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[Mozendo]

So guys I'm building a second rig for my studio, I just want something mid range good enough for DayZ, Rust, Titanfall, Source / Valve games.

A local shop has a clearance on AMD stuff: AMD-8350 35% off with an HD 7870

Usually I don't like AMD stuff but seems like a really good deal, Any of you guys with a 8350 what do you think about it?

I have a FX 6300 and a 8800GT (soon to be a GTX 760 ;_; )
Rust runs great maxed out. Not really demanding.
The source engine isn't intensive so it can definitely run maxed out with my settings
Haven't tried DayZ, but I have tried Arma 2 not sure if they use the same engine, got some high settings. I think this is where the GPU started to show it's age.

If my computer which has worse parts can run it those should be able to as well.

But honestly the FX-6300 is the only AMD CPU I recommend for gaming as of right now, Intel has the better CPUs for around the same price range, but it's your money.

With MoBos avoid MSI boards. Not so great VRM and heatsinks when it comes to overclocking.

 

[appaws]

If I go with the GTX 670, what brand should I get? ASUS?

Do you mean 760?

Asus is good. MSI, Gigabyte, EVGA.

It's a shame about the ((Expletive Deleted)) coin mining thing, because there would have been some other great options in this range. Now we just tell everybody 760, 760, 760 for 1080p gaming.

OOPS, missed Darkflow above.

 

[Smokey]

i almost did something bad today

i heard mkenyons voice in my head. well i dont know what he sounds like but still

 

[BeekleMatter]

Do you mean 760?

Asus is good. MSI, Gigabyte, EVGA.

It's a shame about the ((Expletive Deleted)) coin mining thing, because there would have been some other great options in this range. Now we just tell everybody 760, 760, 760 for 1080p gaming.

OOPS, missed Darkflow above.

Is the 760 similiar to a 7850?

 

[appaws]

But honestly the FX-6300 is the only AMD CPU I recommend for gaming as of right now, Intel has the better CPUs for around the same price range, but it's your money.

Can't sleep tonight...posting a lot.

I know there is no bias here against AMD from most of the main posters. Everybody wants them to succeed if only to keep Intel interested in putting out enthusiast/desktop parts.

On the GPU front the price-performance ratio would be dramatically in their favor if not for the crypto-currency mining bubble.

But on the CPU side there is just no parity. I wish there was, but there just isn't. Especially for gaming, I wouldn't recommend any AMD CPU. I would go with the i3 in that price range instead of the 6300.

 

[Presco]

Been an expensive week. My rickety old PSU blew a gasket and took my mobo with it. Also took my prized 770 4GB. Saddest part is that I was farming cards in COD Ghosts when it happened. So in trying to recoup some pennies from that trash I ended up spending some real money.

Aside from the 770, it was well past the time to upgrade but I was trying to make it one more cycle. Oh well. Moving from a Phenon II X4 965 and DDR2 ram to:

Corsair TX750
4670k
Z87-G45
DDR3 (lol)
SSD and Windows 8.1

Now I just have to have to wait for my 770 to go through the RMA process. Feels nice to finally be running a PC that feels on par with my 15' rMBP in terms of responsiveness during everyday use. Should see a nice performance bump in games since my CPU was a huge bottleneck.

Close on new house on Friday so really wasn't planning on spending this money but it needed to be done and I'm definitely happy with the result

 

[Rawket Lawnchair]

Guys, can anyone tell me if the Coolermaster HAF-X case is compatible with the enthusiast build from the OP?

Cheers.

 

[appaws]

Is the 760 similiar to a 7850?

Well I think that a 7850 is roughly like an R9 270. Now I believe that is a card that has an MSRP of 180 U.S. Think about it, that's only 30 bucks more than a 750ti. But the ones from top shelf brands are going for 250 bucks, at least here in 'murica. That is just crazy.

So I would say the 760 is somewhat better than a 7850(r9 270)....but if the world was acting properly the r9 270 would be 70 USD cheaper than a 760.

But we have to take the world as it is....so if I had $250 USD for a video card, no question it would be the 760 over the r9 270.

 

[appaws]

Been an expensive week. My rickety old PSU blew a gasket and took my mobo with it. Also took my prized 770 4GB. Saddest part is that I was farming cards in COD Ghosts when it happened. So in trying to recoup some pennies from that trash I ended up spending some real money.

Aside from the 770, it was well past the time to upgrade but I was trying to make it one more cycle. Oh well. Moving from a Phenon II X4 965 and DDR2 ram to:

Corsair TX750
4670k
Z87-G45
DDR3 (lol)
SSD and Windows 8.1

Now I just have to have to wait for my 770 to go through the RMA process. Feels nice to finally be running a PC that feels on par with my 15' rMBP in terms of responsiveness during everyday use. Should see a nice performance bump in games since my CPU was a huge bottleneck.

Close on new house on Friday so really wasn't planning on spending this money but it needed to be done and I'm definitely happy with the result

Congrats on the new machine dude. And on the house. Hope you have time to enjoy it with all the duties that come along with a new house!

 

[jfoul]

For the 780 if i go with the Gigabyte.
Should I get the OC version or the GHZ one?

1. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125488
or
2. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125471

Here's a nice review that directly compares the OC and GHZ.

 

[BeekleMatter]

Well I think that a 7850 is roughly like an R9 270. Now I believe that is a card that has an MSRP of 180 U.S. Think about it, that's only 30 bucks more than a 750ti. But the ones from top shelf brands are going for 250 bucks, at least here in 'murica. That is just crazy.

So I would say the 760 is somewhat better than a 7850(r9 270)....but if the world was acting properly the r9 270 would be 70 USD cheaper than a 760.

But we have to take the world as it is....so if I had $250 USD for a video card, no question it would be the 760 over the r9 270.

Was only asking because I'm gonna be selling mine soon and if it's the right performance for what were looking for here it might be an option.

 

[neurosisxeno]

Well I think that a 7850 is roughly like an R9 270. Now I believe that is a card that has an MSRP of 180 U.S. Think about it, that's only 30 bucks more than a 750ti. But the ones from top shelf brands are going for 250 bucks, at least here in 'murica. That is just crazy.

So I would say the 760 is somewhat better than a 7850(r9 270)....but if the world was acting properly the r9 270 would be 70 USD cheaper than a 760.

But we have to take the world as it is....so if I had $250 USD for a video card, no question it would be the 760 over the r9 270.

The GTX 760 is handily better than the HD7850. Just for the sake of being absolutely accurate, it's better than the R9 270 and stock 270X's as well.

EDIT: And factory Overclocked R9 270X's.

 

[IMACOMPUTA]

I find it weird that I can't max out far cry 3 with a 780ti @ 1440p and get a constant 60fps...

 

[neurosisxeno]

I find it weird that I can't max out far cry 3 with a 780ti @ 1440p and get a constant 60fps...

What is the rest of your setup?

EDIT: Nevermind, apparently that game is like 3x more difficult to run maxed out than I thought. Most benchmarks with the highest end CPU's peg a 780Ti at 1440/1600 to run in the mid 40's. Kind of nuts.

 

[IMACOMPUTA]

What is the rest of your setup?

EDIT: Nevermind, apparently that game is like 3x more difficult to run maxed out than I thought. Most benchmarks with the highest end CPU's peg a 780Ti at 1440/1600 to run in the mid 40's. Kind of nuts.

Yeah it caught me by surprise. Even with aa off it dips into the 50s often.

 

[appaws]

The GTX 760 is handily better than the HD7850. Just for the sake of being absolutely accurate, it's better than the R9 270 and stock 270X's as well.

EDIT: And factory Overclocked R9 270X's.

That's what I said. My point is just that the 270 and 270x should not even be price competitors with the 760. They are supposed to be sub-$200 cards.

But 270s are going for 250+ now, which is just insane. It makes the 760 a no-brainer at that price point. And frankly Nvidia cards are no-brainers at pretty much every price point now, until the mining thing subsides.

The R7 265 may be an exception to that coming in the next few days. If the miners are not interested in it and it stays at $150 msrp, then it is better than a 750ti unless you are absolutely power constrained.

 

[neurosisxeno]

That's what I said. My point is just that the 270 and 270x should not even be price competitors with the 760. They are supposed to be sub-$200 cards.

But 270s are going for 250+ now, which is just insane. It makes the 760 a no-brainer at that price point. And frankly Nvidia cards are no-brainers at pretty much every price point now, until the mining thing subsides.

The R7 265 may be an exception to that coming in the next few days. If the miners are not interested in it and it stays at $150 msrp, then it is better than a 750ti unless you are absolutely power constrained.

This is true. I would say every price point except that exact one, the R7 265 wins at $150, and the 750 Ti is more a proof of concept and HTPC/Mini-PC product than anything. Interestingly enough, 4 750 Ti's in SLi have the same mH/s output as a 290X, while being cheaper than current prices and using less power. Kind of mindblowing...

 

[jfoul]

That's what I said. My point is just that the 270 and 270x should not even be price competitors with the 760. They are supposed to be sub-$200 cards.

But 270s are going for 250+ now, which is just insane. It makes the 760 a no-brainer at that price point. And frankly Nvidia cards are no-brainers at pretty much every price point now, until the mining thing subsides.

The R7 265 may be an exception to that coming in the next few days. If the miners are not interested in it and it stays at $150 msrp, then it is better than a 750ti unless you are absolutely power constrained.

The GPU market is ridiculous right now. I'm hoping NV releases a 760-780 refresh between now and May. Since the 20nm isn't ready, I'm guessing we could see a 28nm Maxwell refresh of the 700 line (760ti/770ti/780ti).

 

[TheGravemind]

guys , will a corsair tx550m ( 88 euro, i think it's a channel well tech product ) be enough for this future config :

i5 4570
16 gb ddr3 corsair vengeance
a 200 euro videocard ( haven't decided yet)
1caviar blue 1 terabyte
1 ssd
2 led fan
2 regular fan

5 usb devices

i am afraid the aging process will deteriorate the psu so much it will cannot handle this config , should i go for a 650 w psu ?
97 euro xfx xxx 650 edition
Seasonic S12G-550 97
63 euro xfx pro core 650w
62 corsair cx600m
other psu you know...
which one should i use?

 

[Dr_Boris_Goltz]

Guys my rig is up and running and so far everything is perfect.

Thank you so much for all the help from the conception to now, it was invaluable.

 

[riflen]

I find it weird that I can't max out far cry 3 with a 780ti @ 1440p and get a constant 60fps...

The game is punishing, but make sure you set D3D11MultithreadedRendering="1" in your GamerProfile.xml.

 

[nicjac]

Hey guys,

I posted this a few pages back but it is still bothering me, any help?

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!

 

[koma]

Ok, i'm almost done with my new PC, i only need to decide a couple of parts.. i have a question: is there a good online shop were to buy Windows 8.1 for cheap? I live in Italy :O

 

[Cyborgmatt]

I'm on a quest to find the perfect case for my next build. At the moment I'm using an Antec 1200 which has treated me well however It's a pain in the arse to clean.

You have to remove each HDD bay just to clean the dust filters on the front.

Basically I'm looking for something around the same size (or larger) that is made to be easily cleaned.

 

[dapperbandit]

Ebuyer is doing daily deals and right now they have a Kingston 240GB V300
SSDNow 2.5inch SSD going for £89.99, originally £143.36

There's 22 hours left to get it, but I'm not sure as I still haven't pinned down a build and don't want to make a snap decision and buy an SSD as my first component. Then again, are compatability issues even an issue with an SSD?

Essentially I'm asking if the SSD itself comes recommended, if it's a steal at that price or if I could do better and if I should worry about getting it before I finalise a build.

Thanks in advance.

 

[kharma45]

Ebuyer is doing daily deals and right now they have a Kingston 240GB V300
SSDNow 2.5inch SSD going for £89.99, originally £143.36

There's 22 hours left to get it, but I'm not sure as I still haven't pinned down a build and don't want to make a snap decision and buy an SSD as my first component. Then again, are compatability issues even an issue with an SSD?

Essentially I'm asking if the SSD itself comes recommended, if it's a steal at that price or if I could do better and if I should worry about getting it before I finalise a build.

Thanks in advance.

Nope there are no compatibility issues with SSDs. That'll work fine in any machine you throw it in to.

Amazon has price matched btw http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00A1ZTZNM/ and you could use Flubit to get extra money off https://www.flubit.com/

It'll probably end up being 70-something after they discount it.

 

[kiyomi]

Nope there are no compatibility issues with SSDs. That'll work fine in any machine you throw it in to.

Amazon has price matched btw http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00A1ZTZNM/ and you could use Flubit to get extra money off https://www.flubit.com/

It'll probably end up being 70-something after they discount it.

Is this something to genuinely be concerned about?

Please excuse the technical nature of this review:

There are primarily two types of NAND flash which is used in SSDs, synchronous and asynchronous. Drives using the superior synchronous NAND typically have twice the read/write performance of those with the older asynchronous NAND (when compared clock-for-clock). The V300 (as initially manufactured and reviewed by many websites) used the faster synchronous NAND, but Kingston have recently changed the product to use the slower (and cheaper) asynchronous NAND. The change was confirmed by Kingston on 16 January 2014:

"We use NAND from various manufacturers both synchronous and asynchronous. The first revision you have is made with synchronous and the second asynchronous."

http://www.overclock.net/t/1457629/...obable-foul-play-by-kingston/10#post_21596200

Tests are showing the newer V300 drives are performing at less than half the speed of the earlier V300s. Kingston are using inflated results from benchmarking software which is sympathetic to the dynamic data-compression used by the SandForce controller in the V300 to claim that the new drives still meet their "on the box" performance claims. Whilst technically correct, the real-world performance of the newer drives is significantly reduced compared to the earlier versions of the drives.

The Kingston V300 in its initial form (as I purchased four months ago) was a genuine five-star product, but this new incarnation (along with the associated deception) is simply a mediocre SSD trading off the reviews of the original drive.

 

[kharma45]

Is this something to genuinely be concerned about?

It is but I've only seen it be an issue with the smaller drives like the 120GB so far which is why i don't recommend it any more. I didn't see any issues with the 240GB+ but that's not to say it hasn't happened yet, i just haven't seen anything. I'll look more in to it when i get a chance for the larger drives. Only good thing with amazon is that if it was a poor one you could swap it, but again i would need to look more into the bigger capacities.

Edit - Found a 240GB that are version 521, I'd avoid it totally now.

 

[Tumo]

Thank you all for your feedback for my cousin's pc, this is the new list:

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor (£41.39 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£44.30 @ 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: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£33.41 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£35.98 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£11.99 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£74.79 @ Ebuyer)
Monitor: Hannspree HE225DPB 21.5" Monitor (£90.15 @ Ebuyer)
Total: £534.50

There were a few suggestions to go for a reddit Windows key, however as it's for someone else I would much rather give them a guaranteed no problem key rather than it potentially coming back to bite them in the future.

As it's on a very strict budget I've tried to go for best performance/£ even if it does mean it will slightly more expensive to upgrade in the future. I'll suggest the possible upgrades/benefits when I give him the list, but the above will be the starting point.

I'm surprised how cheap it's come out really. Without the monitor and windows license it's only £369.56 for what should be a really decent machine.

Last questions for now:

1. Can anyone see any problems with the current list from a compatibility point of view?

2. Have I forgotten any parts?

 

[Terbinator]

Samsung 22" monitor - £78

https://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecial...22C150NS+22+Inch+LED+Monitor+?productId=59395

 

[pilferk]

Ok...I have a question.

I'm moving a hard drive with an oem version of win 7 to my new build (from a 4 year old dell studio). I realize it's likely not going to function, even generalizing the system, due to the oem activation restrictions.

Thinking of upgrading to win 8.1, anyway.

So....if I buy a win 8.1 upgrade, move the generalized drive over to the new build, boot from the new win 8 cd....will it accept the oem win 7 already installed as a valid upgrade?

Or should I just buy a win 7 retail key from reddit?

Thanks!

 

[appaws]

Thank you all for your feedback for my cousin's pc, this is the new list:

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor (£41.39 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£44.30 @ 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: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£33.41 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£35.98 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£11.99 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£74.79 @ Ebuyer)
Monitor: Hannspree HE225DPB 21.5" Monitor (£90.15 @ Ebuyer)
Total: £534.50

There were a few suggestions to go for a reddit Windows key, however as it's for someone else I would much rather give them a guaranteed no problem key rather than it potentially coming back to bite them in the future.

As it's on a very strict budget I've tried to go for best performance/£ even if it does mean it will slightly more expensive to upgrade in the future. I'll suggest the possible upgrades/benefits when I give him the list, but the above will be the starting point.

I'm surprised how cheap it's come out really. Without the monitor and windows license it's only £369.56 for what should be a really decent machine.

Last questions for now:

1. Can anyone see any problems with the current list from a compatibility point of view?

2. Have I forgotten any parts?

I know that this is not what you are asking, but they are killing you with that price for Windows 7. You could put that money into a something much better than a 750ti, for example. Several people here have used the Reddit keys. They are legit.

 

[SkyTurnsRed]

Just buy a 760. Asus, Gigabyte, EVGA, MSI are all good

Do you mean 760?

Asus is good. MSI, Gigabyte, EVGA.

It's a shame about the ((Expletive Deleted)) coin mining thing, because there would have been some other great options in this range. Now we just tell everybody 760, 760, 760 for 1080p gaming.

OOPS, missed Darkflow above.

I did, sorry.

If you really look around and do a microcenter deal or whatever you could hit 5 hundy I am pretty sure, maybe 550.

Figure 250 bucks for a 760
230 for a 4670k
130-150 for a Mobo

OK, OK....maybe 600 is more realistic if we are talking about an i5 4670k and a decent Z87 Mobo. Especially since you should grab a CPU cooler as well, like a CM 212. And that is a lot better than low tier, it's like mid-high tier. At 1080p is gonna be pretty kick ass. You could go lower with an i3 or a non-k i5 part....but if you can scrounge up 6 hundy then you should go for the 4670k.

Almost always the GPU is most important for gaming these days. So if you are really price constrained, for for the GPU first and start socking away for the CPU in a few months. I think for 99% of people looking to upgrade for gaming purposes this would be the case. Although that 560ti was a pretty good card if I remember. I had a 560ti 448 and it did me pretty well.

However, your CPU is dual-core and on the 1156, which is pretty much dead. It released Q1 of 2010, so you are pretty much ready to upgrade asap.

Thanks for the advice man. I really appreciate it!

Edit: should I pull the trigger on this? 4670k for 179.99: http://www.microcenter.com/product/413251/Core_i5_4670K_34GHz_Socket_LGA_1150_Boxed_Processor

 

[DodgyGeezerFella]

This may sound dumb, maybe not ...

I want to try something with my graphics card, using a different power supply.

Do I need to rip out the current power supply, then reconnect everything up with the new one, or can I leave that one in there, and use the other power supply only to power the GPU ?

Again, this may be a very stupid question ......

 

[jd78]

I recently finished my mATX gaming build a week ago, but all this recent talk about Intel > AMD has made me reconsider my choice. I initially went AMD (FX 6300) due to performance in IT'S price range (i.e. $120), but have decided I am willing to put a few more $ into the build so that I can stretch out the time before an upgrade.

I've aiming for the Core i5-4430, but not sure what motherboard (mATX) to get. I can't really tell the difference between the chipsets (H81, B85, and H87). I would appreciate any input and recommendations.

 

[b0bbyJ03]

so i did a huge portion of my research on this thread and used the OP like a bible and here is what i put together (my first PC build):

Galaxy Geforce GTX 780 3GB
BitFenix Prodigy black
i5 3570k @ 3.4 GHz
Corsair CX series 600w power supply
G.Skill Ripjaws x series 8 GB (2 x 4 GB)
ASRock H77M-ITX LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Mini ITX Intel Motherboard
256 GB SSD (don't know the make/model, gift from my father)

What do you guys think? any advice on putting it together?

Also, i plan to game strictly from my couch (bought this instead of an xb1) so I need a decent, not too expensive gaming mouse. any recommendations?

and last, thanks to all the people who answer questions on here, your info has been invaluable. i plan to pass it on as im convincing other friends to build.

 

[Jonboy]

Not sure if already posted, but Lenovo is offering up to %40 off on their website (thru tomorrow, Feb. 26th).

Is this a good deal? How decent is this setup (I'm not interested in having a top-of-the-line system)?

IdeaPad Y510p Laptop - 59405673 - Dusk Black: Weekly Deal

4th Generation Intel Core i7-4700MQ Processor (2.40GHz 1600MHz 6MB)
• Windows 8.1 64
• 15.6" FHD LED Glossy (1920x1080)
• NVIDIA GeForce GT755M GDDR5 2GB
• 8.0GB PC3-12800 DDR3L SDRAM 1600 MHz
• 1TB Hybrid 5400 RPM + 8GB SSHD
• DVD Recordable (Dual Layer)
• Intel 7260 b/g/n Wireless (2x2 BGN)
• Bluetooth Version 4.0
• One year
• 6 Cell 72 Watt Hour Lithium-Ion

Total: $879 with discount

 

[kharma45]

I recently finished my mATX gaming build a week ago, but all this recent talk about Intel > AMD has made me reconsider my choice. I initially went AMD (FX 6300) due to performance in IT'S price range (i.e. $120), but have decided I am willing to put a few more $ into the build so that I can stretch out the time before an upgrade.

I've aiming for the Core i5-4430, but not sure what motherboard (mATX) to get. I can't really tell the difference between the chipsets (H81, B85, and H87). I would appreciate any input and recommendations.

If you've already bought the CPU and your mobo I'd not bother changing at this stage.

I did, sorry.



Thanks for the advice man. I really appreciate it!

Edit: should I pull the trigger on this? 4670k for 179.99: http://www.microcenter.com/product/413251/Core_i5_4670K_34GHz_Socket_LGA_1150_Boxed_Processor

Yes grab it whilst it's hot.

Thank you all for your feedback for my cousin's pc, this is the new list:

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor (£41.39 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£44.30 @ 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: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£33.41 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£35.98 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer (£11.99 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) (£74.79 @ Ebuyer)
Monitor: Hannspree HE225DPB 21.5" Monitor (£90.15 @ Ebuyer)
Total: £534.50

There were a few suggestions to go for a reddit Windows key, however as it's for someone else I would much rather give them a guaranteed no problem key rather than it potentially coming back to bite them in the future.

As it's on a very strict budget I've tried to go for best performance/£ even if it does mean it will slightly more expensive to upgrade in the future. I'll suggest the possible upgrades/benefits when I give him the list, but the above will be the starting point.

I'm surprised how cheap it's come out really. Without the monitor and windows license it's only £369.56 for what should be a really decent machine.

Last questions for now:

1. Can anyone see any problems with the current list from a compatibility point of view?

2. Have I forgotten any parts?

It's all fine and you've forgotten nothing.

I'd second the suggestion of appaws about getting a key from Reddit for Windows, as the price we pay here totally rips the arse out of it. It'd really free up some useful funds to jump up to an i3.

With a small case like that cable routing might be difficult with that non-modular PSU. The Bitfenix Merc cases are a good option and are slightly cheaper, and you'd have more room to route stuff as they're mid tower cases, if you're not against going slightly bigger.

 

[jd78]

If you've already bought the CPU and your mobo I'd not bother changing at this stage.

I'm within my return period and with Shoprunner and Newegg Premier (free trial), I won't have to pay return shipping or a restocking fee.

 

[Credo]

I'm looking for a hard drive for storing all my media on going forward. I want at least 2 TB but move up to 3 TB if the price increase isn't bad. Looking at Western Digital's site, it seems like the WD Greens are the ones made for capacity, but I haven't seen any mention of them here. Since the WD Blacks are loud, I guess I'll avoid them, so I really only have to decide between WD Green or Blue.

Are there any drawbacks to either the WD Green or Blue line? And do you personally think it would be worth paying a bit more to have a portable hard drive over an internal drive? Thanks in advance for any responses.

 

[kiyomi]

It is but I've only seen it be an issue with the smaller drives like the 120GB so far which is why i don't recommend it any more. I didn't see any issues with the 240GB+ but that's not to say it hasn't happened yet, i just haven't seen anything. I'll look more in to it when i get a chance for the larger drives. Only good thing with amazon is that if it was a poor one you could swap it, but again i would need to look more into the bigger capacities.

Edit - Found a 240GB that are version 521, I'd avoid it totally now.

Good to know, thanks.

Thank you all for your feedback for my cousin's pc, this is the new list:

There were a few suggestions to go for a reddit Windows key, however as it's for someone else I would much rather give them a guaranteed no problem key rather than it potentially coming back to bite them in the future.

As it's on a very strict budget I've tried to go for best performance/£ even if it does mean it will slightly more expensive to upgrade in the future. I'll suggest the possible upgrades/benefits when I give him the list, but the above will be the starting point.

I'm surprised how cheap it's come out really. Without the monitor and windows license it's only £369.56 for what should be a really decent machine.

Going to reiterate getting Windows from Reddit, it's a big saving that could and probably should go towards an i3 processor and a beefier GPU. If the goal really is to play current games for a couple of years on high settings @ 1080, he'll probably have to upgrade at some point anyway. Might as well start off on a better note.

Also, as far as I know, OEM versions of Windows don't come with free MS support anyway. Pick a well-rated seller on Reddit and you should be fine.

 

[kharma45]

I'm within my return period and with Shoprunner and Newegg Premier (free trial), I won't have to pay return shipping or a restocking fee.

I'd probably do it then. If you're near a Microcenter in Texas you'd be able to score some good deals on a CPU/mobo combo.

 

[jd78]

I'd probably do it then. If you're near a Microcenter in Texas you'd be able to score some good deals on a CPU/mobo combo.

Yeah, I wish... I don't live close enough to either of them. Thanks for the input though.

 

[IMACOMPUTA]

I bought three win8 keys from reddit. Everything is working fine.

 

[ChronotriggerJM]

Okay gaf, I'm going to need a computer soon, and figured this is as good a time as any to invest. I need to make incremental purchases to eventually complete something, so for now, excess RAM, Graphics cards (going to use onboard for a bit sadly), and luxuries like SSD's are shelved for now. I'm thinking the one area I absolutely cannot skimp on now (for the sake of future upgrades) is the motherboard. I was looking at the guide and would like some input regarding the jump from Great to Excellent regarding motherboards. What are some prominent features I should/could be looking for regarding Mobo's?

 

[Hironobu Sakaguchi]

a friend of mine has a BSOD , i told him let me see the RAM cause he bought new one:

http://i.imgur.com/dhoDJNJ.jpg

different voltages !!!

i tried to put manual settings for them to be equal, but i dont think it's working or i'm doing it wrong

any advice?

 

[Lethtonium]

CPU: Intel Core i7 4770K @ 4.2 GHz
GPU EVGA Nvidia GTX 780 SC ACX with a custom vBios
PSU: CoolerMaster V1000 1000W Fully Modular
RAM:16 GB DDR3 2400MHz G.Skill TridentX
HDD: 120GB Kingston SSD, 4GB other
MOBO: ASUS MAXIMUS VI HERO

The CPU and GPU options link to the validation pages of CPU-Z and GPU-Z.

So far I haven't run in to anything I can't max out. It's pretty banging.

 

[Ty4on]

I ended up top mounting the H60 as an intake and using a rear exhaust, which from my understanding creates a positive pressure.

I'd love to test it because I think what you have is the smartest route. Not only do you get positive pressure, but you also don't have two nearby fans fighting for the same air (top and rear exhaust).

 

[a secret-boss]

I have Corsair Vengeance Red 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 2133 MHz (PC3 17000)

So if i want buy 2 more Ram but 8Gb, i just need to make sure its 2133mhz?

 

[Dinjooh]

After enduring two years of my desktop slowing down to a complete halt without figuring out what's wrong with it I finally threw the towel in the ring and ordered the parts for a whole new one. After so much testing to find out what was wrong with it i'm only keeping the SSD and burning the rest.

Followed the 'Excellent' build pretty much.