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[Fleshfeast]

I'm looking to upgrade my PC with a new motherboard and CPU.

My current setup:
CPU: AMD Phemon II x4 840
Video Card: GTX 460 1GB SE
Memory: 8GB DDR3 1600
Mother Board: BIOSTAR A780L3G
Hard Drive: 750GB WD Black 7200rpm SATA
PSU: Cooler Master 650w

Everywhere I look people seem to be only recommending Intel, but my friend is insisting that I get an AMD FX-6300. He says it'll be the best I can get for my price range ($180 max), esp since I might not be able to upgrade anything but the video card for at least a year, maybe two. Is there anything wrong with going with AMD? Should I listen to my friend?

 

[Ty4on]

When you say blower - what do you mean? Sounds bad ; )

and compared to an i7 4770, is the 3570 too much of a downgrade?

I feel like for 500 this can't be beat though considering I priced it new/build myself and it's almost 1000+

Blower means it has a circular fan pushing air out the back of the case. They're usually louder than open air cooler, but keep the hot GPU air away from the rest of the PC. The FTW cooler shouldn't be too bad and it will be silent when idling.

The 3570k is in games barely any worse than the 4770k. On average it overclocks slightly higher and I think HT may make a difference in some games like BF3/4 and Crysis 3, but otherwise it's a solid gaming GPU and has a decent resell value if it's the k model. Metro Last Light is one of those few games that show a difference and it's really not much unless you play at low resolution and want 120fps. The GPU was a 580.

I think online Battlefield might make a difference and someone with better knowledge there could tell you the difference. In raw power the i7 is roughly 30% more powerful, but most games can't access or don't need that extra power. If the CPU optimization seen in Mantle starts to improve APIs you might not need more than an i3

I have a 670ftw and it's super quiet compared to the 570 I had before it.

Seems to be a decent cooler. I doubt it is super quiet P ), but probably good enough for most.

 

[ZoddGutts]

If you're getting a 4670K you want to go Z87 to OC.

Cheapest board that I could think about recommending is $95 and then you might as well grab this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...301&nm_mc=AFC-IR&cm_mmc=AFC-IR-_-na-_-na-_-na

Ah, good to know. Thinking of getting this one:


http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8045918&sku=G452-1158

 

[DarkFlow]

Since I got a extra Nvidia Holiday bundle when I bought my card since they had no more Batman Arkham Origin codes, I'll give it to the first person to quote me. It's AssCreed 4 and Splinter Cell Blacklist both on Uplay. It expires on the 28th so get to using it quickly.

 

[NoRéN]

Since I got a extra Nvidia Holiday bundle when I bought my card since they had no more Batman Arkham Origin codes, I'll give it to the first person to quote me. It's AssCreed 4 and Splinter Cell Blacklist both on Uplay. It expires on the 28th so get to using it quickly.

me!

 

[kennah]

Since I got a extra Nvidia Holiday bundle when I bought my card since they had no more Batman Arkham Origin codes, I'll give it to the first person to quote me. It's AssCreed 4 and Splinter Cell Blacklist both on Uplay. It expires on the 28th so get to using it quickly.

Me!?

LOL - that question mark cost me.

 

[DarkFlow]

Damn you guys were fast lol, Sorry Kennah! Maybe ask Noren if he wants to split it with ya, I think it spits out 2 codes.

 

[kennah]

I'm good. I don't play games anyway.

 

[NoRéN]

Damn you guys were fast lol, Sorry Kennah! Maybe ask Noren if he wants to split it with ya, I think it spits out 2 codes.

Thank you so much!

I'll be more than happy to split it with you, kennah.

I'm good. I don't play games anyway.

Uh, yeah, well, i didn't want to share anyway.

 

[kennah]

Thank you so much!

I'll be more than happy to split it with you, kennah.

If you don't want AssCreed - that's the only one I wanted, but I'm good either way! Still have AssCreed 2 and 3 to play first.

 

[NoRéN]

If you don't want AssCreed - that's the only one I wanted, but I'm good either way! Still have AssCreed 2 and 3 to play first.

dang, just redeemed it as that's the main one I wanted.

 

[Krappadizzle]

Got my new parts and spent about an hour or so putting it together. Still need to tighten up the cable management. Other than that though I'm very happy. I followed mostly the suggested by Haz's build sheet from the first page. Cell phone pics incoming:

i7-4770k@4.2Ghz
G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
Corsair HX Professional Series 850-Watt 80 Plus Certified
Corsair H60
Corsair Carbide Series Air 540 Cube Case
GTX 780
GTX 460

I had some old WD's green and black from my old build and my old SSD as well to save about $300. I'm gonna buy a 1 tb hard drive for my old pc and give it to my wife. So she'll have a i7-920@3.8Ghz/12gb Ram/GTX 680. It'll be a big upgrade for her from her laptop. It was how I kind of justified buying all the parts I did for my new build, so she'll have something competent to play with.

Thanks Haz for taking the time to keep the build sheet up-to-date. I am very happy with my build.

 

[Filth]

whats the benefits of having 2 different video cards in a pc? i know sli is really good but you need the same cards. i never knew you could put 2 different types of cards in one setup,

 

[DarkFlow]

whats the benefits of having 2 different video cards in a pc? i know sli is really good but you need the same cards. i never knew you could put 2 different types of cards in one setup,

Multi Monitors mainly, and people that bitcoin mine.

 

[Filth]

Multi Monitors mainly, and people that bitcoin mine.

ahhh ok, thanks

 

[kennah]

whats the benefits of having 2 different video cards in a pc? i know sli is really good but you need the same cards. i never knew you could put 2 different types of cards in one setup,

NVIDIA - if you have more than 3 monitors and if you want to use the other card as a PHYSX processor, or you run multigpu theaded production software.

AMD - mining mining mining.


There really isn't much an advantage to it. I guess the dude above is doing it as a 'I have it and can do it so why not" kinda thing.

 

[davepoobond]

NVIDIA - if you have more than 3 monitors and if you want to use the other card as a PHYSX processor, or you run multigpu theaded production software.

AMD - mining mining mining.


There really isn't much an advantage to it. I guess the dude above is doing it as a 'I have it and can do it so why not" kinda thing.

Don't they have to be the same card to use SLI? I would guess that you can only use one or the other at any given time then

 

[zonezeus]

If you don't want AssCreed - that's the only one I wanted, but I'm good either way! Still have AssCreed 2 and 3 to play first.

Hey man, check your pm inbox.

 

[Dave_6]

Got my new parts and spent about an hour or so putting it together. Still need to tighten up the cable management. Other than that though I'm very happy. I followed mostly the suggested by Haz's build sheet from the first page. Cell phone pics incoming:




i7-4770k@4.2Ghz
G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
Corsair HX Professional Series 850-Watt 80 Plus Certified
Corsair H60
Corsair Carbide Series Air 540 Cube Case
GTX 780
GTX 460

I had some old WD's green and black from my old build and my old SSD as well to save about $300. I'm gonna buy a 1 tb hard drive for my old pc and give it to my wife. So she'll have a i7-920@3.8Ghz/12gb Ram/GTX 680. It'll be a big upgrade for her from her laptop. It was how I kind of justified buying all the parts I did for my new build, so she'll have something competent to play with.

Thanks Haz for taking the time to keep the build sheet up-to-date. I am very happy with my build.

I've been loving that case lately! Makes me almost want to switch to one from my Define R4. Looks great!

 

[Krappadizzle]

whats the benefits of having 2 different video cards in a pc? i know sli is really good but you need the same cards. i never knew you could put 2 different types of cards in one setup,

I use it mostly for 2 other monitors. I have 4 monitors on my desk and 2 are from the GTX 460. The other 2 from the 780. I like to use the 780 for my gaming and the 460 for running guides, tweaks, videos, or my stream when I'm streaming. As my monitors and what not aren't all the same size, I don't play across them as that would be annoying, I just use the 30 inch monitor as my main and extend desktop across that.

This is my set up: Another crappy cell pic incoming.

NVIDIA - if you have more than 3 monitors and if you want to use the other card as a PHYSX processor, or you run multigpu theaded production software.

There really isn't much an advantage to it. I guess the dude above is doing it as a 'I have it and can do it so why not" kinda thing.

Yeah, it's kinda this, I figured I might as well use it for something rather than try and sell it for a pittance. And after going multi-multi monitor it's hard to go back. I've also used it for PhysX but I suspect that my GTX 780 is probably better at calculating PhysX by itself rather than the dusty ol' GTX 460.

I've been loving that case lately! Makes me almost want to switch to one from my Define R4. Looks great!

I love the case. It separates the power supply and wires from the main portion so that all air pulled in can flow over the GFX card and components and pushes air out the back. Cable management is amazing with it as well. Granted mine isn't that good as I just wanted to get it together, but it's much better than my old set up, and it runs quiet as hell.

 

[SenatorBot]

My GPU, GTX 660 TI broke down and RMA is taking forever to replace it.

With the new line of GPUs coming out, is it worth changing from my 660 to AMD's R9 270X or the GTX 750 or something.

Can anyone give me any advice on this?

 

[Krappadizzle]

Does anyone know what are acceptable temps for the i7-4770k? I'm not really too concerned as the i7-920 had a high temp threshold and ran perfectly fine for years and still works. Mine seems to average around 50C during normal operation and around 65C during gaming which puts it about what the 920 was. It's only at a mild 4.2Ghz clock so I'm wondering if I should push it even further. I'm using the H60 cooler by the way.

My GPU, GTX 660 TI broke down and RMA is taking forever to replace it.

With the new line of GPUs coming out, is it worth changing from my 660 to AMD's R9 270X or the GTX 750 or something.

Can anyone give me any advice on this?

This seems almost like a sideways move as opposed to any meaningful upgrade. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure it'd be better for you to just stick with the 660ti. That's a hell of a card.

 

[kennah]

Hey man, check your pm inbox.

Aww thanks! <3 GAF

 

[mkenyon]

Does anyone know what are acceptable temps for the i7-4770k? I'm not really too concerned as the i7-920 had a high temp threshold and ran perfectly fine for years and still works. Mine seems to average around 50C during normal operation and around 65C during gaming which puts it about what the 920 was. It's only at a mild 4.2Ghz clock so I'm wondering if I should push it even further. I'm using the H60 cooler by the way.

Up to an 80C average is fine.

Make sure you stress it with something like Prime 95 Small FFT.

 

[kharma45]

Not familiar with the term "power phase"... should I learn about it? Or try to find some more detailed specs? Or would you say that it's best to just play it safe and go with the UD3H

Thanks for the help

has to do with stability in regards to power supply...I think.

They basically constitute a little power supply on the motherboard that work with the CPU. More power phases = better as the load on each one of them is reduced meaning less heat.

Gotcha. Looks like after discount, the two would be the same price anyway. So I'll go with the ATX UD3H.

Thanks, guys.

It's a good board although there are issues with people trying to use 4 RAM DIMMs with it.

Your Current Specs: just basic crap, laptop.
Budget: ~$400-500 + US
Main Use: Rate 1-5. 5 being Highest:
5 - Light Gaming
5 - Gaming
1 - Emulation (PS2/Wii)
2 - Video Editing
1 - Streaming games in HD
1 - 3D/Model work (and what program)
5 - General Usage (Word, Web, 1080p playback).
Monitor Resolution: IDK, I will have to buy a monitor, until then I planned on just plugging it up to my t.v.
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well:
The main thing is League of Legends. I would like to run it at highest setting with a good amount of fps. Like 60+ without drops. I can currently run it on lowest setting with 20-30 fps with drops to 1 in big fights.
Small note: I am interested in games like shogun 2, so would be nice if it could play those type of game decently, but not required.
How important is PhysX / SuperSampling / CUDA to you? - I know nothing about these.
Looking to reuse any parts?: no
When will you build?: If the prebuilt I listed below isn't good enought, within about 2 wks.
Will you be overclocking?: No. I don't know anything about this.

I was told to get this, and that would be the cheapest route, for prebuilt. So is this good?
http://outlet.us.dell.com/ARBOnline...arch.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=dfh&cs=22&puid=23c874f6
Processor: Intel Core 3rd Generation i5-3340 Processor (6M Cache, up to 3.3 GHz)
Windows 8
1TB Hard Drive, 3.5 Inch, 7200rpm, SATA
8GB Dual Channel DDR3 at 1600Mhz
16X DVD +/- RW Drive
Intel HD Integrated Graphics
Dell Outlet Inspiron 660 Minitower

Note: I was told to get a radeon 7750 for it as well and I should b okay for basic gaming needs. If I can play LoL decently w/o the 7750 I will hold off on getting it.

That link errors out with no price. I can't beat it building through PCP. Best I can do

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($181.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Biostar Hi-Fi B85S3+ Ver. 6.x Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($25.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $502.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-21 18:50 EST-0500)

No copy of Windows though.

R4 and H230 are the two case i'm currently deciding on ...debating if i want the spend the extra $ on the R4, I don't mind it...just debating if its worth it ....Love both style

It's me being a miser but I'd lean to the H230. I would lean to saying the R4 isn't worth twice the cash.

Since you brought it up, the 200r is $30 at TigerDirect if one was considering that instead.

Edit: Tempted to get it to build another PC in the future...

I too prefer the 200r over the HAF 912. Much more simple and elegant on the outside. The HAF912 does have more room to work with but the 200r has been good. Just make sure to check the standoffs as they come preinstalled.

200R is a great shout at that price.

I'm looking to upgrade my PC with a new motherboard and CPU.

My current setup:
CPU: AMD Phemon II x4 840
Video Card: GTX 460 1GB SE
Memory: 8GB DDR3 1600
Mother Board: BIOSTAR A780L3G
Hard Drive: 750GB WD Black 7200rpm SATA
PSU: Cooler Master 650w

Everywhere I look people seem to be only recommending Intel, but my friend is insisting that I get an AMD FX-6300. He says it'll be the best I can get for my price range ($180 max), esp since I might not be able to upgrade anything but the video card for at least a year, maybe two. Is there anything wrong with going with AMD? Should I listen to my friend?

Their IPC is pretty poor and they use a lot of power. In CPU bound games they suffer a lot.

Ah, good to know. Thinking of getting this one:


http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8045918&sku=G452-1158

I'd side towards that Biostar for a bit less that I linked.

Does anyone know what are acceptable temps for the i7-4770k? I'm not really too concerned as the i7-920 had a high temp threshold and ran perfectly fine for years and still works. Mine seems to average around 50C during normal operation and around 65C during gaming which puts it about what the 920 was. It's only at a mild 4.2Ghz clock so I'm wondering if I should push it even further. I'm using the H60 cooler by the way.

This seems almost like a sideways move as opposed to any meaningful upgrade. I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure it'd be better for you to just stick with the 660ti. That's a hell of a card.

That's fine. Keep it below 80c.

My GPU, GTX 660 TI broke down and RMA is taking forever to replace it.

With the new line of GPUs coming out, is it worth changing from my 660 to AMD's R9 270X or the GTX 750 or something.

Can anyone give me any advice on this?

None of those are worth it. Send an email to see what's taking your RMA so long.

 

[KTT]

It's a good board although there are issues with people trying to use 4 RAM DIMMs with it.

I've got one stick of 8GB, so that won't be an issue.

 

[kharma45]

I've got one stick of 8GB, so that won't be an issue.

You should be very happy with it then.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Got those 2 PWM fan splitters today. Working well. MB temps down about 3C to 48-50C. These were reaching 60C before any alterations under heavy testing! Before I finished the fan layout and additions it was around 51C~ GPU's capped at 79C after a Valley 1.0 and Heaven 4.0 bench. GPU temps were easily reaching my temp target before. Temp target is set to 84. No throttling which makes me happy. I just played a good 45 minutes of BF4 and temps capped at 73C for the hotter of the GPU's and 64C for the 2nd card. These are very pleasing results and keep me well below my temp target.

I put 2 SP 120's right next to the GPU's and too out the side panel fans and put 1 out above GPU's and 1 in below. I have a total of 10 fans in my case. Here's a crude diagram of what I'm doing.....

 

[onionfrog]

That link errors out with no price. I can't beat it building through PCP. Best I can do

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($181.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Biostar Hi-Fi B85S3+ Ver. 6.x Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 GHz Edition 1GB Video Card ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($25.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $502.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-21 18:50 EST-0500)

No copy of Windows though.

I'm looking to build something with the same price point as this.
What video card would you recommend if I had an extra $60 to spend? I know nothing about video cards.

I'm planning to use it for the same things as EzekalRage, with a bit more emphasis on PS2 and Wii Emulation.

Thanks.

 

[Krappadizzle]

Got those 2 PWM fan splitters today. Working well. MB temps down about 3C to 48-50C. These were reaching 60C before any alterations under heavy testing! Before I finished the fan layout and additions it was around 51C~ GPU's capped at 79C after a Valley 1.0 and Heaven 4.0 bench. GPU temps were easily reaching my temp target before. Temp target is set to 84. No throttling which makes me happy. I just played a good 45 minutes of BF4 and temps capped at 73C for the hotter of the GPU's and 64C for the 2nd card. These are very pleasing results and keep me well below my temp target.

I put 2 SP 120's right next to the GPU's and too out the side panel fans and put 1 out above GPU's and 1 in below. I have a total of 10 fans in my case. Here's a crude diagram of what I'm doing.....

Looks awesome. I can't wait to see the final product. Plus, I'm super jelly of thos 780ti's.

 

[kharma45]

I'm looking to build something with the same price point as this.
What video card would you recommend if I had an extra $60 to spend? I know nothing about video cards.

Thanks.

You can get a 260X for $109. I'd try to aim for the R7 265 though if you can get hold of it for $150 when it launches.

 

[onionfrog]

You can get a 260X for $109. I'd try to aim for the R7 265 though if you can get hold of it for $150 when it launches.

Thanks.

I'm probably going to order the rest of the parts soon.(Sans video card) As those current prices seem quite good.

 

[kharma45]

Thanks.

I'm probably going to order the rest of the parts soon. As those current prices seem quite good.

That PSU and case are stonking bargains. Only negative against the PSU is it's not modular.

 

[Geneijin]

A general question to anyone: is it generally better building a PC than buying? I ask because a relative recently bought something like this from Dell, and it's more expensive when I try to build something more similar. I'm thinking of offering my services to help build one. I tried swapping the i5 4440 for an i3 4130, but it still comes out to relatively the same price. So what reasons would one consider building than buying? The only thing I can think of is that the mobo, ram, hdd, and psu might be so questionable in quality that it would be better buying better components. Any thoughts appreciated.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2XFZK
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2XFZK/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2XFZK/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($184.29 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81.Amp-UP ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ TigerDirect)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $611.22
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-21 20:50 EST-0500)

 

[mercenar1e]

Got my new parts and spent about an hour or so putting it together. Still need to tighten up the cable management. Other than that though I'm very happy. I followed mostly the suggested by Haz's build sheet from the first page. Cell phone pics incoming:





Corsair Carbide Series Air 540 Cube Case


Thanks Haz for taking the time to keep the build sheet up-to-date. I am very happy with my build.

I have the same case put together days ago with better cable management.. here are my pics.

I bought a dust filter for the top grill and it fits perfectly. you should look into picking up a few..
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004GGUASG/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Hazaro]

A general question to anyone: is it generally better building a PC than buying? I ask because a relative recently bought something like this from Dell, and it's more expensive when I try to build something more similar. I'm thinking of offering my services to help build one. I tried swapping the i5 4440 for an i3 4130, but it still comes out to relatively the same price. So what reasons would one consider building than buying? The only thing I can think of is that the mobo, ram, hdd, and psu might be so questionable in quality that it would be better buying better components. Any thoughts appreciated.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2XFZK
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2XFZK/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2XFZK/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($184.29 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81.Amp-UP ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ TigerDirect)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $611.22
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-21 20:50 EST-0500)

To save costs closer to the Dell you'd have an even cheaper mobo, get a VP450 for $36, a $40 case, slower memory, and Windows at a volume discount (Dell).

Your parts should be longer warrantied (2-5 years) individually and you can upgrade whatever you want along with being better.

I'd swap in a Z87 motherboard if you plan to do any gaming in the future on it. If not then buying a prebuilt system is fine. (You listed no Graphics)

 

[Krappadizzle]

I have the same case put together days ago with better cable management.. here are my pics.


I bought a dust filter for the top grill and it fits perfectly. you should look into picking up a few..
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004GGUASG/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Yeah, your cable management is much better than mine. I'll get around to fixing it sooner than later. Those dust filters? How many should I buy? 2? It not having a dust filter right there was the only thing bothering me about the case. Other than that I love it though.

 

[kennah]

Ended up scoring a cheap Prodigy. Time for SFF computer number 2 in the house.

 

[mercenar1e]

Yeah, your cable management is much better than mine. I'll get around to fixing it sooner than later. Those dust filters? How many should I buy? 2? It not having a dust filter right there was the only thing bothering me about the case. Other than that I love it though.

Yeah you'll need 2 for the top grill.. I am trying to find something that would cover the PSU vent/back fan

 

[XANDER CAGE]

Sorry if this is the wrong thread for it, but I figured this would be the right place to find people in the know. I'm thinking of upgrading the GPU in one of my PCs, which is currently a GTX 660 2GB. It's not a bad card, per say, but I'm looking for a little bit more power.

Is there anything midrange worth getting in the $200 range, or am I better off sucking it up and waiting for a bit? I've been eyeing the GTX 760 and 770 deals on Newegg and stuff but I haven't really found any convincing benchmarks one way or the other. I play games at 1080p and do a lot of image work on a Cintiq as a second monitor, if that helps.

 

[Geneijin]

To save costs closer to the Dell you'd have an even cheaper mobo, get a VP450 for $36, a $40 case, slower memory, and Windows at a volume discount (Dell).

Your parts should be longer warrantied (2-5 years) individually and you can upgrade whatever you want along with being better.

I'd swap in a Z87 motherboard if you plan to do any gaming in the future on it. If not then buying a prebuilt system is fine. (You listed no Graphics)

I agree about everything except the memory. Slower memory seems like the same price so why bother with 1066 when for $2 you can get 1600? This PC is just for a relative who won't do any gaming at all. Light usage like web browsing multiple tabs, streaming and watching videos. Pretty sure the i3 is more than enough for that and that the i5 would be excessive with such tasks, right? Pardon me for having no clue D:

How does this revision look to you?

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2XHuq
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2XHuq/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2XHuq/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.99 @ TigerDirect)
Motherboard: Biostar Hi-Fi B85S3+ Ver. 6.x Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Kingston Blu 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Best Buy)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99)
Power Supply: Antec 450W ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($91.77)
Total: $453.70
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-21 21:36 EST-0500)

 

[Hazaro]

I agree about everything except the memory. Slower memory seems like the same price so why bother with 1066 when for $2 you can get 1600? This PC is just for a relative who won't do any gaming at all. Light usage like web browsing multiple tabs, streaming and watching videos. Pretty sure the i3 is more than enough for that and that the i5 would be excessive with such tasks, right? Pardon me for having no clue D:

Comment on memory is just another place Dell saves.

I'd just have them buy a Dell from Best Buy / Online (With Win 7). No reason to build one. You overpay for the OS and delivery.

 

[Krappadizzle]

Sorry if this is the wrong thread for it, but I figured this would be the right place to find people in the know. I'm thinking of upgrading the GPU in one of my PCs, which is currently a GTX 660 2GB. It's not a bad card, per say, but I'm looking for a little bit more power.

Is there anything midrange worth getting in the $200 range, or am I better off sucking it up and waiting for a bit? I've been eyeing the GTX 760 and 770 deals on Newegg and stuff but I haven't really found any convincing benchmarks one way or the other. I play games at 1080p and do a lot of image work on a Cintiq as a second monitor, if that helps.

The 770 is just more or less a GTX 680 which has been a fantastic card. I'd say if you want an upgrade and can find one in the $200 range go for it. Especially if you can get the 4gb version of that card. Why aren't you happy with your 660? It's an excellent card for the money.

 

[onionfrog]

That PSU and case are stonking bargains. Only negative against the PSU is it's not modular.

Thanks Again.
I just ordered all the parts.
I'm gonna hold off on getting a video card for now. and wait to see if I can snag an R7 265 at MSRP at some point.

Even with just the integrated graphics, it'll be a hell of a lot better than what I've got now:
This POS

 

[Geneijin]

Comment on memory is just another place Dell saves.

I'd just have them buy a Dell from Best Buy / Online (With Win 7). No reason to build one. You overpay for the OS and delivery.

Kay. Thanks. Will do then.

 

[ZoddGutts]

Anyone know a good motherboard Z87 for the i5 4670K to do some decent OC for the CPU that cost around $130 ish. I'm thinking of maybe getting this one:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8041583

 

[SleazyC]

Anyone know a good motherboard Z87 for the i5 4670K to do some decent OC for the CPU that cost around $130 ish. I'm thinking of maybe getting this one:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8041583

The ASRock Fatal1ty Z87 Killer has been getting good reviews and is only $114 on Newegg right now. I think it's been as low as $100 with coupon code on Newegg at points.

Check out HardOCP's review of it - link

Apparently its a really great overclocker.

 

[KTT]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-cables-_-na-_-na&Item=N82E16817207013&cm_sp=

Any reason I shouldn't get the XFX Core Edition Pro 550W 80 PLUS Bronze PSU? Would it cost a significant amount more electricity-wise than a more expensive one? I'll be building in about three weeks and I've been gathering parts as they go one sale. My setup is looking something like this:

CPU: 4670K ($180 at Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Zalman Optima (Already ordered for $10)
Motherboard: GA-Z87X-UD3H ($110 at Microcenter after bundle discount)
Video Card: Either a MSI 7850 2GB or a 265 2GB
Memory: 1x8GB Kingston Hyperx Blu 1600 DDR3 (Already ordered for $50)
Storage: Some 240GB SSD + old 1TB HDD
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower (Already ordered for $30)

Anyone know a good motherboard Z87 for the i5 4670K to do some decent OC for the CPU that cost around $130 ish. I'm thinking of maybe getting this one:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8041583

Anywhere near a MicroCenter?

 

[TheGravemind]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-cables-_-na-_-na&Item=N82E16817207013&cm_sp=

Any reason I shouldn't get the XFX Core Edition Pro 550W 80 PLUS Bronze PSU? Would it cost a significant amount more electricity-wise than a more expensive one? I'll be building in about three weeks and I've been gathering parts as they go one sale. My setup is looking something like this:

CPU: 4670K ($180 at Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Zalman Optima (Already ordered for $10)
Motherboard: GA-Z87X-UD3H ($110 at Microcenter after bundle discount)
Video Card: Either a MSI 7850 2GB or a 265 2GB
Memory: 1x8GB Kingston Hyperx Blu 1600 DDR3 (Already ordered for $50)
Storage: Some 240GB SSD + old 1TB HDD
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower (Already ordered for $30)



Anywhere near a MicroCenter?

IS THE XFX PRO CORE 550 HASWELL ready ?

 

[KTT]

IS THE XFX PRO CORE 550 HASWELL ready ?

Yep, this is from some deal site I saw when looking it up:

To clarify about Haswell compatibility:

1. It WILL work with Haswell (i3-4xxx, i5-4xxx, i7-4xxx), it just doesn't support the low power C6/C7 sleep states
2. You can just disable those states on your motherboard
3. It doesn't save that much power. I ran the numbers once and you're talking about maybe $1 a year in power savings, so don't sweat it.