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"I need a New PC!" 2013 Part 2. Haswell = #IntelnoTIM, but free online. READ THE OP.

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I have been hoping to get into PC gaming and was going to do so with my laptop; however, my computer is not able to run the latest games because of one thing; my dedicated RAM on my graphic card is too weak (only 64MB) and considering my laptop is a Dell, I can't replace it. So I decided, with my hope to play the Mighty No. 9 beta (since it won't be available on the PS3 or PS4), I decided that it was time for me to upgrade and build my own gaming PC (and for various other reasons as well that relates to gaming).

Here are a couple of things I want to see when I build my own PC:
- I want one that will last a long time. I don't like the idea of frequently upgrading my PC and I know these can get very expensive. Basically, I want a PC that will last me a console generation. At the very least, four years, but longer is preferable.

- Hoping to dual-boot Windows 7 and Linux (Ubuntu or Mint, haven't decided): I don't like Windows 8 and I want to give Linux a shot as well since I am planning on dual-booting my laptop with Ubuntu or Mint.

Current Specs for Laptop:
CPU: Intel Core i5-3210M CPU @ 2.50 GHz
CPU Speed: 2.50 GHz
RAM: 8.1 GB
Operation System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Video Card: Intel(R) HD Graphics 4000
Pixel Shader: 5.0
Vertex Shader: 5.0
Dedicated Video Ram: 64 Mb (the main reason why I'm upgrading since I can't switch out my video card on my laptop)
Free Disk Space: Started with over 900 GB.

So my computer is strong enough for everything except the dedicated RAM. I build a gaming PC, I really want to make sure my dedicated RAM is good enough for the task.

Budget: If possible, I would like to keep it below $1000, but I should be able to spend $1500 and be fine. Normally, I wouldn't have even decided to upgrade my PC at all, but I should get enough scholarships to get college for essentially free, so money isn't a huge concern, but I still have my limits.

Main Use: Gaming: 5 for obvious reasons.
Light Gaming: Depends on what this means. If it includes indie games, then a 5 since I do like those, but if not, then 1 since I don't care for social or flash games.
Emulation: 1 since I do not support piracy at all and consider pirates to be the scum of the video game fan base. If you can pay for a PC, you can certainly pay for the latest games.
Video Editing: 5 because I want to be able to use my YouTube account and make proper videos to discuss/rant on the gaming world. Right now, all I have is a webcam and it's bad.
Streaming games in HD: 1 since I don't care about HD that much. Games are inevitably going to look technically good anyway, so meh
3D/Model Work: If it is regards to making video games, then a 5 since I am hoping to make games.
General Usage: 5 since I will need programs for at least Word. Microsoft Office has done me a lot of good in regards to school (especially Word).

Monitor Resoution: Can't say I care that much about resolution, but I am buying a new one for my new computer and I do plan on upgrading my new built computer after X number of years.

List games you MUST run: As long as I can run the latest game I want, regardless of how demanding the specs are. 60 FPS is preferable if the game allows it, but I'm fine with 30 FPS as well. Being able to run the games I want matters the most; I don't feel the need to stay at max setting at all times.

Looking to reuse any parts?: I want to use parts from my custom built computer back in 2010, although that wasn't built for gaming and has Windows XP and is very outdated. Haven't used it for years, but I want to save the case to save money if possible.

When will you build?: Hoping for early 2014, but will be after I buy all my books for my next semester at my community college.

Will you be overclocking?: No and I don't ever plan to.

I'm going to be checking out the OP more for some help, but if anyone has some pointers on what I need to look after for a good gaming PC for 5+ years, that'd be appreciated. I'm looking to get into the video game industry as a game designer or programmer and I want to be able to understand how building PCs work.
 

kennah

Member
I have been hoping to get into PC gaming and was going to do so with my laptop; however, my computer is not able to run the latest games because of one thing; my dedicated RAM on my graphic card is too weak (only 64MB) and considering my laptop is a Dell, I can't replace it. So I decided, with my hope to play the Mighty No. 9 beta (since it won't be available on the PS3 or PS4), I decided that it was time for me to upgrade and build my own gaming PC (and for various other reasons as well that relates to gaming).

Here are a couple of things I want to see when I build my own PC:
- I want one that will last a long time. I don't like the idea of frequently upgrading my PC and I know these can get very expensive. Basically, I want a PC that will last me a console generation. At the very least, four years, but longer is preferable.

- Hoping to dual-boot Windows 7 and Linux (Ubuntu or Mint, haven't decided): I don't like Windows 8 and I want to give Linux a shot as well since I am planning on dual-booting my laptop with Ubuntu or Mint.

Current Specs for Laptop:
CPU: Intel Core i5-3210M CPU @ 2.50 GHz
CPU Speed: 2.50 GHz
RAM: 8.1 GB
Operation System: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Video Card: Intel(R) HD Graphics 4000
Pixel Shader: 5.0
Vertex Shader: 5.0
Dedicated Video Ram: 64 Mb (the main reason why I'm upgrading since I can't switch out my video card on my laptop)
Free Disk Space: Started with over 900 GB.

So my computer is strong enough for everything except the dedicated RAM. I build a gaming PC, I really want to make sure my dedicated RAM is good enough for the task.

Budget: If possible, I would like to keep it below $1000, but I should be able to spend $1500 and be fine. Normally, I wouldn't have even decided to upgrade my PC at all, but I should get enough scholarships to get college for essentially free, so money isn't a huge concern, but I still have my limits.

Main Use: Gaming: 5 for obvious reasons.
Light Gaming: Depends on what this means. If it includes indie games, then a 5 since I do like those, but if not, then 1 since I don't care for social or flash games.
Emulation: 1 since I do not support piracy at all and consider pirates to be the scum of the video game fan base. If you can pay for a PC, you can certainly pay for the latest games.
Video Editing: 5 because I want to be able to use my YouTube account and make proper videos to discuss/rant on the gaming world. Right now, all I have is a webcam and it's bad.
Streaming games in HD: 1 since I don't care about HD that much. Games are inevitably going to look technically good anyway, so meh
3D/Model Work: If it is regards to making video games, then a 5 since I am hoping to make games.
General Usage: 5 since I will need programs for at least Word. Microsoft Office has done me a lot of good in regards to school (especially Word).

Monitor Resoution: Can't say I care that much about resolution, but I am buying a new one for my new computer and I do plan on upgrading my new built computer after X number of years.

List games you MUST run: As long as I can run the latest game I want, regardless of how demanding the specs are. 60 FPS is preferable if the game allows it, but I'm fine with 30 FPS as well. Being able to run the games I want matters the most; I don't feel the need to stay at max setting at all times.

Looking to reuse any parts?: I want to use parts from my custom built computer back in 2010, although that wasn't built for gaming and has Windows XP and is very outdated. Haven't used it for years, but I want to save the case to save money if possible.

When will you build?: Hoping for early 2014, but will be after I buy all my books for my next semester at my community college.

Will you be overclocking?: No and I don't ever plan to.

I'm going to be checking out the OP more for some help, but if anyone has some pointers on what I need to look after for a good gaming PC for 5+ years, that'd be appreciated. I'm looking to get into the video game industry as a game designer or programmer and I want to be able to understand how building PCs work.

What do you have for your 2010 computer? Likely things like hard drives, case, optical drive and maybe even powersupply would be reusable.

Also - in the BIOS for your laptop there should be a way to increase the graphic card memory. The 4000 is pretty powerful for what it is. If you give us the exact model number of the laptop we could look up in the manual how to adjust this.

And since you're building in 2014 anything we tell you to purchase will be invalid by then. Try the other stuff now, but come back and check in when you're actually ready to build the computer - as we'll be able to find you current deals on better gear.

Thank you for reading the OP and filling out the survey!
 
A few questions :) What are your primary uses for it? Do you really need a sound card, wireless adapter or optical drive too? Do you need a monitor, keyboard, mouse or speakers/headset as well or just the tower?

Gaming and engineering courses primarily.

The issue with the network adapter is that while the house always has wi-fi, getting a physical connection is an issue at times. Just need the tower as I'm ok with screen/mouse/keyboard/headset
 

LordAlu

Member
Gaming and engineering courses primarily.

The issue with the network adapter is that while the house always has wi-fi, getting a physical connection is an issue at times. Just need the tower as I'm ok with screen/mouse/keyboard/headset
It looks pretty good then, there's a few things I'd look at changing myself and to make the most of your budget ;)

If you swap the board out for one of the ones recommended in the OP (I've chosen the MSI Z87-G45) you can get an i7-4770k. Changed the RAM for modules that don't have massive heatspreaders - you don't want issues installing the cooler because the RAM is too high. Changed the SSD up to the EVO model for the fantastic write speed. Dropped the Sapphire to the Asus as it's cheaper. Corsair 200R is a better quality case and no need for the 750W power supply, the Seasonic one is a better choice.

You shouldn't need extra fans at all - the two included would be fine.

How does this look to you?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($344.99 @ NCIX)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($156.50 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($139.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($110.40 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.75 @ Vuugo)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card ($269.99 @ NCIX)
Sound Card: Asus Xonar DGX 24-bit 96 KHz Sound Card ($29.99 @ Canada Computers)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-N53 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($29.99 @ Memory Express)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 620W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($88.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($59.99 @ NCIX)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($97.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $1493.54
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-10-16 09:14 EDT-0400)
 

Dave_6

Member
I'm thinking about parting my PC out. Got a lot of personal and family stuff going on, plus I have barely played it here in the past couple of months. Any idea what some of this might be worth? It's all ~6 months old and hasn't been overclocked.

Sapphire 3GB 7970 (non GHZ version)
Intel i5-3570K
Corsair H60 cooler
MSI M77 MPower mobo
Samsung RAM 8GB
Seasonic M12II 620w power supply

The case is a Fractal R4 and if I decide to part it out, I will probably keep it since it would be hard to ship.
 
What do you have for your 2010 computer? Likely things like hard drives, case, optical drive and maybe even powersupply would be reusable.

Also - in the BIOS for your laptop there should be a way to increase the graphic card memory. The 4000 is pretty powerful for what it is. If you give us the exact model number of the laptop we could look up in the manual how to adjust this.

And since you're building in 2014 anything we tell you to purchase will be invalid by then. Try the other stuff now, but come back and check in when you're actually ready to build the computer - as we'll be able to find you current deals on better gear.

Thank you for reading the OP and filling out the survey!
The computer is much older than that technically speaking since it is a Microsoft Windows XP using Service Pack 3. It has a Celeron CPU at around 1.75 GHz (though it could be slightly higher or lower) and 0.99 GB of RAM. It also has only 100 GB on it. That's all I remember though, tried to use it to get specs and it is way too slow for my liking. I don't think it could even be upgraded, since it was only custom built to replace my motherboard that died early in 2010 (the only thing that improved was a much better motherboard). So yeah, never was meant to be a gaming PC, especially since it was at the time when I didn't have a job anyway (thankfully I do now which is why having a gaming PC, while very expensive, is possible). Even if it doesn't, I'd still liked to save the case.

Interesting. I've heard it was possible, but with a Dell laptop, I didn't really see it as possible on my computer. If there is a way, I'd like to use it so that if it makes a difference, I can make use of it and hold off of building my own PC. The System Manufacturer is Dell Inc., System Model is Inspiron 5520 and BIOS is InsydeH20 Version . 72. 02A07 if this helps.

That said, I will make sure to check back in if increasing my dedicated RAM is impossible. Either way, I plan on get into PC gaming within the next six months.
 

kennah

Member
The computer is much older than that technically speaking since it is a Microsoft Windows XP using Service Pack 3. It has a Celeron CPU at around 1.75 GHz (though it could be slightly higher or lower) and 0.99 GB of RAM. It also has only 100 GB on it. That's all I remember though, tried to use it to get specs and it is way too slow for my liking. I don't think it could even be upgraded, since it was only custom built to replace my motherboard that died early in 2010 (the only thing that improved was a much better motherboard). So yeah, never was meant to be a gaming PC, especially since it was at the time when I didn't have a job anyway (thankfully I do now which is why having a gaming PC, while very expensive, is possible). Even if it doesn't, I'd still liked to save the case.

Interesting. I've heard it was possible, but with a Dell laptop, I didn't really see it as possible on my computer. If there is a way, I'd like to use it so that if it makes a difference, I can make use of it and hold off of building my own PC. The System Manufacturer is Dell Inc., System Model is Inspiron 5520 and BIOS is InsydeH20 Version . 72. 02A07 if this helps.

That said, I will make sure to check back in if increasing my dedicated RAM is impossible. Either way, I plan on get into PC gaming within the next six months.

It looks like there is an updated bios for your laptop. Can you PM me the service tag and I can help look it up. Or if you're able to do it yourself enter it onto the Dell website and update your BIOS. It might let you access more video memory. Or if you enter your BIOS and look around at the advanced settings there should be something in there to bump up the video ram. - Now, this will take away from your System RAM, which shouldn't be a problem.

http://www.dell.com/support/drivers...W764&languageCode=en&categoryId=BI#OldVersion
 

kennah

Member
I'm thinking about parting my PC out. Got a lot of personal and family stuff going on, plus I have barely played it here in the past couple of months. Any idea what some of this might be worth? It's all ~6 months old and hasn't been overclocked.

Sapphire 3GB 7970 (non GHZ version) 225-250
Intel i5-3570K 150-180
Corsair H60 cooler 20-35
MSI M77 MPower mobo 125-150
Samsung RAM 8GB 50-100
Seasonic M12II 620w power supply 50-80

The case is a Fractal R4 and if I decide to part it out, I will probably keep it since it would be hard to ship.

Sorry to hear that :( you are in the us right?

The stuff is still fairly valuable. I call dibs on the ram. Prices above. (Yes, your ram is worth more than you paid for it)
 

Igo

Member
Should I be wary of going with the 3tb seagate nas drive over the 2 and 4? Seems to be the best value per tb but I remember reading that odd labeled hd's failed with a much greater frequency than even way back.

Also, why the seagate over the wd red in the op? They're all priced within a pound of each other.
 

Dave_6

Member
Sorry to hear that :( you are in the us right?

The stuff is still fairly valuable. I call dibs on the ram. Prices above. (Yes, your ram is worth more than you paid for it)

Yep I'm in the US. The RAM is yours if I decide to do this. I'll know for sure in the next few days hopefully.
 

kharma45

Member
Hi guys,

Need a bit of GPU advice. I'm looking these two cards and I wonder which is worth going for?

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-097-GI - Gigabyte 7970.

or

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=GX-213-MS&tool=3 - MSI 680.

Both are well nicely priced. Thanks in advance.

7970.

Sorry for posting in this thread, but I cant post new threads yet.

Does anyone know where I can get Gears of War PC preferably on a Digital Download?

I doubt you'll find it anywhere now that GFWL is dead.

Yeah just pray you can find it on disc somewhere.
 
I'd love to check where the GPU sucks it air from with smoke or something. I think it manages to get some from the cracks around which isn't brilliant for dust build up.

Knowing me, if that were my case, I'd probably dremel out a hole where the gpu fan(s) were, just so I knew they were getting cool air. Then buy a nice looking aftermarket grill to mount over it.

As stock, that just looks way too claustrophobic for the gpu.


edit: I don't know, maybe I wouldn't. Those FT03's just look too clean and nice from the front....
 
It looks pretty good then, there's a few things I'd look at changing myself and to make the most of your budget ;)


How does this look to you?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($344.99 @ NCIX)

I've been checking on the net about the i5 versus the i7 and what I read seems to indicate that overclocking the i5 is better since its runs cooler than the i7 when you overclock

Is the extra computational power for engineering programs (CAD programs) worth the extra heat that the i7 produces?
 

kharma45

Member
I've been checking on the net about the i5 versus the i7 and what I read seems to indicate that overclocking the i5 is better since its runs cooler than the i7 when you overclock

Is the extra computational power for engineering programs (CAD programs) worth the extra heat that the i7 produces?

I wasn't aware of any heat increases, they're probably pretty negligible.
 

kennah

Member
I've been checking on the net about the i5 versus the i7 and what I read seems to indicate that overclocking the i5 is better since its runs cooler than the i7 when you overclock

Is the extra computational power for engineering programs (CAD programs) worth the extra heat that the i7 produces?

Do you have any links to sources for this information? This is the first I'm hearing of any differences between the two.
 

asdad123

Member
Different OEM (square block tends to be CoolIt while round tends to be Asetek), but the temps should be pretty similar. Do you use the stock 140mm fan at the bottom? I purchased extra fan connectors and a Noctua F12 trying to go push/pull, but the HDD mount came in the way. Now I have the Noctua fan at the bottom with a slight hum as it revs up under load. At idle I can reduce the speed to sub 500RPM :D
(shame my PSU won't follow suit...)


Funny that you should mention that, I just ordered that fan last night lol. The original fan doesnt have PWM so its blasting at full speed so its a little loud. Should be getting the fan tomorrow, and getting my GTX680 in today.

Ive also been reading in the FT03 thread on Hardforum that you can do a push/pull config, but you have to bend one of the HDD clips. Some people even there put a water cooling loop in this thing with a graphics card. Thats pretty crazy.


Is there likely to be a better deal on this case in the next month or so? If not I'll just go ahead and order it now.

Fractal R4 - $80

Yeah, mine for $50 plus shipping, and I throw in a DVD-RW Drive too! :)
 

kharma45

Member
So the XFX Double D 7970 is to be avoided due to its poor cooler, right?

Yep.

Damn that's cheap lol, so I'm guessing it's definitely worth it? Also the $70 is after in the MIR right? Last question what does it being gold rated mean?

Well worth it. If you buy anything else at that price over the X-650 I will request you be banned from GAF.

Gold rated is the level of efficiency at various loads which you can see here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/80_Plus#Efficiency_level_certifications

Read this review (or even just the last page) and I'll guarantee you'll not think twice http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=169

and this one http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Seasonic-X-Series-KM3-650-W-Power-Supply-Review/1690/13

Also remember they are reviewing it when it costs $130 too.
 
Gold means that it performs at 80% efficiency or better.

As for the rest I don't know.

7pX10jx.png


Gold is 87%.
 
I wasn't aware of any heat increases, they're probably pretty negligible.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i7-4770k-haswell-review,3521-10.html

There's other mentions of this around the web (but Tom's hardware I consider a reputable source)..but apparently if you disable hyper-threading it runs cooler, but then that invalidates using the i7 for those programs (engineering programs and video encoding) that benefit from hyper-threading.

That's why I'm wondering if I need more than 1 extra fan...
 

kharma45

Member
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i7-4770k-haswell-review,3521-10.html

There's other mentions of this around the web (but Tom's hardware I consider a reputable source)..but apparently if you disable hyper-threading it runs cooler, but then that invalidates using the i7 for those programs (engineering programs and video encoding) that benefit from hyper-threading.

That's why I'm wondering if I need more than 1 extra fan...

I've skimmed but I don't see where they're saying that, all I see is that Ivy runs cooler than Haswell.
 

LordAlu

Member
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/core-i7-4770k-haswell-review,3521-10.html

There's other mentions of this around the web (but Tom's hardware I consider a reputable source)..but apparently if you disable hyper-threading it runs cooler, but then that invalidates using the i7 for those programs (engineering programs and video encoding) that benefit from hyper-threading.

That's why I'm wondering if I need more than 1 extra fan...
Looking through it seems they're disappointed that it runs slightly hotter than the Ivy Bridge variant (not the i5) which is true, and also that it isn't a good enough jump to justify upgrading your Ivy Bridge processor, which doesn't apply as you don't have one!

The 4770K in that build will be good to go and will be just fine in that case with the intake and outake fans it already has.
 
My budget was 1500 (canadian) and I was wondering if there was anything I should switch?

CPU Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core $239.99
CPU Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing $29.99
Motherboard ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 $134.99
Memory Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 $127.99
Storage Samsung 840 Series 120GB 2.5" SSD $99.99
Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM $64.75
Video Card Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB $299.98
Sound Card Asus Xonar DGX $29.99
Wireless Network Adapter Rosewill RNX-N250PCe 802.11b/g/n PCI-Express x1 $35.48
Case Cooler Master Storm Enforcer ATX Mid Tower $89.99
Case Fan Cooler Master Megaflow 110.0 CFM 200mm $12.37
Power Supply SeaSonic 750W ATX12V / EPS12V $149.99
Optical Drive Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer $57.34
Operating System Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) $97.99

Is 1 extra fan sufficient since the case comes with a fan?

If you're going to spend $300 on a 7970 you may as well get a 280x.
 
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