Gaming PC building regrets!! =^{
- Thread starter Cimarron
- Start date
Canis lupus
Member
hd6870, died after 1 year
CadetMahoney
Member
Never thought I'd see a post which mirrors my opinion.
ChosenPredator
Banned
580 here right now but i'll upgrade when those 880 cards come out or something else so god tier that i might need to do it asap but my PC can always wait since its pretty steep investment for a hobby
Rodney McKay
Member
No regret so far!
My Intel i5 2500K and 660ti are still running almost everything at 1080p and the specs I want (I usually turn off motion blur when I can since it's usually ugly and a performance hog).
I haven't tried any next/cross-gen games yet like Assassin's Creed 4, but I feel like if I ever do get some noticeable performance drops in the switch to generations I can always start by messing around a bit with OC. My stuff is currently all running stock.
When I first got my PC I would OBSESS about getting the perfect settings chosen, running FRAPS to see the exact framerate, trying to min/max the exact amount of AA so the framerate is good. But after a while I just got tired of doing all of that stuff. I just set AA to 2x or 4x, turn off the settings I don't like (like motion blur most of the time) and enjoy the game. I may not be getting full, constant 60 FPS or laser sharp AA, but it still feels smoother and looks sharper than any console games I play.
I blame my 3DS for helping me kick that obsession. When you deal with resolution that low, and aliasing that bad, even the worst optimized PC game looks good.
My Intel i5 2500K and 660ti are still running almost everything at 1080p and the specs I want (I usually turn off motion blur when I can since it's usually ugly and a performance hog).
I haven't tried any next/cross-gen games yet like Assassin's Creed 4, but I feel like if I ever do get some noticeable performance drops in the switch to generations I can always start by messing around a bit with OC. My stuff is currently all running stock.
When I first got my PC I would OBSESS about getting the perfect settings chosen, running FRAPS to see the exact framerate, trying to min/max the exact amount of AA so the framerate is good. But after a while I just got tired of doing all of that stuff. I just set AA to 2x or 4x, turn off the settings I don't like (like motion blur most of the time) and enjoy the game. I may not be getting full, constant 60 FPS or laser sharp AA, but it still feels smoother and looks sharper than any console games I play.
I blame my 3DS for helping me kick that obsession. When you deal with resolution that low, and aliasing that bad, even the worst optimized PC game looks good.
Graphics cards still aren't at the performance/(price+watt) that I require.
Bought a GTX 680 when it launched and couldn't get 60fps at 1080p with all games
Moved on to a 690 and still no dice
Moved back down to my old trusty 6870 for a while
And then managed to get a 7970 on the cheap so that's where i'm at
Enthusiast PC building is a high cost low reward game
Bought a GTX 680 when it launched and couldn't get 60fps at 1080p with all games
Moved on to a 690 and still no dice
Moved back down to my old trusty 6870 for a while
And then managed to get a 7970 on the cheap so that's where i'm at
Enthusiast PC building is a high cost low reward game
BloodMoney
Banned
This is exactly why I went from dual GPU's to a single card solution.
I cheaped out and bought 2 Seagate drives as file storage drives (to supplement my SSD, which serves as a primary drive). The external drive failed about a year ago, and the internal drive failed this weekend. I'm going to stick to WD Reds from this point on, I think.
Other than that, I tend to buy higher end from the start to avoid regrets. That's why I specifically went with an i7 instead of an i5, paid the extra few hundred dollars to go with the 680s instead of the 670s, and so on. I'm an inherently lazy person who doesn't like cracking open his computer case to fix or add things (I used to enjoy doing that a lot more when I was younger), and so I try to minimize the pain whenever I can.
Other than that, I tend to buy higher end from the start to avoid regrets. That's why I specifically went with an i7 instead of an i5, paid the extra few hundred dollars to go with the 680s instead of the 670s, and so on. I'm an inherently lazy person who doesn't like cracking open his computer case to fix or add things (I used to enjoy doing that a lot more when I was younger), and so I try to minimize the pain whenever I can.
Yep. I built one for the first time in 2009, then again in 2011, then two in 2012, and just one more in 2013 (they were all for various purposes - not just gaming).
This year, I am hoping to not build a single rig, but I don't regret doing it for a second.
Did you jump because of the price drop on Newegg? (I almost did the same thing, though I'd be moving up from a GTX 460).
I did the same thing. Though I can't say I regret the 550ti.
Getting a full sized case. I don't even have enought SATA3 ports on my motherboard to even want to add more hard drives. I think I have like 5 open bays with nothing to even put in them. It just made my case incredibly heavy and sorta ugly.
Yea, I ended up getting an already mid range 560ti for Diablo 3. Sure, I'd like better framerates but I'm just fine with the current performance.
Yea, I ended up getting an already mid range 560ti for Diablo 3. Sure, I'd like better framerates but I'm just fine with the current performance.
KlytusImBored
Member
I switched to a 3570k earlier this year in my new build to replace my old computer with i7 920! It was still going strong!
I keep telling myself to sell the processor on Craigslist or something - gotta get on that. Does anyone still buy those?
TheLetdown
Member
I regret believing the "legendary customer service" myth about Corsair. I regret more that, despite my terrible dealings with them, I proceeded to buy another Corsair PSU.
I regret not RMAing my 560ti immediately when I heard the fan bearing rattle. It sounds like a rusty chainsaw until it gets whirling now.
I regret not RMAing my 560ti immediately when I heard the fan bearing rattle. It sounds like a rusty chainsaw until it gets whirling now.
Calamari41
41 > 38
My only regret was waiting so many years to go SSD-only. It has been an absolute godsend these last ~3 years and I can barely game on consoles anymore because of the loading times alone. The significant improvement in heat and noise are delicious cherries on top.
The storage capacity isn't even an issue, since I have my old HDD hooked up via an enclosure for storage of shit like music that doesn't really benefit from an SSD.
The storage capacity isn't even an issue, since I have my old HDD hooked up via an enclosure for storage of shit like music that doesn't really benefit from an SSD.
Metalmurphy
Member
To be fair, my CPU isn't all that great, it's an i5 750, but I was still expecting to get better performance, even in the less CPU intensive games.
No, I was going for a 280X but they were out of stock and there was a cheap 290 instead so I got that.
Although cheap was still ~100 more.
batman2million
Member
I had at 570 for a good two years till i sold it, got a 280x then released the 290 is only a $100 more. returned it waiting for the non-ref to come out only to be slapped by the litecoin bullshit!
Ended up getting a 780 and I'm loving it!! hopefully this will keep me good for another year or two.
Ended up getting a 780 and I'm loving it!! hopefully this will keep me good for another year or two.
jim2point0
Banned
Obviously everyone has different experiences but what is wrong with Corsair? Or their PSUs?
I've had this for over a year now and it's still doing fine.
Netherscourge
Banned
Everything is going directly through the GPU now.
GDDR5 RAM, FLOPS, physics even.
If you're going to spend a huge chunk of cash, spend it on a top-end video card.
The system CPU and system RAM don't seem to be as crucial anymore.
GDDR5 RAM, FLOPS, physics even.
If you're going to spend a huge chunk of cash, spend it on a top-end video card.
The system CPU and system RAM don't seem to be as crucial anymore.
CrashPrime
Member
I went with 3 21.5" 1080p IPS displays instead of a single 27" 144hz or one of those Korean 30" 1440p IPS displays.
3 monitors are nice and all, and the picture quality is awesome but damn it, I should've just gotten one monitor, as I had a crappy 24" TN panel I could've used for alt-tab stuff along with something much nicer.
The PC itself I put together?
Intel 3570k
Intel 320 120gb SSD
x2 Western Digital 3tb SATA HDDs
x2 MSI 670's (from fellow gaffer BeEatNU/g35twinturbo for a crazy good deal)
MSI Z77 "Big Bang" motherboard, military grade caps son!
16gb (8gb x 2) Samsung 1600mhz Low-profile "miracle ram"
Corsair AX Gold rated PSU
All in a nice big Thermaltake chaser mk-1 full size case with gigantic 200mm exhaust fans on top that cool my Corsair H100i radiator.
This was all put together last year Jan/Feb '13 and so far?
3 monitors are nice and all, and the picture quality is awesome but damn it, I should've just gotten one monitor, as I had a crappy 24" TN panel I could've used for alt-tab stuff along with something much nicer.
The PC itself I put together?
Intel 3570k
Intel 320 120gb SSD
x2 Western Digital 3tb SATA HDDs
x2 MSI 670's (from fellow gaffer BeEatNU/g35twinturbo for a crazy good deal)
MSI Z77 "Big Bang" motherboard, military grade caps son!
16gb (8gb x 2) Samsung 1600mhz Low-profile "miracle ram"
Corsair AX Gold rated PSU
All in a nice big Thermaltake chaser mk-1 full size case with gigantic 200mm exhaust fans on top that cool my Corsair H100i radiator.
This was all put together last year Jan/Feb '13 and so far?
dark_prinny
Banned
Netherscourge
Banned
What kind of CPU do you have? Also, did you do a fresh install of drivers?
Buying a 480 with plans to get another for SLI literally the week before the 580's got a price drop. What really was a kick in the teeth was after that 480's started to become harder and harder to find as their price started to sky rocket whilst 580's started to trickle down. Still all that heat the card dumped out kept the house nice and warm.
Metalmurphy
Member
i5 750, I know it's kinda weak but I still think it wouldn't bottleneck me this much.
And yes.
Well i upgraded my 920 kit last month, lasted me since the thing was released. But i really wanted USB 3.0 and Sata3
I found it really hard to find a proper upgrade because the thing was so good with anything memory related.
http://hydra-media.cursecdn.com/dota2.gamepedia.com/b/b7/Gyro_death_12.mp3
Ok, I lie, I regret getting a TV Tuner card Because I never use the fucking thing.
I might also add that I added paracord on to my cables so it all looks solid white and black with my white R4 case. I accidentally burned a god damn wire doing it for the first time.
I also don't look inside the case anymore so it was by and large a huge pain the ass vanity thing that doesn't even matter to me anymore. For those unsure of what paracording/sleeving your wiring looks like, it ends up being like this.
I also don't look inside the case anymore so it was by and large a huge pain the ass vanity thing that doesn't even matter to me anymore. For those unsure of what paracording/sleeving your wiring looks like, it ends up being like this.
Not much really, I'm happy enough with my i5 3570k and 660TI.
The only real issue I had was with the custom fan I got for my CPU. It's kind of bulky and consequently sits over the left most RAM slot. It isn't an issue for the moment as I only have two RAM sticks anyway, but if I wanted to upgrade it'll cause issues.
The only real issue I had was with the custom fan I got for my CPU. It's kind of bulky and consequently sits over the left most RAM slot. It isn't an issue for the moment as I only have two RAM sticks anyway, but if I wanted to upgrade it'll cause issues.
The heatsink is complete overkill. Fits in my case but I don't over clock. I guess I'll use it in the future when my CPU starts lagging but until then it's really not doing much for my setup.
My MoBo isn't the best either. Should have spent more on MoBo and gotten a normal heatsink. O well, everything I throw at it runs great so I won't care for a while.
*Also regret how half assed I put this computer together w/ no regards to component safety. Everything worked out fine but I could have easily messed something up the way I put it together.
I'm full of regrets. I read impressions of "game changer" things and buy them, only to find out they don't add that much and aren't worth the price IMO.
Sound Blaster Z (sound card)
Steelseries 6g v2 (mechanical keyboard)
Samsung S27B970D (1440p monitor)
Shure SRH750DJ (headphones)
Power & Cooling Mk III 600W PSU (semi-modular PSU)
Sound Blaster Z (sound card)
Steelseries 6g v2 (mechanical keyboard)
Samsung S27B970D (1440p monitor)
Shure SRH750DJ (headphones)
Power & Cooling Mk III 600W PSU (semi-modular PSU)
Betta Lines
Member
Building tiny PCs. I did a Shuttle, and now I'm on a Silverstone SG07. They fit high-end components, but they're a nightmare for cable management and airflow. The only reason I picked the Shuttle was because I was at uni at the time and thought it would be useful for transporting back home between terms. But now I have plenty of room... I still went for a compact case. And when I do another... I'll probably do it again. For the challenge or something.
PoweredBySoy
Banned
Did almost a full rebuild a few months back for my main PC. Used a Fractal ATX, but kind of wish I went with mATX instead, as those builds seem more fun.
I'll live.
I'll live.
Gentleman Jack
Member
Bought a Lian Li aluminum case because I thought the weight savings would be worth it.
The noise made by the rattling panels when powered on outweighed the weight savings. Never again.
The noise made by the rattling panels when powered on outweighed the weight savings. Never again.
Portugeezer
Member
In this thread we talk about what things we regret about how we built our gaming rigs. I'll start first.
i7-3930K CPU @ 3.20GHz
2 TB HDD
Nvidia 3dvison kit
16 gigs of ram
GeForce GTX 580 1.5 GB......
This was almost two years ago. I wish I had sprung for a better card. Or at least one that had more memory than 1.5gb. It is really beginning to show its age when I play some games in 3d now. In retrospect the 16gb of ram and the cpu were probably overkill.
What about you?
