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[woo and indeed hoo]

Some shops (at least in europe) have the option to assemble the components you choose into a build. So that way you can enjoy the cheaper components but dont have the hassle of building it yourself.

Oh, that might be the way to go then if the Dino PC deal is not advisable. Thanks .

UK based then, Where abouts are you? Which Dino PC one have you looked at?

This is the one that has me moist:

http://www.dinopc.com/shop/pc/Velociraptor-i5-3450-Package-93p1454.htm

I'm really looking for a pc that will serve me well for the next 3-5 years, or so. I've never been a pc gamer but would like to dip my toe into the water, if even at low-mid settings. This deal pretty much ticks all the boxes for me although I'd ask them to install Windows 7 instead of 8 and would ask them to leave out the keyboard and mouse as I don't need those. Other than perhaps upgrading the case and installing a CPU cooler [more for quiet than anything else] I like this build very much. From googling I think I can manage any other upgrades myself such as adding a PCI card, more RAM, a Blu Ray drive and so on.

Oh and I'm on the Norfolk coast incidentally, about as easterly as you can get in the country more or less.

 

[derder]

Wait, powerline adapters plug into electrical outlets and somehow get internet through that?


....how?

You modulate above the 60 Hz AC power. 60 Hz is very slow. You just use a Low-pass filter and the only thing left is your ethernet traffic+noise.

At least, that's how I would draw the engineering black boxes.

 

[kharma45]

Wow. That's an incredible price for that. Seeing as I spent somewhere close to 900 for 3570k + gtx670 this is a steal.

Yeah he needs to buy it lol could almost flip it on for a profit.

Oh, that might be the way to go then if the Dino PC deal is not advisable. Thanks .



This is the one that has me moist:

http://www.dinopc.com/shop/pc/Velociraptor-i5-3450-Package-93p1454.htm

I'm really looking for a pc that will serve me well for the next 3-5 years, or so. I've never been a pc gamer but would like to dip my toe into the water, if even at low-mid settings. This deal pretty much ticks all the boxes for me although I'd ask them to install Windows 7 instead of 8 and would ask them to leave out the keyboard and mouse as I don't need those. Other than perhaps upgrading the case and installing a CPU cooler [more for quiet than anything else] I like this build very much. From googling I think I can manage any other upgrades myself such as adding a PCI card, more RAM, a Blu Ray drive and so on.

Oh and I'm on the Norfolk coast incidentally, about as easterly as you can get in the country more or less.

Ah damn, if you were Northern Ireland (as unlikely as it was gonna be) I was going to offer to build for you.

I'm going to be a dick and use PC Partpicker to give you an idea of what you could get if you build yourself, and then look at other pre-builds for you too. Building yourself isn't hard, it's just a matter of confidence tbh.

 

[woo and indeed hoo]

Ah damn, if you were Northern Ireland (as unlikely as it was gonna be) I was going to offer to build for you.

That's uncommonly kind of you sir; thank you . How ironic that we're almost as far from each other as it is possible to be whilst still within the same nation!

I'm going to be a dick and use PC Partpicker to give you an idea of what you could get if you build yourself, and then look at other pre-builds for you too. Building yourself isn't hard, it's just a matter of confidence tbh.

There's nothing wrong with dick! Um...

Thank you; I would appreciate that . Although I should say that I don't mind paying a premium over what it would cost to put it all together myself as that is a project I just don't wish to tackle right now, for reasons I won't bore you with.

 

[kharma45]

That's uncommonly kind of you sir; thank you . How ironic that we're almost as far from each other as it is possible to be whilst still within the same nation!

There's nothing wrong with dick! Um...

Thank you; I would appreciate that . Although I should say that I don't mind paying a premium over what it would cost to put it all together myself as that is a project I just don't wish to tackle right now, for reasons I won't bore you with.

In that case I shall stick to pre-built machines for you.

 

[woo and indeed hoo]

In that case I shall stick to pre-built machines for you.

Thank you . Should I specify more precisely what I wish to do with it?

 

[kharma45]

Yes please do.

 

[woo and indeed hoo]

Yes please do.

Heh, thought that might help .

Well as per the OP:

5 - General Usage (Word, Web, 1080p playback)
3 - HD Streaming
3 - Gaming
3 - Light Gaming
3 - Emulation (Wii)
3 - Video Editing
0 - 3D/Model work

So nothing too outrageously demanding from a spec sense really.

 

[Frostburn]

Come on Nvidia 7XX series, I don't care of its a re-brand at this point. My GTX 570 is too noisy and I have been lusting after a 670 since it launched but couldn't' justify the cost. Since prices have held much steadier then expected due to the game bundles and lack of new SKUs I decided to wait a few months back and now that some details are leaking I can't wait!

 

[derder]

So I've decided to merge my HTPC and Server into one beast. The problem I have is cabinet space. I need:
1. 8x 3.5" HDDs to fit into a
2. 22"H x 8.8"W x 22"D space
3. Proper Airflow
4. Quiet
5. Pretty

I'm pretty much limited by symmetry and the 8.8" Width which becomes height.
The corsair 550d would fit but only leave 0.1" for airflow.

 

[kharma45]

Heh, thought that might help .

Well as per the OP:

5 - General Usage (Word, Web, 1080p playback)
3 - HD Streaming
3 - Gaming
3 - Light Gaming
3 - Emulation (Wii)
3 - Video Editing
0 - 3D/Model work

So nothing too outrageously demanding from a spec sense really.

Is £750 a hard budget for you, any flexibility? I presume from that PC you linked you need a monitor?

 

[woo and indeed hoo]

Is £750 a hard budget for you, any flexibility? I presume from that PC you linked you need a monitor?

Well to be honest £750 is more than I'd really like to spend. i has £569 from my piggy bank fund [ya rly] and could stretch to about £750 or so by just being prudent with my disposable income for a couple of months thereafter. I could justify going up to £800 if it involved upgrades that would make for a quieter machine though. My current pc fan has just kicked off and I don't mind admitting that I'm finding the noise rather tiresome. I do need a monitor as I'm currently rocking a second hand 15" non widescreen monitor. So if I'm going to do it I might as well do it right, no?

 

[kharma45]

Well to be honest £750 is more than I'd really like to spend. i has £569 from my piggy bank fund [ya rly] and could stretch to about £750 or so by just being prudent with my disposable income for a couple of months thereafter. I could justify going up to £800 if it involved upgrades that would make for a quieter machine though. My current pc fan has just kicked off and I don't mind admitting that I'm finding the noise rather tiresome. I do need a monitor as I'm currently rocking a second hand 15" non widescreen monitor. So if I'm going to do it I might as well do it right, no?

I would agree. I'll make sure to not go over £800, was just wondering how much wiggle room there was.

 

[woo and indeed hoo]

I would agree. I'll make sure to not go over £800, was just wondering how much wiggle room there was.

Thanks .

I as trying to think of an amusing comment in respect of 'wiggle' but I can't so please just pretend I said something hilarious at this point.

Thanks.

 

[Visualante2]

nvm

 

[kharma45]

Thanks .

I as trying to think of an amusing comment in respect of 'wiggle' but I can't so please just pretend I said something hilarious at this point.

Thanks.

I'm having a hard time beating that one you linked for pre-built machines. I'd upgrade the GPU in it to a 650 Ti Boost though.

 

[Ty4on]

So I've decided to merge my HTPC and Server into one beast. The problem I have is cabinet space. I need:
1. 8x 3.5" HDDs to fit into a
2. 22"H x 8.8"W x 22"D space
3. Proper Airflow
4. Quiet
5. Pretty

I'm pretty much limited by symmetry and the 8.8" Width which becomes height.
The corsair 550d would fit but only leave 0.1" for airflow.

If only it had been six drives the Node 304 would've been perfect. 8.2 inches wide.

Otherwise there seems to be some fitting tower cases like the Source 210 Elite which can fit 8 3.5's and is less than 20x8x20. May need some fans for the HDDs though, but it's super cheap.

 

[Orlandu84]

A friend of mine just called and asked me to help him build a pc tonight! He wants to buy the parts online after we get done with work. I had previously told him that I would help build a pc if he ever wanted to do so, but i did not expect that he would want to do it right away. Anyways, I basically followed Hazzaro's PC Builds for my parts list but will have to pick up a monitor and keyboard as well.

Current Specs: An old laptop
Budget: $1200-$1500
Monitor Resolution: 1920 by 1080
Main Use: Gaming and internet
When we will build: ordering tonight or tomorrow and built by end of month
No overclocking

My initial parts list

Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 Quad-Core Desktop Processor
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX Intel Motherboard
CORSAIR Vengeance LP 8GB RAM
MSI GeForce GTX 660 Ti
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO
COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black Computer Case
SeaSonic M12II 650 SS-650AM 650W
ASUS 24X DVD Burner
ASUS Xonar DGX Gaming Audio Card
Western Digital WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB
Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

I can get the above for about $1157 at Newegg. Any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks for your help.

 

[woo and indeed hoo]

I'm having a hard time beating that one you linked for pre-built machines. I'd upgrade the GPU in it to a 650 Ti Boost though.

Thanks .

Well that would take me to the top of my budget i.e. £800 ish.

May I ask if you have any firm thoughts on whether I should upgrade any elements to reduce noise? Or perhaps I should just bite the bullet and go with this deal, see how noisy it is in general use and add a CPU fan, extra cooling later on once I've saved up?

 

[kami_sama]

I have one friend that wants to buy a PC in September. Haswell will be out then, right?

 

[Addnan]

I have one friend that wants to buy a PC in September. Haswell will be out then, right?

Yeah, out next month.

 

[zeelman]

I thought my outdated Realtek Network Adapter drivers were causing my freezing issue while web browsing and downloading, but it just happened again with the latest drivers as well.

i5 3570K (Currently at stock settings)
ASUS P8Z77-V LK (BIOS 0908 11/16/2012)
A-Data 2x 4GB PC3-10700 Memory (from my old computer)
PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk III Series 600W
EVGA GTX 660 2GB
OS is on a Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB Harddrive. I have a 500GB Hitachi Harddrive for FRAPS/HD PVR videos, and a 1 TB Seagate Barracuda for file storage.

Memtest86+ had no issues with my memory, and the harddrives are fine. Should I try updating the motherboard drivers next? Do I just put that in the root directory of my flash drive and install via the bios? The motherboard updater programs keep telling me I don't have an ASUS motherboard, so I can't use that.

 

[Demon Ice]

Magic.

Spoiler

Powerline networking makes use of cabling that is already present in every house – the mains electrical circuit. Electrical power is supplied and distributed around your house at 50Hz. However, it’s possible to superimpose higher frequencies that can carry data, similar to the way that our humble phone wiring can be made to carry broadband ADSL signals. Powerline technology takes advantage of this unused bandwidth of the electrical wiring in the home to create a network. The powerline device plugs into the power socket and draws electricity for the device. At the same time, it sends data signals down the power circuit. A second powerline device can then be plugged into any other socket on the same electrical circuit to receive the signal.

That...does sound suspiciously like magic.

 

[Koroviev]

I thought my outdated Realtek Network Adapter drivers were causing my freezing issue while web browsing and downloading, but it just happened again with the latest drivers as well.

i5 3570K (Currently at stock settings)
ASUS P8Z77-V LK (BIOS 0908 11/16/2012)
A-Data 2x 4GB PC3-10700 Memory (from my old computer)
PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk III Series 600W
EVGA GTX 660 2GB
OS is on a Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB Harddrive. I have a 500GB Hitachi Harddrive for FRAPS/HD PVR videos, and a 1 TB Seagate Barracuda for file storage.

Memtest86+ had no issues with my memory, and the harddrives are fine. Should I try updating the motherboard drivers next? Do I just put that in the root directory of my flash drive and install via the bios? The motherboard updater programs keep telling me I don't have an ASUS motherboard, so I can't use that.

Are you using Firefox? I only experienced that issue when using the vanilla version. Haven't had any comparable issues with Waterfox.

 

[zeelman]

Yeah, I'm using Firefox. I guess I could try Waterfox.

Just had a fun time trying to update my motherboard drivers. It updated successfully, and then it proceeded to corrupt my boot file. Thankfully putting in my Windows 7 disc and repairing the installation fixed it.

 

[bro1]

Yeah, I'm using Firefox. I guess I could try Waterfox.

Just had a fun time trying to update my motherboard drivers. It updated successfully, and then it proceeded to corrupt my boot file. Thankfully putting in my Windows 7 disc and repairing the installation fixed it.

You could have a bad hard drive. Try doing a fresh install. Also, is your bios updated?

 

[sazabirules]

I'd get a bigger ps, win8 and this video card. Shouldn't add more than $100 or so.

If you aren't going to overclock, then you can get a motherboard with less features and cheaper ram, and save some money there.

I'm about to build and looking at a similar setup.

I followed your suggestions and the total came to $1080. I think I'll eventually get a heatsink if I do decide to OC. How does my build look now?

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($109.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($125.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($289.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec Basiq Plus 550W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($69.54 @ Outlet PC)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.96 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1080.40
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-13 15:07 EDT-0400)

 

[CaptainZombie]

Not sure yet. What kinds of stuff and how much do I need to spend to play modern games on Ultra settings? It would also be nice if it was a little bit future proof too. Thanks.

How much are you looking to spend is the question?

 

[t-ramp]

I helped a friend pick out some parts for a PC last night. Mostly followed the Enhanced build in the OP. Other than the lack of a SSD, which he didn't seem particulary keen on and I didn't feel like forcing the issue, it should be decent, I hope.

i5-3570K
ASRock Z77 Pro4
G.Skill Ripjaws 8GB DDR3
Seagate Barracuda 2TB
ASUS 7850 2GB
Rosewill Challenger
Antec BP550
ASUS DVD burner
CM Hyper 212 EVO
ASUS 21.5" monitor

 

[zeelman]

You could have a bad hard drive. Try doing a fresh install. Also, is your bios updated?

I just built this computer about two weeks ago. The OS is on a brand new harddrive. I tested it with CrystalDiscInfo. Since its a Western Digital hard drive, I used their diagnostic tool and no issues were detected.

 

[MMBosstones86]

I helped a friend pick out some parts for a PC last night. Mostly followed the Enhanced build in the OP. Other than the lack of a SSD, which he didn't seem particulary keen on and I didn't feel like forcing the issue, it should be decent, I hope.

what were his reasons against the SSD? Probably the best part i've bought for mine.

 

[knitoe]

Yeah, I'm using Firefox. I guess I could try Waterfox.

Just had a fun time trying to update my motherboard drivers. It updated successfully, and then it proceeded to corrupt my boot file. Thankfully putting in my Windows 7 disc and repairing the installation fixed it.

Usually, after updating the bios, it will reset your settings. Changing 2 things, device boot order and AHCI <=> EIDE, would cause Windows boot error. Thus, you need to change it back in the bios.

 

[Hazaro]

A friend of mine just called and asked me to help him build a pc tonight! He wants to buy the parts online after we get done with work. I had previously told him that I would help build a pc if he ever wanted to do so, but i did not expect that he would want to do it right away. Anyways, I basically followed Hazzaro's PC Builds for my parts list but will have to pick up a monitor and keyboard as well.

Current Specs: An old laptop
Budget: $1200-$1500
Monitor Resolution: 1920 by 1080
Main Use: Gaming and internet
When we will build: ordering tonight or tomorrow and built by end of month
No overclocking

My initial parts list

Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 Quad-Core Desktop Processor
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX Intel Motherboard
CORSAIR Vengeance LP 8GB RAM
MSI GeForce GTX 660 Ti
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO
COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black Computer Case
SeaSonic M12II 650 SS-650AM 650W
ASUS 24X DVD Burner
ASUS Xonar DGX Gaming Audio Card
Western Digital WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB
Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

I can get the above for about $1157 at Newegg. Any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks for your help.

Super solid. It's probably not a giant deal for your friend, but waiting for Haswell launch in the first week of June will get them a newer socket and a lower power draw + a 5% faster machine.
Amazon is better than Newegg now imo. I'd buy there what you can first.

I helped a friend pick out some parts for a PC last night. Mostly followed the Enhanced build in the OP. Other than the lack of a SSD, which he didn't seem particulary keen on and I didn't feel like forcing the issue, it should be decent, I hope.

i5-3570K
ASRock Z77 Pro4
G.Skill Ripjaws 8GB DDR3
Seagate Barracuda 2TB
ASUS 7850 2GB
Rosewill Challenger
Antec BP550
ASUS DVD burner
CM Hyper 212 EVO
ASUS 21.5" monitor

SSD is the largest upgrade one can do. He just doesn't know.
Same advice as above, but solid build.

 

[kharma45]

Thanks .

Well that would take me to the top of my budget i.e. £800 ish.

May I ask if you have any firm thoughts on whether I should upgrade any elements to reduce noise? Or perhaps I should just bite the bullet and go with this deal, see how noisy it is in general use and add a CPU fan, extra cooling later on once I've saved up?

For noise reduction a good case can work wonders, as can a good PSU. For aftermarket things it'd be the CPU cooler yeah, and replacing case fans with quieter ones.

 

[Infinite Justice]

I helped a friend pick out some parts for a PC last night. Mostly followed the Enhanced build in the OP. Other than the lack of a SSD, which he didn't seem particulary keen on and I didn't feel like forcing the issue, it should be decent, I hope.

Get one even if its a 64gb imo, seriously

 

[M3z_]

If you are making a new rig on a lower budget and have never used a SSD I think it is totally wise to forgo a SSD to invest more into your graphics card. You can always buy a SSD down the road when you have gotten some more money, but if you are on a budget you are probably going to be stuck with whatever graphics card you pick for awhile so get the best you can.

 

[mkenyon]

I've hashed over this with other members, but I'd rather spend $80 on a 128GB SSD on sale than have an HDD of any size with no SSD.

With everything so cloud/streaming based, I've been totally fine using my test bench as my main system over the last month with a single 128GB SSD. Yeah, I've had to delete games, but meh. That speed and quickness is essential to my computing experience.

 

[brentech]

I've hashed over this with other members, but I'd rather spend $80 on a 128GB SSD on sale than have an HDD of any size with no SSD.

With everything so cloud/streaming based, I've been totally fine using my test bench as my main system over the last month with a single 128GB SSD. Yeah, I've had to delete games, but meh. That speed and quickness is essential to my computing experience.

I'll never go back. It makes using my laptop feel like a crime. I need to replace it now.

 

[Infinite Justice]

I've hashed over this with other members, but I'd rather spend $80 on a 128GB SSD on sale than have an HDD of any size with no SSD.

With everything so cloud/streaming based, I've been totally fine using my test bench as my main system over the last month with a single 128GB SSD. Yeah, I've had to delete games, but meh. That speed and quickness is essential to my computing experience.

I recently saw a Windows 8 machine booting up with just a HDD and that shit seemed like it went on forever :O

 

[chuckddd]

I followed your suggestions and the total came to $1080. I think I'll eventually get a heatsink if I do decide to OC. How does my build look now?

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($109.98 @ Outlet PC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.98 @ Outlet PC)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($125.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($289.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec Basiq Plus 550W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($69.54 @ Outlet PC)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.96 @ Outlet PC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1080.40
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-05-13 15:07 EDT-0400)

Thumbs up. That deal on the 7950 expired, so if you want to, get a mid range card and just upgrade it in 18 months or so. I'd also go ahead and drop the $30 on a heat sink/fan. Even if you aren't overclocking, it's worth the minimal price as a protection on an investment, imo.

 

[M3z_]

I've hashed over this with other members, but I'd rather spend $80 on a 128GB SSD on sale than have an HDD of any size with no SSD.

With everything so cloud/streaming based, I've been totally fine using my test bench as my main system over the last month with a single 128GB SSD. Yeah, I've had to delete games, but meh. That speed and quickness is essential to my computing experience.

You have multiple PC's though, if you need to store media like hi def video or music 128GB(minus formatting space and minus OS) is incredibly small for a system that isn't going to be used for only games/browsing/word processing. Also if you are someone on a budget where you are having to make these kinds of decisions you probably have never experienced an SSD otherwise you would pull the one out of your old rig. If the main purpose of your machine is gaming you should always get the best graphics card that is reasonable for your system, especially when you don't necessarily have the budget to upgrade your graphics card regularly. SSD's go on sale all the time so settling for something like a 7870/GTX 660 when you could of had a 7950/660ti just bites you in the long run. Maybe 2-3 months go by and you save up $80 to top off your rig, if you waited on the SSD you can get one when they go on sale, if you committed to the SSD early that extra cash isn't going to help you upgrade your graphics card since you will take a loss on selling your old one.

 

[mhayze]

Well to be honest £750 is more than I'd really like to spend. i has £569 from my piggy bank fund [ya rly] and could stretch to about £750 or so by just being prudent with my disposable income for a couple of months thereafter. I could justify going up to £800 if it involved upgrades that would make for a quieter machine though. My current pc fan has just kicked off and I don't mind admitting that I'm finding the noise rather tiresome. I do need a monitor as I'm currently rocking a second hand 15" non widescreen monitor. So if I'm going to do it I might as well do it right, no?

I don't usually recommend waiting for the next generation of CPU, because who knows if it will be delayed, not have issues, etc. However, in your case, it may not be a bad idea. Intel's next CPU - "Haswell" or the 4th generation Core i3/i5/i7, should be about as fast with integrated graphics as a low-mid range GPU, so you could start with just a Haswell and then add a GPU next year, without any extra parts to dispose of. In your budget range, that would free up some capital. Alternatively, you could build a PC with an AMD cpu, which already has a semi-decent GPU, and probably better GPU drivers that Haswell will have in the first 6 months of it's existence.

 

[mkenyon]

I have a ton of super high bitrate Spotify songs on there, but honestly, if you have a *need* for storing HD Video, it's very likely that you already have a storage device for that. If you haven't yet started converting your media to digital rips, I'd rather wait a month or so until you can afford an HDD. Meanwhile you get an SSD.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

Any advice if you want to use mini hdmi to output from a video card? The wire is just too heavy for that small connector and it just keeps breaking the shell of the connector off of the wiring. :/

 

[Ty4on]

I've hashed over this with other members, but I'd rather spend $80 on a 128GB SSD on sale than have an HDD of any size with no SSD.

With everything so cloud/streaming based, I've been totally fine using my test bench as my main system over the last month with a single 128GB SSD. Yeah, I've had to delete games, but meh. That speed and quickness is essential to my computing experience.

I'm surprised at how well I'm living with a 256GB SSD. I went from a 250GB HDD, but finding stuff to delete (how big various folders were) on that 5400RPM (lol) drive was really slow, but on my 830 it takes 2 seconds. Looking up files doesn't take any time at all and of course the boot is a challenge between my computer and my screen.

Only problem is deleting games because my internet isn't very fast when I need to reinstall them, but sooner or later another SSD will join it. Really want to give an SSD as a gift to like my mom/dad, but I feel it's a strange gift and still kind of expensive

 

[AndyBNV]

I use a SSD cache drive paired with my mechanical 2TB with all my games on. Not quite as quick as pure SSD, but still way faster than a standard HDD.

 

[RoKKeR]

What is the general consensus on purchasing used cards? I'm on the hunt for a 670 FTW and have found some much nicer prices on Ebay obviously than Newegg or other retailers.

 

[appaws]

If you are making a new rig on a lower budget and have never used a SSD I think it is totally wise to forgo a SSD to invest more into your graphics card. You can always buy a SSD down the road when you have gotten some more money, but if you are on a budget you are probably going to be stuck with whatever graphics card you pick for awhile so get the best you can.

I gotta agree with this. Put everything you can into the graphics card...every level you go up on the GPU side is worth it if your primary use is gaming.

SSDs rule, they are a great upgrade....but don't skimp on the graphics card to get one if money is tight.

I'd rather have a 7950/670 without an SSD than a lesser card with one.

 

[M3z_]

You want to know if it is safe to purchase off Ebay? Are you looking at new/used/refurbished? I've never been scammed on Ebay and from what I have heard buyer's protection is only getting stronger. However use common sense in regards to what seller's you deal with, understand the warranty policies of the card manufacturer and how they handle change of ownership or if the card is new what information they might require from the seller to register the warranty(maybe they want an official reseller or something). It is funny that in my experience at looking at graphics cards online there seem to be a great many used high end graphics cards that say "never been overclocked", it is even funnier when those same ads say that the card was only used to bench. So you bought a $400+ graphics card to bench at stock and then sell?

 

[LAUGHTREY]

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Laughtrey/saved/1s5n

I'm gonna use my 550ti and buy a new card if/when i need it. But I was wondering how dumb it would be to buy a SSD and just use my old harddrive instead of buying a brand new one right off the bat? Does it matter?