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"I Need a New PC!" 2015 Part 1. Read the OP and RISE ABOVE FORGED PRECISION SCIENCE

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kharma45

Member
I have a question guys.

I currently have 2 gaming rigs (1 laptop and 1 desktop) and I need to sell one. The problem is, i'm not sure which one I want to sell.

My gaming laptop is an Asus ROG. It has a core i7 4700HQ, nvidia 860m 2GB, and 8 GB of RAM.

My desktop is a few years old now. It has a core i7 2600k, nvidia GTX 660, and 8GB of ram.

How do these two stack up against each other spec wise? My laptop seems to run games just fine, but I really want to play stuff like the witcher 3 when it comes out.

If you're serious about playing games keep the desktop.
 

Fracas

#fuckonami
Playing Arkham Origins @4k downsampled to 1080p with everything on ultra. i7 4970k core temps are 47, 38, 38 and 36 Celsius. GPU's about 75 degrees Celsius. Seems good so far.

I love this PC.
 

ACE 1991

Member
Thanks.... Man I really wanna spring for the 290x at $50 more... Being poor sucks, I really shouldn't. I'm hoping that I should be able to play most games for the next 1.5 to 2 years at high settings at 1080p with this. Last question: Do I still have some power overhead to do some OCing of the card? Reviews i'm reading indicate that it OC's well.

Thinking about just spring for the 290x... Will I still be ok with a 620w PSU?
 

hlhbk

Member
Alright I ordered my new build! My specs are as follows:

Intel I7 4790K
16 GB DDR3 2400 MHZ RAM
Asus Maximus VII Gene
Gigabyte Nvidia GTX 980
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO

Sound like a good mix of items?

I was a little concerned when seeing videos of the 212 EVO that it wouldn't fit on my new motherboard, but there appears to be others with the same board who have it. Luckily I only bought 2 sticks of RAM so I should be fine for space for the cooler. Does anyone have experience with this cooler and this motherboard?
 

darthbob

Member
Alright I ordered my new build! My specs are as follows:

Intel I7 4790K
16 GB DDR3 2400 MHZ RAM
Asus Maximus VII Gene
Gigabyte Nvidia GTX 980
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO

Sound like a good mix of items?

I was a little concerned when seeing videos of the 212 EVO that it wouldn't fit on my new motherboard, but there appears to be others with the same board who have it. Luckily I only bought 2 sticks of RAM so I should be fine for space for the cooler. Does anyone have experience with this cooler and this motherboard?

Looks like a solid build. Overclocking's going to be fun!
 

mkenyon

Banned
Alright I ordered my new build! My specs are as follows:

Intel I7 4790K
16 GB DDR3 2400 MHZ RAM
Asus Maximus VII Gene
Gigabyte Nvidia GTX 980
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO

Sound like a good mix of items?

I was a little concerned when seeing videos of the 212 EVO that it wouldn't fit on my new motherboard, but there appears to be others with the same board who have it. Luckily I only bought 2 sticks of RAM so I should be fine for space for the cooler. Does anyone have experience with this cooler and this motherboard?
You're fine. Great parts!
 

Jarsonot

Member
Oooh, things are starting to arrive!

MMKcrWS.jpg
 

coopolon

Member
Ok I pretty much followed the build guide for my non-gaming friend. He already has an ssd. Any suggested changes?

And just to verify, the on board graphics via mobo can do 3 monitors simultaneously?

CPU i5 4590 180
Motherboard asrock h97m 80
Memory G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory 60
PSU Antec VP-450 450W 30
Case silverstone ps10b 42
HDD wd blue 1tb 55
Optical Drive ASUS 24X DVD Burner 20
 

hlhbk

Member
Looks like a solid build. Overclocking's going to be fun!

I have never overclocked before. I am going to try for the first time with this system (hence why I got the processor cooler). Are there any tips/guides on how to get the most out of overclocking while not messing up your system?
 

mkenyon

Banned
Ok I pretty much followed the build guide for my non-gaming friend. He already has an ssd. Any suggested changes?

And just to verify, the on board graphics via mobo can do 3 monitors simultaneously?

CPU i5 4590 180
Motherboard asrock h97m 80
Memory G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory 60
PSU Antec VP-450 450W 30
Case silverstone ps10b 42
HDD wd blue 1tb 55
Optical Drive ASUS 24X DVD Burner 20
One via VGA, one via DVI, and one via HDMI. But yes.
 

Grinchy

Banned
I still have this cooler from my old PC: ARCTIC Freezer 7 Pro Rev 2

It says it works with the 1150 socket type, so it should work with my i5-4690K. Is this a crappy cooler, though? Should I even bother putting this in my new PC if I want to have some OC fun? I know the Evo 212 is the cool one to talk about these days, but I don't know if I want to buy another cooler if the one I have already is good enough.
 

ACE 1991

Member
Ended up getting the Asus OC 290 over the 290x, could t justify the extra money for the x version. Seems like it should be a great card for a good while.
 

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
I still have this cooler from my old PC: ARCTIC Freezer 7 Pro Rev 2

It says it works with the 1150 socket type, so it should work with my i5-4690K. Is this a crappy cooler, though? Should I even bother putting this in my new PC if I want to have some OC fun? I know the Evo 212 is the cool one to talk about these days, but I don't know if I want to buy another cooler if the one I have already is good enough.
Get 212 for sure
What do you guys use to measure computer temperature? Software wise?
Links in OP
Ended up getting the Asus OC 290 over the 290x, could t justify the extra money for the x version. Seems like it should be a great card for a good while.
Good choice
 

RGM79

Member
What do you guys use to measure computer temperature? Software wise?

I use HWMonitor. Others use HWInfo. For just CPU there's things like Core Temp, and for just graphics card there's GPU-Z.

I still have this cooler from my old PC: ARCTIC Freezer 7 Pro Rev 2

It says it works with the 1150 socket type, so it should work with my i5-4690K. Is this a crappy cooler, though? Should I even bother putting this in my new PC if I want to have some OC fun? I know the Evo 212 is the cool one to talk about these days, but I don't know if I want to buy another cooler if the one I have already is good enough.

It's a bit small and not as good as the 212 Evo, but I think it's better than the stock Intel cooler, at least. You won't be able to overclock as well, but it'll do for now if you want to save the $25.

I have never overclocked before. I am going to try for the first time with this system (hence why I got the processor cooler). Are there any tips/guides on how to get the most out of overclocking while not messing up your system?

This thread has a wealth of information for overclocking your 4790k.
 

Corpekata

Banned
Anyone have experience with newegg open box stuff? Specifically monitors? They have ROG Swift for about a hundred bucks less than other stores, and I'm awfully tempted to get into the Gsync game.

I'd probably just get it new from Amazon since it is on a slight sale but living in AZ I get taxed so that's adding another 50 bucks to the price anyway.
 

Dambrosi

Banned
Right, so I bought some pre-owned RAM sticks off of eBay, and they were just delivered about 10 minutes ago...in a brown cardboard box, wrapped directly in bubble-wrap.

I only got this new PC a couple of weeks ago, I ain't risking static death if I don't have to.

Should I contact the seller, tell them what they did wrong and demand a refund? Do I have a leg to stand on?
 

jwhit28

Member
Anyone have experience with newegg open box stuff? Specifically monitors? They have ROG Swift for about a hundred bucks less than other stores, and I'm awfully tempted to get into the Gsync game.

I'd probably just get it new from Amazon since it is on a slight sale but living in AZ I get taxed so that's adding another 50 bucks to the price anyway.

I've been using an open box Asrock motherboard for 5 years without an issue.
 

LilJoka

Member
My brother!!!!

What PSU and RAM should I go for? Also, what motherboard ?

Assuming she isnt gaming/need CUDA:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($321.98 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($126.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($194.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Toshiba 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($71.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Silverstone RVZ01B Mini ITX Desktop Case ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Silverstone Strider Gold 450W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply ($84.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $959.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-06 07:41 EST-0500
 

JakeD

Member
hey guys, i think i'm going to upgrade to a gtx970, but i wanted to confirm my power supply (550w) can handle it. the research i've done suggests 550 is fine as long as your PS is "good" and i'm not sure if mine is "good."

i have an i5 3570k, 3 HDs (non ssd), and a blu ray drive.

i think i'm going to be getting this card (sc acx 2.0)

thanks for your help
 
Showing off 8 cores at 4.5ghz. :D

Blazes my old 3930K and with a lower heat output. My life feels so complete now! Where were you before my sweet CPUGod.

IkJN5LQ.png


The 5960x overclocked to 4.5ghz must be absolutely fkin beastly. Any of the Haswell-E CPUs would be.

Can I ask what CPU cooler and case you have?
 
Right, so I bought some pre-owned RAM sticks off of eBay, and they were just delivered about 10 minutes ago...in a brown cardboard box, wrapped directly in bubble-wrap.

I only got this new PC a couple of weeks ago, I ain't risking static death if I don't have to.

Should I contact the seller, tell them what they did wrong and demand a refund? Do I have a leg to stand on?

That's poor by any standards, I wouldn't be pleased, even though RAM sticks I would imagine aren't as sensitive to ESD. Also, they're pre-owned, so unfortunately they will have been touched directly at some point.
 
A question to some of the experienced builders on here:

I've got a side panel on my Air 550D but I would like some lighting so I can see what's actually inside. Is case lighting frowned upon? Is it tacky? Ideally I'm looking for something more subtle. Like a white cold cathode light rod:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Logisys-D...254?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d2bc786ce

But to me it looks like that's a little bright and it'll light up my computer (and the surrounding room) like a Christmas tree. Are there any subtler options I could go for?
 

ACE 1991

Member
So i have an ASUS VS239H-P monitor. The image quality is great, but the thing wobble like a mother fucker when using my keyboard or mouse on the desk. Other than a wall mount, does anyone have any ideas what I can do to reduce the wobble of this shitty stand?
 
^^ you're welcome mate.

So i have an ASUS VS239H-P monitor. The image quality is great, but the thing wobble like a mother fucker when using my keyboard or mouse on the desk. Other than a wall mount, does anyone have any ideas what I can do to reduce the wobble of this shitty stand?
Duct tape bro. Not even kidding.
 

knitoe

Member
So i have an ASUS VS239H-P monitor. The image quality is great, but the thing wobble like a mother fucker when using my keyboard or mouse on the desk. Other than a wall mount, does anyone have any ideas what I can do to reduce the wobble of this shitty stand?

How about getting a VESA stand / mount?
 

ACE 1991

Member

LilJoka

Member
Right, so I bought some pre-owned RAM sticks off of eBay, and they were just delivered about 10 minutes ago...in a brown cardboard box, wrapped directly in bubble-wrap.

I only got this new PC a couple of weeks ago, I ain't risking static death if I don't have to.

Should I contact the seller, tell them what they did wrong and demand a refund? Do I have a leg to stand on?

You worry way too much. At work we used to throw RAM around the room and store in cardboard boxes. There were some failures, but RAM does fail randomly, ESD is the least of your worries here.

I would just try the RAM, if it works be happy, if it doesnt then ask for a refund.
 
After a lot of procrastinating and mulling it over I'm about to order a ben q RL2455HM monitor
http://www.displaylag.com/benq-rl2455hm-professional-gaming-monitor-review/
It seems like the best reviewed/least flawed in its price range

only 60 hz, only 1080p, TN panel, but good response time and low input lag, just hoping the panel (beyond being TN)/backlight/coating aren't garbage
Does anyone here happen to have one of these and have an opinion on it?
Also there wouldn't be a newer version of this out recently or something right?

I wanted a 120hz and/or gsync but they are way too expensive for being TN panels, I can't justify paying that (and for now my potato hardware isn't up to the task of 120 hz anyhow).
So the plan is to use this one till I replace the rest of my pc, pray there's an oled monitor by then or at least some mature freesync 120hz lcd (VA with tn style response time would be something) monitors, and use this benq one as a second monitor for browsing/streams/youtube while playing games.
 

mkenyon

Banned
For the most part, a lot of the manufacturers have focused on high refresh rate displays for new gaming display releases.
A question to some of the experienced builders on here:

I've got a side panel on my Air 550D but I would like some lighting so I can see what's actually inside. Is case lighting frowned upon? Is it tacky? Ideally I'm looking for something more subtle. Like a white cold cathode light rod:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Logisys-D...254?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d2bc786ce

But to me it looks like that's a little bright and it'll light up my computer (and the surrounding room) like a Christmas tree. Are there any subtler options I could go for?
You mean Air 540? 550D doesn't have a window.

In any case, I'd avoid cold cathodes. There's a large number of different LED options for you. I've used these in the instances I've had LED lighting and quite like them. They're really reliable, and if you stick with a few of the smaller strips, it doesn't get overly bright.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...047&cm_re=bitfenix_led-_-11-997-047-_-Product

Used on the backside of the motherboard tray here for ambient lighting:


Same concept here, but also with some single LEDs in the waterblocks and bridge:

 
So Newegg has the MSI R9 290x Gaming for $310, with a $20 promotional Newegg gift card as well as a $30 MSI rebate, AND free Civ 5 game.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127773&cm_re=r9_290x-_-14-127-773-_-Product

So basically that is $310 - $20 - $30 = $260 and Civ 5 for free.

Going back and forth between 290x and a GTX 970... am I missing something or is this an absolutely insane deal?

Edit: The GTX 970 I'm after is from EVGA and runs for $340 on Amazon. That is an $80 difference not counting the game.
 

ACE 1991

Member
So Newegg has the MSI R9 290x Gaming for $310, with a $20 promotional Newegg gift card as well as a $30 MSI rebate, AND free Civ 5 game.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127773&cm_re=r9_290x-_-14-127-773-_-Product

So basically that is $310 - $20 - $30 = $260 and Civ 5 for free.

Going back and forth between 290x and a GTX 970... am I missing something or is this an absolutely insane deal?

Edit: The GTX 970 I'm after is from EVGA and runs for $340 on Amazon. That is an $80 difference not counting the game.

Damn, wish I had jumped on this instead of the ASUS OC 290 for $240.
 
Damn, wish I had jumped on this instead of the ASUS OC 290 for $240.

Yours is a great deal as well.

I'm torn, there must be something wrong with me because I'm still hesitant to pull the trigger due to my Nvidia bias. Feels like I should get an Nvidia card for drivers and overall performance, but at this price I feel like buying a GTX 970 with 3.5G vram with about 5-10% better performance for $80 more seems foolish.
 

ACE 1991

Member
Yours is a great deal as well.

I'm torn, there must be something wrong with me because I'm still hesitant to pull the trigger due to my Nvidia bias. Feels like I should get an Nvidia card for drivers and overall performance, but at this price I feel like buying a GTX 970 with 3.5G vram with about 5-10% better performance for $80 more seems foolish.

The difference isn't even as much as 5-10% from what I can tell from benchmarks. I just don't think there is a reason to get a 970 over a 290x at this point. If you really can't decide, why not wait until the 300 series drops in a few months? Not sure what your current setup is like though. I went from a 6950 to the r9 290 I bought yesterday, man it is night and day.
 
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