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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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I'm trying to find a list of video cards that offer HDMI out, as I would like to hook up my PC to my television for gaming, but I cannot find any. Could anyone help ?
 

mkenyon

Banned
I'm trying to find a list of video cards that offer HDMI out, as I would like to hook up my PC to my television for gaming, but I cannot find any. Could anyone help ?
It's incredibly rare to find a video card without an HDMI out.

Also, DVI and HDMI are totally compatible. You can get a dongle to change it.
 
Last try. I have everything i need for my PC except the GPU. Does anyone know when the GTX 750 TI is likely to go on sale? Feels like I've been waiting forever but I haven't seen one pop up on slickdeals.

Exactly what mkenyon posted, except you can possibly expect a price drop if the new AMD cards for Nvidia into a price cut. However, again that's looking into a crystal ball, there is no certainty that Nvidia will price cut, and if it does it may not discount their low end cards.

Really just wait for a sale that will happen randomly, or get the best deal you can. You wont save a whole lot, maybe $20-30 at most.
 
It's incredibly rare to find a video card without an HDMI out.

Also, DVI and HDMI are totally compatible. You can get a dongle to change it.

I see. I have a GTX 670 with an HDMI port on it, but I believe it's an IN. Could it be an OUT ? I searched on the net and even the Nvidia website didn't seem to specify if it was an IN or OUT. :/
 
Oh it's definitely an out.

There are no regular video cards that have an hdmi in. That's very specialized equipment.

I see. Thanks !

I have two HDMI cables about 6ft in length, but neither are long enough to link my PC to my television without moving one or the other. Could I buy some sort of cable that is female end-to-end that could link the two cables together, enabling my PC to reach my television ?

Other question. Is there some sort of program that enables users to send audio-video from the PC to the television, through the ethernet cable ? My television is a smart TV with an ethernet port in the back. If I could somehow send my PC's audio-video to the television via two ethernet cables and my router instead of an HDMI cable, that would make my life a lot easier. Is there such a program ? I have Windows 7.
 
I see. Thanks !

I have two HDMI cables about 6ft in length, but neither are long enough to link my PC to my television without moving one or the other. Could I buy some sort of cable that is female end-to-end that could link the two cables together, enabling my PC to reach my television?

What's the distance between your PC and your television? Couldn't you just buy a 30' HDMI cable?
 

mkenyon

Banned
Posted this in the Mech Keyboard thread, but thought some folks here might appreciate it. I swapped out the stock keycaps on my K65 RGB for some ducky PBT caps that are pink and white. Definite upgrade to the board, and the light color of the caps goes a long way to exaggerating the lighting effects.

With just white backlight:

pmqbcj3l.jpg


Video of the rainbow effect

I could also do that.

What about displaying my computer desktop on my television via my router ? Is this possible ?
Not in the way that you're describing, no.

And the other way isn't great. It would be something like a streaming device, where your computer would be the server. You'll get input lag and weirdness, and have to pay money for a device that can do that, like the little Steam Box or the NVIDIA Shield thingie.
 

ACE 1991

Member
Are there any simple programs that allow me to place an FPS limit on games? No reason for my CPU and GPU to get hotter than normal rendering CS:GO at 250 FPS.
 

Mohasus

Member
Are there any simple programs that allow me to place an FPS limit on games? No reason for my CPU and GPU to get hotter than normal rendering CS:GO at 250 FPS.

Open console, fps_max 120 (or whatever value you want, it works in dota, should be the same with CS. prepare for the tearing).
 
Posted this in the Mech Keyboard thread, but thought some folks here might appreciate it. I swapped out the stock keycaps on my K65 RGB for some ducky PBT caps that are pink and white. Definite upgrade to the board, and the light color of the caps goes a long way to exaggerating the lighting effects.

With just white backlight:

pmqbcj3l.jpg


Video of the rainbow effect

.

Wow that looks...awesome. Personally never thought of modding a keyboard appearance, thanks for giving me the idea.
 
Is it worth replacing my MSI GTX 970 4G with a 100ME version? I ask because I want to SLI 970s but I think it'll be fine if I just had one 4G and 100ME at the same time right? Supposedly the difference is that the 100ME has better parts and has a backplate?
 

spinz

Member
Hmm so I'm trying to finish setting up and Iv got a case fan in the back with a 3 pin connector. There's a slot nearby that says "CHA_FAN" but that's 4 pins. Can I use the 3 pin fan with it??
 
Hmm so I'm trying to finish setting up and Iv got a case fan in the back with a 3 pin connector. There's a slot nearby that says "CHA_FAN" but that's 4 pins. Can I use the 3 pin fan with it??

Yes, the fourth pin is for pulse width modulation. The CHA stands for chassis, if I'm not mistaken.
 

mkenyon

Banned
Is it worth replacing my MSI GTX 970 4G with a 100ME version? I ask because I want to SLI 970s but I think it'll be fine if I just had one 4G and 100ME at the same time right? Supposedly the difference is that the 100ME has better parts and has a backplate?
Yeah, everything should just automatically bet set to the card with the lowest clocks.

As a sucker for green stuff though, that does look absolutely fantastic. Would look great on a Gigabyte Sniper board (pre Z97).
 
Yeah, everything should just automatically bet set to the card with the lowest clocks.

As a sucker for green stuff though, that does look absolutely fantastic. Would look great on a Gigabyte Sniper board (pre Z97).

I'd have one red and one green. Also, the clocks are identical.
 

MNC

Member
Quick gaf, answer.installing PC now I put on the CPU cooler then took it off thinking it was placed wrong, then I saw I left the paste on and quickly put it back on. Am I in trouble????
 

RGM79

Member
I have a pretty nice mouse I got from that razer sale and my school proves free windows 8.1 OS. The old keyboards I have use ps/2 ports. I'll just buy a used keyboard off of Ebay.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($64.88 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-D PLUS Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($48.88 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($48.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Toshiba Product Series:DT01ACA 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card ($92.98 @ Newegg)
Case: BitFenix Neos White ATX Mid Tower Case ($41.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Acer G226HQLBbd 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($90.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $505.66
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-13 17:07 EDT-0400
 

v_au27

Neo Member
This is my first pc build. This will be used for gaming and streaming movies. The most I am willing to spend is $1100 Canadian. Before I build this pc I wanted to run this list through the people on this thread.

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

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($273.98 @ DirectCanada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.50 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($98.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.66 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($112.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card ($389.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H22 ATX Mid Tower Case ($42.00 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ NCIX)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN722N 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($14.50 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $1100.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-13 17:53 EDT-0400
 

spinz

Member
Yes, the fourth pin is for pulse width modulation. The CHA stands for chassis, if I'm not mistaken.

Ahhh awesome yep fits.

Iv got another question.. my motherboard manual(z97-a) shows two spots for motherboard power, 24 pin and 8 pin. Am I supposed to plug in both of them? Manual is a little confusing about it hm.
 
How does this score look?

Specs:

i5 2500K @ 4.5GHz
8GB Crucial RAM @ 1866MHz
R9 290X 1GHz 4GB VRAM 320GB/s

Want to make sure my 290X is pulling it's weight, I guess...

2015-05-14%2008_18_55-Unigine%20benchmark%20results.png
 

RGM79

Member
This is my first pc build. This will be used for gaming and streaming movies. The most I am willing to spend is $1100 Canadian. Before I build this pc I wanted to run this list through the people on this thread.

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

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($273.98 @ DirectCanada)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper TX3 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.50 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($98.98 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.66 @ DirectCanada)
Storage: Crucial M500 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($112.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB WINDFORCE 3X Video Card ($389.99 @ NCIX)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H22 ATX Mid Tower Case ($42.00 @ DirectCanada)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ NCIX)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WN722N 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wi-Fi Adapter ($14.50 @ DirectCanada)
Total: $1100.59
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-13 17:53 EDT-0400

With Canadian prices being what they are, I don't really see a way to save much money. Most of the suggestions I have will actually slightly increase the cost, but you may be interested anyway.

The TX3 is alright as a basic cooler, but if you want better overclocking with less noise, consider Cooler Master's Hyper 212 Evo (~$35) instead. The TX3 does not have a backplate, which is very important when it comes to more effective CPU cooling. This test shows the effectiveness of going with and without a backplate, even the Intel stock cooler sees a good boost in effectiveness when paired with an improvised backplate.

For about a dollar more, you can get 2x4GB A-Data XPG 1866MHz RAM instead of the 1600MHz RAM on your list. Admittedly there's only a minor difference that you won't notice in day-to-day use, but if they cost nearly the same, there's no reason not to go for the higher speed memory. Anandtech mentions that speeds above 1600MHz are recommended because there's the odd chance that you'll get maybe +5% performance improvement in some situations, so for just $1 more there's no reason not to get it.

The Crucial M500 240GB drive is two years old at this point, and is lacking the latest technological advances. The new BX100 250GB ($120) and offers slightly more storage space for the extra $7. Spec-wise I think the BX100 is supposed to be faster (according to the rated specs) despite being marketed as a budget model, but it's difficult to find professional reviews and comparisons between drives released two years ago and drives released this year.

There's no need to go with the Supernova B2 750 watt power supply if you aren't doing SLI (I assume you aren't planning for it because the motherboard you chose doesn't support SLI). If you're looking to save money, the EVGA 600B (~$55 after rebate) is decent and will still provide more than enough wattage for your needs. If you want modular cables, then stick with the Supernova B2.
 

Darknight

Member
Water cooling isn't really needed, air cooling is fine if you won't be overclocking. If you do go with the 4770K, then you can use both Z87 and Z97 motherboards if you want to keep your options open for overclocking. Otherwise if you won't be overclocking for sure, then any socket 1150 motherboard will work, including cheaper sub-$50 B85 and H81 motherboards.

OK thanx

Now second question. I can buy a used Motherboard and closed loop cooler for $100, is this a fair price for the following?

-Asus Maximus VI Hero z87 LGA1150
-Corsair H100

It seems the VI Hero at one point was really expensive and people always recommended to buy a cheaper alternative since it might of been a little over priced on launch. Well for $50, can I go wrong? Is there a better alternative z87 mobo for $50?

Seems z97 boards are mainly to have support for the next cpu gen and few more bell n whistles. I dont think I would upgrade the i7 4770K i just got my hands on at this point. Advice GAF. This build is gonna be for gaming 90% of the time.
 

RGM79

Member
OK thanx

Now second question. I can buy a used Motherboard and closed loop cooler for $100, is this a fair price for the following?

-Asus Maximus VI Hero z87 LGA1150
-Corsair H100

It seems the VI Hero at one point was really expensive and people always recommended to buy a cheaper alternative since it might of been a little over priced on launch. Well for $50, can I go wrong? Is there a better alternative z87 mobo for $50?

Seems z97 boards are mainly to have support for the next cpu gen and few more bell n whistles. I dont think I would upgrade the i7 4770K i just got my hands on at this point. Advice GAF. This build is gonna be for gaming 90% of the time.

Seems like a very good price. If you can check the motherboard and ensure that it's in running condition and not damaged, then go for it.
 

Wensih

Member
I'm back with a rough/final draft of my build. I just wanted to see what you guys thought about it. I'm trying to keep it under $600 at the moment while still being able to play The Witcher 3.

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Minishdriveby/saved/#view=RcZPxr

I picked these parts with advice from a friend taking into consideration pricing and sales (I already bought the case and power supply from Tiger Direct). I do trust my friend has he has built a monster rig and works in the computational portion of the phylogenomics lab that I work in.

I just want to see if GAF also approves of our build.

EDIT: I won't be overclocking anything.

EDIT 2: I'm debating between the ASUS M5A97 and the ASUS M5A97 LE Motherboard. My friend says the LE doesn't come with USB 3.0 in the front which may be a pain in the unforeseeable future, but it's also cheaper.
 

RGM79

Member
I'm back with a rough/final draft of my build. I just wanted to see what you guys thought about it. I'm trying to keep it under $600 at the moment while still being able to play The Witcher 3.

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Minishdriveby/saved/#view=RcZPxr

I picked these parts with advice from a friend taking into consideration pricing and sales (I already bought the case and power supply from Tiger Direct). I do trust my friend has he has built a monster rig and works in the computational portion of the phylogenomics lab that I work in.

I just want to see if GAF also approves of our build.

EDIT: I won't be overclocking anything.
If you want it cheap, I'd drop the blu ray drive. The $50 is better spent on a better processor or graphics card.

Does the $600 budget include the case and power supply that you already bought?
 

Wensih

Member
If you want it cheap, I'd drop the blu ray drive. The $50 is better spent on a better processor or graphics card.

Does the $600 budget include the case and power supply that you already bought?

Yeah the case and power supply are included in the $600 total.
 

RGM79

Member
Yeah the case and power supply are included in the $600 total.

I'd recommend something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-GAMING 3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($47.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($48.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 290 4GB PCS+ Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Ultra Rogue M925 ATX Full Tower Case (Purchased For $29.99)
Power Supply: Thermaltake TR2 600W ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $24.99)
Total: $621.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-13 22:58 EDT-0400

It is $20 over budget, but the i5 and R9 290 are much stronger than the FX-6300 and the R9 280 for the money you're paying. If you live near a Microcentre store, you can pick up the i5 4590 for $160 but taxes might bring it close to the $180 online price anyway. The R9 290 comes with free redeemable codes for Grand Theft Auto V and Dirt Rally (a recent racing game that has high ratings) if that interests you. If you don't care for those games, I think you could probably sell the two game codes for more than $20 to bring the total down below $600.

If it absolutely has to be under $600, then I'd go with an R9 280X instead.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-GAMING 3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($47.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($48.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($201.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Ultra Rogue M925 ATX Full Tower Case (Purchased For $29.99)
Power Supply: Thermaltake TR2 600W ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $24.99)
Total: $583.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-13 23:08 EDT-0400

That R9 280X doesn't come with GTAV but does still have a free code for Dirt Rally. According to online trackers, Dirt Rally sells for $35 on Steam so the game code could be worth a fair bit.
 

Wensih

Member
I'd recommend something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-GAMING 3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($47.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($48.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 290 4GB PCS+ Video Card ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Ultra Rogue M925 ATX Full Tower Case (Purchased For $29.99)
Power Supply: Thermaltake TR2 600W ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $24.99)
Total: $621.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-13 22:58 EDT-0400

It is $20 over budget, but the i5 and R9 290 are much stronger than the FX-6300 and the R9 280 for the money you're paying. If you live near a Microcentre store, you can pick up the i5 4590 for $160 but taxes might bring it close to the $180 online price anyway. The R9 290 comes with free redeemable codes for Grand Theft Auto V and Dirt Rally (a recent racing game that has high ratings) if that interests you. If you don't care for those games, I think you could probably sell the two game codes for more than $20 to bring the total down below $600.

If it absolutely has to be under $600, then I'd go with an R9 280X instead.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-GAMING 3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($47.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($48.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Best Buy)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($201.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Ultra Rogue M925 ATX Full Tower Case (Purchased For $29.99)
Power Supply: Thermaltake TR2 600W ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $24.99)
Total: $583.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-13 23:08 EDT-0400

That R9 280X doesn't come with GTAV but does still have a free code for Dirt Rally. According to online trackers, Dirt Rally sells for $35 on Steam so the game code could be worth a fair bit.

So the reason for not going with a 290 is because my friend said that if I want to at a later date purchase another graphics card on the cheap (an R9 270X or something) and cross fire and reach a performance a little below the 290.

I was also trying to avoid Nividia CPU's because I like that the AMD has built in software that tracks CPU temperature.

EDIT: Also we were trying to avoid Micro ATX's for the motherboard/case. I'm very wary about overheating the computer, so I want as much surface area/volume as possible.
 

Vitor711

Member
I think that's enough information to go off of. I looked it up and the ISP's website mentions wireless N.

My usual recommendation is this Gigabyte wifi adaptor (~$30) which is a bit fancy, but it supports wireless N/AC, has bluetooth, and comes with an antenna on a wire so you can place it in a different spot for better reception. Handy if your PC is going to be put on the floor.

A cheaper recommendation would be this Rosewill N300 adaptor ($17). It's simpler but should get the job done. Hundreds of positive reviews. The antennas seem larger than competing similarly priced Asus and TP-Link models.

It's an ARRIS : Touchstone Data Gateway DG1670. I do get spotty signal though since my room's in the basement and the router is behind the couch above me in the living room. A fancier router (and for only $13 more) seems great - I definitely want to use N if possible. Thanks for the help!

Here's my final build (individual parts arriving either tomorrow or Monday at my office):

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K Processor 3.5 GHz ($235 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI ATX DDR3 2400 LGA 1150 Motherboards Z97 PC MATE($91.55 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2400 (PC3 19200) Desktop Memory Model F3-2400C11D-16GAB ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX200 250GB SATA 2.5 Inch Internal Solid State Drive - CT250MX200SSD1($109.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GTX980 ACX 2.0 4GB GDDR5 256bit, DVI-I, DP x 3, HDMI, SLI Ready Graphics Card 04G-P4-2981-KR ($549.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair Carbide Series 200R Compact ATX Case CC-9011023-WW ($66.32 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 110-B2-0750-VR 750W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg after $15 rebate)
Wifi Card: Gigabyte Bluetooth 4.0/WiFi Expansion Card Components Other GC-WB867D-I ($32.99 @ Amazon)

Taxes on Amazon Purchases: $93.53
Total: $1,349.35
 
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