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[RGM79]

Oh shit. Didn't realize I could just pick my own parts for them to assemble!

I'm in Canada.

Are you located near Vancouver? I don't have a job at the moment (I'm starting a PC tech job in about a week) and I don't mind doing some PC assembly work if you want to save yourself the $50.

 

[Hazaro]

(I'm starting a PC tech job in about a week)

Thread had a good run

 

[ShyGuy0504]

Yes.

Samsung 850 and Crucial BX100 are good.

Thanks for the replies.

I'm going to go ahead and buy 2 while they're on sale. Seems like a really good deal.

 

[Darkone]

Hey Gaf,

I have this MOBO model GA-Z97X-SLI and i want to upgrade to 16GB 2133mhz memory, in the specs i see this Support for DDR3 2133(O.C.), what does it mean?

Can anyone recommend on a good memory model for gaming?
was thinking on this:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IYUCFFQ/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Thanks

 

[NeOak]

(I'm starting a PC tech job in about a week)

o7

 

[RGM79]

Thread had a good run

o7

Ah, don't worry about it. All that means is that I lose more sleep.

Hey Gaf,

I have this MOBO model GA-Z97X-SLI and i want to upgrade to 16GB 2133mhz memory, in the specs i see this Support for DDR3 2133(O.C.), what does it mean?

Can anyone recommend on a good memory model for gaming?
was thinking on this:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IYUCFFQ/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Thanks

OC means that the RAM is technically being overclocked in order to operate at that speed. By default RAM will operate at 1333/1600MHz when you install it, you just have to go into the motherboard BIOS settings to enable a feature called "XMP" or "XMP Profile" to get it to run at the higher rated speed. No need to set manual overclocking or memory speeds and timings, just enable XMP and you're good to go.

As for that RAM, it's not bad, but the price is kinda high. Newegg has the exact same model for $95 including free shipping. If you feel the need for speed, there's this 2x8GB kit of G.Skill Ares 2400MHz RAM also for $95 including free shipping.

What RAM do you already have, though? If you have 1600MHz RAM, it'd be much cheaper and cost-effective to add more 1600MHz RAM instead of replacing it all with higher speed RAM.

 

[Hazaro]

Pros:
New adopted son. Also first _80Ti card I've had. Pretty fancy.

Cons:
It's too hot before even raising the voltage with a swapped BIOS and summer is starting

 

[Darkone]

Ah, don't worry about it. All that means is that I lose more sleep.



OC means that the RAM is technically being overclocked in order to operate at that speed. By default RAM will operate at 1333/1600MHz when you install it, you just have to go into the motherboard BIOS settings to enable a feature called "XMP" or "XMP Profile" to get it to run at the higher rated speed. No need to set manual overclocking or memory speeds and timings, just enable XMP and you're good to go.

As for that RAM, it's not bad, but the price is kinda high. Newegg has the exact same model for $95 including free shipping. If you feel the need for speed, there's this 2x8GB kit of G.Skill Ares 2400MHz RAM also for $95 including free shipping.

What RAM do you already have, though? If you have 1600MHz RAM, it'd be much cheaper and cost-effective to add more 1600MHz RAM instead of replacing it all with higher speed RAM.

I dont remember what i have (i will check when i will be @ home), i am sure i have one of these: 1333/1600MHz.

 

[Chinbo37]

Hi guys, I am building a file server and I want to pick up a wireless router to network that to the rest of my house and my other devices.


Any recommendations for a good wireless router? It would be used for streaming data to local devices, I might also use it for streaming steam games from my gaming computer to my home theater computer.

That brings up another question. i am planning on moving my gaming PC to my room, and streaming games to my home theater computer in the living room. I know that is possible with steam. What about otehr services (Origin) or generally older PC games running locally not on any service, any easy way to stream everything while still maintaining high FPS etc?

 

[j0hnny_385]

Took the plunge for gf's PC upgrade.

Ordered:

ASRock Z97 Pro 4
Core i5 4690K
Hyper 212 EVO
2x4GB Crucial Ballistix Tactical CL9 1866Mhz
ASUS STRIX GTX 970

that, alongside Crucial MX100 256GB in a NZXT Source 210 looking in Dell U2412M 1920x1200 will be enough for a couple of years.

First time order from Alzashop (Czech based shop), heard good things about them.

 

[Engell]

Hi guys, I am building a file server and I want to pick up a wireless router to network that to the rest of my house and my other devices.


Any recommendations for a good wireless router? It would be used for streaming data to local devices, I might also use it for streaming steam games from my gaming computer to my home theater computer.

That brings up another question. i am planning on moving my gaming PC to my room, and streaming games to my home theater computer in the living room. I know that is possible with steam. What about otehr services (Origin) or generally older PC games running locally not on any service, any easy way to stream everything while still maintaining high FPS etc?

how many wireless devices do you have in the household that would access this router on wireless?
and for online games i would always recommend using a cable

 

[Chinbo37]

how many wireless devices do you have in the household that would access this router on wireless?
and for online games i would always recommend using a cable

I dunno, maybe 6 devices if you include phones and tablets. NOt all at the same tiem of course.

What do you mean by "online" games. Like online multiplayer games? Yes I know a cable is recommended but is impossible with this setup, that is why I am asking about a good wireless router.

 

[Garrett Hawke]

I replaced my power supply this morning, no more coil whine!

This is a nice improvement, after putting in the GTX 750 Ti I now get a locked 60fps in Arkham City with everything + DX11 features on very high.

Edit: thank you everyone for all your help

 

[j0hnny_385]

Yes I know a cable is recommended but is impossible with this setup, that is why I am asking about a good wireless router.

Recently got TP-Link AC1200 Archer C5.
Really happy with it.

 

[RGM79]

Hi guys, I am building a file server and I want to pick up a wireless router to network that to the rest of my house and my other devices.

Any recommendations for a good wireless router? It would be used for streaming data to local devices, I might also use it for streaming steam games from my gaming computer to my home theater computer.

That brings up another question. i am planning on moving my gaming PC to my room, and streaming games to my home theater computer in the living room. I know that is possible with steam. What about otehr services (Origin) or generally older PC games running locally not on any service, any easy way to stream everything while still maintaining high FPS etc?

How close will the devices be to the router? Wifi N stuff is usually good enough for most people, although I dunno what speeds you actually require. I've tested Steam's in-house game streaming through wireless N (N600 speed) with indie games on my old HTPC running off my bedroom PC and it worked well, but not any large or complex 3D games. You might want to look at wireless AC for best speed, although both the router and the devices you're connecting to the router will need to support wireless AC. However, AC only works on the 5GHz band (high speed but poor signal penetration through objects) so if there are too many obstructions (walls, doors, metal, etc) between the router and the devices, that can cause signal strength dropoff even at short ranges. I myself have an Asus RT-AC66U router (I'm sure Asus has newer models out now) and I've been very happy with the speed of AC wifi on my Nexus 5 and HTPC (I can stream large files and do high bitrate video very well), but I'm kind of glad I live in a small place because although the router is placed more or less in the middle of my house for equal coverage toward the front and back of the place, it suffers greatly from signal dropoff at the farther corners and when I leave the house.

Powerline networking might also be an option. In my experience it's more reliable than wifi generally is (I'm living in a 13 year old house with good electrical wiring) but beware of the fact that you'll need a pair of adaptors for each device you want to hook up, and speeds are nowhere near what the box or model number implies. I have a "500Mbps" powerline networking kit that I've only ever gotten less than 100 Mbps with (usually closer to 75Mbps most of the time) despite devices at both ends being rated for gigabit speeds. Still, it's fairly solid and works well for hooking up devices that have an ethernet port but have slow or no wifi capability at all like older PCs or game consoles (my PS3 and Wii both only have slow wireless G connectivity).

When it comes to streaming Origin and other non-Steam games.. you can trick the client PC into thinking games are locally stored/installed when they're actually stored on another PC across the network. What you need to do is set up file sharing and symlinks.

On the host PC, right click on the folder/partition/drive you want to let other PCs access, click on properties, click on the sharing tab, click on the advanced sharing button, and check the box for "share this folder". You should have these settings enabled in control panel to ensure file sharing is enabled and working. On the client PC you should set up a symlink, which is like a fancy shortcut that Windows sees as an actual folder. Here's a simple guide with a Windows GUI program to help you generate symlinks, and here's more info and examples using the command line. What you want to do is make a shortcut in the right place that actually points to the shared folder from the other PC.

I've done this with Steam, but it should work for other games as well. How you need to set it up exactly depends on the game, and in Origin's case I think you should have the Origin client installed on both PCs, but the client PC's Origin game folder would be a symlink that actually points to the host PC's origin game folder which is being shared on the network. When done on the client PC, you have a completely seamless shortcut that leads to the shared folder on the host PC. You can log into Origin on the client PC and Origin thinks it sees locally installed games that are actually on the host PC.

As for performance.. Unlike Steam In-home game streaming where the host PC does the hard work and the client PC just receives the picture and controls, sharing game files this way means the framerate will be dependent on the client PC's own processor and graphics card. Streaming game files from one PC to another will be totally dependent on the speed of the network. Just like how a slow hard drive can bottleneck game loading times, a slow network connection can increase loading times of games being shared over the network as the client PC has to access the files from the host PC in order to process them.

For some games this isn't that big of a problem, but for some graphically demanding games and game types like open world games that feature seamless loading of game content on the go in the background (GTAV, etc), a slow network could cause stuttering as the client can't access game files to load and process them quickly enough. It's hard to say as I haven't actually tested it, this is just something that I think could happen.

 

[Chinbo37]

How close will the devices be to the router? Wifi N stuff is usually good enough for most people, although I dunno what speeds you actually require. I've tested Steam's in-house game streaming through wireless N (N600 speed) with indie games on my old HTPC running off my bedroom PC and it worked well, but not any large or complex 3D games. You might want to look at wireless AC for best speed, although both the router and the devices you're connecting to the router will need to support wireless AC. However, AC only works on the 5GHz band (high speed but poor signal penetration through objects) so if there are too many obstructions (walls, doors, metal, etc) between the router and the devices, that can cause signal strength dropoff even at short ranges. I myself have an Asus RT-AC66U router (I'm sure Asus has newer models out now) and I've been very happy with the speed of AC wifi on my Nexus 5 and HTPC (I can stream large files and do high bitrate video very well), but I'm kind of glad I live in a small place because although the router is placed more or less in the middle of my house for equal coverage toward the front and back of the place, it suffers greatly from signal dropoff at the farther corners and when I leave the house.

Powerline networking might also be an option. In my experience it's more reliable than wifi generally is (I'm living in a 13 year old house with good electrical wiring) but beware of the fact that you'll need a pair of adaptors for each device you want to hook up, and speeds are nowhere near what the box or model number implies. I have a "500Mbps" powerline networking kit that I've only ever gotten less than 100 Mbps with (usually closer to 75Mbps most of the time) despite devices at both ends being rated for gigabit speeds. Still, it's fairly solid and works well for hooking up devices that have an ethernet port but have slow or no wifi capability at all like older PCs or game consoles (my PS3 and Wii both only have slow wireless G connectivity).

When it comes to streaming Origin and other non-Steam games.. you can trick the client PC into thinking games are locally stored/installed when they're actually stored on another PC across the network. What you need to do is set up file sharing and symlinks.

On the host PC, right click on the folder/partition/drive you want to let other PCs access, click on properties, click on the sharing tab, click on the advanced sharing button, and check the box for "share this folder". You should have these settings enabled in control panel to ensure file sharing is enabled and working. On the client PC you should set up a symlink, which is like a fancy shortcut that Windows sees as an actual folder. Here's a simple guide with a Windows GUI program to help you generate symlinks, and here's more info and examples using the command line. What you want to do is make a shortcut in the right place that actually points to the shared folder from the other PC.

I've done this with Steam, but it should work for other games as well. How you need to set it up exactly depends on the game, and in Origin's case I think you should have the Origin client installed on both PCs, but the client PC's Origin game folder would be a symlink that actually points to the host PC's origin game folder which is being shared on the network. When done on the client PC, you have a completely seamless shortcut that leads to the shared folder on the host PC. You can log into Origin on the client PC and Origin thinks it sees locally installed games that are actually on the host PC.

As for performance.. Unlike Steam In-home game streaming where the host PC does the hard work and the client PC just receives the picture and controls, sharing game files this way means the framerate will be dependent on the client PC's own processor and graphics card. Streaming game files from one PC to another will be totally dependent on the speed of the network. Just like how a slow hard drive can bottleneck game loading times, a slow network connection can increase loading times of games being shared over the network as the client PC has to access the files from the host PC in order to process them.

For some games this isn't that big of a problem, but for some graphically demanding games and game types like open world games that feature seamless loading of game content on the go in the background (GTAV, etc), a slow network could cause stuttering as the client can't access game files to load and process them quickly enough. It's hard to say as I haven't actually tested it, this is just something that I think could happen.

awesome post. thanks for all that. I forgot about power line networking.

Ya the computer I would be use to stream to (my home theater computer) is a haswell processor with no GPU, so that is why steam streaming is a better option. I need my gaming computer to do the heavy lifting.


Thanks for the explanation about 5ghz. I never really knew what the difference was. I plan on setting up my wireless router in teh middle of my apartment, but the problem is that I have concrete walls everywhere so that could cause issues, also I dont think any of my computers are supporting AC.

I still think a wireless router would be a good option because with my file server if I am streaming files locally, I dont want that to interfere with other devices which may be accessing the interent. I guess with a wireless router if I am streaming games or movies locally it shoudl not eat badwidth for those who are accessing hte internet right?

 

[RGM79]

awesome post. thanks for all that. I forgot about power line networking.

Ya the computer I would be use to stream to (my home theater computer) is a haswell processor with no GPU, so that is why steam streaming is a better option. I need my gaming computer to do the heavy lifting.

Thanks for the explanation about 5ghz. I never really knew what the difference was. I plan on setting up my wireless router in teh middle of my apartment, but the problem is that I have concrete walls everywhere so that could cause issues, also I dont think any of my computers are supporting AC.

I still think a wireless router would be a good option because with my file server if I am streaming files locally, I dont want that to interfere with other devices which may be accessing the interent. I guess with a wireless router if I am streaming games or movies locally it shoudl not eat badwidth for those who are accessing hte internet right?

Yeah, my HTPC was a Pentium Haswell that only had the built in graphics, that's why I never tried anything more than indie games. Also, I'm not much of a couch gamer, to be honest. Unfortunately I don't think there's a way to directly do Steam In-house style streaming with Origin games. You can add non-Steam games into your Steam Library, but otherwise I don't know.

Do you already have a wireless router? Wireless N on 2.4GHz might work, but otherwise you might have to resort to powerline networking to get a connection to spots that have poor signal.

Yes, local network usage (from one device to another device) won't slow down internet speeds.

 

[Engell]

I dunno, maybe 6 devices if you include phones and tablets. NOt all at the same tiem of course.

What do you mean by "online" games. Like online multiplayer games? Yes I know a cable is recommended but is impossible with this setup, that is why I am asking about a good wireless router.

Just that your main gaming PC should wired for best performance.. you have to consider how many you would have on the net at once.
But i am actually also in the market for buying a new router, right now i have the Asus AC66U considered by many to be a good router, but i am actually a bit disappointed in it.
I often see slowdowns other funny things from it(and i have tried all kinds of firmware for it, official and unofficial) So obviously i wouldn't recommend Asus AC66U(its an early AC design, the software on it is pretty awesome but the hardware is not up to the task).

So i am personally looking for something with more power = 4-6 channels AC, unfortunately this is also pretty pricy, but if you want to stream game video i think its is something you will need, especially if you don't want someone else using the wifi to interrupt your gaming stream. look at netgear, asus, dlink, linksys, look for AC and something that has 4 antennas or more. look for reviews and tests on the net and hope for the best.

 

[RGM79]

But i am actually also in the market for buying a new router, right now i have the Asus AC66U considered by many to be a good router, but i am actually a bit disappointed in it.
I often see slowdowns other funny things from it(and i have tried all kinds of firmware for it, official and unofficial) So obviously i wouldn't recommend Asus AC66U(its an early AC design, the software on it is pretty awesome but the hardware is not up to the task).

Just a little side-note, but I also have the RT-AC66U and have experienced slowdowns as well in the past. It may be that the NVRAM is the issue and it needs to be cleared every so often. Reflashing the router firmware also seems to refresh the AC66U and bring it back to peak performance for me, while keeping all of my configuration settings. Rebooting or power cycling the router doesn't do the trick. I use the modified Merlin firmware on my AC66U and it's been relatively smooth. I've only had to refresh it by reflashing the firmware once in the last year.

What works for me may not work for you (I'm not sure myself why it works), but clearing the NVRAM and/or reflashing the firmware might be worth trying as a temporary fix to get it up to speed again. I'm on Merlin version 378.53 if it matters.

 

[j0hnny_385]

Ugggghhh, ASUS STRIX GTX 970 only has 1x 8pin connector for the PSU.
It's going to a rig powered by Corsair HX520 which doesn't have an 8-pin connector.

Is it safe to use this ?

Buying a new PSU would be a huge strain on the budget at this moment. HX520W should handle the 970 without a problem, right?

 

[Engell]

Just a little side-note, but I also have the RT-AC66U and have experienced slowdowns as well in the past. It may be that the NVRAM is the issue and it needs to be cleared every so often. Reflashing the router firmware also seems to refresh the AC66U and bring it back to peak performance for me, while keeping all of my configuration settings. Rebooting or power cycling the router doesn't do the trick. I use the modified Merlin firmware on my AC66U and it's been relatively smooth. I've only had to refresh it by reflashing the firmware once in the last year.

What works for me may not work for you (I'm not sure myself why it works), but clearing the NVRAM and/or reflashing the firmware might be worth trying as a temporary fix to get it up to speed again. I'm on Merlin version 378.53 if it matters.

I have tried everything including clearing nvram (mtd-erase -d nvram), right now i am running the latest merlin build, i have done hard reset, factory reset etc. and still get slowdowns on the same day :-(
its craptastic. but it also choked the other day from having 4 laptops connected trying to play "Heroes of the storm" things only got somewhat good when we shifted two of the machines to cable.
Don't remember the version i am running(flashed it last weekend), but i will check out the 378.53 version

The most stable router i ever had was a D-Link, but that was many years ago and i have no idea if that applies today.

 

[Devildoll]

Ugggghhh, ASUS STRIX GTX 970 only has 1x 8pin connector for the PSU.
It's going to a rig powered by Corsair HX520 which doesn't have an 8-pin connector.

Is it safe to use this ?

http://cdn.overclock.net/7/75/75e2c0ab_k-pcie-molex_main.jpeg

Buying a new PSU would be a huge strain on the budget at this moment. HX520W should handle the 970 without a problem, right?

A 2x6pin->1x8pin adapter would be preferable.
But if that's the adapter that came with the card, it might be ok?

 

[j0hnny_385]

A 2x6pin->1x8pin adapter would be preferable.
But if that's the adapter that came with the card, it might be ok?

this one came with my other GTX 970 (Gigabyte G1), the ASUS card doesn't come with any adapters or cables.

 

[Dmax3901]

The RAM you linked to has the exact same specs (1.5 volts, 1600MHz speed and CL9 latency) as the set I suggested. The $89 kit has the older Ripjaws style design while the $85 kit has the newer Ripjaws X design. It's just a matter of looks, it doesn't mean anything. Since it's just a difference of $4, it's up to you whether you want to save the money or get the other set so all of your RAM has a matching look. There will be no problems mixing them as they're technically the same, they just have a different exterior design.

More expensive motherboards come with extra features that the basic Z97 specifications don't include. Extra SATA/USB/fan connectors, fancy LEDs, additional features like wifi/bluetooth, gimmicks like smartphone apps to control parts of the motherboard, etc. Aside from that, more expensive motherboards can have better power phase delivery circuitry and control for greater overclocking (kinda technical but read here for more info), but you don't really need that unless you're doing extreme overclocking around and over 4.8GHz. Even power users don't need to overclock higher than 4.5GHz or so. I'd say the Asus Z97-K motherboard falls into the lower-middle range, it's a bit cheap but has a moderately decent feature set. Not a lot of bells and whistles, but it's not completely low end and barebones either.

Do you need Windows 8 Pro? The Pro version just comes with extra features mainly aimed at business, school, and enterprise level companies looking for additional networking and encryption support. You can see the differences in features here. The standard non-professional version of Windows 8.1 should be just fine for home users. Anyway according to PCPartPicker, retail copies of Windows 8.1 go for $129 and Windows 8.1 Pro for $159. If you were talking about how much to pay for the license keys from reddit sellers, they all have set prices, all versions of Windows keys they are selling should be $25 AUD or less after currency conversion.

Cool. I'll stick with that ram and motherboard. I don't need pro, that's just what the gaffer offered. I'm gonna shop around on that front. Any region locking with W8 keys?

I'm fairly confident I can build this myself. I guess my main worry is cable management. Not too sure how to do that.

 

[RGM79]

Ugggghhh, ASUS STRIX GTX 970 only has 1x 8pin connector for the PSU.
It's going to a rig powered by Corsair HX520 which doesn't have an 8-pin connector.

Is it safe to use this ?

http://cdn.overclock.net/7/75/75e2c0ab_k-pcie-molex_main.jpeg

Buying a new PSU would be a huge strain on the budget at this moment. HX520W should handle the 970 without a problem, right?

The HX520 is a bit old in terms of design and age, but it should be able to handle the GTX 970 no problem. You can use that molex adaptor, or you could also use an adaptor like this twin 6 pin PCI-E to single 8 pin PCI-E adaptor.

I sort of want to say that you can plug the 6 pin cable into the 8 pin socket and it should work..

..but the age of the power supply and the fact that it uses three separate 12V rails prevents me from confidently saying you can do that. It's just safer to use an adaptor in this case.

 

[Kerrinck]

About to upgrade my GPU from a 6950 to a GTX 970 and have a couple of questions.
Is there any difference between the regular one and the superclocked one? I noticed the latter is a bit more expensive and I was wondering if it's worth it.

Also, is it worth it to make any other upgrade to make it future proof for a bit?
Here's what I currently have:
CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BL 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z87X-UDH3
Memory: 16GB
Video Card: Radeon 6950 1GB.

 

[j0hnny_385]

The HX520 is a bit old in terms of design and age, but it should be able to handle the GTX 970 no problem.

Well I hope it'll work since it's a really good PSU (at least it was back in the day):

The complete rig:
ASrock Z97 Pro 4
Core i5 4690K (it won't be OCd)
Hyper 212 EVO
8GB RAM
ASUS STRIX 970
Crucial MX100 256GB SSD
BDROM
keyboard
mouse
Dell U2412M monitor

that's it. no other peripherals or components.
Since the PC is brand new and power efficient, I hope that HX520W would be enough.
I really can't buy a brand new 500W+ PSU at the moment, I bled dry on the upgrade. :/

 

[RGM79]

Well I hope it'll work since it's a really good PSU (at least it was back in the day):

The complete rig:
ASrock Z97 Pro 4
Core i5 4690K (it won't be OCd)
Hyper 212 EVO
8GB RAM
ASUS STRIX 970
Crucial MX100 256GB SSD
BDROM
keyboard
mouse
Dell U2412M monitor

that's it. no other peripherals or components.
Since the PC is brand new and power efficient, I hope that HX520W would be enough.
I really can't buy a brand new 500W+ PSU at the moment, I bled dry on the upgrade. :/

Well, I don't think the power supply will blow up or anything. It's a Seasonic design under the Corsair branding, and reviews were great back then as you said yourself. I'm rocking a Seasonic S12 Energy Plus 650 watt model dating back to 2006 myself. Same generation and similar internal parts and design as yours, except yours is modular. Here's the ugly retro box design, not my photo.

Cool. I'll stick with that ram and motherboard. I don't need pro, that's just what the gaffer offered. I'm gonna shop around on that front. Any region locking with W8 keys?

I'm fairly confident I can build this myself. I guess my main worry is cable management. Not too sure how to do that.

As far as I know, there's no region lock for Windows keys. Just make sure you get the same version installer or ISO for the Windows license key you buy. E.G., don't mix Pro and non-Pro or Windows N and non-N versions as they are incompatible with each other.

Cable management differs from one person to another. Some want to make it as neat as possible. Me.. I tend to stuff cables behind the motherboard tray as much as possible and into empty drive bays or nooks and crannies if needed. The NZXT S340 case has a lot of places to hide and tie up cables, like in the covered PSU compartment and with a lot of hooks on the back of the motherboard tray to tie down cables using twist ties or plastic cable ties.

About to upgrade my GPU from a 6950 to a GTX 970 and have a couple of questions.
Is there any difference between the regular one and the superclocked one? I noticed the latter is a bit more expensive and I was wondering if it's worth it.

Also, is it worth it to make any other upgrade to make it future proof for a bit?
Here's what I currently have:
CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K
CPU Cooler: Phanteks PH-TC14PE_BL 78.1 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z87X-UDH3
Memory: 16GB
Video Card: Radeon 6950 1GB.

You didn't list which models exactly, but I'm assuming you're talking about both cards being the twin fan models? The SC edition just comes from the factory already overclocked slightly. You could save some money and just tweak the GPU overclock yourself, if you don't mind doing that.

You still have a good CPU with a great air cooler and decent motherboard. Can't imagine most people needing more than 16GB of RAM. There's not much you have to do to make it more future-proof in terms of performance.. but if you're itching for extra features.. maybe look into USB 3.1 and USB type C? It's not like that's really necessary or even common yet, but it's starting to become more available on some newer motherboards.

 

[j0hnny_385]

About to upgrade my GPU from a 6950 to a GTX 970 and have a couple of questions.
Is there any difference between the regular one and the superclocked one? I noticed the latter is a bit more expensive and I was wondering if it's worth it.

what particular brand of GTX 970 were you looking at?

The main difference between the "regular" one (by that I suppose you the reference design one) and "non regular" ala MSI G4, Gigabyte G1, EVGA SSC/FTW (see the pics I posted a couple of pages back), etc. is the custom PCB design, stable factory OC, custom cooling solutions, etc.
Less heat, less noise, etc.
AFAIK, you can't even get a reference 970 card (maybe in some outlets).

 

[Ryne]

Speaking of PSUs, do you guys think a SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W that I bought in 2011 can handle 2 SSDs, 2 HDs, an overclocked i7 2600K along with my upcoming 980 TI?

 

[opticalmace]

Speaking of PSUs, do you guys think a SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W that I bought in 2011 can handle 2 SSDs, 2 HDs, an overclocked i7 2600K along with my upcoming 980 TI?

Easily.

 

[Leonsito]

I'm going to buy the i5-4690k and I need to decide which motherboard get, I find the recommended Z97X-SLI in the OP a bit scarce in some areas, but I'm having trouble deciding between the Z97X Gaming 5 and the AsRock Extreme 4, opinions?

 

[Sanjay]

Well I hope it'll work since it's a really good PSU (at least it was back in the day):

Core i5 4690K (it won't be OCd)
ASUS STRIX 970

that's it. no other peripherals or components.
Since the PC is brand new and power efficient, I hope that HX520W would be enough.
I really can't buy a brand new 500W+ PSU at the moment, I bled dry on the upgrade. :/

Core i5 3570K @ 4.6
980 oc'd to 20% above

And I have the HX650, you should be fine.

 

[Kamakazie!]

Ugggghhh, ASUS STRIX GTX 970 only has 1x 8pin connector for the PSU.
It's going to a rig powered by Corsair HX520 which doesn't have an 8-pin connector.

Is it safe to use this ?

Buying a new PSU would be a huge strain on the budget at this moment. HX520W should handle the 970 without a problem, right?

Looking at images on the internet it looks as though the HX520 has a 6+2 design... is that not the case?
See image here (the highest of the visible connectors): http://www.ixbt.com/power/psu/photos/corsair/hx520/800/psu_007.jpg

 

[RGM79]

I'm going to buy the i5-4690k and I need to decide which motherboard get, I find the recommended Z97X-SLI in the OP a bit scarce in some areas, but I'm having trouble deciding between the Z97X Gaming 5 and the AsRock Extreme 4, opinions?

The Gigabyte Gaming 5 is at a nice low price right now ($96 when it normally retails for $120~155), and I'd avoid the ASRock Z97 Extreme4 solely due to the large number of 1 and 2 star negative user reviews on Newegg, seems like there might be some quality control issues. It's not just early reviews that are bad either, there are quite a few bad reviews in June and April of this year, sorting by the most recent reviews. The Gigabyte motherboard doesn't have anywhere near as large a percentage of bad user reviews.

 

[Anon67]

Does anyone here have a suggestion for the size of an SSD for the OS? Also for the HDD as well (for storing games)? My friend wants to know the best storage setup for VR gaming.

Also he wants to know whether or not DDR4 RAM is worth it for the future. Will it benefit him in the long run if he gets 16+ GB DDR4 for his VR machine or should he just go all out on DDR3 memory?

 

[SmokedMeat]

Looking for advice...I'm starting to rethink whether I should go with an AMD CPU over the Intel?

My initial thought was to go with an i5 model, maybe 4690k, and throw in the best GPU I could get for around the $200 mark.

Then I read how it's better to go cheaper on the CPU, and put the bulk of your money on the GPU.

So enter AMD, whose cards I'm reading offer a lot of "bang for the buck", and whose difference in performance is "hardly noticeable".

The FX6300 (as well. As FX8320) is often brought up, and I kind of assumed it was a weak CPU. I can snag an FX6300 with motherboard for around $100, versus, the $250 I'd be looking at on an i5-4690k combo.

Would I be smarter going with AMD, and putting that $150 in savings towards a much nicer GPU? Maybe a GTX970 over the GTX960.

I'm told that older games wouldn't run as well, but newer games using multiple cores would play to the strengths of AMD's CPUs.

How "future proof" do you guys think the 6300 and 8320 are at this point?

 

[IceIpor]

Looking for advice...I'm starting to rethink whether I should go with an AMD CPU over the Intel?

My initial thought was to go with an i5 model, maybe 4690k, and throw in the best GPU I could get for around the $200 mark.

Then I read how it's better to go cheaper on the CPU, and put the bulk of your money on the GPU.

So enter AMD, whose cards I'm reading offer a lot of "bang for the buck", and whose difference in performance is "hardly noticeable".

The FX6300 (as well. As FX8320) is often brought up, and I kind of assumed it was a weak CPU. I can snag an FX6300 with motherboard for around $100, versus, the $250 I'd be looking at on an i5-4690k combo.

Would I be smarter going with AMD, and putting that $150 in savings towards a much nicer GPU? Maybe a GTX970 over the GTX960.

I'm told that older games wouldn't run as well, but newer games using multiple cores would play to the strengths of AMD's CPUs.

How "future proof" do you guys think the 6300 and 8320 are at this point?

At this point, the FX line and AM3+ mobos are pretty old and lacking compared to the newer i3/5/7. (3 years without a refresh.)

I would stick to either a i5, or wait until AMD's Zen CPU line comes out next year

 

[LostMyNarbles]

Quick question: I just bought my first non-stock CPU cooler (Evo 212). Do I need to take everything off my motherboard and remove it from my case to install it or is it something that can be installed while the MB is still mounted in the case?

 

[mkenyon]

Looking for advice...I'm starting to rethink whether I should go with an AMD CPU over the Intel?

My initial thought was to go with an i5 model, maybe 4690k, and throw in the best GPU I could get for around the $200 mark.

Then I read how it's better to go cheaper on the CPU, and put the bulk of your money on the GPU.

So enter AMD, whose cards I'm reading offer a lot of "bang for the buck", and whose difference in performance is "hardly noticeable".

The FX6300 (as well. As FX8320) is often brought up, and I kind of assumed it was a weak CPU. I can snag an FX6300 with motherboard for around $100, versus, the $250 I'd be looking at on an i5-4690k combo.

Would I be smarter going with AMD, and putting that $150 in savings towards a much nicer GPU? Maybe a GTX970 over the GTX960.

I'm told that older games wouldn't run as well, but newer games using multiple cores would play to the strengths of AMD's CPUs.

How "future proof" do you guys think the 6300 and 8320 are at this point?

AMDs current line of processors is fucking awful. There's no other way to say it than that. They offer *worse* performance than Sandy Bridge processors which are now 4.5 years old. They're bested by Nehalem/Lynnfield Core i7 CPUs from 2009.

Here's the thing, if you buy an Intel platform now, you get a CPU that basically sips power in comparison, and gives you a platform on which to upgrade over the coming years. With an AMD platform, you're going to be hamstrung by your CPU day one, and there is no processor for you to upgrade to that will alleviate that situation.

If you truly want to save money, what you can do is buy the Intel G3258 and a Z97 motherboard. That will give you performance that is *above* the 6300, and on par with the 8350, as well as give you the option to stick a 4690K or 4790K in there down the line.

Also, here's a bench from Crysis 3, which is known for heavily favoring the 8350 due to the fact that it's multithreaded and not particularly CPU intensive.

In any engine that uses 1-3 cores, the G3258 will handily best the 8350. So, anything on Source, anything on UE3, anything by Blizzard, and almost every multiplayer game including MMOs.

 

[ricki42]

Quick question: I just bought my first non-stock CPU cooler (Evo 212). Do I need to take everything off my motherboard and remove it from my case to install it or is it something that can be installed while the MB is still mounted in the case?

Depends on your case. If the motherboard tray has a cutout behind the CPU so you can mount the backplate, you can leave everything in (I'd take out the GPU just to make sure and to have more space). If you can't access the back of the motherboard, you'll have to take it out of the case.

 

[SmokedMeat]

AMDs current line of processors is fucking awful. There's no other way to say it than that. They offer *worse* performance than Sandy Bridge processors which are now 4.5 years old. They're bested by Nehalem/Lynnfield Core i7 CPUs from 2009.

Here's the thing, if you buy an Intel platform now, you get a CPU that basically sips power in comparison, and gives you a platform on which to upgrade over the coming years. With an AMD platform, you're going to be hamstrung by your CPU day one, and there is no processor for you to upgrade to that will alleviate that situation.

If you truly want to save money, what you can do is buy the Intel G3258 and a Z97 motherboard. That will give you performance that is *above* the 6300, and on par with the 8350, as well as give you the option to stick a 4690K or 4790K in there down the line.

Also, here's a bench from Crysis 3, which is known for heavily favoring the 8350 due to the fact that it's multithreaded and not particularly CPU intensive.

In any engine that uses 1-3 cores, the G3258 will handily best the 8350. So, anything on Source, anything on UE3, anything by Blizzard, and almost every multiplayer game including MMOs.

But aren't most game engines starting to use more cores? I don't want to go with a dual core CPU.

 

[mkenyon]

But aren't most game engines starting to use more cores? I don't want to go with a dual core CPU.

No.

New AAA games, sure. Even then, it doesn't matter because the IPC/per thread performance of the G3258 is so fantastic.

My point is, if you want to save money, then buying a $70 processor now and replacing it with an i5/i7 is the way to go if you want to save money. If you don't want to compromise, then obviously the 4670K is the way to go.

 

[kennah]

But aren't most game engines starting to use more cores? I don't want to go with a dual core CPU.

Slow now, does not equal fast later.

8 five year old slow cores will not beat 2 fast cores.

A Q6600 is not faster than a G3258.

There is way more to this than purely 'number of cores'. AMD is not a viable option right now, maybe things will change in the future, but for now even Intel offers better bang for the buck.

And like mkenyon said. In three years, when multi core games become a thing, you can put in a 4670K or 4790K and get those extra cores for a minimal cost.

 

[SmokedMeat]

No.

New AAA games, sure. Even then, it doesn't matter because the IPC/per thread performance of the G3258 is so fantastic.

My point is, if you want to save money, then buying a $70 processor now and replacing it with an i5/i7 is the way to go if you want to save money. If you don't want to compromise, then obviously the 4670K is the way to go.

Thanks for the reply.

I'll look into the G3258, and decide from there.

Is it pretty difficult to install a new CPU if you've no prior experience?

 

[Pie and Beans]

Ello. Long while ago I was about to upgrade my rig, but as usual other crap came up and I had to put it off. Basically, getting ready for VR with most likely the HTC Vive, perhaps the Oculus. Plan is, new base rig with my old 5770 for a little while longer, than get a graphics card closer to the back end of the year when some prices have dropped. Was gungho on a 970 until the memory stuff, 980 still too high priced for me right now, and dont want to rule a Radeon out, they normally require 750w PSU+ so would affect the build. Hopefully will be able to make more sense of GPUs in Q3/4.

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/user/Pie_and_Beans/saved/RqbfrH
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (£178.00 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool GAMMAXX 400 66.3 CFM CPU Cooler (Purchased For £0.00)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£95.99 @ Aria PC)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory (£61.28 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For £0.00)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 5570 1GB Video Card (Purchased For £0.00)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case (£49.19 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£48.99 @ Amazon UK)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer (Purchased For £0.00)
Total: £433.45
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-10 17:52 BST+0100

Want it to be pretty darn VR ready as I only get a PC upgrade shot once every like 6-7 years and I want in on the beginning of the multiverse something fierce. I also do illustration/animation work. Part picker is already telling me my RAM choice may not be the best so... have at it.

 

[mkenyon]

Thanks for the reply.

I'll look into the G3258, and decide from there.

Is it pretty difficult to install a new CPU if you've no prior experience?

In terms of installing parts, RAM is easiest, GPU/expansion cards next easiest, CPU third easiest. It's a piece of cake. Once the heatsink is off, it's as simple as unhooking two little arms.

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

I recently bought myself one of the USB 3.0 Pioneer BD Burners (external) because now if I decide to get a case that doesn't have a 5.25" bay, I would be fine and dandy .

 

[Darryl M R]

I'm hoping to build a PC by Christmas (I heard Cyber Monday/Black Friday will have great sales for PC parts and accessory). I would like to have a budget of no more than $2000 for the parts. I have been a console gamer my whole life so I am now just reading up on building PCs. Also I would want to run windows on it.

My goals are to:

• Play video games in 4k at 60fps+
• Utilize in house/network streaming to utilize my television or laptop while benefiting from my host PC power
• Edit pictures amateurly
• Be able to easily upgrade parts for the future
• Be able to use it for work (excel, powerpoint, data visualization, etc)

Is 4k gaming at 60 fps too big of a goal for a $2000 budget? I am seeing conflicting reports from people. I would appreciate any links of others' builds so I can get a better idea.


Also I don't understand why I would want to overclock, is this something I should be considering?

 

[knitoe]

I'm hoping to build a PC by Christmas (I heard Cyber Monday/Black Friday will have great sales for PC parts and accessory). I would like to have a budget of no more than $2000 for the parts. I have been a console gamer my whole life so I am now just reading up on building PCs. Also I would want to run windows on it.

My goals are to:

• Play video games in 4k at 60fps+
• Utilize in house/network streaming to utilize my television or laptop while benefiting from my host PC power
• Edit pictures amateurly
• Be able to easily upgrade parts for the future
• Be able to use it for work (excel, powerpoint, data visualization, etc)

Is 4k gaming at 60 fps too big of a goal for a $2000 budget? I am seeing conflicting reports from people. I would appreciate any links of others' builds so I can get a better idea. 1440p would be much better given your budget.


Also I don't understand why I would want to overclock, is this something I should be considering?

At 4K@60 FPS, you are looking at 2 or more top end video cards. That along would be at least more than half of your budget. 1440p would be better for your budget.