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[kharma45]

What is the best GPU for around 250 bucks?

R9 280 or a GTX 760. I'd lean to the 290 at $200 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID= or $210 if the ASUS comes back into stock http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

The 760 is around $230 for a good one of those.

 

[The Llama]

That's one large case. but sexy. I've always liked Corsair products.

I've built 3 computers now, and my cases have gotten larger with each build... First was a Centurion 5, then an Antec 900, and now an NZXT Phantom 630. I do kinda hate how much space a full tower takes up, but I like everything else about having a big case (better airflow, easier cable management, easier build, etc.).

 

[Dunbar]

Took the day off work to build everything, barely even started and I've already run into an issue. Should my case come with everything to hold an SSD and HD? I bought a Fractal R4. It doesn't look like either of these drives is going to screw right into the case.

 

[Chozolore]

Took the day off work to build everything, barely even started and I've already run into an issue. Should my case come with everything to hold an SSD and HD? I bought a Fractal R4. It doesn't look like either of these drives is going to screw right into the case.

don't know this case, but it'll probably have caddies to mount the drives in the hd cage

 

[Prophet Steve]

Took the day off work to build everything, barely even started and I've already run into an issue. Should my case come with everything to hold an SSD and HD? I bought a Fractal R4. It doesn't look like either of these drives is going to screw right into the case.

Yes it will, you can screw in the SSD from the bottom right? I thought HDD was supposed to line up with screws on the side though.

 

[tarheel91]

Took the day off work to build everything, barely even started and I've already run into an issue. Should my case come with everything to hold an SSD and HD? I bought a Fractal R4. It doesn't look like either of these drives is going to screw right into the case.

They should just screw in with some thumb screws, but if they don't, an SSD can literally just hang there. No moving parts makes them pretty durable.

 

[Azzurri]

I've built 3 computers now, and my cases have gotten larger with each build... First was a Centurion 5, then an Antec 900, and now an NZXT Phantom 630. I do kinda hate how much space a full tower takes up, but I like everything else about having a big case (better airflow, easier cable management, easier build, etc.).

I'm the complete opposite, every build has got much smaller.

Build coming up is a mITX build.

 

[Nostremitus]

Quick question.

I have a Phenom II X6 1045T with a locked multiplier. (I've gotten it to 3.3 using FSB)

I have an ASRock Extreme6+ FM2+ mobo I was planning on using in an HTPC that I've decided to hold off on building. (after buying the new SSD, GPU and PSU, the wife isn't fond on me building anything else right now) Is it worth the $85 to buy an Athlon X4 760K to replace the Phenom?

Will the newer 4 core give me any benefit over the older 6 core for single player gaming?

The 760K is roughly 17% better with single threaded applications at stock speeds but has fewer cores and is lacking L3. Will easier (higher) overclocking outweigh the loss of cores and cache?

 

[Christberg]

Videos in second post, troubleshooting also.

Should be way more than enough unless its some junk brand, what is it?

It's an Antec Earthwatts unit. Very decent power supply I've had for years.

Turns out that the case I had the system installed in was ever so slightly warped. Because it's a much longer card than what was in there before it was pushing the expansion slot pins out of whack. It was an old Cooler Master Centurion unit that I'd had for... 8 years now? Time to put it out to pasture.

I swapped everything into a case I was using for a NAS that had died and blammo, no problems.

 

[tarheel91]

I know in standard tests you don't see much performance improvement going from high end air to an AIO water cooler, but does anyone know of a test done on an enthusiast chip (e.g. Ivy Bridge E)? I'm wondering if the soldered interface will allow for enough heat transfer to make water cooling show some sort of performance advantage.

 

[mkenyon]

Quick question.

I have a Phenom II X6 1045T with a locked multiplier. (I've gotten it to 3.3 using FSB)

I have an ASRock Extreme6+ FM2+ mobo I was planning on using in an HTPC that I've decided to hold off on building. (after buying the new SSD, GPU and PSU, the wife isn't fond on me building anything else right now) Is it worth the $85 to buy an Athlon X4 760K to replace the Phenom?

Will the newer 4 core give me any benefit over the older 6 core for single player gaming?

The 760K is roughly 17% better with single threaded applications at stock speeds but has fewer cores and is lacking L3. Will easier (higher) overclocking outweigh the loss of cores and cache?

Save the $85 for an eventual modern gaming platform.

I know in standard tests you don't see much performance improvement going from high end air to an AIO water cooler, but does anyone know of a test done on an enthusiast chip (e.g. Ivy Bridge E)? I'm wondering if the soldered interface will allow for enough heat transfer to make water cooling show some sort of performance advantage.

TMK, most of the review websites use enthusiast chips, whether it's socket 1333 or 2011. The tl;dr is that any high end cooler, be it air or water, is going to get you to the limit of the chip with sane voltage levels.

 

[Nostremitus]

Save the $85 for an eventual modern gaming platform.

LOL, yeah, probably be for the best.

 

[Sectorseven]

Is 8GB ram really enough for newer MMOs? Like if you're in a city or some other high population area will it still run smooth with that amount?

 

[Dunbar]

For my first time building anything in 6 years, I don't think I'm doing too bad, but man, there really could not be less documentation about how to use some (most) of this stuff. So far I've gotten the case pulled apart and configured, the PSU installed and I'm working on the motherboard. But what I wouldn't give for some real documentation about how all this fits together.

 

[Amneisac]

Is this deal pretty legit?

corsair 540 + fans bundle for $89.99 AR

This might have been posted, but I didn't see it searching. I'm just wanted to switch my existing parts into this case for now, but I am probably doing a new build in the next year or two, and I thought it seemed like a good deal.

I'd also get the $15 off $50 AMEX promotion, so it would wind up costing $74.99 after rebates.

My main concern is proper cooling for my parts, but if it didn't sound like a vacuum that'd be a bonus.

 

[mkenyon]

Yes. I use the 140mm versions of those in my air 540. They're amazing fans.

 

[Amneisac]

Yes. I use the 140mm versions of those in my air 540. They're amazing fans.

Cool, I went ahead and ordered it, $75 seemed like too good of a deal to pass up. Do you mind if I ask what kind of airflow setup you went with? I have built several PCs, but I've never been able to make up my mind on positive/negative air flow and all that stuff. I'm just curious what you think this case best suits and how many fans you installed.

 

[mkenyon]

I have mine on radiators.

If I were setting up for air, I'd probably do two intaking on the front, and one exhaust out the rear.

 

[LeGourmand]

Is this a good deal/good drive http://www.amazon.ca/dp/B005T3GRLY/

This drive will mostly be use to store media files, so lots of reads, but not that much writes.

 

[scogoth]

I have mine on radiators.



If I were setting up for air, I'd probably do two intaking on the front, and one exhaust out the rear.

GAF colors? Giveaway build =P

 

[maxagombar1]

Pc gaf, according to hwmonitor my motherboard is reaching temperatures of 100°c and when this happens I can only assume it's throttling my cpu and/or gpu because my frame rate literally half's for 10-20 seconds. This happens in mostly cpu intensive Games. My cpu and gpu remain within safe temperatures and I have a good case with seemingly good cooling. What could be the cause of this and how can I fix it? Thanks in advance.

 

[Dunbar]

Did they stop putting thermal paste in with CPUs? My new 4790k didn't come with any and I guess I'll have to go buy some.

 

[Stubo]

Did they stop putting thermal paste in with CPUs? My new 4790k didn't come with any and I guess I'll have to go buy some.

If you're using the stock cooler it's pre-applied to the bottom of the heatsink. If you're using an aftermarket cooler like the Hyper 212 or Noctua it should be bundled inside that package.

Hope this helps!

 

[Dunbar]

If you're using the stock cooler it's pre-applied to the bottom of the heatsink. If you're using an aftermarket cooler like the Hyper 212 or Noctua it should be bundled inside that package.

Hope this helps!

Yes, thank you. These are the questions that make me feel very dumb for asking them.

 

[mkenyon]

Pc gaf, according to hwmonitor my motherboard is reaching temperatures of 100°c and when this happens I can only assume it's throttling my cpu and/or gpu because my frame rate literally half's for 10-20 seconds. This happens in mostly cpu intensive Games. My cpu and gpu remain within safe temperatures and I have a good case with seemingly good cooling. What could be the cause of this and how can I fix it? Thanks in advance.

What motherboard reading? What kind of motherboard?

 

[Nostremitus]

Did they stop putting thermal paste in with CPUs? My new 4790k didn't come with any and I guess I'll have to go buy some.

Usually on the cooler
Edit: beaten

 

[tarheel91]

Is 8GB ram really enough for newer MMOs? Like if you're in a city or some other high population area will it still run smooth with that amount?

My system can use 6.5GB with EQ Next Landmark running and nothing else. I can't leave Firefox open or I run into memory issues. As 64bit only games become more common, I think we'll see a shift to 16GB.

TMK, most of the review websites use enthusiast chips, whether it's socket 1333 or 2011. The tl;dr is that any high end cooler, be it air or water, is going to get you to the limit of the chip with sane voltage levels.

The only comparisons I found used a regular chip or an enthusiast chip at stock clocks.

Is this deal pretty legit?

corsair 540 + fans bundle for $89.99 AR

This might have been posted, but I didn't see it searching. I'm just wanted to switch my existing parts into this case for now, but I am probably doing a new build in the next year or two, and I thought it seemed like a good deal.

I'd also get the $15 off $50 AMEX promotion, so it would wind up costing $74.99 after rebates.

My main concern is proper cooling for my parts, but if it didn't sound like a vacuum that'd be a bonus.

Tempting because I plan on buying one when Haswell-E comes out.

 

[Quote]

I've been looking at monitors lately and it is kind of driving me crazy. At first I was looking at 21:9 and while I think I would love one, the price doesn't make me happy since I'll have to put work in to make it work with gaming.

So now I'm looking at these high hz monitors, specifically the Asus VG248QE. My biggest problem is no one in the area sells them or has them on display. I don't have a problem ordering it from Amazon, and would actually prefer it, but I'd just like to see one in person since people have said the colors are washed out. I know its a TN display so the colors are naturally going to be not great compared to IPS.

For a traditional 1080p monitor, I need 2 HDMI inputs as it will be used primarily for my Retina MacBook Pro and my PC just for gaming. Speakers would be nice for when I'm not using headphones and just to hear system noises or the occasional video. I do mostly use Macs, so I am used to IPS displays and Retina, but if its not a night a day difference then I think I can get away with the VG248QE.

 

[mkenyon]

It looks like a nice TN panel, not a shit one at Best Buy. Colors are good as long as it's oriented properly to your eyes. The TN part comes into play when you are at off angles. There will be a slight difference in a single color at the top, middle, and bottom of the screen, but that's only really important for creative uses.

You'll need to use a Dual Link DVI or Displayport for your PC. The HDMI spec on video cards and the monitors do not allow 120/144Hz at 1080p.

I wouldn't buy anything that is lower than 120Hz, as it looks really choppy to me now. I do play a lot of high intensity/action/competitive games, but I even notice it in Dota.

Whether or not the tradeoff of pixel density and color accuracy for drastically improved motion resolution (lack of blur) and smooth frames free of tearing is worth it to you is entirely subjective.

 

[Dries]

I just found out that all of my CPU cores are "unparked". I unparked them a while ago and kind of forgot, so they've been unparked the whole time for like a year and a half. The question is: Can I just keep my CPU cores unparked forever into eternity?

 

[LilJoka]

I just found out that all of my CPU cores are "unparked". I unparked them a while ago and kind of forgot, so they've been unparked the whole time for like a year and a half. The question is: Can I just keep my CPU cores unparked forever into eternity?

Yes

 

[Quote]

It looks like a nice TN panel, not a shit one at Best Buy. Colors are good as long as it's oriented properly to your eyes. The TN part comes into play when you are at off angles. There will be a slight difference in a single color at the top, middle, and bottom of the screen, but that's only really important for creative uses.

You'll need to use a Dual Link DVI or Displayport for your PC. The HDMI spec on video cards and the monitors do not allow 120/144Hz at 1080p.

I wouldn't buy anything that is lower than 120Hz, as it looks really choppy to me now. I do play a lot of high intensity/action/competitive games, but I even notice it in Dota.

Whether or not the tradeoff of pixel density and color accuracy for drastically improved motion resolution (lack of blur) and smooth frames free of tearing is worth it to you is entirely subjective.

I guess that will work for me still. I'll run the Dual Link to my PC and an audio cable, and my Mac through DisplayPort. I'm going to look at a few more reviews, but I think I might order this puppy tonight.

 

[mkenyon]

Dual Link DVI (and displayport) both carry audio.

 

[Quote]

I guess i'll be upgrading my 560ti finally to get the most out of this. :>

 

[Azzurri]

Guys, which motherboard?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132122

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130774

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128719

 

[appaws]

Is this deal pretty legit?

corsair 540 + fans bundle for $89.99 AR

This might have been posted, but I didn't see it searching. I'm just wanted to switch my existing parts into this case for now, but I am probably doing a new build in the next year or two, and I thought it seemed like a good deal.

I'd also get the $15 off $50 AMEX promotion, so it would wind up costing $74.99 after rebates.

My main concern is proper cooling for my parts, but if it didn't sound like a vacuum that'd be a bonus.

Just get one more of the fans, so you can have 3 intake upfront and an exhaust in the back.

 

[mkenyon]

Just get one more of the fans, so you can have 3 intake upfront and an exhaust in the back.

Not really needed unless there's multiple non-reference GPUs.

Guys, which motherboard?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132122

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130774

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128719

I like the GB, entirely because of GB BIOS.

 

[MMBosstones86]

So, anyone have experience RMA'ing with Gigabyte? How long is there turnaround usually? I sent my GPU there last week and 5 days ago they found nothing wrong with my card

Spoiler

...which i'm thrilled about...

and I haven't seen any updates to the RMA since 7/2. I don't know what protocol is...but I would imagine they send it back to me pretty quick if there was no work to be done.

Nope. Straight out of the box it didn't work and I'm running stock clocks. Tried using AB to give it more voltage and power, but to no avail.

Bought it used from someone who used it for mining. The 290 cards seem to suffer from a lot of the Black Screen issues.



Yep, this is the one. I'd probably advise anyone buying this that there's a chance they might stumble upon the black screen issue.

I know that feel. Haven't been able to get my 290x working since I got it a few weeks ago from the Amazon Warehouse deals.

 

[Dunbar]

After 3 hours of building and cutting myself several times, I got everything assembled. It booted on first go, which genuinely shocked me. Now to see if Windows 7 will install. I'm using an upgrade edition, so it will probably put up a fight.

 

[Quote]

Why is the 770 never mentioned in the OP? Is it not worth the price difference from the 760?

 

[mkenyon]

Why is the 770 never mentioned in the OP? Is it not worth the price difference from the 760?

Yep. You can often find 290s around the same price as a 770, so it becomes a no-brainer at that point. Unless G-Sync and Shadowplay are important. In that case I'm a big proponent of going for either the 760 or 780, as both are pretty great value.

 

[kennah]

Why is the 770 never mentioned in the OP? Is it not worth the price difference from the 760?

Pretty much. For the money for a 770 you can get a 290

 

[Stubo]

Why is the 770 never mentioned in the OP? Is it not worth the price difference from the 760?

The performance/cost isn't as favourable as a 760 or a 280X, it's also based on the 680 which is a couple of years old now.

It's worth considering that the 8-- series cards are continually rumoured and could release in the near-ish future if you're not building straight away and are set on getting an Nvidia card.

Edit: Oh you guys

 

[mkenyon]

The only comparisons I found used a regular chip or an enthusiast chip at stock clocks.

While I'm not big on GPU/CPU/Gaming-stuff reviews from them, OC3D does a damn good job with cases, cooling, and PSUs.

Their heatsink/cooling reviews use a 3960X.

 

[Boss Man]

Been thinking about selling my PS4 and tablet/laptop to go towards a gaming PC.

Sorry if this is frowned upon or anything but can someone check out this list and tell me if there are any obvious alterations (upgrades or downgrades welcome):
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sc6M4D


I'm looking for cost effectiveness but also something that will last a while. Also, is $218 the best price I'll find on a 4670k for a while? I'm not in a rush but trying to get the best pricing I can.

 

[PaulLFC]

Been thinking about selling my PS4 and tablet/laptop to go towards a gaming PC.

Sorry if this is frowned upon or anything but can someone check out this list and tell me if there are any obvious alterations (upgrades or downgrades welcome):
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sc6M4D


I'm looking for cost effectiveness but also something that will last a while. Also, is $218 the best price I'll find on a 4670k for a while? I'm not in a rush but trying to get the best pricing I can.

Others will be able to advise you better but I would say that's a good start. Possible changes:

- The i5 4690k is the newest variant, although if the 4670k is a fair bit cheaper, the upgrade probably isn't worth it. If the prices are similar though, may be best to go with the newer version.
- Swap the Samsung SSD for a Crucial MX100, it's cheaper.
- The 770 probably isn't worth the price, either go for a 780, switch to AMD with a Radeon R9 290 (go for one that has a custom cooler from MSI, Gigabyte, Sapphire etc if you do this) or if you're not planning on building straight away, wait and see if the 800 series cards are released soon.
- I'm not sure you need such an expensive motherboard unless you're running SLI, possibly look at changing for a Gigabyte or Asus board that's cheaper? I put the Gigabyte Z97-HD3 in my new system, which is showing as $108 on PCPartPicker. I'm not sure if that's the best value motherboard though, just an example.
- Consider changing the power supply, from the many recommendations I've read here, CX PSUs aren't too highly recommended as they're Corsair's budget line of PSUs and that's not really something you want to go too cheap with. Possibly look at either Corsair RM750 or HX650, or different brands (EVGA and Coolermaster seem highly recommended here and in the OP).

 

[mkenyon]

Been thinking about selling my PS4 and tablet/laptop to go towards a gaming PC.

Sorry if this is frowned upon or anything but can someone check out this list and tell me if there are any obvious alterations (upgrades or downgrades welcome):
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/sc6M4D


I'm looking for cost effectiveness but also something that will last a while.

Here you go:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($218.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($127.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($106.81 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.91 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Tri-X Video Card ($389.00 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: Corsair RM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: BenQ XL2411Z 144Hz 24.0" Monitor ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Ducky DK1008L-RCLLB Wired Gaming Keyboard ($89.00 @ Mechanical Keyboards)
Mouse: Corsair Raptor M45 Wired Optical Mouse ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Speakers: Logitech Z313 25W 2.1ch Speakers ($39.38 @ Amazon)
Total: $1607.01
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

List of improvements:

• Upgraded the video card to a 290, huge performance increase there.
• Upgraded the mouse. The sensor in the M45 is actually miles ahead of the M65.
• Monitor is the best available 120/144Hz panel that is below $500.
• Motherboard will do everything the other one would.
• PSU is much much higher quality and fully modular.

Not a single downgrade, but a number of "sidegrades" that saved money to put to those improvements. Such as the memory, SSD, and keyboard.

 

[Boss Man]

Awesome, thanks so much guys

 

[Dunbar]

An hour on the phone with Microsoft seems to have gotten my legit Win7 key to work. Next time I'll just buy a key off Reddit.

 

[Quote]

If Amazon would price match Newegg on that Sapphire R9 290, i'd be all over it.