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[Ronin Ray]

This is my first attempt at a build any thoughts and feedback on improvements is very welcome. My budget is higher at around $2000 so I can go up in price. Please be gentle I am new to this .

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/YtnxQ7
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/YtnxQ7/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($326.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-GAMING 7 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($136.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($202.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.26 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card ($295.00 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($113.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($86.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1497.13

 

[mkenyon]

Looks good.

 

[cleveridea]

This is my first attempt at a build any thoughts and feedback on improvements is very welcome. My budget is higher at around $2000 so I can go up in price. Please be gentle I am new to this .

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/YtnxQ7
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/YtnxQ7/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($326.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-GAMING 7 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($136.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($202.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.26 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card ($295.00 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($113.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($86.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1497.13

Looks good. You may want to consider a higher PSU if you think you might add another graphics card down the road (since that m/b looks like its SLI) just for future expansion 850+ Though what you have is fine if you dont plan such an upgrade.

 

[Stubo]

I'd probably go for the Fractal Design Define R5 and maybe look at upgrading the 970 to a 980 and the PSU to a 750W G2 if you want to spend more of the budget, otherwise it looks pretty ideal to me!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($326.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-GAMING 7 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($156.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($202.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.26 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB FTW ACX 2.0 Video Card ($539.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 w/Window (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($115.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($105.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($93.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1827.13
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

 

[Ronin Ray]

Looks good. You may want to consider a higher PSU if you think you might add another graphics card down the road (since that m/b looks like its SLI) just for future expansion 850+ Though what you have is fine if you dont plan such an upgrade.

Would it be better to just get a higher end graphics card now are just add another one down the road.

 

[Ronin Ray]

I'd probably go for the Fractal Design Define R5 and maybe look at upgrading the 970 to a 980 and the PSU to a 750W G2 if you want to spend more of the budget, otherwise it looks pretty ideal to me!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($326.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-GAMING 7 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($156.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston Fury Black Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($202.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.26 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB FTW ACX 2.0 Video Card ($539.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 w/Window (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($115.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($105.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($93.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1827.13
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Thanks for the feedback exactly what I am looking for

 

[Stubo]

It really depends what resolution you're planning to run and how much you want to spend on your GPU.

Did you fill out the form in the OP at all? You could have one of the resident build gurus match a part list to your needs!

 

[LilJoka]

Would it be better to just get a higher end graphics card now are just add another one down the road.

Even better would be to get the highest GPU today that is still good value for money, then later sell it and buy a new GPU. The only reason to use SLI today is to get 4k30 consistently, or 1600p area at 60fps. 980/970 area is 1080p60 max settings area.

 

[Ronin Ray]

It really depends what resolution you're planning to run and how much you want to spend on your GPU.

Did you fill out the form in the OP at all? You could have one of the resident build gurus match a part list to your needs!

That build I put up was from filling out that form and getting there build. I added a few changes. It would have been a train wreck if I did it on my own lol. All props and praise to the resident build gurus

 

[Ronin Ray]

Even better would be to get the highest GPU today that is still good value for money, then later sell it and buy a new GPU. The only reason to use SLI today is to get 4k30 consistently, or 1600p area at 60fps. 980/970 area is 1080p60 max settings area.

Ok that makes perfect sense thanks .

 

[BioHazard]

Can I run my build by you guys?
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JZ2JHx

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor - Amazon - $236
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler - Amazon - $35
Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard - Amazon - $140
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory - Amazon- $114
Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive - Amazon - $55
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card - Amazon - $545
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case - Amazon - $60
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply - Amazon - $60
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer - $20
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) - Amazon - $95

This will (hopefully) be my first build! Any suggestions or incompatibilities? Will a 600W power supply be enough?

 

[Talico]

Hello everyone, this is my post here so please forgive me if I'm doing something wrong (and my bad english).

This is the pc that I have right now:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VP8DNG
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z68-V ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($64.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 570 1.25GB Video Card
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($107.98 @ Newegg)
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

I built this 3 years ago and it's still a good machine but it's time to upgrade. If I change the VGA (for a GTX970), add a watercooler and overclock it, is it going to be enough?

Thanks!

 

[Mystic654]

Since my motherboard only has two usb 2.0 headers and I need three for my build. Would this device work as an additional header?

Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0031ESKJA/?tag=neogaf0e-20

 

[mkenyon]

Since my motherboard only has two usb 2.0 headers and I need three for my build. Would this device work as an additional header?

Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0031ESKJA/?tag=neogaf0e-20

What motherboard only has two USB ports?

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

Hello everyone, this is my post here so please forgive me if I'm doing something wrong (and my bad english).

This is the pc that I have right now:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VP8DNG
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z68-V ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($64.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 570 1.25GB Video Card
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($107.98 @ Newegg)
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

I built this 3 years ago and it's still a good machine but it's time to upgrade. If I change the VGA (for a GTX970), add a watercooler and overclock it, is it going to be enough?

Thanks!

Yeah, you don't even need a watercooler to get it to 4.5Ghz. An air cooler is fine.

 

[Mystic654]

What motherboard only has two USB ports?

Not ports, headers.

 

[Invis]

I'm going to upgrade my PSU since I'm planning on selling my current one to a buddy for his first build.

I'm currently running a 2500K @ 4.5GHz and a single GTX 970 @ 1448/3903. I currently have a 650w PSU (the Corsair TX650 v2 to be precise), and I plan on upgrading to a 980 Ti whenever it comes out if it's worth it.

I'm looking for a fully modular PSU. Now I'm not sure how much wattage I need because I just never know how much I'm going to keep upgrading my PC. This originally started off as a budget gaming PC and has turned into much more than that. Budget is $135. I was thinking of just getting a EVGA 850w G2 and calling it a day and never having to worry about a PSU ever again. Thoughts?

 

[Celcius]

Here's a plot twist for you:

Today I get my RMA psu back from Seasonic and when I look at it the serial number seems to be the same as the one I sent in. Then I put it in my computer and 3.3v rail still shows low (red) in the bios like before. I'm kinda confused because their RMA policy said they would charge a $25 fee if it was not found to be defective, yet they seem to have sent me back the same unit and I see the same issue in my bios.

Maybe they tested it without issues and were just nice about not charging me & sent it back? But if so, would that mean that my motherboard is failing?


edit: I see that my Asus P8Z68V-Pro Gen3 motherboard only had a 3 year warranty and I've had it longer than that, so if that's failing then it looks like this may be the end of the road for my 2600k setup. When does Skylake come out?

Quick recap of the issue: My machine was booted up but wouldn't load windows a few times, then everything was normal for a week or two. Then the computer started freezing and eventually windows wouldn't load anymore (happened both overclocked and at stock). I checked the SSDs and all of the SMART parameters looked good, but I noticed my 3.3v rail was reading low in the bios so I RMA'd my psu but they seem to have sent it back.

 

[Affeinvasion]

Just pulled the trigger on a 970 FTW for witcher 3 action. That windforce model looked nice but I highly doubt I can fit all 12 inches of it's triple cooler in my case.

 

[Celcius]

I installed windows and was installing drivers, but now 30 minutes later I can't even boot into windows again (I can just get into the bios)

 

[m_shortpants]

Pulled the trigger on my parts today. Hopefully they all arrive by Friday so I can build Saturday.

Do you guys typically recommend trying to see if you can post before putting everything in the case? It'll be my first time building a PC.

 

[Enduin]

So I'm helping my younger cousin put together her first PC. I want to try and get the very best out of what little money she has. She has $758 dollars right now. She needs everything. She has no mouse, no keyboard, no monitor. Nothing she can use to carry over to this build. She just turned 13 and is interested in development and games and stuff so I thought the best way to help jump start that would be to have her build a computer of her own.

I do have 6gb of RAM and my old AMD 4890 I could give her but I think the GFX card at least is a bit too old now and a stop gap at best. RAM should be fine if it saves much of anything.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

[b0bbyJ03]

Does anyone know what the bit depth and sample rate of modern games are these days? I'd like to avoid down/upsampling if possible.

 

[ShooterMcTavish]

building my first pc. Really want to try and have ultra settings 60fps on witcher 3 and batman arkham knight. I know I'm going to need a gtx 980. I don't want a really big case since I am only going to do one card. " i feel like I will just always upgrade to best card i can buy instead of going sli" and I want to try and fit it in my entertainment stand.

Only gaming in 1080p too since I want to connect it to my keeping room tv " sony w900a 55 inch"

any suggestions?

 

[Kayant]

Can I run my build by you guys?
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JZ2JHx



This will (hopefully) be my first build! Any suggestions or incompatibilities? Will a 600W power supply be enough?

600W is fine but I would recommend a better quality PSU -
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-100b10600kr
If your budget can take it -
Modular :
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/rosewill-power-supply-capstone550
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-110b10750vr

building my first pc. Really want to try and have ultra settings 60fps on witcher 3 and batman arkham knight. I know I'm going to need a gtx 980. I don't want a really big case since I am only going to do one card. " i feel like I will just always upgrade to best card i can buy instead of going sli" and I want to try and fit it in my entertainment stand.

Only gaming in 1080p too since I want to connect it to my keeping room tv " sony w900a 55 inch"

any suggestions?

Both games are not out yet so no one can really say for sure if you will be able to run Ultra(With all settings) @ 60fps. It terms of cases look at micro-atx/mini-itx cases i.e fractal design node 304, Corsair 250D, Sliverstone cases.

 

[ShooterMcTavish]

will those cases let me fit a high end gpu like the gtx 980 or the 290x?

 

[Bleepey]

My brother wants me to buy him RAM. I think my mobo supports a maximum of 32gb and there's presently 2 4GB sticks. I was just wondering is it worth buying another 8GB for his rendering needs or should I instead of buying 2 4GB sticks, I should buy two 8 GB sticks?

 

[knitoe]

My brother wants me to buy him RAM. I think my mobo supports a maximum of 32gb and there's presently 2 4GB sticks. I was just wondering is it worth buying another 8GB for his rendering needs or should I instead of buying 2 4GB sticks, I should buy two 8 GB sticks?

If he's rendering, the more ram the better. Go 2 x 8GB.

 

[Enduin]

So I'm helping my younger cousin put together her first PC. I want to try and get the very best out of what little money she has. She has $758 dollars right now. She needs everything. She has no mouse, no keyboard, no monitor. Nothing she can use to carry over to this build. She just turned 13 and is interested in development and games and stuff so I thought the best way to help jump start that would be to have her build a computer of her own.

I do have 6gb of RAM and my old AMD 4890 I could give her but I think the GFX card at least is a bit too old now and a stop gap at best. RAM should be fine if it saves much of anything.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

So I did a quick and dirty build that has everything but RAM and an OS which I can provide. Basically went off highest rated for price range.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3GfXGX

I do good? Still have $14 leeway as well.

 

[RGM79]

I used to be able to output to my TV using a DVI->HDMI converter, but it's stopped working. I don't know if it's because the drivers have borked this funtionality in some HDMI paranoia or the port has died.

Anyway, long story short, can someone please help me choose a new GFX card to replace my 512MB 8800 GT OC?

I'm planning to do a proper new build in about six months, I just need something of at least equivalent ability for as cheap as possible (and with a native HDMI port!), but I've no idea what a modern equivalent chipset would be 6(?) generations on.

Any help greatly appreciated!

The last "equivalent" I remember someone was saying fitted the 8800GT was the GTS 450.. Maybe a GT 740 or even a GT 730 would be a match today?

Does it need to have equal gaming performance, or do you just need HDMI output for as cheap as possible? If it's the latter case, then something cheap like the GT 210/610 would suffice.

According to Nvidia site, both monitors need to use one of the cards and the other doesn't have an input.

Is this wrong?

Ah, that's why I was confused. I don't own any recent Nvidia GPUs, and was unaware that was how SLI worked for dual monitors. On AMD crossfire, either card can be used to connect monitors.

I'm going to upgrade my PSU since I'm planning on selling my current one to a buddy for his first build.

I'm currently running a 2500K @ 4.5GHz and a single GTX 970 @ 1448/3903. I currently have a 650w PSU (the Corsair TX650 v2 to be precise), and I plan on upgrading to a 980 Ti whenever it comes out if it's worth it.

I'm looking for a fully modular PSU. Now I'm not sure how much wattage I need because I just never know how much I'm going to keep upgrading my PC. This originally started off as a budget gaming PC and has turned into much more than that. Budget is $135. I was thinking of just getting a EVGA 850w G2 and calling it a day and never having to worry about a PSU ever again. Thoughts?

Do you have plans to run multiple graphics cards, or is that still an unknown area? If not, 650 watts is enough for just about any single graphics card including the Titan X (barring twin GPUs on a single card like the R9 295X2).

So I'm helping my younger cousin put together her first PC. I want to try and get the very best out of what little money she has. She has $758 dollars right now. She needs everything. She has no mouse, no keyboard, no monitor. Nothing she can use to carry over to this build. She just turned 13 and is interested in development and games and stuff so I thought the best way to help jump start that would be to have her build a computer of her own.

I do have 6gb of RAM and my old AMD 4890 I could give her but I think the GFX card at least is a bit too old now and a stop gap at best. RAM should be fine if it saves much of anything.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Are you in the US? For $758 without graphics card or RAM, that gets you quite a strong PC. Do you live near a Microcenter? They offer the i5 4690K and motherboard bundles for $300 and under, a good deal when you consider the processor itself is ~$240.

 

[Enduin]

Are you in the US? For $758 without graphics card or RAM, that gets you quite a strong PC. Do you live near a Microcenter? They offer the i5 4690K and motherboard bundles for $300 and under, a good deal when you consider the processor itself is ~$240.

Yeah I'm in the US. Microcenter just 20 minutes from me. 300 is a good buy but still 100 more than the test build I just made. I don't think it would make much sense to stick her with my quite old 4890.

 

[Invis]

Do you have plans to run multiple graphics cards, or is that still an unknown area? If not, 650 watts is enough for just about any single graphics card including the Titan X (barring twin GPUs on a single card like the R9 295X2).

Yes, I plan on SLI'ing in the future. I actually already went ahead and purchased an EVGA 850w G2. For how amazing that PSU is, I just went ahead and paid a bit more to have the peace of mind that whatever I throw at it will work perfectly fine (barring tri-SLI which I personally don't think I'm ever going to do, I'm still running a 1080p monitor ATM).

 

[ACE 1991]

So I finally got my 2500K at a stable 4.3 OC. It is idling at 3.08v and when under load using prime95 goes between 1.33-1.34. Is this OK for a 24/7 OC, or will I be shortening the length of the CPU an appreciable amount?

 

[Invis]

So I finally got my 2500K at a stable 4.3 OC. It is idling at 3.08v and when under load using prime95 goes between 1.33-1.34. Is this OK for a 24/7 OC, or will I be shortening the length of the CPU an appreciable amount?

I've had my 2500K at 4.5GHz at a fixed 1.345v ever since they came out and I have never had any issues with it.

 

[RGM79]

So I did a quick and dirty build that has everything but RAM and an OS which I can provide. Basically went off highest rated for price range.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3GfXGX

I do good? Still have $14 leeway as well.

Yeah I'm in the US. Microcenter just 20 minutes from me. 300 is a good buy but still 100 more than the test build I just made. I don't think it would make much sense to stick her with my quite old 4890.

Nah, you can go Intel and get a new graphics card on your budget.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($49.99)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($43.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Acer S240HL bd 60Hz 23.6" Monitor ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($28.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $754.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-27 21:14 EDT-0400

I can't recommend AMD FX, for your budget you can get a much better processor than the 2.5 year old FX-6300. The AM3+ motherboard platform is already outdated and will no longer see any upgrades, whereas the current Intel Z97 motherboard platform still has some life in it.

 

[Enduin]

Nah, you can go Intel and get a new graphics card on your budget.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($28.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($49.99)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($43.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Acer S240HL bd 60Hz 23.6" Monitor ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($28.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $754.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-27 21:14 EDT-0400

I can't recommend AMD FX, for your budget you can get a much better processor than the 2.5 year old FX-6300. The AM3+ motherboard platform is already outdated and will no longer see any upgrades, whereas the current Intel Z97 motherboard platform still has some life in it.

Fantastic. That looks really great. Better than my current rig for the most part. Thanks.

 

[ACE 1991]

I've had my 2500K at 4.5GHz at a fixed 1.345v ever since they came out and I have never had any issues with it.

Yeah, I imagine I'm fine, just overly paranoid.

 

[RGM79]

Fantastic. That looks really great. Better than my current rig for the most part. Thanks.

Just to be clear, the $50 motherboard is the cost when it's bundled from Microcenter. It's $250 for the i5 4690K and the ASRock Z97 Pro4 together.

Do you really need wifi? If you do, you could take out the cost of the CPU cooler for now and substitute this Gigabyte wifi adaptor (~$30) in for now. Long wire antenna for better signal reception (place it higher if needed, etc), bluetooth and wireless AC support makes it a bit better than that TP-Link model.

 

[hlhbk]

Just ordered a Philips 272G5DYEB 27 inch Gsync monitor from Amazon. I am pretty excited. Yes I know it's only 1080p but that is fine for me! I can't wait to see the difference gsync makes! Anyone have one of these? What is your experience?

 

[Enduin]

Just to be clear, the $50 motherboard is the cost when it's bundled from Microcenter. It's $250 for the i5 4690K and the ASRock Z97 Pro4 together.

Do you really need wifi? If you do, you could take out the cost of the CPU cooler for now and substitute this Gigabyte wifi adaptor (~$30) in for now. Long wire antenna for better signal reception (place it higher if needed, etc), bluetooth and wireless AC support makes it a bit better than that TP-Link model.

Yeah that's definitely needed along with a DVD drive. So I'll probably nix the cooler for now. She can get that down the road if she wants to beef things up. Though I could just give her mine, since I never ever use it.

 

[xplicitone]

No idea where you heard about the 15 minutes wait.

Ideally install display river unisntaller. select to remove drivers for a new GPU. The PC will shutdown once its finished. Swap the GPUs, get into Windows and install the latest Nvidia driver. Open display driver uninstaller up and re-enable driver from windows updates. Finished.

drivers are the same for both cards, the 350.12 drivers support these cards

GeForce 900 Series
GeForce 700 Series
GeForce 600 Series
GeForce 500 Series
GeForce 400 Series
should be able to swap cards without uninstalling drivers

I hear it's good to leave your computer alone for ~15 minutes after shutting off, before opening and touching the components from static shock but i guess that's just blown out of proportion?

Wow that's good to know the drivers overlap series! Thanks!

 

[SRG01]

Hm, that's odd. The Windows 7 install sees my 240gb SSD on SATA1 but not my 1TB on SATA2. Here's hoping that I have no issues with that hard drive...

Edit: oh god, that large fan reminds me of sitting on an airplane @_@

Edit2: nvm, fixed it. Forgot to put in a power cable, hahaha

 

[Quotient]

Even better would be to get the highest GPU today that is still good value for money, then later sell it and buy a new GPU. The only reason to use SLI today is to get 4k30 consistently, or 1600p area at 60fps. 980/970 area is 1080p60 max settings area.

By the time you decide to upgrade, wouldn't you be able to pick up a 2nd card (at a much cheaper price) to SLI, extending the life of your system for another year or so?

 

[EroticSushi]

Anyone know what to call this? My friends monitor is looking like this in the dark and I was going to tell him it's backlight bleeding but it seems to be shifting at different angles. I think he's using a TN panel but I'll have to ask.

 

[Geneijin]

Anyone know what to call this? My friends monitor is looking like this in the dark and I was going to tell him it's backlight bleeding but it seems to be shifting at different angles. I think he's using a TN panel but I'll have to ask.

Looks like the mura effect on a Vita

 

[Jimrpg]

Just to be clear, the $50 motherboard is the cost when it's bundled from Microcenter. It's $250 for the i5 4690K and the ASRock Z97 Pro4 together.

Do you really need wifi? If you do, you could take out the cost of the CPU cooler for now and substitute this Gigabyte wifi adaptor (~$30) in for now. Long wire antenna for better signal reception (place it higher if needed, etc), bluetooth and wireless AC support makes it a bit better than that TP-Link model.

So I live in a semi detached house and share the Internet with my wife's uncle next door. Right now my computer is on the dining table about 5m from the wall separating our homes. The Internet is very spotty, I've somewhat made do by moving the dining table a bit closer (2m) and when downloading I've moved the whole computer next to the wall which makes it much better. I'm using one of those TP-link USB wireless adapters which are basic at best.

The computer is going to go upstairs though when the desk gets here (which will be against the wall separating the homes). Should I get one of those cards gigabyte cards mentioned in the quoted post? Will the antenna help get better coverage? I'm assuming my uncle in law already has the modem against the wall.

 

[Jimrpg]

By the time you decide to upgrade, wouldn't you be able to pick up a 2nd card (at a much cheaper price) to SLI, extending the life of your system for another year or so?

My thinking for this - would you buy a 670 to SLI now or just sell the 670 and buy a single 970/980? I'd go with the latter.

 

[ohyouagain]

Thanks for the feedback exactly what I am looking for

I would suggest you check this video to assess the potential of 3-way SLI builds. Spoiler : it ain't worth it in many cases.
2-way SLI and upgrade down the road seems to me the soundest way to spend your bucks.

 

[RGM79]

So I live in a semi detached house and share the Internet with my wife's uncle next door. Right now my computer is on the dining table about 5m from the wall separating our homes. The Internet is very spotty, I've somewhat made do by moving the dining table a bit closer (2m) and when downloading I've moved the whole computer next to the wall which makes it much better. I'm using one of those TP-link USB wireless adapters which are basic at best.

The computer is going to go upstairs though when the desk gets here (which will be against the wall separating the homes). Should I get one of those cards gigabyte cards mentioned in the quoted post? Will the antenna help get better coverage? I'm assuming my uncle in law already has the modem against the wall.

It might help, but it's hard to say in your situation. The wifi signal coming from his house is also important. Do you know what model of device it is? You should make sure exactly where the box in your uncle's house is.

 

[Jimrpg]

It might help, but it's hard to say in your situation. The wifi signal coming from his house is also important. Do you know what model of device it is? You should make sure exactly where the box in your uncle's house is.

I can find out, though I doubt he will do any upgrading or move the modem to a better position. The other option is getting our own internet but its a bit hard to justify right now.

Would getting a wifi extender to help?