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[lazer_bean]

Guys please I need your help !

I want to build my first PC. I don't know much about components so I'm ordering from a website that will pick them for me and let me build the PC (I'll be doing that with a friend btw)

I want a PC for watching HD videos, regular internet usage and more importantly makkng music (with FL studio or Ableton Live).

I can have a PC with those specs for 285€
Is it worth it ?

Processor: AMD A8-5600K (quad core 3.6 GHz - overclockable) + graphic chip AMD Radeon HD 7560D
. DDR3 8 Go PC3-10666 (1333 MHz)
. HDD: 1 To Sata II / 7200 tpm
. Motherboard Gigabyte GA-F2A78M-HD2 (VGA output, HDMI & DVI, PCI-Express, HD sound, network 1000 Mbps, USB 3.0, SATA III)

there's also a dvd burner (never use that though), multi card reader (never use it) and a cheap, generic case

 

[Varg]

Seems odd that removing and reinstalling drivers would cause it to work again when before it wasn't even detected in the BIOS.

Seems like its still not working. GPU z says that my driver is 14.12 which is the latest driver. Just booted up red faction guerilla and it seems to be running at 7 frames per second when that thing was silky smooth 60 before. CCC still doesn't give me any gpu options. This will be the last AMD product I will ever have.

 

[BeEatNU]

Man I just got me a Asus ROG SWIFT

This monitor is the TRUTH! SO damn good

 

[Femmeworth]

I bought a screwdriver with changeable bits but they have some kind of lubricant on them. Is that something I should leave on them or try to wash off? I don't know much about tools.

Got everything gathered on/by my table, ready to go when I get around to it.

 

[kennah]

Man I just got me a Asus ROG SWIFT

This monitor is the TRUTH! SO damn good

I can't wait to buy it from you for $200 in a few weeks

 

[Kayant]

So here I am getting frustrated because of Vista's horrible ability to use wireless network cards (it's a long story). I figure I'll just go ahead and upgrade to Windows 8.1 since I can then upgrade for free to Windows 10 and my wireless problems will be solved.

But why spend ~$100 on a new OS for this old PC I built in 2009? Especially if it's just to solve a simple problem. I don't even want to bother trying to upgrade it with any other parts. I'll just go ahead and visit the PC building thread. I'll check out Haz's builds and I'll put something together in the $500 range. I don't need anything too crazy.

An hour or so later, I just bought $1000 worth of parts. I hate this thread lol. This is the build I ended up with if you were curious. The missing components are things I'll just use from my current PC.

So "thanks" again to this thread for being such an awesomely organized place to "help" people like me!

Great build although you can have save like $60 by buying windows 8.1 from http://www.reddit.com/r/microsoftsoftwareswap

 

[The Reloader]

I hope now that the 2015 monitors are coming out we'll be seeing more people selling off their g-sync kits since I missed the boat.

 

[kennah]

I hope now that the 2015 monitors are coming out we'll be seeing more people selling off their g-sync kits since I missed the boat.

Not gonna happen. There is no way someone would pull the kit out of their monitor to sell it separately. Your best hope is finding one that someone bought but never installed.

 

[BeEatNU]

I can't wait to buy it from you for $200 in a few weeks

LOL

NONONONO!

I am not selling it!
This is actually my last build before I buy my bigger house.
Not gonna splurge anymore money lol

 

[Hindl]

Ok GAF, got an interesting networking problem that hopefully you guys can help with. So I don't have any ethernet outlets for my desktop, and I can't run an ethernet cable directly to the tower. So initially, I bought a WiFi Adapter that works well, but loses the connection every hour or so. So I bought a powerline adapter, and my roommate has one hooked up as well, and it works fine for him. But for some reason, my ethernet connection is drastically slower than my wireless connection.

Here's my wired speedtest connection:

And here's wireless:

Any ideas? I can provide ipconfig if needed but don't wanna have a giant post

 

[Grinchy]

Great build although you can have save like $60 by buying windows 8.1 from http://www.reddit.com/r/microsoftsoftwareswap

Damn, well I'll just pretend that doesn't exist lol

I ended up getting it for $91 on Amazon. I am really looking forward to the free Windows 10 upgrade.

 

[Jobbs]

hey guys. I want a new case (been using the same case for a decade) and while my old case is a large full tower, I want to get a mid tower this time if possible.

this is the graphics card: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HJOXUKC/?tag=neogaf0e-20

are there any mid towers this will fit into? I heard it may not fit into them all. it's like 12 inches.

any case suggestions (mid tower preferable if you think that card will fit, otherwise full tower)?

 

[rtcn63]

Any mid tower with a removable drive cage should be good.

 

[McBryBry]

Hey guys, so my motherboard RMA finally came in. Except now I'm having audio issues. No matter what is plugged into what audio jack, I'm constantly getting a no speakers or headphones plugged in. If I use my headset with its wireless dongle, i get audio even though it says nothing is detected. Everything plugged in via wire puts out nothing. I'd just use my headphones for everything, but Skyrim won't boot without a detectable audio device. Any thoughts?

 

[NoRéN]

Any mid tower with a removable drive cage should be good.

yeah, the Corsair 200r would fit your needs. If you can spend a bit more, the Define R4 also has a removable drive cage and it's better for cable management.

 

[Water]

I bought a screwdriver with changeable bits but they have some kind of lubricant on them. Is that something I should leave on them or try to wash off? I don't know much about tools.

Tools like that may come with a bit of oil or grease to protect them or possibly just as an artifact of the manufacturing or shipping process, but they don't need lubrication. It's not normal to wash them either. Just wipe off visible grease before you start using the tool, so the grease doesn't transfer to places you don't want it to go.

 

[spyhunterzero]

Hey y'all, was hoping you guys could help me with a problem a friend has. He just finished building his new pc today but he told me that everytime he turns it own it shuts off after a few seconds on it's own. Any idea what could be causing the problem?

 

[rtcn63]

Hey y'all, was hoping you guys could help me with a problem a friend has. He just finished building his new pc today but he told me that everytime he turns it own it shuts off after a few seconds on it's own. Any idea what could be causing the problem?

The CPU cooler may not be making proper contact. The motherboard shuts itself off after a few seconds to prevent the CPU from overheating, IIRC.

 

[rrax8]

Will this build run SC2, USF4, MGS5 Ground Zeroes, Titanfall, and Evolve at 720p/60 max settings? My budget is 700$

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.49 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Team Dark 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($107.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Cougar 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($47.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $564.22

 

[kharma45]

Will this build run SC2, USF4, MGS5 Ground Zeroes, Titanfall, and Evolve at 720p/60 max settings? My budget is 700$

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.49 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Team Dark 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($66.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($107.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Cougar Spike MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($29.99 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Cougar 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($47.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $564.22

That PSU you want to avoid like the plague.

if you can spend $700 I'd look at this

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.95 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($96.48 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Fury Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($172.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $695.13
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-31 16:21 EST-0500

If you want to spend less we can do so, but retaining quality whilst doing that.

 

[Miang]

I have this case. It's really nice but the HDD cage is so badly placed. It can cause some boards USB3.0 header to be blocked or hard to access. The HDD cables protrude towards the CPU cooler making large coolers troublesome but single tower coolers should be ok.

To alleviate this I Velcro the HDDs into the DVD drive slots. Then the case looks immaculate. You can buy adaptors otherwise.

I find the front fan to be a little loud too, makes a non smooth noise.

Thanks. Is the case likely to be a pain for a newbie to building? I like the look of it and it has the bays I need, plus I love the compact size, but I don't want to cause myself a major headache! I can't seem to see another I like in my price range that has what I want :/ I'm right in thinking the cooler master 212 hyper fits in the case, right? I've checked the available cooler clearance and it was enough.

thanks to all who advised about the PSU, may as well go modular and make my life a bit easier!

 

[Inkvoterad]

My friend is buying a computer now and this is his checkout list. Everything looks good? Noticed that the r9 290x card recommends 850 watts, but i read somewhere that that amound is mostly just important if you use crossfire.
Just wanted to have a check with it here before he buys it, since he's pretty insecure on what to get and got help from some friends, but just wanted to check for safety.

http://i.imgur.com/Eg2VjiP.png

 

[hey_it's_that_dog]

Hey y'all, was hoping you guys could help me with a problem a friend has. He just finished building his new pc today but he told me that everytime he turns it own it shuts off after a few seconds on it's own. Any idea what could be causing the problem?

The CPU cooler may not be making proper contact. The motherboard shuts itself off after a few seconds to prevent the CPU from overheating, IIRC.

My building experience is probably pretty limited compared to most people's in this thread, but it sounds like a CPU/heatsink contact problem. The same thing happened to my first build. I went out and got some thermal goo, cleaned off the junk that Intel provided, reinstalled the heatsink, and it was fine after that. Still running 7 years later.

 

[rrax8]

That PSU you want to avoid like the plague.

if you can spend $700 I'd look at this

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.95 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($96.48 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston Fury Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($63.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($172.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($39.99 @ Micro Center)
Total: $695.13
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-31 16:21 EST-0500

If you want to spend less we can do so, but retaining quality whilst doing that.

Cool thanks. If I don't plan on OC'ing is there an advantage to the 4690K vs 4690?

 

[kharma45]

Cool thanks. If I don't plan on OC'ing is there an advantage to the 4690K vs 4690?

Resale value.

OCing is extremely easy to do (you can do a quick and easy one by changing two values in your UEFI) and will help extend the life of your build.

 

[Prophet Steve]

My friend is buying a computer now and this is his checkout list. Everything looks good? Noticed that the r9 290x card recommends 850 watts, but i read somewhere that that amound is mostly just important if you use crossfire.
Just wanted to have a check with it here before he buys it, since he's pretty insecure on what to get and got help from some friends, but just wanted to check for safety.

http://i.imgur.com/Eg2VjiP.png

No SSD is a bit weird with such a budget.

Preferably go Dual-channel RAM if it not more expensive.

Yeah, 850 watts is a bit much, it is just so that shitty PSUs will run everything too. You can go much lower if you want and if it is cheaper.

Maybe you still want a CPU cooler to overclock.

 

[RyuHei]

My friend is buying a computer now and this is his checkout list. Everything looks good? Noticed that the r9 290x card recommends 850 watts, but i read somewhere that that amound is mostly just important if you use crossfire.
Just wanted to have a check with it here before he buys it, since he's pretty insecure on what to get and got help from some friends, but just wanted to check for safety.

http://i.imgur.com/Eg2VjiP.png

The 850watt is pure legroom. I have a 290 overclocked and an intel 2500k overclocked running on a 650 ocz bronze. No issues. Almost a year now. But it is my streaming pc. I only game on it from time to time.

 

[Foxyone]

So it's ok for a GPU to spike over 100% TDP usage, right? My 750 ti has a 100% power target, although it has spiked as high as 116%; I'm just kinda worried since it has no power connectors.

 

[Lockjaw333]

PC GAF, considering a GPU upgrade right now and I've narrowed down to 3 options

1) grab another GTX 670 2GB for SLI

2) GTX 970 4 GB (3.5??? lol)

3) R9 290 / R9 290x


Not really keen on getting an R9 290 because of the crazy power draw and heat, but with the price drop its tempting and the vram issue with the 970 is annoying.

Always have chickened out on SLI configs due to nightmare stories, but that would obviously be the cheapest option (~$150).

I just ordered an evo 212 and will OC my 2500k as recommended a few pages back.

Thoughts on the 3 options?

 

[RGM79]

PC GAF, considering a GPU upgrade right now and I've narrowed down to 3 options

1) grab another GTX 670 2GB for SLI

2) GTX 970 4 GB (3.5??? lol)

3) R9 290 / R9 290x


Not really keen on getting an R9 290 because of the crazy power draw and heat, but with the price drop its tempting and the vram issue with the 970 is annoying.

Always have chickened out on SLI configs due to nightmare stories, but that would obviously be the cheapest option (~$150).

I just ordered an evo 212 and will OC my 2500k as recommended a few pages back.

Thoughts on the 3 options?

#1 is not a great idea even if cheap. Not all games work with SLI, you'll still be limited to 2GB VRAM, and a 750 watt power supply is needed.

#2 is still a viable solution if you will never play on anything more than 1080p, as the issue only happens in rare situations when VRAM usage is extremely high, usually when playing on higher resolutions. Few people ran into this issue until someone discovered it some time ago because the GTX 970 was already somewhat optimized to not go over 3.5GB VRAM usage when possible.

#3.. Wow, seems like a lot of people seem to be misinformed or fell for hearsay. The R9 290X can now be had for less than $300, making it strong competition for the GTX 970. A 550 to 600 watt power supply is enough for a single R9 290X, and only reference model R9 290/290X models with their awful blower coolers get unbearably hot, normal models like the Gigabyte R9 290X Windforce ($280 after rebate) have normal load temperatures.

Go with either #2 or #3, just not #1.

 

[Lockjaw333]

#1 is not a great idea even if cheap. Not all games work with SLI, you'll still be limited to 2GB VRAM, and a 750 watt power supply is needed.

#2 is still a viable solution if you will never play on anything more than 1080p, as the issue only happens in rare situations when VRAM usage is extremely high, usually when playing on higher resolutions. Few people ran into this issue until someone discovered it some time ago because the GTX 970 was already somewhat optimized to not go over 3.5GB VRAM usage when possible.

#3.. Wow, seems like a lot of people seem to be misinformed or fell for hearsay. The R9 290X can now be had for less than $300, making it strong competition for the GTX 970. A 550 to 600 watt power supply is enough for a single R9 290X, and only reference model R9 290/290X models with their awful blower coolers get unbearably hot, normal models like the Gigabyte R9 290X Windforce ($280 after rebate) have normal load temperatures.

Go with either #2 or #3, just not #1.

Really the only apprehension I have about going with the 290 was the heat and power consumption. I have a 750W power supply so power isnt really an issue, more the heat. I didnt realize it was only the reference coolers that have the heat issue (and thermal throttling so I read).

I do prefer Nvidia, I will only be playing on 1080p, but getting a 290x for about $50-60 cheaper for similar performance is hard to pass up.

 

[Flandy]

Are case fans good investments? They're pretty cheap so I feel like I should install one or two.

Using this case and this motherboard if it matters

 

[DrForester]

Are case fans good investments? They're pretty cheap so I feel like I should install one or two.

Using this case and this motherboard if it matters

Very much so. You'll certainly want to get a fan for the back vent (plenty of good blue LED fans if you want it to match that front fan). Depending on what you're putting inside, you might want to get one or two fans for the top vent as well. You really can't have too many fans, and as you said, they're cheap.

As for what fans, depends on preference. I always look for fans with nice low db.

 

[Femmeworth]

Putting my desktop together right now. The instructions for installing the Hyper 212 EVO suck. It's telling me to put the stand-offs in the motherboard and then turn it over. They fall out if I do that. :|

 

[Flandy]

Very much so. You'll certainly want to get a fan for the back vent (plenty of good blue LED fans if you want it to match that front fan). Depending on what you're putting inside, you might want to get one or two fans for the top vent as well. You really can't have too many fans, and as you said, they're cheap.

As for what fans, depends on preference. I always look for fans with nice low db.

I'm curious. Do the lights in the fans attract bugs? Don't want to open my case to find that a spider has made its home there :lol

Spoiler

Although I live in a dry area so that probably wouldn't be a problem

Oh should I get a second fan for my Hyper 212 EVO as well?

Putting my desktop together right now. The instructions for installing the Hyper 212 EVO suck.

It took me forever to install mine

 

[The Llama]

Installing CPU HSF's is IMO the worst part of PC building, closely followed by connecting all the case things (power, reset, USB, etc.) to the mobo and cable management.

 

[Fracas]

Putting my desktop together right now. The instructions for installing the Hyper 212 EVO suck. It's telling me to put the stand-offs in the motherboard and then turn it over. They fall out if I do that. :|

Dammit, I'm building my PC next week with that cooler.

Let me know any helpful tips you have after getting it together!

 

[MUnited83]

Regarding GTX 970s: from the following models, which one is the best?

MSI GTX970 Twin Frozr V Gaming
Asus STRIX-GTX970-DC2OC-4GD5
Gigabyte G1 Gaming GTX970

 

[DrForester]

I'm curious. Do the lights in the fans attract bugs? Don't want to open my case to find that a spider has made its home there :lol

Spoiler

Although I live in a dry area so that probably wouldn't be a problem

Oh should I get a second fan for my Hyper 212 EVO as well?

I'd put the second fan on the back of the computer. No real need to have a second one on the 212, as the one on the 212 should be blowing air towards the back anyways.

As for the bug thing, I don't know. Only my first case ever had a front without a door on it, and that didn't have a lit fan. Sure others here would know better.

Putting my desktop together right now. The instructions for installing the Hyper 212 EVO suck. It's telling me to put the stand-offs in the motherboard and then turn it over. They fall out if I do that. :|

Could be worse, you could be installing a Zalman (they are great coolers, but man are they the biggest pain in the ass to put in).

 

[Flandy]

I'd put the second fan on the back of the computer. No real need to have a second one on the 212, as the one on the 212 should be blowing air towards the back anyways.

As for the bug thing, I don't know. Only my first case ever had a front without a door on it, and that didn't have a lit fan. Sure others here would know better.

Wait, what? I asked yesterday in this thread which direction the fan on the 212 should be and I was told it should be facing the front of the case next to the ram.

 

[DrForester]

Wait, what? I asked yesterday in this thread which direction the fan on the 212 should be and I was told it should be facing the front of the case next to the ram.

It should be on the ram side of the cooler, but it should be blowing towards the back. Blowing onto the cooler.

Least that's how I've always installed my fans. Front fans for intake, have everything blowing towards the back (or to the top).

Like this.

 

[Flandy]

It should be on the ram side of the cooler, but it should be blowing towards the back.

Least that's how I've always installed my fans. Front fans for intake, have everything blowing towards the back (or to the top).

Like this.

Oh okay. I have mine set there as well. I assume it's already blowing towards the back by default?

Guess I'll order a fan for the back of the case. Should I get one for the top of the case as well?

Spoiler

Though space is a bit tight on the top because the 212 is so big :lol

Any particular fans you would recommend or should this Cooler Master fan be fine?

 

[DrForester]

Oh okay. I have mine set there as well. I assume it's already blowing towards the back by default?

Guess I'll order a fan for the back of the case. Should I get one for the top of the case as well?

Spoiler

Though space is a bit tight on the top because the 212 is so big :lol

Any particular fans you would recommend or should this Cooler Master fan be fine?

I don't know if it defaults in that direction, I've never used that cooler. I assume so.

If things aren't running hot, you probably won't need to bother with top fans. If you're OCing, or running dual GPUs things might get toasty enough to want them.

Sure that Cooler Master fan is fine. Honestly, it's really hard to make a bad fan.

 

[Flandy]

If things aren't running hot, you probably won't need to bother with top fans. If you're OCing, or running dual GPUs things might get toasty enough to want them.

Sure that Cooler Master fan is fine. Honestly, it's really hard to make a bad fan.

lol alright I guess I'll get that cooler master fan to install to the back then

 

[Femmeworth]

I might have to go with the stock cooler if I can't get this piece of crap installed. :| Fuck you Cooler Master.

 

[Flandy]

I might have to go with the stock cooler if I can't get this piece of crap installed. :| Fuck you Cooler Master.

I used these two videos when I installed mine yesterday. Still took me forever but they helped a lot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLlrqzwxJig
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n47WBQI31eE

 

[Jerbs]

Is the Vue 27" in the OP the best option for now? I'm looking to ditch my 23" Acer and upgrade.

Edit: I'll give stats.

2500k @4.5
Asrock Z68 E3 G3
Sapphire 7970 OC

 

[DrForester]

I might have to go with the stock cooler if I can't get this piece of crap installed. :| Fuck you Cooler Master.

My current build has my first liquid cooler. While it certainly performs outstandingly, the price would be justified just on how easy they are to install.

 

[Femmeworth]

Got it installed. Probably. Fuck you Cooler Master.

I used these two videos when I installed mine yesterday. Still took me forever but they helped a lot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLlrqzwxJig
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n47WBQI31eE

I used that top one as well as this one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWG73Mom4cY This part is crucial and why it doesn't say so in the manual is mind boggling.

Where do I plug in the fan?

 

[RGM79]

My current build has my first liquid cooler. While it certainly performs outstandingly, the price would be justified just on how easy they are to install.

I can't see why the 212 Evo would be that hard to install when water coolers also come with a backplate and mounting brackets.