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[Rootbeer]

I'm in! This is the year for me. Built my current one in 2009 and since then I've upgraded the GPU and Sound Card once each to get me by. It's running like a champ, but it's really time to move on.

As soon as the new Intel CPU and Mobos are out.

 

[Hazaro]

Nice job to keep PC dreams alive!

BTW, could you add HWInfo to your utilities list: http://www.hwinfo.com/

imo, its more comprehensive as a monitoring tool than hwmonitor. its also updated more often and the author is very helpful over at their forums.

Added

Wooo

2014 the year I do NOTHING to my PC!

Yeah right

I hope 280x price drops to normal soon, I need an upgrade bad.

Even at it's current inflated price in NA it's actually still a decent purchase which says a lot.

Hello all,

So with the new year starting and "next gen" gaming starting I'm thinking of trying to slowly upgrade components so I don't fall too far behind.

My current setup

- ASRock P67 E4 Gen3 mobo
- i5 2500K
-16GB DDR3 1600
-Two GTX 570's SLI

For now I'm perfectly happy with the performance I'm getting out of the mobo and CPU. What I would like to do it upgrade the graphics cards to something a bit newer.

Ideally I want to move away from SLI and go back to a single card, but I want that single card to out perform my current setup. I'm not looking to run stuff at 4k resolutions or 120fps. I just want to run stuff smoothly at 1080p and be good for the next 12-18 months. I've used AMD and Nvidia cards so I don't hold any preference there. Nvidia cards have been nice for the added physx support.

I know the CPU becomes a limiting factor at some point but for the time being I'm hoping the 2500k can hold me over.

So suggestions for a graphics card?

I would wait for the new stuff from nVidia / AMD prices to come down. Hopefully shouldn't be too long.

1. WTF is happening here? Is there some kind of thermal cherry that get's popped when the CPU goes way above the thermal limits?

2. What's a good CPU+Mobo combo I can get for south of $400 next month? Looking to buy in early Feb when I get my tax return. I've got a GTX 680 if that's any help. I'm not opposed to going back to AMD if I can save some dough, but I can't get a straight answer on how their new chips stack up. Mixed reports

That's really odd, I'm not sure. One possible thing is the thermal paste might be really curing? But it shouldn't. Have you tried remounting the heatsink and applying new paste?
The i5 and a BioStar / GB board from the OP sheets.

Any one know where i can get a 2500k from ? thinking about upgrading CPU after I can get my GPU upgraded. I have a 1155 board.

B/S/T forums and eBay (eBay is great for this). Should be $130-$150.

So, I'm really near to pull the trigger and finally buy everything needed to build my first rig since early 2000s!

This is what I came up, and I hope you'll give me some advices. Keep in mind that 1) I'm NOT looking to overclock; 2) I'm on a tight budget; 3) I'd like to be a little future proof.
My main interest will be playing with this, but coming from a crappy set up, I'm gonna survive without downsampling and ultra details on everything.

CPU: i5-4440 3.1GHz 6MB 84W 22nm (160.30€)
Motherboard: AsRock Z87 Pro3 (73.70€)
PSU: OCZ ModXstream Pro 500W (61.70€)

1) The CPU
The OP spreadsheet suggests the 4430, but I noticed it's just slightly cheaper than the 4440 (less than 3€) and some comparisons around show that the 4440 is just slightly better than the 4430. So, is there a reason why it's suggested the 4430 instead of the 4440?

2) The GPU
Around the same price range I've got several different GTX 660 and I've picked the Gigabyte almost randomly. So I need your help.

3) The SSD
Being on a budget, I decided to go with the smallest one suggested in the spreadsheet.
But at my store they have 2 different 64GB SanDisks:

4) The PSU
I don't know anything about PSUs, so I picked one randomly following I don't remember whose advice.
Anyway, in that price range, my store sells:

- OCZ ModXstream Pro 500W 80+ (61.70€) <-- my current choice
- Corsair CX500M 500W 80+ Bronze (62.00€)
- be quiet! Pure Power L8 CM 530W 80+ Bronze (76.30€)
- Cooler Master GX 550W 80+ Bronze (76.60€)

Any advice here?


5) CPU cooling and thermal compound
Are they even needed in my case? Will I be able to add that stuff in a second time?

---
Well, I believe that's all...
I'm really sorry for the super long post, but this being my first real time building a PC (and not being able to afford to fix any buying errors! ) I wanna be extra extra extra careful before.
I'm thanking you all in advance, even if I'm not gonna get any answers, because this thread is totally one of my favorite here, even if I understand 1/10 of what you say, and you are really helpful anyway.

1) 4430 is $10 cheaper in US rather than 3 euros.
2) GB best value there imo
3) That should be fine
4) Ehh, it's been so long since the ModxStream came out I almost wanna go with the CX500M even though I'm not too keen on it personally. Those prices also suck pretty hard. :/
If you don't mind not having modular you can check for VP450 / VP550 / EVGA 500B (Might be releasing in a week).
5) TIM comes with your CPU / Heatsink.

was having this discussion earlier today, and wanted to ask you guys: Is it dangerous to install Steam on an ssd and games on the HDD? I mean, i even moved the saves folder to the hdd, but supposedly, steam still creates a bunch of files that could waste the ssd cycles.

Nah I'm doing it.
Like mkenyon said the newer Samsung SSD's have an expected 30 year life based on data writes/reads at 20 or 30 GiB/day or something.

Is the 240hz of the FG2421 a big advantage for games? I was looking for a 120/144hz until I read up on the Eizo which has 240hz and a better display panel than those 120/144hz TN monitors.

The 240Hz is for the backlight strobing effect, so kinda yes. You can also enable this effect on some other monitors as well (Check the 120/144Hz link at the top of the OP).

 

[Dolken]

I'm curious about this as well.

I'm actually a bit iffy on whether or not the 120mm CLCs that I put in the guide will fit it. I'm like 95% sure they will though.

I reckon the H60 will fit, if only with the supplied slim fans.

 

[scottzorus]

Overclock it to 120Hz and the motion resolution will be great for gaming.

Not sure on the downsampling.

Thanks for the reply, sent you a PM

 

[liquidtmd]

Cooling question about the AeroCool DS Cube Black Edition Window Mini-ITX case and spec in general...

Spec in Question

Case
AeroCool DS Cube Black Edition Window Mini-ITX

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4670 (3.4GHz) 6MB Cache

Motherboard
ASUS® H87I-PLUS: Mini-ITX, LG1150, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs

Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz, X.M.P (2 x 4GB KIT)

Graphics Card
2GB AMD RADEON™ R9 270X - DVI, HDMI, DP - DX® 11, Eyefinity 4 Capable

Memory - 1st Hard Disk
120GB KINGSTON V300 SSD, SATA 6 Gb (450MB/R, 450MB/W)

2nd Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)

1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM

Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W VS SERIES™ VS-450 POWER SUPPLY

-- My main concern is cooling and quietness: without adding anything to these stock items, do you think cooling will be sufficient? Can't and wouldn't be overclocked anyway

Equally is there anything that stands out in terms of concern? I was considering the Bitfenix Prodigy but I like the design of the Aerocool DS a little more and the quietness angle appeals. Budgets fairly tight to this so any major additions to these items isn't an option. Mainly be used for emulation and 1080p single monitor gaming. Ta!

 

[Sectorseven]

What happened to the EVO 212 heatsink?

 

[Dio Brando]

Nah I'm doing it.
Like mkenyon said the newer Samsung SSD's have an expected 30 year life based on data writes/reads at 20 or 30 GiB/day or something..

Well, i'm using a Crucial M4...Is it really different?

 

[LordAlu]

Cooling question about the AeroCool DS Cube Black Edition Window Mini-ITX case and spec in general...

Spec in Question

Case
AeroCool DS Cube Black Edition Window Mini-ITX

Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core&#8482;i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4670 (3.4GHz) 6MB Cache

Motherboard
ASUS® H87I-PLUS: Mini-ITX, LG1150, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs

Memory (RAM)
8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz, X.M.P (2 x 4GB KIT)

Graphics Card
2GB AMD RADEON&#8482; R9 270X - DVI, HDMI, DP - DX® 11, Eyefinity 4 Capable

Memory - 1st Hard Disk
120GB KINGSTON V300 SSD, SATA 6 Gb (450MB/R, 450MB/W)

2nd Hard Disk
1TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD1003FZEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)

1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM

Power Supply
CORSAIR 450W VS SERIES&#8482; VS-450 POWER SUPPLY

-- My main concern is cooling and quietness: without adding anything to these stock items, do you think cooling will be sufficient? Can't and wouldn't be overclocked anyway

Equally is there anything that stands out in terms of concern? I was considering the Bitfenix Prodigy but I like the design of the Aerocool DS a little more and the quietness angle appeals. Budgets fairly tight to this so any major additions to these items isn't an option. Mainly be used for emulation and 1080p single monitor gaming. Ta!

You'll be fine cooling wise, there's enough fans and airflow in that case.

I'd probably swap out the motherboard for the Asus H87M-E - the Aerocool is mATX so you may as well get an mATX board for it. Not only would it have more expansion slots for the future but it should also be a little cheaper than the ITX version too

What happened to the EVO 212 heatsink?

Whilst not quite as good as the EVO 212, the T4 is much easier to get hold of at the moment and cheaper too.

 

[Dave_6]

I haven't looked in a while but I can't believe how much the 7970 I have has gone up price wise. :O Good thing I never sold it for what I was going to ask!

 

[Prophet Steve]

I haven't looked in a while but I can't believe how much the 7970 I have has gone up price wise. :O Good thing I never sold it for what I was going to ask!

Yeah, that is the mining-craze for you.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

ahh new thread smell.

 

[Bboy AJ]

If I game on my 1080P 60" TV, will there be any issues? Text size, etc. I have a 27" 1440 monitor but I prefer couch gaming.

 

[liquidtmd]

You'll be fine cooling wise, there's enough fans and airflow in that case.

I'd probably swap out the motherboard for the Asus H87M-E - the Aerocool is mATX so you may as well get an mATX board for it. Not only would it have more expansion slots for the future but it should also be a little cheaper than the ITX version too

Awesome, thanks for the feedback.

I just hear mixed advice about the Intel Stock Cooler if you're considering gaming (from 'its fine' to 'you don't wanna go down DAT roadddd'!, and, whilst the 270x not being a beast I always try to consider GPU thermals and in putting this together I want it to be sufficiently cool - I will be utilising the mesh open top as opposed to the enclosed option. Im not expecting 1080p 60fps all the time but its fine for the games I've got in mind.

Any other opinions or people who have experienced the Aerocool and / or 270x?

 

[Dave_6]

If I game on my 1080P 60" TV, will there be any issues? Text size, etc. I have a 27" 1440 monitor but I prefer couch gaming.

I game on my 60" Pioneer plasma and the only time I've had issues is with Windows itself, text wise at least. Games, Steam etc are all fine and I sit ~8 feet away.

 

[Bboy AJ]

Cowboom.com has NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 Video Card for $165. $205.99 - 20% off with promo code NUEVA20 =$164.79. Shipping is free http://www.cowboom.com/product/1217064

I game on my 60" Pioneer plasma and the only time I've had issues is with Windows itself, text wise at least. Games, Steam etc are all fine and I sit ~8 feet away.

What controller do you use? I'd like to use my DualShock 4 but it's not working so well on my Mac. I assume it'd work better on my Windows gaming machine. I'd really like to avoid the wireless 360 controller.

 

[redlegs87]

I am planning on ordering hardware at the end of the month for a build with a budget of $850 US.

Specs I have chosen thus far:

Case: COUGAR Solution Black Steel ATX Mid Tower (purchased as of today)

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8 core processor

Cooler: Rosewill RCX-ZAIO-92 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler

MOBO: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard

Memory: Team Xtreem Dark Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card

PSU: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply

and a copy of Windows 8.1

By the time I order it I hope to find a better deal on a PSU, Ram, and or HD. Total price should be around 850 maybe just slightly above.

Anything anyone would change?

 

[Copons]

1) 4430 is $10 cheaper in US rather than 3 euros.
2) GB best value there imo
3) That should be fine
4) Ehh, it's been so long since the ModxStream came out I almost wanna go with the CX500M even though I'm not too keen on it personally. Those prices also suck pretty hard. :/
If you don't mind not having modular you can check for VP450 / VP550 / EVGA 500B (Might be releasing in a week).
5) TIM comes with your CPU / Heatsink.

Thank you very much!
I'm gonna check out those non modular PSUs (and yes, I don't know why, every PSU prices I've found suck)

 

[Dave_6]

What controller do you use? I'd like to use my DualShock 4 but it's not working so well on my Mac. I assume it'd work better on my Windows gaming machine. I'd really like to avoid the wireless 360 controller.

Wireless 360 controller. I have two DS4s but never tried to figure out how to use them on my PC. I'm not good with that kind of stuff.

 

[Kukumalu]

Looking for micro-ATX board recommendations for a new SFF gaming PC / HTPC.

The ones I'm considering right now are:

Asus GRYPHON Z87
Asus MAXIMUS VI GENE
Asus Z87M-PLUS
MSI Z87M GAMING

Leaning towards the Gryphon because I really don't care about all the overclocking options and what not. Any other boards to consider?

 

[kharma45]

I am planning on ordering hardware at the end of the month for a build with a budget of $850 US.

Specs I have chosen thus far:

Case: COUGAR Solution Black Steel ATX Mid Tower (purchased as of today)

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8 core processor

Cooler: Rosewill RCX-ZAIO-92 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler

MOBO: Asus M5A97 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard

Memory: Team Xtreem Dark Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card

PSU: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply

and a copy of Windows 8.1

By the time I order it I hope to find a better deal on a PSU, Ram, and or HD. Total price should be around 850 maybe just slightly above.

Anything anyone would change?

Don't go AMD, don't get a Corsair CX.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.17 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Biostar Hi-Fi Z87W ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($98.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($68.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($249.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cougar Solution (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $834.10
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-04 14:30 EST-0500)

Then get W8.1 for $25 http://www.reddit.com/r/softwareswa...etail_windows_81_pro_keys_w_paypal_225_sales/

 

[OminoMichelin]

Thank you very much!
I'm gonna check out those non modular PSUs (and yes, I don't know why, every PSU prices I've found suck)

on ekey the xfx 450 is 49€, 50 on amazon (with shipping).
I can't seem to be able to register to ekey, unfortunately, so I can't check the shipping costs. I'd buy the i5 4440 and a fractal design core 1000 on amazon and the rest on ekey, just going by raw price:

VGA Asus Ati AMD Radeon HD 7870 DC2-2GD5-V2 Core 1000MHz Memory GDDR5 4800MHz 2GB DVI HDMI DP € 157,10
EK00038696 Scheda Madre AsRock B85M-HDS Socket 1150 Intel B85 DDR3 SATA3 USB3 MicroATX € 47,00
EK00037328 SSD Kingston V300 120GB Lettura 450MB/s Scrittura 450MB/s SATA3 € 71,50
EK00028453 Alimentatore PC XFX ProSeries 450W € 49,20
EK00038635 RAM DDR3 Corsair Value 8GB (2x4GB) 1600MHz PC3.12800 CL11 € 65,40

 

[BrokenIcarus]

What does PCGAF know about the release of mid-range 22/20nm cards?
Intel's been there for TWO YEARS. Urgh. When can we expect something?
Any rumors, speculations, anything? I'd like to upgrade from my 7850 without uping my TDP.

 

[kharma45]

What does PCGAF know about the release of mid-range 22/20nm cards?
Intel's been there for TWO YEARS. Urgh. When can we expect something?
Any rumors, speculations, anything? I'd like to upgrade from my 7850 without uping my TDP.

Intel have their own fabs, that's why they're there. As for GPUs expect them to appear in the second half of the year.

 

[redlegs87]

Don't go AMD, don't get a Corsair CX.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.17 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Biostar Hi-Fi Z87W ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($98.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($68.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($249.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cougar Solution (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $834.10
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-04 14:30 EST-0500)

Then get W8.1 for $25 http://www.reddit.com/r/softwareswa...etail_windows_81_pro_keys_w_paypal_225_sales/

Don't really want to deal with alot of rebates when buying never have had a great experience with them.

 

[IllumiNate]

This is the badboy I ordered from NCIX, price matched a few items with Neweggs website. The XFX PSU is backordered, So they wont be shipping my goodies until Wednesday at the earliest.

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 Ti 928MHZ 3GB 7.0GHZ GDDR5 2xDVI HDMI DisplayPort PCI-E Video Card 1 $689.99 $689.99
1 x Batman Arkham Origins (PC Game) Digital Download Coupon *NVIDIA Promo Only*
1 x Assassins Creed 4 and Tom Clancys Splinter Cell Blacklist Electronic Download
http://products.ncix.com/detail/gig...dmi-displayport-pci-e-video-card-ab-91767.htm

Intel Core i7 4770K Unlocked Quad Core 3.5GHZ Processor LGA1150 Haswell 8MB Cache Retail 1 $309.99 $309.99
1 x Total WAR: Rome II

ASUS Maximus VI Formula ATX LGA1150 Z87 DDR3 CrossFireX SLI 3PCI-E16 SATA3 DP USB3.0 Motherboard 1 $280.49 $280.49 http://products.ncix.com/detail/asu...-e16-sata3-dp-usb3-0-motherboard-e1-88852.htm

Samsung 840 Evo Series MZ-7TE1T0BW 1TB 2.5in SATA III Internal SSD 1 $559.99 $559.99 http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=87764

G.SKILL TridentX F3-2400C10D-16GTX 16GB 2X8GB DDR3-2400 CL10 240PIN 1.65V Dual Channel Memory Kit PriceMatch Source: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231589 1 $169.99
PriceMatch $169.99

Noctua NH-D14 LGA1150/1155/1156/1366 AM3 FM1 FM2 Heatpipe Cooler w/ NF-P14 140mm & NF-P12 120mm Fan 1 $69.99 $69.99 http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=47090

XFX 1250W PRO1250W Black Edition Single Rail ATX 12V 104A 24PIN ATX Full Modular 80PLUS Gold PSU 1 $229.99 $229.99 http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=65627

Thermaltake Chaser MK-1 ATX Full Tower Computer Case 4X5.25 6X3.5 INT USB 3.0 Black 1 $144.99 $144.99 http://products.ncix.com/detail/the...-25-6x3-5-int-usb-3-0-black-e7-62655-1221.htm

Razer Naga 2014 Expert MMO Laser Gaming Mouse Green 19 Button 8200DPI USB Green LED PriceMatch Source: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826153125 1 $79.99

Logitech TK820 Wireless All-in-One Keyboard w/ Built-in Touch Pad Incurve & Customizable Hot Keys 1 $77.99 $77.99 http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=90141&promoid=1359

Windows 8.1 64-Bit With A Free $20 NCIX Gift Card 1 $97.98 $97.98

These will be leftover and used from my last PC-

ASUS Xonar Essence ST 7.1 Channel PCI Sound Card 24BIT Headphone AMP 124DB SNR http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=46390

ASUS VG248QE 24IN Widescreen 1920x1080 144HZ 1MS HDMI DisplayPort DVI-D 3D Vision LED LCD Monitor http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=80244

 

[kennah]

Fuck. That Alberta money.

 

[gwarm01]

I would love to build a new PC from the ground up this year, but most of my components are new enough that it would be a waste.

That said, my video card is definitely the weak link. Are there any cards for <150 that significantly best the HD5850 for gaming at 1080p? For some reason I can't make myself spend more than that.

 

[LordAlu]

Looking for micro-ATX board recommendations for a new SFF gaming PC / HTPC.

The ones I'm considering right now are:

Asus GRYPHON Z87
Asus MAXIMUS VI GENE
Asus Z87M-PLUS
MSI Z87M GAMING

Leaning towards the Gryphon because I really don't care about all the overclocking options and what not. Any other boards to consider?

I'd go for the Maximus VI Gene myself, but you could also consider the Gigabyte GA-Z87M-D3H?

Don't really want to deal with alot of rebates when buying never have had a great experience with them.

Pretty much identical build to kharma's build with no rebates needed?:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.17 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Biostar Hi-Fi Z87W ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($98.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($68.00 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($249.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cougar Solution (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 620W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($75.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $850.10
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-04 15:10 EST-0500)

 

[Smokey]

so many doubters. i will do it

#staystrong

 

[cluto]

Don't go AMD, don't get a Corsair CX.

What's wrong with the Corsair CX? I got that exact PSU (except non-modular) for $38 with a rebate. Did I fuck up?

 

[CheesecakeRecipe]

Is there any reason to not pick up these G.SKILL Ripjaws X over my previous pick (which I haven't bought yet), the G.SKILL Ripjaws? The X has faster clocks (which may or may not be negligible in difference really) but also is a few bucks cheaper baseline at the moment with an additional $12 taken off with a promo code.

Mobo the RAM's going with is the BIOSTAR Hi-Fi Z87X, which should be fully compatible with either if I did my research right.

 

[SleazyC]

Yeah, I'm looking forward to Titan Fall but not much else really. I was just deciding whether or not to just buy an i7 later in the year since I won't really be playing or doing anything taxing on the machine for now.

I think Titanfall is running on a modified Source Engine so it won't exactly be pushing the envelope. You should be ok holding off to see if Intel plans to bring out something that will give you big gains.

 

[kennah]

so many doubters. i will do it

#staystrong

Care to make a gentleman's wager?

 

[jim2point0]

I can not recommend that QNIX QX2710 enough. Not only does it easily overclock to 120hz (for you die-hard 120hz fans) but it also does some insanely high resolutions for downsampling. The panel is gorgeous as well. Not to mention having a 27" 1440p monitor is insanely practical outside of gaming.

 

[Felix Lighter]

Is there a recommended powerline ethernet adapter?

 

[Katyusha]

CX power supplies are Corsair's low-end line. They're not the worst, but they're not the best either.

I had a bad experience with one, in which it arrived DOA, so I got an HX series power supply instead.

 

[Deleted member 17706]

I kind of hate how my Sandy Bridge processor from early 2011 does more than a good enough job and I still have no good reason to upgrade from a gaming perspective. Intel needs some competition.

 

[Lambtron]

Cowboom.com has NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 Video Card for $165. $205.99 - 20% off with promo code NUEVA20 =$164.79. Shipping is free http://www.cowboom.com/product/1217064

I'm tempted to do this... would I be better off buying a second one of these for SLI or try to buy something for ~$400 and try to sell my existing Ti. Only going to be playing at 1080 for the foreseeable future.

 

[Katyusha]

Is there a recommended powerline ethernet adapter?

I think they're all more or less the same. You just have to watch out, because there are some that might say they're capable of 500Mbps but the ethernet ports on them can only do around 100.

Take this one for example. It says it can do up to 500Mbps, but the port tops out at 100.

 

[clem84]

How necessary is it to have a CPU cooling upgrade?

I built a PC 3 years ago with an i7-2600 and used the stock fan until now with no problems. I haven't been doing anything intensive like gaming. Today I finally ordered a pretty good graphic card (EVGA GTX 780 3GB). It'll be here next week. In the meantime I've been wondering about my CPU fan. Is it safe to continue using Intel's stock fan or should I upgrade?

 

[Felix Lighter]

I think they're all more or less the same. You just have to watch out, because there are some that might say they're capable of 500Mbps but the ethernet ports on them can only do around 100.

Take this one for example. It says it can do up to 500Mbps, but the port tops out at 100.

Honestly, as long as the 100M ethernet models don't somehow introduce more latency over the 1000M models, I think I'd just save the money. I don't do a lot of filesharing across my internal network and my internet bandwidth doesn't come close to 100Mb.

 

[kennah]

How necessary is it to have a CPU cooling upgrade?

I built a PC 3 years ago with an i7-2600 and used the stock fan until now with no problems. I haven't been doing anything intensive like gaming. Today I finally ordered a pretty good graphic card (EVGA GTX 780 3GB). It'll be here next week. In the meantime I've been wondering about my CPU fan. Is it safe to continue using Intel's stock fan or should I upgrade?

Is it a K or just straight up 2600? You're safe using the Intel stock fan. I'd dust it out if it's been three years though. Maybe refresh the paste for fun.

 

[Katyusha]

It's really only necessary to upgrade if you're going to be doing some overclocking. And since you have a 2600, you can't really do much in terms of overclocking.

 

[clem84]

It's the regular 2600, not the K version. I think I'll keep my stock fan. I won't have a choice but to refresh the paste because I'm changing my mobo as well.

 

[Katyusha]

Honestly, as long as the 100M ethernet models don't somehow introduce more latency over the 1000M models, I think I'd just save the money. I don't do a lot of filesharing across my internal network and my internet bandwidth doesn't come close to 100Mb.

They shouldn't have more latency. They'll just be slower in comparison to the 1000Mbps models. One thing to keep in mind though is that you might not even get your full network speed with the 100Mbps one. At least, that's how one of my powerline adapters is. Though that might be due to the wiring in my house and not the adapter itself.

 

[crun]

I have sold my R9 290 (@290X 1025/1250 - bad overclocker) and bought GTX 780 Asus DirectCu II recently. Overclocked it day1 to 1267/6608.

I had 5 different GPUs in the last 2 months thanks to mining craze. Bought a highend PSU and case thanks to it. In near future, I am planning to get a G-Sync monitor (VG248QE, though preferably 27" because I sit 1m away from the screen) and new CPU/mobo (i5-4670k+Asrock Z87 Extreme 4) because my i5-750@3.6 is bottlenecking in some games quite hard.

#pcmasterrace

 

[kennah]

It's the regular 2600, not the K version. I think I'll keep my stock fan. I won't have a choice but to refresh the paste because I'm changing my mobo as well.

As long as it's doing the trick you're probably good. Just give it a good look over for condition.

 

[Bboy AJ]

OK, I've been hemming and hawing with you guys so much. I finally sat down to make something. I used Haz's builds as a major template. It's literally the first gaming PC I'm ever building so I ask for your patience.

Your Current Specs: Starting from scratch
Budget: ~$1000 US
Main Use: Gaming / Emulation: 5. Everything else: 0.
Monitor Resolution: I'll be using it on my 60" LCD TV, though I have a 27" 1440 IPS monitor
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: I'd like rock solid 1080P 60FPS on highest settings. I've got nothing specific in mind.
Looking to reuse any parts?: One HDD
When will you build?: Looking for all parts to be purchased by first week of February
Will you be overclocking?: Maybe. I'd like to if it's simple enough.
Notes: Currently living in Europe but will be back to the US shortly, so I'd like 110v-240v multi voltage.

Just a couple of thoughts:
1. The second build is a smaller form factor. I'd much prefer the smaller build. However, it's not critical if I'm losing massive OCing or upgradeability because of it.
2. This build will be used as a console. I'll be couch gaming with it.
3. I know the Green HDD is weak but I'm going to just use it as game storage and move games over to the SSD when appropriate. I also own a 12TB NAS so I'm not hard up on legacy game storage space.
4. Is Bluetooth included or do I have to add something else? I'm hoping to use my Dualshock 4.
5. I just picked whatever case for the standard build. I don't care about a case, so as long as it's quiet and allows me to do good cable management so, again, it's quiet.

Can I get this build down to $800-$900 or so? I've got a month to keep an eye out on deals, price drops, new hardware. Also, is the GTX 770 overkill for what I want to do? Should I downgrade?

Haz, by the way, you've been a huge help. PM me your email and I'll send an Amazon gc your way. kennah, you, too. It's not much but it's the least I can do. Thanks!

 

[crun]

Well, if you want "rock solid 1080P 60FPS on highest settings" then GTX770 won't be enough in most modern, demanding titles. Don't downgrade.

 

[Katyusha]

770 is definitely not overkill if you want 1080p/60fps. Hell, it might not even be sufficient for upcoming games if you want 60 fps, but who knows? And with that mobo in the second build, Bluetooth 4.0 is integrated, so you should be able to use the DS4 with it. The Biostar doesn't have Bluetooth, so you'd have to pick up a USB adapter of some kind.