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[SugarDave]

Use the Q-flash utility to update the BIOS, page 79 in the manual. Should (hopefully) be as easy as selecting the update file and selecting yes.

Cheers, man. All done and it appears to have dropped my CPU voltage down to 1.2V approximately as well.

As for creating a partition on my HDD to make it usable, I don't see that option in disk management. All I see when I right-click on it is the option to convert it to either a dynamic or MBR disk, is it one of those I need to select?

 

[forrest]

As I've been looking into additional parts and such for an itx build and really leaning towards the Node 304, I just don't think my 750 watt PC Power and Cooling semi modular psu will work in it. It's long and has the round metal screw on connections for the modular cables and I'm guessing it going to cause clearance issues with the MSI GTX 970.

 

[nextgeneration]

So, out of the blue, I started noticing that my pc was very laggy (choppy animation during Windows startup, choppy/laggy youtube playback, unplayable frame rates in all games). So, after some troubleshooting, if I take the card out of the current pci-e slot and insert it into the other slot and boot up my pc, all my problems are gone.

Would it be safe to conclude my pci-e slot has gone bad? And if so, anyone know what may have caused it?

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

Cheers, man. All done and it appears to have dropped my CPU voltage down to 1.2V approximately as well.

As for creating a partition on my HDD to make it usable, I don't see that option in disk management. All I see when I right-click on it is the option to convert it to either a dynamic or MBR disk, is it one of those I need to select?

No, don't click on the area with the name. You can only create a new partition on unallocated space.

Right click on the red area as seen on the pic and choose "new simple volume".

 

[kharma45]

Sorry if this is a hijack, but I'm a junior and can't create new topics

I'm looking to get into PC gaming. It's been a long time (like Starcraft) since ive gamed on PC and am completely out of the loop.

I've got a budget of around $600 and absolutely no desire to build my own PC. any suggestions?

This isn't the answer you're looking for but it's the one I'm going to give Read the OP, watch some videos around building. It's honestly not scary and for a first timer set aside 2 hours or so, won't take much more than that. It's by far the best option. You've total control over the quality of your build, and you'll end up with a much better warranty situation too. Plus it's pretty fucking satisfying.

 

[Diablos]

Not sure if anyone saw my previous post:

I am in a bind. My GTX 660 is getting too hot even when doing desktop computing. It's about a step away from frying itself for good. I am not too happy because I wanted this to last me well into the middle of next year.

I want to know if my 6300 (at stock) will put a severe bottleneck on a GTX 970. If not, I can at least just get a new GPU, case and power supply this year and then perhaps later next year get a Haswell CPU and board.

 

[kharma45]

Not sure if anyone saw my previous post:

I am in a bind. My GTX 660 is getting too hot even when doing desktop computing. It's about a step away from frying itself for good. I am not too happy because I wanted this to last me well into the middle of next year.

I want to know if my 6300 (at stock) will put a severe bottleneck on a GTX 970. If not, I can at least just get a new GPU, case and power supply this year and then perhaps later next year get a Haswell CPU and board.

Why not RMA your 660?

Bottlenecks vary from game to game. In CPU heavy ones your 6300 will, in others it won't.

Next year Haswell will be old news. We'll have Broadwell-K CPUs.

 

[Nachtmaer]

Not sure if anyone saw my previous post:

I am in a bind. My GTX 660 is getting too hot even when doing desktop computing. It's about a step away from frying itself for good. I am not too happy because I wanted this to last me well into the middle of next year.

I want to know if my 6300 (at stock) will put a severe bottleneck on a GTX 970. If not, I can at least just get a new GPU, case and power supply this year and then perhaps later next year get a Haswell CPU and board.

Hotter than it used to be? It sounds like you need to blow out the dust if you haven't already. It's also possible that the thermal paste has gone bad and could use a replacement.

Also Broadwell should be around by the time you plan on upgrading the CPU (not sure about the K models though).

 

[Diablos]

Why not RMA your 660?

I applied new paste (AS5), voiding the warranty. It's either bad fans or something with the card's VRM. It is definitely not the thermal paste.

Bottlenecks vary from game to game. In CPU heavy ones your 6300 will, in others it won't.

Next year Haswell will be old news. We'll have Broadwell-K CPUs.

Okay. Well to me it's worth taking the performance hit now from the CPU and waiting until either a. Haswell's drop in price or b. Broadwell releases. To me it's kind of worth only half-upgrading now. I just don't want a severe bottleneck in most games. I'm sure stuff like The Evil Within will be bottlenecked for sure; that said a 970 is still going to give me better performance than my 660...

Hotter than it used to be? It sounds like you need to blow out the dust if you haven't already. It's also possible that the thermal paste has gone bad and could use a replacement.

Also Broadwell should be around by the time you plan on upgrading the CPU (not sure about the K models though).

I have tried replacing the thermal paste with AS5. Temp drop was marginal at best. Maybe takes a few extra seconds to reach 100C. Big deal. Yeah, that's correct -- with no bell curve applied my GPU will hit 100C in games within a couple minutes.

 

[kharma45]

I applied new paste (AS5), voiding the warranty. It's either bad fans or something with the card's VRM. It is definitely not the thermal paste.

I know, hindsight and all that, but why didn't you try an RMA request first?

Okay. Well to me it's worth taking the performance hit now from the CPU and waiting until either a. Haswell's drop in price or b. Broadwell releases. To me it's kind of worth only half-upgrading now. I just don't want a severe bottleneck in most games. I'm sure stuff like The Evil Within will be bottlenecked for sure; that said a 970 is still going to give me better performance than my 660...

Intel CPUs don't drop in price, so don't expect to get a cheap Haswell chip unless you go used.

A 970 would be a considerable upgrade.

 

[chunk3rvd]

Onboard GPU. All Intel CPUs have onboard GPUs, and the motherboards all support output via your normal video connections like DVI/HDMI/VGA/DisplayPort.

What does 2-300£ include?

£200-300 (guessing closer to £300) would be case, motherboard, PSU, CPU and memory with the idea being that I could upgrade the CPU, GPU and memory at a later date to something more modern. Just after enough now for a simple media streaming unit and if it can play simple indie games (eg - Rogue Legacy, Hotline Miami) then that would be a bonus but isn't necessary. I have plenty of HDD's laying round so I'm sure I could use one of them for now until I can afford something better. I understand my wishes might be unrealistic but just trying to see if I could put something basic together with Christmas presents off the family and stuff

 

[Diablos]

I know, hindsight and all that, but why didn't you try an RMA request first?

Because I thought it had to be the thermal paste. Clearly the heatsink fan isn't moving air like it should or there's a VRM problem.

Intel CPUs don't drop in price, so don't expect to get a cheap Haswell chip unless you go used.

I might do that. I don't understand why older Intel CPU's don't drop in price, btw, especially if there are newer models on the horizon.

A 970 would be a considerable upgrade.

I'd say significant, no? Once I have a Haswell or equivalent CPU next year I am pretty sure it will be able to handle everything at high/ultra (1080p).

 

[Vans]

Hey everyone.

I'm thinking of upgrading my GPU to something more recent, but I'm unsure what's best for me right now.

These are my current specs:

i7-4770k 3.5 GHz
12 GB DDR3
NVIDIA GTX 560.

My mobo is a GA-Z87X-D3H.

So far is the GTX970 the best bang for the buck? I'd like something nice without breaking the bank.

I should also mention I live in Mexico, but I'm not entirely sure if my current way of acquiring parts (downtown Mexico City) is the best one available. Any advice for this would also be greatly appreciated.

 

[kharma45]

I might do that. I don't understand why older Intel CPU's don't drop in price, btw, especially if there are newer models on the horizon

Because then people would just buy the older, cheaper model rather than the new one.

Hey everyone.

I'm thinking of upgrading my GPU to something more recent, but I'm unsure what's best for me right now.

These are my current specs:

i7-4770k 3.5 GHz
12 GB DDR3
NVIDIA GTX 560.

My mobo is a GA-Z87X-D3H.

So far is the GTX970 the best bang for the buck? I'd like something nice without breaking the bank.

I should also mention I live in Mexico, but I'm not entirely sure if my current way of acquiring parts (downtown Mexico City) is the best one available. Any advice for this would also be greatly appreciated.

970 is a great sweetspot if you ca afford it.

Overclock your cpu too.

 

[Diablos]

Because then people would just buy the older, cheaper model rather than the new one.

Not necessarily. They might just get an AMD instead, or won't mind paying extra for the newer, better model...

Still curious as to what the verdict is on the 970 when paired with a proper CPU for 1080p gaming over the next few years.

 

[Nachtmaer]

Because I thought it had to be the thermal paste. Clearly the heatsink fan isn't moving air like it should or there's a VRM problem.


I might do that. I don't understand why older Intel CPU's don't drop in price, btw, especially if there are newer models on the horizon.


I'd say significant, no? Once I have a Haswell or equivalent CPU next year I am pretty sure it will be able to handle everything at high/ultra (1080p).

Yikes. Like you said, you won't be able to get everything out of a 970, but it'd still be a decent upgrade anyway. Might as well go for it now instead of waiting until that 660 really fries itself.

Btw, some companies don't care if you take off the cooler when it comes to warranty (like MSI). RMAs can be a real pain in ass though.

 

[Diablos]

Yikes. Like you said, you won't be able to get everything out of a 970, but it'd still be a decent upgrade anyway. Might as well go for it now instead of waiting until that 660 really fries itself.

Btw, some companies don't care if you take off the cooler when it comes to warranty (like MSI). RMAs can be a real pain in ass though.

MSI made it pretty clear you can't remove the HSF or the warranty is void...

 

[kharma45]

Not necessarily. They might just get an AMD instead, or won't mind paying extra for the newer, better model...

Still curious as to what the verdict is on the 970 when paired with the proper CPU for 1080p gaming over the next few years.

Well that's the thinking behind it and why Intel doesn't discount their stuff. If there was a sizeable gap between new and old in price people would gravitate generally to the cheaper model since cpu progress has slowed so much on the desktop side. AMD aren't competition any more either.

970 should be good for 2-3 years at 1080p. You'll have to drop some settings over time but it's a good gpu.

Can't say much more than that really. Anything else is just guessing.

 

[SugarDave]

Got all the updates and drivers set up and it's just a case of downloading programs now before I can get gaming. Thanks for all the help along the way, guys!

The mouse movement in 120Hz... good lord.

 

[Nachtmaer]

MSI made it pretty clear you can't remove the HSF or the warranty is void...

Really? Last time I was reading a thread about it, someone mentioned that MSI was okay with it as long as the card came back intact with the original BIOS. Then again, this was a few months ago or I could be mistaken.

And I'm with kharma45, a 970 should be able to last at least a few years for 1080p.

 

[Anno]

Trying to put some pep into my old computer. Here are my current specs (bad):

AMD Radeon HD 5700
Intel i7 870 @ 2.93ghz
8gb RAM
An alright SSD

Replacing my GPU seems like the only option without just rebuilding a new computer. I'm no dissatisfied with the current setup because I don't play games that are too graphically intensive, but I'd like something a little better unless you just think my CPU is holding back everything.

 

[Diablos]

Really? Last time I was reading a thread about it, someone mentioned that MSI was okay with it as long as the card came back intact with the original BIOS. Then again, this was a few months ago or I could be mistaken.

And I'm with kharma45, a 970 should be able to last at least a few years for 1080p.

Whoa. Looking at their RMA website it does look like they stopped being strict. This was not the case a few months ago. THANK YOU for bringing this to my attention.

And I'm with kharma45, a 970 should be able to last at least a few years for 1080p.

Has to be better than PS4 and XBone, lol.

 

[Frankfurter]

Trying to put some pep into my old computer. Here are my current specs (bad):

AMD Radeon HD 5700
Intel i7 870 @ 2.93ghz
8gb RAM
An alright SSD

Replacing my GPU seems like the only option without just rebuilding a new computer. I'm no dissatisfied with the current setup because I don't play games that are too graphically intensive, but I'd like something a little better unless you just think my CPU is holding back everything.

I'd say you could just buy a current GPU in the $150-200 and continue using that system for probably another 1.5-2 years. Your CPU is pretty old by now, but it should still work for most (maybe even all) of the games that are out there.
Personally I'd look into either a Radeon R9 280 or 280X, as they imo offer some pretty good value in that price segment (you might wanna tell us what PSU you have, though, as that GPU is gonna draw significantly more power than the HD5700).

 

[kharma45]

Trying to put some pep into my old computer. Here are my current specs (bad):

AMD Radeon HD 5700
Intel i7 870 @ 2.93ghz
8gb RAM
An alright SSD

Replacing my GPU seems like the only option without just rebuilding a new computer. I'm no dissatisfied with the current setup because I don't play games that are too graphically intensive, but I'd like something a little better unless you just think my CPU is holding back everything.

OC that cpu and bung in a new graphics card and you'll be sweet.

 

[LilJoka]

£200-300 (guessing closer to £300) would be case, motherboard, PSU, CPU and memory with the idea being that I could upgrade the CPU, GPU and memory at a later date to something more modern. Just after enough now for a simple media streaming unit and if it can play simple indie games (eg - Rogue Legacy, Hotline Miami) then that would be a bonus but isn't necessary. I have plenty of HDD's laying round so I'm sure I could use one of them for now until I can afford something better. I understand my wishes might be unrealistic but just trying to see if I could put something basic together with Christmas presents off the family and stuff

Yep its a bit of a low budget for such wanting a good rig inside a small box. The balance usually takes 2 of these 3 categories: performance, small form factor, low cost.

Since you want something small form factor, with decent performance without a dedicated gpu and good enough to run a dedicated GPU, cost will be a bit higher. Something like this:

Heres the cheaper option, but limited for the future, since it has a 450W PSU, enough for something like an i5 and mid-high end GPU (GTX 760 range) in the future. I used the i3 over the G3258, since HD4600 is a lot better.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4340 3.6GHz Dual-Core Processor (£107.94 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard (£99.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Kingston Fury White Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£59.98 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Silverstone RVZ01B Mini ITX Desktop Case (£72.64 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Power Supply: Silverstone 450W 80+ Bronze Certified SFX Power Supply (£59.34 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £399.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-16 23:33 GMT+0000

Now, another option, you open up the possibility for better future compatibility, sacrificing the CPU to G3258 to save money, but the G3258 onboard GPU is pretty crap, so currently youll get bad gaming performance, but in the future the system could support i7 & GTX 980 type parts.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor (£47.98 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard (£99.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Kingston Fury White Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£59.98 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Silverstone RVZ01B Mini ITX Desktop Case (£72.64 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Power Supply: Silverstone 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply (£99.95 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £380.54
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-16 23:35 GMT+0000

In the long run, its just going to cost you more money going either of those two ways. You are better off buying the correct CPU now with the larger PSU. Now you can add GPU of choice anytime, and it has HD4600 onboard GPU for now, which is nice for indies.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£161.00 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard (£99.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Kingston Fury White Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory (£59.98 @ Amazon UK)
Case: Silverstone RVZ01B Mini ITX Desktop Case (£72.64 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Power Supply: Silverstone 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply (£99.95 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £493.56
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-16 23:38 GMT+0000

I chose the Haswell 4670k over Devils Canyon 4690k, because its a LOT cheaper, and the only difference is clock speed.

 

[Diablos]

Well that's the thinking behind it and why Intel doesn't discount their stuff. If there was a sizeable gap between new and old in price people would gravitate generally to the cheaper model since cpu progress has slowed so much on the desktop side. AMD aren't competition any more either.

970 should be good for 2-3 years at 1080p. You'll have to drop some settings over time but it's a good gpu.

Can't say much more than that really. Anything else is just guessing.

AMD is competition if you are strapped for cash want a good value on a CPU. You would best believe someone who isn't aware of the significant advances made in, for example, TDP and IPC in Intel CPU's will think an AMD "8 core" CPU is superior or equal to a quad core Haswell. I just talked to someone at work about this who wanted to build a gaming PC. Had to walk him through everything. There's a lot of people like that out there who just blindly go with AMD.

I hear you on the 970; hopefully MSI will honor my RMA and just send me a new one or something a little better. Then I can upgrade next year like I've been wanting to.

 

[Anno]

I'd say you could just buy a current GPU in the $150-200 and continue using that system for probably another 1.5-2 years. Your CPU is pretty old by now, but it should still work for most (maybe even all) of the games that are out there.
Personally I'd look into either a Radeon R9 280 or 280X, as they imo offer some pretty good value in that price segment (you might wanna tell us what PSU you have, though, as that GPU is gonna draw significantly more power than the HD5700).

Not sure which make and model but Im nearly certain it's 300w max.

OC that cpu and bung in a new graphics card and you'll be sweet.

Any GPU recommendations? And maybe guides/advice into intelligent OCing? Despite being a PC-only gamer for the last 15 years or so I guess I've just never asked too much of my rig, or have been happy to play at a lower setting.

 

[kharma45]

AMD is competition if you are strapped for cash want a good value on a CPU. You would best believe someone who isn't aware of the significant advances made in, for example, TDP and IPC in Intel CPU's will think an AMD "8 core" CPU is superior or equal to a quad core Haswell. I just talked to someone at work about this who wanted to build a gaming PC. Had to walk him through everything. There's a lot of people like that out there who just blindly go with AMD.

I hear you on the 970; hopefully MSI will honor my RMA and just send me a new one or something a little better. Then I can upgrade next year like I've been wanting to.

Lack of knowledge on behalf of buyers doesn't mean AMD are competition for Intel. They're years ahead.

Not sure which make and model but Im nearly certain it's 300w max.

Any GPU recommendations? And maybe guides/advice into intelligent OCing? Despite being a PC-only gamer for the last 15 years or so I guess I've just never asked too much of my rig, or have been happy to play at a lower setting.

If it's a 300w psu that will need upgraded.

GPU depends on your budget after buying a new PSU. To OC you'll need a cooler, like a Hyper 212.

For a guide have a read of this http://www.techreaction.net/2010/09/07/3-step-overclocking-guide-lynnfield/3/ lots of other ones online too.

 

[Diablos]

Lack of knowledge on behalf of buyers doesn't mean AMD are competition for Intel. They're years ahead.

They almost have a monopoly on the CPU market and that's what this is really about. They have no reason to compete. It's an unfortunate situation. For everyone's sake I really hope AMD can come up with some compelling tech.

 

[kharma45]

They almost have a monopoly on the CPU market and that's what this is really about. They have no reason to compete. It's an unfortunate situation. For everyone's sake I really hope AMD can come up with some compelling tech.

As do I but until they have something worth buying they're going to struggle.

 

[Nachtmaer]

Whoa. Looking at their RMA website it does look like they stopped being strict. This was not the case a few months ago. THANK YOU for bringing this to my attention.

Hah, that's alright. I'm gonna keep it in mind as well as I'm considering replacing my thermal paste at some point. Not that I'm having any issues with my temps, but shaving off a few degrees won't hurt either.

They almost have a monopoly on the CPU market and that's what this is really about. They have no reason to compete. It's an unfortunate situation. For everyone's sake I really hope AMD can come up with some compelling tech.

It would be nice if Zen turns out okay. I'm not expecting a miracle, but if their quad core can keep up with Intel's non-HT equivalent by then, I'd be happy.

 

[Aiustis]

Gaah I added another hard drive and it's in my bios but won't show up for windows. I'm guessing I got to reformat but idk how to do that.

 

[Shadownet]

Hey right now my current setup includes

i5-4670K
MSI GTX 760 2GB VRAM
8GB RAM
850 PSU

I'm thinking of buying a new GPU, very interested in getting a GTX 970. But I'm not sure which one to get exactly and if I should get a normal or overclocked version.

Which one is the best GTX 970 GAF? Also is my i5 processor good enough to handle the new GPU?

 

[Rur0ni]

Ah I was weak.

Gigabyte G1 980 GTX ordered.

 

[clockworkinyou]

Damnit - knew I should have ordered that 970 Strix from Newegg yesterday.

Now the waiting game.

 

[Windom Earle]

I think I give up on my SLI experiment for now. It was fun while it lasted, but I think I am crawling back to single GPU. I don't really mind dealing with SLI profiles, but what kills it for me is the additional heat/noise and especially the added frame of input lag. I love high framerates, but what good are they if everything is more delayed. Still, it was worth trying for me and I will get enough money for that second 970.

 

[mugurumakensei]

Hey right now my current setup includes



I'm thinking of buying a new GPU, very interested in getting a GTX 970. But I'm not sure which one to get exactly and if I should get a normal or overclocked version.

Which one is the best GTX 970 GAF? Also is my i5 processor good enough to handle the new GPU?

ill say ive been satisified with my MSI 970 TwinFrozr Gaming 4G. its factory oc'd.

 

[Frankfurter]

Not sure which make and model but Im nearly certain it's 300w max.

300W would be really low and you definitely couldn't power a R9 280 with that. You might wanna double check though, 300W sounds awfully low and is almost never used for PCs that are to be used for gaming.

 

[jajas2]

Hola PC-gaf.

I built a semi-budget PC a few months ago, but thinking about it I really would like to get a beefier video card, especially since my financial situation changed a bit. I'm not looking for a monster and truthfully I don't play that many games, but i've got the bug and wanna upgrade from my 750 ti. I just wanted to know, should I spring for R9 280 (or 285) now, or wait and see what the hypothetical 960 is like. I can get a 280 for like 200 CDN, but is there really any downside to going AMD?

 

[kennah]

Hola PC-gaf.

I built a semi-budget PC a few months ago, but thinking about it I really would like to get a beefier video card, especially since my financial situation changed a bit. I'm not looking for a monster and truthfully I don't play that many games, but i've got the bug and wanna upgrade from my 750 ti. I just wanted to know, should I spring for R9 280 (or 285) now, or wait and see what the hypothetical 960 is like. I can get a 280 for like 200 CDN, but is there really any downside to going AMD?

On the video card side, not really. Unless you need the nvidia features, AMD cards are still good bang for the buck?

What's your plan for the 750 Ti? I'm kinda looking for a used cheap one, PM me (I'm in Winnipeg)

 

[PaperFlame]

There are a few changes you should make. First, switch to one of the power supplies listed in the OP. The low end Corsair models (CX) are junk. Second, drop the optical drive. That case does not even support it and unless you have some very specific use for it most people never use it.

You need an SSD. Maybe drop down to 8gb of low-profile RAM, drop the optical drive, and that will free up some money for an SSD.

You are going to overclock it. Because it is so easy to do these days, a few clicks in the bios and you get a lot of free performance. So you should get a CPU cooler like the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo....it will keep things nice and cool and quiet.

There are suggestions for Monitors/Keyboards/Mice/Headsets in the OP.

Thanks for the information, I added a SDD which is Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive, and change my power supply to XFX Core Edition 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply. I don't want to overclock it because it'll burn out the computer and I rather have it last the longest I can. Would a CPU cooler still be a benefit if I don't overclock it?
I also want to get a optical drive because there's a chance I would want to buy something CD related and installed it from there.

I'm reposting this because I changed it up and the last time I posted it, I was on the last post of the page.

I did some more research and was wondering if this would a good deal to get now, or if I should wait until black friday to see if I can get a better deal.

Budget: 1,500
CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
(Price: 279.99 @ Microcenter)
Ram: AMD 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory
(Price: 160 @ Amazon)
MotherBoard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
(Price 124.20 @ Newegg)
GPU: MSI Radeon R9 290 4GB TWIN FROZR Video Card
(Price 286.53 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX Core Edition 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply
(Price:34.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case
(Price: 65 @ Microcenter)
Hard Drive: Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
(Price 65.49 @ Amazon)
Sound Card: Asus Xonar DGX 24-bit 96 KHz Sound Card
(Price: 27.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer
(Price: 16.99 @ OutletPC)
CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
(Price: 279.99 @ Microcenter)
SSD: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
(Price: 99.99 @ amazon )

Monitor: Asus VS238H-P
(Price: 147.58 @ Newegg
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm QuickFire XT Wired Slim Keyboard
Price (99.95)
Headset: Func HS-260
(Price 29.99 NewEgg)
Mouse: Logitech G502
(Price 78.69 @ amazon)

Total: 1517.38

I want to get this pc mainly for gaming and working on my artwork. I'm going to use it for slight video editing and making music.

My deadline would be black friday/cyber monday.

 

[Zaraki_Kenpachi]

Still can't decide on whether to get that PSU on sale at newegg and then build a new computer. :/

 

[jajas2]

On the video card side, not really. Unless you need the nvidia features, AMD cards are still good bang for the buck?

What's your plan for the 750 Ti? I'm kinda looking for a used cheap one, PM me (I'm in Winnipeg)

I know it's a great value I just worry that if I get it now and the 960 turns out to be awesome I'll regret in a couple of months. And I was just planning to sell it on kijiji or something once I make up my mind but if we can work something out that would be great.


By the way does anyone have an update on when the 960 might be out?

 

[LiquidSolid]

Alright, so I'm building a new PC in December, have been going over my options for the last month and I think I've finally settled. I'm really interested in any opinions/suggestions though, since I made a few mistakes on my last build a few years ago and don't want to make any mistakes this time around.

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Motherboard: Asus X99-DELUXE
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws 4 series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-2800
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" SSD
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 G1 Gaming
Case: NZXT Phantom 630 (Black)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 660W 80+ Platinum

http://nz.pcpartpicker.com/p/f7kKkL

I've also got a few parts that I'll just bring over from my current PC (3 7200rpm HDDs and probably my BD drive).

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

Alright, so I'm building a new PC in December, have been going over my options for the last month and I think I've finally settled. I'm really interested in any opinions/suggestions though, since I made a few mistakes on my last build a few years ago and don't want to make any mistakes this time around.


http://nz.pcpartpicker.com/p/f7kKkL

I've also got a few parts that I'll just bring over from my current PC (3 7200rpm HDDs and probably my BD drive).

Why DDR4 2800 instead of 2400 or 2666 ?

Unless there is a reason for that, I would get either one of those cheaper versions and use that money to get a Corsair Hydro (or any other more intensive air or liquid heatsink of your choice) and feel more conformable overclocking that i7 5820K when summer comes.

That or another SSD.

 

[RGM79]

Thanks for the information, I added a SDD which is Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive, and change my power supply to XFX Core Edition 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply. I don't want to overclock it because it'll burn out the computer and I rather have it last the longest I can. Would a CPU cooler still be a benefit if I don't overclock it?
I also want to get a optical drive because there's a chance I would want to buy something CD related and installed it from there.

I'm reposting this because I changed it up and the last time I posted it, I was on the last post of the page.

I also highly recommend the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo for $30. It'll be worth it to keep the CPU running at lower temperatures, and is a great improvement over the stock fan, even if you don't overclock.

Do you really need the sound card? Onboard sound is usually enough for most people. That $29 headset probably won't sound that much different with the sound card instead of onboard sound.

And as appaws said, the NZXT case you chose cannot have an optical drive installed, switch to something else if you need the optical drive. How about the Corsair 200R?

If you change some stuff around and try to save a bit, you should be able to get a GTX 970 into that $1500 build. Better, newer, and more energy efficient.

I know it's a great value I just worry that if I get it now and the 960 turns out to be awesome I'll regret in a couple of months. And I was just planning to sell it on kijiji or something once I make up my mind but if we can work something out that would be great.


By the way does anyone have an update on when the 960 might be out?

Q1 2015 is still the expected time for it to be released.

 

[Iacobellis]

Thanks for the information, I added a SDD which is Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive, and change my power supply to XFX Core Edition 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply. I don't want to overclock it because it'll burn out the computer and I rather have it last the longest I can. Would a CPU cooler still be a benefit if I don't overclock it?
I also want to get a optical drive because there's a chance I would want to buy something CD related and installed it from there.

I'm reposting this because I changed it up and the last time I posted it, I was on the last post of the page.

You have the CPU listed twice. Remove one of them and go for a 970 over the 290.

 

[fader]

Selling a GTX 780 is anyone is interested.

 

[Goldenmoney]

What does "Refresh PC" in Windows 8.1 actually do? A while back I messed about with WindowsApps to put it on the D: drive, but that cocked up and I can't install or run Windows apps. Not normally a big deal, but I hate knowing that I can't do something.

I could reinstall Windows, but that's a pain as I'd have to get everything set up again (including all my symbolic links).

What does Refresh PC touch? Will it wipe %appdata%? Documents? Installed programs?

As far as I know, a refresh will delete any programs that you've installed, but will keep all your files, settings, and metro apps. So yea you'll pretty much be setting everything up again.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

Mobo: ASUS z97-ar.
What's the best soundcard for this guy?