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[Hazaro]

I am thinking of finally selling off my old built PC and buying a new one.

Thinking of buying:
2500k i7
GTX460 Ti
12GB of G.Skills
1TB HDD
80gb or less SSD
Cd/dvd drive


What PSU should I go for? A 650watt corsair? I already got a monitor, keyboard and mouse.

Also, any other recommendations?

System will use <400W load, but they way PSUs are priced out and made you want one of the 550Ws in the OP.

Ive not used nvidia in ages. Whats a good tweaking program for games with their cards? Also what drivers should i be using? im running a 560TI.

nVidia Inspector I think still. Latest drivers.

Hazaro, whenever I have had a question you always make sure to answer.
And it's not just me you help.

I don't know what your occupation is, or what your life is like, but just letting you know from the point of view of a stranger on the internet I think you are a remarkable individual.

The world would be a better place if more people were like you.

Aww, thanks. I think I know a lot about this subject and want to help people get into PC gaming and show they don't have to break the bank to do it.

A lot of it had to do with having a lot of free time earlier and thinking I could improve the OP a bit. I've had less to really work on it and it isn't where I'd like it to be right now.

Warning, long post ahead, but if someone could read this and help me troubleshoot the problem, I'd be eternally grateful. Feel free to skip the history, since it only adds context. I'll describe the current (and similar) problem below.

Hmm.

OCCT has a GPU memory test for nVidia.
Memtest for over 8 hours if you haven't. Then 1 stick at a time for 8 hours.

This happens off a clean install? Redownload the .iso and burn it slow on good media. USB installs I've heard of being iffy.

Okay, I just ordered the parts to build my new PC, just in time for Skyrim. Here is what I'm building it with:

Well going to build my first PC soon and ordering the parts on Friday so here it goes! Just want to make sure I don't screw things up since I'm new to this and get a good deal for my money.

Basic Desktop Questions:
Your Current Specs: Intel Core i3-2100 Sandy Bridge 3.1GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I32100 / G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBSR / ASUS P8Z68-V LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard / EVGA 01G-P3-1370-TR GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card (Pretty much a frankenstein of the $600 and $1000 builds in the OP.)
Budget: Around $700
Main Use: Light Gaming, Gaming, Emulation (PS2/Wii), general usage (Word, Web, 1080p playback)
Monitor Resolution: 1080p no plans to upgrade
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: Last Remnant, Assassin's Creed II, and most things at least decently. (going in pretty blind to what I'll play atm.)
Are reusing any parts?: Nope, only have a laptop ATM.
When will you build?: Going to order the parts on Friday but I'm not in a rush or anything.
Will you be overclocking?: Maybe but it kinda scares me that I'd mess something up.

Look solid, as was said you should upgrade to 2500K for emulation. You can save some money by going with a $110 P67/Z68 mobo instead of the ASUS if you are comfortable with that.
Solid.

Spoiler

Infini-kun

So PC GAF, I have a question. Recently I've been experiencing a problem with my mouse cursor, it for some reason becomes HUGE, as if it's enlarged and is only fixable with a Bios update.

However, I'm not sure if this windows bios update utility is telling me to download the correct version.

Image says to select the correct model name, but my motherboard is a revision of the P55 Model, will I be ok or am I forever cursed with this huge cursor!?

Isn't this similar to the AMD/ATi mouse cursor corruption thing?
Download driver cleaner / driver sweeper run it in safemode following instructions, etc.
Install the newest drivers for your GPU even if you have an nVidia card.

 

[chaosblade]

Not terribly imporant but I'd be willing to upgrade to the Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K from the $1000 build. The price of this all adding up is just scaring me mostly.


Yeah I have those picked out already I just put in the information for the things listed on that form.

-NZXT Source 210 Elite Black Steel with painted interior ATX Mid Tower Computer Case w/ Black Front Trim
-CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
-ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
-SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

$691.93 + $19 shipping - $55 rebate = $655.93

i5 2500k
ASUS P8P67 Rev 3.1
8GB RAM
MSI Hawk GTX460 1GB
NZXT Source 210
Corsair CX430
Cheapest DVD drive w/ shipping

Missing a hard drive, because prices just suck right now. If you could put your laptop HDD in there at least until price settle (could be a while, unfortunately) that could save you some money. Might need a 2.5 to 3.5 adapter for that, doesn't look like the case has SSD mounts. And I don't know what deals are going on with Windows, I think Ultimate Steal is over.

You'll probably also want a CPU cooler for overclocking. Stock could get you to 4GHz if you're lucky, but if it were me I'd be more comfortable with something better. A70 for $24 after rebate is a good deal, but I don't know what will fit in that case.

 

[theRizzle]

How are the stock coolers on the Phenom X4's? I want to get one to upgrade my brother's rig. Assuming I am not planning to OC it, is it sufficient to keep it cool?

 

[chaosblade]

How are the stock coolers on the Phenom X4's? I want to get one to upgrade my brother's rig. Assuming I am not planning to OC it, is it sufficient to keep it cool?

Stock coolers are always fine for stock speeds unless you live in the Sahara or something. The ones that come with Black Edition CPUs are pretty nice in particular since they actually have heatpipes, unlike the standard AMD and Intel stock coolers. They are noisy though.

 

[MikeE21286]

If anyone is in need of a HDD, and in light of recent prices, Best Buy has a 2TB one on sale for $80

2TB Western Digital Caviar Green Internal Serial ATA Hard Drive (Retail) $80 + Free shipping

I'd really only use it for storage, but it's still a good deal.

Comparatively this drive is $149.99 at newegg

 

[Hazaro]

Not sure if the Green's issue with parking head wear is still an issue?

 

[Labombadog]

I just bought an i5 2500k, Asus P8Z68-V LX Motherboard, G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB 1600 RAM.

Planning on using the same case, power supply, and video card (4850). I do plan on upgrading to a much better GPU when I find a great deal on one. Unless I can find one now by somebody's help. I tried looking but to no avail. I have my eye on a GTX560 ti.

 

[BoobPhysics101]

Yesterday I went to exchange my Gigabyte Z68 mobo because of its faulty RAM DIMM slots... fortunately they were out of stock and I ended upgrading to an Asus P8Z68-V for only $5 more! Love Asus.

Anyways, so far I've got a stable overclock of 4.5 Ghz on 1.25 volts, which is only 0.05v more than stock. Wow. :|

 

[reptilescorpio]

Is there any reason to upgrade to a 560Ti from a 460 or would it be best to wait until the next series comes out and pick up the mid range option? Would the 560Ti get a price drop when the next lot get release?

A 560Ti runs about $260 down here in Australia.

 

[Labombadog]

Yesterday I went to exchange my Gigabyte Z68 mobo because of its faulty RAM DIMM slots... fortunately they were out of stock and I ended upgrading to an Asus P8Z68-V for only $5 more! Love Asus.

Anyways, so far I've got a stable overclock of 4.5 Ghz on 1.25 volts, which is only 0.05v more than stock. Wow. :|

Awesome and good news for me since I just picked up this motherboard. Which cpu do you have? im guessing a 2500k?

 

[Omikaru]

You have a Z68 MB so take the video car out and try the onboard video only. If there are no crashes, you know it's the card. In that case, try running the card at normal stock speed. If it's not, could be the HDD.

Tried the on-board video, and the crashes stopped in both Sonic Generations and Deus Ex HR. I haven't extensively tested them due to time constraints, but I got about 35 minutes out of Sonic Generations and then quit to test out DXHR, which I played for over an hour.

Obviously the games don't perform so well on Integrated Graphics, but they work without crashing.

Thanks for this, your advice has pretty much quelled any doubts I had about this being GPU-related, but something else instead.

Hmm.

OCCT has a GPU memory test for nVidia.
Memtest for over 8 hours if you haven't. Then 1 stick at a time for 8 hours.

This happens off a clean install? Redownload the .iso and burn it slow on good media. USB installs I've heard of being iffy.

I'll check out OCCT tomorrow, and I'll run memtest on each stick for about 8 hours just to be 100% sure, but see above. I'm pretty sure it's GPU-related now. Though I will test just to be sure.

I'm convinced it's a bad factory OC on the GPU, but I'm of the view that if it doesn't work on the default settings, it's faulty, so I'm going to RMA it.

Thank you, all the same.

---

Still, this would be hilarious if I didn't have to spend hours of my life diagnosing these problems. In one order, eBuyer have shipped me a confirmed faulty CPU and motherboard, and I suspect a faulty GPU too. Possibly more, depending on how memtest goes.

Utterly ridiculous. Whilst I don't blame them, it seems I got the worst luck with my PC.

 

[MikeE21286]

Not sure if the Green's issue with parking head wear is still an issue?

Yeah, I'm not familiar with the issue so I'm not sure either.

 

[BoobPhysics101]

Is there any reason to upgrade to a 560Ti from a 460 or would it be best to wait until the next series comes out and pick up the mid range option? Would the 560Ti get a price drop when the next lot get release?

A 560Ti runs about $260 down here in Australia.

Just wait and OC the shit out of your 460.

 

[Celcius]

Yesterday I went to exchange my Gigabyte Z68 mobo because of its faulty RAM DIMM slots... fortunately they were out of stock and I ended upgrading to an Asus P8Z68-V for only $5 more! Love Asus.

Anyways, so far I've got a stable overclock of 4.5 Ghz on 1.25 volts, which is only 0.05v more than stock. Wow. :|

Nice, what heatsink are you using on the cpu?

 

[Omikaru]

Is there any reason to upgrade to a 560Ti from a 460 or would it be best to wait until the next series comes out and pick up the mid range option? Would the 560Ti get a price drop when the next lot get release?

A 560Ti runs about $260 down here in Australia.

There's not much of a jump from a 460 to a 560 Ti. According to this article, when the 460 is overclocked so that they're running at the same frequencies, the 560 Ti is 33% faster.

That said, the 460 can be overclocked quite a bit more. Might want to save yourself $260 and see how far you can push your 460, and put that money towards an even better card in the future.

 

[mik]

I'm keen to put a gaming PC in my basement, hooked up to the 54" plasma. I'd like it to be something that can sit next to my gaming consoles and fit in. Is there any reason not to use a case like this:

or this:

as long as I can get some decent cooling going?

 

[mug]

I'm keen to put a gaming PC in my basement, hooked up to the 54" plasma. I'd like it to be something that can sit next to my gaming consoles and fit in. Is there any reason not to use a case like this:

or this:

as long as I can get some decent cooling going?

Well those cases are usually more expensive and can potentially be more difficult to work with. However if you plan things out and make everything fits and includes all of the features you want you're good. If you go the mITX route - boards can be more expensive and lack of expansion options are obvious.

 

[reptilescorpio]

Just wait and OC the shit out of your 460.

There's not much of a jump from a 460 to a 560 Ti. According to this article, when the 460 is overclocked so that they're running at the same frequencies, the 560 Ti is 33% faster.

That said, the 460 can be overclocked quite a bit more. Might want to save yourself $260 and see how far you can push your 460, and put that money towards an even better card in the future.

Awesome thanks guys, I'll look into overclocking it tonight. Have it in a HAF 912 case with a 212+ on the CPU so it should be fine.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

Have it in a HAF 912 case with a 212+ on the CPU so it should be fine.

Not necessarily - keep an eye on your GPU temps if you only have a stock cooler on it, the CPU cooler isn't necessarily going to help it.

 

[Hazaro]

Utterly ridiculous. Whilst I don't blame them, it seems I got the worst luck with my PC.

Also downclock core/shader/mem by 20% and up voltage on your gpu see if you get errors then.

 

[RS4-]

Ugh, I'm back on the eyefinity thing after a friend can grab me some Dell 2407/2408s for about $135.

The thing is, they're 1920x1200, while my current monitors are 1080p, so I was thinking of going 1200 - 1080 - 1200 just to keep things uniform in terms of screen size; since I do have a 23" and 24"

ugh

 

[ColonelColon]

Does anyone know why this would happen in Deus Ex: Human Revolution?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Jr8zzOF1M-8
I've tried switching out every major part of the computer (GPU, PSU, HDD, CPU, MB, RAM), but objects in the game still pop in and out. This computer has other issues as well, like an intermittent framerate stutter in certain games, but this is one of the more obvious graphical issues I've had when playing games.

 

[BoobPhysics101]

Awesome and good news for me since I just picked up this motherboard. Which cpu do you have? im guessing a 2500k?

Yeah, 2500k. Runs cool too: only 55-60c during Battlefield 3. Once I get my new fan controller (NZXT Sentry Mesh), should see my temps drop dramatically since right now my fans are spinning so slowly. I should probably upgrade my fans someday as these are just some CoolerMaster and Rosewill cheapo 120mm's.

Nice, what heatsink are you using on the cpu?

Hyper 212+... I highly recommend it. It's very easy to install, soaks up heat extremely well, and has an excellent design with the ability to mount a 2nd fan for even more heat dissipation. Plus it's dirt cheap, $25 and under.

It's so nice to be back in the world of ridiculously powerful gaming desktops, my gaming laptops were fun but not nearly as satisfying as this monstrous desktop.

 

[InfiniteNine]

Look solid, as was said you should upgrade to 2500K for emulation. You can save some money by going with a $110 P67/Z68 mobo instead of the ASUS if you are comfortable with that.
Solid.

Alright thanks. <3 That saves me a little so that is awesome.

Spoiler

Infini-kun

Oh my. *blush*

$691.93 + $19 shipping - $55 rebate = $655.93

i5 2500k
ASUS P8P67 Rev 3.1
8GB RAM
MSI Hawk GTX460 1GB
NZXT Source 210
Corsair CX430
Cheapest DVD drive w/ shipping

Missing a hard drive, because prices just suck right now. If you could put your laptop HDD in there at least until price settle (could be a while, unfortunately) that could save you some money. Might need a 2.5 to 3.5 adapter for that, doesn't look like the case has SSD mounts. And I don't know what deals are going on with Windows, I think Ultimate Steal is over.

You'll probably also want a CPU cooler for overclocking. Stock could get you to 4GHz if you're lucky, but if it were me I'd be more comfortable with something better. A70 for $24 after rebate is a good deal, but I don't know what will fit in that case.

Thanks! That brings the computer down to a more manageable price for me.

Yeah, I'd probably just want to know which is good to use for now since I've had problems with externals from both WD and Seagate so I'm not sure which brand or HDD model to go with.

Got this one picked out CPU cooler wise: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065 Which I'm sure will fit.

 

[BoobPhysics101]

Alright thanks. <3 That saves me a little so that is awesome.


Oh my. *blush*


Thanks! That brings the computer down to a more manageable price for me.

Yeah, I'd probably just want to know which is good to use for now since I've had problems with externals from both WD and Seagate so I'm not sure which brand or HDD model to go with.

Got this one picked out CPU cooler wise: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065 Which I'm sure will fit.

Are you near Microcenter? You can cut a solid $60-100 off that total if you go there to buy a 2500k + mobo.

 

[Spayro]

I have a brand new PC, and have been noticing something weird:
It was working fine up until this morning, when I noticed ever-so-slight drops in framerate/stutters, I don't really know how to describe it. but it happens everywhere: when I play videogames, watch movies, whatever.
It's really annoying, and I have no idea what's causing this. I have a GTX 570, i7-2600k, and 8 gigs of RAM. Is it the drivers? I'm really lost.

 

[InfiniteNine]

Are you near Microcenter? You can cut a solid $60-100 off that total if you go there to buy a 2500k + mobo.

Nope, looks like the nearest ones in Texas are in Dallas and Houston. I live in Austin so that blows.

 

[Hazaro]

Yeah, I'd probably just want to know which is good to use for now since I've had problems with externals from both WD and Seagate so I'm not sure which brand or HDD model to go with.

Got this one picked out CPU cooler wise: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065 Which I'm sure will fit.

Samsung, WD Black, WD Blue, Seagate imo
Grab one locally since they might not have price adjusted.

List from chaos is good too, saves some money I think.

 

[Labombadog]

Yeah, 2500k. Runs cool too: only 55-60c during Battlefield 3. Once I get my new fan controller (NZXT Sentry Mesh), should see my temps drop dramatically since right now my fans are spinning so slowly. I should probably upgrade my fans someday as these are just some CoolerMaster and Rosewill cheapo 120mm's.



Hyper 212+... I highly recommend it. It's very easy to install, soaks up heat extremely well, and has an excellent design with the ability to mount a 2nd fan for even more heat dissipation. Plus it's dirt cheap, $25 and under.

It's so nice to be back in the world of ridiculously powerful gaming desktops, my gaming laptops were fun but not nearly as satisfying as this monstrous desktop.

Thanks for the reply. And I agree with that feeling of finally having an enthusiast pc. It's such a great feeling. LOL

 

[Varna]

About to make the jump to SSD (putting in my credit card info as we speak) and I'm still a little confused as to how people get the most about of these. They are low capacity (getting a 120GB) so basically only essential programs on it... Everything else on standard HDDs?

 

[InfiniteNine]

Any sales that might be coming up soon? After doing the math I can still get that computer but it would require me not eating for a week or two.

Edit: Actually looking through things it would leave me with about $30 free for the next month... factoring in rent and medical bills. Maybe I should drop the processor back to the i3 for now.

 

[BoobPhysics101]

About to make the jump to SSD (putting in my credit card info as we speak) and I'm still a little confused as to how people get the most about of these. They are low capacity (getting a 120GB) so basically only essential programs on it... Everything else on standard HDDs?

OS and games on SSD, everything else on big storage HDD's. I recommend the Crucial M4, a recent firmware upgrade increased performance by 20%. A friend of mine was hitting 570 MB/s read speed with his. Really nice.

 

[Varna]

OS and games on SSD, everything else on big storage HDD's. I recommend the Crucial M4, a recent firmware upgrade increased performance by 20%. A friend of mine was hitting 570 MB/s read speed with his. Really nice.

I thought it would be tougher... but already looking at my storage... 220GBs. Should be easy to stay within range. I have plenty of steam games installed that I don't touch. Do SSDs start running crappy when running low on capacity?

 

[Wolf Akela]

I thought it would be tougher... but already looking at my storage... 220GBs. Should be easy to stay within range. I have plenty of steam games installed that I don't touch. Do SSDs start running crappy when running low on capacity?

Not at all. SSDs also shrug off any effect of file fragmentation.

 

[BoobPhysics101]

I thought it would be tougher... but already looking at my storage... 220GBs. Should be easy to stay within range. I have plenty of steam games installed that I don't touch. Do SSDs start running crappy when running low on capacity?

Yes, SSD's will slow down if they get too low. Best to keep them above 20% full.

 

[CoolS]

Yay, my HDD just arrived. The last one at 750GB I could find that was decently priced.
Now I just have to wait till I can pick up my CPU and my mainboard.

And I have a question concerning my PSU. Which way should I install it, blowing fresh air into the system or sucking the air out? My Xigmatek Midgard has a dust filter for the PSU, so that shouldn't be the problem. I also have two fans in the case, one at the front bottom and on at the rear top. I don't wanna mess up the airflow with the PSU.

 

[mrklaw]

I'm keen to put a gaming PC in my basement, hooked up to the 54" plasma. I'd like it to be something that can sit next to my gaming consoles and fit in. Is there any reason not to use a case like this:

or this:

as long as I can get some decent cooling going?

not at all. I use a silverstone LC17 and its very discreet. But enough space for a few low noise case fans. 2500k/6950 in there and I can only hear it if the room is quiet. Gets a little noisy when the 6950 ramps up though.

 

[LordCanti]

Any sales that might be coming up soon? After doing the math I can still get that computer but it would require me not eating for a week or two.

Edit: Actually looking through things it would leave me with about $30 free for the next month... factoring in rent and medical bills. Maybe I should drop the processor back to the i3 for now.

A new computer might not be the best idea right now, given the bold lines.

Heck, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday coming up, I wouldn't suggest that anyone spend a lot of money right now.

 

[InfiniteNine]

A new computer might not be the best idea right now, given the bold lines.

Heck, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday coming up, I wouldn't suggest that anyone spend a lot of money right now.

Turns out I did my math wrong with something and I have about $700 left over for next month. Still kinda low on food until I get paid again the week following this one but I made compromises in my build to even things out so I'm good to go! (Found an old SATA HDD to use for now as well.)

I'd wait for Black Friday or whatever if I was a patient person but I'm more looking forward to having a decent running computer for once.

 

[Treechopper]

Ok PC-Gaf I have multiple questions.

-My monitor is an old VIZIO 22" tv with 1080p. It does a decent job but I want to upgrade to a LED monitor that is at least 24". What is the best I can get or what are my options in this regard? I would like to spend around $200 or less. I'm willing to go up to $300 though if you can really convince me I need it.

-I would like to upgrade my speakers as well. This may be a question better placed elsewhere but any suggestions? I would rather go with a high-quality 2.1 setup than a decent 5.1.

-Is it worth it to splurge on a $120 case over a $50 one? What are the benefits of more expensive cases?

Thanks for any and all responses!

 

[mug]

-I would like to upgrade my speakers as well. This may be a question better placed elsewhere but any suggestions? I would rather go with a high-quality 2.1 setup than a decent 5.1.

What's your price range? A lot of people on gaf, including myself, bought these: http://www.theaudioinsider.com/product_info.php?p=swan-m10&products_id=89

 

[BoobPhysics101]

Ok PC-Gaf I have multiple questions.

-My monitor is an old VIZIO 22" tv with 1080p. It does a decent job but I want to upgrade to a LED monitor that is at least 24". What is the best I can get or what are my options in this regard? I would like to spend around $200 or less. I'm willing to go up to $300 though if you can really convince me I need it.

-I would like to upgrade my speakers as well. This may be a question better placed elsewhere but any suggestions? I would rather go with a high-quality 2.1 setup than a decent 5.1.

-Is it worth it to splurge on a $120 case over a $50 one? What are the benefits of more expensive cases?

Thanks for any and all responses!

1. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236059

There you go, it's 23" but it's 1080p and only $140 after rebate and promo code.

Or for $199 you can get this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049

They both have incredibly low input lag and great response time. Awesome for gaming.

3. No, just spend $50-70 on something like a CM HAF 912 or 922. I have a 912 that I got for $55 and it's pretty incredible. I wouldn't have been happier splurging for extra on a bigger case.

What's your price range? A lot of people on gaf, including myself, bought these: http://www.theaudioinsider.com/product_info.php?p=swan-m10&products_id=89

Wow... just what I've been looking for. Do want... :|

Edit: $50 for shipping? Fuck that. Amazon doesn't have 'em either...

Ah, but Lockware has 'em for $119 + $20 shipping.. hm.

 

[Treechopper]

What's your price range? A lot of people on gaf, including myself, bought these: http://www.theaudioinsider.com/produ...products_id=89

About the same as the monitor range. Around $200 would be great but I can go higher if there is an exceptional jump in quality.

1. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824236059

There you go, it's 23" but it's 1080p and only $140 after rebate and promo code.

Or for $199 you can get this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824236049

They both have incredibly low input lag and great response time. Awesome for gaming.

Thanks for the response but those aren't LED. Are these better than comparable LED monitors?

 

[BoobPhysics101]

About the same as the monitor range. Around $200 would be great but I can go higher if there is an exceptional jump in quality.


Thanks for the response but those aren't LED. Are these better than comparable LED monitors?

Yes... do not be fooled by LED as a marketing catchphrase. It's simply a different way of providing a backlight. And those Asus' monitors provide some of the lowest input lag out of any monitors you can buy today, period. If you're gaming on a monitor, they're what you want.

 

[Hazaro]

Turns out I did my math wrong with something and I have about $700 left over for next month. Still kinda low on food until I get paid again the week following this one but I made compromises in my build to even things out so I'm good to go! (Found an old SATA HDD to use for now as well.)

I'd wait for Black Friday or whatever if I was a patient person but I'm more looking forward to having a decent running computer for once.

Honestly if you are tight for money I'd buy a used CPU, PSU, RAM, and Case off a tech forum. Those are pretty foolproof to buy used if they are made recently.
New mobo, GPU, DVD drive.

 

[Treechopper]

Yes... do not be fooled by LED as a marketing catchphrase. It's simply a different way of providing a backlight. And those Asus' monitors provide some of the lowest input lag out of any monitors you can buy today, period. If you're gaming on a monitor, they're what you want.

Alright, thanks for the help! I'll return when I have more questions/can better contribute.

 

[TheExodu5]

I feel really bad for anyone that has to buy a hard drive at the moment. Ouch at those prices.

Also, my motherboard shipping status is only at "arrived at sorting facility". 2 weeks tomorrow. 2 weeks since I initiated this advanced RMA process. I'm really pissed at myself for not going out and buying a motherboard. I'm very close to just saying "fuck it" and going to pick one up anyways. I will just feel bad as I've waited this long already...what's another few days? But hell, it's probably going to bite me in the ass and I won't be getting the motherboard for another few weeks now.

Never again, Gigabyte. Never again.

 

[Xdrive05]

Any consensus on when the harddrive prices should normalize back to where they were before?

Also, does this affect SSD?

 

[LordCanti]

Any consensus on when the harddrive prices should normalize back to where they were before?

Also, does this affect SSD?

Unless SSD factories were flooded (I don't think they were) I don't see why it would. SSD's are priced the same as they've always been.

Hoping for some $1 per GB deals on 120gb models for BF or CM. Will probably settle for a $1 per GB deal on a 64gb model.

 

[InfiniteNine]

Honestly if you are tight for money I'd buy a used CPU, PSU, RAM, and Case off a tech forum. Those are pretty foolproof to buy used if they are made recently.
New mobo, GPU, DVD drive.

Nah, I'm good now. I need to remember to check my math and factor everything in more often. I'd be more comfortable getting everything new anyways.

I feel really bad for anyone that has to buy a hard drive at the moment. Ouch at those prices.

Also, my motherboard shipping status is only at "arrived at sorting facility". 2 weeks tomorrow. 2 weeks since I initiated this advanced RMA process. I'm really pissed at myself for not going out and buying a motherboard. I'm very close to just saying "fuck it" and going to pick one up anyways. I will just feel bad as I've waited this long already...what's another few days? But hell, it's probably going to bite me in the ass and I won't be getting the motherboard for another few weeks now.

Never again, Gigabyte. Never again.

*changes mobo selection*