoka]

Hi guys, I am new to the "buying a beefy Desktop PC" thing, so I thought I would get some advice. I am interested in getting something along the lines of the 'Best Value' build on the chart, but I desire further information due to this being my first time.

I am based in the UK.

The computer needs to be quiet during non-gaming activities. I am willing to go over budget for parts that make it quieter. Tower size is not a big issue.

Current Specs: All I have is a five year old mid-range laptop. Cannot play anything new since I spilled water on it.

Budget:£800 for the tower + case, excluding storage media. I already have a 1080p monitor and some cheap mouse and keyboard setup. If I want to replace those, I will budget them separately from the tower in the future.

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 monitor I already have.

Applications: I'd like to be able to play games at console or greater settings at 1080p, 60fps. MGSV:TPP in particular (which I understand has not come out yet). I also have been CUDA programming, but this of low importance. I would also like to emulate PS2 games to a good standard, especially Dragon Quest 8 (which I hear is the hardest) and Final Fantasy X, also of low importance.

Uses: Apart from video games, general media consumption such as watching HD videos and listening to lossless music. Reading/Playing visual novels in japanese.

Overclocking: I'll dabble in it, so yes. Unless it makes the computer very noisy.

Any advice would help.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£168.93 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.48 @ Novatech)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£76.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£35.86 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£49.90 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Toshiba 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£32.34 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (£259.98 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 MicroATX Mini Tower Case (£59.84 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£44.99 @ Aria PC)
Total: £753.08
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-26 20:29 BST+0100

 

[Zatoth]

I have a crucial BX 100 so I can't do that

I guess I'll reinstall windows without updates =/

There also exists non-Samsung software to migrate your old disk. Todo Backup for example. Never used it. But should do the job.

 

[Rebel Leader]

There also exists non-Samsung software to migrate your old disk. Todo Backup for example. Never used it. But should do the job.

There's nothing important on it but I really didn't want to do the updates agian
Oh well

 

[RGM79]

I have a crucial BX 100 so I can't do that

I guess I'll reinstall windows without updates =/

There are guides and free software for this kind of thing. Take a look at this, it should be relatively easy and harmless.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£168.93 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.48 @ Novatech)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£76.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£35.86 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£49.90 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Toshiba 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£32.34 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (£259.98 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 MicroATX Mini Tower Case (£59.84 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£44.99 @ Aria PC)
Total: £753.08
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-26 20:29 BST+0100

Doesn't the Arc Mini not have soundproofing? Maybe you meant the Define Mini instead?

 

[LilJoka]

There are guides and free software for this kind of thing. Take a look at this, it should be relatively easy and harmless.


Doesn't the Arc Mini not have soundproofing? Maybe you meant the Define Mini instead?

It doesn't, but I just built a similar rig for a mate and it's quiet enough with the fans at 7v, it has a fan controller switch on the front. Define mini fits in budget I guess it's a good option too.

 

[jim2point0]

Using a mechanical keyboard for the first time. I went with a Logitech G170+ and FFS, I can not get used to this thing.

Maybe it's because I'm just so used to using my old keyboard, but these keys feel really small and I find myself accidentally hitting multiple keys at the same time. Especially when I reach for the numbers. I can normally hit any number without looking but now when I reach for 3, I hit 123213.

Also, because this keyboard is so thick, my thumbs rest at the corner of the space bar whereas on my old keyboard they rested on the top. So pressing the spacebar on this thing after typing for a while starts to hurt like a bitch. I actually had to wedge something under the wrist rest to elevate it so so that my fingers rest on top of the spacebar again.

That said, I do really enjoy the feel of mechanical keys. This board uses browns, and they felt like the best compromise between feel and noise. I don't like blues. They're just too loud and I can imagine my wife complaining about that.

I know I'm going to be stuck with whatever I buy for years and for $100, I had better be in love with it. So I may end up returning this and trying something else...

/rant

 

[Übersandvich]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£168.93 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (£24.48 @ Novatech)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£76.76 @ Scan.co.uk)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£35.86 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£49.90 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Toshiba 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£32.34 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (£259.98 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Fractal Design Arc Mini R2 MicroATX Mini Tower Case (£59.84 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£44.99 @ Aria PC)
Total: £753.08
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-26 20:29 BST+0100

This looks brilliant. I will be avoiding Amazon due to their tax avoidance, so I will go for alternative vendors even if I have to pay a little bit more.

Thanks for the swift reply.

 

[Celcius]

Think windows 10 drivers will be made available for old z68 mobos?
(specifially, asus?)