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[Pachimari]

With your budget of $700-$1000, do you want just the system itself or the system plus a monitor, keyboard/mouse etc?


Your power supply will have a big fan on one side of it, like this:

You want the fan side to be facing the underside of the case. For example, look at this build:

Notice how you can't see the fan on the power supply, as it is on the underside.

Oh, then I put it in the right way the first time. Thanks.

Unto installing the motherboard and water cooler!

 

[a secret-boss]

Powering my Com for the first time. No image on the monitor. CPU fans r running

the start and reset have lights

but monitor is blank. Also is USB keyboard fine?

EDIT: IT WORKED. ON BIOS Now
Figured it out. Didn't plug in the 8Pin CPU connector


Ok now on BIOS. How do I go about this lol

 

[NoRéN]

Video card installed?

 

[Bowler]

I'm going to throw this shit.

New r7 260x. Gpu for big picture on tv screen. Htpc. Box is in another room, connected with 25' hdmi. And secondary dvi computer monitor at station. Running 25' USB cord to living room sporting a 3 bay USB hub for compact key board and wired controller.

Issues.

When going from monitor to tv. It never displays correctly. Display setting is correct 1920x1080. But a complete 3/4 inch is missing around border.

I can't duplicate monitors, because then it won't allow more then the monitor rez.

Audio. Always need to switch to hdmi audio from speakers from computer. No big deal, but wish there was a hot key to do the switch.

Please be a easier way to htpc. Then this

 

[QP3]

With your budget of $700-$1000, do you want just the system itself or the system plus a monitor, keyboard/mouse etc?

$12-1300 including those necessities.

 

[H4r4kiri]

hey so I went to my local Computer Store. They showed me a bunch stystems in my Price range ( 850 &#8364. What do you think of them and what would you do different? Are those too expensive and are they put together well ? Could i get more from my price range ?

First one for 679 €
Gehäuse: Miditower Aerocool X-Warrior Devil Red Edition
Netzteil: 530 Watt Thermaltake Hamburg Netzteil
Mainboard: MB ASUS H87M-E (C2)
Prozessor: Intel Core i5-4570 Box (4x3,20GHz) S1150 Haswell 84W HD4600
Arbeitsspeicher: 2x DDR3 4GB 1600 Crucial Original CL11 bulk
Grafikkarte: AMD R9 270 2048MB Sapphire OC Dual-X
Festplatte: 1000GB Seagate Barracuda 7200 64MB S-ATA/600
Laufwerk: DVD-Br SATA Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE 24x/22x black bulk

Second for 749 €
Gehäuse: Miditower Xigmatek Asgard 381 schwarz USB 3.0
Netzteil: Netzteil 630 Watt Thermaltake Berlin 630W (2x PCIe,
Mainboard: Mainboard Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P AM3+
Prozessor: AMD AM3+ FX-8320 Eight-Core 8x3.5Ghz Box
CPU-Kühler: Cooler Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Revision 2
Arbeitsspeicher: 2x4096MB G.Skill SNIPER DDR3 Kit 1866MHz
Grafikkarte: AMD R9 270X 2048MB ASUS R9270X-DCsT-2GD5 DirectCU II
Festplatte: 1000GB Seagate Barracuda 7200 64MB S-ATA/600
Laufwerk: DVD-Br SATA LG GH24NSB0 24x schwarz bulk

Third for also 779 €
Gehäuse: Miditower Sharkoon T9 Value red edition (schwarz/rot)
Netzteil: 530 Watt Thermaltake Hamburg Netzteil
Mainboard: Mainboard Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 AM3
Prozessor: AMD AM3+ FX-6300 Six-Core 6x3.5Ghz Box
Arbeitsspeicher: 2x8192MB G.Skill ARES DDR3 1866MHz CL10
Grafikkarte: AMD R9 270 2048MB Sapphire OC Dual-X
Festplatte: 1000GB Seagate Barracuda 7200 64MB S-ATA/600
Laufwerk: DVD-Br SATA Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE 24x/22x

4th also for 779 €
Gehäuse: Miditower Sharkoon T9 Value red edition (schwarz/rot)
Netzteil: 530 Watt Thermaltake Hamburg Netzteil
Mainboard: MB MSI H87-G43
Prozessor: Intel Core i5-4670K Box (4x3,40GHz) S1150 Haswell 84W HD4600
Arbeitsspeicher: 2x4096MB G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3 1600MHz
Grafikkarte: AMD HD7870 2048MB ASUS HD7870-DC2-2GD5-V2
Festplatte: 1000GB Seagate Barracuda 7200 64MB S-ATA/600
Laufwerk: DVD-Br SATA LG GH24NSB0 24x schwarz bulk

5th for 799€
Gehäuse: Miditower CoolerMaster Force500 FOR-500-KKN1 (B) USB3.0/2.0
Netzteil: 530 Watt Thermaltake Hamburg Netzteil
Mainboard: MB ASUS B85M-G (C2)
Prozessor: Intel Core i5-4440 Box (4x3,3GHz) S1150 Haswell 84W
Arbeitsspeicher: 2x4096MB G.Skill RipJaws-X DDR3 1600MHz
Grafikkarte: AMD R9 270X 2048MB ASUS R9270X-DCsT-2GD5 DirectCU II TOP
Festplatte: 120 GB SATA Samsung 840 EVO series
Festplatte: 1000GB 7200 32MB Toshiba DT01ACA100 SATA 6GB/s
Laufwerk: DVD-Br SATA LG GH24NSB0 24x schwarz bulk
Betriebssystem: Software MS Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit OEM
Spiel: Game Voucher Battlefield 4

6h for 829€
Gehäuse: Miditower Sharkoon T28 blue edition USB 3.0
Netzteil: 530 Watt Thermaltake Hamburg Netzteil
Mainboard: MB MSI H87-G41 PC Mate
Prozessor: Intel Core i7-4770 Box (4x3,40GHz) S1150 Haswell 84W HD4600
Arbeitsspeicher: 2x 1x4096MB Kingston HyperX blu DDR3 1600MHz CL9
Grafikkarte: NV GTX660 2048MB Gigabyte GTX660 N660OC-2GD Grafikkarte
Festplatte: 1000GB Seagate Barracuda 7200 64MB S-ATA/600
Laufwerk: DVD-Br SATA LG GH24NSB0 24x schwarz bulk

And last one for 859€
Gehäuse: Cooler Master Silencio 452 gedämmt USB3.0
Netzteil: Netzteil 630 Watt Thermaltake Berlin 630W (2x PCIe,
Mainboard: MB ASUS B85M-G (C2)
Prozessor: Intel Core i5-4670 Box (4x3,40GHz) S1150 Haswell 84W HD4600
Arbeitsspeicher: DDR3 8GB 1600 Crucial Original CL11 bulk
Grafikkarte: NV GTX760 2048MB Gigabyte Windforce 3X N760OC-2GD (REV 2.0)
Festplatte: 120 GB SATA Samsung 840 EVO series
Festplatte: 1000GB 7200 32MB Toshiba DT01ACA100 SATA 6GB/s
Laufwerk: DVD-Br SATA Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE 24x/22x

And here is one that i did for myself for 820€ First try and doing this
Case: Miditower CoolerMaster Force500 FOR-500-KKN1
Energie: 550 Watt XFX PRO550W Netzteil
Mainboard: MB MSI Z87-GD65 Gaming
CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K Box (4x3,40GHz) S1150 Haswell 84W HD4600
RAM: 8196 MB Crucial DIMM 8 GB DDR3-1600 CL9-9-9-24
Graphic: AMD R9 270X 2048MB SAPPHIRE R9 270X Vapor-X lite-retail
Storage: 500GB Western Digital Caviar Green 7200rpm 64MB Cache SATA-600
SSD 60GB SATA3 Kingston SSDNow V300 SV300S37A/60G retail

Hope my first build is not that garbage

I am very sorry for the long post, but i really want to spend my money wisely. I live in Germany btw. Please give me advices

 

[kiyomi]

Thank you so much! Like you said, I am hoping to get more out of it than just the finished product (educate myself more on PCs, enjoyment of customizing and building, etc.)

I will look into that survey as well as your link. Thanks again!

Thank you too Monosukoi!

If you live near a MicroCenter you can get some good deals on CPUs and motherboards. I didn't know whether you wanted to include a monitor or anything else in that price, so just take it as a starting point. More knowledgable people will point you further in the right direction.

Edit : I see you didn't include the monitor in that budget, so grab an i5 4670K for overclocking potential. It'll cost you another $40, so nothing massive, but it'll be an improvement, and the overclocking ability will give your processor a longer tail.

Edit 2 :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.96 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Biostar Hi-Fi Z87X 3D ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Crucial M500 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($69.49 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($259.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Other: Windows 8.1 ($20.00)
Total: $982.35
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-02 17:07 EST-0500)

 

[Pachimari]

I installed the PSU and motherboard, but I don't understand which way the water cooling pump should turn? On my picture below the fan is to the left and RAM to the right.

Edit:
Oh, it gotta face this way I take it:

 

[LordAlu]

$12-1300 including those necessities.

Within the $1000 range for your actual system then, you can get a really nice system like the one below:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.96 @ OutletPC)
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: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($74.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.89 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.99 @ Microcenter)
Power Supply: Antec Basiq Plus 550W 80+ Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($25.00 @ Reddit)
Total: $976.76
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-02 17:07 EST-0500)

A few points to make about this system:

• The Intel processor in this build is the best to go for for your use. It's plenty powerful enough to last for a long time and is overclockable, hence the good quality motherboard and cooler.
• The SSD storage is for your Windows/programs and a few games, and makes a huge difference to the speed of your system - it's really a necessity in a build like this.
• The 760 is the best price/performance card around and is great for 1080p gaming.
• Windows 8.1 is around $25 from Reddit - you can then just download it and put it on a USB stick to install to your new computer.

As for monitor, keyboard and mouse, there are a few suggestions in the OP to fit within your budget range - a lot of things are personal in that regard but there are a few users here who could recommend you better than I. I've often seen MKenyon mention the SteelSeries Rival mouse for example.

Edit: Monosukoi coming up with an almost identical build

I installed the PSU and motherboard, but I don't understand which way the water cooling pump should turn? On my picture below the fan is to the left and RAM to the right.



Edit:
Oh, it gotta face this way I take it:

Not necessarily - it looks better that way (since the Corsair logo is the right way up when the system is standing up) but it's a square - you can fit it whichever way round you like

 

[Pachimari]

Okay, I'll try. I'm really scared of doing something wrong here as I don't have any other goo than what comes pre-applied on the Corsair.

Btw, do I need a USB mouse and keyboard to set up the computer when it's ready?

 

[LordAlu]

Okay, I'll try. I'm really scared of doing something wrong here as I don't have any other goo than what comes pre-applied on the Corsair.

Btw, do I need a USB mouse and keyboard to set up the computer when it's ready?

So long as you've followed the instructions for the cooler you'll be fine. You will need a keyboard certainly, a mouse isn't necessary but it would help.

 

[DodgyGeezerFella]

Are you playing the same games? Try a game that gets you high fps without vsync. IT could be your PSU.

Yeah, Crysis 3. Brought out the whine every single time. Not hearing any now while playing it, or with other games

 

[dengatron]

Looking at this for a new build. Have a case, windows key, and keyboard/mouse.

Any suggestions as far as m/b, ram, and powersupply? would prefer modular.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($249.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H80i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Biostar Hi-Fi Z87X 3D ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($144.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($149.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($149.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG WH14NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($59.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $1359.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-02 17:26 EST-0500)

 

[a secret-boss]

So I got my computer going to Bios.

Being a noob. What do I need to do in Bios so I can start installing Windows 7?

 

[Pachimari]

Okay, so I have installed the pump, I hope this is right? I followed the manual, but don't know if it's even or even right on top of the CPU?

I have also installed the RAM. So now I guess I*ll install the video card.

One thing have to be set though, I haven't connected any cables to the motherboard from anything, because I don't know where they should be inserted. =/

 

[Jupiter]

So, is it okay to get a secondary ssd for misc. files like music, pictures etc. or should I just get a 1-2 TB 3.5 drive? I had a second 500gb 3.5 drive on my previous pc and never filled it up. On my new one I have a 254 primary ssd drive and want a 2nd drive for misc files.

 

[DJ_Lae]

So, is it okay to get a secondary ssd for misc. files like music, pictures etc. or should I just get a 1-2 TB 3.5 drive? I had a second 500gb 3.5 drive on my previous pc and never filled it up. On my new one I have a 254 primary ssd drive and want a 2nd drive for misc files.

I would just get a regular drive, you'll get way more space for the same price and speed won't be a concern for that sort of media.

Hell, I don't even put games on my SSD, I find the greatest benefit is just having the OS on there.

 

[Jupiter]

cool, i'll do that, thanks

 

[LordAlu]

So I got my computer going to Bios.

Being a noob. What do I need to do in Bios so I can start installing Windows 7?

You shouldn't need to do anything - the system will automatically boot from whichever device it can find to boot from. Normally this would be the hard drive, but since you don't have Windows on there already it will instead try to boot from somewhere else (such as disc, USB or network).

Okay, so I have installed the pump, I hope this is right? I followed the manual, but don't know if it's even or even right on top of the CPU?



I have also installed the RAM. So now I guess I*ll install the video card.

One thing have to be set though, I haven't connected any cables to the motherboard from anything, because I don't know where they should be inserted. =/

Before you install the video card, you'll want to start cabling some stuff. Your motherboard needs its power cable (24-pin) and CPU cable (8-pin) connecting, and now's a good time to connect your case wires to your motherboard (your motherboard manual will show you where everything goes). There's a good video guide here and it's a good order to do things in too.

The reason you should do this now is three-fold. First, you'll get those cables nicely installed and neat before putting anything else in there. Secondly you'll want to put the hard drives in before your graphics card as their data cables connect to the motherboard pretty much directly underneath the card, so they'd be difficult to put in with the card installed. Finally you'll want to test the motherboard/CPU/RAM now to make sure they're working before you continue (you can plug your monitor into the board for now) so they need to be wired up

 

[dark_quota]

I'm going to throw this shit.

New r7 260x. Gpu for big picture on tv screen. Htpc. Box is in another room, connected with 25' hdmi. And secondary dvi computer monitor at station. Running 25' USB cord to living room sporting a 3 bay USB hub for compact key board and wired controller.

Issues.

When going from monitor to tv. It never displays correctly. Display setting is correct 1920x1080. But a complete 3/4 inch is missing around border.

I can't duplicate monitors, because then it won't allow more then the monitor rez.

Audio. Always need to switch to hdmi audio from speakers from computer. No big deal, but wish there was a hot key to do the switch.

Please be a easier way to htpc. Then this

The "3/4 inch is missing around border" problem may be due to the TV's overscan. The TV may have a setting that will fix this. Otherwise you have to configure the display in Catalyst control manager (would give you step-by-step instructions, but I don't have an AMD card at the moment).

 

[Pachimari]

You shouldn't need to do anything - the system will automatically boot from whichever device it can find to boot from. Normally this would be the hard drive, but since you don't have Windows on there already it will instead try to boot from somewhere else (such as disc, USB or network).


Before you install the video card, you'll want to start cabling some stuff. Your motherboard needs its power cable (24-pin) and CPU cable (8-pin) connecting, and now's a good time to connect your case wires to your motherboard (your motherboard manual will show you where everything goes). There's a good video guide here and it's a good order to do things in too.

The reason you should do this now is three-fold. First, you'll get those cables nicely installed and neat before putting anything else in there. Secondly you'll want to put the hard drives in before your graphics card as their data cables connect to the motherboard pretty much directly underneath the card, so they'd be difficult to put in with the card installed. Finally you'll want to test the motherboard/CPU/RAM now to make sure they're working before you continue (you can plug your monitor into the board for now) so they need to be wired up

Oh, I just installed everything. But I'll try take a look in the manual and start doing the cabling stuff.

 

[KTT]

Okay, so I have installed the pump, I hope this is right? I followed the manual, but don't know if it's even or even right on top of the CPU?



I have also installed the RAM. So now I guess I*ll install the video card.

One thing have to be set though, I haven't connected any cables to the motherboard from anything, because I don't know where they should be inserted. =/

Did you watch any videos or anything before you started building? You might want to just take a few hours and watch some "How to build a computer" videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zOYdNEHDQo

This one is good.. Newegg's one is good.. there are a LOT of videos/guides out there that will answer 95% of the questions you're asking. Don't keep building if you don't know what you're doing. Stop for a second and get familiar with the hardware that you just paid hundreds of dollars for.

 

[Pachimari]

Did you watch any videos or anything before you started building? You might want to just take a few hours and watch some "How to build a computer" videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zOYdNEHDQo

This one is good.. Newegg's one is good.. there are a LOT of videos/guides out there that will answer 95% of the questions you're asking. Don't keep building if you don't know what you're doing. Stop for a second and get familiar with the hardware that you just paid hundreds of dollars for.

I'm watching the one guide in the OP, and just came to the cable management section, which is what I'm watching now.

 

[QP3]

Build 1

Build 2

GAF Never ceases to amaze me. Thank you both! This is perfect, and now I just have a few questions remaining.

1. Are these upgradeable? I seem to be under the impression that with PC gaming, within a year or two your build will once be "behind". Is this true?

2. What, if any component, would most likely need an upgrade first? i.e. is the weakest point of the system, or will be most quickly outdated?

Thanks again!!

 

[kennah]

GAF Never ceases to amaze me. Thank you both! This is perfect, and now I just have a few questions remaining.

1. Are these upgradeable? I seem to be under the impression that with PC gaming, within a year or two your build will once be "behind". Is this true?

2. What, if any component, would most likely need an upgrade first? i.e. is the weakest point of the system, or will be most quickly outdated?

Thanks again!!

1. Absolutely. You can upgrade later to an i7 processor for more oomph (if things actually start to use multithreaded cpus) and you'd have room for better gpu, more ram.

2. Gpu will be slowest first. And this setup will easily upgrade to anything coming for the next few years.

You can run your cpu at stock for a while , then overclock it when it feels slow. - free upgrade! ;p

 

[appaws]

GAF Never ceases to amaze me. Thank you both! This is perfect, and now I just have a few questions remaining.

1. Are these upgradeable? I seem to be under the impression that with PC gaming, within a year or two your build will once be "behind". Is this true?

2. What, if any component, would most likely need an upgrade first? i.e. is the weakest point of the system, or will be most quickly outdated?

Thanks again!!

1. Anything you build yourself like these should be very upgradeable. You should be good for a while, especially after the big initial outlay, then its easier to make some periodic improvements if necessary. If you are like a lot of the people on this thread, you will get "addicted" to upgrading.

2. I would go with a bigger SSD. I bought a 120GB Samsung, and the performance is awesome. But its way too small. I am tired already of moving things around. If you can fit in your budget a 250GB model, I would.

I just ordered a 1TB Samsung today for $529. I know, I know. It's a lot.....and I am sure I will be kicking myself in like a year when a TB SSD is like $129 bucks or something. But that's why they invented credit cards, right?

 

[QP3]

1. Absolutely. You can upgrade later to an i7 processor for more oomph (if things actually start to use multithreaded cpus) and you'd have room for better gpu, more ram.

2. Gpu will be slowest first. And this setup will easily upgrade to anything coming for the next few years.

You can run your cpu at stock for a while , then overclock it when it feels slow. - free upgrade! ;p

1. Anything you build yourself like these should be very upgradeable. You should be good for a while, especially after the big initial outlay, then its easier to make some periodic improvements if necessary. If you are like a lot of the people on this thread, you will get "addicted" to upgrading.

2. I would go with a bigger SSD. I bought a 120GB Samsung, and the performance is awesome. But its way too small. I am tired already of moving things around. If you can fit in your budget a 250GB model, I would.

I just ordered a 1TB Samsung today for $529. I know, I know. It's a lot.....and I am sure I will be kicking myself in like a year when a TB SSD is like $129 bucks or something. But that's why they invented credit cards, right?

Sounds good (and fun) thanks a bunch!

 

[teh_pwn]

1. Absolutely. You can upgrade later to an i7 processor for more oomph (if things actually start to use multithreaded cpus) and you'd have room for better gpu, more ram.

2. Gpu will be slowest first. And this setup will easily upgrade to anything coming for the next few years.

You can run your cpu at stock for a while , then overclock it when it feels slow. - free upgrade! ;p

Unless HT and core cache make a difference in future games, there really isn't a reason to swap out an i5 4670K with a 4770K. There aren't speed bins like there were 10 years ago.

But yeah, GPU is where you'll upgrade for games.

I would overclock. I bet money this would work:
1. Set all cores to 42 turbo ratio
2. Set VCore to 1.25V fixed

Of course Haswell is a bitch going any higher both in temps and cpu lottery. With Sandy Bridge you coudl set turbo to 45 and VCore to 1.4V and 95% of CPUs were stable.

More nuanced with Haswell to get the best OC, first try 1.25V and 4.5 GHz. If you make it to desktop and can run Prime95 for several seconds, there's a good chance you can get 4.5 GHz stable with a bit more core voltage, or back off to 4.4 GHz. A significant portion of Haswells won't make it that far, so it's a quick way to see at what general point in the silicon lottery you're in. I've had a lot of 4.3 GHz chips at work. It's depressing.

But back to PC gaming, the big thing to wait/look for is prices to adjust after the bitcoin crash, and 20 nm GPUs. Maxwell + die shrink + price reductions, we're looking at $400 GPUs in 1 year that destroy Titan Blacks.

 

[jeremy70583]

I have a question for those of you that do comfy couch gaming. I know the TV is going to be fine for most games, but I would like to play MOBA/MMOs from time to time. Do you guys have any issues playing these games on the TV? I'm concerned the distance from my TV will be an issue (55" about 10' away). I also don't really have any room to place a desk in my living room (i want the PC to be hard wired to google fiber). Here is my current setup, what would you advice be?

 

[KTT]

Got everything in except my CPU, mobo and RAM. So I started doing what I can on my build. I'm using a Corsair 200R case, which doesn't come with rubber grommets for cable management... but I really wanted some grommets. So I made some using some cheap 8x11 foam sheets I found in the crafts section. They're not super sturdy and they don't 100% match the color of the case, but I think they turned out pretty decent. I've got some (kinda low quality) pics so you guys can see what I'm talking about:


Before:

After:

They could definitely be done better. I only put ~45 minutes into it (including measuring, cutting, gluing, taping, etc)

 

[Geneijin]

Question: when I'm overclocking and stress testing, should I disable power saving options before doing so? Would it be bad if I left them on while using? Why, if so?

 

[Goddard]

I'm in Canada, and I'm currently building a computer for my friend, he said his budget is between $800 and $1000 CAD. Here is what I currently have written down for him:

CPU: Core™ i5-4670K Processor, 3.40GHz w/ 6MB Cache

Graphics Card: MSI N760 GeForce GTX 760

Motherboard: BIOSTAR Hi-Fi Z87X 3D
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138380
SKU:

Case: Corsair Carbide Series 200R

Power Supply: Antec BP550 Plus
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371016

RAM: Kingston HyperX 80B DDR3 1600hz

Hard Drive: Seagate 500GB Desktop HDD SATA III w/ 16MB Cache

I ran it down with him, including costs and assembly and what not, and he okayed everything on that list in terms of parts he would like, but there is one major problem. The local store we are buying most of the parts from (Memory Express) doesn't stock anything made by BIOSTAR, or the power supply I picked out for him, but I still think those are the best options for his price range.

Can someone help me either 1: Find these products in Canada, or 2: Find good replacements at a similar price that are available here? I live in Winnipeg so the best local store is Memory Express. Newegg Canada doesn't have the Z87X.

 

[Speevy]

So after some debate, I finally decided on my build.

I'm getting a 760 guys! This card better run stuff or I'm coming after you.

 

[kennah]

Heeeyy... I'm in Winnipeg! Might have a hell of a deal for you

But - this is the motherboard you want

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX46104

You recently missed a sale on a great power supply. We get kinda boned in Canada.
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX47882
and
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX37626

are both a good buy, but probably out the price range you're looking. Keep an eye out for sales sadly.

Check shopbot.ca to find things to price match at MemEx.

 

[Miguel81]

I have an 8320(it was 120 bucks, so I bit). Mario Galaxy performs poorly on Dolphin, and I wan't to know how you i5 owners do with that particular game. My 7950 is irrelevant in this situation as emulators depend more on CPUs. Let me know if you can. Thanks.

 

[Granadier]

Got everything in except my CPU, mobo and RAM. So I started doing what I can on my build. I'm using a Corsair 200R case, which doesn't come with rubber grommets for cable management... but I really wanted some grommets.

You can order up some of the grommets. Will look much better than those foam cutouts.

Here

Edit: Here's a link to the same product at Corsair's site.

 

[KTT]

You can order up some of the grommets. Will look much better than those foam cutouts.

Here

Edit: Here's a link to the same product at Corsair's site.

Hmm.. those would look much better. I'll think about it. Thanks

 

[Tablo]

I have an 8320(it was 120 bucks, so I bit). Mario Galaxy performs poorly on Dolphin, and I wan't to know how you i5 owners do with that particular game. My 7950 is irrelevant in this situation as emulators depend more on CPUs. Let me know if you can. Thanks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I19ObZqIh-o (Yes I know it's SMG 2)

Haswell overclocked is exceptional at emulation for Dolphin. Given the comparatively abysmal single threaded performance of AMDs desktop architecture, you're pretty much screwed out of a good emulation experience :/ Sorry bro, you're out of luck with that 8320.

 

[kennah]

Playing though some games with a good headset really make ones with bad sound design stand out

 

[Tablo]

^That is true, downside of having good analytical headphones (Sennheiser G4ME ZERO)

 

[KTT]

You can order up some of the grommets. Will look much better than those foam cutouts.

Actually, after taking a second look, those wouldn't work. The Corsair 200r shares no common cutout sizes with the 700d/800d. The ones on the 200r are much longer. The ones that I'd get from that link would be too short/fat.

These are the ones that it'd come with -- they don't match the ones like the 200r that I posted above :/

Edit: God, that thing looks like a cable management dream. I'm getting envious

 

[Granadier]

Bummer!
I don't know what to say. I searched the web to try and find other places selling the grommets, but it seems like they aren't something that Corsair just hands out for retailers to sell.

 

[KTT]

Bummer!
I don't know what to say. I searched the web to try and find other places selling the grommets, but it seems like they aren't something that Corsair just hands out for retailers to sell.

Yeah, I had done my fair share of searching too, so I was pretty surprised when I saw grommets for ~$10 in the link you posted. Too good to be true, unfortunately :/

Oh well, I think these foam ones will do for now. Maybe sometime down the road I'll feel a little more ambitious and cut some actual rubber up. But for now, I'll be happy if I can get all the cables routed through without tearing any foam.

 

[a secret-boss]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $237.59)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (Purchased For $31.99)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste (Purchased For $6.65)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (Purchased For $194.40)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory (Purchased For $94.46)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (Purchased For $97.19)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (Purchased For $436.48)
Case: Corsair 600T White Graphite ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $119.99)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Performance Edition (2-Pack) 63.5 CFM 120mm Fans (Purchased For $22.99)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Performance Edition (2-Pack) 63.5 CFM 120mm Fans (Purchased For $22.99)
Case Fan: Cooler Master Megaflow 110.0 CFM 200mm Fan ($15.30)
Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series 1050W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $198.37) (Overkill but cheaper than 850w)
Keyboard: Logitech K360 Wireless Mini Keyboard (Purchased For $20.00)
Total: $1498.40
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-03 02:01 EST-0500)

It was exciting 1st attempt on a Computer build. My main worried was a dud part or motherboard will just short. Like on my first boot, cpu fan was on but monitor was blank. I searched the internet for solution. I thought one of the parts is bad, but it was a stupid noob mistake. Didn't connect the 8pin MB connector. I jumped for joy when I saw the monitor and bios boot up.
Everything from there was smooth. Even hooked up my megaflow fan on the side panel.

now just gonna buy some small parts.

 

[LordAlu]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $237.59)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (Purchased For $31.99)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste (Purchased For $6.65)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (Purchased For $194.40)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory (Purchased For $94.46)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (Purchased For $97.19)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (Purchased For $436.48)
Case: Corsair 600T White Graphite ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $119.99)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Performance Edition (2-Pack) 63.5 CFM 120mm Fans (Purchased For $22.99)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Performance Edition (2-Pack) 63.5 CFM 120mm Fans (Purchased For $22.99)
Case Fan: Cooler Master Megaflow 110.0 CFM 200mm Fan ($15.30)
Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series 1050W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $198.37) (Overkill but cheaper than 850w)
Keyboard: Logitech K360 Wireless Mini Keyboard (Purchased For $20.00)
Total: $1498.40
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-03 02:01 EST-0500)

It was exciting 1st attempt on a Computer build. My main worried was a dud part or motherboard will just short. Like on my first boot, cpu fan was on but monitor was blank. I searched the internet for solution. I thought one of the parts is bad, but it was a stupid noob mistake. Didn't connect the 8pin MB connector. I jumped for joy when I saw the monitor and bios boot up.
Everything from there was smooth. Even hooked up my megaflow fan on the side panel.

now just gonna buy some small parts.

Great stuff, and one hell of a build there too! Enjoy!

 

[Pachimari]

I'm gonna finish my computer today hopefully. I'm on my 3rd day I think. I'm gonna ready my USB with Windows 7, get a USB keyboard and connect all the cables.

 

[neurosisxeno]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $237.59)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (Purchased For $31.99)
Thermal Compound: Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 3.5g Thermal Paste (Purchased For $6.65)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (Purchased For $194.40)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory (Purchased For $94.46)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk (Purchased For $97.19)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card (Purchased For $436.48)
Case: Corsair 600T White Graphite ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $119.99)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Performance Edition (2-Pack) 63.5 CFM 120mm Fans (Purchased For $22.99)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Performance Edition (2-Pack) 63.5 CFM 120mm Fans (Purchased For $22.99)
Case Fan: Cooler Master Megaflow 110.0 CFM 200mm Fan ($15.30)
Power Supply: SeaSonic X Series 1050W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $198.37) (Overkill but cheaper than 850w)
Keyboard: Logitech K360 Wireless Mini Keyboard (Purchased For $20.00)
Total: $1498.40

Arctic Silver 5 isn't what it used to be, there are better alternatives. I am not a fan of that ASUS motherboard, for some reason it shows up in every single high end build on this forum. I'm assuming you took a HDD from an old build as a Storage Drive, having everything on an SSD will cut that thing down in a year or so, plus as a rule of thumb you want 25% of your SSD space free at any given time. I'm also trying to figure out why you spent $60 on fans--unless you're planning on mounting all 4 to the attachable mesh for the case which sounds horrifying imo.

But the one thing that baffles me above all else is that PSU. Why in gods name, would you need a 1050w PSU? That system--even overclocked--under peak draw won't break 450w. Unless you plan on getting 3 more 780's for some odd reason, that PSU is kind of a huge waste of money. If you had dropped down to say, an 80 Plus Bronze\Gold 650w PSU for $100 less, you could have gone from a GTX 780 to a GTX 780 Ti, which would be a much better choice for gaming performance.

 

[H4r4kiri]

Nobody wants to help me ?

 

[LordAlu]

Nobody wants to help me ?

Let's have a look.

Edit: None of them are particularly good value and some have some really strange choices (a 4670K but no Z87 motherboard?). Do you want to try your hand at building one yourself? It isn't too hard and you can get something better for your money. We can advise you on bits if you have a budget.

 

[daycru]

This has been driving me crazy. I'm trying to find out how much Windows 8 costs/where to buy. Not an upgrade edition, a fresh install, on a brand new, empty, hard drive. My current computer is something I bought second or third hand, don't have access to licenses or whatever. None of this stuff is going into the new computer?