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[RGM79]

So, made a new build, let me know what you guys think :

SAPPHIRE R9 280 OC Dual Boost 3GB
GIGABYTE GA-Z97P
Kingston HyperX 2x4GB DDR 1600
Kingston SSD V300 240GB
WD 2TB SATA 6Gbps
Intel i7-4790K 4GHZ

*For Gaming & editing video/photos

Total 750€, this build comes from another store where I dont pay Tax, so its cheaper than the other store.

What country are you in, and how much are you paying for each part?

I'd highly recommend not getting the Kingston V300. Kingston is guilty of poor business practices with that SSD, some time after it was introduced they started using cheaper and definitely worse-performing parts in it that severely impacted performance so any reviews of the performance from when the SSD was launched would no longer be accurate. It's still somewhat faster than a hard drive, but there are probably other non-substandard SSDs you could probably get instead.

 

[RGM79]

Thanks, I guess I'm kind of thinking 5 years ahead. I want my new rig to handily take on whatever games I feed it up until that point, and there will probably be 4k hmd's around then. The reason I mentioned VR was just to show that a consistent high framerate is important to me, and that combined with likely higher resolution displays in the future (which will be necessary for better future VR experiences but imo not as necessary for standard display technology) may require quite a bit more power.

Well, there's nothing wrong with that, really. In terms of best price to performance for gaming I'd recommend a quad core Intel CPU today, but if you want a PC that could conceivably last 5+ years then yeah, the Intel X99 range is more what you want. Although the stock clock speed of the 6 and 8 core Intel processors are a bit low, you can always overclock them to match or exceed the slightly higher stock speeds of the quad core processors. Just get a decent CPU cooler.

 

[ricardo_sousa11]

What country are you in, and how much are you paying for each part?

I'd highly recommend not getting the Kingston V300. Kingston is guilty of poor business practices with that SSD, some time after it was introduced they started using cheaper and definitely worse-performing parts in it that severely impacted performance so any reviews of the performance from when the SSD was launched would no longer be accurate. It's still somewhat faster than a hard drive, but there are probably other non-substandard SSDs you could probably get instead.

Im in Portugal,

I can switch to Crucial MX100, also, is the dif. between that i7 vs i5 4690k that big to be worth 100€ more ? Also, whats the difference between 4690 and 4690k ?

Heres the prices for each part :

Sapphire R9 280 OC dual boost 3GB - 162,52€

Gigabyte GA-Z97P - 70,65€

Kingston HyperX 2x4GB DD3 1600 - 48,70€

WD 2TB Sata 6GB - 70,61€

i7-4790k 4GHz - 308,13€

**I think I will switch to i5 4690 (or 4690k), because I forgot about power supple+case.

Crucial MX100 SSD 256 - 103€

i5 -4690 - 186€

Total cost of the same build with these changes : 639€

 

[RGM79]

Im in Portugal,

I can switch to Crucial MX100, also, is the dif. between that i7 vs i5 4690k that big to be worth 100€ more ? Also, whats the difference between 4690 and 4690k ?

Heres the prices for each part :

Sapphire R9 280 OC dual boost 3GB - 162,52€

Gigabyte GA-Z97P - 70,65€

Kingston HyperX 2x4GB DD3 1600 - 48,70€

WD 2TB Sata 6GB - 70,61€

i7-4790k 4GHz - 308,13€

**I think I will switch to i5 4690 (or 4690k), because I forgot about power supple+case.

Crucial MX100 SSD 256 - 103€

i5 -4690 - 186€

Total cost of the same build with these changes : 639€

Yes, if you can go for the Crucial MX100, it's a good choice. Maybe you should consider the BX100 as well if you can find it. The main difference between those particular processors is that the 4790K has hyperthreading, which means each core acts like two virtual cores. If you are only playing games, then the i5 4690K is quite good already. If you were doing video editing or other computational tasks, then the 4790K would be better. If you can get it, I'd recommend the i5 4690K because it can be overclocked. Non-K models cannot be overclocked.

Just wondering, is there a certain retailer you're looking at?

 

[ricardo_sousa11]

Yes, if you can go for the Crucial MX100, it's a good choice. Maybe you should consider the BX100 as well if you can find it. The main difference between those particular processors is that the 4790K has hyperthreading, which means each core acts like two virtual cores. If you are only playing games, then the i5 4690K is quite good already. If you were doing video editing or other computational tasks, then the 4790K would be better. If you can get it, I'd recommend the i5 4690K because it can be overclocked. Non-K models cannot be overclocked.

Just wondering, is there a certain retailer you're looking at?

I checked benchmarks, and seems like 4690k is actually better than the i7 (http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-4790-vs-Intel-Core-i5-4690K/2293vs2432), even if it isnt, the difference seems to be too small to be noticeable.

I will be upgrading to the K model then. Im looking at "Pixmania-pro" store, its a dealer for companies (and my friend can get it under his fathers name, hence bypassing TAX). I realized I have 2x 500GB hardrives at hime, so I will probably be saving the cost of the 2TB storage for now, and get it down the road instead. Any recommendation on power supply ?

 

[RGM79]

I checked benchmarks, and seems like 4690k is actually better than the i7 (http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-4790-vs-Intel-Core-i5-4690K/2293vs2432), even if it isnt, the difference seems to be too small to be noticeable.

I will be upgrading to the K model then. Im looking at "Pixmania-pro" store, its a dealer for companies (and my friend can get it under his fathers name, hence bypassing TAX). I realized I have 2x 500GB hardrives at hime, so I will probably be saving the cost of the 2TB storage for now, and get it down the road instead. Any recommendation on power supply ?

Recommendations depend on what they have available and for what price. All models of Seasonic, Super Flower, and XFX I can easily recommend. Depending on the specific model, I could also recommend EVGA, Antec, Corsair, etc.

 

[Kasei]

Here's the build so far:
CPU: i5 4460 3.2Ghz
RAM: 2x8GB undetermined brand + speed
Case: Aerocool DS200 Blue
Case Fans: Enermax

Your Current Specs: PC is a total wash, something old from 2008 which I can't re-use.
Budget: €800 in the Netherlands.
Main Use: Gaming, General Usage (Word, Web, 1080p playback)
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200.
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: Dying Light and Dead Rising 3 at 60FPS
Looking to reuse any parts?: 1TB + 500GB HDD.
When will you build?: July/August.
Will you be overclocking?: No

I'd really appreciate advice on a good mobo/GPU combo with this CPU.

 

[Walpurgis]

I skimmed through the OP but I imagine it is American centric like every other PC guide on the internet. I live in Canada, btw.

[Basic Desktop Questions]
Your Current Specs: Not worth talking about. It's scam HP Pavilion from 2008. I remember running two instances of Crysis at max graphics once with a good frame rate. Now, it can hardly run Guild Wars 2 at the lowest settings more than 25 FPS.
Budget: ~$1000
Main Use: Heavy Gaming - 5. General Usage - 2.
Monitor Resolution: I still have the 1920x1200 monitor from 2008 in good condition. I don't know if it's outdated but I think it still looks good.
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: The Witcher 3 and Fallout 4. Early access titles like DayZ, Rust, H1Z1, The Forest and ARK. ARMA 3. I would like 60 FPS. I'm sorry I'm not familiar with PhysX / SuperSampling / CUDA. I have nothing worth reusing except the monitor. My case is just filthy.
When will you build?: Deadline is Fallout 4 (Nov. 10).
Will you be overclocking?: I'm not sure what this means but it sounds dangerous.

If someone could please help me find a strong PC that would be great!

 

[MHWilliams]

I have the same issue. I'm waiting for August 5th just because it could be so significant and will likely cause a price drop in the 4790k.

Ah, the price drop. That's a very good point.

 

[Jag]

After months of lurking, I think I'm ready for my build.

Your Current Specs: An upgraded old Dell i7/ 8GM Ram/ Radeon 7800/120 SSD/1TB storage
Budget: Around $1000+/-
Country: US
Main Use: Heavy Gaming
Monitor Resolution: 1440 maybe Gsync.
Gaming: Witcher, Battlefront, Fallout 4, etc.
When will you build? Next month or two. Will start buying parts soon.
Will you be overclocking? Maybe!

Here is my first attempt at a build, primarily following Haz's $1000+ from the OP:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yxrnBm

Not sure if I should stay with the 970 or go to a 980ti for eventual Gsync or if it even matters.

 

[RGM79]

I skimmed through the OP but I imagine it is American centric like every other PC guide on the internet. I live in Canada, btw.

[Basic Desktop Questions]
Your Current Specs: Not worth talking about. It's scam HP Pavilion from 2008. I remember running two instances of Crysis at max graphics once with a good frame rate. Now, it can hardly run Guild Wars 2 at the lowest settings more than 25 FPS.
Budget: ~$1000
Main Use: Heavy Gaming - 5. General Usage - 2.
Monitor Resolution: I still have the 1920x1200 monitor from 2008 in good condition. I don't know if it's outdated but I think it still looks good.
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: The Witcher 3 and Fallout 4. Early access titles like DayZ, Rust, H1Z1, The Forest and ARK. ARMA 3. I would like 60 FPS. I'm sorry I'm not familiar with PhysX / SuperSampling / CUDA. I have nothing worth reusing except the monitor. My case is just filthy.
When will you build?: Deadline is Fallout 4 (Nov. 10).
Will you be overclocking?: I'm not sure what this means but it sounds dangerous.

If someone could please help me find a strong PC that would be great!

You'll be reusing the hard drive from the HP PC at least, right? Here's a starting build to work from, without a new hard drive.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($284.75 @ Vuugo)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($89.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Red 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($62.99 @ NCIX)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0 Video Card ($407.09 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Antec One ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ NCIX)
Power Supply: Cooler Master 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX)
Total: $949.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-08 13:25 EDT-0400

Normally I'd also recommend an aftermarket CPU cooler go to with the overclockable CPU, but that can be bought and installed later to keep costs down now. As it is, after taxes it might already be over your budget. You may want to consider looking at the cheaper R9 290 graphics card as well, that should be able to get you 60FPS in most games, albeit at still high-ish settings, but not as high as the GTX 970.

You may want to wait for Intel to launch their Skylake processors and new Z170 motherboards, rumored for release next month. Performance-wise I'm not expecting them to be a huge game changer, but it'd be a little more futureproof in terms of upgradeability and future support. It's up to you though, and it seems likely that Skylake/Z170 parts will come with a bit of a price premium over existing Z97 parts.

 

[Shadowhaxor]

I skimmed through the OP but I imagine it is American centric like every other PC guide on the internet. I live in Canada, btw.

[Basic Desktop Questions]
Your Current Specs: Not worth talking about. It's scam HP Pavilion from 2008. I remember running two instances of Crysis at max graphics once with a good frame rate. Now, it can hardly run Guild Wars 2 at the lowest settings more than 25 FPS.
Budget: ~$1000
Main Use: Heavy Gaming - 5. General Usage - 2.
Monitor Resolution: I still have the 1920x1200 monitor from 2008 in good condition. I don't know if it's outdated but I think it still looks good.
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: The Witcher 3 and Fallout 4. Early access titles like DayZ, Rust, H1Z1, The Forest and ARK. ARMA 3. I would like 60 FPS. I'm sorry I'm not familiar with PhysX / SuperSampling / CUDA. I have nothing worth reusing except the monitor. My case is just filthy.
When will you build?: Deadline is Fallout 4 (Nov. 10).
Will you be overclocking?: I'm not sure what this means but it sounds dangerous.

If someone could please help me find a strong PC that would be great!

Not trying to be rude but what do you mean "American centric"? Couldn't you take the builds and price the parts on https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist?

Either way, I'd be happy (as would the rest of us) to help you wiht a build. Do you have any prefer to your CPU and GPU manufacturer company? Intel or AMD for the CPU? AMD or Nvidia for the GPU?

After months of lurking, I think I'm ready for my build.

Your Current Specs: An upgraded old Dell i7/ 8GM Ram/ Radeon 7800/120 SSD/1TB storage
Budget: Around $1000+/-
Country: US
Main Use: Heavy Gaming
Monitor Resolution: 1440 maybe Gsync.
Gaming: Witcher, Battlefront, Fallout 4, etc.
When will you build? Next month or two. Will start buying parts soon.
Will you be overclocking? Maybe!

Here is my first attempt at a build, primarily following Haz's $1000+ from the OP:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yxrnBm

Not sure if I should stay with the 970 or go to a 980ti for eventual Gsync or if it even matters.

If you can get the GTX 980ti, do it, otherwise the GTX 970 is fine. That's a solid build, the only thing I would change is perhaps the SSD. Seeing how the Samsung EVO 840/850 prices have dropped, the 20 extra and get http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mzm5e250bw. That's just me, other wise you're gtg!

 

[Infinite Justice]

I think i have asked this before but what is the best bang for buck videocard right now?

R9 290x?
Nvidia equivalent?
Nothing really?

 

[Shadowhaxor]

I think i have asked this before but what is the best bang for buck videocard right now?

R9 290x?
Nvidia equivalent?
Nothing really?

The GTX 970 is still the best bang for the buck. Can easily OC it to GTX 980 speeds for under $330.

 

[j-wood]

I think i have asked this before but what is the best bang for buck videocard right now?

R9 290x?
Nvidia equivalent?
Nothing really?

970

 

[RGM79]

After months of lurking, I think I'm ready for my build.

Your Current Specs: An upgraded old Dell i7/ 8GM Ram/ Radeon 7800/120 SSD/1TB storage
Budget: Around $1000+/-
Country: US
Main Use: Heavy Gaming
Monitor Resolution: 1440 maybe Gsync.
Gaming: Witcher, Battlefront, Fallout 4, etc.
When will you build? Next month or two. Will start buying parts soon.
Will you be overclocking? Maybe!

Here is my first attempt at a build, primarily following Haz's $1000+ from the OP:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/yxrnBm

Not sure if I should stay with the 970 or go to a 980ti for eventual Gsync or if it even matters.

Not a bad build, but I see some places to save money and get better parts.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($26.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97X-Gaming 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($95.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 Low Profile Red 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0 Video Card ($314.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX Core Edition 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $952.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-08 13:40 EDT-0400

After rebates, my version of your build comes out to be about $65 cheaper. Here are the changes:

• The slightly higher end Gigabyte Gaming 5 model was cheaper than the Gaming 3 model
• Found faster RAM for about $3 more
• Nothing wrong with the MSI GTX 970, but the EVGA SSC model has a faster factory overclock yet slightly cheaper
• Seasonic is a good brand, but $79 is expensive. XFX is all manufactured by Seasonic and the model I chose is cheaper yet has higher overall wattage.

I did notice that the power supply you chose is modular. If you prefer modular cables, there's these that I would recommend for their great reviews and currently good price:

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-110b20750vr
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-220gs0650v1

 

[Kasei]

Here's the build so far:
CPU: i5 4460 3.2Ghz
RAM: 2x8GB undetermined brand + speed
Case: Aerocool DS200 Blue
Case Fans: Enermax

Your Current Specs: PC is a total wash, something old from 2008 which I can't re-use.
Budget: €800 in the Netherlands.
Main Use: Gaming, General Usage (Word, Web, 1080p playback)
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200.
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: Dying Light and Dead Rising 3 at 60FPS
Looking to reuse any parts?: 1TB + 500GB HDD.
When will you build?: July/August.
Will you be overclocking?: No

I've updated my post to be more like the format ._. I'd really appreciate advice on what would be a suitable motherboard/GPU combo with this CPU and budget in mind.

 

[RGM79]

I've updated my post to be more like the format ._. I'd really appreciate advice on what would be a suitable motherboard/GPU combo with this CPU and budget in mind.

Have any specific retailers in mind?

 

[Walpurgis]

You'll be reusing the hard drive from the HP PC at least, right? Here's a starting build to work from, without a new hard drive.

Normally I'd also recommend an aftermarket CPU cooler go to with the overclockable CPU, but that can be bought and installed later to keep costs down now. As it is, after taxes it might already be over your budget. You may want to consider looking at the cheaper R9 290 graphics card as well, that should be able to get you 60FPS in most games, albeit at still high-ish settings, but not as high as the GTX 970.

You may want to wait for Intel to launch their Skylake processors and new Z170 motherboards, rumored for release next month. Performance-wise I'm not expecting them to be a huge game changer, but it'd be a little more futureproof in terms of upgradeability and future support. It's up to you though, and it seems likely that Skylake/Z170 parts will come with a bit of a price premium over existing Z97 parts.

Thanks a lot! My old PC has two 450 GB hard drives that haven't failed yet although my dad's work computer (same series and age) had a hard drive failure a few months ago. I guess I could try reusing my hard drives to cut costs and I do have two, in case. I could probably take my dad's remaining hard drive too, actually. My concern with the AMD cards is that Nvida always has some exclusive effects like next gen fur/hair in The Witcher 3. I have also read that AMD is sloppy in providing up to date drivers at launch for games and some developers have said that they don't contact them until it's too late. I know that Nvida uses a lot of dirty tricks but unless there is a way to mod those effects onto an AMD card, I think I will go with the Nvidia.

I will wait for the new processors and motherboards since I have time until Fallout 4.

Not trying to be rude but what do you mean "American centric"? Couldn't you take the builds and price the parts on https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist?

Either way, I'd be happy (as would the rest of us) to help you wiht a build. Do you have any prefer to your CPU and GPU manufacturer company? Intel or AMD for the CPU? AMD or Nvidia for the GPU?

By American centric, I meant that all the links and prices would be for Americans, and would not take into account the garbage Canadian dollar as well as other stuff like shipping. I didn't know that there was a Canadian site where I could build a PC.

I have no CPU preference because I don't know anything about CPUs. For GPU, as I said above, I am wary of AMD because of less effects like next gen hair and bad driver support. If there is a way to replicate Nvidia effects with an AMD card through mods or something, then I would probably go with AMD since it seems they are cheaper.

 

[Kasei]

Have any specific retailers in mind?

From the OP there's http://www.newegg.com/global/nl/ which seems reasonably priced, and http://www.alternate.nl is also quite a good option for me in terms of shipping/local pricing in Euros.

 

[reKon]

The GTX 970 is still the best bang for the buck. Can easily OC it to GTX 980 speeds for under $330.

I'm curious about this. Were people still saying this when R9 290's were selling from $200 - $230 with free games included over the past year?

If so, that's the stupidest shit I've ever seen because you're talking about a $100 difference for nearly the same performance.

 

[RGM79]

From the OP there's http://www.newegg.com/global/nl/ which seems reasonably priced, and http://www.alternate.nl is also quite a good option for me in terms of shipping/local pricing in Euros.

How does this look? If it's too expensive, you can probably cut costs a bit by going with a cheaper motherboard like an H81 or B85 model.

 

[Shadowhaxor]

I'm curious about this. Were people still saying this when R9 290's were selling from $200 - $230 with free games included over the past year?

If so, that's the stupidest shit I've ever seen because you're talking about a $100 difference for nearly the same performance.

The R9 290 sold for under 300? You got to show me where, unless it was a sale the card was $300 easy. The R9 is still a good card if you can find them in stock or find someone selling them.

Performance wise it depended on the game, some games the 290 and 970 were neck and neck, other games like Bioshock, Battlefield 4 for example, the 970 was a good 10% faster. Combine that with less power consumption, better driver support.

Now if you were to say what about the R9 290x, yeah I'd probably pick that over the GTX 970. But you're right, either could be considered the best bang for the buck.

 

[Confrontation]

NewEgg has some pretty hefty shipping prices to the NL, if I remember correctly?

 

[JamesAR15]

Kind of torn if I should go Win 7 or 8.1 on my new build. Are there any driver issues or anything with 8.1 I should be concerned with? Below is my build. All parts should be arriving this week:


Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor
Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Asus SABERTOOTH X99 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard
G.Skill Ripjaws 4 series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-3200 Memory
Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card
Fractal Design Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case
Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Acer XB270HU bprz 144Hz 27.0" Monitor
Corsair K70 RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard

 

[reKon]

The R9 290 sold for under 300? You got to show me where, unless it was a sale the card was $300 easy. The R9 is still a good card if you can find them in stock or find someone selling them.

Performance wise it depended on the game, some games the 290 and 970 were neck and neck, other games like Bioshock, Battlefield 4 for example, the 970 was a good 10% faster. Combine that with less power consumption, better driver support.

Now if you were to say what about the R9 290x, yeah I'd probably pick that over the GTX 970. But you're right, either could be considered the best bang for the buck.

yes it has sold for under $300 numerous times:
This site needs to be stickied to the first post if it hasn't been yet

 

[LilJoka]

Kind of torn if I should go Win 7 or 8.1 on my new build. Are there any driver issues or anything with 8.1 I should be concerned with? Below is my build. All parts should be arriving this week:


Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor
Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Asus SABERTOOTH X99 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard
G.Skill Ripjaws 4 series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR4-3200 Memory
Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card
Fractal Design Define R5 w/Window (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case
Corsair 760W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Acer XB270HU bprz 144Hz 27.0" Monitor
Corsair K70 RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard

No driver issues, maybe a couple of fps between them. I still put 7 on new machines out of personal preference. Both can upgrade to 10 either way.

 

[SRG01]

LOL so I was doing renders last night... And my rig actually ran out of memory. Is it a good time to buy more DDR3 or are we expecting DDR3 prices to rise slightly before DDR4's launch?

Edit; for the record, I already have 16GB.

 

[Orcastar]

No, a 980 is about the worst thing you can get bang for buck-wise. Get a 970 or a 980 Ti, a 980 has become a really bad investment since the 980 Ti and the 970 has always been an amazing product for it's price.

I just upgraded from a GTX 680 to a GTX 980 the other week, simply because €600 was the maximum amount of money I was willing to put into a new GPU in order to get Witcher 3 and FFXIV running smoothly. A 980 Ti would have cost €870, which is a fucking ridiculous price, even if it offers more bang for your buck.

I'm not saying that my decision was a smart one or anything, but there you go.

 

[RGM79]

I just upgraded from a GTX 680 to a GTX 980 the other week, simply because €600 was the maximum amount of money I was willing to put into a new GPU in order to get Witcher 3 and FFXIV running smoothly. A 980 Ti would have cost €870, which is a fucking ridiculous price, even if it offers more bang for your buck.

I'm not saying that my decision was a smart one or anything, but there you go.

The pricing in non North American countries is seriously crazy, so unfortunately what we usually say (about US pricing) doesn't always apply.

 

[zeroeffect]

Anyone know why sometimes when I boot my PC up from a cold boot sometimes it will saying repairing drive in Windows 8? Only takes a couple seconds. I use a high storage SSD and that's it. Should I be worried my SSD is going dead or something? I don't notice any odd behavior past that or anything. Done this twice in the past month.

 

[RGM79]

Anyone know why sometimes when I boot my PC up from a cold boot sometimes it will saying repairing drive in Windows 8? Only takes a couple seconds. I use a high storage SSD and that's it. Should I be worried my SSD is going dead or something? I don't notice any odd behavior past that or anything. Done this twice in the past month.

Are you shutting down Windows properly? I think it might be checking the OS files, not so much that the drive is dying.

Can you use a program like CrystalDiskInfo or HWInfo to read the SSD's SMART data?

 

[Dio Brando]

man, losing your whole pc because of a power outtage sucks :/ my motherboard, SPU, 2500k and my gtx 970 died, and i wont be able to get a new pc for some time.

 

[Lexxism]

Wrong thread

 

[Kasei]

How does this look? If it's too expensive, you can probably cut costs a bit by going with a cheaper motherboard like an H81 or B85 model.

That looks great, thanks! I had two queries with this set-up:

I'm considering opting for a slightly cheaper version of the same MSI GPU, the difference seems negligible unless I'm missing something? I was going back and forth between a similar card to this and the GTX 960 at first, would you say this is the better choice? (Looking at benchmarks, I'm quite happy with it honestly!)

My only other question would be if it's worth investing in this motherboard instead, as it seems like it could be a worthwhile upgrade? Thanks so much for your input!

 

[Nostremitus]

The R9 290 sold for under 300? You got to show me where, unless it was a sale the card was $300 easy. The R9 is still a good card if you can find them in stock or find someone selling them.

Performance wise it depended on the game, some games the 290 and 970 were neck and neck, other games like Bioshock, Battlefield 4 for example, the 970 was a good 10% faster. Combine that with less power consumption, better driver support.

Now if you were to say what about the R9 290x, yeah I'd probably pick that over the GTX 970. But you're right, either could be considered the best bang for the buck.

You can buy a 290X for under 300 after rebates...

http://m.newegg.com/Product/index?s..._-cables-_-na-_-na&itemnumber=N82E16814150696


Also, don't discount sales. They happen all the time, especially on the 2XX cards right now since stores are trying to get rid of them for the 3XX.

 

[zeroeffect]

Are you shutting down Windows properly? I think it might be checking the OS files, not so much that the drive is dying.

Can you use a program like CrystalDiskInfo or HWInfo to read the SSD's SMART data?

Yeah, I'm shutting Windows down right. I noticed it usually does it after I just now flipped the power switch on my PSU back on because during thunderstorms I unplug everything. Only seems to do it from a cold boot too. I haven't tried those programs. I don't notice any erratic behavior or anything I'm just curious as to what it means. Second time it did it since May. Never used SSDs before so I'm not even sure you can scan them to know if they're going bad like HDDs.

I'm using an Crucial MX100 BTW.

 

[RGM79]

That looks great, thanks! I had two queries with this set-up:

I'm considering opting for a slightly cheaper version of the same MSI GPU, the difference seems negligible unless I'm missing something? I was going back and forth between a similar card to this and the GTX 960 at first, would you say this is the better choice? (Looking at benchmarks, I'm quite happy with it honestly!)

My only other question would be if it's worth investing in this motherboard instead, as it seems like it could be a worthwhile upgrade? Thanks so much for your input!

Weird, I guess I messed up on the graphics card selection. I could have sworn I picked a R9 380 4GB model instead of the 2GB model. Anyway, the main difference between the one you linked and the one I listed is that the more expensive one has slightly more features and I think a faster default clock speed. The clock speed is somewhat irrelevant when you can overclock the graphics card to higher speeds yourself, but the extra features are that I think the MSI Gaming model has a silent fan mode whereas the MSI Armor 2X doesn't, and maybe the Gaming model has a slightly larger heatsink, although I'm not sure.

Now, about which card to go with.. 2GB of VRAM in this day and age for 1080p/1200p gaming is somewhat lackluster and limiting. I would recommend you get a model with more VRAM, like this XFX R9 380 4GB model.

The GTX 960 is also an option and is more or less directly competing with the R9 380, but the cheapest GTX 960 4GB model at alternate.nl is 250 Euros.

As for the motherboard, both are H97 type so there will be no difference in performance, just in the feature set and customer service. If you prefer ASRock's customer service, then by all means, go with ASRock. It's a difference of 10 Euros, it doesn't seem like it's that much better although I am busy at the moment and I can't currently check for you.

 

[jsrv]

Is Kaby Lake looking to be kind of like Devil's Canyon since it's not going to be tick or tock?

 

[oxidax]

If you use the 3pin fan headers on the motherboard you can use motherboard software to setup fan curves or the BIOS. No need for fan controllers these days. Your fans should really be at low rpm (6-700rpm) at idle and only really ramp up when temperatures are in the 60*c range or higher.

Personally i run my fans at medium speed ~700rpm regardless of temperature just for silence.

Thanks!

 

[SRG01]

Thanks!

Speaking of fan control, I'm currently using a Phanteks fan hub with a really neat feature: it essentially turns all of your 3-pin fans into 4-pin PWM fans by using the PWM signal from your CPU_FAN header. The advantage is that many manufacturers don't implement 3-pin fan control very well (limited analog voltage range), along with stall voltages preventing ultra-low RPMs. PWM signals generally avoid that, which means you can potentially run fans at 10% of rated speed.

As an example, my *hard drive* makes more noise than my case fans right now.

 

[metareferential]

I've recently installed a noctua dh-15 in my rig (got rid of my old h60 water aio) and started messing with some overclocking.

Right now I'm at 4.3 ghz and 1.2 v (4670k).

Tried going up while keeping the voltage down, without much luck.

I guess my chip isn't that good.

The noctua is a monster. Even under load in AIDA64 temperatures never go over 70C.

And Europe is crazy hot these days, my house is burning xD

 

[Husker86]

This is a bit off topic, but I figured this would be the best thread to ask in.

I got a new desk with a bamboo top and am wondering if I need a mousepad to prevent wearing the desk top down. I had to give my mousepad to my girlfriend since she is using my old glass desk, and would prefer to not have to bother with one. I would be sad if I started to see marks on the desk, though.

Anyone have experience with using a mouse on a solid wood top?

 

[RGM79]

This is a bit off topic, but I figured this would be the best thread to ask in.

I got a new desk with a bamboo top and am wondering if I need a mousepad to prevent wearing the desk top down. I had to give my mousepad to my girlfriend since she is using my old glass desk, and would prefer to not have to bother with one. I would be sad if I started to see marks on the desk, though.

Anyone have experience with using a mouse on a solid wood top?

That's actually hard to say, it'll depend on the material and how it was treated or protected with a layer of furniture varnish. If you're worried about getting any marks at all, then you should just use a mousepad.

 

[SRG01]

This is a bit off topic, but I figured this would be the best thread to ask in.

I got a new desk with a bamboo top and am wondering if I need a mousepad to prevent wearing the desk top down. I had to give my mousepad to my girlfriend since she is using my old glass desk, and would prefer to not have to bother with one. I would be sad if I started to see marks on the desk, though.

Anyone have experience with using a mouse on a solid wood top?

It most definitely would wear down the desk. I have a desk with a solid wood top, and... well, this is what it looked like before/under the mouse pad:

 

[cloudzack117]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3PzsQ7
heres my new build, just purchased it last week, and am waiting for the parts to come in. curious on if i should get a new monitor though. Im using my brothers old monitor that is 900x720 resolution i think, somewhere in that ballpark. anyone here know a decent/cheap($200 max) monitor i could get, preferably 1440p?

 

[Nostremitus]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3PzsQ7
heres my new build, just purchased it last week, and am waiting for the parts to come in. curious on if i should get a new monitor though. Im using my brothers old monitor that is 900x720 resolution i think, somewhere in that ballpark. anyone here know a decent/cheap($200 max) monitor i could get, preferably 1440p?

Yes, you really need to update your monitor if you want to get your money's worth out of your new rig.

 

[baphomet]

I just upgraded from a GTX 680 to a GTX 980 the other week, simply because €600 was the maximum amount of money I was willing to put into a new GPU in order to get Witcher 3 and FFXIV running smoothly. A 980 Ti would have cost €870, which is a fucking ridiculous price, even if it offers more bang for your buck.

I'm not saying that my decision was a smart one or anything, but there you go.

Personally I would drop the extra $50 to get a used 980 over a 970 anyday. The fact that a 980 can be purchased for relatively little more than 970 makes that the best option around $400.

 

[mysocksarepink]

just received my first SSD, samsung evo 850





holy. fuck. this shit is next gen

 

[Hazaro]

Personally I would drop the extra $50 to get a used 980 over a 970 anyday. The fact that a 980 can be purchased for relatively little more than 970 makes that the best option around $400.

Or you just get a used 970 for $280