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"I Need a New PC!" 2014 Part 1. 1080p and 60FPS is so last-gen and your 2500K is fine

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KTT

Member
Thinking about picking up this ASUS Z87-A while it's on sale at my local Microcenter (On sale for $115 plus a $30 discount when bundled with the 4670K I'll be buying)


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131981

Any thoughts? I've done a bit of research and don't see any reasons to stay away from it. I was previously planning on getting a UD3H for $140 (and then the same discount would also apply) but I figure this one's a good deal for $25 less.

Thanks!
 

LiquidMetal14

hide your water-based mammals
I would avoid passmark.
There benchmarks are a load of shit, like the CPU benchmark that shows insanely unrealistic thread scaling.

The 8350 has performed well enough on the benchmarks but I haven't thoroughly researched AMD in a good while since mainly building Intel rigs. I still recommend AMD for the budget conscious but looking for the best bang for buck in the range of 150-180.
 

DarkFlow

Banned
I would avoid passmark.
There benchmarks are a load of shit, like the CPU benchmark that shows insanely unrealistic thread scaling.
The point is, he's not going to find anything for $180 that will come close. If lived next to a microcenter, I would say i5 4670k since they have a sale going. It's not like AMD is worthless and is a great choice for budget builds.
 

Azsori

Member
Is having 4GB completely pointless?

Nope...it is becoming more common that games have really high res textures. And I believe this trend will continue, especially with multi platform games, where texture res will be leveraged to provide better visual quality on PC.
 

Bii

Member
Finally bought the processor for my first/new build. Looks like I can start putting it together once it arrives. I'll get the video card and optical drive in the next few weeks. The only component I'm bringing over from my Dell is a Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB HDD. I'm excited! :D

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $219.99)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (Purchased For $33.07)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD4H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (Purchased For $115.00)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (Purchased For $69.99)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (Purchased For $145.99)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased for $59.98)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($547.86 @ Newegg) Not yet purchased
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (White) ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $119.99)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan (Purchased For $19.12)
Power Supply: Rosewill Hive 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $49.99)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC) Not yet purchased
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) (Purchased For $20.00)
Total: $1420.96
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-23 23:25 EST-0500)
 

Delt31

Member
hey guys - now another close call for which PC to get. only highlighting differences as the CPU is the same i5 3570. Both are 550 used.

Set 1
Chassis: Corsair Graphite Series Steel Silver 600T Mid-Tower Computer Case
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V LGA 1155 Intel Z77
Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce GTX670 FTW 2048MB GDDR5 256bit SLI Ready
Power Supply: Corsair Professional Series AX 850 Watt ATX/EPS Modular 80 PLUS Gold (AX850)
CPU Cooling: Corsair Hydro Series H80 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (CWCH80)

Set 2
Chassis:phantom
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V LK 1155 Intel Z77
Graphics Card: Asus GTX DIRECT CU II 670 geforce 2gb
Power Supply: Coolmaster 750w
1TB HD 7900 WB Black 64

Is one much better than the other? Seem very similar to me.
 

Ra1den

Member
My new build is working beautifully, but there is a weird audio issue. I'm using Realtek HD audio which came on my Z87-g45 Gaming mobo with a standard i7 4770 processor... I'm plugged into the front headphone jack on my case.

Every time my cpu is "activated"(so to speak, like when it spikes up a bit), I get a static sound in my audio.

For example, if I'm not touching my computer at all, I will hear silence via my audio line...but as soon as I start doing some sort of action which engages the CPU, even as minor as hovering over a website banner (things which "activate" my cpu), i get static. I can do this at will by continually engaging the CPU, like just moving active windows all over the place, I get pure static then. So this is clearly related to CPU usage.... but why would cpu usage cause a digital signal to have static?
 
hey guys - now another close call for which PC to get. only highlighting differences as the CPU is the same i5 3570. Both are 550 used.

Set 1
Chassis: Corsair Graphite Series Steel Silver 600T Mid-Tower Computer Case
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V LGA 1155 Intel Z77
Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce GTX670 FTW 2048MB GDDR5 256bit SLI Ready
Power Supply: Corsair Professional Series AX 850 Watt ATX/EPS Modular 80 PLUS Gold (AX850)
CPU Cooling: Corsair Hydro Series H80 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (CWCH80)

Set 2
Chassis:phantom
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V LK 1155 Intel Z77
Graphics Card: Asus GTX DIRECT CU II 670 geforce 2gb
Power Supply: Coolmaster 750w
1TB HD 7900 WB Black 64

Is one much better than the other? Seem very similar to me.

Build 1 has a better PSU--although it is absolutely overkill--and CPU cooler, but Build 2 has a better Case and GPU. It's confusing because the top one doesn't have a hard drive listed and the bottom one doesn't have a cooling solution for the CPU listed (although stock is fine if you don't plan on OCing). I'm confused, are you buying these off someone or building your own? Because you could get a comperable setup for cheaper with all new parts -- Phantom Case, BioStar Z77 motherboard, Gigabyte GTX 760 with 3X Windforce Cooler, and Rosewill 630W 80-Plus Bronze PSU for about $480, leaves some left over for that HD or a HSF if you wanted it, but everything is brand new and comes with warranties.

Odd that it only says 7000 series. Try right clicking on your desktop and going to Screen Resolution and then Advanced settings, it should say what it is in there.

It's a rebranded 6450. More precisely, it's an OEM only card known as an HD 7450 or maybe a 7470, but the process node (40nm) and ROP count give away that it's a very low end card from a very long time ago. Curiosly, it's made by Sapphire but not advertised on their site, and features 2GB instead of the 512MB-1GB AMD lists it as, as well as the fact that it says it uses GDDR3 but all iterations of it say DDR3. Weird.
 
Guys, building my first rig. Just wondering if all of the part should be compatible.

I've read that some EVGA power supplies might have compatibility issues with this particular MSI motherboard.

Some help/advice would be appreciated.

CPU Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core $219.99

Motherboard MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 $134.99

Memory Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 $163.26

Storage Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" SSD $82.95
Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM $87.96

Video Card Gigabyte GeForce GTX 770 4GB $384.98

Case Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower $49.99

Power Supply EVGA 650W ATX12V / EPS12V $74.99

Optical Drive Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer $19.98
 

KTT

Member
My new build is working beautifully, but there is a weird audio issue. I'm using Realtek HD audio which came on my Z87-g45 Gaming mobo with a standard i7 4770 processor... I'm plugged into the front headphone jack on my case.

Every time my cpu is "activated"(so to speak, like when it spikes up a bit), I get a static sound in my audio.

For example, if I'm not touching my computer at all, I will hear silence via my audio line...but as soon as I start doing some sort of action which engages the CPU, even as minor as hovering over a website banner (things which "activate" my cpu), i get static. I can do this at will by continually engaging the CPU, like just moving active windows all over the place, I get pure static then. So this is clearly related to CPU usage.... but why would cpu usage cause a digital signal to have static?

Interested to hear what you end up finding out about this. Try to quote me and report back if you solve it?
 

KTT

Member
Guys, building my first rig. Just wondering if all of the part should be compatible.

I've read that some EVGA power supplies might have compatibility issues with this particular MSI motherboard.

Some help/advice would be appreciated.

Do you live near a microcenter?
 
Guys, building my first rig. Just wondering if all of the part should be compatible.

I've read that some EVGA power supplies might have compatibility issues with this particular MSI motherboard.

Some help/advice would be appreciated.

Switch to a 2GB GTX770, there is literally no beneift in having 4GB in any measurable benchmark. Logically it should benefit higher resolutions but that doesn't really seem to be the case in every review I've read. I think it's just a marketing ploy, slap some low quality VRAM on the backside of each card, solder it on, sell it for $60-80 more, profit.

EDIT: Also, you're probably overpaying for that motherboard. I would just go with a BioStar Hi-Fi Z87W or an AsRock Pro3 Z87, and use the $50 you save towards either a better GPU or various other parts--better PSU or Case maybe?
 

kharma45

Member
Need advice on a good 8350 level CPU on the Intel side. Throwing a build together and have the 8350 priced out at about 180. Would a cheaper Intel variant beat this CPU for a lower price? Looking to shave costs. Here is the tentative build.

I can't recommend the 8350 if this build is going to be gaming, it's well worth delaying to afford a 4670K, or shaving costs elsewhere.

The V300 in 120GB is also worth avoiding, they changed the NAND in this model and it's a lot slower. You can also get a 7850 for a lot less than the 660 too. Have a look at this build. Better all round for less cash

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Biostar Hi-Fi Z87W ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($98.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($79.31 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($154.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($25.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Other: Corsair 200R Case ($29.99)
Total: $781.19
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-24 02:49 EST-0500)

The 8350 has performed well enough on the benchmarks but I haven't thoroughly researched AMD in a good while since mainly building Intel rigs. I still recommend AMD for the budget conscious but looking for the best bang for buck in the range of 150-180.

All AMD FX CPUs are poor next to anything from Intel. They're not recommendable unless you're doing lots of highly threaded workloads which is pretty niche.

Nothing I see from this little chart, unless you can find some deals.
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu_lookup.php?cpu=AMD+FX-8350+Eight-Core

I know it's been said already but I can't stress it enough, don't use this benchmark to judge performance. It's extremely unrealistic.
 

DarkFlow

Banned
Switch to a 2GB GTX770, there is literally no beneift in having 4GB in any measurable benchmark. Logically it should benefit higher resolutions but that doesn't really seem to be the case in every review I've read. I think it's just a marketing ploy, slap some low quality VRAM on the backside of each card, solder it on, sell it for $60-80 more, profit.

EDIT: Also, you're probably overpaying for that motherboard.

Depends on the Game. BF4 is a hungry beast for Vram, but mostly you're right. Also $134.99 is the cheapest you can get that MB for right now on the net. https://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z87g45gaming

I can't recommend the 8350 if this build is going to be gaming, it's well worth delaying to afford a 4670K, or shaving costs elsewhere.

All AMD FX CPUs are poor next to anything from Intel. They're not recommendable unless you're doing lots of highly threaded workloads which is pretty niche.



I know it's been said already but I can't stress it enough, don't use this benchmark to judge performance. It's extremely unrealistic.
I'm starting to agree with Diablo (I can't believe I typed that) and think there's this strange Anti AMD thing going on around here. It's not like your computer is going to become completely unusable if you use a AMD chip. Most people are not even going to notice the difference playing games because they are closer then people like to say. You can overclock any AMD, and get close to the same performance for less. Intel is for sure better, but it's not a game changer.
 
I can't recommend the 8350 if this build is going to be gaming, it's well worth delaying to afford a 4670K, or shaving costs elsewhere.

In most situations the i5-4670K is a much better CPU, but that's being a bit melodramatic.

You can also get a 7850 for a lot less than the 660 too. Have a look at this build. Better all round for less cash

We're talking about a $35 difference for about a 10% loss in terms of performance. That hardly seems worth it if gaming is the focus of this build...

All AMD FX CPUs are poor next to anything from Intel. They're not recommendable unless you're doing lots of highly threaded workloads which is pretty niche.

That's a bit dishonest. Low-end is amazing for AMD, APU's are great for HTPC's and machines oriented towards light gaming. You make it sound as though an FX-8350 gets slaughtered by everything, but threading is going to be the focus of the new console generation since the new systems can use up to 8 Threads (realistically like 4-7, but regardless).
 

kharma45

Member
In most situations the i5-4670K is a much better CPU, but that's being a bit melodramatic.

It's not.

We're talking about a $35 difference for about a 10% loss in terms of performance. That hardly seems worth it if gaming is the focus of this build...

If it was a 7850 at 850MHz sure, that one is a 920MHz (roughly the same as the new R7 265). Plus you can actually use all 2GB of VRAM unlike the 660 and these overclock extremely well too, not far off a 7950 once you get up to 1150MHz+.

That's a bit dishonest. Low-end is amazing for AMD, APU's are great for HTPC's and machines oriented towards light gaming. You make it sound as though an FX-8350 gets slaughtered by everything, but threading is going to be the focus of the new console generation since the new systems can use up to 8 Threads (realistically like 4-7, but regardless).

It's not dishonest. The FX line don't stand up next to Intel. The APUs are alright but that's not what I was talking about.

The FX 8350 does get beaten by Intel in almost everything, and even in the FPS wins it's going to have worse frame latency any way. New consoles might well increase the number of threads games will utilise but I'll believe it when I see it. Consoles have had multithreaded CPUs for the best part of a decade now and nothing has changed. Strong single thread performance still rules and that is not up for debate.
 

kharma45

Member
I'm starting to agree with Diablo (I can't belive I typed that) and think there's this strange Anti AMD thing going on around here. It's not like your computer is going to become completely unusable if you use a AMD chip. Most people are not even going to notice the difference playing games because they are closer then people like to say. You can overclock any AMD, and get close to the same performance for less. Intel is for sure better, but it's not a game changer.

No one said that, but why buy something that is OK when you can buy the best?

As for overclocking no that doesn't help. Vishera only gains 10-15% more performance with a good OC whilst consuming a lot of power to do so. There isn't anything anti-AMD in this thread, only the want for people to buy the best not something that is merely adequate.
 

DarkFlow

Banned
No one said that, but why buy something that is OK when you can buy the best?

As for overclocking no that doesn't help. Vishera only gains 10-15% more performance with a good OC whilst consuming a lot of power to do so. There isn't anything anti-AMD in this thread, only the want for people to buy the best not something that is merely adequate.

because it's a budget build, AMD is going to be cheaper, it's just a fact. He never said he wanted the best, but it's more then passing.


The 3dmark benchmarks are not bad really for the price you're paying.
http://www.3dmark.com/compare/fs/1754670/fs/1650672
1st is AMD, 2nd intel.
 
Odd that it only says 7000 series. Try right clicking on your desktop and going to Screen Resolution and then Advanced settings, it should say what it is in there.

Edit: Google tells me it's most likely a HD 7470/HD 7450. So your only option is a 7750 low profile, It would be a good upgrade from that. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008RLHFQ6/?tag=neogaf0e-20

It is weird, and it just says that even in the amd catalyst control center

http://i.imgur.com/fQQzDVr.png

and

http://i.imgur.com/O50k8b8.png
 
In most situations the i5-4670K is a much better CPU, but that's being a bit melodramatic.

It's not - every dollar spend on amd cpu is dollar wasted that could have been used on buying much better equipment.

If you are spending 250$ for amd cpu and mobo it's stupid to not spend 50-70 more and get i5 which will give you best performance you can buy.

Especially if you want to buy AMD card which needs faster cores much more than Nvidia due to drivers.

fc3_gf.png
 

LordAlu

Member
because it's a budget build, AMD is going to be cheaper, it's just a fact. He never said he wanted the best, but it's more then passing.


The 3dmark benchmarks are not bad really for the price you're paying.
http://www.3dmark.com/compare/fs/1754670/fs/1650672
1st is AMD, 2nd intel.
$800 is a budget build? If he was building a computer for <$400 sure, an AMD APU would be a good choice, but when you're spending more than $600 on a proper gaming build you're gonna want the better processor in there, and that's the Intel one. Take a look at the SFF builds and you'll see all the budget ones are AMD, but after that they're Intel, simply because the Core i range bests the FX stuff. They overclock more, use much less power, have an upgrade path that isn't dead and have much better instructions per cycle making them superior for multiplayer games.

This thread is about offering advice on what would be the best choice for what the user wants to do within their budget. In this case he'll get an overall better system with the choices Kharma made. He has a fantastic CPU which is overclock-able and upgrade-able if he decides to upgrade down the line, as well as a graphics card which is pre-overclocked and can reach near 7950 levels with a bit of a push, as well as can use all 2GB VRAM instead of the 1.5GB the 660 is limited to, as well as a faster SSD and better quality power supply. All for less money than he was originally going to spend.

The FX range can't really be recommended for new systems. I was hoping the Kaveri stuff would try and put a dent in Intel since AMD have abandoned their FX stuff but that didn't help either, so the best all round processor to recommend is the Intel one.

It is weird, and it just says that even in the amd catalyst control center

http://i.imgur.com/fQQzDVr.png

and

http://i.imgur.com/O50k8b8.png
Yeah, it's a 7470. Usually if you're not using one of AMD's discrete cards it will just say it's from their 7000 series. As DarkFlow says, you're looking at a 7750 being the best card you can put in there.
 

AJLma

Member
No one said that, but why buy something that is OK when you can buy the best?

As for overclocking no that doesn't help. Vishera only gains 10-15% more performance with a good OC whilst consuming a lot of power to do so. There isn't anything anti-AMD in this thread, only the want for people to buy the best not something that is merely adequate.

Since when isn't "adequate" acceptable when building a budget PC?

I started my budget PC with a FX-6350 and that budgeting allowed me to buy a 7970 instead of a 7950/7870. That turned out to be a worthwhile investment.

I later sold the 6350 & motherboard at no loss and got myself an i7. For me, playing games with the goal of 60FPS @ 1440p, there was only the tiniest bit of difference in performance going from a 6350 to an i7-3770k.

If you're determined to just get a functional gaming PC up and running, an FX-6350, 8320 or 8350 will be more than good enough to get you started.
 

kharma45

Member
because it's a budget build, AMD is going to be cheaper, it's just a fact. He never said he wanted the best, but it's more then passing.


The 3dmark benchmarks are not bad really for the price you're paying.
http://www.3dmark.com/compare/fs/1754670/fs/1650672
1st is AMD, 2nd intel.

And yet my 'budget' build is cheaper and a better all round machine.

Look at that 3D Mark score though. You need to overclock the fucking nuts off the FX chip to get close to a stock i5 4670K, whilst consuming lots of power to even do that.

Since when isn't "adequate" acceptable when building a budget PC?

I started my budget PC with a FX-6350 and that budgeting allowed me to buy a 7970 instead of a 7950/7870. That turned out to be a worthwhile investment.

I later sold the 6350 & motherboard at no loss and got myself an i7. For me, playing games with the goal of 60FPS @ 1440p, there was only the tiniest bit of difference in performance going from a 6350 to an i7-3770k.

If you're determined to just get a functional gaming PC up and running, an FX-6350, 8320 or 8350 will be more than good enough to get you started.

If you're not playing CPU bound games or not in to multiplayer then sure there won't be much difference. Otherwise there is.

'an FX-6350, 8320 or 8350 will be more than good enough to get you started.'

And just think, you could've started with an i3, got similar performance (if not better in most stuff) to your 6350 and upgraded to an i7 for less money overall.
 

Ashes

Banned
Since when isn't "adequate" acceptable when building a budget PC?

I started my budget PC with a FX-6350 and that budgeting allowed me to buy a 7970 instead of a 7950/7870. That turned out to be a worthwhile investment.

I later sold the 6350 & motherboard at no loss and got myself an i7. For me, playing games with the goal of 60FPS @ 1440p, there was only the tiniest bit of difference in performance going from a 6350 to an i7-3770k.

If you're determined to just get a functional gaming PC up and running, an FX-6350, 8320 or 8350 will be more than good enough to get you started.

To be honest, this seems more like justifying your own purchase rather than suggesting the best possible consumer advice.

I kid. I kid. :p
 
Depends on the Game. BF4 is a hungry beast for Vram, but mostly you're right. Also $134.99 is the cheapest you can get that MB for right now on the net. https://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z87g45gaming

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6096/evga-geforce-gtx-680-classified-review/6

Comparing GTX 680's (2GB and 4GB models) on BF3 which isn't very different under the hood, the 4GB model only really pulls ahead at 5760x1200 because of the massive factory overclock. GTX 770's are basically GTX 680's (GK104 in both scenarios although I think 770's might technically be GK114).

I'm starting to agree with Diablo (I can't believe I typed that) and think there's this strange Anti AMD thing going on around here. It's not like your computer is going to become completely unusable if you use a AMD chip. Most people are not even going to notice the difference playing games because they are closer then people like to say. You can overclock any AMD, and get close to the same performance for less. Intel is for sure better, but it's not a game changer.

Yea I'm starting to feel this way. The only situations where Intel is somewhat necessary is Skyrim because of bad optimization, and Blizzard games which heavily favour IPC over core count. Otherwise it is mostly the same in GPU-bound scenarios. Just pricing it out real quickly, an entry level 8320 + MSI 970 AM3+ mobo is ~$230, and an entry level i5-4670K + BioStar Z87 mobo is ~$310 (technically it should be $330 but there's a promo on i5's on Newegg). $100 more on a GPU will more than make up the difference in most games, and if you overclock it is a pretty solid value.

If it was a 7850 at 850MHz sure, that one is a 920MHz (roughly the same as the new R7 265). Plus you can actually use all 2GB of VRAM unlike the 660 and these overclock extremely well too, not far off a 7950 once you get up to 1150MHz+.

The cheapest HD7850 on Newegg is $165 (with a $10 rebate) and the cheapest GTX660 is $190. Not a huge difference in the grand scheme of thingss. Looking at the GTX 660's it appears it can reach 7950 levels with overclocking as well. Looking at the overclocking results with an identical setup, the HD7850 overclocked failed to hit HD7950 levels with a core clock at ~1250MHz. So we've got a card that for $25 more at base settings is faster, and overclocks better than the HD7850, seems like a worthy investment to me.

Consoles have had multithreaded CPUs for the best part of a decade now and nothing has changed. Strong single thread performance still rules and that is not up for debate.

Consoles had multithreaded CPU's that were PowerPC-based in nature, and even that is a bit hazey. The Cell was a nightmare to optimize for because it basically had a core dedicated as a scheduler, and you had to tell all the cores what to do at all times or it would crash the program. Most of the time multithreading wasn't properly optimized, and there was still a layer of emulation to consider. Now we have consoles with 8-Core x86-based CPU's, it's hardly the same thing.
 

Tumo

Member
UK build here

I had originally posted in the 2013 thread but we ended up getting delayed until now.

Recap: My cousin has been saving up for ages to get a "gaming" pc. I've said I can help him build it as I've installed components in desktops before and I'm fine with that.

Current: ~2008 laptop with intel graphics
Budget: £500-£550 (to include the pc, windows and a monitor), ideally at the lower end of the range
Main Use: gaming/school work
Monitor Resolution: not higher than 1080p
Games to run well: TF2, darksiders, just cause 2 (ideally to run current games at high settings at 1080p and 30+fps and last for a good few years to at least "run" titles)
Reusing Parts: nothing to reuse
Deadline: he would like it asap
Overclocking: doubt it

Here is my current list.

For the parts I wanted to stick with eBuyer and Amazon to get free delivery (and 2% cashback from eBuyer).

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor (£41.39 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£44.50 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory (£52.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£37.50 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card (£112.00 @ Ebuyer)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£39.99 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£35.98 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£11.99 @ Ebuyer)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£74.78 @ Ebuyer)
Monitor: Hannspree HE225DPB 21.5" Monitor (£90.28 @ Ebuyer)

Total: £541.40

The thing I am most unsure about is the motherboard. I couldn't seem to find any of the budget ones listed in the OP. Is there something cheaper I can go with? Suggestions for a cheaper monitor would be helpful too. Any feedback on the build would be appreciated.

Will I need to buy anything else to assemble everything (e.g. thermal paste)?
 

Jibbed

Member
-build-

Will I need to buy anything else to assemble everything (e.g. thermal paste)?

You will need thermal paste, yeah. There are a load of good video guide on YouTube if you're not sure what to do yourself. It's worth buying as part of a cleaning/prep kit like this one so if you ever need to re-apply it (eg. when changing heatsink), you can do so properly.

Aside from that, some cable-ties wouldn't go amiss for cable management.
 
You will need thermal paste, yeah. There are a load of good video guide on YouTube if you're not sure what to do yourself. It's worth buying as part of a cleaning/prep kit like this one so if you ever need to re-apply it (eg. when changing heatsink), you can do so properly.

Aside from that, some cable-ties wouldn't go amiss for cable management.

Why would he get thermal paste for a Retail CPU that comes with a pre-pasted heatsink? It's not worth the extra hassle to get an extra 2c lower on load temps. Considering he's not overclocking the provided thermal paste will be fine.
 
Yeah, it's a 7470. Usually if you're not using one of AMD's discrete cards it will just say it's from their 7000 series. As DarkFlow says, you're looking at a 7750 being the best card you can put in there.

Thanks to everyone that replied, I just have one last question?

Is it worth upgrading from my GPU to the 7750?
 

LordAlu

Member
UK build here

I had originally posted in the 2013 thread but we ended up getting delayed until now.

Recap: My cousin has been saving up for ages to get a "gaming" pc. I've said I can help him build it as I've installed components in desktops before and I'm fine with that.

Current: ~2008 laptop with intel graphics
Budget: £500-£550 (to include the pc, windows and a monitor), ideally at the lower end of the range
Main Use: gaming/school work
Monitor Resolution: not higher than 1080p
Games to run well: TF2, darksiders, just cause 2 (ideally to run current games at high settings at 1080p and 30+fps and last for a good few years to at least "run" titles)
Reusing Parts: nothing to reuse
Deadline: he would like it asap
Overclocking: doubt it

Here is my current list.

For the parts I wanted to stick with eBuyer and Amazon to get free delivery (and 2% cashback from eBuyer).

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor (£41.39 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£44.50 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory (£52.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£37.50 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card (£112.00 @ Ebuyer)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£39.99 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£35.98 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£11.99 @ Ebuyer)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£74.78 @ Ebuyer)
Monitor: Hannspree HE225DPB 21.5" Monitor (£90.28 @ Ebuyer)

Total: £541.40

The thing I am most unsure about is the motherboard. I couldn't seem to find any of the budget ones listed in the OP. Is there something cheaper I can go with? Suggestions for a cheaper monitor would be helpful too. Any feedback on the build would be appreciated.

Will I need to buy anything else to assemble everything (e.g. thermal paste)?
The stock heatsink/fan that comes with your processor will have thermal paste pre-applied, so you won't need to purchase any extra.

The UK PCPartPicker appears to have completely lost a lot of items for some reason (apparently Windows 8.1 64-bit OEM is ONLY available from Amazon now) but there's still the odd thing I'd be tempted to change:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor (£41.39 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: Asus B85M-G Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£53.93 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Kingston 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory (£52.99 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£37.50 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card (£112.00 @ Ebuyer)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£33.41 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£37.28 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£11.99 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£80.71 @ Amazon UK)
Monitor: Hannspree HL229DPB 21.5" Monitor (£89.01 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £550.21
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-24 11:14 GMT+0000)

The B85M-G is a decent mid-range board (certainly a lot better than the H81) which has a bit more features, more expandability and more RAM slots for future upgrading. The CM N200 case is essentially a smaller version of the excellent N400 and is a bit cheaper than the NZXT Elite ones. Finally the power supply is a really good unit with a little bit more oomph and two PCI-E connectors in case of upgrading the graphics card later.

Windows 8 is in there as well simply because it's Windows 7 with a menu on top but lower system requirements and support for the latest DirectX. You could get a key for it from Reddit for about £14 and install via USB if you wanted to get it much cheaper and you could put the savings towards an i3.

Thanks to everyone that replied, I just have one last question?

Is it worth upgrading from my GPU to the 7750?
Whilst it won't exactly be brilliant, it will most certainly be a heck of a lot faster than your 7470, so I would go for it.
 
Thanks to everyone that replied, I just have one last question?

Is it worth upgrading from my GPU to the 7750?

I'm pretty sure even though the 7750 is still on the low end the spectrum, the difference will be quite noticable. Looking it up, yea. It's quite twice the ROP's of the enigmatic HD 7470, and according to this, it is about 3 times as fast as your current GPU.
 
Wonder if anyone can help me with this ....

I recently removed my GTX 760 to test another card, and since putting it back in, when under load, I seem to be getting some kind of electrical "hissing" noise coming from it. I have tried re-seating it, along with the power connectors but i haven't been able to get rid of it, even gave it a blow with compressed air.

Any ideas whats causing this ? Have I damaged something ? The noise reminds me of when some games are running at silly FPS (like on the menus or something) and a hiss was heard.
 

Jibbed

Member
Why would he get thermal paste for a Retail CPU that comes with a pre-pasted heatsink? It's not worth the extra hassle to get an extra 2c lower on load temps. Considering he's not overclocking the provided thermal paste will be fine.

My bad, should've properly read through his build. I assumed like 99% of custom builds that he was going for an aftermarket cooler.
 

nicjac

Member
Hey guys,

I've got a question about something that has bothered me for a while. I use a Noctua DH-14 as my CPU cooler and it sometimes produces weird noises. I confirmed it doesn't come from the others fans by turning them off.

It is pretty hard to describe. It is almost like the fan is hitting something, but of course I have checked that it was not the case. Another way of describing it would be that somehow the fan had some friction, thus producing a continuous noise corresponding to the fan's revolutions. This is most noticeable at low RPMs but is also happening at max speed.

Any idea? Maybe the fans bearings?

Thanks!
 

kiyomi

Member
UK build here

I had originally posted in the 2013 thread but we ended up getting delayed until now.

Recap: My cousin has been saving up for ages to get a "gaming" pc. I've said I can help him build it as I've installed components in desktops before and I'm fine with that.

Current: ~2008 laptop with intel graphics
Budget: £500-£550 (to include the pc, windows and a monitor), ideally at the lower end of the range
Main Use: gaming/school work
Monitor Resolution: not higher than 1080p
Games to run well: TF2, darksiders, just cause 2 (ideally to run current games at high settings at 1080p and 30+fps and last for a good few years to at least "run" titles)
Reusing Parts: nothing to reuse
Deadline: he would like it asap
Overclocking: doubt it

Here is my current list.

Take my part list and advice with a pinch of salt as I have not yet built my own rig, but I stalk this thread constantly and have been recommended many of the same things to me. I'm sure someone more in the know will correct me on a couple of things, but hey.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor (£83.02 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£44.50 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 Low Profile Blue 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£56.99 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£43.99 @ Amazon UK)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£39.99 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£35.98 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer (£11.99 @ Ebuyer)
Monitor: LG 22EA53VQ 60Hz 21.5" Monitor (£106.79 @ Amazon UK)
Other: Windows 8.1 (£15.00)
Other: Kingston 8GB USB 3.0 G4 DataTraveller Flash Drive (£6.08)
Total: £444.33
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-24 11:26 GMT+0000)

- Grab a Windows 7/8.1 key from r/softwareswap and pick up a 8GB USB flash drive to install it on. If he already has one, he can save himself £6.

- Does he really need the optical drive? If he's only using it to install Windows, he won't need it with this build.

- Feel free to drop the monitor to the original, and the same with the RAM, if the ~£20 saved is really crucial.

- The difference from the 500GB drive to the 1TB drive is £6. He might as well just grab the 1TB.

- Put all the Amazon products in Flubit and see if he can save some money that way.

- That leaves him with £106 or more, depending on what options he takes and if much money is saved using Flubit. Go for either a 750 Ti or wait a little longer and grab a R7 265 when it comes out. Or even something a little better if the money is available.

Like I said, take this with a pinch of salt, but I don't think I'm completely off-course. I don't know anything about motherboards either, though. So! :p
 

munroe

Member
Don't forget, for those building a new rig and in need of a new OS, if you're a student and have access to Dreamspark Premium you can download Win 8.1 for free.
 

Delt31

Member
Set 1
Chassis: Corsair Graphite Series Steel Silver 600T Mid-Tower Computer Case
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V LGA 1155 Intel Z77
Graphics Card: EVGA GeForce GTX670 FTW 2048MB GDDR5 256bit SLI Ready
Power Supply: Corsair Professional Series AX 850 Watt ATX/EPS Modular 80 PLUS Gold (AX850)
CPU Cooling: Corsair Hydro Series H80 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (CWCH80)

Set 2
Chassis:phantom
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V LK 1155 Intel Z77
Graphics Card: Asus GTX DIRECT CU II 670 geforce 2gb
Power Supply: Coolmaster 750w
1TB HD 7900 WB Black 64

Build 1 has a better PSU--although it is absolutely overkill--and CPU cooler, but Build 2 has a better Case and GPU. It's confusing because the top one doesn't have a hard drive listed and the bottom one doesn't have a cooling solution for the CPU listed (although stock is fine if you don't plan on OCing). I'm confused, are you buying these off someone or building your own? Because you could get a comperable setup for cheaper with all new parts -- Phantom Case, BioStar Z77 motherboard, Gigabyte GTX 760 with 3X Windforce Cooler, and Rosewill 630W 80-Plus Bronze PSU for about $480, leaves some left over for that HD or a HSF if you wanted it, but everything is brand new and comes with warranties.


Thanks. I'm buying this used for myself. The price is amazing though and not close to me building it myself as I did the price comparison. For example, what I left out was that setup 2 also comes with an i5 3570 process, 8gb of DDR3 1600 ram and that 1TB HD and its 550! Those three alone are another $400+ at new egg. Even setup 1 comes with a if3570 and 8gb ram. I;m going to go with setup 2 b/c of the gpu, case and HD. Although I'm tempted to buy setup 1 and sell it on ebay and make a profit! ; )
 

Soodanim

Gold Member
We're a little bit into the 8th console generation now, so how are things going?

Is a 670 sufficient for 1080p60? It doesn't have to be on ultra settings, just not on low-medium. How about the 2GB RAM on it? Or would you recommend, say, a 280X instead? Or maybe the 4GB 670?

How is the 4670k holding up? I imagine the answer will be "Well", but despite how superior it is I've been uncertain about how games that want lots of cores are doing on it.

Is it still too early to ask these questions?
 

KTT

Member
Thinking about picking up this ASUS Z87-A while it's on sale at my local Microcenter (On sale for $115 plus a $30 discount when bundled with the 4670K I'll be buying)


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131981

Any thoughts? I've done a bit of research and don't see any reasons to stay away from it. I was previously planning on getting a UD3H for $140 (and then the same discount would also apply) but I figure this one's a good deal for $25 less.

Thanks!

Reposting for the new page. Sorry if I'm being "that guy." I just don't want to feel like I'm cheating myself on the mobo and I'd hate to regret my purchase a little but down the line.
 

kennah

Member
We're a little bit into the 8th console generation now, so how are things going?

Is a 670 sufficient for 1080p60? It doesn't have to be on ultra settings, just not on low-medium. How about the 2GB RAM on it? Or would you recommend, say, a 280X instead? Or maybe the 4GB 670?

How is the 4670k holding up? I imagine the answer will be "Well", but despite how superior it is I've been uncertain about how games that want lots of cores are doing on it.

Is it still too early to ask these questions?

Way too early. Nothing has been ported yet. Wait a year.
 
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