"I Need a New PC!" 2014 Part 2. Read OP, your 2500K will run Witcher 3. MX100s! 970!

Status
Not open for further replies.
Hello all. I built my PC a few weeks ago and everything is working fine except...my H80i fans get annoyingly loud just from playing something like DOTA2 and are quite noticeable whenever the computer is on.

I'm wondering what my fan control options are (my case is an NZXT H440 with the Gigabyte Z97X-UDH3 mobo). I downloaded Corsair Link but that doesn't seem to let me change the H80i fans. SpeedFan seems useless as well. Am I doing something wrong?
 
(Snip)

.... Input, again, very welcome. Don't think I can optimize any individual component benchmark wise. I'd have to go to a 780 or a 4790K, but the price jump for those is big and... i'm already reaching territories I don't really wanna reach.

AND I STILL NEED TO BUY A CHAIR. :P
The MX100 has already been covered, I'd also like to mention AMD cards if you're not set on Nvidia.

The Asus 280X is $310 after rebate and stepping up to a Sapphire 290 will give you 780-like performance for $390 after rebate.

You could maybe switch the PSU to a 750w EVGA Supernova G2 if you want to spend an extra $10 for it ($90 after rebate)

The rest of the build seems good to me!
 
The Corsair got decent reviews, that's why I picked it...

And I basically used http://www.memorybenchmark.net/ to compare the different corsair mhz bars. Not sure "no difference" really applies?

He's advising you that it'll make no discernible difference to games, unless you're using an integrated GPU. Which you aren't.

27b%206950%20Sleeping%20Dogs%20Min.png


No difference certainly does apply. Unless you consider 0-3% improvement to be worth the price difference.
 
I've just checked a video and some reviews on my Coolermaster V850 and I've noticed it has 6 PCI-E connectors. But these are on 3 cables. See the quote.

6+2 pin PCI-E, 6+2 pin PCI-E 600+100mm
6+2 pin PCI-E, 6+2 pin PCI-E 600+100mm
6+2 pin PCI-E, 6+2 pin PCI-E 600+100mm


Is it bad that I put a single 780Ti on a cable or is it better that I use two seperate cables for the connection. Load or something? I'm not sure.
 
Oh sudden thought, do you already have a CPU cooler? Or are you planning on using the bundled one for some reason?

I was just planning on using the bundled one... :/ Should I buy a separate one? :/ The case also comes with two 120mm-fans included.
 
Does anyone know of a good quality USB sound card that has SPDIF in and high quality analog outputs? (and is under $100).
 
So yeah, I posted this in here the other day:

Alright, PC-GAF. Let's say I've got a $40-50 budget, a 300W PSU, and need a new graphics card that's better than Intel HD Graphics 2000 Desktop. What should I do?

(And please, no "Get a new PC" suggestions. If I could do that, I would. I'm dirt poor. Aside from the GPU, my PC is fine. It's just the integrated graphics causing me hell.)

...and if anyone cares for an update, a friend of mine just upgraded and is sending me his old Radeon HD 4890 and I'm planning on buying this PSU to go with it. How does that look as an upgrade from Intel HD Graphics? :lol
 
That case makes it quite tight to recommend a CM Hyper 212 Evo at $35 but it looks like it should just about be fine: by 1mm :S

It's not a requirement but you'll be able to push for a higher overclock and lower noise levels than with the stock cooler.

The Phenom M has space for a 175mm CPU fan, and I think the coolermaster is 159mm deep? So it should be fine, thanks :) (the Phenom, not Phenom M, has 160mm, which is what you might've been looking at?)

EDIT: Bigger issue - the fan you linked doesn't work with an LGA1150, which is what I'm getting... at least not according to the specs on NCIX?
 
So yeah, I posted this in here the other day:



...and if anyone cares for an update, a friend of mine just upgraded and is sending me his old Radeon HD 4890 and I'm planning on buying this PSU to go with it. How does that look as an upgrade from Intel HD Graphics? :lol

The old Radeons are hot, loud and eat a lot of power. Save a little bit until you can afford a (maybe used?) Radeon 7750. That would be best in your case I guess.
 
The Phenom M has space for a 175mm CPU fan, and I think the coolermaster is 159mm deep? So it should be fine, thanks :) (the Phenom, not Phenom M, has 160mm, which is what you might've been looking at?)

EDIT: Bigger issue - the fan you linked doesn't work with an LGA1150, which is what I'm getting... at least not according to the specs on NCIX?
Aha! You are correct!

Don't worry, it definitely works with 1150, it's under specs on the Cooler Master product page.
 
I've just checked a video and some reviews on my Coolermaster V850 and I've noticed it has 6 PCI-E connectors. But these are on 3 cables. See the quote.




Is it bad that I put a single 780Ti on a cable or is it better that I use two seperate cables for the connection. Load or something? I'm not sure.

You are fine using a single cable.
 
Aha! You are correct!

Don't worry, it definitely works with 1150, it's under specs on the Cooler Master product page.

:) In that case, added to the shopping cart it is! thanks :)

Now I hope I'm not missing anything. 2 case fans included should be good enough... powerlink to get the internet hooked up... All that's left to do is ask my roommate if everything in this apartment is actually one circuit or not, so I don't end up looking stupid.
 
The old Radeons are hot, loud and eat a lot of power. Save a little bit until you can afford a (maybe used?) Radeon 7750. That would be best in your case I guess.

Thanks for the advice, but honestly I'm not planning on doing a ton of super heavy gaming on it. Like, it's mostly to play things that already currently run on my integrated at higher settings and also play a few things that I just barely can't run acceptably right now. So I don't expect to put it under a lot of heavy stress or anything. And anyway, it's free, and the only thing I'm spending money on is the PSU, which I'll need anyway. So I'll just keep an eye on it and if it gives me any issues, then I'll look into upgrading further.
 
New build coming through before the end of the year that's just a straight up cookie cutter build from the OP. Recycling keyboard, mouse and monitor and rocking an ethernet connection. Gonna be installing Windows 7 from a USB. On the hunt for a new set of cans plus external sound adapter if anyone has any suggestions <$300 combined.
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/whiskeystrike/saved/3vFKHx
 
New build coming through before the end of the year that's just a straight up cookie cutter build from the OP. Recycling keyboard, mouse and monitor and rocking an ethernet connection. Gonna be installing Windows 7 from a USB. On the hunt for a new set of cans plus external sound adapter if anyone has any suggestions <$300 combined.
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/whiskeystrike/saved/3vFKHx

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=417447 Headphone GAF if the suggestions in the OP don't float your boat.
 
Anyone know why Zowie seems to be discontinuing their EC1?
It appears that the only produced Zowie mouse right know is the recently released FK1, but i can't find that many impressions on it yet. So does anyone here know if this would make a suitable alternative for someone who used to play with a Death Adder for years (i guess at least in terms of shape the ec1 would be better)?
I'm currently playing Dota 2, Titanfall and slowly getting back into CS:GO, so I'm basically looking for an all-purpose-gaming-mouse.

I already tried the Rival by Steelseries, but that mouse just feels so cheap and the one i used also had a really loose mouse wheel.
 
A quick question regarding overclocking:

I've just got my build up and running (photos including my best attempt at "cable management" to come), with the following kit:

Node 304
Asus Z97I-Plus
Pentium G3258
Hyper 212 Evo
MSI R9 280
8GB 1600MT/s 1.5V RAM

I'm making my first attempt at overclocking the G3258, and I changed the VCORE to offset mode, set the offset to +0.183 (meaning the peak voltage would be 1.2v), and the core multiplier to 42. The system booted up fine, and when I ran CPU-Z and Prime95 to test, I noticed that the clock was never hitting 4.2Ghz. The VCORE climbed to a max of 1.2, as expected, and the multiplier range reported in CPU-Z was 8x to 42x, but the actual multiplier never climbed above 32, giving me the stock 3.2Ghz under full load.

Temperatures weren't an issue (it hit ~60C for the couple of minutes I left Prime95 running), and the VCORE and multipliers both dialled down (to ~0.9 and 8x respectively) when idle, so I'm not sure what I've done wrong. I'm going to skim back through the BIOS to see if I missed anything, but if anyone knows where I'm screwing up it'd be appreciated.
 
A quick question regarding overclocking:

I've just got my build up and running (photos including my best attempt at "cable management" to come), with the following kit:

Node 304
Asus Z97I-Plus
Pentium G3258
Hyper 212 Evo
MSI R9 280
8GB 1600MT/s 1.5V RAM

I'm making my first attempt at overclocking the G3258, and I changed the VCORE to offset mode, set the offset to +0.183 (meaning the peak voltage would be 1.2v), and the core multiplier to 42. The system booted up fine, and when I ran CPU-Z and Prime95 to test, I noticed that the clock was never hitting 4.2Ghz. The VCORE climbed to a max of 1.2, as expected, and the multiplier range reported in CPU-Z was 8x to 42x, but the actual multiplier never climbed above 32, giving me the stock 3.2Ghz under full load.

Temperatures weren't an issue (it hit ~60C for the couple of minutes I left Prime95 running), and the VCORE and multipliers both dialled down (to ~0.9 and 8x respectively) when idle, so I'm not sure what I've done wrong. I'm going to skim back through the BIOS to see if I missed anything, but if anyone knows where I'm screwing up it'd be appreciated.

Is there a firmware update for your motherboard you haven't applied?
 
Is there a firmware update for your motherboard you haven't applied?

I'm just updating to the latest BIOS version now, so hopefully that'll sort it.

Edit: Success! Seems the BIOS update fixed it. Now to see how far I can push this thing...

Edit 2: I seem to be stable enough at 4.5Ghz with a Vcore of 1.23, with temps in the low 70s during Prime95 (max it's hit is 77C). What's the maximum safe Vcore for Haswell, and what sort of temperatures should I be trying to stay within on Prime95 (small FFT test)?
 
Need some Motherboard advice. I mistakenly bought a motherboard that wasn't compatible with my CPU, and two guys on the previous page said that I need one Z97 chipset, but before I buy again I need help making sure that I'm getting a motherboard that will accommodate for the rest of my parts.

Here are the parts that I have:



I was looking at this other Asus motherboard, but I'm open to other suggestions. I'd like to keep it under $200 if possible.

Didn't notice your post there on the last page. The Sabertooth is a bit overkill for your needs, and this one will give you expandability in terms of RAM and SLI/Crossfire while saving you a bit. You'll also need one of these if you want to overclock your CPU.

Edit: Oops, I didn't realise I was double-posting there. Sorry!
 
He's advising you that it'll make no discernible difference to games, unless you're using an integrated GPU. Which you aren't.

http://images.anandtech.com/doci/7364/27b 6950 Sleeping Dogs Min.png

No difference certainly does apply. Unless you consider 0-3% improvement to be worth the price difference.

Anandtech benchmarks of cpu and memory are trash.

In one of last one they had gaming test with stock 4770k being faster than 4790k.

Memory scalling can range from
hitman-2.png


to
thief-2.png
 
It depends on what you are going to do with it. Do you want 120/144 fps in your games and make it super smooth? Then go for a good 16:9 monitor (for the record, I currently don't know if 21:9 with 144hz exist). Of course there are more scenarios such as work and so on.

I recently ordered an LG 29EB73-P for work. It can adjust the height compared to the EA model, has nice colors, a good screen splitting software if you need that and the speakers are decent for when you don't want do use headphones. The only "problem" I have is that it wobbles a little bit when I type. But I have to say that my desk is a cheap Ikea one and that I am a translator with a mechanical keyboard. Also, if you are watching movies that are not 21:9 then you will have black bars on the sides. I have yet to try a game with a 21:9 resolution (my work laptop is not built for games).

If you are satisfied with one screen than go for a good 16:9. If you want two screens in one and for work and so on then look at the model above or your model (but 2 1920x1080 screens are of course better than one 2560x1080 screen).

One last thing - the 21:9 is comparable to a 22 inch in height IIRC. So if you currently own a 24 inch for example then it will look a bit smaller in that regards.

EB on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00H2DK0I0/
EA on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00GFP9QF4/

Sorry completely forgot about this! Thanks for the help dude!
 
Last question before buying my rig.
Is there any benefit buying a 1TB WD Blue vs a 2TB WD Green, if I'm already buying a SSD?
I'd love the extra storage, but I don't know if the performance decreases.
 
Anandtech benchmarks of cpu and memory are trash.

In one of last one they had gaming test with stock 4770k being faster than 4790k.

Memory scalling can range from
hitman-2.png


to
thief-2.png

Would love to see if anyone else has benchmarked Thief with different RAM speeds, because that just seems ridiculous to me based on everything I know about RAM speed.
 
So, new problem. I got the CPU good and stable at 4.5Ghz with a Vcore of 1.25 and max temps of 78C over a half hour of Prime95, so the CPU side of things seems to be all good.

On the GPU side of things, however, I've just had Battlefield 4 hang on me twice. In both cases the screen froze and I got a buzz out of my speakers (the audio is running through my AVR from the HDMI out of the GPU). All fans seemed to keep running, but no response at all from the PC. I haven't applied any overclock to my GPU yet, though (aside from MSI's small factory overclock), and I'm currently doing a burn-in with Furmark, which hasn't exceeded 70C over the 20 mins it's been running now. The GPU usage does seem to be jumping back and forth from 63% to 99%, though, is that normal for Furmark?

Any ideas as to what the issue might be? I've got the latest drivers, and I've installed Afterburner, but haven't actually changed any settings in it yet.
 
My old acer monitor bit the bullet today, I've been searching for a fairly budget monitor (~£150) and would really like some suggestions to what I should get, currently I'm looking at this but when it comes to monitors I'm not in my comfort zone.
What sort of features are you looking for? Do you prefer accurate colours and good viewing angles, or faster response times? What screen size are you wanting?

I own the Dell U2414H and love it, it's an IPS panel so colours and viewing angles are great. Response times aren't as fast as TN monitors, but for an IPS they're actually very good.

The thin bezel design is great and it comes with a 3 year Dell warranty. It's above your budget at £168 from Aria, but there are reviews about so you'll be able to decide if it's worth the bit extra or not if you like the look of the monitor.
 
Guys I'm looking into replacing my monitors somewhere this year and was thinking I'd get one IPS panel to get more accurate colors for photo editing and one monitor for 3D.

Currently I have Samsung S23A700D 1080p monitor and Fujitsu Amilo SL 3260W 1200p. I would rather not go over 300 each and would love to keep the resolutions to what I already have, is this doable? I'd love to get some recommendations. And do these two monitors I currently have bear any resell value either if the screens have wear (really only visible when put up against bright lights) and just generally look used.

On that note these two barely fit my desk with Creative T20II's. I think the Samsung is a 23" and fujitsu 26". The new asus rog seems like a doitall solution but I really don't want to run games windowed as my pc can't run 1440p with settings I want.
 
Question about fan speeds - I have an Asus Z87I and I've noticed that even though I have all of my fans set to a certain RPM, the fans will ramp up towards their max if the CPU is under load. Instead, I would prefer that the fans maintain their RPM unless the CPU crosses the temp threshold.

I'm using ASUS' "AI Suite 3" but I can't find any setting which would explain how the fans will ramp up even when the temp is fine.

Any ideas? Is there any other software that is suggested?
 
Anyone have any idea when this case will be released?

Lian Li PC-V359.

I've searched google and I find nothing on it but previews, no dates of when it's available.
 
So I'm planning on going with this build in a few months. Do you guys mind taking a look and answering a couple questions (I'm COMPLETELY new at this). I mostly went with the info in the OP for parts, and also took the advice of a few peeps. This will be strictly an HTPC, and I have no plans on overclocking (wouldn't even know how).

Motherboard: Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H
Video Card: GeForce GTX 780 OC REV2.0 1006MHZ 3GB OR Radeon R9 290 DirectCU II OC 1000MHZ 4GB 5.0GHZ
SSD: Crucial MX100 256GB
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL 8GB
Power: Antec HCG-620M 620W
DVD: ASUS DRW-24F1ST 24X SATA DVD Writer
Case: Bitfenix Prodigy mITX MINI-ITX Tower Case

So, a couple questions. Does anyone have any recommendations as to which of those video cards to get? I've been hearing pros and cons for both.

Also, there's nothing here in terms of cooling. What do I need to get? I look and see a bunch of fans that are all really cheap, I just have zero idea on which ones to get.

Lastly, this won't be purchased for a few months (at least not completely, I may get it piecemeal as I have money). Which components should I wait last for, in terms of going drastically on sale or being replaced with newer components of similar quality?

Thanks for any help, guys!
 
I'm in the market for a new GPU. I have a 1440p monitor. What is the best buy from Nvidia right now? 780ti, titan black, or a titan on the used market? I'm looking to replace my old zotac 680 because my secondary PC GPU just died
 
I'm in the market for a new GPU. I have a 1440p monitor. What is the best buy from Nvidia right now? 780ti, titan black, or a titan on the used market? I'm looking to replace my old zotac 680 because my secondary PC GPU just died
780 is the best buy, but from those three then I would say 780Ti. The Titan black is extreme if you really need the vram for some reason.
 
So I'm planning on going with this build in a few months. Do you guys mind taking a look and answering a couple questions (I'm COMPLETELY new at this). I mostly went with the info in the OP for parts, and also took the advice of a few peeps. This will be strictly an HTPC, and I have no plans on overclocking (wouldn't even know how).

Motherboard: Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H
Video Card: GeForce GTX 780 OC REV2.0 1006MHZ 3GB OR Radeon R9 290 DirectCU II OC 1000MHZ 4GB 5.0GHZ
SSD: Crucial MX100 256GB
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL 8GB
Power: Antec HCG-620M 620W
DVD: ASUS DRW-24F1ST 24X SATA DVD Writer
Case: Bitfenix Prodigy mITX MINI-ITX Tower Case

So, a couple questions. Does anyone have any recommendations as to which of those video cards to get? I've been hearing pros and cons for both.

Also, there's nothing here in terms of cooling. What do I need to get? I look and see a bunch of fans that are all really cheap, I just have zero idea on which ones to get.

Lastly, this won't be purchased for a few months (at least not completely, I may get it piecemeal as I have money). Which components should I wait last for, in terms of going drastically on sale or being replaced with newer components of similar quality?

Thanks for any help, guys!

I'm quickly glancing at my phone, and that link isn't opening for me while I wait on someone to leave the bathroom... But I'm pretty sure that's an ATX motherboard, and you have a mITX case... Someone confirm for him?
 
So I'm planning on going with this build in a few months. Do you guys mind taking a look and answering a couple questions (I'm COMPLETELY new at this). I mostly went with the info in the OP for parts, and also took the advice of a few peeps. This will be strictly an HTPC, and I have no plans on overclocking (wouldn't even know how).

Motherboard: Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H
Video Card: GeForce GTX 780 OC REV2.0 1006MHZ 3GB OR Radeon R9 290 DirectCU II OC 1000MHZ 4GB 5.0GHZ
SSD: Crucial MX100 256GB
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL 8GB
Power: Antec HCG-620M 620W
DVD: ASUS DRW-24F1ST 24X SATA DVD Writer
Case: Bitfenix Prodigy mITX MINI-ITX Tower Case

So, a couple questions. Does anyone have any recommendations as to which of those video cards to get? I've been hearing pros and cons for both.

Also, there's nothing here in terms of cooling. What do I need to get? I look and see a bunch of fans that are all really cheap, I just have zero idea on which ones to get.

Lastly, this won't be purchased for a few months (at least not completely, I may get it piecemeal as I have money). Which components should I wait last for, in terms of going drastically on sale or being replaced with newer components of similar quality?

Thanks for any help, guys!

I might be asking a stupid question here, but how are you going to fit an ATX motherboard into a mini-ITX case?

I'm quickly glancing at my phone, and that link isn't opening for me while I wait on someone to leave the bathroom... But I'm pretty sure that's an ATX motherboard, and you have a mITX case... Someone confirm for him?

Ha, beaten to the punch. Yeah I noticed that too. Otherwise puffyshirt, your build looks VERY similar to mine LOL. (see a couple posts above). I'm getting a different Bitfenix case, but also a mini (just mATX), and thus the mATX Z97 motherboard. Check out my post?

I am so friggin jealous of US prices :(

Last things on my order, including NCIX pricechecking everything with tigerdirect, directcanada and newegg leaves me with

Case:
Bitfenix Phenom M mATX (93.10)

Processor:
Intel Core i5 4690K (254.99)

RAM:
Corsair Vengeance Pro 2X4GB DDR3-2133 (103.99)

HDD:
Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB (59.99)

SSD:
Crucial MX100 256GB (131.99)

PSU:
Corsair CX Series CX750M 750W (79.97)

Video:
MSI GeForce GTX 770 OC Twin Frozr IV 1098/1150MHZ 2GB (349.99)

Mobo:
Gigabyte Z97MX-GAMING 5 mATX (129.99)

Monitor:
ASUS VG248QE 24IN Widescreen 1920X1080 144HZ (282.85)

Sound:
Logitech Z506 5.1 Surround Speaker System 75W RMS (79.99)

Mouse&Keyboard:
Corsair Vengeance M95 (68.37)
Corsair Vengeance K95 (129.99)

Other:
Mousepad (11.99)
Linksys PLEK400 Powerline (47.99)
Kingston 32GB Flash Drive (13.99)



with shipping and taxes.... 2120.80 CAD. Which is about... 1974.95 USD.


.... Input, again, very welcome. Don't think I can optimize any individual component benchmark wise. I'd have to go to a 780 or a 4790K, but the price jump for those is big and... i'm already reaching territories I don't really wanna reach.

AND I STILL NEED TO BUY A CHAIR. :P
 
So I'm planning on going with this build in a few months. Do you guys mind taking a look and answering a couple questions (I'm COMPLETELY new at this). I mostly went with the info in the OP for parts, and also took the advice of a few peeps. This will be strictly an HTPC, and I have no plans on overclocking (wouldn't even know how).

Motherboard: Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H
Video Card: GeForce GTX 780 OC REV2.0 1006MHZ 3GB OR Radeon R9 290 DirectCU II OC 1000MHZ 4GB 5.0GHZ
SSD: Crucial MX100 256GB
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL 8GB
Power: Antec HCG-620M 620W
DVD: ASUS DRW-24F1ST 24X SATA DVD Writer
Case: Bitfenix Prodigy mITX MINI-ITX Tower Case

So, a couple questions. Does anyone have any recommendations as to which of those video cards to get? I've been hearing pros and cons for both.

Also, there's nothing here in terms of cooling. What do I need to get? I look and see a bunch of fans that are all really cheap, I just have zero idea on which ones to get.

Lastly, this won't be purchased for a few months (at least not completely, I may get it piecemeal as I have money). Which components should I wait last for, in terms of going drastically on sale or being replaced with newer components of similar quality?

Thanks for any help, guys!

You'll need a CPU. You say its a HTPC, but you'll still be using it for games, right? Or is this just like a streaming/media PC? Since if you're not gaming, you don't need a fancy GPU. But otherwise, IMO the R9 290 is a much better value than the 780.
 
As I mentioned earlier, my parents are now helping me with buying parts for a computer. This has also lead to my dad trying to get the best prices possible on what we want. Here's the list of stuff that I've had for a few months now, that I want to go with.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Z3cVmG

Budget is $2000 (in my head) and this is what I'm pretty much bent on. Also, the 850W is for a future upgrade to SLI.

Anyways! Through his hunting, he went to Ebay, and found barebones systems. What are the opinions on these? He says that you can buy a case, power supply, hard drive, etc. for cheaper than what I have listed on part picker. My problem is, I A) can't seem to find these ones, only ones that come with the motherboards and processors as well. And B) If there are ones that have to same stuff I would like, because I can't seem to find those either.

Any opinions?
 
I might be asking a stupid question here, but how are you going to fit an ATX motherboard into a mini-ITX case?



Ha, beaten to the punch. Yeah I noticed that too. Otherwise puffyshirt, your build looks VERY similar to mine LOL. (see a couple posts above). I'm getting a different Bitfenix case, but also a mini (just mATX), and thus the mATX Z97 motherboard. Check out my post?

I'm quickly glancing at my phone, and that link isn't opening for me while I wait on someone to leave the bathroom... But I'm pretty sure that's an ATX motherboard, and you have a mITX case... Someone confirm for him?

You'll need a CPU. You say its a HTPC, but you'll still be using it for games, right? Or is this just like a streaming/media PC? Since if you're not gaming, you don't need a fancy GPU. But otherwise, IMO the R9 290 is a much better value than the 780.

Sorry, I completely forgot to list the CPU since I already bought it. I got an i7 4790 from a fewllow Gaffer here for a pretty good deal, so I have that covered.

As for the case, I had no idea that would even be a problem! See, that's why I ask :D What kind of case should I be looking for then?

And yes, sorry, this will be an HTPC in that I'm not getting a monitor (going straight to the TV), but it will be used for gaming 95% of the time. Between Gaffers, friends, and online reviews, the whole R9 290/GTX 780 seems to be quite a big decision haha.

What's your CPU? And you might just want to wait for the 800 series cards, since you're waiting anyway.

Will the 800 series have a comparable model to the GTX 780 for a similar price? I want to keep my video card budget at like $550 tops, so if it's just a matter of waiting for a refresh of the current "line", then yeah I'll definitely wait (though a kickass black friday/boxing day sale might be a deciding factor too).
 
So I got done playing a game and my screen turned white, then white with small green horizontal lines while the computer made a screeching sound. Had to take my 6870HD out and use onboard video to get my computer to work. I can assume my graphics card took a crap. Is there anything else I should check out to be safe?

Is the amd of nvidia when looking for new cards around $200 or so?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom