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[Shadowhaxor]

Weere can I buy a nice looking SLI bridge? I habe gigabyte cards, but anything decent and clean will work

Most SLI bridges come with your motherboard, as the spacing between the PCI-E slots can differ at times. Check with your mobo maker. You can alos grab some off Ebay, amazon and newegg. And as mentioned, EVGA has several really nice ones, but if you just a functional bridge, hit up those places I mentioned.

 

[quesalupa]

Do you guys think a Skylake 1151 mobo+processor will be "necessary" or could I stick it out with my z87 and planned i5 4690k until the next gen of motherboards?.
Also, does anybody know a good place to sell parts?

 

[RandomSeed]

Well, the EVGA GTX 970 SSC for $310 (after rebate) with free game and backplate was enough to make me pull the trigger. Should be a nice upgrade from a 7850. Witcher 3 is going to be like a new game. No more swamp dips to 25 fps or so, ugh.

 

[yatesl]

GAF, what's the best way to stop graphics card droop? I thought (for some reason) having a backplate would stop it... despite the droop being on the motherboard.

I had it on my Gigabyte 770, and now I have it on my Gigabyte G1 970. Damn you GB for making such a heavy cooler.

 

[JamesAR15]

So I got my new build up and running and did a preliminary benchmark. I think it did pretty well although I have been out of the PC game for quite a while so not totally sure.

i75820k stock clock
Asus x99 Sabertooth
Gigabyte 980ti Gaming G1
16GB G.Skill Ripjaws
500GB Samsung EVO SSD
Acer XB270HU

Test was run at 2560x1440 with GSync

 

[Felix Lighter]

Gsync will lower your score a little because it will cap your framerate to 144 or whatever your max refresh rate is.

 

[ACE 1991]

Friend has $1200 to build on a gaming PC, what should he get? He needs a monitor, mouse and keyboard as well. I convinced him that going the OC route with the CPU is way to go at the price range.

 

[oxidax]

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.

Ive been thinking about getting a fan hub but because I had to leave a fan out. My current mobo has less pin-headers than my last one. I don't know if this would help me out with that but ill def look into it. Thanks!

 

[mrklaw]

Can't think of anywhere else to ask this - does anyone use a monitor mount to reduce desk clutter? I was thinking about something that could clamp onto the back of my desk with a 100x100 VESA mount on the end.

 

[Felix Lighter]

Friend has $1200 to build on a gaming PC, what should he get? He needs a monitor, mouse and keyboard as well. I convinced him that going the OC route with the CPU is way to go at the price range.

I'd go with something like the Great build in the OP, with an i5 and a GTX 970, look for deals and you might stretch to the i7. A decent TN 1080p monitor around $150. There are a ton of mouse options, for me the best inexpensive mouse I've used was the CM Storm Xornet for $20 but that's because it's perfect for a fingertip grip. Keyboard, just don't spend a lot unless it's a mechanical keyboard. $20-30 should cover that.

 

[Water]

Can't think of anywhere else to ask this - does anyone use a monitor mount to reduce desk clutter? I was thinking about something that could clamp onto the back of my desk with a 100x100 VESA mount on the end.

I have, and it doesn't just reduce clutter, it can also improve ergonomics and usability of the setup a great deal depending on circumstances. Mine is the Ergotron MX arm. My biggest regret about it is that I didn't buy it immediately upon getting my first flatscreen monitor but 5+ years after.

The arm has been sitting unused for a while since Eizo FG2421 doesn't have a proper VESA mount, but it'll go back into service at next display upgrade. Fortunately the upcoming high end displays (34-35" G-Sync) seem to have mounts.

 

[VlaudTheImpaler]

I'm no expert, but I can answer this-

Uh. In non-tech speak- you're making your thing run a little faster than the factory settings. However, with this increase, heat output goes up, so you may need extra cooling. This is a useful feature to keep your computer good a longer amount of time before it needs to be upgraded.
And I think it technically "wears it out" faster to an extent, so if you're buying very nice equipment you don't need it at the moment.

Thanks mate!

No one knows much about the Amazon Prime sale, so it's hard to say if you should decide to build a PC now instead of four years later solely because they might have good deals. I mean.. they're probably going to have a sale every year.

Star Citizen doesn't seem to have concrete requirements yet beyond very vague and basic specs. VR systems like Oculus Rift and HTC Vive already have basic requirements as a guideline, but in both cases I think it'll be a case of "the better your PC, the better the experience". You can definitely have a very nice PC for $1200~1500, but if you're fine with waiting, perhaps you shouldn't buy in before Star Citizen and VR is ready, unless you don't mind upgrading again if you really needed to.

Also, it's hard to recommend a build without knowing just how low prices will be during the sale. New Intel Skylake processors are said to be launching next month, as well. Not saying you shouldn't build now, but keep an open mind and eye for deals and whether you should wait a bit longer.



You're absolutely right. Just a little clarification about "wearing it out faster", though. Things like processors usually have fairly long lifespans if used properly. Processors usually have such good quality control that it is extremely rare to encounter a faulty or defective processor. The lifespan of a processor is probably in the 10+ year range. Technically yes, overclocking will reduce the lifespan of the part, but not by such a huge amount that the part will burn out long before it's obsolete. With decent cooling, you can keep the part working at a comfortable temperature and minimize any chance of damage or premature weardown, too. Chances are that the computer will be upgraded or replaced long before then, anyway.

This is also true of graphics cards, but they tend to have higher defect/failure rates than processors.

Double thanks! Yeah, I guess I will just keep my eye on this thread during the sale. I am aware they will probably have a sale every year but I thought this particular one was a big deal or something. Isn't it their 20th anniversary or something?

Oh well, if the sale doesn't come through then waiting is not a problem. What would you say would be the optimal amount to save up for a computer that would do everything on my list including VR, 1440p, 60fps+ etc?

 

[Miff]

I'm about to pull the trigger on a new build, and specifically a new card to replace my 512MB Radeon 4850 (plz don't laugh).

Can anyone advise if the GTX 970 cards still have that 'split memory' issue? Where a 4GB is actually 3.5GB of fast memory and 512MB of slow memory?

Reading about this issue has really put me off the 970 series. I was going to get a 980 instead... but tbh the 980 is probably a bit overkill for my wallet and 60Hz monitor.

Thanks

Edit: Thanks a lot for the advice, mrklaw & sersteven. Grabbed a 970.

 

[mrklaw]

I'm about to pull the trigger on a new card to replace my 512MB Radeon 4850 (plz don't laugh).

Can anyone advise if the GTX 970 cards still have that 'split memory' issue? Where a 4GB is actually 3.5GB of fast memory and 512MB of slow memory?

Reading about this issue has really put me off the 970 series. I was going to get a 980 instead... but tbh the 980 is probably a bit overkill for my wallet and 60Hz monitor.

Thanks

Yes they do. Buy one anyway. Still great bang for buck.

 

[sssstententen]

I'm about to pull the trigger on a new card to replace my 512MB Radeon 4850 (plz don't laugh).

Can anyone advise if the GTX 970 cards still have that 'split memory' issue? Where a 4GB is actually 3.5GB of fast memory and 512MB of slow memory?

Reading about this issue has really put me off the 970 series. I was going to get a 980 instead... but tbh the 980 is probably a bit overkill for my wallet and 60Hz monitor.

Thanks

They still and always will have that issue.

The 290x is probably your best bet, unless you want to wait for the Fury Mini or whatever its called. Or if you can get over that issue, the 970 is pretty much the best 1080p card right now.

That or save your dollars up for the 980Ti, which is pretty much the best card out right now. Don't bother with a 980(non Ti)

 

[mrklaw]

I have, and it doesn't just reduce clutter, it can also improve ergonomics and usability of the setup a great deal depending on circumstances. Mine is the Ergotron MX arm. My biggest regret about it is that I didn't buy it immediately upon getting my first flatscreen monitor but 5+ years after.

The arm has been sitting unused for a while since Eizo FG2421 doesn't have a proper VESA mount, but it'll go back into service at next display upgrade. Fortunately the upcoming high end displays (34-35" G-Sync) seem to have mounts.

Thanks. Bit expensive though - I think I bought my first monitor for less than that

I'm looking at the AOC U3477PQU IPS 34" ultra wide - same panel as the LG 34UM95 but quite a bit cheaper (about £500). As much as I'd like to wait for the Acer X34 it will probably be twice the price.

 

[sssstententen]

Thanks mate! would you say would be the optimal amount to save up for a computer that would do everything on my list including VR, 1440p, 60fps+ etc?

I'm saving up for a similar build. Probanly going to do the best Skylake, 16-32GB DDR4, a 980Ti (or two), ssd, nice case, and whatever the best 144hz Gsync monitor is at the time. I'm easily looking at 2-3 grand, in the US. But you could probably get a basic 1440p VR ready machine with a 980ti and latest i7 for like 1700-1800. If not cheaper.

 

[RoKKeR]

Quick question for you all. My brother got a new laptop the other day and we are doing a bit of gaming. For some reason, lowering the resolution in F1 2015 simply decreases the size of the game area on the screen, so it's basically a smaller box surrounded by black. Unlike other games like Portal 2 that just downscale the game, it simply makes the box smaller.

Any ideas on how to fix this?

 

[Blitzhex]

Quick question for you all. My brother got a new laptop the other day and we are doing a bit of gaming. For some reason, lowering the resolution in F1 2015 simply decreases the size of the game area on the screen, so it's basically a smaller box surrounded by black. Unlike other games like Portal 2 that just downscale the game, it simply makes the box smaller.

Any ideas on how to fix this?

If it has a nvidia card go to nvidia control panel>adjust desktop size and pos and mess with some of the gpu/display scaling options there if you haven't already.

 

[mrklaw]

I was going to wait around 4 years to jump into the world of PC gaming and build a nice gaming rig but was wandering if doing it now would be wise with the Amazon sale going on. Are there going to be any sales on PC parts and if so is there a list of the things I should watch out for? Don't really know what I'm doing. I was going to do tons of research myself... over the course of 4 years lol but this sale came out of nowhere. Anyway, I'll take the survey.


[Basic Desktop Questions]

•Your Current Specs: Surface Pro , This monitor, Cheap Speakers, Astro a50.
•Budget: Lets say $12-1500 If can be VR ready.
•Main Use: 5 gaming. I also like to play around in CAD.
•Monitor Resolution: I am fine with 1080p for now but do plan on upgrading to 1440p in the future.
•List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: Would LOVE to be able to play Star Citizen. 1080 60 is fine with me for now. Don't know what any of those other things are but I like bells and whistles. Also, VR if possible.
•Looking to reuse any parts?: Don't have any.
•When will you build?: Do you have a deadline? No deadline, Like I said was going to wait 4 years but was wandering about this Amazon sale so I guess anywhere between now and 4 years...
•Will you be overclocking?: Don't know what it is but it sounds interesting, count me in.

Use the Great build in OP. If you're happy with 1080p for now, grab a GTX970 and overclock it and the CPU (read up on it, it is really easy and safe). $1000.

Ideally a g-sync 24" 1080p monitor if your budget allows for it, otherwise if you think you'll move to 1440p soon (within 12 months) then stick to a budget 24" 1080p and get a 27" 1440p gsync next year.

For VR the GTX970 should be ok for a while. Later on you can upgrade that to whatever is out in 12-24 months.

If you have spare money, stick with the great build, but replace the GTX970 with a GTX980ti. That'll be enough to drive 1440p and VR nicely, and later on you can just add another 980ti when needed.

 

[Ilive1up]

just bought a samsung ssd evo 500gb.

it's fucking rad.

 

[Alucrid]

need some help. have the computer set up and it all works. i just need to get windows on to my ssd now, but when i enter the key (bought two from that 9.99 student promo they had for windows 8) it's saying something about the product key not matching any of the windows available for installation. i can still boot up with my old hard drive there though. do i need to deactivate it somehow on my old hdd? or am i out of luck since i changed the mobo and everything else?

 

[Kayant]

need some help. have the computer set up and it all works. i just need to get windows on to my ssd now, but when i enter the key (bought two from that 9.99 student promo they had for windows 8) it's saying something about the product key not matching any of the windows available for installation. i can still boot up with my old hard drive there though. do i need to deactivate it somehow on my old hdd? or am i out of luck since i changed the mobo and everything else?

What windows are you trying to install atm. 8.1?

 

[JoeyJungle]

So the first skylake i7 benchmarks have leaked, but apparently they're all graphics benchmarks for some reason?

http://wccftech.com/wipintel-skylak...-leaked-tested-ecs-z170-claymore-motherboard/

Not sure if there's a PC news thread this belongs in.

 

[Alucrid]

What windows are you trying to install atm. 8.1?

yeah, 8.1, but my key is from 8. would i need to use an 8 install rather than the 8.1 one?

edit: i did do the phone activation on my new computer with the old hard drive / 8.1 windows installation. still can't do a fresh install on my ssd booting with a usb drive though

 

[RGM79]

yeah, 8.1, but my key is from 8. would i need to use an 8 install rather than the 8.1 one?

edit: i did do the phone activation on my new computer with the old hard drive / 8.1 windows installation. still can't do a fresh install on my ssd booting with a usb drive though

Microsoft considers Windows 8 to be separate from 8.1. Take a look at these two guides to figure out how to install and activate Windows 8.1 with a Windows 8 key.

http://www.howtogeek.com/187525/how-to-perform-a-clean-install-of-windows-8.1-with-a-windows-8-key/
http://superuser.com/questions/661261/windows-8-1-fresh-install-with-windows-8-licence

 

[Alucrid]

Microsoft considers Windows 8 to be separate from 8.1. Take a look at these two guides to figure out how to install and activate Windows 8.1 with a Windows 8 key.

http://www.howtogeek.com/187525/how-to-perform-a-clean-install-of-windows-8.1-with-a-windows-8-key/
http://superuser.com/questions/661261/windows-8-1-fresh-install-with-windows-8-licence

man, that's dumb. thanks, i'll go ahead and follow those then. so stupid to have to jump through so many hoops for this

 

[ShyGuy0504]

man, that's dumb. thanks, i'll go ahead and follow those then. so stupid to have to jump through so many hoops for this

I installed Windows 8.1 with a Windows 8 key.

Search Google for a generic Windows 8.1 key. Enter that to install Windows.

After installation you can enter your key and it should accept it.

 

[VlaudTheImpaler]

I'm saving up for a similar build. Probanly going to do the best Skylake, 16-32GB DDR4, a 980Ti (or two), ssd, nice case, and whatever the best 144hz Gsync monitor is at the time. I'm easily looking at 2-3 grand, in the US. But you could probably get a basic 1440p VR ready machine with a 980ti and latest i7 for like 1700-1800. If not cheaper.

Use the Great build in OP. If you're happy with 1080p for now, grab a GTX970 and overclock it and the CPU (read up on it, it is really easy and safe). $1000.

Ideally a g-sync 24" 1080p monitor if your budget allows for it, otherwise if you think you'll move to 1440p soon (within 12 months) then stick to a budget 24" 1080p and get a 27" 1440p gsync next year.

For VR the GTX970 should be ok for a while. Later on you can upgrade that to whatever is out in 12-24 months.

If you have spare money, stick with the great build, but replace the GTX970 with a GTX980ti. That'll be enough to drive 1440p and VR nicely, and later on you can just add another 980ti when needed.

Thanks both of you! This helps a lot. I think if I can find some of these things in the sale Then I will do this now. If not then I will save and go bigger in 4 years.

Is this a good place to check for deals when the Amazon sale goes live or is there a better place? I was planning on finding the parts I want on Amazon and then opening each one up in separate tabs and refreshing them every ten minutes during the sale... Am I doing it wrong?

 

[Alucrid]

another dumb issue i'm having. i have the z97x gaming 5 mobo and apparently the ethernet "driver" that came it is some bloatware called qualcomm atheros killer network manager. don't really want that, but if i uninstall it the ethernet port is dead. apparently it's capping my download speed.

 

[RGM79]

another dumb issue i'm having. i have the z97x gaming 5 mobo and apparently the ethernet "driver" that came it is some bloatware called qualcomm atheros killer network manager. don't really want that, but if i uninstall it the ethernet port is dead. apparently it's capping my download speed.

Give this a try.

https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=178063.0
http://www.techpowerup.com/forums/t...2200-nic-into-qualcomm-atheros-ar8161.198899/

 

[Kayant]

another dumb issue i'm having. i have the z97x gaming 5 mobo and apparently the ethernet "driver" that came it is some bloatware called qualcomm atheros killer network manager. don't really want that, but if i uninstall it the ethernet port is dead. apparently it's capping my download speed.

You can now just get the driver from the killer network website.

http://www.killernetworking.com/support/driver-downloads

 

[megarockexe]

I just bought a new 250GB SSD so I can move my current Windows 8.1 install on my 128 GB SSD to the new one. Also, I want the new drive to actually be detected by my motherboard and be UEFI GPT or whatever is new that I probably accidentally didn't do last time. How do I go about doing that?

 

[Tagg9]

Hey guys. Forgive me if this is the wrong place, but I'm looking for some advice on a customer computer I've built.

I bought a water cooler for it about a year ago (Antec Kuhler 920) and set it up successfully. Soon after, I noticed that the temperature started to skyrocket to 90F. I attempted to detach it so that I could apply some more thermal paste but the bracket broke off and I requested that Antec replace it under warranty. Instead, they sent me a newer model (I forget which model number). I attached the new one, ensuring to apply a generous amount of thermal paste, but I still have an overheating issue when it's at 100% CPU usage - it regularly goes to around 80F, and I'm forced to stop whatever I'm doing.

At first I thought it was just a defective water cooler, but the fact that I've had this problem twice in a row seems to indicate that it's something else. Any thoughts or suggestions on how I can diagnose the underlying problem? Maybe a faulty CPU or something (Intel Core i5 2500K, not overclocked)?

 

[ricki42]

Hey guys. Forgive me if this is the wrong place, but I'm looking for some advice on a customer computer I've built.

I bought a water cooler for it about a year ago (Antec Kuhler 920) and set it up successfully. Soon after, I noticed that the temperature started to skyrocket to 90F. I attempted to detach it so that I could apply some more thermal paste but the bracket broke off and I requested that Antec replace it under warranty. Instead, they sent me a newer model (I forget which model number). I attached the new one, ensuring to apply a generous amount of thermal paste, but I still have an overheating issue when it's at 100% CPU usage - it regularly goes to around 80F, and I'm forced to stop whatever I'm doing.

At first I thought it was just a defective water cooler, but the fact that I've had this problem twice in a row seems to indicate that it's something else. Any thoughts or suggestions on how I can diagnose the underlying problem? Maybe a faulty CPU or something (Intel Core i5 2500K, not overclocked)?

80F? I assume you mean 80C, because 80F is rather cool. If it doesn't go above 80C I think that's still fine, though strange it should go so high under normal load.
Have you checked what the voltage is? For the CPU, that is. Also, more thermal paste isn't better, it should just be a thin layer to ensure good thermal contact.

 

[VanWinkle]

Hi, guys. So I want to START getting into PC gaming. Nothing huge, nothing remotely high-end yet, but I want a starting point. Because of my budget, I want to go with an APU right now, which I know won't give me great graphics performance, but I just want a start, and I can buy a dedicated GPU a little further down the line.

I picked out these parts with my somewhat decent PC knowledge, and I just want to know if you guys think they are adequate for me right now. Again, I realize that, without the GPU, I won't get GREAT gaming, but I have a low budget an I want a good starting line for a good price. From what I hear, the A10 will do most modern games at 720p with low-medium settings or better. That's fine for now. Down the line, I will add more RAM, an SSD, and a dedicated GPU.

Case: Rosewill MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case FBM-01

Motherboard: Gigabyte FM2+/FM2 mATX GA-F2A78M-D3H

APU: AMD A10 7870K

RAM: Kingston HyperX Savage 8GB 2133MHz DDR3

Power Supply: EVGA W1 500W

HDD: WD Blue 1TB 6Gb/s 7200rpm

 

[metareferential]

Hi, guys. So I want to START getting into PC gaming. Nothing huge, nothing remotely high-end yet, but I want a starting point. Because of my budget, I want to go with an APU right now, which I know won't give me great graphics performance, but I just want a start, and I can buy a dedicated GPU a little further down the line.

I picked out these parts with my somewhat decent PC knowledge, and I just want to know if you guys think they are adequate for me right now. Again, I realize that, without the GPU, I won't get GREAT gaming, but I have a low budget an I want a good starting line for a good price. From what I hear, the A10 will do most modern games at 720p with low-medium settings or better. That's fine for now. Down the line, I will add more RAM, an SSD, and a dedicated GPU.

Case: Rosewill MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case FBM-01

Motherboard: Gigabyte FM2+/FM2 mATX GA-F2A78M-D3H

APU: AMD A10 7870K

RAM: Kingston HyperX Savage 8GB 2133MHz DDR3

Power Supply: EVGA W1 500W

HDD: WD Blue 1TB 6Gb/s 7200rpm

What about starting with something like an Alienware Alpha?

The i3 version can be had for as low as 399 (with some coupons or through in-store promotions), and it will outperform your potential rig by a (very) big margin.

http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-alpha/pd

 

[VanWinkle]

What about starting with something like an Alienware Alpha?

The i3 version can be had for as low as 399 (with some coupons or through in-store promotions), and it will outperform your potential rig by a (very) big margin.

http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-alpha/pd

My problem with that is I want something that I can start from and build up. I feel like, simply by adding a dedicated card like an AMD 270x to my configuration a couple of months later, I would have a pretty nice step up from the $499 Alienware.

If I got the Alienware, even if I got it for $400, I'm assuming I'd have to start from scratch when I'm ready to move up. With this, I would already have a decent motherboard that can utilize dual GPUs (don't know if I'll ever do that, but you never know), nice 8GB 2133 MHz RAM, a larger hard drive with opportunity to add an SSD, a competent quad-core 3.7 GHz CPU with the A10, etc.

I don't know. I mean, I'm just starting out, but I want something that I can utilize for future upgrading. I'm never going to be a high-end PC gamer, but I'd like to eventually start buying some components that are a little higher-end.

 

[RGM79]

My problem with that is I want something that I can start from and build up. I feel like, simply by adding a dedicated card like an AMD 270x to my configuration a couple of months later, I would have a pretty nice step up from the $499 Alienware.

If I got the Alienware, even if I got it for $400, I'm assuming I'd have to start from scratch when I'm ready to move up. With this, I would already have a decent motherboard that can utilize dual GPUs (don't know if I'll ever do that, but you never know), nice 8GB 2133 MHz RAM, a larger hard drive with opportunity to add an SSD, a competent quad-core 3.7 GHz CPU with the A10, etc.

I don't know. I mean, I'm just starting out, but I want something that I can utilize for future upgrading. I'm never going to be a high-end PC gamer, but I'd like to eventually start buying some components that are a little higher-end.

Would you consider a budget but upgradeable i3 build? AMD processors aren't really cut out for anything higher than midrange gaming at best. While APUs are still usable, Intel occupies the mid-to-high range for PC gaming performance spot when it comes to processors. Of course it'll depend on the kinds of games you play, but sooner or later you may be bottlenecked by the processor.

 

[VanWinkle]

Would you consider a budget but upgradeable i3 build? AMD processors aren't really cut out for anything higher than midrange gaming at best. While APUs are still usable, Intel occupies the mid-to-high range for PC gaming performance spot when it comes to processors. Of course it'll depend on the kinds of games you play, but sooner or later you may be bottlenecked by the processor.

That is a possibility. The only problem I have with that, though, is that I am wanting to do some somewhat lighter gaming with the A10 for a few months while slowly saving for a pretty good GPU. One thing to consider for me is that I have no intention of doing high-end gaming in the foreseeable future. No 4K or anything above 1080p, and I'm honestly not even too hung up on getting 60fps. I just want something that's at least PS4-level.

 

[Hazaro]

That is a possibility. The only problem I have with that, though, is that I am wanting to do some somewhat lighter gaming with the A10 for a few months while slowly saving for a pretty good GPU. One thing to consider for me is that I have no intention of doing high-end gaming in the foreseeable future. No 4K or anything above 1080p, and I'm honestly not even too hung up on getting 60fps. I just want something that's at least PS4-level.

Fill out the bulletpoint sheet in the first post and someone will help work around your budget.

 

[Tagg9]

80F? I assume you mean 80C, because 80F is rather cool. If it doesn't go above 80C I think that's still fine, though strange it should go so high under normal load.
Have you checked what the voltage is? For the CPU, that is. Also, more thermal paste isn't better, it should just be a thin layer to ensure good thermal contact.

Ha, yes. I did mean 80 Celsius. Are you sure that's not a dangerous level? All the other fans in the case kick into overdrive when it gets that hot and it sounds as if the computer is about to take off. Note that this is my sister's computer; my computer has a heatsink and it never gets above 55 degrees which is why I'm worried.

And I wouldn't necessarily say it's normal load - that's when I'm encoding video and it's literally using 100% CPU. Yeah, I didn't use a ton of thermal paste - only what was recommended.

 

[Hazaro]

Ha, yes. I did mean 80 Celsius. Are you sure that's not a dangerous level? All the other fans in the case kick into overdrive when it gets that hot and it sounds as if the computer is about to take off. Note that this is my sister's computer; my computer has a heatsink and it never gets above 55 degrees which is why I'm worried.

And I wouldn't necessarily say it's normal load - that's when I'm encoding video and it's literally using 100% CPU. Yeah, I didn't use a ton of thermal paste - only what was recommended.

Check your mounting bracket, especially the backside and make sure it's got enough pressure on it. Also dedust the radiators. Should be a lot cooler than that.

 

[mrklaw]

That is a possibility. The only problem I have with that, though, is that I am wanting to do some somewhat lighter gaming with the A10 for a few months while slowly saving for a pretty good GPU. One thing to consider for me is that I have no intention of doing high-end gaming in the foreseeable future. No 4K or anything above 1080p, and I'm honestly not even too hung up on getting 60fps. I just want something that's at least PS4-level.

I'm thrown by your talk of 'maybe throwing in a 270x in a couple of months'. I know it is vague but if you are really thinking to put a GPU in within 3-6 months, then IMO you should go with an i3 setup. The integrated graphics will get you by while you're saving up for a GPU, and when you get one, the overall results will be way better.

Depending on the cost I'd also consider getting a small SSD for the OS and then adding a HDD later. Makes a big difference to general usability, and if you're not gaming a lot at the start, the slight lack of space shouldn't be too much of an issue. 120GB SSD if you can stretch to it.

 

[VanWinkle]

Fill out the bulletpoint sheet in the first post and someone will help work around your budget.

Okay, I'll do that soon.

I'm thrown by your talk of 'maybe throwing in a 270x in a couple of months'. I know it is vague but if you are really thinking to put a GPU in within 3-6 months, then IMO you should go with an i3 setup. The integrated graphics will get you by while you're saving up for a GPU, and when you get one, the overall results will be way better.

Depending on the cost I'd also consider getting a small SSD for the OS and then adding a HDD later. Makes a big difference to general usability, and if you're not gaming a lot at the start, the slight lack of space shouldn't be too much of an issue. 120GB SSD if you can stretch to it.

Is the i3 that much better than the A10 that it's worth sacrificing the added graphics capabilities of the A10 over it? Going by this CPU Boss comparison there isn't a huge difference in CPU performance, but you can correct me there if need be. And the reason I want a HDD first is that i an amateur photographer and I have thousands of -10MB photos on my PC at any given time. I also am a big media user all around and have a lot of media files on my PC.

 

[kennah]

Cpu boss is a piece of Shit.

The big difference is the A10, you're buying the maximum cpu for that board.

If you go i3, you'd would be able to upgrade to an i7 later on for a huge performance boost. If you're only waiting a couple months before buying a gpu it would be worth it. Unfortunately, and as much as we wish the competition were better, there is no point to buying amd. Their processors perform about 3 to 4 years behind Intel ones at every price point.

Also, have you ever considered used parts?

 

[Megauap]

I'm thinking of buying a SSD for the OS and maybe some programs and games. It would be my first SSD and I would like it to be 256Gb capacity.
My build is:

- Intel i7 4790k @ 5.0Ghz
- 8Gb DDR3 1600Mhz
- MSI Nvidia 560Ti Twin Frozr
- Western Digital Black 1Tb (This is where I have my OS installed)

So, the question is: Do you recommend me a Crucial MX200, a Crucial BX100, a Samsung EVO 850 or something else?

Thanks!

 

[Snakeyes]

Is there a single card that will let me max out Street Fighter V at 4K and 60 FPS? I know the requirements aren't out yet, but there's probably a way to estimate how taxing that kind of game will be on a GPU, right?

 

[Swig_]

I'm looking into building a new PC. I'm probably going to wait for Skylake to release, but I'd like to start buying parts now.

For months I figured that I would be getting a GTX 970. However, recently I read about the Radeon 390, which seems like something I should very much consider. The main reason I'd consider this over the 970 is the fact that it has 8GB of VRAM. The 970 only has 3.5, which worries me.

I'd love to hear some opinions on this. I've always been a fan of Nvidia, so I'm really looking for someone to talk me out of the 390, unless it is just the better card to get.

 

[Kayant]

I'm thinking of buying a SSD for the OS and maybe some programs and games. It would be my first SSD and I would like it to be 256Gb capacity.
My build is:

- Intel i7 4790k @ 5.0Ghz
- 8Gb DDR3 1600Mhz
- MSI Nvidia 560Ti Twin Frozr
- Western Digital Black 1Tb (This is where I have my OS installed)

So, the question is: Do you recommend me a Crucial MX200, a Crucial BX100, a Samsung EVO 850 or something else?

Thanks!

Just get cheapest one really they are all good personally I would go with a Crucial drive just because of all the Samsung fw stuff even though iirc 850 series isn't affected.