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[ThatStupidLion]

I grew up with PCs, though after the early 2000s my primary gaming time was with consoles. Then I bough a Mac Pro in 2007 iirc, which lasted me a boat load of years, but not much gaming etc. (Mac Lyfe). But now im back, baby! Building my first rig and since I work in VFX/Animation it’ll be enough to at least run a modern game or two… (who am i kidding all i’ll probably play are gog from yesteryear - curse you nostalgia!) dont think ill be going back to playstation or xbox in the future as of
Now.

Anyways, all my components are on their way and I should be building within 2 weeks.

My question is: What other hardware and software should I consider. Whats the ins/outs I should know and do? Is steam still a worthwhile thing to do? Ive see cd-keys get sold on the cheap these days, are those a legit and reliable place to buy games? Is it simple to set up ps4 controllers with windows? What about a steam controller? Or that steamy dick thing - i enjoy a switch, so it seems like a no brainer instead of switch 2. Is a VPN worth utilizing?

Im pretty clueless tbh coming back into the pc ring…

Currently i plan to use a switcher (which one though?) to swap between my work tower and home tower but use the same two work displays. could still use a variety of display suggestions and input though or at least most important things to look for when buying monitors…

Going to use my work keyboard and my wacom for that stuff…

Budget was 2k

Be gentle, but have your way with me Gaf.

 

[k_trout]

before the preists of the church of vram turn up, thats the card I have be thinking about getting, so good choice lol

 

[feynoob]

Steam,

And these websites.

https://www.hrkgame.com/en/games/products/

https://www.eneba.com/store/steam-games

 

[AJUMP23]

Don't forget to apply the CPU Thermal Grease.

 

[jason10mm]

I need to do the same thing and it's been a similarly long time since I've tinkered inside the guts of a desktop. Are all the parts just plug in play? Screw the mobo into a suitable chassis, hook up the PSU, some fans, slot in the memory, gfx card, any periphs like wireless or sound, and get to work downloading drivers? I have a 3080 I need to build a pc around.

 

[BossLackey]

Make sure you plug your Display Port/HDMI cable into your video card and not the motherboard.

You would be surprised how often people do that.

 

[nani17]

Well as for a Vpn only if you really need it.The steam controller is crap don't even bother with it just buy an xbox controller. Software to install would be ninite it basaclly an AIO for some of the most popular software out there. You just tick the boxes of the stuff you need like steam, Discord and it will download and install them all in one go.

I've used allkeyshop a ton over the years it's fine just don't buy any gift games. As in it will be sent to you as a gift always get the key. When buying monitors you have to consider the usage.Are they for gaming work depends on the work too or movies.

Building tips:

Take your time it does get fusrtarting but you will get there.
Try and map it out before hand especially cables.
Remove the plastic from the heat sink seen it far to much.
Don't over do the thermal paste.
Make sure you have a copy of windows ready to go. Don't want to be all ready to go and you forgot to download windows.

Any issues when you are building post here and we'll try and help you out

 

[kondorBonk]

"I work in VFX/Animation"

GPU rendering is significantly better with Nvidia in the software I use.
For example, with Blender its very noticeable and your CPU will be doing the bulk of the work with a AMD card.

 

[PaddyOCanager]

As someone who just jumped back into PC gaming after 20ish years, the jump has been great. I bought a budget gaming laptop for 1080p gaming to test the waters and I'll definitely be getting a decent prebuilt rig sometime in the future.

I just cancelled my PS+ subscription, which had been active since the day the service became available in 2010. Steam is such a great service for me and it's free - the discounts on games are fantastic and I'd rather pay $10-$20 for a game I actually want than get 3 free games I don't want every month.

One thing that surprised me was how plug and play stuff is now. I connected my laptop to my TV expecting to have all these issues setting it up, but it just worked instantly like any monitor would. I plugged in my Playstation wireless headset and it immediately worked. I plugged in an Xbox wireless controller, and it immediately worked.

I can't comment on building a PC, but if you're worried about the gaming experience don't be. I don't plan on returning to Playstation or Xbox either.

 

[Artoris]

Connecting the pc front panel connectors can be the hardest part

 

[Liljagare]

Don't skimp on a 2 dollar grounding bracelet.

 

[Ironbunny]

Dont be worried if the computer turns on and off couple if times when you first boot it up. It may take some time while it seeks memory settings.

 

[KyoZz]

I grew up with PCs, though after the early 2000s my primary gaming time was with consoles. Then I bough a Mac Pro in 2007 iirc, which lasted me a boat load of years, but not much gaming etc. (Mac Lyfe). But now im back, baby! Building my first rig and since I work in VFX/Animation it’ll be enough to at least run a modern game or two… (who am i kidding all i’ll probably play are gog from yesteryear - curse you nostalgia!) dont think ill be going back to playstation or xbox in the future as of
Now.

Anyways, all my components are on their way and I should be building within 2 weeks.

My question is: What other hardware and software should I consider. Whats the ins/outs I should know and do? Is steam still a worthwhile thing to do? Ive see cd-keys get sold on the cheap these days, are those a legit and reliable place to buy games? Is it simple to set up ps4 controllers with windows? What about a steam controller? Or that steamy dick thing - i enjoy a switch, so it seems like a no brainer instead of switch 2. Is a VPN worth utilizing?

Im pretty clueless tbh coming back into the pc ring…

Currently i plan to use a switcher (which one though?) to swap between my work tower and home tower but use the same two work displays. could still use a variety of display suggestions and input though or at least most important things to look for when buying monitors…

Going to use my work keyboard and my wacom for that stuff…

Budget was 2k

Be gentle, but have your way with me Gaf.

Nice config! Steam is the way. You may also consider PC Game Pass, Discord, CCleaner. Also use Edge for the browser and VLC to play video files.
Nexus Mod is your friend. Many great games are even greater with mods. Just search Nexus Mod + name of the game.
Emulation: if you have some old games on disc you want to play, use emulation. You can crank the resolution, add some graphic mods, tweak the gameplay and much more. Xenia (X360 emulation) has come a long way and Yuzu (Switch) is mostly perfect.
Older consoles like the Dreamcast, N64, PS2, NES etc... are flawless.
Dive into those great PC exclusives: Total War, Anno 1800, Ready Or Not, Project Zomboid, modded Skyrim, Teardown and many more.

You have a good config so pretty much everything will run like a charm. Great times ahead!

Connecting the pc front panel connectors can be the hardest part

It's exactly what happened to me last December. I hate those things

 

[Rival]

Do not forget to apply the RAM and GPU oil.

 

[LaughingStock]

Just buy the most expensive components you can find. lol

Now seriously, don't be like me. If your freshly built PC refuses to boot, before you freak out, check if all cables are attached.

Regarding controllers, I think the best setup is an Xbox controller with a wireless adapter.

I buy my games on steam or green man gaming or nuuvem (Brazil only I think). I stopped buying keys on shady sites.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

Completed!

 

[poppabk]

Completed!

But does it post?

 

[diffusionx]

Completed!

Based fellow Fractalchad

 

[BennyBlanco]

that cooler is nuts

 

[poppabk]

that cooler is nuts

I was thinking why and how does he have two CPU coolers installed.

 

[Irobot82]

I would get the 7800X3D instead if you can swing it.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

that cooler is nuts

Excellently reviewed and only 40$

Thermalright peerless assassin 120

 

[demented waffle]

Pretty sure you need to move those fans one slot to the right. Unless that cooler is different from other dual-fan coolers.

 

[Gp1]

Nuuvem already sells outside of Brazil I believe.

Learn a thing or two about airflow in your case.

Set you xmb profiles

And this one I learned only recently.
Do not peel off the plastic of your case with your PC on. These things generates massive static and it can actually fry your components.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

Pretty sure you need to move those fans one slot to the right. Unless that cooler is different from other dual-fan coolers.

My buddy who did the building with me and component layout said theres no right way when i told him the fans need to be shifted over…but i did it anyways just now, thanks for pointing that out!

 

[demented waffle]

Ya, the push/pull should be carried over to the back(exhaust). Both fin towers should have push/pull.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

hi everyone - i am looking into buying the xbox ultimate game pass to be able to play xbox & pc games on my PC, but I have a few very n00b questions:

1. i'm buying the 3 month code on target - it's called the "Xbox game pass ultimate 3 month - Xbox One" and says its compatible with the X/S and One, does this mean its not compatible with my PC?
2. assuming I can use this on my PC, I do not have an xbox so will I only be able to play the PC game library offered? If so, should I only get the PC game pass and not the xbox ultimate pass?
3. do I need to install an xbox app on my PC in order to use/play this service? How does it work?

any other tips would be helpful - cheers

 

[Nitty_Grimes]

Don’t want to give the wrong advice so…

Xbox Support

support.xbox.com

You’ll need to install the app yes - get it from the MS store in Windows.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

im currently using my work monitors, but will be returning them soon and will buy my own.

Im a proffesional working in the vfx/animation/3d/video industry...

currently looking at the Asus ProArt line between these two monitors ( ideally getting two)

Compare Asus PA278CV vs Asus PA279CV - DisplayDB

www.displaydb.com

im leaning towards the 10 bit (PA279cv), but its double-ish the price

wondering if anyone has suggestions for comparable alternatives or other input regarding these monitors.

Thanks!

 

[INC]

Just get a company like scan to build it, you pay an extra £30 or so, but get a warranty on all parts and labour for a few years, kinda a no brainer

 

[ThaMonkeyClaw]

Don't forget this badboy!

...seriously though, your setup looks pretty solid!

 

[Kenpachii]

2 monitors minimum. You only got 1? invest in another can be cheap as hell if u want, nothing better then having 2 monitors.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

2 monitors minimum. You only got 1? invest in another can be cheap as hell if u want, nothing better then having 2 monitors.

I have 2, im trying to figure or what new monitors to buy

 

[Kenpachii]

1080p for max performance
1440p best trade off quality vs performance
4k if u like to blow frames against the wall for not much gain.

Get gsync / freesync on it and atleast 120 or higher refresh rate.

Just recently bought a lg c2 happy as fuck with it, but i sit further away from my screen so yea. thing is huge otherwise 48 inch.

 

[Dream-Knife]

2 monitors minimum. You only got 1? invest in another can be cheap as hell if u want, nothing better then having 2 monitors.

Unless you're doing work or streaming you almost never need 2 monitors.

My second monitor is rarely used outside of work and programming.

 

[poppabk]

hi everyone - i am looking into buying the xbox ultimate game pass to be able to play xbox & pc games on my PC, but I have a few very n00b questions:

1. i'm buying the 3 month code on target - it's called the "Xbox game pass ultimate 3 month - Xbox One" and says its compatible with the X/S and One, does this mean its not compatible with my PC?
2. assuming I can use this on my PC, I do not have an xbox so will I only be able to play the PC game library offered? If so, should I only get the PC game pass and not the xbox ultimate pass?
3. do I need to install an xbox app on my PC in order to use/play this service? How does it work?

any other tips would be helpful - cheers

You only need the PC version unless you want cloud access. It's cheaper than the xbox version. Then you just need the gamepass app and you will install everything from there.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Pc gaming bests every spec consoles have.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

You only need the PC version unless you want cloud access. It's cheaper than the xbox version. Then you just need the gamepass app and you will install everything from there.

thanks! got the pc pass a few weeks ago - loving it so far. lots of solid content to play. going through starfield rn