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[charlequin]

So, update: I finished plugging everything in last night, so today I just doublechecked everything, plugged it in, pressed the button, spent about five minutes trying to figure out the two different power switches on the PSU, pressed the button again... and it posted and threw up the "Insert bootable media" message, which I think is... literally the first time I've ever gotten that on my first try? Put windows on and I'll be bringing it home tomorrow after I get to load up the drivers and such.

Also: I let y'all trick me into doing a Hyper 212 a second time, but NEVER AGAIN. That thing is more of a pain in the ass to install than like five other components combined, plus it makes other pieces tougher to install too if you're an idiot (like me) and attach it early.

It will work out just get the cable ties out. You can see how I fed cables in my system on page 150. My PSU was only hybrid modular and also had full length cables. I tied together the slack at the PSU side witg zip ties.
I fed lots of cabling in the support columns of the case too.

Yeah, you managed to get yours looking pretty reasonable, I feel like. I wound up using about seven or eight zip ties but even so it's a bit wooly in there. I might open it up again just to doublecheck on cable positioning just because the thing has so many fans in tight cable proximity.

Also before you install such a system, build it outside the case to test!! That bent pin could cause a lot of pain if you've got everything setup in the case.

I've never done this, it always seems challenging to put everything together, unhook it, and rebuild it all in the case. Do people find this is a better strategy overall?

Anyway, bent pins don't seem to have been an issue? CPU seated completely snug and installed and booted Windows fine, so I assume if there had been a problem there I'd have already seen it.

 

[Smokey]

Hey guys, anyone know of a forum or place where I can sell my 780ti? I want ot upgrade to a GTX 980, but would liek to sell my old card. I'm trying to avoid ebay though.

Yep

 

[Hazaro]

What do people think of this for a sub $600 build for my girlfriend's dad? It really doesn't need to be gigantically impressive, we're just trying to get him a computer to actually play modern games with, since he currently has an ancient Windows XP box, and I've wanted to get him into Civilization V, XCOM, Divinity: Original Sin, Shadowrun Returns/Dragonfall, etc.

Hmm... can shuffle some money around if it will be upgraded or overclocked later.
I'd get the 500W PSU (eVGA Bronze) for a tiny bit more and bump up to an i3 unless you are going to clock the Pentium.

Also: I let y'all trick me into doing a Hyper 212 a second time, but NEVER AGAIN. That thing is more of a pain in the ass to install than like five other components combined, plus it makes other pieces tougher to install too if you're an idiot (like me) and attach it early.

>

is in the second post

Assembling outside of case you just do a stick of RAM, CPU, HS, PSU, then short the start pins (or press the Power button on new mobos). It's pretty quick.

 

[Confusion Illusion]

Also: I let y'all trick me into doing a Hyper 212 a second time, but NEVER AGAIN. That thing is more of a pain in the ass to install than like five other components combined, plus it makes other pieces tougher to install too if you're an idiot (like me) and attach it early.

It's a good cooler, but honestly, I was surprised I was able to install the thing my self

 

[reKon]

Still waiting on GTX 970 to hit that $250 price point..

That $300 deal today with the two free games looked sexy

 

[The Llama]

Still waiting on GTX 970 to hit that $250 price point..

That $300 deal today with the two free games looked sexy

I'd be shocked if it was ever below $300 with any regularity. Maaaaaaaaaaaaaybe it'll hit $250 once or twice, but who knows. I wouldn't count on it though.

 

[Xtyle]

i was being uncareful and touched the thermal on the liquid cooler pump...a tiny bit of thermal, about have of a rice got scratched off...is that, alright？？

 

[Xtyle]

The block comes with thermal paste pre-applied. Generally speaking you do need thermal paste always yeah.

should i scrap off the default thermal and put on artic silver 5? if I do, do i spread it out or do i do it normally like put on a bit in the center and let it squeeze out when installed??

 

[LostMyNarbles]

Still waiting on GTX 970 to hit that $250 price point..

That $300 deal today with the two free games looked sexy

Should have just bought it at $300 and sold both the codes for $25/$30 a piece. I'll be surprised if the 970 ever regularly hits under $300 let alone at $250.

 

[reKon]

Well the deal was on Newegg (same place of most of these deals have been happening) and I have Amazon cash I want to use..

Why is it unlikely that there are sales pushing the cards down below $300?

Aren't they likely to change the MSRP to $300 after all the new cards are released?

 

[Grinchy]

I'm using a Noctua NH-U12P

I helped my buddy put his PC together a couple months ago (by which I mean I put it together while he watched). He bought this CPU cooler thinking it was just fans for his case lol. He has no intention of overclocking but I installed it for him anyway.

This was a nice fun CPU cooler to install.

 

[x3sphere]

Well the deal was on Newegg (same place of most of these deals have been happening) and I have Amazon cash I want to use..

Why is it unlikely that there are sales pushing the cards down below $300?

Aren't they likely to change the MSRP to $300 after all the new cards are released?

I don't think the 980 Ti release will push down the price of the 970. It'll depend on how competitive AMD's new offerings are

 

[Xtyle]

my Azza case doesn't support the H105 liquid cooler...so i had to screw the cooler to the front plate (which is metal grill...) I hope that's not an issue or anything..

so would have the pump's thermal scratched off a tiny bit be ok? or should I replace artic silver on it now?

 

[RGM79]

Dear PC GAF, and in special RGM79: Thank you so much once again for the help picking up pc components! All the parts came in today, and I have finished building my brother's pc:

He's already playing LoL on his awesome machine (my GTX780 am cry, hahaha)

The only thing I didn't take into account was the fact that the motherboard only had 3 fan headers, but I already googled for a cheap solution and found out about fan header splitters, which I already ordered so that we can run the second led fan in front of the case.

Other than that, everything went smooth! I ended up picking up the BenQ model that seemed equivalent to my VG248QE from Asus (he wanted BenQ). It looks pretty neat.

Thanks again, GAF!

RGM79 is the savior that brought me to PC gaming by guiding me with my parts. Just wanted to give a thanks as I enjoy Witcher 3!

Thanks, guys. Enjoy the PCs, that Corsair case looks very good in white.

What do people think of this for a sub $600 build for my girlfriend's dad? It really doesn't need to be gigantically impressive, we're just trying to get him a computer to actually play modern games with, since he currently has an ancient Windows XP box, and I've wanted to get him into Civilization V, XCOM, Divinity: Original Sin, Shadowrun Returns/Dragonfall, etc.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($72.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sandisk Solid State Drive 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($199.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($32.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($20.59 @ Amazon)
Total: $539.51
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-27 21:49 EDT-0400

Looks solid. The GTX 960 will do great as a quiet and capable card. I'd recommend an aftermarket CPU heatsink if you were intending to overclock the G3258, otherwise I also agree with Hazaro on both counts, i3 will give you similar performance for less hassle and heat and noise, and you may want to get a stronger power supply that will give you more leeway for supporting future upgrades.

Also, do you really need a DVD drive? That might be another $20 you can cut out.

If you're looking to maximize performance and cost, then consider my version of your build.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($176.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-GAMING 3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($41.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Dark 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk Solid State Drive 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($49.98 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 290 4GB PCS+ Video Card ($229.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($26.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $610.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-28 01:07 EDT-0400

That features an i5 and R9 290 for very strong performance for $610, although it is reliant on rebates to get the price as low as it is. You could save around $70 and keep the build under $600 by dropping down to the cheaper i3 4160 ($109) or similar. I know you said it doesn't need to be massively powerful, but it is within your budget.

 

[adamantypants]

Fuck guys got my 1440 IPS monitor installed now and my 780ti isn't real happy about it (at least the Witcher isn't). I'm sitting here twiddling my thumbs on that 980ti launch. Hurry up Computex.

Still waiting on GTX 970 to hit that $250 price point..

That $300 deal today with the two free games looked sexy

Could've sold the two games to easily cover the $50, and then some.

should i scrap off the default thermal and put on artic silver 5? if I do, do i spread it out or do i do it normally like put on a bit in the center and let it squeeze out when installed??

If it's pre-applied it's perfectly fine. Don't waste your money on AS5.

 

[RGM79]

my Azza case doesn't support the H105 liquid cooler...so i had to screw the cooler to the front plate (which is metal grill...) I hope that's not an issue or anything..

so would have the pump's thermal scratched off a tiny bit be ok? or should I replace artic silver on it now?

The H105 is quite a bit thicker than the H100i GTX radiator I recommended for you, so unfortunately it won't fit in your Azza 1000R case. I didn't know you were going for the H105, otherwise I would have checked the compatibility first.

How much of the thermal paste was scratched off? If it was just a tiny scratch, it's fine. Keep an eye on your temperatures if you're worried, though.

 

[m_shortpants]

Don't think I ever posted a pic of the final product but here it is. Had no idea the mobo had red lights embedded in there. I think maybe a red LED fan may look nice at some point but I'm happy with how it turned out. Bit of GPU sag but it's not too bad, I tried to prop it up with the power cable.

 

[charlequin]

I forgot to mention: I'll see how it is in real use, but in my test and installation boots today the thing was QUIET AS HELLS. Makes my own system (which is built in a Define R4 and not close to loud by any stretch) sound like a calamity.

>

is in the second post

The fact that I know exactly how to install it, I've even done it before, and it's still the most miserable part of the build is more or less my exact critique of the thing.

 

[Xtyle]

The H105 is quite a bit thicker than the H100i GTX radiator I recommended for you, so unfortunately it won't fit in your Azza 1000R case. I didn't know you were going for the H105, otherwise I would have checked the compatibility first.

How much of the thermal paste was scratched off? If it was just a tiny scratch, it's fine. Keep an eye on your temperatures if you're worried, though.

it is just tiny bit. but it makes a small hole on the thermal outside of the center.

I screwed the radiator right on the front case panel metal grill...would that be ok? I had to hack it by drilling holes on the front panel that I could screw through

 

[jfoul]

AMD Fiji XT Pictured Some More

AMD Teaser Video

"The PCB is extremely compact, with just the GPU package, and its VRM. Speaking of which, the card draws power from a pair of 8-pin PCIe power connectors. The coolant tubes stick out from the rear of the card, making their way to a 120 x 120 mm radiator, with a single included 120 mm PWM fan. With this card, AMD is doing away with DVI altogether. Connectors will be a mixture of DisplayPort 1.2a and HDMI 2.0."

 

[finalflame]

["The PCB is extremely compact, with just the GPU package, and its VRM. Speaking of which, the card draws power from a pair of 8-pin PCIe power connectors. The coolant tubes stick out from the rear of the card, making their way to a 120 x 120 mm radiator, with a single included 120 mm PWM fan. With this card, AMD is doing away with DVI altogether. Connectors will be a mixture of DisplayPort 1.2a and HDMI 2.0."

Shit move on their part. Don't feel like ever having to buy an active DP -> DVI-Dual Link cable, which my 1440p Korean PLS monitor would require.

 

[RGM79]

it is just tiny bit. but it makes a small hole on the thermal outside of the center.

I screwed the radiator right on the front case panel metal grill...would that be ok? I had to hack it by drilling holes on the front panel that I could screw through

From what you said, it sounds alright to mount the radiator that way. As I said, keep an eye on load temperatures (stress testing or gaming) if you are worried.

 

[jfoul]

Shit move on their part. Don't feel like ever having to buy an active DP -> DVI-Dual Link cable, which my 1440p Korean PLS monitor would require.

Just a guess, but I'm pretty sure it will have at least one DP to DVI adapter.

 

[finalflame]

Just a guess, but I'm pretty sure it will have at least one DP to DVI adapter.

Unfortunately, as far as I know (and correct me if I'm wrong), you cannot simply convert a DP or HDMI signal to DVI Dual Link passively, and it requires a pricey active converter, as such:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A493CNY/?tag=neogaf0e-20

So I really doubt they'd include that in the box.

 

[jfoul]

Unfortunately, as far as I know (and correct me if I'm wrong), you cannot simply convert a DP or HDMI signal to DVI Dual Link passively, and it requires a pricey active converter, as such:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A493CNY/?tag=neogaf0e-20

So I really doubt they'd include that in the box.

Well, that's unfortunate. Probably need to get a non-ref or get an Nvidia card. Adapters for DP to HDMI, DP to DVI (single link) and DP to VGA all seem to be cheap.

 

[finalflame]

Well, that's unfortunate. Probably need to get a non-ref or get an Nvidia card.

Yah, a shame. I was planning on sticking with nVidia anyways (currently SLi 980s), but was hoping the 390X would pose some kind of competition so it would be a touch choice to make between 980 Tis and 390Xs, with the 390X hopefully outperforming and being priced competitively.

But, once again, AMD seemingly obliviously alienates a segment of potential adopters.

Oh well.

 

[Easy_D]

Really wish I would have paid the additional 20 dolla for the variant of my monitor with HDMI ports now. :lol

 

[opticalmace]

Who wants a reference card anyway (if you're not doing CF or SLI).

 

[Acrylic7]

Looking for a good and cheap mic to go with my Headphones. Any recommendations?

 

[Valravn]

Zalman ZM-MIC1

 

[SmartBase]

How has SLI support for games been recently? I'm itching to get a new dual GPU setup and the 980Ti is almost here.

 

[komplanen]

Looking for a good and cheap mic to go with my Headphones. Any recommendations?

http://www.modmic.com

Heard good things about this.

 

[Afro]

Looking for a good and cheap mic to go with my Headphones. Any recommendations?

Can't go wrong with v-moda.

 

[Acrylic7]

Zalman ZM-MIC1

arg, a few minutes late. I already ordered my new Headphones and now I have to pay for extra shipping -_-

 

[Black Pewter]

Hey guys, can you give me upgrade recommendations? Seems like the 970 isn't going to be dropping in price anytime soon so I may as well do it now.
Additionally opinion seems to be split on the Gigabyte & MSI versions of the card,which one is better? Is there a huge difference between them?

Your Current Specs Athlon X4 750K 4.02GHz / 8GB Ram / AMD 7750 / PSU 500W / CiT Vantage Midi Mesh / 1TB Seagate
Budget 300 GBP
Main Use Gaming, Emulation (PS2/Wii), General Usage (Word, Web, 1080p playback).
Monitor Resolution 1600x1200 most likely, unless I buy a monitor before uni starts.
Games that you MUST be able to run well GTAV, Witcher 3, Viewtiful Joe through PCSX2
Looking to reuse any parts? As much as possible that's compatible with the upgrades.
When will you build? Late June-July. Last exam is June 19th so it'll be good to come home to GTAV in Ultra at 60
Will you be overclocking? Probably, depending on how soon this card starts to get dated.

 

[TronLight]

Hey guys, can you give me upgrade recommendations? Seems like the 970 isn't going to be dropping in price anytime soon so I may as well do it now.

It might drop in price in literally 10 days.

 

[Black Pewter]

It might drop in price in literally 10 days.

That's what I assumed originally but I heard the AMD announcements wouldn't make that much of a difference since the new cards are aiming for a higher price range. Thanks though, I'm going to wait it out either way

 

[komplanen]

That's what I assumed originally but I heard the AMD announcements wouldn't make that much of a difference since the new cards are aiming for a higher price range. Thanks though, I'm going to wait it out either way

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487076&cm_re=gtx_970-_-14-487-076-_-Product

Comes with $100 worth of video games (Witcher 3 GOG and Batman Arkham Knight STEAM).

If you don't want the games, I'd imagine you could sell the keys for $25 a pop.

Somehow I doubt any new price drops and this particular offer (it's Nvidia's world wide) will be available at the same time.

 

[Black Pewter]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487076&cm_re=gtx_970-_-14-487-076-_-Product

Comes with $100 worth of video games (Witcher 3 GOG and Batman Arkham Knight STEAM).

If you don't want the games, I'd imagine you could sell the keys for $25 a pop.

Somehow I doubt any new price drops and this particular offer (it's Nvidia's world wide) will be available at the same time.

Holy shit, that's way cheaper than the Gigabyte/MSIs I was looking at, thanks. I'll probably buy this then, if there's no discernible performance difference from the other 2?

EDIT: Actually, converted to pounds, plus tax and shipping it's pretty much the same, still, thanks though!

 

[MisterM]

Holy shit, that's way cheaper than the Gigabyte/MSIs I was looking at, thanks. I'll probably buy this then, if there's no discernible performance difference from the other 2?

EDIT: Actually, converted to pounds, plus tax and shipping it's pretty much the same, still, thanks though!

I bought the EVGA GTX 970 Superclocked ACX 2.0 a few days from scan.co.uk and I'm extremely happy with it.

£269 inc free delivery & TW3/Batman codes.

EDIT - Whoops, forgot the link: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/4gb-...65mhz-boost-1317mhz-1664-cores-1xdp-dvi-d-i-h

 

[komplanen]

Holy shit, that's way cheaper than the Gigabyte/MSIs I was looking at, thanks. I'll probably buy this then, if there's no discernible performance difference from the other 2?

EDIT: Actually, converted to pounds, plus tax and shipping it's pretty much the same, still, thanks though!

http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials...am+Knight+&+Witcher+3+Games!+?productId=62202

 

[Afro]

edit: steam mover looks great.

 

[master0fdeception]

Just built my pc last week, first ever build. I did to play the Witcher 3 at max settings. Here's what I got (I used pcpartpicker to do all this):

Core i5 4690k
Evo hyper 212 cooler
16 gb gskill ripjaw x series ram 2133hz
Enthoo pro case
MSI GTX 970 twin frozr
250gb crucial bx1000 SSD
1TB western digital blue
Gigabyte Gaming z97x motherboard
Samsung optical drive
Tplink wireless adapter
Evga 750w semi modular power supply
Asus pb278q 1440p ips monitor


My question is, the computer is quiet but there is a humming sound from the case fans. Can anyone recommend some led fans that are VERY quiet??

Also anything on my system that could be improved???

P.s. You'll be happy to know I'm playing Witcher 3 at max settings 1440p with fps 45-60!!!

 

[LtOrange]

When are Intel's new CPUs supposed to come out? I want to do a full upgrade, but can wait if they are coming out sometime this year. I always get this crazy anxiety that I will be missing the next big thing when building a new computer.

 

[Black Pewter]

I bought the EVGA GTX 970 Superclocked ACX 2.0 a few days from scan.co.uk and I'm extremely happy with it.

£269 inc free delivery & TW3/Batman codes.

EDIT - Whoops, forgot the link: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/4gb-...65mhz-boost-1317mhz-1664-cores-1xdp-dvi-d-i-h

http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials...am+Knight+&+Witcher+3+Games!+?productId=62202

Thanks guys, I'll definitely keep an eye on this, hopefully I can get it before the promo ends

 

[Smokey]

Is anybody selling DDR3 RAM and/or a SSD?

Want these parts so I can potentially resurrect my backup machine that has a 2600k with the new AMD card.

 

[Ultrabum]

Is anybody selling DDR3 RAM and/or a SSD?

Want these parts so I can potentially resurrect my backup machine that has a 2600k with the new AMD card.

I haven't been in this thread for 2 OTs, but I'm guessing your the Smokey the highest cost build on the Google doc is referring too lol?

Sorry I don't have anything for sale.

 

[kennah]

Is anybody selling DDR3 RAM and/or a SSD?

Want these parts so I can potentially resurrect my backup machine that has a 2600k with the new AMD card.

There's actually two decent deals in the BST thread right now. A Crucial 256gig M4 for $75 and someone else is selling 16 gig of ram for $85.

If I weren't so lazy I'd dig up posts for you.

EDIT: Not lazy. SSD http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=165435281&postcount=10509

EDIT2: Ram sold.

 

[AndyD]

Thanks GAF for all your help.

Set up the new office PC last night and it's super fast and perfect for what I needed:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/FrNxdC

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Processor
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Anniversary Motherboard
Memory: Kingston HyperX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB SSD
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 4650 512MB Video Card
Power Supply: Corsair CSM 450W 80+ Gold Certified

And the gaming PC got a few upgrades too:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/hchF99

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Processor
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro4 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: OCZ ARC 100 240GB SSD
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 500GB
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card

 

[J. Bravo]

I need a new USB WiFi adapter. The one I got (TL-WN722N) 4 years ago is shitting the bed. Any suggestions?

edit: here are my down/upload speeds