"I Need a New PC!" 2014 Part 2. Read OP, your 2500K will run Witcher 3. MX100s! 970!
- Thread starter Hazaro
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You should be able to replace most parts without re-installing the OS.
APART FROM!!!
The motherboard and/or CPU.
Hard drives with the OS on them will either need cloning onto a new drive if you're replacing. Not if you're just adding an additional drive.
So if I wanted to replace the motherboard, it definitely needs a new OS?
A new OS install yes. You wouldn't have to buy a new OS necessarily.
What OS are you running now and does the machine have a sticker on it with the license key? If so, you should be alright.
If not, you can buy a Windows 8 key from Reddit Software Swap for peanuts. Try a reinstall of your current OS first but make sure you've got an alternative way of getting online/downloading an ISO/putting it on a flash drive first.
While you might get away with using the same OS install, I would not recommend it for stability's sake
I was thinking of maybe trying to transfer the license from this computer to a new desktop, but I've heard that it cannot be done with a license from a pre-built or a laptop.
You might get away with it if the license key is printed on a sticker on the machine say if you have an older Windows 7 machine. But more recently OS license keys are embedded in the BIOS to prevent transfers etc.
Personally, I'd just get a Windows 8.1 key from Reddit, download the ISO and use it to create a bootable USB flash drive BEFORE swapping the motherboard and then perform a clean 8.1 install with that. Just to be sure. They're like $10-20 I think.
I'll give a Reddit key a try when I get a new PC then. Thanks :3
eBay Huckster
Member
Building off of Knch's post:
As far as I know, the CPU, motherboard, case and memory are good. (I'm assuming you meant the 4790K given that you have a friggin' NH-D15.)
I'm not sure what you need the sound card for, but I'll assume you didn't want to rely on the Deluxe's onboard for whatever reason.
In the case of the CPU cooler, there's better air coolers that are less comically huge, but that one's still quite good.
SSD isn't too bad, but in the now/immediate future, the 250GB Samsung 840 EVO and the 256GB Crucial MX100 are much better value propositions.
Hard drives have been a crapshoot past 1TB since before Seagate bought out Samsung's platter drive division, so as long as you're keeping those Barracudas backed up, go hog wild.
Now for the bad news: that PSU is overkill for a single-card build and the GPU is kind of a bad value when the R9 280X costs as much.
Overall, though, it should be very good for today's games and at least good for future games (to a point).
Thanks for your input guys!
With some shame I must admit that I'm not building it myself, but a company does it for me, so they're installing the components. That was before I started reading this thread and now I really really wish that I'd bought the components independently and built the pc myself. Alas, with what you've said about the DH-15 being such a huge thing, do you guys think this could cause issues with the air ventilation? (And the CPU isn't the 4790K version, unfortunately, but they gave me the possibility of overclocking the 4790 up to 4Ghz, for whatever it's worth). Would the standard cooler have been enough for this?
Now I've read that 850W and 600W for the PSU shouldn't make that big of a difference in electronic costs, is that true? Or should I exchange it immediately?
DH-15 being huge only has implications for mounting it, you can't screw it down with the fans attached and attaching the fans inside a case can be a real hassle. The standard cooler blows, a DH-15 is complete overkill when not overclocking (you aren't really overclocking,) most tower coolers with a large fan should be able to handle a 4790 though.
PSU: It's about saving cost up front, not when in use. No need to exchange it if you already have it.
Its not bad, but honestly it seems like you overspent in a few areas (mobo, storage, RAM) and could have saved money to put towards a better GPU. The 770 is good, but a step behind the 780's or R9 290's.
Don't expect everything to be perfect for every game the day it comes out. Otherwise, it's much improved over its past state.
No, hardware these stays pretty cool under cramped conditions. You can put the highest level Intel + 780Ti inside a tiny ITX case and have zero heat issues. mATX should probably be the standard for everyone, perfect size to build in yet not overly giant.
So, I'm thinking of lining the inside of my Node 304 with sound dampening foam. Yay or nay?
I'm also thinking of changing the cooling paste on my MSI 280X as it goes up to 90 degrees when gaming sometimes and the fan goes on max which sounds terribly.
As far as I can understand I should just change the paste on the GPU and not the VRAM?
I'm also thinking of changing the cooling paste on my MSI 280X as it goes up to 90 degrees when gaming sometimes and the fan goes on max which sounds terribly.
As far as I can understand I should just change the paste on the GPU and not the VRAM?
crooked spin
Member
Ok... my RAM situation is making me a little crazy right now.
I ordered 16gb (2x8) of RAM from Amazon Warehouse Deals.
When it arrives I install it and the BIOS tells me I have 8gb of RAM (2 sticks of 4gb, specifically).
I say WTF and register a complaint with Amazon.
Amazon, to their credit, immediately sends me a package containing 16gb (2x8) of RAM free of charge.
This morning I switch out the old RAM for the new RAM.
AGAIN the BIOS tells me I am packing 8gb (2 sticks of 4gb). WAT THE SHIT.
For my sanity's sake I put ALL FOUR sticks of RAM into my motherboard. THIS, the BIOS tells me, equals 16gb of RAM.
Did Amazon REALLY send me 8gb instead of 16gb TWICE? Do I not know how to correctly install DDR3 RAM? I'm a bit hungover and packing for a camping trip and this is just tweaking me out...
I ordered 16gb (2x8) of RAM from Amazon Warehouse Deals.
When it arrives I install it and the BIOS tells me I have 8gb of RAM (2 sticks of 4gb, specifically).
I say WTF and register a complaint with Amazon.
Amazon, to their credit, immediately sends me a package containing 16gb (2x8) of RAM free of charge.
This morning I switch out the old RAM for the new RAM.
AGAIN the BIOS tells me I am packing 8gb (2 sticks of 4gb). WAT THE SHIT.
For my sanity's sake I put ALL FOUR sticks of RAM into my motherboard. THIS, the BIOS tells me, equals 16gb of RAM.
Did Amazon REALLY send me 8gb instead of 16gb TWICE? Do I not know how to correctly install DDR3 RAM? I'm a bit hungover and packing for a camping trip and this is just tweaking me out...
Gunmonkey36
Member
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=121552030&postcount=1
New nvidia cards in November. Finally I will be replacing my gtx 580.
New nvidia cards in November. Finally I will be replacing my gtx 580.
tycoonheart
Member
Crossfire 290x here. No issues what so ever.
Drama Zed Nod
Member
Long time lurker but my first "I need a new PC" post.
I've been reading these threads daily over the last 6 months while i saved and purchased parts for my new gaming rig. The last rig i built was 9 years ago (i've been mostly console last gen).
I just wanted to say thanks to all the gurus here sharing awesome info in a friendly and impartial way.
I'll be building next weekend with a friend. I'll post some pics if it doesn't disappear in cloud of smoke.
I've been reading these threads daily over the last 6 months while i saved and purchased parts for my new gaming rig. The last rig i built was 9 years ago (i've been mostly console last gen).
I just wanted to say thanks to all the gurus here sharing awesome info in a friendly and impartial way.
I'll be building next weekend with a friend. I'll post some pics if it doesn't disappear in cloud of smoke.
michaelius
Banned
1. CPU should have been 4790k as even without OC it's 10% faster.
2. Cooler is top quality choice
3. Ram seems ok altrough i prefer Gskill or Crucial
4. SSD is fine altrough cheaper MX100 would do the trick
5. If you bought two HDDs to make raid 0 then it's pointless outside of working on huge graphic projects.
6. Mobo is ultra high end - cheaper one would be enough
7. 770 is ok but with other components slightly downgraded it could have been better one like radeon 290
8. Case is great quality
9. Can't comment on psu/sound card as i don't recognise them.
There's a handful of games that are fairly popular that do not get profiles, and do not have much of a workaround. DX9 4K games are a disaster still. Most games will not have a profile within the first week that they are out.
Basically, I would only ever advise it if you aren't getting adequate performance on your current display. You also need to be willing to google fixes and workarounds when things aren't going right. If you get frustrated at the idea of that, do not do it. If you like to tinker with things, then it will be just fine.
Kamina
Golden Boy
I found a PC at a local Multimedia Store chain for 1,300 Bucks
CPU: Intel i7-4770
RAM: 16 GB DDR3-RAM 1.600 MHz
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 2GB VRAM
HDD: 2x SATA 2TB HDD 7.200 U/Min
MainBoard: Intel® GA-B85M-D3H
SoundCard: HD Audio ALC892
Windows 8 64-Bit
PowerSupply: 700 Watt BeQuiet
Housing: Coolermaster HAF XM
is the price worth it PCGaf?
CPU: Intel i7-4770
RAM: 16 GB DDR3-RAM 1.600 MHz
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 2GB VRAM
HDD: 2x SATA 2TB HDD 7.200 U/Min
MainBoard: Intel® GA-B85M-D3H
SoundCard: HD Audio ALC892
Windows 8 64-Bit
PowerSupply: 700 Watt BeQuiet
Housing: Coolermaster HAF XM
is the price worth it PCGaf?
As everybody already said, there are a few nosense choices here, why would you choose a so expensive motherboard if you're not gonna be able to overclock your no K cpu? I would have bought a cheaper z97 motherboard picking up an i7 4770k instead, which once overclocked has the same performance of the 4790k and can be found at a better price than the new 4790k, then the RAM, 16gb are definitely too much, 8gb Would be more than enough for gaming, same for the PSU, unless yo're planning a sli configuration 850W are overkill, a 650W would have been enough, and with all the money you could have saved you could have bought a way better VGA(which is the most important part of a gaming PC) such as a custom R9 290 OC 4GB
Not terrible, depending on what the case is, if it has an aftermarket cooler and other peripherals it's about $100-250 more than building yourself. You would be better off get a Z motherboard and a 4650k and have NCIX build it for you for $50
It's not as awful as the pre assembled PC usually are for that price, but it's definitely not worth that price either, i would suggest to assemble a PC by yoursef, choosing better component at the same total price.
Kamina
Golden Boy
Thanks!
Well NCIX is not an option because i'm in Europe and would need an equivalent.
The housing is a Coolermaster 'HAF XM'-> http://www.coolermaster.com/case/mid-tower/haf-xm/
Also apparently it has two of these HDDs.
Do you know a european site, preferably in the german speaking areas, i could check?
Thanks again for your input guys, it's much appreciated! In hindsight I recognize that I was being silly and fell for the more-expensive-is-better-trap, despite me not having a really good knowledge about those components at all. In the future I will be 100x more careful in choosing the components, that's for sure. But for now, I guess I'll nonetheless happily await my new pc and delve into the world of pc gaming and emulating.
As for the CPU choice, I read somewhere that the 4790 would be slightly better than the 4770K in terms of performance (I guess I overlooked the Overclocking part), that's why I chose it. My primary choice would have been the 4790K, which wasn't available then, sadly.
As for the CPU choice, I read somewhere that the 4790 would be slightly better than the 4770K in terms of performance (I guess I overlooked the Overclocking part), that's why I chose it. My primary choice would have been the 4790K, which wasn't available then, sadly.
CrichtonKicks
Member
Anyone ever have lip sync issues on the PC? I feel like my video is always lagging a bit from the audio and consequently lip syncing is off. My home theater has plenty of options to adjust for that but I never see any discussion about fixing it on PC.
Has anyone seen this or have some advice? I'm running a Geforce GTX 670 connected to a Dell U2410. Audio is Realtek via my Gigabyte motherboard.
Has anyone seen this or have some advice? I'm running a Geforce GTX 670 connected to a Dell U2410. Audio is Realtek via my Gigabyte motherboard.
Buggy Loop
Member
Should i upgrade? Least costly path to get better gaming performances?
I have:
AMD X6 1090T black edition (not overclocked, maybe its time..)
MSI 890FXA-GD70
4GB of some ram i dont even remember the speed..
80GB SSD (getting very small) and 1TB HDD.
MSI GTX 460 1GB
Antec 750W psu
Main games i'll be playing (or aiming to) are Elite dangerous, Star ciziten, No man's sky, GTAV, Witcher 3. 1080p monitor, maybe oculus rift customer release but mostly for Elite and i dont think that game is too demanding (for now).
What do i need to do to run Witcher 3? (doesnt have to be max setting). Is it a pipe dream or feasible? I was thinking about CPU overclock, memory upgrade to 8GB and either a GTX 760 or R9-280X. Freaking 770 is expensive still. Cheap SSD too, im really tight in window partition disk now, freaking windows 7 keeps getting bigger and bigger.
I have:
AMD X6 1090T black edition (not overclocked, maybe its time..)
MSI 890FXA-GD70
4GB of some ram i dont even remember the speed..
80GB SSD (getting very small) and 1TB HDD.
MSI GTX 460 1GB
Antec 750W psu
Main games i'll be playing (or aiming to) are Elite dangerous, Star ciziten, No man's sky, GTAV, Witcher 3. 1080p monitor, maybe oculus rift customer release but mostly for Elite and i dont think that game is too demanding (for now).
What do i need to do to run Witcher 3? (doesnt have to be max setting). Is it a pipe dream or feasible? I was thinking about CPU overclock, memory upgrade to 8GB and either a GTX 760 or R9-280X. Freaking 770 is expensive still. Cheap SSD too, im really tight in window partition disk now, freaking windows 7 keeps getting bigger and bigger.
Buggy Loop
Member
~500$? Canadian too
Im back to being a student so, if it wasnt for that i would change the full thing but i cant really justify the money for that right now. I dont want to miss on the upcoming games though. 1090T overclocked cant keep up? Did the games get CPU hungry a lot? I've read that a GTX770 wouldnt be limited by an overclocked 1090T..
Sectorseven
Member
Controller comes down to personal preference. They all get the job done, though I suppose Xbone has slightly fewer hoops to jump through when it comes to compatibility. For couch gaming you might want to go PS4 since it has the trackpad.
I'm liking my DS4 for steam games more than I liked my 360 controller. I've yet to try the XBONE controller so I can't chime in on that.
I just use a 360 controller. It "just works," for lack of a better way to say it.
Superimposer
This is getting weirder all the time
Please can the GAF geniuses chip in on the high-clock RAM limiting CPU overclock issue? If I get 1866MHz DDR3, how much would that limit my 4790k OC vs. 1600MHz if at all?
You can get a wired Rock Candy 360 controller for less and it had good build quality. I have the red colored one and it felt great while playing Ascent and Dead Space on PC.
Is playing games at settings that cause the GPU to run at or near max usage bad for the graphics card at all?
I wanted to really see what my GPU (MSI GTX 780 6GB) could do, so I cranked the settings up in WatchDogs, most at ultra and only stuff like SSAO, AA at one or two levels below the top. That's probably overkill and I'll tone down settings, but I was interested to see what the GPU could do. Here's some info while it was running in-game, although not much going on at this point which is another reason I think I need to cut the settings down a bit for more busy scenes later in the game:
It's the 99% GPU usage (it stayed between 97-99% all through the first cutscene and the bit of gameplay), and temps of between 78-80c that have me concerned the most.
I wanted to really see what my GPU (MSI GTX 780 6GB) could do, so I cranked the settings up in WatchDogs, most at ultra and only stuff like SSAO, AA at one or two levels below the top. That's probably overkill and I'll tone down settings, but I was interested to see what the GPU could do. Here's some info while it was running in-game, although not much going on at this point which is another reason I think I need to cut the settings down a bit for more busy scenes later in the game:
It's the 99% GPU usage (it stayed between 97-99% all through the first cutscene and the bit of gameplay), and temps of between 78-80c that have me concerned the most.
Is playing games at settings that cause the GPU to run at or near max usage bad for the graphics card at all?
I wanted to really see what my GPU (MSI GTX 780 6GB) could do, so I cranked the settings up in WatchDogs, most at ultra and only stuff like SSAO, AA at one or two levels below the top. That's probably overkill and I'll tone down settings, but I was interested to see what the GPU could do. Here's some info while it was running in-game, although not much going on at this point which is another reason I think I need to cut the settings down a bit for more busy scenes later in the game:
It's the 99% GPU usage (it stayed between 97-99% all through the first cutscene and the bit of gameplay), and temps of between 78-80c that have me concerned the most.
It's fine.
It'll not hold back your CPU.
Thanks, I'll keep these settings for a while then and see how the game performs.
Hey guys
I'm reading up on multiple sites and since there's a high chance I'm building my own PC soon, I made up this list after all my research and advice received. Could use some input if this is a good idea for a PC that can hold me for a while and has good "fundamentals".
I'm just a bit unsure about the following:
- Is the motherboard overkill? It seems to have received very good reviews and looked like a good motherboard to base my PC on.
- Is the HDD any good? It's supposed to be for NAS but also good for PC? I could deal with less space but this is coming from laptops where 1TB was "huge".
- People who already purchased the case: is it truly super heavy and huge? Since the case is something that lasts you a while and you'll be looking at it...I'm unsure on the aesthetics/ergonomics.
- Both the AMD/Nvidia camps are telling me to either stick to that one as it has 4GB of VRAM, while others tell me to go to R9 290 for "better bang for your buck". I'm leaning towards Nvidia as any series of AMD I picked up before has had issues and left me a bit cold of going back AMD.
Thanks guys!
I'm reading up on multiple sites and since there's a high chance I'm building my own PC soon, I made up this list after all my research and advice received. Could use some input if this is a good idea for a PC that can hold me for a while and has good "fundamentals".
I'm just a bit unsure about the following:
- Is the motherboard overkill? It seems to have received very good reviews and looked like a good motherboard to base my PC on.
- Is the HDD any good? It's supposed to be for NAS but also good for PC? I could deal with less space but this is coming from laptops where 1TB was "huge".
- People who already purchased the case: is it truly super heavy and huge? Since the case is something that lasts you a while and you'll be looking at it...I'm unsure on the aesthetics/ergonomics.
- Both the AMD/Nvidia camps are telling me to either stick to that one as it has 4GB of VRAM, while others tell me to go to R9 290 for "better bang for your buck". I'm leaning towards Nvidia as any series of AMD I picked up before has had issues and left me a bit cold of going back AMD.
Thanks guys!
Setup my new 350d, gene vii and 4690K. Used psu, gpu, ram and soundcard from my old build.
Running at a measly 4.4ghz atm at 1.2v, 60c on load. 4.5 ghz passes strees tests and runs BF4 on the same voltage, but computer shut down randomly in Wildstar for some reason. 4.8 ghz and above needs >1.32v, but I don't know how I feel about 70+ temps on load at that voltage.
Running at a measly 4.4ghz atm at 1.2v, 60c on load. 4.5 ghz passes strees tests and runs BF4 on the same voltage, but computer shut down randomly in Wildstar for some reason. 4.8 ghz and above needs >1.32v, but I don't know how I feel about 70+ temps on load at that voltage.
Look what just came in
Congrats ma dude! Looks good.
Question to the experts. At NCIX US, the case I want (Fractal Define R4, Arctic White w/ Window) is $84.99. This is great! Except the shipping shoots it up to a little over $100. But! If I get the cost to over $100 before shipping, it's only 5 bucks! So, what should I add to this to make it an even better deal? I figured a case fan, but the CM JetFlo's I want are out of stock. Any suggestions?
Superimposer
This is getting weirder all the time
I'm no expert in using case fans but I'm an expert in reading endlessly about them.
People like the Gentle Typhoons, also the Thermalright TY-140. Noctua are among the best regarding noise/performance ratio but a bit pricier. This all coming from the perspective of someone obsessed with low-noise parts.
People like the Gentle Typhoons, also the Thermalright TY-140. Noctua are among the best regarding noise/performance ratio but a bit pricier. This all coming from the perspective of someone obsessed with low-noise parts.
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