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[Rur0ni]

Random question time.

I can't seem to boot from USB on my ASUS P9X79 WS. On the latest bios, so for secure boot I set it to other OS, and just can't get USB to boot at all. There's the CSM option to allow legacy booting, which is on by default. That's a no go as well.

I created the USB installer using the Windows 7 USB/DVD tool from a Windows 8.1 iso.

Quite the hassle, friends. I must be missing something.

I bought new (2) 512GB MX100s and wish to use them.

 

[dhlt25]

Random question time.

I can't seem to boot from USB on my ASUS P9X79 WS. On the latest bios, so for secure boot I set it to other OS, and just can't get USB to boot at all. There's the CSM option to allow legacy booting, which is on by default. That's a no go as well.

I created the USB installer using the Windows 7 USB/DVD tool from a Windows 8.1 iso.

Quite the hassle, friends. I must be missing something.

I bought new (2) 512GB MX100s and wish to use them.

Ran into the exact problem yesterday when I tried to replace my mobo. Apperantly if you used your USB before for memtest and format it, the boot record is not clean and thus you can't create a new bootable image for windows. You have to clear the boot record using diskpart command clean.
here's the link for the fix that I used

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...snt-work/c79b981a-ae73-44f8-adbc-fe19496b0d25

 

[Tablo]

I deleted all the partitions through the windows installer thing. And then it worked. Just did it with a 512GB MX100.

 

[Rur0ni]

Ran into the exact problem yesterday when I tried to replace my mobo. Apperantly if you used your USB before for memtest and format it, the boot record is not clean and thus you can't create a new bootable image for windows. You have to clear the boot record using diskpart command clean.
here's the link for the fix that I used

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...snt-work/c79b981a-ae73-44f8-adbc-fe19496b0d25

I could kiss you. Boot from USB success.

 

[Sarcasm]

So making a local W8.1 account means no apps from the store. Not even LINE messenger or SKYPE?

What happens if I do the single log in (not recommended) thing?

 

[Infinite Justice]

so the MX100 is the new Samsung DDR3 RAM huh

sucks being broke

 

[Dio Brando]

Asking this again, probably got lost in the pile of other questions:
Nowadays, is it necessary to move browsers caches out of the ssd? or it's insignificant?

 

[Smokey]

Well...

So I installed my new system, pressed power button on the case and everything came on fine. I installed Windows and all of that. I was checking things out and saw that it was only reporting 12GB of RAM...I have 16GB. So I shut down the machine, unplugged the PSU cable, and took out two sticks (trying to find which stick could be the problem). When I plugged the PSU cable back in and flipped the switch, the mobo lights are on(are they supposed to be on when the system is not?)...the ROG symbol flashing, start button illuminated, etc. Ok so now I have two sticks in the board on the right side. I press the power button and....nothing. I press the Start button on the board. Nothing. I un plug everything again and put the two sticks back in. Nothing. Everything is default I have not made any adjustments. Like I said before the shutdown and RAM removal I was able to navigate to BIOS, get to desktop etc. Nothing unusual....

I've tried one stick of ram, two sticks, gpu out. Nothing. It will not boot again.

 

[mkenyon]

Reset CMOS and update BIOS with the nifty button on the IO.

 

[Smokey]

Reset CMOS and update BIOS with the nifty button on the IO.

Tried.

 

[Smokey]

So deflated. It actually came on and all I did was power down and take 2 sticks out and now it's busted.

 

[mkenyon]

So deflated. It actually came on and all I did was power down and take 2 sticks out and now it's busted.

Try RoG forums. That board has a lot of random things like "LN2 Mode" that prevent booting unless specific criteria is met.

Also, try enitrely removing the battery for a bit.

You updated BIOS as well?

 

[Smokey]

Try RoG forums. That board has a lot of random things like "LN2 Mode" that prevent booting unless specific criteria is met.

Also, try enitrely removing the battery for a bit.

You updated BIOS as well?

No more deflation!! Still showing 12GB of RAM when it should be 16GB. I didn't have that issue in the 2600k rig so I'm thinking I have a bad memory slot :l

Going to have to test each stick I guess

 

[Sarcasm]

Yea going back to W7.

 

[Renekton]

Can't decide between 4790K and 5820K

4790K and x97
+ Easier OC
+ Cheaper
+ Current games not very widely-threaded
- Outdated when DDR4 becomes standard in 2016

5820K and x99
+ Futureproof for multi-threaded titles
+ Futureproof for DDR4
- Expensive
- Slower individual core clock, loses to 4790K OC for less-threaded titles

 

[kennah]

I think we should replace the word 'future proof" with "future gamble"

 

[M3z_]

Future proof doesn't exist and consumer i7's use multiple threads as well I don't see what you think the 5820 will serve you thread wise.

 

[kennah]

Future proof doesn't exist and consumer i7's use multiple threads as well I don't see what you think the 5820 will serve you thread wise.

But DDR4 will be magical and change everything

Spoiler

It will change nothing. Ram ain't nothin but a number

 

[Renekton]

Future proof doesn't exist and consumer i7's use multiple threads as well I don't see what you think the 5820 will serve you thread wise.

It does exist, but like Kennah said it is a gamble.

Back then fast C2Ds were the thing and everyone said games don't need more than 2 strong cores. But eventually the slower and hotter Q6600 quietly outlasted it. Also i7-920 was legendary.

 

[Rur0ni]

Next problem:

So it's possible to install Windows in UEFI mode. I want that secure boot OPAL goodness. Issue is, my GTX 670s were not UEFI compatible yet, until a vBIOS update released by Gigabyte. I applied the update to both cards individually, restarted back into Windows and verified I was in fact on the newer UEFI video bios. So I shut down fully, and get no signal on the outputs after getting both cards back in. Tried one by one, nothing.

I have a 3rd GTX 670 that wasn't flashed, placed it in, posts as expected.

I don't think the cards are bricked, after all they got into Windows on a restart after the initial flash. So now I'm thinking the cold boot on these doesn't work anymore. Enter despair. Really don't want to run to Frys for new cards or mobo with UEFI out of the box. Any ideas?

 

[kennah]

It does exist, but like Kennah said it is a gamble.

Back then fast C2Ds were the thing and everyone said games don't need more than 2 strong cores. But eventually the slower and hotter Q6600 quietly outlasted it. Also i7-920 was legendary.

I'd argue the Q6600 became irrelevant at the same time the faster C2Ds.

 

[Momentary]

Outside of LD/Caselabs, Phanteks is King. The Enthoo Primo is what you want.

Isn't that considered a full case? It looks nice though and it's way cheaper than the damn 900d.

 

[Rur0ni]

Swapping slots seems to have let me boot.. okay. :| Think I've ran into some motherboard quirks, because the nonflash card stopped working after several reboots/resets until I moved slots. Sigh, hate quirky shit like this, I'm too old for this.

On the plus side, running completely UEFI now. Bitlocker enabled in a second. Sweet.

 

[Tapejara]

I'm hoping to build a new PC by the end of the year. I'm not really interested in overclocking; I just want to be able to run my games at 1080p and 60FPS. Was hoping to keep the build below $1000, but I don't think that's going to happen.

These are the parts I'm looking at. Thoughts, recommendations or better alternatives?

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/Tapejara/saved/4YGj4D

CPU: i7-4770 3.4GHz Quad-Core
MOBO: Asus Z97-C ATX LGA1150
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM
GPU: Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 4GB Dual-X
Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Desktop
PSU: Corsair 600W ATX12V
Asus DVD-E818AAT/BLK/B/GEN DVD/CD Drive
Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit)

Edit: For reference I'm currently using a pre-built computer. It has an i7-4770, Radeon 7570 (2GB DDR3) and 12GB RAM. I can barely run any games at 1080p. I\m hesitant to upgrade the GPU, because then I'd have to worry about upgrading the PSU and possibly cooling methods as well. Would rather just start from scratch and do it my way.

 

[El_Chino]

Hey guys, random question. Is it possible to connect a wireless router to a WiFi modem?

 

[ekgrey]

I'm hoping to build a new PC by the end of the year. I'm not really interested in overclocking; I just want to be able to run my games at 1080p and 60FPS. Was hoping to keep the build below $1000, but I don't think that's going to happen.

These are the parts I'm looking at. Thoughts, recommendations or better alternatives?

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/Tapejara/saved/4YGj4D

CPU: i7-4770 3.4GHz Quad-Core
MOBO: Asus Z97-C ATX LGA1150
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM
GPU: Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 4GB Dual-X
Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Desktop
PSU: Corsair 600W ATX12V
Asus DVD-E818AAT/BLK/B/GEN DVD/CD Drive
Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit)

Edit: For reference I'm currently using a pre-built computer. It has an i7-4770, Radeon 7570 (2GB DDR3) and 12GB RAM. I can barely run any games at 1080p. I\m hesitant to upgrade the GPU, because then I'd have to worry about upgrading the PSU and possibly cooling methods as well. Would rather just start from scratch and do it my way.

Pretty sure only thing that'd make a difference would be the GPU. I'd definitely get a PSU (if you really do need it) and a new card versus buying a whole rig...

 

[Seik]

Man, I just don't know what to do.

I want to upgrade from my old, noisy and power consuming GTX 480.

The 750 ti seems to be a really good equivalent for a mere $150 and consumes so much less power it would probably even have an effect on my bills, haha.

The 760 seems to be really, really more powerful card for just $100 more...so there's that too.

AND I kinda want to wait for the 800 series, I read that they would be even cheaper, more effective and less power consuming...but that's not until 2015 I guess. :/

 

[Tablo]

Man, I just don't know what to do.

I want to upgrade from my old, noisy and power consuming GTX 480.

The 750 ti seems to be a really good equivalent for a mere $150 and consumes so much less power it would probably even have an effect on my bills, haha.

The 760 seems to be really, really more powerful card for just $100 more...so there's that too.

AND I kinda want to wait for the 800 series, I read that they would be even cheaper, more effective and less power consuming...but that's not until 2015 I guess. :/

The 750 Ti is great, the Radeon R265 is the same price and has more grunt, but consumes far more power. And lacks the Nvidia specific software stuff.
I'd get a 750 Ti, and wait for 20nm cards in 2015.

 

[Renekton]

R7 265.

The power consumption diff is not noticeable, unless you live in some communist wasteland.

 

[Seik]

The 750 Ti is great, the Radeon R265 is the same price and has more grunt, but consumes far more power. And lacks the Nvidia specific software stuff.
I'd get a 750 Ti, and wait for 20nm cards in 2015.

Yeah I think a (probably OC'd) 750 Ti would be a great deal while I wait for the 800 series.

It's not like I'm playing any of the recent games anyway, I mostly play Dolphin and other emulators, so I'm pretty sure that the simple fact that it's using more recent technologies and it will give it an edge against my GTX 480.

EDIT: Did it! Bought a brand new GTX 750 Ti for a total of $167CAD, good deal. Especially if I manage to sell my 480 for something around 100$ to a friend or something.

Finally my PC won't sound like a freaking jet when I'll start anything. At some point it even was going in jet mode while I was viewing Youtube vids the moment it got dirty a bit. Plus I'll be able to close my PC box entirely (I was keeping it open because the card was getting too hot, my PC isn't in the best ventilated area.) so all in all, I'm sure it's worth it!

 

[anotherthought]

I think the MX100 might still be better, and you won't really notice the performance difference.

Overclocking can make a pretty big difference, but yeah, it would be quite a price increase.

Went with Sandisk since they didn't have MX100 at my retailer of choice, but thanks for the suggestion. Hopefully I won't regret going against it!

 

[jfoul]

Nice. That's black friday prices. Good PSU. Have it myself and it's been great.

Amazon now has it for $59.99. I prefer full modular, but the price is too good and I can always put this in my wife's i7 build.

I've heard these now come with flat cabling. Can anybody confirm this?

 

[Stubo]

I'm hoping to build a new PC by the end of the year. I'm not really interested in overclocking; I just want to be able to run my games at 1080p and 60FPS. Was hoping to keep the build below $1000, but I don't think that's going to happen.

These are the parts I'm looking at. Thoughts, recommendations or better alternatives?

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/Tapejara/saved/4YGj4D

CPU: i7-4770 3.4GHz Quad-Core
MOBO: Asus Z97-C ATX LGA1150
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM
GPU: Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 4GB Dual-X
Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Desktop
PSU: Corsair 600W ATX12V
Asus DVD-E818AAT/BLK/B/GEN DVD/CD Drive
Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit)

Edit: For reference I'm currently using a pre-built computer. It has an i7-4770, Radeon 7570 (2GB DDR3) and 12GB RAM. I can barely run any games at 1080p. I\m hesitant to upgrade the GPU, because then I'd have to worry about upgrading the PSU and possibly cooling methods as well. Would rather just start from scratch and do it my way.

Pretty sure only thing that'd make a difference would be the GPU. I'd definitely get a PSU (if you really do need it) and a new card versus buying a whole rig...

I'd agree with the above, if we're reading your post correctly.

I'd keep the CPU, motherboard, RAM and DVD drive and upgrade the parts as you see fit, an example below:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $0.00) - From existing PC
Motherboard: Asus Z97-C ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (Purchased For $0.00) - From existing PC
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (Purchased For $0.00) - (Your existing 12Gb)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon Canada) - Assuming you don't already have an SSD, these are a game changer!
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX) - Kept from your original post
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($549.98 @ Amazon Canada) - Probably the best card that fits in budget
Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Desktop Case ($163.94 @ TigerDirect Canada) - Original choice
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.98 @ Amazon Canada) - A better quality unit, however there may be better deals in Canada
Optical Drive: Asus DVD-E818AAT/BLK/B/GEN DVD/CD Drive (Purchased For $0.00) - Kept from existing PC?
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($20.00) - Reddit r/softwareswap
Total: $953.88

Use reddit's r/softwareswap to pick up a cheap windows 8.1 to take a huge chunk off your spend straight away.

If you want to put things in a new case that's fair enough, this is likely to make it much easier to put together and maintain your new build. A new PSU isn't something you definitely need, but pre-builds normally don't leave much room for upgrades so it's likely.

If you are indeed able to re-use the parts then you could get a great graphics card and even add an SSD while staying well inside your $1000 budget.

 

[Prophet Steve]

Went with Sandisk since they didn't have MX100 at my retailer of choice, but thanks for the suggestion. Hopefully I won't regret going against it!

Nah, you won't notice the difference.

 

[michaelius]

Can't decide between 4790K and 5820K

4790K and x97
+ Easier OC
+ Cheaper
+ Current games not very widely-threaded
- Outdated when DDR4 becomes standard in 2016

5820K and x99
+ Futureproof for multi-threaded titles
+ Futureproof for DDR4
- Expensive
- Slower individual core clock, loses to 4790K OC for less-threaded titles

1. Typicall OC clocks for Sandy/Ivy-E aren't far behind 4 core variants.
2. Also Watchdogs/BF4 show good benefits from 6 cores with HT which means next gen games should have no trouble using 2 additional cores.

As long as cpu and ddr4 won't be too expensive then 5820 seems to be much better choice.

 

[kharma45]

Yeah I think a (probably OC'd) 750 Ti would be a great deal while I wait for the 800 series.

It's not like I'm playing any of the recent games anyway, I mostly play Dolphin and other emulators, so I'm pretty sure that the simple fact that it's using more recent technologies and it will give it an edge against my GTX 480.

EDIT: Did it! Bought a brand new GTX 750 Ti for a total of $167CAD, good deal. Especially if I manage to sell my 480 for something around 100$ to a friend or something.

Finally my PC won't sound like a freaking jet when I'll start anything. At some point it even was going in jet mode while I was viewing Youtube vids the moment it got dirty a bit. Plus I'll be able to close my PC box entirely (I was keeping it open because the card was getting too hot, my PC isn't in the best ventilated area.) so all in all, I'm sure it's worth it!

It's not that great compared to these. If you can still cancel I would as you can get an R9 270 for $150 plus free games

http://www.ncix.com/detail/club3d-radeon-r9-270-14series-bd-94193-1068.htm?affiliateid=7474144

or the MSI for a bit more (same price as that 750 Ti)

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Produc...tionCA&cm_mmc=AFC-C8JunctionCA-_-na-_-na-_-na

 

[SHADES]

I'd agree with the above, if we're reading your post correctly.

I'd keep the CPU, motherboard, RAM and DVD drive and upgrade the parts as you see fit, an example below:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $0.00) - From existing PC
Motherboard: Asus Z97-C ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (Purchased For $0.00) - From existing PC
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (Purchased For $0.00) - (Your existing 12Gb)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon Canada) - Assuming you don't already have an SSD, these are a game changer!
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX) - Kept from your original post
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($549.98 @ Amazon Canada) - Probably the best card that fits in budget
Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Desktop Case ($163.94 @ TigerDirect Canada) - Original choice
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.98 @ Amazon Canada) - A better quality unit, however there may be better deals in Canada
Optical Drive: Asus DVD-E818AAT/BLK/B/GEN DVD/CD Drive (Purchased For $0.00) - Kept from existing PC?
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($20.00) - Reddit r/softwareswap
Total: $953.88

Use reddit's r/softwareswap to pick up a cheap windows 8.1 to take a huge chunk off your spend straight away.

If you want to put things in a new case that's fair enough, this is likely to make it much easier to put together and maintain your new build. A new PSU isn't something you definitely need, but pre-builds normally don't leave much room for upgrades so it's likely.

If you are indeed able to re-use the parts then you could get a great graphics card and even add an SSD while staying well inside your $1000 budget.

Quick question, will the EVGA 500w PSU you've recommended run the GTX 780 without any issues? I'm looking to up my GPU soon but when adding a GTX 780 to my build on PC part picker the wattage calculator comes out at 457w and I'm sure I've read somewhere that 600w are a minimum?

If it will bonus as I don't want to change the PSU yet if I have too.

 

[Stubo]

As long as the power supply in question is of good quality (and therefore has sufficient amps on the 12V rail) it should be fine.

The 457w estimate on your build will be if all components are running at 100% which isn't a likely scenario.

That said, it could be worth giving yourself some headroom to make sure that your power usage remains in the efficient range of the power supply. This will also likely mean that the fan won't run as loud. I thought about choosing the 600w version of that PSU for that build, but wasn't sure if there'd be better available for that price.

Honestly I don't really keep up with the PSU brands which aren't available in the UK!

 

[SHADES]

As long as the power supply in question is of good quality (and therefore has sufficient amps on the 12V rail) it should be fine.

The 457w estimate on your build will be if all components are running at 100% which isn't a likely scenario.

That said, it could be worth giving yourself some headroom to make sure that your power usage remains in the efficient range of the power supply. This will also likely mean that the fan won't run as loud. I thought about choosing the 600w version of that PSU for that build, but wasn't sure if there'd be better available for that price.

Honestly I don't really keep up with the PSU brands which aren't available in the UK!

Ah ok got you, the parts compatibility checker doesn't flag an issue between them so I guess all is good. I went with the EVGA 500w after a few (your good self included) recommended it and I'm having zero issues just think I could benefit from a 3gb card but not in any hurry.

As this was my first build I'm still in that grey area of not knowing what will and won't break when playing with new parts

Thanks for answering my question.

 

[Stubo]

I just had a quick look from the GPU link and found this build running it with a 450W power supply.

Every build is different of course, but don't take Nvidia's 600W requirement to heart. They have to cover themselves for all sorts of nightmare cheap and nasty products which have that number on the box but really struggle to provide that sort of power to the components.

 

[SHADES]

I just had a quick look from the GPU link and found this build running it with a 450W power supply.

Every build is different of course, but don't take Nvidia's 600W requirement to heart. They have to cover themselves for all sorts of nightmare cheap and nasty products which have that number on the box but really struggle to provide that sort of power to the components.

Thanks for the replies you've put my mind at rest. A GTX 780 is out of my budget anyway but was aiming for either a 760/770/R9 280x scenario.

 

[jfoul]

Amazon Warehouse Deals.

• Stock: 6
• Condition Very Good

$332.69 Gigabyte R9 290X (GV-R929XOC-4GD)

 

[Stubo]

Amazon Warehouse Deals.

• 
  Gigabyte R9 290X
• Stock: 6
• Condition Very Good

$332.69 Gigabyte R9 290X (GV-R929XOC-4GD)

Anyone looking at this choose one of these two:

Item is in original packaging, but packaging has damage. All accessories are present and undamaged.

All accessories are present and undamaged.

 

[jfoul]

Anyone looking at this choose one of these two:

After holding out since late last October for a videocard, I finally caved. This price is just too good for a non-ref 290X OC. I chose the "All accessories are present and undamaged" listing. If anything is wrong with the card, a refund/return is painless though amazon. Total was $299.48 after using my saved up reward points.

 

[Mr Swine]

Just bought a Crucial mx100 for my laptop I can't stand going back to a HDD when using a SSD is a million times faster at almost everything :/

 

[Mascot]

How good are 1080p televisions for PC gaming?

I ask the question because my 32" Sharp 720p set that's rigged to my Playseat cockpit is getting long in the tooth and showing signs of imminent failure. I know I'd eventually need to upgrade to at least 1080p anyway, especially if I do build a gaming PC in a few months time, which is looking increasingly likely if i want to continue using my Fanatec wheel rig. I currently only use Xbox 360 and PS3 so 720p hasn't been a major issue so far.

Anyway, back to my original question. I definitely want bigger than 32" and spotted this 50" ISIS (Toshiba innards, apparently) 1080p TV for £350. It would never be used for watching TV, only for gaming. Generally speaking, how would this TV perform as a PC gaming monitor? Is there any reason why TV display tech is unsuitable for PC gaming? I know this ISIS wouldn't perform as well as a dedicated PC monitor, but as a total PC Luddite what pitfalls do I need to be aware of? Connectivity, for example - is HDMI OK for PC gaming? Everything would be routed by HDMI through my Yamaha amp like the 360 and PS3. I guess response times would be another consideration. Any advice would be much appreciated as I might push the button soon to get the free 5 year warranty.

(PS, I know 50" is huge for a Playseat rig, but I've done some distance trials on my 50" Pioneer plasma TV and am happy with the field-filling IMAXness of sitting so close to a big screen).

Cheers!

 

[Pachimari]

I'm starting to get worried now.

As many of you know, I build my first PC around 2 months ago and bought a legal copy of Windows 7 Home Premium from Reddit.

I haven't gotten any reply from the seller since I wrote him, so now I'm stuck with a copy which is not genuine. =;( Super sad.

Besides that, my computer hangs at the desktop (probably to check if it's a genuine copy), so it can take a few minutes until I can use it, when it starts up.

 

[Furoba]

I am looking to build my first rig and would like to have some advice.

First off, here's my basic background.

Your Current Specs: N/A
Budget: +/- $1000 (excluding monitor + peripherals) / Japan
Main Use: Light Gaming 5, Gaming 5, Emulation (PS2/Wii) 2, Video Editing 1, Streaming games in HD 5, 3D/Model work (and what program) 1, General Usage (Word, Web, 1080p playback) 5.
Monitor Resolution: Need to buy monitor so 1080p for everything but the most demanding things would be nice. Looking to buy a 120Hz+ @ 1080p monitor.
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: Total War/Civ5/Sins of a Solar Empire/Starcraft 2, 4X RTS etc.
How important is PhysX / SuperSampling / CUDA to you? Not very important.
Looking to reuse any parts?: No
When will you build?: August - September
Will you be overclocking?: No (not sure)

I am currently considering the "Great - Best Value" build from the OP.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($119.91 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($86.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R9 270X 2GB DirectCU II Video Card ($179.00 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ TigerDirect)
Power Supply: Antec Basiq Plus 550W 80+ Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($67.98 @ Best Buy)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $990.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-06-15 09:53 EDT-0400

1. Anything in this build that could be cheaper / better for about the same money?
2. Is there a big noise difference between the Corsair 200R and something like a Define R4?
3. What are the differences between the different vendor editions for the R9 270X?
4. Any bottlenecks I should watch out for?
5. Anything out there that is worth waiting for a few more months?

Cheers!

 

[Mineshaft_Gap]

Just got a Gigabyte Z97. Are there any tutorials on how to overclock with a gigabyte motherboard? So far I like Asus' UEFI way way way better.

 

[Tapejara]

Pretty sure only thing that'd make a difference would be the GPU. I'd definitely get a PSU (if you really do need it) and a new card versus buying a whole rig...

I'd agree with the above, if we're reading your post correctly.

I'd keep the CPU, motherboard, RAM and DVD drive and upgrade the parts as you see fit, an example below:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $0.00) - From existing PC
Motherboard: Asus Z97-C ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (Purchased For $0.00) - From existing PC
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (Purchased For $0.00) - (Your existing 12Gb)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon Canada) - Assuming you don't already have an SSD, these are a game changer!
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX) - Kept from your original post
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($549.98 @ Amazon Canada) - Probably the best card that fits in budget
Case: Corsair Air 540 ATX Desktop Case ($163.94 @ TigerDirect Canada) - Original choice
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.98 @ Amazon Canada) - A better quality unit, however there may be better deals in Canada
Optical Drive: Asus DVD-E818AAT/BLK/B/GEN DVD/CD Drive (Purchased For $0.00) - Kept from existing PC?
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit) ($20.00) - Reddit r/softwareswap
Total: $953.88

Use reddit's r/softwareswap to pick up a cheap windows 8.1 to take a huge chunk off your spend straight away.

If you want to put things in a new case that's fair enough, this is likely to make it much easier to put together and maintain your new build. A new PSU isn't something you definitely need, but pre-builds normally don't leave much room for upgrades so it's likely.

If you are indeed able to re-use the parts then you could get a great graphics card and even add an SSD while staying well inside your $1000 budget.

Thanks guys! This saves me a lot more money lol.