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[Chris R]

Does nVidia's site have the full list of current G-Sync monitors available?

 

[Easy_D]

A quick google says yes. Here's the list : http://www.geforce.com/hardware/technology/g-sync/where-to-buy-g-sync-monitors-and-modules

Edit: Wow, I'm dumb and misread your post completely. I don't know if that's the full list :lol. It does look kinda small doesn't it?

 

[Chris R]

A quick google says yes. Here's the list : http://www.geforce.com/hardware/technology/g-sync/where-to-buy-g-sync-monitors-and-modules

Edit: Wow, I'm dumb and misread your post completely. I don't know if that's the full list :lol. It does look kinda small doesn't it?

It does look small.

I just want something in the 27" range, with 1440p+G-Sync and built in speakers/hdmi so I can play my PS4 on it as well

 

[Sky Chief]

It does look small.

I just want something in the 27" range, with 1440p+G-Sync and built in speakers/hdmi so I can play my PS4 on it as well

If I'm not mistaken, none of the 1440p G-sync monitors have HDMI and maybe there are one or two G-syncs that have multiple and non-display port inputs. I think maybe some have been announced but the original G-sync module only allows for one Display Port input.

 

[CreepingFear]

I wish the cpu market was more interesting. I'm really surprised how well my i5 3570k still compares for something that's 3 years old. Looks like it'll see me through at least one more video card generation at this rate, maybe even two.

I understand how you feel. I have $1300 saved and I'm itching to upgrade, but my oced 2600k is not holding me back in the majority of games. I don't know what I'll do if Skylake is another minor 10 percent improvement.

 

[HarryDemeanor]

My SSD is going to be delivered before tonight. Is the standard protocol still to unplug your hard drive until the windows installation on the SSD is completed?

 

[Easy_D]

I like how my CPU reaches higher temps when it does stuff randomly in windows than when it does under heavy load :lol. Just ran the intro section of Witcher 2 and it ran smoothly and the CPU was at good temps.

Maybe I need to flash the bios to make it stop using the fans like an idiot.

Edit: Actually reading up on it it seems the stock fan is just doing a rather good job of compensating for my horrible thermal paste application skills :lol. Maybe I need to spread it manually since I can't really twist the heatsink at all. I'm thinking there might actually be a little layer that's making heat transfer harder than it should.

 

[The Elite]

My PC just went belly up.

I can salvage the 16gb of DDR3 RAM and the 1tb HDD from it.

I am thinking about ordering the above for the rest.

Any thoughts?

I have a 660ti now but I might as well upgrade while I am doing this.

Sorry for the weird sharpness on the image.

PRICES ARE IN CANADIAN. Comes out to about $798. I will have them put what is there together before shipping.

 

[Fitts]

Thoughts on this XFX power supply? Are all XFX PSUs still made by SeaSonic? It would only be $27 after rebate and 550W should be fine for the GTX960 or a later upgrade to a 970 and an i7 4790k. (right?)

 

[Red Comet]

I like how my CPU reaches higher temps when it does stuff randomly in windows than when it does under heavy load :lol. Just ran the intro section of Witcher 2 and it ran smoothly and the CPU was at good temps.

Maybe I need to flash the bios to make it stop using the fans like an idiot.

Edit: Actually reading up on it it seems the stock fan is just doing a rather good job of compensating for my horrible thermal paste application skills :lol. Maybe I need to spread it manually since I can't really twist the heatsink at all. I'm thinking there might actually be a little layer that's making heat transfer harder than it should.

I've haven't gotten to the bottom of it yet, but there was a recent Windows update that now works my CPU well above normal gaming temps during idle maintenance. I looked around and I found a few other people reporting the same thing in the last month or two. I think its probably happening to more people than know about it, but I keep HWMonitor up at all times and record my temps.

 

[RGM79]

My SSD is going to be delivered before tonight. Is the standard protocol still to unplug your hard drive until the windows installation on the SSD is completed?

Yes, I recommend it.

Even if you select one storage drive to be where Windows is installed, Windows might create or use a system partition elsewhere on another drive. Then you'll have the odd case of not being able to boot if the drive containing that small system partition dies or is removed, even if the drive containing the OS still works and is connected. Or you might have odd issues where Windows decides to give your drives different drive letters, and your OS drive might be something other than the C: drive. Annoying, but fixable.

Still, you might as well avoid these issues in the first place by only plugging in the drive you want to install Windows on. Also, if you have an old hard drive that already has Windows installed, you should save the files you need from it and format the drive to prevent the old installation of Windows from possibly interfering with startup.

 

[CreepingFear]

My SSD is going to be delivered before tonight. Is the standard protocol still to unplug your hard drive until the windows installation on the SSD is completed?

I do that to be safe. It's probably not necessary on modern hardware if you are careful.

 

[yami4ct]

Alright, I'm just tying a few loose ends on my build. Probably going to order in the next week. I was finally able to find my old PSU box and find the details on it. Just wanted to check and make sure my old PSU is going to work out. It's specifically this old antec 750w.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371022

It's currently running with no issues, so I don't really feel a need to replace it. Any reason I should? Also quick question, is 6+2 pin PCI-E the same as 8 pin or will I need to use the adapter included with the EVGA 970. For a quick reference, here's my build right now.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-E ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($66.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($117.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0 Video Card ($329.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black/Orange) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)
Total: $946.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-07 21:05 EDT-0400

Thanks for putting up with me, guys! You've been so much help so far. Glad to be in the final stretch with this.

 

[HarryDemeanor]

Yes, I recommend it.

Even if you select one storage drive to be where Windows is installed, Windows might create or use a system partition elsewhere on another drive. Then you'll have the odd case of not being able to boot if the drive containing that small system partition dies or is removed, even if the drive containing the OS still works and is connected. Or you might have odd issues where Windows decides to give your drives different drive letters, and your OS drive might be something other than the C: drive. Annoying, but fixable.

Still, you might as well avoid these issues in the first place by only plugging in the drive you want to install Windows on. Also, if you have an old hard drive that already has Windows installed, you should save the files you need from it and format the drive to prevent the old installation of Windows from possibly interfering with startup.

I do that to be safe. It's probably not necessary on modern hardware if you are careful.

Alright. I'll be formatting my hard drive anyway. I will make sure to leave it unplugged when I get the SSD up and running.

 

[RGM79]

Thoughts on this XFX power supply? Are all XFX PSUs still made by SeaSonic? It would only be $27 after rebate and 550W should be fine for the GTX960 or a later upgrade to a 970 and an i7 4790k. (right?)

Yes, it's a good power supply. If you plan to overclock, 550 watts is a little weak for an i7 4790K and GTX 970, though.

My PC just went belly up.

I can salvage the 16gb of DDR3 RAM and the 1tb HDD from it.

I am thinking about ordering the above for the rest.

Any thoughts?

I have a 660ti now but I might as well upgrade while I am doing this.

Sorry for the weird sharpness on the image.

PRICES ARE IN CANADIAN. Comes out to about $798. I will have them put what is there together before shipping.

That's not a good deal for $800 CAD. Personally, I'd opt for a cheaper power supply and case so you can have a better processor. Here's what I'd buy:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($269.95 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($114.99 @ NCIX)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card ($229.99 @ NCIX)
Case: BitFenix Neos Black/Silver ATX Mid Tower Case ($41.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($66.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $723.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-07 21:13 EDT-0400

All is from NCIX and it comes to $725, so you can still pay $50 for the assembly fee.

Where in Canada are you, if you don't mind telling us?

 

[Easy_D]

I've haven't gotten to the bottom of it yet, but there was a recent Windows update that now works my CPU well above normal gaming temps during idle maintenance. I looked around and I found a few other people reporting the same thing in the last month or two. I think its probably happening to more people than know about it, but I keep HWMonitor up at all times and record my temps.

Ah, weird. I was just playing a bit of Dark Souls 2 DX11 and it peaked at 55. Meanwhile random Windows shit made it peak at 67 for a second. Thing is this didn't happen over a month ago when I last booted and I haven't had time to install any Windows updates so it's probably unrelated. During surfing I see quick increases to 45 and then quick drop back to 34-ish, so that might just be semi-badly applied paste after all, I think it hasn't spread properly..or maybe you are right and it's some Windows thing and I haven't noticed because I'm always using headphones and I haven't bothered to check my temps before now as my system's been stable. It does idle all the way down to 25 degrees so my pasting should be fine :lol

 

[The Elite]

Yes, it's a good power supply. If you plan to overclock, 550 watts is a little weak for an i7 4790K and GTX 970, though.


That's not a good deal for $800 CAD. Personally, I'd opt for a cheaper power supply and case so you can have a better processor. Here's what I'd buy:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($269.95 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($114.99 @ NCIX)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card ($229.99 @ NCIX)
Case: BitFenix Neos Black/Silver ATX Mid Tower Case ($41.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($66.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $723.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-07 21:13 EDT-0400

All is from NCIX and it comes to $725, so you can still pay $50 for the assembly fee.

Where in Canada are you, if you don't mind telling us?

I am in Toronto.

Thanks for the info. I thought it looked like a bit of a shit deal while looking at everyone else's setup.

 

[RGM79]

Alright, I'm just tying a few loose ends on my build. Probably going to order in the next week. I was finally able to find my old PSU box and find the details on it. Just wanted to check and make sure my old PSU is going to work out. It's specifically this old antec 750w.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371022

It's currently running with no issues, so I don't really feel a need to replace it. Any reason I should? Also quick question, is 6+2 pin PCI-E the same as 8 pin or will I need to use the adapter included with the EVGA 970. For a quick reference, here's my build right now.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z97-E ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($66.98 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($117.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0 Video Card ($329.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black/Orange) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit)
Total: $946.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-07 21:05 EDT-0400

Thanks for putting up with me, guys! You've been so much help so far. Glad to be in the final stretch with this.

That power supply you have is quite good, it's actually made by Seasonic and received numerous positive reviews.

How long have you had it, exactly? I'm also running on a 6+ year old Seasonic power supply and I don't feel a need to upgrade, although if you're worried that it may die and that it's out of warranty coverage, then it's reasonable to want to replace it.

Yes, 6+2 pin is the same thing as 8 pin, it's just split so you can also plug it into a 6 pin connector if you need to. You should not have to use the molex adaptors that came with the GTX 970.

I am in Toronto.

Thanks for the info. I thought it looked like a bit of a shit deal while looking at everyone else's setup.

If you were in Vancouver, I'd offer to assemble it for you. Oh well. Just wondering, did you want a more compact PC? I just noticed that your original list was all mATX size parts.

 

[The Elite]

If you were in Vancouver, I'd offer to assemble it for you. Oh well. Just wondering, did you want a more compact PC? I just noticed that your original list was all mATX size parts.

I don't necessarily need something more compact.

I was just throwing something together based on NCIX PC Builder. I find their utility inadequate unfortunately.

 

[yami4ct]

That power supply you have is quite good, it's actually made by Seasonic and received numerous positive reviews.

How long have you had it, exactly? I'm also running on a 6+ year old Seasonic power supply and I don't feel a need to upgrade, although if you're worried that it may die and that it's out of warranty coverage, then it's reasonable to want to replace it.

Yes, 6+2 pin is the same thing as 8 pin, it's just split so you can also plug it into a 6 pin connector if you need to. You should not have to use the molex adaptors that came with the GTX 970.

It's about 5-6 years old. I'm not too worried about it dying as the thing still runs like a dream as far as I can tell. No odd sounds or power related issues. If I can keep it, which it sounds like I can, I definitely will.

One final (I think) question. This is my first time running a PC with two hard drives. How exactly do you set that all up? I read your instructions on installation and that makes sense. I'm already backed up onto an external drive, so I'm ready to wipe and format my 1TB regular HDD. I know I can't save all my games on the SSD, so my plan is to use that to play my current stuff while using the HDD as a sort of deep storage for older games and other data. Is SteamTool still the best way to manage this or should I be looking to something else? As for data itself, will that just involve making document and download folders on my storage drive and pointing windows at them?

 

[Red Comet]

Ah, weird. I was just playing a bit of Dark Souls 2 DX11 and it peaked at 55. Meanwhile random Windows shit made it peak at 67 for a second. Thing is this didn't happen over a month ago when I last booted and I haven't had time to install any Windows updates so it's probably unrelated. During surfing I see quick increases to 45 and then quick drop back to 34-ish, so that might just be semi-badly applied paste after all, I think it hasn't spread properly..or maybe you are right and it's some Windows thing and I haven't noticed because I'm always using headphones and I haven't bothered to check my temps before now as my system's been stable. It does idle all the way down to 25 degrees so my pasting should be fine :lol

Yeah, and 67 isn't that bad I think. The other day one of my cores peaked at 85 C very briefly during maintenance, which never happened a month ago. I definitely think my issue is related to Windows and not my paste wearing down since my gaming temps seem no higher than normal. Although I do have a sizeable overclock and its a Haswell which run hot.

 

[Easy_D]

Yeah, and 67 isn't that bad I think. The other day one of my cores peaked at 85 C very briefly during maintenance, which never happened a month ago. I definitely think it's related to Windows and not my paste wearing down since my gaming temps seem no higher than normal. Although I do have a sizeable overclock and its a Haswell which run hot.

This is an FX6300, AMD States the maximum safe operating temp is 65. But overclockers have pretty much confirmed that's actually quite a bit within the margin so I'm not too worried tbh. As I said in an earlier post I plan to switch out the heatsink, I'm using the stock heatsink/fan and wanna go for something a bit quieter and cooler just to kill the noise, not too keen on overclocking. But yeah, gaming temps on my end seem fine too.

 

[RGM79]

It's about 5-6 years old. I'm not too worried about it dying as the thing still runs like a dream as far as I can tell. No odd sounds or no power related issues. If I can keep it, which it sounds like I can, I definitely will.

One final (I think) question. This is my first time running a PC with two hard drives. How exactly do you set that all up? I read your instructions on installation and that makes sense. I'm already backed up onto an external drive, so I'm ready to wipe and restore my 1TB regular HDD. I know I can't save all my games on the SSD, so my plan is to use that to play my current stuff while using the HDD as a sort of deep storage for older games and other data. Is SteamTool still the best way to manage this or should I be looking to something else? As for data itself, will that just involve making document and download folders on my storage drive and pointing windows at them?

Yeah, you can just keep your current power supply.

Steam officially supports installing games into separate locations so no need to use unofficial tools or symlinks anymore. If you backed up your steam games, you can restore them and just tell Steam to install in the folder they're located, and steam will discover the existing game files and verify them for you.

If you want to keep documents off of the SSD you can do that as well. Scroll down to the second half of this guide (Move My Documents in Windows 7/8.1) to see how to tell Windows to move your documents to a different drive. Windows will move the files, so you don't need to move them manually.

 

[Quote]

Hello. I'm looking to buy all the parts to build my PC within the next week or two and have ready to go once I get home from the current trip i'm on. Here is what I have so far.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($309.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($92.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial BX100 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($189.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($329.99 @ Amazon)
Case: EVGA Hadron Mini ITX Tower Case w/500W Power Supply ($138.33 @ Amazon)
Total: $1165.28
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-07 21:53 EDT-0400

I'm having a hard time picking a cooler out because I don't know anything about them. I really wanted a Corsair H-Series one, but I don't think it'll fit in the Hadron. The 212 also seems pretty popular but I also do not think it will fit.

I really want to build a small quiet PC, and don't care about overclocking at all. I want to play just about anything on probably a 144Hz monitor (haven't decided yet).

So a couple questions:
1. Does anyone have any recommendations on cooling solutions?
2. Would maybe the Fractal 304 a better case for what I want? I like the way the Hadron looks and that it comes with a PSU.
3. I've read that the PSU in the Hadron is loud, how loud? Fan noise drives me nuts.
4. Could I replace the small PSU fan with something quieter?
5. Will a 970 be okay for a 144Hz monitor?

 

[diamount]

I really want to buy a 390x once its release but Freesync's offering seems to be quite lackluster at the moment.

 

[mkenyon]

Hello. I'm looking to buy all the parts to build my PC within the next week or two and have ready to go once I get home from the current trip i'm on. Here is what I have so far.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($309.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($92.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial BX100 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($189.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($329.99 @ Amazon)
Case: EVGA Hadron Mini ITX Tower Case w/500W Power Supply ($138.33 @ Amazon)
Total: $1165.28
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-07 21:53 EDT-0400

I'm having a hard time picking a cooler out because I don't know anything about them. I really wanted a Corsair H-Series one, but I don't think it'll fit in the Hadron. The 212 also seems pretty popular but I also do not think it will fit.

I really want to build a small quiet PC, and don't care about overclocking at all. I want to play just about anything on probably a 144Hz monitor (haven't decided yet).

So a couple questions:
1. Does anyone have any recommendations on cooling solutions?
2. Would maybe the Fractal 304 a better case for what I want? I like the way the Hadron looks and that it comes with a PSU.
3. I've read that the PSU in the Hadron is loud, how loud? Fan noise drives me nuts.
4. Could I replace the small PSU fan with something quieter?
5. Will a 970 be okay for a 144Hz monitor?

So in a lot of games, a high frequency on your processor is the thing that will give you consistently low frame times. To really benefit from that 144Hz display, you need to over clock. Fortunately it is really easy.

So, you want a Z97 board. For the cooler in a Hadron, I recommend the Thermalright AXP 100. The EVGA Stinger is the board to get right now with its lower price and excellent CPU socket placement.

 

[Quote]

So in a lot of games, a high frequency on your processor is the thing that will give you consistently low frame times. To really benefit from that 144Hz display, you need to over clock. Fortunately it is really easy.

So, you want a Z97 board. For the cooler in a Hadron, I recommend the Thermalright AXP 100. The EVGA Stinger is the board to get right now with its lower price and excellent CPU socket placement.

Thanks!

Can you elaborate on the overclocking the processor for 144z part? I would have thought the GPU would have been the most important part to this setup? Is this a G-Sync thing?

 

[RGM79]

Hello. I'm looking to buy all the parts to build my PC within the next week or two and have ready to go once I get home from the current trip i'm on. Here is what I have so far.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($309.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M-ITX/AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($92.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial BX100 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($189.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($329.99 @ Amazon)
Case: EVGA Hadron Mini ITX Tower Case w/500W Power Supply ($138.33 @ Amazon)
Total: $1165.28
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-07 21:53 EDT-0400

I'm having a hard time picking a cooler out because I don't know anything about them. I really wanted a Corsair H-Series one, but I don't think it'll fit in the Hadron. The 212 also seems pretty popular but I also do not think it will fit.

I really want to build a small quiet PC, and don't care about overclocking at all. I want to play just about anything on probably a 144Hz monitor (haven't decided yet).

So a couple questions:
1. Does anyone have any recommendations on cooling solutions?
2. Would maybe the Fractal 304 a better case for what I want? I like the way the Hadron looks and that it comes with a PSU.
3. I've read that the PSU in the Hadron is loud, how loud? Fan noise drives me nuts.
4. Could I replace the small PSU fan with something quieter?
5. Will a 970 be okay for a 144Hz monitor?

What's your budget? I can probably help you with better parts suggestions. For example, I recommend a Z97 motherboard to better suit the 4790K processor. If you don't intend to overclock, then you can look for a similar but cheaper non-overclocking model to match the H97 motherboard. As for your questions:

1. The Hadron case is very compact, but cooling options are limited and not very capable for overclocking. You can see a list of compatible coolers verified by the community to work at this link. You are correct, you will not be able to fit the 212 Evo or any water coolers in the Hadron case.

2. If you go with the Node 304, then you have more options for cooling, but the case is somewhat larger than the Hadron. I wouldn't mind the PSU too much, the one that comes with the Hadron is only 500 watts and I'd recommend closer to 600 watts if you wanted to do any overclocking, for example. The cost of the Node 304 with a decent quiet 650 watt power supply would probably not cost that much more, so you're not saving any money by staying with the Hadron case just for the power supply.

3. No idea.

4. It's not recommended to open up a power supply, but if you don't mind some DIY work, it is possible. I wouldn't really bother, though. Better power supplies come with fan control to reduce noise levels at low loads, for example.

5. Depends on the game and or resolution. I'm inclined to think that it's enough, though.

 

[ItsTheNew]

They're going for about $130ish on eBay. So I'd say it's a fair price. The card is good for that price; it'll handily outperform the 750ti. I owned one for a few months and was pretty pleased with its performance. You can expect mostly high settings on most games. It's not gonna beat the 290 but it should be more than enough to hold you over.

Thanks, I managed to get the seller down to $100. I'm happy by how many games seem to run smoothly without having to screw around with various settings (emulation, Rage, etc). Might be able to wait until pascal next year at this rate.

 

[Chris R]

If I'm not mistaken, none of the 1440p G-sync monitors have HDMI and maybe there are one or two G-syncs that have multiple and non-display port inputs. I think maybe some have been announced but the original G-sync module only allows for one Display Port input.

I can wait then

 

[Fracas]

I've been changing my fan speeds - my CPU fan's (hyper 212 evo) running around 1700 RPM, is that ok? It was like 1100. Getting temps around 10 degrees C cooler, so it seems nice enough.

 

[Quote]

What's your budget? I can probably help you with better parts suggestions. For example, I recommend a Z97 motherboard to better suit the 4790K processor. If you don't intend to overclock, then you can look for a similar but cheaper non-overclocking model to match the H97 motherboard. As for your questions:

My budget is somewhere around $1k and I'd really like to stick with just Amazon. My budget might seem weird, because I don't include the processor. I'm getting the 4790k at a really good price through Intel accommodations. So feel free to remove the processor from the lineup all together, I just wanted to show what the setup would look like and not so much the price.

 

[MisterNoisy]

I've been changing my fan speeds - my CPU fan's (hyper 212 evo) running around 1700 RPM, is that ok? It was like 1100. Getting temps around 10 degrees C cooler, so it seems nice enough.

As long as the noise isn't driving you nuts, go for it.

 

[RGM79]

I've been changing my fan speeds - my CPU fan's (hyper 212 evo) running around 1700 RPM, is that ok? It was like 1100. Getting temps around 10 degrees C cooler, so it seems nice enough.

It's totally up to you what fan speed you want and if you care about the noise level.

I just put on my headphones to play when I crank up fan speed.

 

[Fracas]

As long as the noise isn't driving you nuts, go for it.

It's totally up to you what fan speed you want and if you care about the noise level.

I just put on my headphones to play when I crank up fan speed.

Yeah I haven't noticed any extra noise. Crazy how good that cooler is, especially for the price. Probably helps that I have a box fan running in the room most of the time.

 

[MisterNoisy]

So I've got another freebie to offer up to the PC builders here - I ordered it when it was super cheap, but haven't built a PC in a while, so it's just been sort of sitting around, and I need to clear out some stuff.

This time, it's a Xigmatek Dark Knight SD1283 Nighthawk Edition CPU cooler. It's pretty much the equal of the Hyper 212, but looks about a million times cooler due to the matte black ceramic coating. It fits pretty much every modern socket and installation is stupid easy - Xiggy's 120mm coolers have been my go-to for cheap CPU cooling for a while now. Comes with one fan and has extra rubber pins so you can add another for push-pull if you're feeling like it. I opened it to check it out, but it's never been mounted.

Free with free shipping to the first one in the ConUS that quotes this post.

 

[EmptySpace]

has anyone been to memoryexpress? when they say they price-match, does that mean they just look at the face value at the pcpartspicker and just match it? will they include shipping, etc.? also, what is the cost of having them build the pc for you? what about the os? i thought we can get $20 windows 8 keys from reddit, no?


edit: wait, so if you have windows 7, you can download 8.1 for free and put it on a usb drive? am i reading that right?

 

[MisterNoisy]

me?

winrar!

Sold American!

PM me an address, and I'll ship it out before next week.

 

[Widdly Scuds]

after two years of having an unlocked cpu, i finally got around to OCing my i5-3570k.

I'm at 4.2ghz with 1.05v

Now I've got to mess with my fan configuration to find the optimal layout.

 

[RGM79]

has anyone been to memoryexpress? when they say they price-match, does that mean they just look at the face value at the pcpartspicker and just match it? will they include shipping, etc.? also, what is the cost of having them build the pc for you? what about the os? i thought we can get $20 windows 8 keys from reddit, no?

edit: wait, so if you have windows 7, you can download 8.1 for free and put it on a usb drive? am i reading that right?

Are you doing an online order or ordering in store?

As per their official price matching policy, they match the price and then give you an additional discount in the form of 10% of the difference. For example, if Memory Express was selling an item at $100 and another retailer had the same item for $80, they would drop their price to $80 and then calculate 10% of $20 = $2 and further reduce the price by that much, so you would be paying $78 (before taxes and any fees are applied). The page I linked to above has a price match calculator if you want to see for yourself.

They won't just look at the face value of the PCPartsPicker price list, they'll go through each link to see where each price is from and whether they'll accept it or not. They should accept the prices for matching, PCPartsPicker tends to link to major retailers so it should be fine.

Memory Express offers a PC assembly service for $40 for just the parts, or $70 including OS installation. You can install Windows yourself easily. If you have a valid Windows 8/8.1 license key, you can use the official Microsoft tool to download the Windows installer and load it onto a USB drive or disc, just follow this guide.

No, you cannot upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 8.1 for free. Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for people who already have a copy of Windows 7 and 8.1, though.

 

[Dartastic]

I just have a few suggestions for that build.

The Ripjaws X RAM is kinda tall at 40mm and may interfere with the 212 Evo's fan. Normally the 212 Evo has clearance for RAM up to 37mm tall and you would be able to slide the fan up to allow even more room underneath, but the Corsair 350D's specs say it supports CPU cooler height of 160mm, and the 212 Evo is already 159mm tall. There might be a bit of leeway since that height is measured at the heatpipes at the top of the cooler, but to be safer I'd recommend going with lower profile RAM like this 2x8GB G.Skill Ares 2400MHz kit for $115, the same price as the Ripjaws X yet slightly faster.

The newer Crucial MX200 250GB ($110 outright with free shipping) now seems to be more or less priced nearly the same as the older MX100 256GB ($109). I'd opt for the newer drive.

The Seasonic power supply is good, but $115 is pretty steep. I'd go for an alternative like the EVGA Supernova B2 850 watt model ($70 after $20 rebate), it's made by Super Flower which is one of the best power supply OEMs, right up there next to Seasonic. It's also bronze rated and semi-modular, so you're not missing out on performance or features.

Edit: If not going SLI, then I recommend this XFX XTR Series 650 watt gold rated fully modular PSU ($73 after $25 rebate). All XFX power supplies are rebadged Seasonic designs, so they're quite good.

Thanks so much for the changes!

Since both power supplies are roughly the same price, is there any reason NOT to go with the 850 watt over the 650 watt? If there isn't, I think I might just start making some purchases tonight... mainly the power supply, motherboard, and case.

 

[RGM79]

Thanks so much for the changes!

Since both power supplies are roughly the same price, is there any reason NOT to go with the 850 watt over the 650 watt? If there isn't, I think I might just start making some purchases tonight... mainly the power supply, motherboard, and case.

Well, if you don't have any plans to go with SLI, the 650 watt model should be just fine. It's up to you if you want more wattage. Gold versus bronze power efficiency doesn't matter very much in terms of performance quality or money saved, so I guess the 850 watt model is a better buy if you want to keep the PSU for a long time. The XFX model does have fully modular cables as opposed to the EVGA's semi-modular cabling, but that barely makes a difference.

 

[EmptySpace]

Are you doing an online order or ordering in store?

As per their official price matching policy, they match the price and then give you an additional discount in the form of 10% of the difference. For example, if Memory Express was selling an item at $100 and another retailer had the same item for $80, they would drop their price to $80 and then calculate 10% of $20 = $2 and further reduce the price by that much, so you would be paying $78 (before taxes and any fees are applied). The page I linked to above has a price match calculator if you want to see for yourself.

They won't just look at the face value of the PCPartsPicker price list, they'll go through each link to see where each price is from and whether they'll accept it or not. They should accept the prices for matching, PCPartsPicker tends to link to major retailers so it should be fine.

Memory Express offers a PC assembly service for $40 for just the parts, or $70 including OS installation. You can install Windows yourself easily. If you have a valid Windows 8/8.1 license key, you can use the official Microsoft tool to download the Windows installer and load it onto a USB drive or disc, just follow this guide.

No, you cannot upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 8.1 for free. Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for people who already have a copy of Windows 7 and 8.1, though.

so would they factor in the shipping? hmmm...because on pcpartspicker sometimes do not list shipping. yeah but pcpartspicker lists sites such as vuugo, etc. so would that mean they can refuse to price match?

i can probably ask a friend to build the pc, but then i don't know where to get cheap os so 70 bucks for labour and os installation seems reasonable.

 

[Dartastic]

Well, if you don't have any plans to go with SLI, the 650 watt model should be just fine. It's up to you if you want more wattage. Gold versus bronze power efficiency doesn't matter very much in terms of performance quality or money saved, so I guess the 850 watt model is a better buy if you want to keep the PSU for a long time. The XFX model does have fully modular cables as opposed to the EVGA's semi-modular cabling, but that barely makes a difference.

I think it's time to start buying some parts tonight then...

This power supply...

This motherboard...

...and this case.

Next parts will be the RAM that you suggested and an i7. Will wait on the GPU until I see what ATI's next offering will look like in a month or so... I want to take advantage of the Batman/Witcher deal but at the same time if the ATI card is a big leap up for the same price as a 970... Gah.

 

[Tesseract]

having huge trouble part picking for a $700ish rig, any help would be appreciated

my current rig, hd 5830 ~ phenom ii x2 550 black ~ 4gb ram carried me from 2008 up to about now, and i built that on a similar budget

 

[mkenyon]

Thanks!

Can you elaborate on the overclocking the processor for 144z part? I would have thought the GPU would have been the most important part to this setup? Is this a G-Sync thing?

Yeah. There are a number of games right off the bat that are heavily capped in the 60-90 FPS range by CPU. Anything on UE3, MMOs, Blizzard games, and even Source.

But more importantly, though this isn't exact, it is the easiest way I've found to explain it; the GPU creates the average frame rate, and the CPU is what helps keep that frame rate consistent. What a lot of people perceive as stutters or janky frame rates is a sudden massive increase in frame time for just a few frames that are the result of something CPU oriented.

Let's say the 970 gives you 120 FPS (8.3ms frame times) in a game. A low clocked or slow proc (Intel chips in the lower 3 range, any AMD chip) will give you a large handful of frames that are well above 16.7ms. The higher that clock speed is, the fewer of those frame spikes you will have. This means smoother gameplay.

 

[yami4ct]

I was wrong about the last question being the final. I have 1 more. I might be able to swing by a decently close Microcenter when I'm swinging through the area, so I'll probably grab one of their processor bundles. Which one is the best value? I see I can get a MSI Gaming5 for the same bundled price as the Asus Z97-E with their $20 unofficial bundle deal. Is that going to be a better choice? What's the best bundle value that would work well in my build?

 

[mkenyon]

having huge trouble part picking for a $700ish rig, any help would be appreciated

my current rig, hd 5830 ~ phenom ii x2 550 black ~ 4gb ram carried me from 2008 up to about now, and i built that on a similar budget

If you have a solid case and PSU, you might be able to swing the "Great" in the OP.

 

[kennah]

so would they factor in the shipping? hmmm...because on pcpartspicker sometimes do not list shipping. yeah but pcpartspicker lists sites such as vuugo, etc. so would that mean they can refuse to price match?

i can probably ask a friend to build the pc, but then i don't know where to get cheap os so 70 bucks for labour and os installation seems reasonable.

Mem ex is great. If you're in Winnipeg I'll build your pc for free.

You can use Windows 7 to prep a windows 8 key, which is the question I think you were asking before

 

[Dartastic]

I think it's time to start buying some parts tonight then...

This power supply...

This motherboard...

...and this case.

Next parts will be the RAM that you suggested and an i7. Will wait on the GPU until I see what ATI's next offering will look like in a month or so... I want to take advantage of the Batman/Witcher deal but at the same time if the ATI card is a big leap up for the same price as a 970... Gah.

OH GOD I JUST BOUGHT ALL THESE THINGS. I'M BUILDING MY FIRST PC IN LIKE, OVER A DECADE. THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING. D: