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[Coldsnap]

FRAPS would be easiest probably.

Okay, thought so. Thank you.

 

[Addnan]

Fraps probably has the biggest impact on performance though. Open broadcaster I think allows offline recording, so does MSI afterburner. Those are supposed to require a little less.

Best option is obviously a cap card of some sort.

 

[MrCunningham]

Yes and good for price (Educated guess on monitor). Too many SKUs to keep track of.

Alright, I think I'm leaning on purchasing one of those then. But, I have another question, how does this Acer monitor compare to the one I just showed? :

http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/acer-s2...leName=&startSearch=&fromSearchBox=&addFacet=

It has a bigger screen 23inch vs 21.5inch, and a higher contrast ratio: 100mil to 1 vs 50mil to 1. What would I expect from a higher contrast ratio like this? The Asus monitor does have an HDMI port, which is kind of a plus.

Here's the Asus monitor I linked to earlier for comparison:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236176&Tpk=VS228H-P

(I'm just using a newegg link, even though I plan on purchasing it from amazon for the free shipping)

 

[RSTEIN]

My MSI Gamer runs at 1215 and at 76c. what are your normal speeds like? I haven't had a game yet where I needed the extra fps. Running Metro LL right now on my stock 3570K with most of the settings turned fairly high and it's been a great experience.

I'll run it again tonight and check the temp in Heaven.

Anyone OCing GPU boost cards should consider flashing. Its very safe and helps alot. Raising the power limits and gets rid of fluctuating clocks.

Can you please provide a link for more info?

 

[mkenyon]

Whats the best way to record video game footage without streaming it?

Dxtory, without a doubt.

I hope you have a ton of HDD space though.

 

[chrono01]

I currently have:

Q6600 [overclocked to 3.0 GHZ]
4GB DDR2 RAM
500W PSU
GA-P35-DS3L ATX LGA775 P35 Motherboard
GTS 250 Video Card

I know, my specs aren't super-impressive, but I don't play a lot of PC games, it's mainly just for everyday PC stuff.

However, I am purchasing Final Fantasy: XIV at the end of the month, and am looking into upgrading my video card. I don't want to get the latest/greatest since I have so many aging components, but something that might boost my performance somewhat. I get around 7800 on Standard settings [with Shadows enabled for my character as well as NPC], but am looking to increase it to High if I can. With my current specs I only get around 3300 on high, which is less than 30 FPS with constant stutters. I cannot play my game like that.

Which video card would you recommend as an upgrade from the GTS 250 [if any]?

 

[GK86]

So lately, my internet speeds have been sucking. I plugged my pc directing to the modem and the problems went away. I checked some out devices and it doesn't seem to be the router. So that just leaves the wifi card. I'm suppose to be getting 20mps down and I have only been getting 1-2 if I'm lucky. Is there anything I should try before trashing the wifi?

And if trashing is the best option, what is the best wifi card for around $30-50?

Thanks. If it matters, it is a Rosewill.

 

[mkenyon]

So lately, my internet speeds have been sucking. I plugged my pc directing to the modem and the problems went away. I checked some out devices and it doesn't seem to be the router. So that just leaves the wifi card. I'm suppose to be getting 20mps down and I have only been getting 1-2 if I'm lucky. Is there anything I should try before trashing the wifi?

And if trashing is the best option, what is the best wifi card for around $30-50?

Thanks. If it matters, it is a Rosewill.

Not quite what you asked for, but it's what you want.

 

[RoKKeR]

Stupid questions incoming!

I'm thinking about upgrading to Haswell, particularly the i7 4770. I really don't know much about Motherboards so I'm kind of overwhelmed at how many Z87 models are out there. I think I'll stick with ASUS because that's what I have now, but how do I single out which model is the best price/performance? I'm looking at the Z87-A right now and that seems to line up with what my current mobo has, but am really just unsure about the specifics here.

My biggest noob question is the following: Windows is stored on the HDD, right? I bought a computer that came pre-loaded with Windows 7, so I should technically be able to replace my MOBO/CPU and boot the system right up again with no worries, correct?

 

[News Bot]

Got my 3570K running at 4.6GHz with 1.180V.

Does that sound reasonable? Prime95 test came out fine. But I've heard that overclocking can sometimes give worse performance. Any way to test that?

 

[kharma45]

I currently have:

Q6600 [overclocked to 3.0 GHZ]
4GB DDR2 RAM
500W PSU
GA-P35-DS3L ATX LGA775 P35 Motherboard
GTS 250 Video Card

I know, my specs aren't super-impressive, but I don't play a lot of PC games, it's mainly just for everyday PC stuff.

However, I am purchasing Final Fantasy: XIV at the end of the month, and am looking into upgrading my video card. I don't want to get the latest/greatest since I have so many aging components, but something that might boost my performance somewhat. I get around 7800 on Standard settings [with Shadows enabled for my character as well as NPC], but am looking to increase it to High if I can. With my current specs I only get around 3300 on high, which is less than 30 FPS with constant stutters. I cannot play my game like that.

Which video card would you recommend as an upgrade from the GTS 250 [if any]?

Depends on what you can spend.

 

[kennah]

Got my 3570K running at 4.6GHz with 1.180V.

Does that sound reasonable? Prime95 test came out fine. But I've heard that overclocking can sometimes give worse performance. Any way to test that?

That's amazing

 

[chrono01]

Depends on what you can spend.

I was thinking of something around $125-$175.

Like I said, I don't really want to spend a lot more since FFXIV will basically be the only PC game I'll be playing for [more than likely] the next few years, so it's not as though I want a bleeding edge video card. Just something a decent-sized more powerful than the GTS 250 that would give me a noticeable boost.

Not sure one exits without spending $200+ on one, though.

 

[Gotchaye]

I'm picking up a 3770k pretty soon. I have some of that liquid pro stuff and I'm willing to give delidding a shot, but I assume I should put the thing together without delidding to make sure everything works and to see if I got a really nice chip such that delidding wouldn't help much anyway. Is there enough paste in the $16 syringe of liquid pro to seat a heat sink twice and go under the heat spreader? Or is a coating on the heat sink somewhat reusable? I want to know the best way to proceed here, basically.

 

[theSlacker]

I'm picking up a 3770k pretty soon. I have some of that liquid pro stuff and I'm willing to give delidding a shot, but I assume I should put the thing together without delidding to make sure everything works and to see if I got a really nice chip such that delidding wouldn't help much anyway. Is there enough paste in the $16 syringe of liquid pro to seat a heat sink twice and go under the heat spreader? Or is a coating on the heat sink somewhat reusable? I want to know the best way to proceed here, basically.

From what I've read, it isn't always the best option to use the stuff as your "normal" thermal paste, and to just use it for under the heat spreader. Just use the stuff that comes with your aftermarket heatsink since it is easier to redo.

 

[kharma45]

I was thinking of something around $125-$175.

Like I said, I don't really want to spend a lot more since FFXIV will basically be the only PC game I'll be playing for [more than likely] the next few years, so it's not as though I want a bleeding edge video card. Just something a decent-sized more powerful than the GTS 250 that would give me a noticeable boost.

Not sure one exits without spending $200+ on one, though.

$140 for a 2GB MSI TF3 7850 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

A 7870 is $170 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

No free games with them atm but good deals none the less.

 

[chrono01]

$140 for a 2GB MSI TF3 7850 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

A 7870 is $170 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

No free games with them atm but good deals none the less.

Thanks, I really do appreciate the help!

I'll look into these.

 

[teh_pwn]

Got my 3570K running at 4.6GHz with 1.180V.

Does that sound reasonable? Prime95 test came out fine. But I've heard that overclocking can sometimes give worse performance. Any way to test that?

Just make sure your CPU frequency isn't throttling due to heat, and you're good.

My home PC has an i7 3770K @ 4.6 GHz at 1.22V. That's the best OC I've seen, seems yours is a bit better.

I have built a dozen Ivy bridge PCs at work, and most require cranking VCore to about 1.27-1.30V to get 4.5 GHz stable. Some cannot get to 4.5GHz.

You won the silicon lottery big time. I don't think they get much better than that. If you delided and went to 1.4V I bet you could get to 5.5 GHz if your cooling allowed it.

 

[lostsupper]

I'm picking up a 3770k pretty soon. I have some of that liquid pro stuff and I'm willing to give delidding a shot, but I assume I should put the thing together without delidding to make sure everything works and to see if I got a really nice chip such that delidding wouldn't help much anyway. Is there enough paste in the $16 syringe of liquid pro to seat a heat sink twice and go under the heat spreader? Or is a coating on the heat sink somewhat reusable? I want to know the best way to proceed here, basically.

There's enough compound in the kit for three or four applications, but don't use it between your heat spreader and cooler. It's to be used between the die and heat spreader.

Delidding will bring down your temps, regardless of how nice your chip is. I was nervous before doing mine, but am so glad I did. Honestly, it was easier than trying to seat RAM for the first time.

I'll be delidding another GAFfer's 3570k in a few days. I'll post pics and video if you want.

Speaking of pics, here's the finished delid/refresh:

Fractal Define Mini
3570k at 4.6
Noctua NH-U12S
Maximus V Gene
8GB Corsair Vengenace LP
EVGA 780 ACX
Corsair AX 650
256GB Samsung 840 Pro
1TB Samsung Spinpoint
Fans: 2xScythe GT-15 in, 1xNoctua NF-P12 out

 

[News Bot]

Just make sure your CPU frequency isn't throttling due to heat, and you're good.

My home PC has an i7 3770K @ 4.6 GHz at 1.22V. That's the best OC I've seen, seems yours is a bit better.

I have built a dozen Ivy bridge PCs at work, and most require cranking VCore to about 1.27-1.30V to get 4.5 GHz stable. Some cannot get to 4.5GHz.

You won the silicon lottery big time. I don't think they get much better than that. If you delided and went to 1.4V I bet you could get to 5.5 GHz if your cooling allowed it.

Haha, wow. I'm surprised. How do I go about making sure there's no throttling?

Here's validation on it also for anyone interested. It says 1.680V there but it's set at 1.880V in BIOS, not sure if that's a common thing with CPU-Z or not.

 

[teh_pwn]

Haha, wow. I'm surprised. How do I go about making sure there's no throttling?

Here's validation on it also for anyone interested. It says 1.680V there but it's set at 1.880V in BIOS, not sure if that's a common thing with CPU-Z or not.

Basically run Prime95 and watch CPU-Z's core speed. If it's thermal throttling it will reduce to way lower. Also watch temps, you want to stay below 70C under load to be safe, though if you want to push it 80C is fine.

 

[News Bot]

HWMonitor says my CPU voltage is 1.121V, but CPU-Z says it is 1.160V while BIOS says it is 1.180V... is the variance a bad thing or normal?

Temperatures are staying between 56C - 67C under 100% load with Prime95. Core speed is consistent.

I'm also just running the Hyper 212 EVO.

 

[Luigison]

My wife is looking for a prebuilt PC for gaming (Mostly The Sims 4). She's considering:

http://sellout.woot.com/offers/hp-envy-quad-core-i7-desktop-w-12gb-ram-6

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009I9MX5Y/?tag=neogaf0e-20


I would personally go with Intel and Nvidia, but is AMD better/compariable now? Also, she prefers to go sub $500.

She currently has a Win 7 32-bit Intel Core2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz with 4G RAM (only 3.1 recognized I think) and Nvidia GeForce GTX 550 Ti. She complains that it takes way too long to load, has slow down and flashes of black screen sometimes, and gives a save error (won't save) that I read on EA's site is related to not having enough memory.

Suggestions?

 

[Hazaro]

I'm picking up a 3770k pretty soon. I have some of that liquid pro stuff and I'm willing to give delidding a shot, but I assume I should put the thing together without delidding to make sure everything works and to see if I got a really nice chip such that delidding wouldn't help much anyway. Is there enough paste in the $16 syringe of liquid pro to seat a heat sink twice and go under the heat spreader? Or is a coating on the heat sink somewhat reusable? I want to know the best way to proceed here, basically.

I'd avoid and use NT-1,PK1,PK3, or Phobya HeGrease instead, or only use it for the die to IHS contact.

It's not standard stuff and kind of semi bonds over time. It's weird.

There's enough compound in the kit for three or four applications, but don't use it between your heat spreader and cooler. It's to be used between the die and heat spreader.

Delidding will bring down your temps, regardless of how nice your chip is. I was nervous before doing mine, but am so glad I did. Honestly, it was easier than trying to seat RAM for the first time.

I'll be delidding another GAFfer's 3570k in a few days. I'll post pics and video if you want.

Speaking of pics, here's the finished delid/refresh:

Fractal Define Mini
3570k at 4.6
Noctua NH-U12S
Maximus V Gene
8GB Corsair Vengenace LP
EVGA 780 ACX
Corsair AX 650
256GB Samsung 840 Pro
1TB Samsung Spinpoint
Fans: 2xScythe GT-15 in, 1xNoctua NF-P12 out

Legit.

My wife is looking for a prebuilt PC for gaming (Mostly The Sims 4). She's considering:

http://sellout.woot.com/offers/hp-envy-quad-core-i7-desktop-w-12gb-ram-6

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009I9MX5Y/?tag=neogaf0e-20


I would personally go with Intel and Nvidia, but is AMD better/compariable now? Also, she prefers to go sub $500.

She currently has a Win 7 32-bit Intel Core2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz with 4G RAM (only 3.1 recognized I think) and Nvidia GeForce GTX 550 Ti. She complains that it takes way too long to load, has slow down and flashes of black screen sometimes, and gives a save error (won't save) that I read on EA's site is related to not having enough memory.

Suggestions?

Doesn't really matter at sub $600 pre-built, though if you can get a quad intel there, go for that.

Just nab any branded tower for $300-$400, swap in a VP450 PSU and a $100-$150 GPU in the OP. The GT630 might as well not exist and there's no need for an i7 and 12GB of RAM, not going to help anything.

 

[kharma45]

My wife is looking for a prebuilt PC for gaming (Mostly The Sims 4). She's considering:

http://sellout.woot.com/offers/hp-envy-quad-core-i7-desktop-w-12gb-ram-6

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009I9MX5Y/?tag=neogaf0e-20


I would personally go with Intel and Nvidia, but is AMD better/compariable now? Also, she prefers to go sub $500.

She currently has a Win 7 32-bit Intel Core2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz with 4G RAM (only 3.1 recognized I think) and Nvidia GeForce GTX 550 Ti. She complains that it takes way too long to load, has slow down and flashes of black screen sometimes, and gives a save error (won't save) that I read on EA's site is related to not having enough memory.

Suggestions?

Would you not consider building one? Both of those pre-builds are dung really.

 

[Luigison]

Thanks. I considered the first i7 build from the OP minus the Power Supply (i have a good one) and without the HHD (just getting a really big SSD), but she balked at the price. Maybe one of the sub $1000 builds could be managed to a price she'd allow, but how does the i5 compare to our current Q6600? They are both quad core with 4 threads and 2.1 to 3.1 doesn't seem like much of a leap to me (even though our Q6600 is notably OLD).

 

[BlazeBreak]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128591

Sorely tempted, though also concerned about the possibility of better deals when their DIY sale starts tomorrow lol.

 

[GK86]

Is TP Link a good company?

Looking into wifi cards.

 

[Hazaro]

Thanks. I considered the first i7 build from the OP minus the Power Supply (i have a good one) and without the HHD (just getting a really big SSD), but she balked at the price. Maybe one of the sub $1000 builds could be managed to a price she'd allow, but how does the i5 compare to our current Q6600? They are both quad core with 4 threads and 2.1 to 3.1 doesn't seem like much of a leap to me (even though our Q6600 is notably OLD).

That's way overkill.
Get the Standard build with an SSD and an i5 3350P.

The current processors do much more 'work' per clock cycle so it's not comparable. It's a big jump.

Is TP Link a good company?

Looking into wifi cards.

Works alright.

 

[Gotchaye]

From what I've read, it isn't always the best option to use the stuff as your "normal" thermal paste, and to just use it for under the heat spreader. Just use the stuff that comes with your aftermarket heatsink since it is easier to redo.

There's enough compound in the kit for three or four applications, but don't use it between your heat spreader and cooler. It's to be used between the die and heat spreader.

Delidding will bring down your temps, regardless of how nice your chip is. I was nervous before doing mine, but am so glad I did. Honestly, it was easier than trying to seat RAM for the first time.

I'd avoid and use NT-1,PK1,PK3, or Phobya HeGrease instead, or only use it for the die to IHS contact.

It's not standard stuff and kind of semi bonds over time. It's weird.

Thanks y'all.

 

[BlazeBreak]

Bah, accidentally posted just the motherboard. Meant this combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1413998

I was really hoping for a good RAM deal since something I was initially conceptualizing n the $1200-1300 range quickly ballooned to $1500-1600. Grabbing this combo would be a small victory since it should help me slide in just under $1500, unless for some reason there's anything to advise against in terms of the motherboard or ram.

I know the ram itself isn't low-profile, as was advised earlier, but since I gather that it won't be a "problem" with my setup, the $50 savings is worth it. The only thing I'm skittish about is that they seemed to have had a rash of bad reviews 1-2 months ago, though the majority of reviews are generally very favorable.

(Edit: Well, they're not advertised as low-profile, but I think they actually be?)

 

[kennah]

They are. Great stuff

Careful though, another gaffer reported that lots of these are arriving doa

 

[BlazeBreak]

They are. Great stuff

Careful though, another gaffer reported that lots of these are arriving doa

Yeah, that's part of what I was getting from some of the bad newegg reviews. Maybe there was a bad batch, since all of those reviews seem to be stacked together in June and July, and make up a majority of the bad ratings on them.

 

[RSTEIN]

My MSI Gamer runs at 1215 and at 76c. what are your normal speeds like? I haven't had a game yet where I needed the extra fps. Running Metro LL right now on my stock 3570K with most of the settings turned fairly high and it's been a great experience.

Here's my stock Heaven results:

Currently I'm at 1177 Mhz (added 40 Mhz).

Temp gets to about 65c.

CPU @ 4.5 Ghz.

 

[ArynCrinn]

Just a update on my crazy OCD stupidity of building rig after rig I don't really need.

Just got my next day delivery tracking # from Newegg for:

-Haswell 4770K 3.5GHz (plan to overclock as high as possible)
-ASUS SABERTOOTH Z87 LGA 1150 Intel Z87
-BenQ Gaming XL2720T Black 27" 1ms 120Htz
-4x EVGA GTX 780 3GB
-3x WD Scorpio Blue 1TB HDD's
-Samsung 840 EVO MZ-7TE1T0BW 2.5" 1TB SSD
-Seasonic X-850 850watt PSU
-Koolance EXC-800 Portable 800W Recirculating Liquid Chiller (Not off Newegg)
-Antec Dark Fleet DF-85 Gaming Case (water cooling closed case ready) (Not off Newegg)
-LG Black Blu-Ray Rewriter
-9 green LED 120mm fans (for my two of my other rigs that would go perfect with green LED's)
-1 120cfm back exhaust fan (to replace the shitty 120mm back exhaust fan on one of my machines)
-Leopold Keyboard cherry blue switches
-Razer 2013 mouse
-Using leftover 32GB (4x 8GB sticks) GSkill Ripjaws X

....also realized after purchase I can't Quad-SLI the 780's...

 

[kennah]

....also realized after purchase I can't Quad-SLI the 780's...

I could use one

 

[ArynCrinn]

I could use one

I get a lot of people by word of mouth that I end up building rigs for, I'll probably hold onto it for that purpose.

 

[knitoe]

I get a lot of people by word of mouth that I end up building rigs for, I'll probably hold onto it for that purpose.

You do realize that you can only SLI. No Tri or Quad. You paid for 4 cards, but can only use 2. Might as well return the CPU & MB and go socket 2011 & X79 MB. Then, you can Tri or Quad SLI. To bad, you didn't buy from Amazon. No restocking fee.

 

[teh_pwn]

HWMonitor says my CPU voltage is 1.121V, but CPU-Z says it is 1.160V while BIOS says it is 1.180V... is the variance a bad thing or normal?

Temperatures are staying between 56C - 67C under 100% load with Prime95. Core speed is consistent.

I'm also just running the Hyper 212 EVO.

You're solid. I don't think you need to do anything else. You may be able to get to 4.8 GHz if you can keep VCore 1.27 or below. But why push it...nothing except enterprise compute apps will improve from that, which ironically enterprise won't want because of possible instability.

 

[ArynCrinn]

You do realize that you can only SLI. No Tri or Quad. You paid for 4 cards, but can only use 2. Might as well return the CPU & MB and go socket 2011 & X79 MB. Then, you can Tri or Quad SLI. To bad, you didn't buy from Amazon. No restocking fee.

You do realize that you can stick a third 780 in the PCI Express 2.0 port? It has 3 PCIE ports, just two of them are 3.0.

 

[knitoe]

You do realize that you can stick a third 780 in the PCI Express 2.0 port? It has 3 PCIE ports, just two of them are 3.0.

Sure, you can stick a card there, but it doesn't meant it will work in SLI. According to MB info, it's CF, SLI or quad CF / SLI with 2 dual GPU cards. No mention of 3 cards setup. If it does work, please come back and tell us.

 

[Llyranor]

Alright, based on feedback and having gone through the OP, I've made some changes for my planned PC. Some questions are bolded.

CPU
i7 4770 Haswell quad core 3.5ghz
http://ncix.com/products/?sku=81325
340$ (CDN)
Is Haswell actually worth it? Especially considering that I do not intend to overclock

MB
ASUS Z87-PRO ATX LGA1150 Z87 DDR3
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=84506
200$
OP mentions lack of data re: reliability for the Z87 - is this still a concern?


RAM
8gb DDR3
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=70136
80$
I've had multiple people tell me 8gb should be enough, but OP includes 16gb on the Enthusiast and Extreme sections - opinions?

GPU
GTX 770 2gb
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=84048 (thanks for the suggestion, Addnan!)
410$

HDD
Western Digital Black 1tb
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=50895
90$
My friend recommended the WD Black, but OP mentions it is loud. What's the diff with the blue or green?

SSD
250gb SSD
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=77211
190$

PSU
650W
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=76943 (thanks again, Addnan!)
120$
Please confirm that this is enough power

Case
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=65970
100$

Optical drive
Whatever, I just want something that works
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=76258
23$

Heatsink
CM Hyper 212 Evo
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=64385 (as per OP and Addnan suggestion)
Is this really good enough? I don't want the PC to blow up
35$

Sound card
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=56330
24$

Monitor
BenQ XL2420T 24IN 120HZ
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=66305
330$

Total price amounts to 1942$CDN, or 1612$ without the monitor.

This takes into account that it includes discounts from a sale that ends Aug14th. I have to stick with NCIX only because I'll have them assemble the PC for me (being hardware-illiterate and all). Given the specs, is the cost reasonable (it's not far off from the OP - just of the things like RAM and PSU are a bit pricier thanks to yay Canadian pricing!) ? Would you guys switch out one of the parts for another?

Also, is everything compatible? I don't want to end up with something that can't work

 

[ArynCrinn]

Sure, you can stick a card there, but it doesn't meant it will work in SLI. According to MB info, it's CF, SLI or quad CF / SLI with 2 dual GPU cards. No mention of 3 cards setup. If it does work, please come back and tell us.

It works fine on my 2700K setup I'm running. It's a Asus Z77 mobo, with 2 3.0 slots and 1 2.0 slot and all three 660Ti's run just fine. Come up recognized and under load. Everything checks out for the SLI there. Don't see how this will be any different.

And I already have a LGA 2011 setup. But will do tomorrow after I set everything up, will take some time because I've never done a closed case water cooled system before.

say's Heatsink
CM Hyper 212 Evo
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=64385 (as per OP and Addnan suggestion)
Is this really good enough? I don't want the PC to blow up
35$

Everything you've picked out seems fine and compatible to me, 650w Seasonic will serve you well. The CM EVO is great if you don't plan to OC too much, and even if you do, if you add a 2nd fan for the push/pull method it can hold it's own. Higher OC's I'd recommend Noctua or equivalents, or go water.

 

[Hazaro]

HWMonitor says my CPU voltage is 1.121V, but CPU-Z says it is 1.160V while BIOS says it is 1.180V... is the variance a bad thing or normal?

Temperatures are staying between 56C - 67C under 100% load with Prime95. Core speed is consistent.

I'm also just running the Hyper 212 EVO.

Yeah that's fine.
Super nice chip as well. Jelly

 

[BlazeBreak]

RAM
8gb DDR3
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=70136
80$
I've had multiple people tell me 8gb should be enough, but OP includes 16gb on the Enthusiast and Extreme sections - opinions?

----

Please confirm that this is enough power
Also, is everything compatible? I don't want to end up with something that can't work

8GB should be more than enough unless you're doing anything extremely memory intensive. It's also easy enough just to buy another 8gb for your other two memory slots at any point in the future.


http://pcpartpicker.com

^ Put together your build there. You'll be able to see an estimate watt usage (ideally you don't want it to be too close to your PSU's max) and it'll sort out compatible parts. Though looking at your build you're probably in the ~400W range and definitely fine.

 

[ArynCrinn]

Alright, based on feedback and having gone through the OP, I've made some changes for my planned PC. Some questions are bolded]Monitor
BenQ XL2420T 24IN 120HZ
http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=66305
330$

Nevermind, I got the 27" version.

But if you want to add 144Htz, you could always go with the Asus VG248QE Black 24" 144Hz 1ms, it's what I'm mainly using for gaming right now and it's great. And at a cheaper price of $269. Link here.

 

[Llyranor]

http://pcpartpicker.com

^ Put together your build there. You'll be able to see an estimate watt usage (ideally you don't want it to be too close to your PSU's max) and it'll sort out compatible parts. Though looking at your build you're probably in the ~400W range and definitely fine.

Thanks for that. The build seems to work, but it says:

Kingston Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory operating voltage of 1.65V exceeds the Intel Haswell CPU recommended maximum of 1.5V+5% (1.575V). This memory module may run at a reduced clock rate to meet the 1.5V voltage recommendation, or may require running at a voltage greater than the Intel recommended maximum.

So looks like I need 1.5V RAM. Thus, this instead http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=68090

.... What's the actual difference?

 

[ArynCrinn]

Thanks for that. The build seems to work, but it says:

So looks like I need 1.5V RAM. Thus, this instead http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=68090

.... What's the actual difference?

It just means that the memory might run at a reduced clock rate to meet the 1.5v. Sometimes you'll need to dick around with voltages a tad on the newer CPU's. But more often than not you'll just stick it in and it'll work. The system will either throttle it up or down on it's own.

 

[alekth]

I've been thinking about getting back to PC for gaming so I'm looking into stuff atm, but I also want to play around with Hackintosh from time to time, so I'm waiting for Mavericks to come out and to see which mobos are the most compatible.

In the meantime, I have a question to which I can't find a clear consensus on. Mostly regarding the Haswell gen, but Ivy Bridge might also apply (my own PC is Core 2 Duo, so no experience there).

Can the integrated graphics and a discrete graphics card be used at the same time?
Not combine powers, just deal with whatever monitors they are attached to at the same time.

If yes, can the relative output of these monitors be arranged (e.g. left side a monitor powered by the integrated, right by the discrete, and a window being able to move between them)?

I have 4 things to connect (two monitors, a TV and a Cintiq), and basically would like to have one monitor and the TV connected to discrete for gaming, and the rest through integrated.




What I want this PC for - aside from the non-demanding general usage, mostly gaming. Thinking of keeping multiplats on the PC and not getting a new console for some years. Emulation too, because my PS2 is dying, I like the HD screenshots from the emulation thread etc... but as usual with BC, not sure exactly how much I'll end up playing the old games.

Current PC:
Core 2 Duo, so CPU, mobo and RAM will have to go.
650W PSU, which should be enough, no intent on going for SLI (don't think anything else will require more)
NVidia GTX 560 Ti 1GB, which I will keep for a while but eventually upgrade
Optical drives, storage HDDs, case all can be kept

Looking to get (tentative in regards to the motherboard):
i5-4670K (don't intend to overclock at first, but definitely a possibility later on. Last overclocking I did was more than 10 years ago. I suppose I can keep the default heat sink until OC?)
Gigabyte Z87X-UD5H - very likely a working board for OSX that also fits most of my other needs.
16GB of RAM
250GB SSD for system and current games. I think I wouldn't enjoy 128Gb, I have this now in my laptop and it gets tight

 

[kennah]

I've been thinking about getting back to PC for gaming so I'm looking into stuff atm, but I also want to play around with Hackintosh from time to time, so I'm waiting for Mavericks to come out and to see which mobos are the most compatible.

In the meantime, I have a question to which I can't find a clear consensus on. Mostly regarding the Haswell gen, but Ivy Bridge might also apply (my own PC is Core 2 Duo, so no experience there).

Can the integrated graphics and a discrete graphics card be used at the same time?
Not combine powers, just deal with whatever monitors they are attached to at the same time.

If yes, can the relative output of these monitors be arranged (e.g. left side a monitor powered by the integrated, right by the discrete, and a window being able to move between them)?

I have 4 things to connect (two monitors, a TV and a Cintiq), and basically would like to have one monitor and the TV connected to discrete for gaming, and the rest through integrated.

Yes*

* I doubt you would get that working under OS X

BONUS FUN FACT: your 'would this work' scenario used to be the only way to get multimonitor