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[pa22word]

Building this for my dad. Throwing in 8GBs of DDR3, a 22xDVD drive, my old 5870 (upgraded to a 780 last year), and a HDD off my current rig because I'm upgrading (HDD > SDD, DVD > BRD, DDR3 > ...maybe DDR4 if I'm feeling frisky). Thoughts, gaf? Also, he's not doing anything intense with this rig. No OC'ing or heavy gaming, just work stuffs and light gaming on the side when he has the time (civ, total war, etc).

 

[IAmRandom31]

Building this for my dad. Throwing in 8GBs of DDR3, a 22xDVD drive, my old 5870 (upgraded to a 780 last year), and a HDD off my current rig because I'm upgrading (HDD > SDD, DVD > BRD, DDR3 > ...maybe DDR4 if I'm feeling frisky). Thoughts, gaf? Also, he's not doing anything intense with this rig. No OC'ing or heavy gaming, just work stuffs and light gaming on the side when he has the time (civ, total war, etc).

For his use I'd say it is overkill

But yeh, he will be just fine with that setup for light gaming.

Could easily go with a 400w PSU. Get an I3 processor.

Use the extra money for a 64GB SSD to put the OS layer on for insta-bootup. That convenience will do wonders to someones attitude toward a system. Also, get a Gigabyte motherboard that has Quick Boot along with the SSD. You'll have bootup times around 2-5 seconds with the OS layer on SSD with quick boot enabled. I get 20 second boots even with a HDD.

 

[pa22word]

For his use I'd say it is overkill

But yeh, he will be just fine with that setup for light gaming

I want to build him a good base with the CPU that way he can just continually upgrade it as needed when he needs to. If he gets heavy into gaming? Sweet, throw a better GPU in there. He gets into video editing on a higher level? Sweet, throw more ram at it, etc.

Yeah, it may be a little overkill, but I the parts I'm recycling wouldn't go to any better usage than earning me a bit of side swag for upgrading, and I'd much rather put it in my dad's than jump my own rig up even more than is needed.

Could easily go with a 400w PSU. Get an I3 processor.

Use the extra money for a 64GB SSD to put the OS layer on for insta-bootup. That convenience will do wonders to someones attitude toward a system. Also, get a Gigabyte motherboard that has Quick Boot along with the SSD. You'll have bootup times around 2-5 seconds with the OS layer on SSD with quick boot enabled. I get 20 second boots even with a HDD.

Hmm, never thought about jumping to SDD...will think about it for sure. Also, jumping to an i3, should I go with haswell and it's mobo chipset over ivy bridge? Or is the performance between the ivy and haswell i3s negligible?

 

[IAmRandom31]

I want to build him a good base with the CPU that way he can just continually upgrade it as needed when he needs to. If he gets heavy into gaming? Sweet, throw a better GPU in there. He gets into video editing on a higher level? Sweet, throw more ram at it, etc.

Yeah, it may be a little overkill, but I the parts I'm recycling wouldn't go to any better usage than earning me a bit of side swag for upgrading, and I'd much rather put it in my dad's than jump my own rig up even more than is needed.

Ah ok, yeah I mean if you think he will get into heavy gaming and want newer games then yeh the more the merrier.

Hmm, never thought about jumping to SDD...will think about it for sure. Also, jumping to an i3, should I go with haswell and it's mobo chipset over ivy bridge? Or is the performance between the ivy and haswell i3s negligible?

SSD's are quickly dropping in price now, so its a good thing to think about. At the very least, get your Windows OS layer on SSD if you can. Those boots are so damn fast man its glorious. work buddy of mine has 2 64 GB SSD's raided for his dual boot OS layer and my god. Hit power, boom you are in, like 3 seconds. So good.

Don't have much experience with Ivy vs. Haswell but I doubt the difference is THAT big ya know.

 

[OrlanisWorks]

Afraid I'm back. Research and budget examining lead me to pretty much start all over several times.

Spoiler

Much apologies to those whose time I may have wasted previously in this thread.

On a budget build, I simply need a GPU, Motherboard, CPU, and RAM. Budget is pretty damn tight and I honestly would rather try not to go higher than this. Still, feel free to point out where there might be bottle-necking or maybe better hardware for a similar price. This is what I put together so far:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/zqK7yc
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/zqK7yc/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($74.98 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($129.95 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($164.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $459.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-08 15:00 EST-0500

They will be replacing my current parts:

CPU: Intel Quad-core Q6600 @ 2.4GHz
Motherboard: I have no idea, but fairly old
Memory: 4GB DDR2 (I believe it's DDR2)
Video card: Nvidia GTX 460 SE

For gaming (GTA V, Star Citizen, ArmA 3), audio production, and Adobe Photoshop.

 

[Matty8787]

Why is the smallest yet best looking case which fits a full size mobo and an 11" GPU?

 

[pa22word]

Ah ok, yeah I mean if you think he will get into heavy gaming and want newer games then yeh the more the merrier.



SSD's are quickly dropping in price now, so its a good thing to think about. At the very least, get your Windows OS layer on SSD if you can. Those boots are so damn fast man its glorious. work buddy of mine has 2 64 GB SSD's raided for his dual boot OS layer and my god. Hit power, boom you are in, like 3 seconds. So good.

Don't have much experience with Ivy vs. Haswell but I doubt the difference is THAT big ya know.

Hm, he def will enjoy those boot times over anything else...

You know a good quickboot mobo with ivy or haswell chipsets I can look at? Is setting up an SSD as scary as people used to make it out to be? I really wanted to experiment with one myself before I used one in a PC I'm buying for someone else, but man, that sounds like something he'd shit his pants over when he did it the first time!

Also, is a 64GB drive okay for win 8.1? I know OS sizes are getting kind of big nowadays, and I don't want to undershoot on it.

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

Hm, he def will enjoy those boot times over anything else...

You know a good quickboot mobo with ivy or haswell chipsets I can look at? Is setting up an SSD as scary as people used to make it out to be? I really wanted to experiment with one myself before I used one in a PC I'm buying for someone else, but man, that sounds like something he'd shit his pants over when he did it the first time!

Also, is a 64GB drive okay for win 8.1? I know OS sizes are getting kind of big nowadays, and I don't want to undershoot on it.

64 GB is fine. As long as you don't put too much stuff on it. Keep OS and vital software on it only.

 

[The Llama]

Why is the smallest yet best looking case which fits a full size mobo and an 11" GPU?

Best looking is completely subjective, so it'd be impossible to say.

Spoiler

I hate the boring black box cases which seem to get recommended a lot ITT.

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

Why is the smallest yet best looking case which fits a full size mobo and an 11" GPU?

Of course looks are up to everyone individually, but this one is pretty as hell imo. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147202

 

[IAmRandom31]

Hm, he def will enjoy those boot times over anything else...

You know a good quickboot mobo with ivy or haswell chipsets I can look at? Is setting up an SSD as scary as people used to make it out to be? I really wanted to experiment with one myself before I used one in a PC I'm buying for someone else, but man, that sounds like something he'd shit his pants over when he did it the first time!

Also, is a 64GB drive okay for win 8.1? I know OS sizes are getting kind of big nowadays, and I don't want to undershoot on it.

Yeh 64GB is fine. Not sure of the exact size of 8.1 but I highly doubt it is 64GB or close to it. Ideally, you would have like a 128GB SSD to put the OS layer on, along with any ... essential always going to use software that will boot with the OS outside of things that will automatically come with 8.1 anyway. But at the very least, get the OS on the SSD for those max boot times. I would call 64GB the bare minimum, anything higher and then you can put things like Photoshop or whatever on the SSD as well for max boot times. But, as with all things, he could easily add more SSD's later once able. And the transition over will be much smoother since your OS is on one SSD and any others you know will be for software. I find it convenient to have an OS on its own HDD/SSD to avoid any confusion later on with transferring files or upgrading or whatever.

I believe all Gigabyte mobo's these days have software included called Smart 6. That is where you will find the Quick Boost, Quick Boot, etc. They will generally advertise it on the box or on newegg or whatever. But generally, any gigabyte made the past 4 years or so should have that included. I would think so anyway ...

 

[vocab]

Bought an Asrock extreme 6 and a 4970k. Hopefully I'm not disappointment by the mobo. The price was there, lets just hope it works lol. It was the only mobo with the least amount of complaints, but Asrocks mixed rep worries me. I used an asrock for an SB build for a friend, and it worked really well. Tell me everything will be fine.

How long should i still rock a 670ftw before I upgrade it?

 

[texhnolyze]

So, I bought an HD 7870 OC version today. Can my 450W PSU handle it? Or should I buy a more powerful one?
Anyway, my processor is Phenom II x4 955 BE.

 

[Sectorseven]

Why is the smallest yet best looking case which fits a full size mobo and an 11" GPU?

Not the smallest, but I really dig the NZXT S340.

 

[ekgrey]

Best looking is completely subjective, so it'd be impossible to say.

Spoiler

I hate the boring black box cases which seem to get recommended a lot ITT.

what's your case? just curious.

 

[appaws]

Afraid I'm back. Research and budget examining lead me to pretty much start all over several times.

Spoiler

Much apologies to those whose time I may have wasted previously in this thread.

On a budget build, I simply need a GPU, Motherboard, CPU, and RAM. Budget is pretty damn tight and I honestly would rather try not to go higher than this. Still, feel free to point out where there might be bottle-necking or maybe better hardware for a similar price. This is what I put together so far:



They will be replacing my current parts:



For gaming (GTA V, Star Citizen, ArmA 3), audio production, and Adobe Photoshop.

I would not go with AMD. You are better off going with a Pentium Anniversary/Z97 motherboard combo....

This will outperform the 6300 easily....and also give you a nice upgrade path to a Broadwell i5 or i7 in the future.

That RAM and GPU are good.

 

[yatesl]

I'm looking to get a 4TB hard drive for my TV and movies collection. I currently have a 128GB SSD, and 3TB drive for documents/games/etc and movies, and a 2TB that's currently full of TV shows. I only have 91GB left on the TV hard drive.

Can anyone recommend a good, cheapish 4TB hard drive in the UK? They all seem to be at least £100.

 

[ekgrey]

i don't think you're gonna do much better than that without a sale.

 

[Iacobellis]

Did I make a mistake by buying a Rosewill PSU? I was trying to keep my build under $1000 and having an i7 and SSD were absolutely necessary for me going forward.

 

[The Llama]

what's your case? just curious.

http://www.nzxt.com/product/detail/125-phantom-630-window-edition.html

That in gunmetal grey. My previous 2 builds I used a Cooler Master Centurion 5, then an Antec 900.

 

[Damerman]

Did I make a mistake by buying a Rosewill PSU? I was trying to keep my build under $1000 and having an i7 and SSD were absolutely necessary for me going forward.

i had a roswill PSU, i switched it out as soon as i had the cash. but thats just me believing that corsair is a better brand

 

[jfoul]

Did I make a mistake by buying a Rosewill PSU? I was trying to keep my build under $1000 and having an i7 and SSD were absolutely necessary for me going forward.

Which Rosewill PSU did you buy? Hive is made by Sirtech and a good unit. Capstone is made by Super Flower which is up there with Seasonic.

 

[Matty8787]

Of course looks are up to everyone individually, but this one is pretty as hell imo. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147202

That is nice. And I know looks are subjective I was hoping for a few people to show the best in their opinion.

Thanks.

 

[roytheone]

So I am planning to build my very first PC early next year (march). However, my 4 GB of ram in my current PC is making some games unplayable. Do you guys think that it is worth it to spend 30 euro on an extra 4 GB for the five months I still have to use my current PC? I also think that adding the extra ram would be a relatively risk free and cheap way to practice installing components.

 

[The Llama]

So I am planning to build my very first PC early next year (march). However, my 4 GB of ram in my current PC is making some games unplayable. Do you guys think that it is worth it to spend 30 euro on an extra 4 GB for the five months I still have to use my current PC? I also think that adding the extra ram would be a relatively risk free and cheap way to practice installing components.

If it's DDR3, sure, buy 4GB and then you can just transfer it over to your new build.

 

[Angel Abaddon]

I'm considering jumping on a 970 with the new Pick Your Path offer, looking at the MSI Twin Frozr as I know its decent as my brother has one. But holding back right now, as I'm not sure if I'm going to bottleneck myself with an OC'd 2500k (4.4) or if its going to be a worthwhile step-up from a 7950, AC Unity being my main focus atm. Any opinions?

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

I'm considering jumping on a 970 with the new Pick Your Path offer, looking at the MSI Twin Frozr as I know its decent as my brother has one. But holding back right now, as I'm not sure if I'm going to bottleneck myself with an OC'd 2500k (4.4) or if its going to be a worthwhile step-up from a 7950, AC Unity being my main focus atm. Any opinions?

You'll be fine. And expect a huge jump. Http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1033?vs=1355

 

[Angel Abaddon]

You'll be fine. And expect a huge jump. Http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1033?vs=1355

Cheers. And yeah, thought the 7950 was only a year old, turns out I actually bought it last July, and it was already out a few months by that point. I think my biggest concern is that it feels like the 2500k is getting on a bit and I'm not sure how the lack of threads actually plays into performance, I'm just a bit wary as last time I ran my C2D into the ground basically, to the point I was bottlenecking GPUs so don't want to end up pulling the same thing again.

 

[OrlanisWorks]

I would not go with AMD. You are better off going with a Pentium Anniversary/Z97 motherboard combo....

This will outperform the 6300 easily....and also give you a nice upgrade path to a Broadwell i5 or i7 in the future.

That RAM and GPU are good.

So, I did my best to put together something with your advice (I do prefer Intel, but I was thinking about the core # the whole time, pretty much).

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qp84Jx
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qp84Jx/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($64.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.78 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($129.95 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($164.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $449.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-08 19:15 EST-0500

And then in the future, I can pick up a Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (or something similrly fitting) simply for the quad core. And it sounds like it's easy to overclock CPUs (if the heat can be handled), so I'll do research into trying that with the dual core until I get a quad core.

 

[The Llama]

Cheers. And yeah, thought the 7950 was only a year old, turns out I actually bought it last July, and it was already out a few months by that point. I think my biggest concern is that it feels like the 2500k is getting on a bit and I'm not sure how the lack of threads actually plays into performance, I'm just a bit wary as last time I ran my C2D into the ground basically, to the point I was bottlenecking GPUs so don't want to end up pulling the same thing again.

There's been basically no innovation in CPU's since the 2500k came out, don't worry.

 

[X-Kalibur]

I've decided to go for Haz's excellent build:

- Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5 GHz Box
- Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI socket 1150
- Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 WindForce 3X OC 4GB DDR5
- Kingston HyperX Savage DDR3 1866PC3-14900 16GB 2x8GB CL9
- SSD Crucial MX100 256GB
- WD Caviar blue 1TB 3.5 SATA 3
- CM Hyper 212 EVO
- Seasonic EVO Edition M12II-520 520W
- Phanteks Enthoo Pro

Any recommendation? Is CL9 in RAM noticeable or can I save 20€ going for CL10?
Thanks!

 

[appaws]

So, I did my best to put together something with your advice (I do prefer Intel, but I was thinking about the core # the whole time, pretty much).



And then in the future, I can pick up a Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor (or something similrly fitting) simply for the quad core. And it sounds like it's easy to overclock CPUs (if the heat can be handled), so I'll do research into trying that with the dual core until I get a quad core.

Yes. The G3258 is easy to put a decent overclock on. Just use a good CPU cooler. It does not have to be super-expensive....something like the CM 212 Evo will do a good job. Those 2 overclocked Haswell cores are just much better than what is in the FX-6300. Number of cores is not always a good way to look at things....especially for gaming because so very few games are coded for using lots of cores. So the high IPC of a Haswell and the high clock are more important.

A good example (to be really technical) is the Clausewitz engine from Paradox. Very CPU bound games for sure....moving all those millions of units around....but entirely single-threaded....

Yeah, it also leaves you with a good upgrade path because a Z97 board will allow you to drop in a Broadwell i5 or i7 when they come out.

 

[knitoe]

I'm looking to get a 4TB hard drive for my TV and movies collection. I currently have a 128GB SSD, and 3TB drive for documents/games/etc and movies, and a 2TB that's currently full of TV shows. I only have 91GB left on the TV hard drive.

Can anyone recommend a good, cheapish 4TB hard drive in the UK? They all seem to be at least £100.

The cheapest way is to buy a external HDD, ripe it out, and then, put it into your case. They are just regular 3.5" drives. Just make sure to google and find out what HDD is inside. Avoid the WD Greens. Just last week, I got a external 4TB for $90 vs $150 for a regular internal HDD.

 

[Teggy]

So I decided to move from AMD to Intel. I picked up the following new stuff to change over my machine:

New case
Intel processor
Mobo
New RAM

I'll move over

Power supply
Video cards
Fan controller
Card reader
DVD drive
HDs

I have an SSD boot drive with Windows 7 OEM and a data HD.

What's going to be the best way to move over the boot drive? I think I need to wipe it completely because it has all the old mobo drivers on it, plus I think Windows will give me an issue because my OEM version has been installed on a different mobo. Is there a good way to back up parts of the drive (program files and documents?) and then restore it back?

Or is this a good time to just move to 8.1?

 

[RGM79]

So I decided to move from AMD to Intel. I picked up the following new stuff to change over my machine:

New case
Intel processor
Mobo
New RAM

I'll move over

Power supply
Video cards
Fan controller
Card reader
DVD drive
HDs

I have an SSD boot drive with Windows 7 OEM and a data HD.

What's going to be the best way to move over the boot drive? I think I need to wipe it completely because it has all the old mobo drivers on it, plus I think Windows will give me an issue because my OEM version has been installed on a different mobo. Is there a good way to back up parts of the drive (program files and documents?) and then restore it back?

Or is this a good time to just move to 8.1?

You don't have an external or secondary hard drive to back up stuff to? You can back up your documents, but because you're reinstalling Windows, it's best to reinstall programs rather than just copy them over to a new installation.

If you call Microsoft, you can just get them to reactivate Windows 7 for you on the new computer. Tell them you upgraded the hardware.

 

[pot]

Man, being stuck on a q8400 and DDR2 is terrible with all of these new games coming out. Unfortunately broke though so I am stuck with this for awhile.

 

[paolo11]

Hello. I want to build a strong Steam machine to hook up with my TV with wifi. My budget is $1500 or below and I want it to be upgraded in the future. The GPU must include Nvidia 980GTX. What's your recommendation?

 

[The Llama]

Hello. I want to build a strong Steam machine to hook up with my TV with wifi. My budget is $1500 or below and I want it to be upgraded in the future. The GPU must include Nvidia 980GTX. What's your recommendation?

Any particular reason it has to include a 980 GTX?

 

[jrush64]

I really need help on this, please. These are the only motherboards I can get right now because of where I am.


-Gigabyte GA-B85M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
-Asus B85M-E/CSM Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard

These are my original specs.

-Seagate Barracuda 2 TB HDD SATA 6 Gb/s NCQ 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive ST2000DM001

-Intel Core i5-4690K Processor 3.5 GHz LGA 1150 BX80646I54690K

-BitFenix No Power Supply MicroATX Tower Case BFC-PRM-300-WWXKW-RP (Bitfenix Prodigy M)

-Corsair CX Series 600 Watt ATX/EPS Modular 80 PLUS Bronze ATX12V/EPS12V 552 Power Supply CX600M

-Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan (RR-212E-20PK-R2)

-Kingston HyperX FURY 16GB Kit (2x8GB) 1600MHz DDR3 CL10 DIMM - Blue

Which do you guys think is the better pick for a motherboard?

 

[paolo11]

Any particular reason it has to include a 980 GTX?

I want a very strong Steam Machine. Also, upgraded to Titan Z next year when I have cash. I can go over budget a bit if case looks like a console. Please help.

 

[MetalDeer]

I really need help on this, please. These are the only motherboards I can get right now because of where I am.


-Gigabyte GA-B85M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
-Asus B85M-E/CSM Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard

These are my original specs.

-Seagate Barracuda 2 TB HDD SATA 6 Gb/s NCQ 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive ST2000DM001

-Intel Core i5-4690K Processor 3.5 GHz LGA 1150 BX80646I54690K

-BitFenix No Power Supply MicroATX Tower Case BFC-PRM-300-WWXKW-RP (Bitfenix Prodigy M)

-Corsair CX Series 600 Watt ATX/EPS Modular 80 PLUS Bronze ATX12V/EPS12V 552 Power Supply CX600M

-Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan (RR-212E-20PK-R2)

-Kingston HyperX FURY 16GB Kit (2x8GB) 1600MHz DDR3 CL10 DIMM - Blue

Which do you guys think is the better pick for a motherboard?

Entirely depends on if there's any specific features either of those motherboards have that you want. Either would be a good choice.

Personally, I would maybe consider getting the Asus for the fan control utility, since you may not be able to install a fan controller on that smaller case. (Unless it has one built in and I don't know about it.) Even then, it's a negligible trade-off if you get the Gigabyte mobo, since smaller case = less fans = less noise.

 

[Damerman]

I really need help on this, please. These are the only motherboards I can get right now because of where I am.


-Gigabyte GA-B85M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
-Asus B85M-E/CSM Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard

These are my original specs.

-Seagate Barracuda 2 TB HDD SATA 6 Gb/s NCQ 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive ST2000DM001

-Intel Core i5-4690K Processor 3.5 GHz LGA 1150 BX80646I54690K

-BitFenix No Power Supply MicroATX Tower Case BFC-PRM-300-WWXKW-RP (Bitfenix Prodigy M)

-Corsair CX Series 600 Watt ATX/EPS Modular 80 PLUS Bronze ATX12V/EPS12V 552 Power Supply CX600M

-Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan (RR-212E-20PK-R2)

-Kingston HyperX FURY 16GB Kit (2x8GB) 1600MHz DDR3 CL10 DIMM - Blue

Which do you guys think is the better pick for a motherboard?

they are both very similar... but i'd go with the gigabyte because of the stealth look. I've never owned gigabyte though, so i would not be able to tell you if it will crap out on you. I have a PC that has an Asus mother board and its been in service for 4 years now.

 

[Infinite Justice]

played some Battlefield 4 for the first time and it looked really good on by 7850 tbh (all on high 1080p, above 60 at times and high 50s usually acoording to fraps).

i was somewhat suprised

 

[appaws]

I really need help on this, please. These are the only motherboards I can get right now because of where I am.


-Gigabyte GA-B85M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
-Asus B85M-E/CSM Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard

These are my original specs.

-Seagate Barracuda 2 TB HDD SATA 6 Gb/s NCQ 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive ST2000DM001

-Intel Core i5-4690K Processor 3.5 GHz LGA 1150 BX80646I54690K

-BitFenix No Power Supply MicroATX Tower Case BFC-PRM-300-WWXKW-RP (Bitfenix Prodigy M)

-Corsair CX Series 600 Watt ATX/EPS Modular 80 PLUS Bronze ATX12V/EPS12V 552 Power Supply CX600M

-Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan (RR-212E-20PK-R2)

-Kingston HyperX FURY 16GB Kit (2x8GB) 1600MHz DDR3 CL10 DIMM - Blue

Which do you guys think is the better pick for a motherboard?

They are both good brands. Asus is generally regarded as having better software. Really either way is fine.

 

[appaws]

Hello. I want to build a strong Steam machine to hook up with my TV with wifi. My budget is $1500 or below and I want it to be upgraded in the future. The GPU must include Nvidia 980GTX. What's your recommendation?

Any particular reason it has to include a 980 GTX?

Why not get a 980 if he has a budget of $1500 bucks...? Although for play on a 1080p TV it does seem to be a bit much. I guess it will be good to have if he decides to go for something else down the road.

I would say the excellent build in the OP with a 980 instead of a 970 would be good.

But what do you mean by "steam machine?" Does that mean you are looking for a smaller form factor PC that you can stick in the living room or media center somewhere...?

 

[jrush64]

Alright thanx for the help.

 

[paolo11]

Why not get a 980 if he has a budget of $1500 bucks...? Although for play on a 1080p TV it does seem to be a bit much. I guess it will be good to have if he decides to go for something else down the road.

I would say the excellent build in the OP with a 980 instead of a 970 would be good.

But what do you mean by "steam machine?" Does that mean you are looking for a smaller form factor PC that you can stick in the living room or media center somewhere...?

Yes yes. Like a super console.

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

I want a very strong Steam Machine. Also, upgraded to Titan Z next year when I have cash. I can go over budget a bit if case looks like a console. Please help.

I don't think you should go for Titan Z at all, get another GTX 980 and SLI them.

edit: How big are you thinking the case should be?

 

[The Llama]

Why not get a 980 if he has a budget of $1500 bucks...? Although for play on a 1080p TV it does seem to be a bit much. I guess it will be good to have if he decides to go for something else down the road.

I would say the excellent build in the OP with a 980 instead of a 970 would be good.

But what do you mean by "steam machine?" Does that mean you are looking for a smaller form factor PC that you can stick in the living room or media center somewhere...?

Honestly, I just asked out of curiosity. Wasn't sure if he already owned it or what.

 

[paolo11]

I don't think you should go for Titan Z at all, get another GTX 980 and SLI them.

edit: How big are you thinking the case should be?

Like this:

http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Cases-...i-ITX-Case-Steam-Machine-Chassis/Internals-an