Glass Shark
Banned
Tom's Hardware seemed to like it too. I think I'll take my chances. It has a 3-year warranty, and I'll probably replace it before that's up anyway.
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"I need a New PC!" 2013 Part 2. Haswell = #IntelnoTIM, but free online. READ THE OP.
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LeGourmand
Member
I hate http://www.directcanada.com/
I've ordered 2 part on their site on black friday, one (power supply) still hasn't shipped...
I've ordered part on newegg.ca one week later for some other build and they are already on the way.
I remember why i used to order everything on newegg or amazon
I've ordered 2 part on their site on black friday, one (power supply) still hasn't shipped...
I've ordered part on newegg.ca one week later for some other build and they are already on the way.
I remember why i used to order everything on newegg or amazon
Tom's isn't great anymore...
But, you'll probably be fine. Just that better ones are available for the same price.
I usually just use them to price match on other sites/locally. What did you end up getting?
cuevas. PhD.
Member
Hey guys the 290 is back in stock at newegg!!!
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121807
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121807
$499
Damn, I don't feel so bad about buying a r9-290x at 550. Plus I've already made 405 on the 7970 I'm selling.
GenoScreams
Neo Member
I know this is really about GAMING PCs, but I am looking to build my first PC and the extent of my gaming on PC is indie games (SuperMeatBoy, MineCraft) and PSX/N64 era and earlier emulation. If I could go beyond that it'd be great, but those are the only mandatory ones.
Other than that, what I primarily do on PC is, I believe, not very intensive. Watch streams, videos, run a torrent or something in the background. Possibly all at the same time. Occasionally I'll play some of the games I mentioned up there or use Photoshop/Illustrator for some quick work. Ability to multitask easily would be great.
So I tried putting a build together:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2hHxj
CPU: Best price/performance going by the benchmarks. Lots of people have it, lots of people like it, and my computer isn't a gaming computer so I figure it should be enough.
CPU Cooler: Pretty sure I won't need to purchase one of these.
Motherboard: No idea. Someone on Reddit suggested this one.
Memory: These seem far and away the best deal right now.
Storage: Everyone seems to suggest this for an HDD and it's a good price.
Video Card: Not sure, but most are really expensive and, since I'll only be playing fairly undemanding games, I reckon this may be enough.
Case: No idea. I want a quiet one. I also want a reliable and aesthetic one. But I don't want to go over say $70. This one seemed to be okay.
Power Supply: Again, someone suggested this. Seems good.
Optical Drive: Pretty sure this doesn't matter much so a really cheap one with a lot of positive reviews.
Operating System: Seems like everyone has a completely different opinion on this between Windows 7 and Windows 8. I already know I like Windows 7 and it's $10 cheaper, so unless there is a massive performance difference I think this should be alright.
Monitor: I want a good one. This one seems to be really popular, really well reviewed, and suggested often.
Speakers: Literally no idea. I didn't even include them. If anyone has any suggestions on a set of speakers under like $30 we're good to go.
My budget is $800 (and I do need a monitor/OS/speakers) but I don't need something overkill, so the lower the better. I'm mainly checking to see if anything here jumps out as a completely terrible idea, but if the price could be knocked down a lot and/or I could invest in an SSD or get a better CPU or something I'm totally open to those suggestions.
So, anyone have any suggestions?
Other than that, what I primarily do on PC is, I believe, not very intensive. Watch streams, videos, run a torrent or something in the background. Possibly all at the same time. Occasionally I'll play some of the games I mentioned up there or use Photoshop/Illustrator for some quick work. Ability to multitask easily would be great.
So I tried putting a build together:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2hHxj
CPU: Best price/performance going by the benchmarks. Lots of people have it, lots of people like it, and my computer isn't a gaming computer so I figure it should be enough.
CPU Cooler: Pretty sure I won't need to purchase one of these.
Motherboard: No idea. Someone on Reddit suggested this one.
Memory: These seem far and away the best deal right now.
Storage: Everyone seems to suggest this for an HDD and it's a good price.
Video Card: Not sure, but most are really expensive and, since I'll only be playing fairly undemanding games, I reckon this may be enough.
Case: No idea. I want a quiet one. I also want a reliable and aesthetic one. But I don't want to go over say $70. This one seemed to be okay.
Power Supply: Again, someone suggested this. Seems good.
Optical Drive: Pretty sure this doesn't matter much so a really cheap one with a lot of positive reviews.
Operating System: Seems like everyone has a completely different opinion on this between Windows 7 and Windows 8. I already know I like Windows 7 and it's $10 cheaper, so unless there is a massive performance difference I think this should be alright.
Monitor: I want a good one. This one seems to be really popular, really well reviewed, and suggested often.
Speakers: Literally no idea. I didn't even include them. If anyone has any suggestions on a set of speakers under like $30 we're good to go.
My budget is $800 (and I do need a monitor/OS/speakers) but I don't need something overkill, so the lower the better. I'm mainly checking to see if anything here jumps out as a completely terrible idea, but if the price could be knocked down a lot and/or I could invest in an SSD or get a better CPU or something I'm totally open to those suggestions.
So, anyone have any suggestions?
My i5-2500 is running pretty hot lately, I figured I need a better CPU cooler than the stock one.
I was eyeing the Antec Khuler H20 620, I've seen some benchmarks online, and it looks good, but I wanted to ask anyway if somebody has it, and if it's really good or not.
I was eyeing the Antec Khuler H20 620, I've seen some benchmarks online, and it looks good, but I wanted to ask anyway if somebody has it, and if it's really good or not.
cuevas. PhD.
Member
I have 2 backordered 290's now. One at 419 and one at 399. If anyone wants to buy the second one to come into stock (one is amazon one is provantage) I will gladly just sell it to you at the price I got them at, as long as you are not just going to resell it obviously.
Hey everyone, this is what I picked out or bought over the last few weeks during my spare time and as always, I'm open to suggestions!
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $217.74)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (Purchased For $109.99)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($259.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $74.99)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $64.99)
Total: $1016.67
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-09 15:00 EST-0500)
However I'm still having trouble picking a motherboard after reading the OP and lurking here and it's been bothering me. I was initially choosing between the Gigabyte Z87-UD3H and MSI Z87-G45-Gaming but kharma (if I recall correctly) said the G45-Gaming has crappy VRM and to go for the UD3H. Does crappy VRM make it bad for OCing or am I missing something? I was also looking into the ASUS Z87-A. Maybe I should look into higher-end motherboards as a safer bet?
Some information that may help determine what motherboard is good for me: (1) I do plan on OCing but I'm new to this concept, so the easier the better; (2) more USB 3.0 ports are good; (3) I plan on sticking with one GPU, so no SLI/Crossfire; (4) my budget is $150±40, I think I'm flexible enough as long as the features and ports are worth the extra money; (5) total budget is about $1200-1300, I don't have a mechanical KB chosen yet; (6) I plan on streaming if that makes a difference.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $217.74)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H60 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (Purchased For $109.99)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.00 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($259.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $74.99)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $64.99)
Total: $1016.67
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-09 15:00 EST-0500)
However I'm still having trouble picking a motherboard after reading the OP and lurking here and it's been bothering me. I was initially choosing between the Gigabyte Z87-UD3H and MSI Z87-G45-Gaming but kharma (if I recall correctly) said the G45-Gaming has crappy VRM and to go for the UD3H. Does crappy VRM make it bad for OCing or am I missing something? I was also looking into the ASUS Z87-A. Maybe I should look into higher-end motherboards as a safer bet?
Some information that may help determine what motherboard is good for me: (1) I do plan on OCing but I'm new to this concept, so the easier the better; (2) more USB 3.0 ports are good; (3) I plan on sticking with one GPU, so no SLI/Crossfire; (4) my budget is $150±40, I think I'm flexible enough as long as the features and ports are worth the extra money; (5) total budget is about $1200-1300, I don't have a mechanical KB chosen yet; (6) I plan on streaming if that makes a difference.
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
I hope this mining stuff wears off quick. I was planning to get a new GPU early next year (was going to get a 280X this year but I got a phone instead). Prices will suck if this lasts for long.
And I'm kind of stuck at the moment. Long story short is that I'm dealing with a hard budget of about $250 for a CPU, GPU, and motherboard that will be used for gaming that isn't too intensive (World of Tanks, Minecraft, not sure what else).
I'm basically stuck between immediate performance that would be adequate (Kaveri APU) or something upgradable but might not have acceptable performance right now (i3 w/ Z77/Z87 motherboard). I've looked into some used stuff but sites like Craigslist hardly have anything in my area, mostly overpriced completed builds.
I'm leaning toward the APU just because I don't think upgrading is going to be an option, it's for a high school kid with no income. By the time he gets a job and can save up to upgrade he might as well replace it anyway. It's also worth noting that I think pretty much everything he plays is playable on the 4850/Athlon II X3 he's sharing now. I'd hand down my GPU (5850) since I'm planning to buy one but if prices don't get better that won't be an option either.
Edit: Now that my connection is actually working again I'm also looking at AM3+ options, a two module/quad core CPU + motherboard + lower end discrete GPU or something used might fall in that price range which should offer better gaming performance.
Edit edit: Actually, I have some family in Atlanta, if they could pick up one of the Microcenter bundles he could get a six core CPU with a free bundled motherboard leaving nearly $150 left for a discrete GPU. Might go that route, or a cheap Athlon II/Phenom II.
And I'm kind of stuck at the moment. Long story short is that I'm dealing with a hard budget of about $250 for a CPU, GPU, and motherboard that will be used for gaming that isn't too intensive (World of Tanks, Minecraft, not sure what else).
I'm basically stuck between immediate performance that would be adequate (Kaveri APU) or something upgradable but might not have acceptable performance right now (i3 w/ Z77/Z87 motherboard). I've looked into some used stuff but sites like Craigslist hardly have anything in my area, mostly overpriced completed builds.
I'm leaning toward the APU just because I don't think upgrading is going to be an option, it's for a high school kid with no income. By the time he gets a job and can save up to upgrade he might as well replace it anyway. It's also worth noting that I think pretty much everything he plays is playable on the 4850/Athlon II X3 he's sharing now. I'd hand down my GPU (5850) since I'm planning to buy one but if prices don't get better that won't be an option either.
Edit: Now that my connection is actually working again I'm also looking at AM3+ options, a two module/quad core CPU + motherboard + lower end discrete GPU or something used might fall in that price range which should offer better gaming performance.
Edit edit: Actually, I have some family in Atlanta, if they could pick up one of the Microcenter bundles he could get a six core CPU with a free bundled motherboard leaving nearly $150 left for a discrete GPU. Might go that route, or a cheap Athlon II/Phenom II.
LeGourmand
Member
It was for my own build, sadly, i bough this part during black friday so no price match. The machine for my grandma will surely be built first. Hopefully i get everything, for my build, by christmas so i can enjoy this new PC during my days of.
Aye it was me said that and it does, big list of motherboards and their VRMs here. The G45 Gaming was good when it was cheap but when they're around the same price the choice between it and the UD3H is a very easy one.
This heat map will give you an idea of the difference in quality.
Taken from this review http://sinhardware.com/index.php/si...igabyte/lga1150/118-gigabyte-z87x-ud3h-review
LeGourmand
Member
Aye it was me said that and it does, big list of motherboards and their VRMs here. The G45 Gaming was good when it was cheap but when they're around the same price the choice between it and the UD3H is a very easy one.
This heat map will give you an idea of the difference in quality.
Taken from this review http://sinhardware.com/index.php/si...igabyte/lga1150/118-gigabyte-z87x-ud3h-review
I'm really glad i bought the UD3H base on your many recommendation in this thread
Thanks kharma! Based on the heat map, the U3H is the best of the four, correct? Less heat / lower temperature = better. What about at the current prices? The UD3H ($149.99 @ Newegg) is pretty close to the ASUS Z87-PLUS (147.99 @ Newegg); and $10 above that is the UD4H ($159.99 @ Newegg).
I definitely recall that list and felt overwhelmed. I should take a closer look at it this Saturday after a few of my finals. Are there things I should prioritize when looking at the list?
I wish I did now
I should trust you guys more!Aye it was me said that and it does, big list of motherboards and their VRMs here. The G45 Gaming was good when it was cheap but when they're around the same price the choice between it and the UD3H is a very easy one.
This heat map will give you an idea of the difference in quality.
Taken from this review http://sinhardware.com/index.php/si...igabyte/lga1150/118-gigabyte-z87x-ud3h-review
Once again, thank you kharma for the gygabyte recommendation!
twerkitout
Member
I have everything I need for my new build minus the video card. I have about 250 to spend and had my eyes set on a 7950 but seems as if it is hard to locate a decent brand for that price. Should I pony up the extra 60-100 bucks for a r9 280? or should I hold out for a 7950? Thanks
Build a small form factor PC with an AMD APU. If you can wait till January 14th, do that, and get the new APU launching then, Kaveri. If not, then buying now will definitely get you a system that does everything that you want it to.
Check out this post from the OP. The major change you'd want to do is swap out the motherboard for this one.
Since that is way under budget, what I'd suggest is getting yourself a really nice monitor. If you want really high resolution, think about something like a QNIX Evolution. Spending a bit less, the Dell U2412M is great, as is the ASUS VG23AH. If you are interested in 120Hz displays (I love them even for standard desktop usage, read more here), the VG248QE is where it's at.
I'd also suggest a 240/256GB SSD. That's what will make your system snappy. Lots available in the $140-160 range right now. Anything from Samsung, Crucial, Kingston, Plextor, and Toshiba is great.
All AMD cards are inflated in price right now due to a Litecoin Mining rush. Cards are selling for $150+ over what they are worth. I'd look at going with the GTX 760.
This is the one you want.
RedBullEnergy
Member
Guys, putting together my machine. I got 2 SSD's and 1 mechanical.
Is it unwise to use the same power cable for all 3 drives? I'm concerned with performance here. Thanks!
Edit: And does it matter which SATA connection I use on the board for primary drive etc?
Is it unwise to use the same power cable for all 3 drives? I'm concerned with performance here. Thanks!
Edit: And does it matter which SATA connection I use on the board for primary drive etc?
RedBullEnergy
Member
Thanks. Last question before I power...
My PSU is confusing me, the manual has *NO* info.
I have connected a plug into each ATX power slot and have a 24pin connector to goto the motherboard, right?
Why are there two CPU plugs? I have 2 cables aswell. Do I just use 1 and connect it to the 8pin on the motherboard? Sorry for asking stupid questions.
My PSU is confusing me, the manual has *NO* info.
I have connected a plug into each ATX power slot and have a 24pin connector to goto the motherboard, right?
Why are there two CPU plugs? I have 2 cables aswell. Do I just use 1 and connect it to the 8pin on the motherboard? Sorry for asking stupid questions.
Thanks kharma! Based on the heat map, the U3H is the best of the four, correct? Less heat / lower temperature = better. What about at the current prices? The UD3H ($149.99 @ Newegg) is pretty close to the ASUS Z87-PLUS (147.99 @ Newegg); and $10 above that is the UD4H ($159.99 @ Newegg).
I definitely recall that list and felt overwhelmed. I should take a closer look at it this Saturday after a few of my finals. Are there things I should prioritize when looking at the list?
I wish I did now
It is yes. Blue colour = lower temps = good.
Between the Asus and the Gigabyte I'd take the Gigabyte.
NoRéN;93090043 said:
No worries!
Wow @ the new R9 290 prices. Good thing I decided not to hold out for the non-reference cards. They're likely to be expensive as fuck at launch.
AMD is going to see a ton of new cards on the market due of this mining coin hype. Good for them and probably good for us in the long run, when this buzz dies down and miners start offloading them.
I'd to know the technical reason's why the 7000 series is so much better at mining than nVidia cards.
AMD is going to see a ton of new cards on the market due of this mining coin hype. Good for them and probably good for us in the long run, when this buzz dies down and miners start offloading them.
I'd to know the technical reason's why the 7000 series is so much better at mining than nVidia cards.
More shaders so they're better at parallel processing.
maneil99
Member
So I was plaing BF4, fresh install since it had disconnect issues last night for some reason after playing fine all week. Anyways, my mouse kept selecting items like the mouse wheel was being moved so I quit the game ducked under and moved my computer a bit to replug in the mouse cable. My computer shut off and rebooted. Should I be worried, as some will know I have ocd and shit like this scares the shit out of me. CPU and GPU are both overclocked, I tried to replicate it by moving my computer and the psu cable, no dice. Any ideas
If it short circuited would it reboot? Everything is fine now but I want to know why it happened.
Bump
GenoScreams
Neo Member
Hmmm thanks for the response. That's certainly a lot to think about. I hadn't even considered an APU/SFF PC. I don't know much about the differences other than that the CPU includes a GPU (saving money) and it'll take up less physical space. Are there any big advantages to going the SFF route, or is it mainly that my other build would be overkill for what I want?
Following most of your advice, here are the two builds I have now to compare:
Tower: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2hKY0
SFF: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2hNUl
Going the SFF route I'd save a little money, but wouldn't the other build be superior benchmark-wise and easier to troubleshoot?
I am tempted to get a 120GB SSD for $40 more than a 1TB HDD. Right now I'm only working with a ~70GB HDD so it wouldn't be too hard for me to live with a faster version with almost double the space.
Of those monitors you mentioned, the VG248QE intrigues me the most, but I might rather save $120 and keep the builds at a more palatable $700. Especially since the monitor I have right now is so bad that anything would seem like a massive upgrade.
They started going up in price from october/sept where you could find them 180-220 with rebates or without. Depending on performance needs I can't really say hold out. If you're doing fine now just wait for price drops.
Unless you want color accuracy that monitor is worth every penny especially if you can match it to your system well. Without experiencing lightboost or 140hz or 120hz upclose it's hard to really convey how much better it is.
They'd perform pretty similarly, actually. The FX processor line is all but dead at this point though, which is probably the biggest reason why I'd suggest avoiding AM3+ systems. FM2/FM2+ has legs, and will see some pretty cool gains along the APU route over the next few years. That's where a huge portion of their R&D is.
Might as well save some space and go for a nice SFF system that you could use as an HTPC. Having the GPU on die makes it a lot easier to troubleshoot because you're pretty much down to 5 core components at that point.
A Kaveri system would be pretty similar to a PS4/Xbone in performance, that processor line is out in a month.
But seriously, get an SSD. Seriously. That's going to be the thing that makes your computer feel snappy. Drop the HDD and get a 240GB one. Then you're still under $800.
Also, you *sure* you need a DVD drive?
Thank you guys! Feeling reassured.
Now I have a final question before putting the motherboard stuff to rest: I guess I should buy it now while it is slightly discounted even though I don't plan on putting together the PC until next year and still buying parts along the way?
Kaveri won't match them on the GPU side, I thought it was only roughly a 7750 inside in the top end one?
I'm not seeing any discount.
Deified Data
Banned
Totally new to PC building.
Is a GTX 760 2GB going to be bottlenecked by a AMD FD6300WMHKBOX FX-6300 6-Core?
Say my goal is to build a PC that can play Skyrim on max settings with a few optimization mods.
Is a GTX 760 2GB going to be bottlenecked by a AMD FD6300WMHKBOX FX-6300 6-Core?
Say my goal is to build a PC that can play Skyrim on max settings with a few optimization mods.
Same kind of ballpark as the consoles.
RedBullEnergy
Member
Upon initial POST, what should one do? I've updated the BIOS and have run Memtest. Anything else before I get to installing Windows?
OVERCLOCK!
I kid
Just make sure you have the proper boot device selected. Also enable/disable whatever stuff on the motherboard you aren't planning on using, but that's totally optional.
RedBullEnergy
Member
This is such a great thread. So so helpful. I've got some odd wires coming from my case, one being eSATA and some molex ones that I don't really know what they are.. aside from that, it's all working out nicely!
Edit: What about stuff like chipset updates, usb interface updates, SATA controller revisions etc. from the motherboard manufacturer? There's bloody dozens on Asus website :/
Edit: What about stuff like chipset updates, usb interface updates, SATA controller revisions etc. from the motherboard manufacturer? There's bloody dozens on Asus website :/
GenoScreams
Neo Member
But ignorance is bliss! Nah I'm definitely considering it though. That linked thread was pretty convincing.
Okay you've persuaded me on the SSD. I know I'd end up getting one eventually anyway. Also for under $20 I figure I may as well have an optical drive. I could live without one but it'd feel a bit incomplete. I'm sure there will be several points in the future where I'm mildly grateful that I have it.
Not kidding here. I've not had a DVD drive for 4 years now. Never ever once regretted it.
Thank you Apple for starting that.
Those are optional plugs that interface with your case. esata just plugs into a SATA port, molex ones are likely for fans or a fan controller.
That'd be just fine for Skyrim, yea. There's some CPU heavy games where it might limit you some, but you wont be at a loss to play them or anything.
Intel processors are much better for gaming, but AMD isn't bad if you're trying to keep the budget down.
The Xbox one is a 7790 and the PS4 is close to a 7870. Both a fair bit ahead of the 7750.
Depends on whether a red motherboard colour scheme is worth $10 to you lol
I am considering purchasing a new pc and am having trouble deciding on what sort of processor suits my needs. Among my primary uses for the box will be emulating ps2/wii/gc and I've read that these programs are designed to only use 2 processor cores. How does this effect my choice of processor? I'm really confused as to what makes one processor better than another.
With a worse CPU. Yeah, a bit behind the PS4, but really close to Xbone.
You can also OC the memory and proc to get it closer.
Yeah it is. Skyrim is one of those games where it really shows too.
It's just fine in games that aren't too CPU dependent though. But so is an i3.
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