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[yatesl]

Slightly off-topic, but let's talk about Google Drive - how 'safe' would you consider it? I've had a Gmail account since it first appeared (back when it only had 1GB, and you'd see the little number counting up), so I've always had Google Drive. I've used it relatively frequently, storing some things I don't want to lose - CV, some photos, other minor stuff. I used to have a habit of formatting my hard drive every few months ('spring cleaning'), and with that I'd always forget to back something up and lose it forever. My habits have drastically changed since then, along with multiple hard drives.

Anyway, I currently had an SSD with Windows on, and a 3TB drive with everything else - Documents, Music, Videos etc; the normal Windows library stuff. This keeps it safe if I ever need/want to format C:\ for a fresh Windows install, or Linux, or anything.

I don't have a home office. I wouldn't burst in to tears if all my hard drives suddenly set on fire, and everything was gone forever. I'd be a huge pain getting all my music again; I'd miss the photos that are on there (that aren't on Facebook); and I'd lose all my PC saves that weren't on Steam cloud. Nothing is mission critical. That being said, I've decided to move the D:\Documents folder in to my Google Drive (taking up almost 3GB), and then making a symbolic link back to D:\Documents (as some things don't like it when a folder is moved - I thought they'd go off of the libraries).

There's nothing personal in there - I made sure that anything that I wouldn't want someone to see is in a .rar with a password - but what do we think the chances of a big glitch down at Google HQ suddenly deleting everything? Is there a backup in place on a local level that doesn't automatically nuke the files on my PC if they're deleted from the cloud?

 

[Dazzyman]

damn, very nice. .

Ive changed my Project Cars preorder from Xb1 to PC. I'm looking forward to trying out SLI 980s

 

[Dazzyman]

I'm going to put windows 8.1 and my hd camcorder stuff inc wedding on my SSD just bought and pics. Games going on the 3tb

 

[kharma45]

Slightly off-topic, but let's talk about Google Drive - how 'safe' would you consider it? I've had a Gmail account since it first appeared (back when it only had 1GB, and you'd see the little number counting up), so I've always had Google Drive. I've used it relatively frequently, storing some things I don't want to lose - CV, some photos, other minor stuff. I used to have a habit of formatting my hard drive every few months ('spring cleaning'), and with that I'd always forget to back something up and lose it forever. My habits have drastically changed since then, along with multiple hard drives.

Anyway, I currently had an SSD with Windows on, and a 3TB drive with everything else - Documents, Music, Videos etc; the normal Windows library stuff. This keeps it safe if I ever need/want to format C:\ for a fresh Windows install, or Linux, or anything.

I don't have a home office. I wouldn't burst in to tears if all my hard drives suddenly set on fire, and everything was gone forever. I'd be a huge pain getting all my music again; I'd miss the photos that are on there (that aren't on Facebook); and I'd lose all my PC saves that weren't on Steam cloud. Nothing is mission critical. That being said, I've decided to move the D:\Documents folder in to my Google Drive (taking up almost 3GB), and then making a symbolic link back to D:\Documents (as some things don't like it when a folder is moved - I thought they'd go off of the libraries).

There's nothing personal in there - I made sure that anything that I wouldn't want someone to see is in a .rar with a password - but what do we think the chances of a big glitch down at Google HQ suddenly deleting everything? Is there a backup in place on a local level that doesn't automatically nuke the files on my PC if they're deleted from the cloud?

I'd imagine that's very unlikely. If you want to be super safe and probably taking it too far use OneDrive as well. I actually prefer OneDrive as you get more space for free and the pricing is better if you need more.

 

[yatesl]

I'd imagine that's very unlikely. If you want to be super safe and probably taking it too far use OneDrive as well. I actually prefer OneDrive as you get more space for free and the pricing is better if you need more.

Eh 25GB is fine, and it suits me more with Gmail integration (vs using Hotmail and OneDrive).

I would use OneDrive also, but that brings me to a gripe I have - why do neither of these services support system links? In a perfect world I'd have all my files in their default locations, whilst linking them to both OneDrive and Google Drive (and Dropbox whilst I'm at it). As it stands, I have to choose one or the other, and then link from out of there to default.

 

[garath]

Put a framerate limit on that game. Your fps is probably in the hundreds working that card way harder than it needs to

Good thought but I doubt that was it. It doesn't work the card too hard and actually only sits at 128 fps. If it was >200 I could agree.

 

[Chance Hale]

I had the fucking RoG Swift in my cart at newegg..........and then it tells me it's gone at payment. It'll never happen ;-;

If I had been a few seconds quicker I would have finally had it on the way, sigh.

Edit: Now the bastards are trolling, refreshed and it said "in-stock" only for it to immediately remove it from my cart.

 

[SliChillax]

Before I pull the trigger on a Mini-ITX case, I would like to know what's the best alternative for a small case that can fit dual GPU's. Since I travel a lot I need a sturdy but a not too big case. My Cooler Master Storm Sniper got damaged by DHL, HDD/SSD cages are all broken.

 

[Visualante2]

please do keep us informed either way. regardless of if the warranty is valid, no retailer should be selling opened items as new and this thread should be a source for info on legit shops.

I've got no problem listing in the e.mail tag for now. Quote to see.

 

[Smokey]

I had the fucking RoG Swift in my cart at newegg..........and then it tells me it's gone at payment. It'll never happen ;-;

If I had been a few seconds quicker I would have finally had it on the way, sigh.

Edit: Now the bastards are trolling, refreshed and it said "in-stock" only for it to immediately remove it from my cart.

i called them they are out

 

[Chance Hale]

i called them they are out

Yeah, sometimes when I refresh it still says add to cart but now a "No longer available" message loads in. If nothing else it's been coming in and out of stock for 5 minutes at a time for the last few days. I'll get lucky eventually!

 

[ekgrey]

I've got no problem listing in the e.mail tag for now. Quote to see.

cheers.

 

[Bebpo]

Building a PC right now. Where can I get a GTX 970 for around that $330 price in the OP?

 

[ekgrey]

Building a PC right now. Where can I get a GTX 970 for around that $330 price in the OP?

right now, nowhere. put in an order for one of the cheaper EVGA or MSI ones on Amazon and with any luck you'll have it in a couple weeks.

 

[Bebpo]

right now, nowhere. put in an order for one of the cheaper EVGA or MSI ones on Amazon and with any luck you'll have it in a couple weeks.

Damn, what's a good alternate card in that price range? I want to put together a working computer this week.

Also should I go for Windows 7 or 8.1 for gaming OS these days?

 

[ekgrey]

you can probably pick up a used 780 for about that now. if you don't want to go used, and aren't beholden to nvidia, an R9 290. quick search of Amazon shows some of the nicer ones right around $300, which is criminally good.

 

[OmegaSkittle]

So this morning my Radeon HD 7870 Myst edition starting ramping up full force when I play games. The fan kicked all the way up to 100% for no reason and now makes a quiet, constant ticking sounds when idle. When games are being played, or any load is put on the card, the fan ramps up to about 50% but it sounds like a weedwacker.

So I guess I am in the market for a new card. I need something similar or maybe even better but my budget is ~$150. I've been with AMD for a while now but I always end up having problems with their cards. So i was thinking of possibly switching over to an nVidia this time around.

Any suggestions?

 

[ref]

UGHHH the wait for an ROG Swift is killing me.

Have one on back order at a local store so I can return it easily if there's any issues. They said they expect more to be in at the end of the month, not too much longer now.

I heard they don't have that great of quality control.

Anyone here have a Swift and have had no issues with it so far?

Also, Canada sucks. Going to be paying over $1000 dollars for this monitor. Hope it's worth it, lol

Oh well, 2 980s and this will last me a very, very long time I hope.

 

[Treechopper]

Hey PC-Gaf! I have a 500 watt PSU for my 7950, but I need my PC for development purposes and I'm trying to cut down the energy bill. I want to replace the GPU with something basic so I can use a PSU with a much smaller power rating.

1) Will I be ok with the i5's HD 4000 graphics chip if I'm not going to be playing any games? If I do need a GPU, what's the cheapest option that isn't crap?
2) Going off the constraints of (1), what's the smallest power rating I can go with for a PSU?

Motherboard is the ASUS P8Z77-V.

 

[Belmire]

UGHHH the wait for an ROG Swift is killing me.

Have one on back order at a local store so I can return it easily if there's any issues. They said they expect more to be in at the end of the month, not too much longer now.

I heard they don't have that great of quality control.

Anyone here have a Swift and have had no issues with it so far?

Been using mine for 3 about weeks. Love it, gsync and all. The only thing you have to watch out for is using the windows desktop at 144hz. Idling on the desktop makes my video card run at 910mhz at about 40 degrees. If I want my video card to ramp down to normal idling clock speeds, I have run windows at 120hz and set the highest available refresh rate in the nvidia control panel for games. Otherwise you have to change it manually every time. Having a maxwell gpu idling at 910mhz all day long kills the efficiency.

Other than that, it's great. I still hug the box every day.

 

[riflen]

UGHHH the wait for an ROG Swift is killing me.

Have one on back order at a local store so I can return it easily if there's any issues. They said they expect more to be in at the end of the month, not too much longer now.

I heard they don't have that great of quality control.

Anyone here have a Swift and have had no issues with it so far?

Also, Canada sucks. Going to be paying over $1000 dollars for this monitor. Hope it's worth it, lol

Oh well, 2 980s and this will last me a very, very long time I hope.

No issues with my Swift, except that I'm spending too much time playing games because of it.

 

[Visualante2]

I'm looking at picking up the Asrock Z97 extreme6 to go with my 4790K processor, mostly for the eSATA port (I have an old external with USB 2.0 and eSATA which I'm fond of). I know I'm stupid for buying this when I have little interest in overclocking right now but it seems like a fairly good board for the price. Any thoughts?

I'll be putting a 7870 and Xonar DG in it, and potentially a PCI WiFi card also.

 

[Skux]

Before I pull the trigger on a Mini-ITX case, I would like to know what's the best alternative for a small case that can fit dual GPU's. Since I travel a lot I need a sturdy but a not too big case. My Cooler Master Storm Sniper got damaged by DHL, HDD/SSD cages are all broken.

The Bitfenix Prodigy M is an mATX version of the Prodigy, and can fit two two-slot GPUs.

 

[opticalmace]

Hey PC-Gaf! I have a 500 watt PSU for my 7950, but I need my PC for development purposes and I'm trying to cut down the energy bill. I want to replace the GPU with something basic so I can use a PSU with a much smaller power rating.

1) Will I be ok with the i5's HD 4000 graphics chip if I'm not going to be playing any games? If I do need a GPU, what's the cheapest option that isn't crap?
2) Going off the constraints of (1), what's the smallest power rating I can go with for a PSU?

Motherboard is the ASUS P8Z77-V.

Keep in mind a 500W PSU doesn't run at 500W all the time (or probably ever TBH). What matters more is efficiency. Check out some PSU reviews (OP has some good links) to get an idea of how efficient some PSUs are at different operating wattages. It's entirely possible that the money you'd save by having a slightly more efficient PSU would be very much overshadowed by the cost of buying a new PSU. I don't know the answer but you should look into it.

 

[Frankfurter]

Hey PC-Gaf! I have a 500 watt PSU for my 7950, but I need my PC for development purposes and I'm trying to cut down the energy bill. I want to replace the GPU with something basic so I can use a PSU with a much smaller power rating.

1) Will I be ok with the i5's HD 4000 graphics chip if I'm not going to be playing any games? If I do need a GPU, what's the cheapest option that isn't crap?
2) Going off the constraints of (1), what's the smallest power rating I can go with for a PSU?

Motherboard is the ASUS P8Z77-V.

I don't think you'd actually save much, because modern GPUs use very little energy while idle (around 15W afaik).

 

[ref]

Been using mine for 3 about weeks. Love it, gsync and all. The only thing you have to watch out for is using the windows desktop at 144hz. Idling on the desktop makes my video card run at 910mhz at about 40 degrees. If I want my video card to ramp down to normal idling clock speeds, I have run windows at 120hz and set the highest available refresh rate in the nvidia control panel for games. Otherwise you have to change it manually every time. Having a maxwell gpu idling at 910mhz all day long kills the efficiency.

Other than that, it's great. I still hug the box every day.

Thanks for the heads up on the 144hz desktop usage, sounds like 120hz and setting highest refresh in games is the way to go. Good to hear you're not having any issues with your Swift.

No issues with my Swift, except that I'm spending too much time playing games because of it.

Haha, I can't wait to have that issue!

 

[Kevyt]

Noob question about GSync and monitors with adaptive refresh times. Are they basically the same? I'm looking at amazon, for Gsync monitors and the first two choices that show up are a $600 Phillips monitor and an ASUS VG248QE with 144 Hz, and 1 ms pixel response time, for $270. The Phillips monitor says it has NVIDIA's GSync as one of its features, but not the Asus monitor. Basically what I'm wondering is that if the Asus VG248QE monitor will be capable of reducing lag for controller response when your game falls in the 30s-40s as far as frame-rate? Or that's not the case because it's not Gsync ready? Also what happens when you fall short of 120 or 144 FPS?

 

[ekgrey]

Noob question about GSync and monitors with adaptive refresh times. Are they basically the same? I'm looking at amazon, for Gsync monitors and the first two choices that show up are a $600 Phillips monitor and an ASUS VG248QE with 144 Hz, and 1 ms pixel response time, for $270. The Phillips monitor says it has NVIDIA's GSync as one of its features, but not the Asus monitor. Basically what I'm wondering is that if the Asus VG248QE monitor will be capable of reducing lag for controller response when your game falls in the 30s-40s as far as frame-rate? Or that's not the case because it's not Gsync ready? Also what happens when you fall short of 120 or 144 FPS?

mkenyon or someone will be able to give you a real "i understand what i'm talking about" answer, but:

1) the ASUS is the one that could be modded to accept a G-Sync module, but it's no longer clear if nvidia is still selling them. looks like they aren't. so no, it does not have G-Sync as is.
2) i'm not sure what you mean by reducing lag for controller response? i don't think input lag is directly related to display lag.
3) when you fall short of the maximum refresh rate of a monitor with G-Sync, everything remains super smooth (in theory/anecdotally - i've not seen one) because your frames are being displayed as the GPU renders them. it'll be obvious that it's slowed down, but it won't be "juddery."
in a 144Hz monitor without G-Sync, supposedly you're fine as long as you can maintain like 80+ FPS i think? fluctuations will be more pronounced than with G-Sync, and higher is better, but you don't need to be maxing out your frametime constantly to enjoy benefits.

Spoiler

come and correct me so i may learn more, mkenyon

 

[Bebpo]

I'm doing a build for a close friend, they're a casual gamer but they wanted "a machine that can play Skyrim (and the eventually Fallout 4/Skyrim 2) at ultra settings 1080p/60fps with mods"

Their budget was around $1,200-$1,500. Using the OP I tried to get something around that but ended up spending almost $2,000 (which seems like a lot, because my gaming pc has always been very quality yet I never remember spending more than about $1,000 for 60fps on max settings outside of stuff like Crysis). Is this overkill?

i7 4790k @ 4ghz
Coolmaster Evo 220 heatsink
GIGABYTE GA-Z97X-UD5H
16gb ram
Gigabyte GTX 970 4GB
512 SSD
1 TB WD blue
750W Power Supply
Case
Dvd drive

This ended up being $1,702 after tax & shipping.


Then Windows 8 Student ($70), Good headphone ($99), Decent Monitor ($~150-$200), KB+Mouse (~$60), Xbox controller ($50)

is gonna end up pushing it to about $2,200 build after tax/shipping. Considering they wanted something for Skyrim maxed w/some graphical mods and wanted around $1,500 price. Is this just way too overkill and I should sub some stuff down? Not sure where to skimp on to sub down on.

Actually thinking about maybe just building this one for myself to replace my 5 year old build which is still pretty much doing fine and then selling my old build to them for like $500. I dunno. Maybe I should downgrade this build some.

 

[Rambotito]

Ok GAF I have a dilemma. I am not sure which upgrade path to follow.

My current machine :
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500
Nvidia 560gtx 1 GB
etc.

I am on kind of a budget and I have a few options. My goal is to play games at 720p at the best frame rate possible. My current budget is about 600 US dollars.

Should I go with ...
1) CPU Intel I3 4150
Nvidia gtx 750ti
or....

2) CPU Intel I5 4440
and keep the 560gtx
or.....

3) AMD A10 7850K system with integrated graphics with 2400 RAM

I am currently playing SWTOR and I would like to play Shadow of Mordor, Dragon Age Inquisition and just about everything else in the coming year or so without major issues. All three systems that I listed are in my price range. Future upgrades are possible but we just had a baby so probably not.

 

[FunkyMunkey]

Thinking about MAYBE rma-ing my gigabyte 970 due to very, very slight coil whine... but not if it's a huge hassle. Does it take a long time? And I assume it would since they are currently sold out everywhere, unless I get priority directly from gigabyte themselves or something? It's via Newegg.

I can live with the tiny bit of buzzing no problem if it's an ordeal to RMA something that's sold-out. I can't hear it at all unless my pc is ~1 foot away. Probably being too picky, and it decreased a lot already just by replacing my psu with a 650w modular corsair.

 

[Kevyt]

mkenyon or someone will be able to give you a real "i understand what i'm talking about" answer, but:

1) the ASUS is the one that could be modded to accept a G-Sync module, but it's no longer clear if nvidia is still selling them. looks like they aren't. so no, it does not have G-Sync as is.
2) i'm not sure what you mean by reducing lag for controller response? i don't think input lag is directly related to display lag.
3) when you fall short of the maximum refresh rate of a monitor with G-Sync, everything remains super smooth (in theory/anecdotally - i've not seen one) because your frames are being displayed as the GPU renders them. it'll be obvious that it's slowed down, but it won't be "juddery."
in a 144Hz monitor without G-Sync, supposedly you're fine as long as you can maintain like 80+ FPS i think? fluctuations will be more pronounced than with G-Sync, and higher is better, but you don't need to be maxing out your frametime constantly to enjoy benefits.

Spoiler

come and correct me so i may learn more, mkenyon

Thanks! I think I understand better now. I just did some reading on Nvidia's GSYNC technology and it seems like the Asus Rog Swift is the best monitor with Gsync in it. Too bad it's a bit pricey and out of stock.

Ok GAF I have a dilemma. I am not sure which upgrade path to follow.

My current machine :
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500
Nvidia 560gtx 1 GB
etc.

I am on kind of a budget and I have a few options. My goal is to play games at 720p at the best frame rate possible. My current budget is about 600 US dollars.

Should I go with ...
1) CPU Intel I3 4150
Nvidia gtx 750ti
or....

2) CPU Intel I5 4440
and keep the 560gtx
or.....

3) AMD A10 7850K system with integrated graphics with 2400 RAM

I am currently playing SWTOR and I would like to play Shadow of Mordor, Dragon Age Inquisition and just about everything else in the coming year or so without major issues. All three systems that I listed are in my price range. Future upgrades are possible but we just had a baby so probably not.

What power supply unit (PSU) do you have? Also what kind of motherboard do you have? If your budget is $600, (and your motherboard and PSU unit allow it) I would go with an i5-4690k ($220 amazon) and a GTX 970 (330-370 depending on brand). It would be overkill for 720p but you would be able to max out any game you throw at it.

Thinking about MAYBE rma-ing my gigabyte 970 due to very, very slight coil whine... but not if it's a huge hassle. Does it take a long time? And I assume it would since they are currently sold out everywhere, unless I get priority directly from gigabyte themselves or something? It's via Newegg.

I can live with the tiny bit of buzzing no problem if it's an ordeal to RMA something that's sold-out. I can't hear it at all unless my pc is ~1 foot away. Probably being too picky, and it decreased a lot already just by replacing my psu with a 650w modular corsair.

I think that's gonna take a lot of time. Can't seem to find Gigabyte 970/980 cards anywhere, and they sell out pretty fast (Newegg has had some, and they're gone in seconds). You should try to contact Newegg and see if they can give you priority. Ask them how long it would take to replace your card. I can almost bet the answer would be "as long as we have them in stock" but it doesn't hurt to ask.

 

[Rambotito]

What power supply unit (PSU) do you have? Also what kind of motherboard do you have?

Well the motherboard and the power supply will both be replaced, depending on which system I choose. My main concern is which configuration should I choose to get the best bang for the buck.

 

[kvk1]

Once this video card is in my hand, I will never, ever, ever ever do business with TigerDirect again.

The laziest, shadiest, and most inept website and personnel I've had to deal with.

Partially my fault for not researching the chorus of similar complaints regarding the clowns. I was just too excited to see they had the 980 "in stock" during the drought so I immediately jumped on it.

I'm sorry Amazon. I'm sorry Newegg. I will never stray from your e-commerce goodness ever again.

 

[opticalmace]

I'm doing a build for a close friend, they're a casual gamer but they wanted "a machine that can play Skyrim (and the eventually Fallout 4/Skyrim 2) at ultra settings 1080p/60fps with mods"

Their budget was around $1,200-$1,500. Using the OP I tried to get something around that but ended up spending almost $2,000 (which seems like a lot, because my gaming pc has always been very quality yet I never remember spending more than about $1,000 for 60fps on max settings outside of stuff like Crysis). Is this overkill?

i7 4790k @ 4ghz
Coolmaster Evo 220 heatsink
GIGABYTE GA-Z97X-UD5H
16gb ram
Gigabyte GTX 970 4GB
512 SSD
1 TB WD blue
750W Power Supply
Case
Dvd drive

This ended up being $1,702 after tax & shipping.


Then Windows 8 Student ($70), Good headphone ($99), Decent Monitor ($~150-$200), KB+Mouse (~$60), Xbox controller ($50)

is gonna end up pushing it to about $2,200 build after tax/shipping. Considering they wanted something for Skyrim maxed w/some graphical mods and wanted around $1,500 price. Is this just way too overkill and I should sub some stuff down? Not sure where to skimp on to sub down on.

Actually thinking about maybe just building this one for myself to replace my 5 year old build which is still pretty much doing fine and then selling my old build to them for like $500. I dunno. Maybe I should downgrade this build some.

Hard to say without knowing what some of the components are and their prices. I assume it before tax was $1500? I think a single 970 is kind of weak for that amount of money. Would you mind doing a pcpartpicker list?

 

[Kevyt]

Well the motherboard and the power supply will both be replaced, depending on which system I choose. My main concern is which configuration should I choose to get the best bang for the buck.

Hmm... so it's like starting from scratch. I'm assuming you're reusing the Hard Drive, memory, and media bays (DVD-CD, blu-ray etc..). Or are you building an entire new PC (Case, memory, HDD, Motherboard, Operating System, GPU, CPU, Aftermarket cooler? Is your memory DDR3 at 1600 mhz or higher?

 

[ekgrey]

I'm doing a build for a close friend, they're a casual gamer but they wanted "a machine that can play Skyrim (and the eventually Fallout 4/Skyrim 2) at ultra settings 1080p/60fps with mods"

Their budget was around $1,200-$1,500. Using the OP I tried to get something around that but ended up spending almost $2,000 (which seems like a lot, because my gaming pc has always been very quality yet I never remember spending more than about $1,000 for 60fps on max settings outside of stuff like Crysis). Is this overkill?

i7 4790k @ 4ghz
Coolmaster Evo 220 heatsink
GIGABYTE GA-Z97X-UD5H
16gb ram
Gigabyte GTX 970 4GB
512 SSD
1 TB WD blue
750W Power Supply
Case
Dvd drive

This ended up being $1,702 after tax & shipping.


Then Windows 8 Student ($70), Good headphone ($99), Decent Monitor ($~150-$200), KB+Mouse (~$60), Xbox controller ($50)

is gonna end up pushing it to about $2,200 build after tax/shipping. Considering they wanted something for Skyrim maxed w/some graphical mods and wanted around $1,500 price. Is this just way too overkill and I should sub some stuff down? Not sure where to skimp on to sub down on.

Actually thinking about maybe just building this one for myself to replace my 5 year old build which is still pretty much doing fine and then selling my old build to them for like $500. I dunno. Maybe I should downgrade this build some.

haha massive overkill in almost every component for what your friend wants.

fill out bullet points from OP but quick and dirty:
-go i5 instead of i7
-giant SSD is nice but i'd cut back to 256 or even 128GB
-just get CM 212 cooler
-lower wattage PSU will be fine as long as it's quality
-drop the DVD drive
-Xbox controllers should not be $50 these days
-if you/your friend know anyone at school (and i assume they do if you're looking at Win8 Student), you can probably get Windows much cheaper. i got 8.1 Pro from a friend who works for a university for $15.

 

[Bebpo]

Hard to say without knowing what some of the components are and their prices. I assume it before tax was $1500? I think a single 970 is kind of weak for that amount of money. Would you mind doing a pcpartpicker list?

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/v9LnNG

Yep, ~$1,500 and then about $1,700+ after tax & shipping, then another $300-400 bucks for OS, Monitor, headphone & kb/mouse/controllers.

 

[ekgrey]

oh and 8GB RAM is fine for gaming.

 

[Rambotito]

Hmm... so it's like starting from scratch. I'm assuming you're reusing the Hard Drive, memory, and media bays (DVD-CD, blu-ray etc..). Or are you building an entire new PC (Case, memory, HDD, Motherboard, Operating System, GPU, CPU, Aftermarket cooler? Is your memory DDR3 at 1600 mhz or higher?

Ok sorry, let me clarify.

Everything from scratch. I will not have to pay for the OS (my job will install it for free). However, every component will be replaced (case, memory, HDD, mobo, GPU (if needed), CPU, no cooler) etc. I will be buying new memory...either 1600 mhz for the intel build or 2400 mhz for the AMD.

My basic question is : which one of those configurations will allow me to play games at 720p at good settings for the next wave? Or, in essence, which will give me the best value for the price? Should I keep the GTX 560 and get the I5? or... get the I3 and pair it with the gtx 750ti....or...just go with the AMD solution?

 

[kharma45]

So this morning my Radeon HD 7870 Myst edition starting ramping up full force when I play games. The fan kicked all the way up to 100% for no reason and now makes a quiet, constant ticking sounds when idle. When games are being played, or any load is put on the card, the fan ramps up to about 50% but it sounds like a weedwacker.

So I guess I am in the market for a new card. I need something similar or maybe even better but my budget is ~$150. I've been with AMD for a while now but I always end up having problems with their cards. So i was thinking of possibly switching over to an nVidia this time around.

Any suggestions?

Try an RMA first, you'd still be under warranty I'd imagine. Then when you get it back if you still don't want it you can sell a fully working card.

For ~$150 you're not going to get anything as powerful as your 7870 Myst. To get a card from Nvidia that'd be around it's level you're looking $180 for a 760.

So if it were me I'd RMA and then sell your card for say $100-130 and put that towards your budget if you want rid.

 

[Bebpo]

haha massive overkill in almost every component for what your friend wants.

fill out bullet points from OP but quick and dirty:
-go i5 instead of i7
-giant SSD is nice but i'd cut back to 256 or even 128GB
-just get CM 212 cooler
-lower wattage PSU will be fine as long as it's quality
-drop the DVD drive
-Xbox controllers should not be $50 these days
-if you/your friend know anyone at school (and i assume they do if you're looking at Win8 Student), you can probably get Windows much cheaper. i got 8.1 Pro from a friend who works for a university for $15.

Hmmm, thanks. Don't you need a dvd drive to even install the OS though? Been like 5 years since I built a computer, so don't know if this has changed.

Hard to say without knowing what some of the components are and their prices. I assume it before tax was $1500? I think a single 970 is kind of weak for that amount of money. Would you mind doing a pcpartpicker list?

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/v9LnNG

Yep, ~$1,500 and then about $1,700+ after tax & shipping, then another $300-400 bucks for OS, Monitor, headphone & kb/mouse/controllers.

So let's switch this around. Say I was in a rush and dumb and already bought some of the parts and am committed partially outside of the GPU to this build. If I decide to keep this build for myself as a new computer for the next 4-5 years and get them something more reasonable (i5, 500V power, 8gb ram, 128 SSD, etc)...should I go for a 980 over a 970 considering everything else in the rig? Or should I stick with the 970 for a couple of years, then sell it and get another $350 card? I will never game over 1080p myself (since I play on a tv-out to a 1080p tv), but I do like 60fps and I do like running things maxed with like 4x AA.

 

[FunkyMunkey]

I think that's gonna take a lot of time. Can't seem to find Gigabyte 970/980 cards anywhere, and they sell out pretty fast (Newegg has had some, and they're gone in seconds). You should try to contact Newegg and see if they can give you priority. Ask them how long it would take to replace your card. I can almost bet the answer would be "as long as we have them in stock" but it doesn't hurt to ask.

Thanks, that's what I figured. I'll hit up Newegg but I'll probably just end up dealing with it haha.

Hmmm, thanks. Don't you need a dvd drive to even install the OS though? Been like 5 years since I built a computer, so don't know if this has changed.

You can create a bootable usb very easily and install from that.

 

[Booshka]

Hmmm, thanks. Don't you need a dvd drive to even install the OS though? Been like 5 years since I built a computer, so don't know if this has changed.



http://pcpartpicker.com/p/v9LnNG

Yep, ~$1,500 and then about $1,700+ after tax & shipping, then another $300-400 bucks for OS, Monitor, headphone & kb/mouse/controllers.

So let's switch this around. Say I was in a rush and dumb and already bought some of the parts and am committed partially outside of the GPU to this build. If I decide to keep this build for myself as a new computer for the next 4-5 years and get them something more reasonable (i5, 500V power, 8gb ram, 128 SSD, etc)...should I go for a 980 over a 970 considering everything else in the rig? Or should I stick with the 970 for a couple of years, then sell it and get another $350 card? I will never game over 1080p myself (since I play on a tv-out to a 1080p tv), but I do like 60fps and I do like running things maxed.

970 is def where you wanna go on a budget build that still has some serious horsepower. CPU is prolly gonna bottleneck most games for years because of how weak Xbone and PS4 CPU's are, and that shit will affect PC ports. There are some PC focused games that will need CPU horsepower regardless of what consoles are doing, but the 970 is excellent for the price and will just cruise through most games for the next couple years most likely.

If you are building a video editing/rendering multi media machine, then ya, you should probably get a beast CPU, but the 970 GPU is still worth getting because of the power/price ratio it offers. And it will probably be very valuable on the used market in the future.

 

[Ronabo]

EVGA 04G-2975-KR GeForce GTX 970 SSC 4GB 256-Bit GDDR5 ACX 2.0 PCI Express 3.0 In stock now at NewEgg

Gone now.

 

[Bebpo]

970 is def where you wanna go on a budget build that still has some serious horsepower. CPU is prolly gonna bottleneck most games for years because of how weak Xbone and PS4 CPU's are, and that shit will affect PC ports. There are some PC focused games that will need CPU horsepower regardless of what consoles are doing, but the 970 is excellent for the price and will just cruise through most games for the next couple years most likely.

If you are building a video editing/rendering multi media machine, then ya, you should probably get a beast CPU, but the 970 GPU is still worth getting because of the power/price ratio it offers. And it will probably be very valuable on the used market in the future.

Right now I'm running a GTX 580 (and have been for the last 3-4 years now), would it make more sense to pick up another GTX 580 used for $150 and SLI them or spend $350 for a GTX 970?

I've never done SLI before, but this might be the first time it makes sense for me to try if the framerates will be close to a 970 for $200 less.

 

[Kevyt]

Ok sorry, let me clarify.

Everything from scratch. I will not have to pay for the OS (my job will install it for free). However, every component will be replaced (case, memory, HDD, mobo, GPU (if needed), CPU, no cooler) etc. I will be buying new memory...either 1600 mhz for the intel build or 2400 mhz for the AMD.

My basic question is : which one of those configurations will allow me to play games at 720p at good settings for the next wave? Or, in essence, which will give me the best value for the price? Should I keep the GTX 560 and get the I5? or... get the I3 and pair it with the gtx 750ti....or...just go with the AMD solution?

The i3 and the 750 Ti would be the best way to go, in my opinion. If you plan to play Shadow of Mordor, Dragon Age inquisition at 720p.

But may I suggest this list instead (if your budget is around 600)? link: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/ZqMgCJ

- Intel Core i3-4150
- ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
- Corsair Vengeance LP 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
- Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
- Asus Radeon R9 270X 2GB DirectCU II Video Card
- Rosewill BlackHawk ATX Mid Tower Case
- Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply

The total price is $640 with $578 after promotions and mail and rebate.

What I like about this, is the ability to upgrade if you (if you decide later on). You'll be fine with the i3-4150 and the stock cooler that comes with it. I actually own the Blackhawk ATX Mid Tower case and it provides great airflow, comes with USB 3.0 ports, and allows large cards (up to 13") to fit. The Asus 270x is great for 1080p performance, and since you'll be gaming at 720p, you won't have any problem maxing out most games. It also provides better performance than the 750 Ti, or the AMD APU solution. A 1TB HDD should be enough for OS and games. For the PSU, I like to go just a little bit more than the recommended wattage for the GPU (a 500 Watt PSU is recommended). Giving you more headroom for overclocking. I did not add an optical drive for this list, but it would add about $30 dollars more. To be honest for the price between the GTX 750 Ti and Asus R9 270x, I like the 270x better. More performance, for about the same price. You could also save more by buying a cheaper case, but I really like the fact that the Blackhawk ultra can fit larger cards and has USB 3.0 ports.

 

[Booshka]

Right now I'm running a GTX 580 (and have been for the last 3-4 years now), would it make more sense to pick up another GTX 580 used for $150 and SLI them or spend $350 for a GTX 970?

I've never done SLI before, but this might be the first time it makes sense for me to try if the framerates will be close to a 970 for $200 less.

Buy a 970 imo, the yields on performance for SLI have never really been worth it imo. 970 is a more efficient card on power and performance and will most likely be updated far more heavily than your very specific SLI config of dual 580's.

 

[pastrami]

How much better will the i5-4690k be than my Q9400? My PC is starting to have problems, and given that it's almost 6 years old, I think it's time for an upgrade. But part of me wants to wait to see what Skylake brings. I mainly play lower requirement games like League of Legends and Counterstrike: GO so there's no immediacy, but if it's a sufficiently large jump I'll go ahead and do a new build.

 

[Kieli]

Out of curiosity, but do scalpers even bother with video cards?

I'd imagine the people in this market are more price-conscious than most.

I can't imagine sales being so high for, say, the GTX 970 at $450 when it defeats the entire purpose of why people are buying it.