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[Wafflecakes]

So Windows is loading but never finishes?

I played around with it a bit. It will load, but I just can't see it.

Like, I can type in my password and hear the login chime, but I can't actually see what I am interacting with.

Going back to a restore point fixes the problem.



Also worth noting is that the card does not show up in device manager normally, but it DOES when I open it in safe mode (right before restore)

 

[RGM79]

I played around with it a bit. It will load, but I just can't see it.

Like, I can type in my password and hear the login chime, but I can't actually see what I am interacting with.

Going back to a restore point fixes the problem.



Also worth noting is that the card does not show up in device manager normally, but it DOES when I open it in safe mode (right before restore)

Try reseating the graphics card. You have power cables plugged directly from PSU to the graphics card, right?

 

[Repo Man]

I played around with it a bit. It will load, but I just can't see it.

Like, I can type in my password and hear the login chime, but I can't actually see what I am interacting with.

Going back to a restore point fixes the problem.



Also worth noting is that the card does not show up in device manager normally, but it DOES when I open it in safe mode (right before restore)

Probably daft questions but I'll ask anyway. Motherboard drivers installed ? You didn't install any onboard gfx card drivers while installing any software from the CD that came with the mobo ? BIOS configured correctly ? as in any onboard graphics disabled and PCI-E graphics is enabled right ? The monitor is plugged into the gfx card and not the motherboard right ?

 

[kamakazi5]

Ok so it's been a while but finally got my build up and running. I don't know if it's because it has been so long since I built my last computer or what but it wasn't as easy as I remember. Constant little issues and confusion in reading all the different manuals but I finally got it put together, turned on the power and no explosion or crazy noises. Thanks to everyone who helped out with questions and whatnot. My final build:

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Z Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX

Ended up at just around $750 for everything which is a bit more than I wanted to spend but overall happy. Hopefully I can get a 970 next year.

 

[charpunk]

How did you get both? I've been holding off until Skylake as well, but this was too good of a deal to pass up and Skylake sounds like fall 2015 at this point.

They will probably have Skylake processors during next year's holiday deal. They almost always have whatever the most recent processors are each deal.

 

[Paznos]

I'm about a month late in posting my new build but I just wanted to say Thanks to RGM79 for helping me narrow down on what to get for my build. I actually had problems with the computer posting it would turn on and then off a second later, I thought it was the PSU so went to Frys and bought the Anttec 520W,
I thought it would be a bit to low but it was on sale and had a MIR so far everything has been running great and quiet. I also bought a new case since I wanted something smaller than my old Armor case.

I'm just wondering if it was a good idea to just get one stick of ram instead of 2 and how much of a performance hit I'm taking for not having two sticks.The price was a bit lower than what I posted since it was a month ago and the MIR's
I bought everything at newegg except the PSU. I know I need to work on the cable management I'll have to get around to it.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($299.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD5H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($175.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.97 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($98.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($339.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($68.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1090.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-21 01:32 EST-0500

 

[Femmeworth]

Tiger Direct $25 off $100 or more with Google Wallet. http://slickdeals.net/f/7535378-25-off-100-purchases-tigerdirect-com-w-google-wallet

 

[RGM79]

I'm about a month late in posting my new build but I just wanted to say Thanks to RGM79 for helping me narrow down on what to get for my build. I actually had problems with the computer posting it would turn on and then off a second later, I thought it was the PSU so went to Frys and bought the Anttec 520W,
I thought it would be a bit to low but it was on sale and had a MIR so far everything has been running great and quiet. I also bought a new case since I wanted something smaller than my old Armor case.

I'm just wondering if it was a good idea to just get one stick of ram instead of 2 and how much of a performance hit I'm taking for not having two sticks.The price was a bit lower than what I posted since it was a month ago and the MIR's
I bought everything at newegg except the PSU. I know I need to work on the cable management I'll have to get around to it.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($299.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD5H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($175.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.97 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($98.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($339.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($68.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1090.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-21 01:32 EST-0500

No problem, enjoy your new PC! Sucks that the other PSU didn't work. The Antec is a good power supply and don't worry, 520 watts is enough for SLI in the future with a second GTX 970. The 200R is a fine budget case as well.

The performance hit with single channel is small, you likely won't notice it at all. Benchmarking software can find and show you the difference, but in gameplay and most other applications it's just a difference on the order of 1~5%.

 

[Thorgal]

Could somebody throw some ideas agains't the wall of what might cause this ?

My PC runs perfectly fine all day long without a hitch , and then out of nowhere it BSOD's on me .

One time it happens after starting a game , the other it bsod's after clicking on a simple YouTube link .

So the problem is not repeatable as it seems to happen totally at random .

All the air holes are free so i think i can rule out overheating , at least i hope so .

The only thing that does seem the same is that it happens after the PC has been on for a long while .

Any idea's ?

 

[RGM79]

Could somebody throw some ideas agains't the wall of what might cause this ?

My PC runs perfectly fine all day long without a hitch , and then out of nowhere it BSOD's on me .

One time it happens after starting a game , the other it bsod's after clicking on a simple YouTube link .

So the problem is not repeatable as it seems to happen totally at random .

All the air holes are free so i think i can rule out overheating , at least i hope so .

The only thing that does seem the same is that it happens after the PC has been on for a long while .

Any idea's ?

Use a program like HWMonitor to monitor temperatures. It'll show lowest and highest temps. BlueScreenView will let you see what the cause of recent crashes were.

 

[Hazaro]

I'm about a month late in posting my new build but I just wanted to say Thanks to RGM79 for helping me narrow down on what to get for my build. I actually had problems with the computer posting it would turn on and then off a second later, I thought it was the PSU so went to Frys and bought the Anttec 520W,

That's kinda funny I've always avoided the Neo ECO because it seemingly had a higher DOA rate.

Could somebody throw some ideas agains't the wall of what might cause this ?

My PC runs perfectly fine all day long without a hitch , and then out of nowhere it BSOD's on me .

One time it happens after starting a game , the other it bsod's after clicking on a simple YouTube link .

So the problem is not repeatable as it seems to happen totally at random .

All the air holes are free so i think i can rule out overheating , at least i hope so .

The only thing that does seem the same is that it happens after the PC has been on for a long while .

Any idea's ?

Check what error the BSOD is giving. Sounds like driver error. Roll back to latest stable if you updated or have not updated in a while.

 

[Thorgal]

Use a program like HWMonitor to monitor temperatures. It'll show lowest and highest temps. BlueScreenView will let you see what the cause of recent crashes were.

That's kinda funny I've always avoided the Neo ECO because it seemingly had a higher DOA rate.

Check what error the BSOD is giving. Sounds like driver error. Roll back to latest stable if you updated or have not updated in a while.

Ill post the results once i get them .

Ill have to wait till it crashes again since for some reason Windows wasn't set up to make dump files of the crashes .


Edit : rolled my driver back for now .let's see if that helped .

 

[Shari]

Hello guys, a fiend of mine needs some help.

He has:

GA-970A-DS3P
FX-8350
Gygabite 780

And he's running ground zeroes @45 fps on ultra.

He was wondering if the CPU was bottlenecking.

Any thoughts, please?

 

[kharma45]

Hello guys, a fiend of mine needs some help.

He has:

GA-970A-DS3P
FX-8350
Gygabite 780

And he's running ground zeroes @45 fps on ultra.



He was wondering if the CPU was bottlenecking.

Any thoughts, please?

It is

He could try overclocking it to help.

 

[Shari]

Nice. thanks.

Now same question goes for me I guess:

i5-3470
PNY 970GTX.

Do I OC?

 

[kharma45]

You can't OC that i5 bar a small base clock tweak, but for the most part it's locked.

 

[LilJoka]

You can't OC that i5 bar a small base clock tweak, but for the most part it's locked.

He can overclock by a few multipliers, I beleive it's 2 above highest turbo multiplier. Needs a Z series board though.

 

[Ban Puncher]

Was using my PC as normal this evening when it suddenly switched off and wouldn't power back on. Motherboard and GPU still light up but that's it. I took everything out and started from scratch and what I found is that everything can be plugged in except for the EATX12V power connection, the PC will power on, mobo LED will light up '00' and the PSU, CPU and GPU fans will spin (but not the case fans). But as soon as I connect the CPU to the PSU, the PC will not turn on.

So which expensive ass thing needs replacing three days out from Xmas - mobo or CPU? Or is there something really obvious I am overlooking?

 

[kharma45]

He can overclock by a few multipliers, I beleive it's 2 above highest turbo multiplier. Needs a Z series board though.

So you can, didn't know you could move the multiplier too.

 

[Shari]

The motherboard is a Z77A-G45 (MS-7752).

It has an auto overclock function in the BIOS. Is that any good?

Thanks again guys.

 

[TC McQueen]

The motherboard is a Z77A-G45 (MS-7752).

It has an auto overclock function in the BIOS. Is that any good?

Thanks again guys.

I have that mobo (I think - mine's Z77MA-645) and the overclocking stuff in that BIOS is super vague. You're better off doing it manually and guessing what voltage offset is required for your overclock.

 

[LilJoka]

The motherboard is a Z77A-G45 (MS-7752).

It has an auto overclock function in the BIOS. Is that any good?

Thanks again guys.

Since the possible overclock isn't huge, it's best to do it like so.

Get Prime95 and CPUz, run prime95 torture test small fft. Check the vcore in CPUz and note it.

Go into bios increase the multiplier to +4 of the highest multiplier in Turbo clocks (Turbo speed in GHz multiplied by 10).

Then in bios set the Vcore to manual and a setting 0.05v above what you noted earlier.

Now return to Windows and run Prime95, adjust the vcore to give the lowest vcore whilst maintaining stability while running Prime95 torture test.

If you get a low vcore close to the original vcore, tweak the base clock (bclk) in 0.25mhz increments to squeeze more speed.

You should get a Vcore around 1.1v. Do not set Vcore more than 1.3v in this scenario.

 

[tahsutify]

I have started saving for a new PC. I think I'll be able to get it in March or so. I'm looking around but it's been a while since I last checked PC parts. At the moment this is what I'm thinking to get:

i7 4790 3.6 GHz
Cooler Master Seidon 120V 86.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Asus MAXIMUS VII GENE Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
AMD R9 2400 DDR3 2x8
2x Asus 980 Strix
be quiet! Power Zone 850W

If I do something like that I won't be getting a monitor for a while though so I'll be gaming on a 1080p TV for a while. 4k is still a bit expensive. I'm thinking of downsampling for 6 months or so and then getting a 4k TV or a monitor. Any recommendations? Anything wrong with the setup?

 

[Wafflecakes]

Probably daft questions but I'll ask anyway. Motherboard drivers installed ? You didn't install any onboard gfx card drivers while installing any software from the CD that came with the mobo ? BIOS configured correctly ? as in any onboard graphics disabled and PCI-E graphics is enabled right ? The monitor is plugged into the gfx card and not the motherboard right ?

Damn. This is very likely what I did.


Edit: I disabled the integrated graphics in BIOS and uninstalled the drivers. Then installed new drivers. Monitor is plugged into the card, and according to my BIOS the PCI-E is enabled. I also assume my mobo drivers are installed since I did that first thing.

Still goes black while loading windows. Not sure where to go from here.


Edit 2: Everything working well now. Thx all!

 

[kharma45]

I have started saving for a new PC. I think I'll be able to get it in March or so. I'm looking around but it's been a while since I last checked PC parts. At the moment this is what I'm thinking to get:

i7 4790 3.6 GHz
Cooler Master Seidon 120V 86.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Asus MAXIMUS VII GENE Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
AMD R9 2400 DDR3 2x8
2x Asus 980 Strix
be quiet! Power Zone 850W

If I do something like that I won't be getting a monitor for a while though so I'll be gaming on a 1080p TV for a while. 4k is still a bit expensive. I'm thinking of downsampling for 6 months or so and then getting a 4k TV or a monitor. Any recommendations? Anything wrong with the setup?

There's really not much point trying to plan until you've got the money there. Could be new hardware by then and prices are fluid so what's best value now might not be by then.

 

[tahsutify]

There's really not much point trying to plan until you've got the money there. Could be new hardware by then and prices are fluid so what's best value now might not be by then.

Yeah I'm keeping that in mind, but apart from GPU there wouldn't be muıch change I'm assuming? Maybe I'll upgrade the GPUs to TI version if they launch with a good price from the get go.

It is just that I am kinda excited for such a nice upgrade after being used to lowrange PCs. It all stems from my mouse, I was in the market for a mouse and I said what the hell and got a G502. And I was looking at it a few days ago and said "This is a waste if don't have a good gaming PC." .

 

[TerryLee81]

I'm about a month late in posting my new build but I just wanted to say Thanks to RGM79 for helping me narrow down on what to get for my build. I actually had problems with the computer posting it would turn on and then off a second later, I thought it was the PSU so went to Frys and bought the Anttec 520W,
I thought it would be a bit to low but it was on sale and had a MIR so far everything has been running great and quiet. I also bought a new case since I wanted something smaller than my old Armor case.

I'm just wondering if it was a good idea to just get one stick of ram instead of 2 and how much of a performance hit I'm taking for not having two sticks.The price was a bit lower than what I posted since it was a month ago and the MIR's
I bought everything at newegg except the PSU. I know I need to work on the cable management I'll have to get around to it.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($299.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD5H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($175.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.97 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($98.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($339.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($68.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1090.65
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-21 01:32 EST-0500

Now that you know everything works, hide those cables!

 

[kharma45]

Yeah I'm keeping that in mind, but apart from GPU there wouldn't be muıch change I'm assuming? Maybe I'll upgrade the GPUs to TI version if they launch with a good price from the get go.

It is just that I am kinda excited for such a nice upgrade after being used to lowrange PCs. It all stems from my mouse, I was in the market for a mouse and I said what the hell and got a G502. And I was looking at it a few days ago and said "This is a waste if don't have a good gaming PC." .

We might have Broadwell from Intel around then, but I'm just guessing.

 

[TheBez]

Hey everybody,

I'm building my first PC in about 4 years and was wondering if I could get some opinions of what I've thrown together. I haven't shopped it around yet since I wanted to hammer out the build. I'm in the US and my budget is $1200-1400. I'll mostly be using it for gaming, emulating, and programming. I'm a student so I'll be using it plenty for Word, Excel, etc. as well. I may be interested in doing streaming, 3D modeling (autocad), and light video editing in the future as well. I currently use a 42" Plasma TV as my monitor via HDMI cable, but may be convinced to buy a monitor and downgrade (though I do live in a tiny room.) I have tons of games on Steam so its not worth listing out all the games I'd like to be playing, but I play WoW, Shadow of Mordor, Saint's Row, etc. I'd like to be able to game on it for a few years. Also, I'm looking to buy it soon since my computer died about a month ago and I want a new one soon!

http://amzn.com/w/3ROSTKAWFY9SV

 

[ricki42]

Hey everybody,

I'm building my first PC in about 4 years and was wondering if I could get some opinions of what I've thrown together. I haven't shopped it around yet since I wanted to hammer out the build. I'm in the US and my budget is $1200-1400. I'll mostly be using it for gaming, emulating, and programming. I'm a student so I'll be using it plenty for Word, Excel, etc. as well. I may be interested in doing streaming, 3D modeling (autocad), and light video editing in the future as well. I currently use a 42" Plasma TV as my monitor via HDMI cable, but may be convinced to buy a monitor and downgrade (though I do live in a tiny room.) I have tons of games on Steam so its not worth listing out all the games I'd like to be playing, but I play WoW, Shadow of Mordor, Saint's Row, etc. I'd like to be able to game on it for a few years. Also, I'm looking to buy it soon since my computer died about a month ago and I want a new one soon!

http://amzn.com/w/3ROSTKAWFY9SV

Don't go AMD for gaming, just look at the benchmark results kharma45 posted above.
The cooler comes with thermal paste, so unless you really want that specific one you don't need to buy extra.

 

[vandalhearts]

Guys is the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO compatible with an Antec GX500? Pcpartpicker is telling me that are not compatible.

 

[DPB]

Guys is the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO compatible with an Antec GX500? Pcpartpicker is telling me that are not compatible.

No, it's too tall. That case only has 158mm to fit a cooler, and the 212 is 159mm tall.

 

[Sanic]

I just swapped out my old CPU for a new one. Computer POSTS and boots into windows just fine, but when I launch almost any application the computer will crash immediately or within a few moments. I can get to the 2k logo in Borderlands 2 and the main menu in Skyrim, but launching my browser (Chrome) causes an immediate crash. Steam boots with Windows and I seem fine using that.

What kind of issues could I be looking at? I find it odd that the time to crash is inconsistent among applications.

 

[Kezen]

I just swapped out my old CPU for a new one. Computer POSTS and boots into windows just fine, but when I launch almost any application the computer will crash immediately or within a few moments. I can get to the 2k logo in Borderlands 2 and the main menu in Skyrim, but launching my browser (Chrome) causes an immediate crash. Steam boots with Windows and I seem fine using that.

What kind of issues could I be looking at? I find it odd that the time to crash is inconsistent among applications.

Does your mobo support the CPU you bought ? You could update the bios.

 

[Sanic]

Does your mobo support the CPU you bought ? You could update the bios.

I'm checking that now, i'll report back. From what I had been reading online, the computer shouldn't even be able to post if my mobo drivers didn't the CPU.

If any extra info helps, the computer doesn't BSOD or restart - it just blanks out.

 

[kennah]

I just swapped out my old CPU for a new one. Computer POSTS and boots into windows just fine, but when I launch almost any application the computer will crash immediately or within a few moments. I can get to the 2k logo in Borderlands 2 and the main menu in Skyrim, but launching my browser (Chrome) causes an immediate crash. Steam boots with Windows and I seem fine using that.

What kind of issues could I be looking at? I find it odd that the time to crash is inconsistent among applications.

Sounds like an improperly installed cooler.

 

[LilJoka]

Sounds like an improperly installed cooler.

Yeah, check CPU temps with Realtemp or HWMonitor.

 

[Sanic]

Sounds like an improperly installed cooler.

Yeah, check CPU temps with Realtemp or HWMonitor.

This seems to be have been it. Thanks for your help.

 

[mrchampipi]

Could somebody throw some ideas agains't the wall of what might cause this ?

My PC runs perfectly fine all day long without a hitch , and then out of nowhere it BSOD's on me .

One time it happens after starting a game , the other it bsod's after clicking on a simple YouTube link .

So the problem is not repeatable as it seems to happen totally at random .

All the air holes are free so i think i can rule out overheating , at least i hope so .

The only thing that does seem the same is that it happens after the PC has been on for a long while .

Any idea's ?

I had quite the same symptoms for a while with my pc, couldn't find out why...until I finaly understood it was a memory problem: happened that my msi mobo (z87-g45) didn't like my G skill ram. Was working fine 90% of the time, but pc would randomly bsod like you describe. Changed the ram's brand and all my problems went away.
Not saying G-skill is a bad brand, but it does seem to be causing issues with msi mobos.

 

[TheBez]

Don't go AMD for gaming, just look at the benchmark results kharma45 posted above.
The cooler comes with thermal paste, so unless you really want that specific one you don't need to buy extra.

Thanks for the input! Given what you said I threw this together and hopefully this one is better. I couldn't really figure out the differences in MOBOs, they all seemed pretty similar.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/n8Qdt6

 

[ricki42]

Thanks for the input! Given what you said I threw this together and hopefully this one is better. I couldn't really figure out the differences in MOBOs, they all seemed pretty similar.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/n8Qdt6

Go for a Z97 mobo.
Also, that PSU is somewhat unpopular, if you spend a little bit more you can get the Evga G2 which is a very good PSU. Though you don't really need 750 W, you could instead get a Seasonic with 550-650 W unless you plan to SLI at some point.

 

[TheBez]

Go for a Z97 mobo.
Also, that PSU is somewhat unpopular, if you spend a little bit more you can get the Evga G2 which is a very good PSU. Though you don't really need 750 W, you could instead get a Seasonic with 550-650 W unless you plan to SLI at some point.

I figured that down the line I may add more and need the 750W, in the meantime it can't hurt to have more right? Is it worth throwing in the extra $10 and going with the 850W? I decided to go with the MOBO listed in the OP, seemed to be in a good price range still.

 

[Rizzi]

Halp.
Some AMD 970 chipset motherboards may need a BIOS update prior to using Vishera CPUs. Is that compatible?

 

[ricki42]

I figured that down the line I may add more and need the 750W, in the meantime it can't hurt to have more right? Is it worth throwing in the extra $10 and going with the 850W? I decided to go with the MOBO listed in the OP, seemed to be in a good price range still.

Both your links go to the EVGA 750W PSU.
I don't think you'll need 850W, but it won't hurt you either.

 

[Fargo_Dog]

I have a few questions for a friend, if that's cool!

He has at absolute most $800 to spend (including tax), and already has a GTX 780, 8GB of Kingston HyperX RAM, an optical drive and a 1TB storage drive. However, everything else needs to be purchased.

So far, he's sure he'd like the Fractal R4 for a case and the intel i5-4670 (not the K variant as he's not going to be overclocking.) He'd like a quiet CPU cooler, an SSD around the 250GB range and a sound card with a good 3.5mm mic input are the things he'd really like, but everything else purely needs to be functional. Is there any chance we could get a few recommendations?

Oh and a second question. The SSD will obviously be the OS drive and he no longer has the installation stuff for his OS, so what's the best option to proceed there? Would he need to buy a whole new boxed OS or is there another solution?

Thanks guys, we really, really appreciate it!

 

[Ban Puncher]

Was using my PC as normal this evening when it suddenly switched off and wouldn't power back on. Motherboard and GPU still light up but that's it. I took everything out and started from scratch and what I found is that everything can be plugged in except for the EATX12V power connection, the PC will power on, mobo LED will light up '00' and the PSU, CPU and GPU fans will spin (but not the case fans). But as soon as I connect the CPU to the PSU, the PC will not turn on.

So which expensive ass thing needs replacing three days out from Xmas - mobo or CPU? Or is there something really obvious I am overlooking?

Plugged in an old PSU, cascade of sparks from ATX12V then booted normally. Put the original PSU back in and booted as normal (no fire this time though).


Huh.

 

[RGM79]

I figured that down the line I may add more and need the 750W, in the meantime it can't hurt to have more right? Is it worth throwing in the extra $10 and going with the 850W? I decided to go with the MOBO listed in the OP, seemed to be in a good price range still.

Z87 is technically compatible with the processor you chose, but you may need a BIOS upgrade before you can use that motherboard with the processor. Rather than deal with that hassle, you can get a Z97 motherboard which is compatible out of the box. It won't be as well-featured for the price, but you can get the Gigabyte GA-Z97X-SLI for $117 and it should meet all your needs.

There's cheaper faster RAM you can get instead of the Kingston model, like 8GB Patriot Viper DDR3-2133 for $60 after a $7 rebate.

That GTX 970 is a bit too large for the case and will interfere with the removable drive cages. You could get a shorter model like the EVGA GTX 970 Superclocked for $340.

As for the power supply, CX series is ok, but you can get the even better Antec HCG 850 for $70 after $30 rebate. The Antec is actually manufactured by Seasonic, so it's fairly high quality. If you want to save some money, 550 watts is already enough for GTX 970 SLI and you could get a non-modular power supply like the XFX TS 550 watt for just $26 ($61 normally, also Seasonic-made) or the Silverstone Strider Essential 600W for $63.

Halp.
Some AMD 970 chipset motherboards may need a BIOS update prior to using Vishera CPUs. Is that compatible?

It's compatible according to the official manufacturer's compatibility list, you won't need to update the BIOS. The compatibility warning is just a general warning for 970 chipset motherboards, not all support Vishera out of the box.

I hope you don't mind, but I have some changes to recommend you to save money. You can save a bit on the RAM and power supply. For just $10 more, you can get a much stronger R9 290 instead of the GTX 770.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($129.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Pro3 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($93.00 @ CPL Online)
Memory: Kingston Fury Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($99.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($64.00 @ IJK)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($379.00 @ PCCaseGear)
Power Supply: Silverstone Strider Essential 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($79.00 @ CPL Online)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro - 64-bit (OEM) (64-bit)
Total: $843.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-22 13:43 EST+1100

With the money saved, you could get a decent CPU cooler like the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo for $36. Do you already have a case?

I have a few questions for a friend, if that's cool!

He has at absolute most $800 to spend (including tax), and already has a GTX 780, 8GB of Kingston HyperX RAM, an optical drive and a 1TB storage drive. However, everything else needs to be purchased.

So far, he's sure he'd like the Fractal R4 for a case and the intel i5-4670 (not the K variant as he's not going to be overclocking.) He'd like a quiet CPU cooler, an SSD around the 250GB range and a sound card with a good 3.5mm mic input are the things he'd really like, but everything else purely needs to be functional. Is there any chance we could get a few recommendations?

Oh and a second question. The SSD will obviously be the OS drive and he no longer has the installation stuff for his OS, so what's the best option to proceed there? Would he need to buy a whole new boxed OS or is there another solution?

Thanks guys, we really, really appreciate it!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($188.88 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($92.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($108.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($63.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $591.08
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-21 21:56 EST-0500

Unfortunately, I don't know what constitutes a good sound card. Does he have any specific brand or model of sound card in mind? The Fractal R5 just came out recently and is an excellent improvement over the R4, so I'd recommend that since it'll probably still fit in the budget.

If he still has a Windows license (product key), it's easy to get the installer for free, here's a guide.

 

[Rizzi]

I already have a case, gpu and ram.

 

[RGM79]

I already have a case, gpu and ram.

Then this is all you need. The motherboard will work fine.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($129.00 @ CPL Online)
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Pro3 R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($93.00 @ CPL Online)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.00 @ Centre Com)
Power Supply: Silverstone Strider Essential 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($79.00 @ CPL Online)
Total: $363.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-22 14:13 EST+1100

 

[Fargo_Dog]

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($188.88 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($92.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($108.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 620W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($63.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $591.08
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-21 21:56 EST-0500

Unfortunately, I don't know what constitutes a good sound card. Does he have any specific brand or model of sound card in mind? The Fractal R5 just came out recently and is an excellent improvement over the R4, so I'd recommend that since it'll probably still fit in the budget.

If he still has a Windows license (product key), it's easy to get the installer for free, here's a guide.

He was thinking the ASUS Xonar DGX for a sound card, which should fit neatly in the budget. I know that I personally have managed to get my CD key from my computer before, so I'm sure that'll work for him.

This is a really great list, thanks so much!