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[GnawtyDog]

Only thing I am wondering about the Fractal cases is, is there a slot for a disc drive? Not that disc drives are super essential anymore, but I feel like it'd be nice to still have one.


Got a video card question. RGM's part recommendation for me last month was good, but I'd been trying to learn about components a bit more and wait for deals. Ironically the $315 deal on this card (GTX 970) from Amazon that they've had since last month was by far the best deal I've seen and now it's sold out. So I'm wondering, does the manufacter make much of a difference in video cards? While I am on the lookout for a good price, does it matter if I go with this Asus one vs the EVGA one linked above? One is Super Super Clocked, one is Overclocked... lol

Define R5 does, not Define S - I think.

 

[RGM79]

Only thing I am wondering about the Fractal cases is, is there a slot for a disc drive? Not that disc drives are super essential anymore, but I feel like it'd be nice to still have one.


Got a video card question. RGM's part recommendation for me last month was good, but I'd been trying to learn about components a bit more and wait for deals. Ironically the $315 deal on this card (GTX 970) from Amazon that they've had since last month was by far the best deal I've seen and now it's sold out. So I'm wondering, does the manufacter make much of a difference in video cards? While I am on the lookout for a good price, does it matter if I go with this Asus one vs the EVGA one linked above? One is Super Super Clocked, one is Overclocked... lol

Some do have optical drive bays. The Define R5 does, the Define S doesn't.

The main difference between manufacturers for graphics cards would be the graphics card design and what sort of customer support there is. Customer support quality is hard to nail down because everyone will have good and bad experiences with each company's warranty support, and it can also vary by the region and even which customer service agent people deal with.

The other thing - the graphics card design is a lot more objective. EVGA's twin fan ACX2.0+ cooler is fairly compact and will fit in a wide variety of cases. MSI's Twin Frozr and the Asus Strix have twin fans that are a bit taller and larger than the EVGA models, making them perhaps somewhat better for cooling and overclocking. Gigabyte's Windforce and some Asus Strix coolers have triple fans and a very long heatsink for the best cooling and potential overclocking performance, but can be more difficult to fit into smaller cases. Sometimes companies will release custom modified models of a certain card that are meant to be super compact, like this Asus GTX 970 DC Mini.

Don't worry too much about the "supersuperclocked" and "overclocked" marketing. It just means it's slightly faster than the base/stock model. Graphics card manufacturers will release the same model of graphics card but tuned to different clock speeds and possibly including other features - higher end models tend to come with a higher factory clock speed and larger coolers and other things like LED lights, metal backplates, even water cooling, etc.

 

[RandomExpletive]

The Corsair Spec-01 probably won't fit your 160mm tall CPU cooler, it's too close to say so I'd probably discount it. The Phanteks case is very nice, and of course I have to mention my go-to case: the Fractal Define S.

I've definitely been eyeing the S, if I see it around 60 bucks shipped I'll probably end up grabbing it.

Look out for the R9 390 as well, the cheapest ones are current $275. The R9 290 is an option, but because it's already discontinued, most R9 290 cards seem to be less widely available and at a higher price than the R9 390.

It'd be cool to grab a 390, not sure I'd ever make use of all the VRAM though

There is this 290, but it apparently runs pretty toasty, not sure I want that, I try to keep my 560 down around 70-85 degrees atm.

 

[RGM79]

I've definitely been eyeing the S, if I see it around 60 bucks shipped I'll probably end up grabbing it.

It'd be cool to grab a 390, not sure I'd ever make use of all the VRAM though

There is this 290, but it apparently runs pretty toasty, not sure I want that, I try to keep my 560 down around 70-85 degrees atm.

That is cheap for great performance, but I wouldn't jump on that either unless you don't care about the loud fan noise or high temperatures. I almost never recommend graphics cards with blower style coolers.

 

[Cute Dragon Here]

What are your computer's specs, what country are you in, what's your budget for a new CPU cooler, and how much do those models you mentioned cost? Or does cost not matter? The H80i GT is the best performer out of all of them, but something simple like a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo should be fine and relatively cheap.

i5-4590, and in perpetually hot Malaysia. (By the way, I've heard that this CPU will just get hot naturally and I probably won't be able to help too much...)

Cost does matter. I haven't taken a look at their actual pricing, but a good rule of thumb is probably "no more than $100". I just need something that is noticeably better than the TX3 is doing on my computer.

The H80i GT seems to be quite large for a 12cm liquid cooler. Would I still be able to keep using my case's top fans with any of the liquid coolers? I have two additional fans installed, and I'm OK with relocating them in my Corsair 100R. It's a bit cramped up there.

The Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO may or may not fit since it exceeds the nominal maximum height allowed for air coolers in my case slightly (>150mm), although the case's side panels are bevelled, so it might work anyway. Depends on if the extra part is just the small heat pipes.

P.S. I'm also thinking of buying a cheap boot SSD and a Wi-Fi + Bluetooth adapter.

 

[mike23]

Just realized I never posted my finished build. Sorry for the crappy quality of the images. Lighting is bad in my apartment and imgur did some jpg damage.

Final Stats:

Case: Fractal Design Define XL R2
CPU: Intel 5930k overclocked to 4.5GHz @1.3v
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X61
Mobo: Asus X99-A/USB 3.1
Ram: 8x8GB G.SKILL Ripjaws V
GPU: EVGA 980 TI Hybrid
Power: EVGA 1000 G2
CD: Pioneer BD-RW

SSDs:
Samsung 950 Pro 512GB M.2
Samsung 850 Evo 500GB
Samsung 850 Evo 250GB
Corsair F120 120GB

HDDs:
WD 640GB
Samsung 2TB
Toshiba 3TB
WD Red 4TB

Monitors:
Dell U2713HM 2560x1440@60hz
Acer 1920x1200@60hz
- Waiting on the Asus PG279Q to come in stock on Amazon to replace the Acer

Audio:
Audioengine A2+ speakers
Acoustic Audio 300 watt 8 inch subwoofer
CEntrance DACport Slim + AKG K7XX Massdrop LE headphones


Still working on getting the ram running at a reasonable speed. They won't run with just XMP. I've been playing with the DRAM voltage/timings and system agent voltage, but no luck so far. I was close to getting them to work at 2800mhz 1.3v 15-16-16-35 with the system agent at 1.2v, but I gave up for today.
The only new drive is the 950 Pro, the rest were pulled from my old PC. Same with the BD-RW drive.
Power supply is overkill at the moment, but I bought it so I could drop in another 980 TI if I want, or possibly 2 of the next gen Nvidia cards.
Temperature-wise, the CPU maxes out at low 60s under most stress tests.
The GPU I haven't seen above 40C, but I haven't been pushing it too hard and I haven't done any OC over the stock speeds.
The case came with 3 140mm fans, 1 front, 1 back, 1 bottom. I moved the back one to the front so the GPU radiator could fit in the back. Air is drawn in from the front and bottom and out through the top and back.

The back is not tidy, I'll admit. The panel fits on without too much trouble though, heh.

edit: The M.2 installation felt very weird to me. You put it in parallel to the motherboard with the pin end about 1/8-1/4 inch up from the motherboard and then push the end of the chip down against the motherboard and put a screw in so it sits at an angle.

 

[RandomExpletive]

That is cheap for great performance, but I wouldn't jump on that either unless you don't care about the loud fan noise or high temperatures. I almost never recommend graphics cards with blower style coolers.

I'd be tempted to jump on it if I had any idea how to swap graphics card coolers, and had a bead on said cooler for sub-30 bucks

Hopefully we get some good deals on cyber monday

 

[jediyoshi]

Dammit, Frys has the i5-4690k I've been looking for for $159 but is out of stock at the one next to me.
http://www.frys.com/product/8125515

 

[Jimrpg]

Hey RGM79 and others,

I'm doing an office pc build for myself and wanted some feedback on the build. It'll be used mainly for Microsoft Office, Project and AutoCAD. I'm in Malaysia so things are a little bit more expensive in general compared to the US and not all the parts are available.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dXjqjX
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dXjqjX/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-K Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($41.65 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($27.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CSM 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $250.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-29 01:09 EST-0500

I'll be supplying my own monitor, KB/Mouse, external hard drive and getting a windows 10 key from Kinguin/G2A.

Question

1. Pentium G3258 - good enough to last a few years for office work? Is this overclockable? Just curious I doubt I will overclock it. And we have the G3260 now should i get that instead?
2. Is this the right motherboard (H81m) to go with the CPU?
3. Is there a decent case/PSU combo that I can get that might be cheaper than getting them separate? Otherwise could you recommend a cheap case and decent PSU?

EDIT: how's the Intel G3220 CPU for office work? It's a little bit cheaper.

 

[Smokey]

Just realized I never posted my finished build. Sorry for the crappy quality of the images. Lighting is bad in my apartment and imgur did some jpg damage.



Final Stats:

Case: Fractal Design Define XL R2
CPU: Intel 5930k overclocked to 4.5GHz @1.3v
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X61
Mobo: Asus X99-A/USB 3.1
Ram: 8x8GB G.SKILL Ripjaws V
GPU: EVGA 980 TI Hybrid
Power: EVGA 1000 G2
CD: Pioneer BD-RW

SSDs:
Samsung 950 Pro 512GB M.2
Samsung 850 Evo 500GB
Samsung 850 Evo 250GB
Corsair F120 120GB

HDDs:
WD 640GB
Samsung 2TB
Toshiba 3TB
WD Red 4TB

Monitors:
Dell U2713HM 2560x1440@60hz
Acer 1920x1200@60hz
- Waiting on the Asus PG279Q to come in stock on Amazon to replace the Acer

Audio:
Audioengine A2+ speakers
Acoustic Audio 300 watt 8 inch subwoofer
CEntrance DACport Slim + AKG K7XX Massdrop LE headphones


Still working on getting the ram running at a reasonable speed. They won't run with just XMP. I've been playing with the DRAM voltage/timings and system agent voltage, but no luck so far. I was close to getting them to work at 2800mhz 1.3v 15-16-16-35 with the system agent at 1.2v, but I gave up for today.
The only new drive is the 950 Pro, the rest were pulled from my old PC. Same with the BD-RW drive.
Power supply is overkill at the moment, but I bought it so I could drop in another 980 TI if I want, or possibly 2 of the next gen Nvidia cards.
Temperature-wise, the CPU maxes out at low 60s under most stress tests.
The GPU I haven't seen above 40C, but I haven't been pushing it too hard and I haven't done any OC over the stock speeds.
The case came with 3 140mm fans, 1 front, 1 back, 1 bottom. I moved the back one to the front so the GPU radiator could fit in the back. Air is drawn in from the front and bottom and out through the top and back.

The back is not tidy, I'll admit. The panel fits on without too much trouble though, heh.

edit: The M.2 installation felt very weird to me. You put it in parallel to the motherboard with the pin end about 1/8-1/4 inch up from the motherboard and then push the end of the chip down against the motherboard and put a screw in so it sits at an angle.

Looks great considering the amount of components. I take it this is primarily a work machine?

 

[Bumhead]

I built a rig in January 2013, which due to various changes in living arrangements, has been in storage for about a year and a half now.

Specs are;

CPU: i5 3570
Mobo: Gigabyte G77
GPU: GTX 670
RAM: 8GB DDR3
HDD: 1TB HDD
PSU: 750w

I'm wanting to put it back into use and - as well as a good clean and dust - make some adjustments and improvements.

I was going to replace the 670 with a 970 and add a 250GB SSD, but wondering if there's anything else I should be thinking about? I've been out of the loop and it looks like Skylake CPU's and Mobo's and DDR4 have landed since I last paid attention. Is there a tangible or significant benefit to upgrading my CPU, Mobo and RAM to Skylake and DDR4 at this point, or am I better off sticking with what I have? Will my 3570 CPU and 8GB RAM stack up to today's modern games at 1080/60?

 

[QualityPixel]

^^ i5 3570 and 8gb of ram is perfectly fine for most games. I have a 3570k and the only game (that I can think of) where the cpu can be the bottleneck is Starcraft 2 when playing custom game modes. A GTX 970 + SSD would be a very worth while upgrade.

 

[Hazaro]

GPU prices cuts, I'll have to update the OP I guess

I'll wait a week and see if its just sales stuff.

970 + SSD great upgrade.

 

[EatChildren]

Friend is looking to stick 16GB of DDR3 in his i7 2600K system, given he's currently running 4 sticks of 2GB (total of 8GB, same as me). Given I'm not cluey on RAM I figured I'd ask here for him. Two questions:

1) Is it better to go 2x8GB, or 4x4GB?
2) Any recommendations?

 

[Hazaro]

Friend is looking to stick 16GB of DDR3 in his i7 2600K system, given he's currently running 4 sticks of 2GB (total of 8GB, same as me). Given I'm not cluey on RAM I figured I'd ask here for him. Two questions:

1) Is it better to go 2x8GB, or 4x4GB?
2) Any recommendations?

2x8
Whatever is cheap enough and has a warranty in your country that is 1.5V
Ideally heatsinks that are RAM height and not 8cm tall

 

[Matty8787]

Have you considered getting a G-sync monitor?

Yes, but they are quite a bit more expensive than a Free Sync one.

Was hoping the sale of both 970's would offset the cost of a monitor AND 390x.

Also the 390x seems more suited to 1440p and the VRAM hungry games of tomorrow.

 

[hateradio]

After looking more into the cooling situation, I've decided to open up to air options. I've got the Hero VIII, 6700K, and may get the Phanteks EVOLV ATX case, for reference.

So far I'm considering the 212 EVO, be quiet! dark rock 3, and the pro version.

For water I'm thinking of the Kraken x61 or Corsair 110i GTX.

I would go for the DR3 pro if it weren't for it's off putting size, because it can limit RAM selection. Same goes for the Noctura and CRYORIG fans that I was also looking at.

However, the DR3 seems very quiet and still delivers good cooling coverage. At least based on the CRYORIG comparisons. Same goes for the EVO.

https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/CRYORIG/R1_Universal/6.html

Overall, the EVO seems okay. It doesn't really stand out at higher loads, but I don't know how often that will be on the 6700K. The DR3 seems to be a few degrees cooler and more silent, generally.


For water, I think I've read that both Corsair and Kraken models are made by the same 3rd party, so they're pretty identical.

Finally, prices are of course always in the EVO's favor. Right now it's $20 AR. It's highly curved in the EVO's favor, but I want just a bit more performance. I'll probably end up getting it though.

 

[EatChildren]

2x8
Whatever is cheap enough and has a warranty in your country that is 1.5V
Ideally heatsinks that are RAM height and not 8cm tall

One and done. Bueno.

 

[Hazaro]

After looking more into the cooling situation, I've decided to open up to air options. I've got the Hero VIII, 6700K, and may get the Phanteks EVOLV ATX case, for reference.

So far I'm considering the 212 EVO, be quiet! dark rock 3, and the pro version.

For water I'm thinking of the Kraken x61 or Corsair 110i GTX.

I would go for the DR3 pro if it weren't for it's off putting size, because it can limit RAM selection. Same goes for the Noctura and CRYORIG fans that I was also looking at.

However, the DR3 seems very quiet and still delivers good cooling coverage. At least based on the CRYORIG comparisons. Same goes for the EVO.

https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/CRYORIG/R1_Universal/6.html

Overall, the EVO seems okay. It doesn't really stand out at higher loads, but I don't know how often that will be on the 6700K. The DR3 seems to be a few degrees cooler and more silent, generally.


For water, I think I've read that both Corsair and Kraken models are made by the same 3rd party, so they're pretty identical.

Finally, prices are of course always in the EVO's favor. Right now it's $20 AR. It's highly curved in the EVO's favor, but I want just a bit more performance. I'll probably end up getting it though.

Performance won't matter for shit, at best you'll realistically get 0.1Ghz more at an acceptable 24/7 clock if that.
Just get 1 or 2 nice PWM fans and you're good to go imo
I say this as someone who's had a TRUE, TPC812, and 280mm AIO (Kraken X61)

 

[RGM79]

I'd be tempted to jump on it if I had any idea how to swap graphics card coolers, and had a bead on said cooler for sub-30 bucks

Hopefully we get some good deals on cyber monday

There are options for changing graphics card coolers, but after the extra $30+ cost you might as well just get a decent graphics card with a good cooler for the same amount of money. Sapphire states that changing the GPU cooler will void the warranty (as well as some other companies but not all), so if anything goes wrong you are SOL anyway. Changing GPU coolers isn't too hard, but we don't really recommend it because it's not as common or supported as changing CPU coolers.

i5-4590, and in perpetually hot Malaysia. (By the way, I've heard that this CPU will just get hot naturally and I probably won't be able to help too much...)

Cost does matter. I haven't taken a look at their actual pricing, but a good rule of thumb is probably "no more than $100". I just need something that is noticeably better than the TX3 is doing on my computer.

The H80i GT seems to be quite large for a 12cm liquid cooler. Would I still be able to keep using my case's top fans with any of the liquid coolers? I have two additional fans installed, and I'm OK with relocating them in my Corsair 100R. It's a bit cramped up there.

The Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO may or may not fit since it exceeds the nominal maximum height allowed for air coolers in my case slightly (>150mm), although the case's side panels are bevelled, so it might work anyway. Depends on if the extra part is just the small heat pipes.

P.S. I'm also thinking of buying a cheap boot SSD and a Wi-Fi + Bluetooth adapter.

It's difficult to say, it may be possible but I honestly can't tell. Reviews of the 100R w/ window say that the top fan mounts don't have a lot of clearance to begin with. If nothing else, you could still install one fan in the top and leave the other vent open for warm air to rise out of the case.

According to this tweakers.net review of the 100R, they say it will not fit the Hyper 212 series of coolers, so I wouldn't try it.

It's hard for us to give specific recommendations for SSD, wifi adaptors, or any product if we do not know how much they cost you. If you have links to any local shops, we would not mind looking through them for you, though.

Hey RGM79 and others,

I'm doing an office pc build for myself and wanted some feedback on the build. It'll be used mainly for Microsoft Office, Project and AutoCAD. I'm in Malaysia so things are a little bit more expensive in general compared to the US and not all the parts are available.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dXjqjX
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dXjqjX/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus H81M-K Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($41.65 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($27.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CSM 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $250.60
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-29 01:09 EST-0500

I'll be supplying my own monitor, KB/Mouse, external hard drive and getting a windows 10 key from Kinguin/G2A.

Question

1. Pentium G3258 - good enough to last a few years for office work? Is this overclockable? Just curious I doubt I will overclock it. And we have the G3260 now should i get that instead?
2. Is this the right motherboard (H81m) to go with the CPU?
3. Is there a decent case/PSU combo that I can get that might be cheaper than getting them separate? Otherwise could you recommend a cheap case and decent PSU?

EDIT: how's the Intel G3220 CPU for office work? It's a little bit cheaper.

The parts list looks OK for the most part. Consider getting 1x8GB instead of 2x4GB so you have a free slot to add RAM if needed in the future. I don't know how intensive the AutoCAD work that is needed to be done on the PC will be, but with a free slot you could add another 8GB in the future if needed.

If you want to overclock it, then the G3258 is what you want. For basic office work it'll do just fine. The G3220 and G3260 are similar but non-overclocking models, you do not want it if you want to overclock. Overclocking the G3258 will result in higher performance than both the G3220 and G3260 anyway. Keep in mind that you will need a decent cooler for overclocking.

A Z97 motherboard is preferable for overclocking, but H81 will do fine. H81 can still overclock, although it is more limited and possibly less stable. The H81M-K model is not listed at that link, but I believe it should still have the same capability as the other Asus H81 models because they should share a common BIOS. I personally have a G3258 overclocked on an Asus B85 motherboard, which is similarly marketed as a cheap motherboard alongside H81. I use a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo in a case filled with fans to ensure good airflow not just for the CPU cooler, but for the motherboard itself. Overclocking involves setting higher voltages and the motherboard must be able to deliver power to the processor, that can result in the motherboard heating up somewhat. You may have noticed that higher end motherboards have heatsinks mounted around the processor socket (labeled #3), that helps with cooling down parts of the motherboard that have to do with power delivery and power phases for the CPU.

We typically don't recommend case and PSU combos that are packaged together, the PSU in those bundles are usually low quality. For overclocking, you will want a better quality power supply anyway. For PSU recommendations on a budget I usually end up looking at XFX or EVGA.

I built a rig in January 2013, which due to various changes in living arrangements, has been in storage for about a year and a half now.

Specs are;

CPU: i5 3570
Mobo: Gigabyte G77
GPU: GTX 670
RAM: 8GB DDR3
HDD: 1TB HDD
PSU: 750w

I'm wanting to put it back into use and - as well as a good clean and dust - make some adjustments and improvements.

I was going to replace the 670 with a 970 and add a 250GB SSD, but wondering if there's anything else I should be thinking about? I've been out of the loop and it looks like Skylake CPU's and Mobo's and DDR4 have landed since I last paid attention. Is there a tangible or significant benefit to upgrading my CPU, Mobo and RAM to Skylake and DDR4 at this point, or am I better off sticking with what I have? Will my 3570 CPU and 8GB RAM stack up to today's modern games at 1080/60?

Skylake is just another incremental update to Intel's consumer processors in terms of performance, your existing Ivy Bridge processor may be three generations behind, but it is still an excellent processor. Don't worry about the RAM either, 8GB of RAM is still more than enough for most games. DDR4 currently doesn't offer much of reason to drop DDR3 over, either. You just need a graphics card upgrade and it would be nice to get an SSD as well.

 

[Eraser_Arcade]

Hey guys, I'm hoping maybe someone here who's knowledgeable with 4k TVs & amd GPUs, can help me with a couple questions that I have. I just recently ordered this 4k TV, and I've come to a realization that my 7970 gpu doesn't have an hdmi 2.0 port (nor does any other amd GPU for that matter). So from my understanding, when I get my new TV & plug-in my PC to it, it will only be able to display 4k @ 30Hz. But what I would like to know is (& haven't been able to find out from google searches) can my PC be able to display 1080p @ 60Hz on this 4k TV? And if so, can the TV upscale the 1080p display to 4k while still running at 60Hz?

I know I'll eventually find out when I get the TV (hopefully in the coming week or two), but not knowing the answers to my questions is driving me crazy. lol

 

[jordyn11]

Hey guys,

Would a Antec High Current Gamer 750 be enough for a 980 Sli setup?

I have a 4690k oc'd to 4.2, 16gb of 1333 ram, 1 Ssd, 3 hdd's currently with 1 980.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Celegus]

Dammit, Frys has the i5-4690k I've been looking for for $159 but is out of stock at the one next to me.
http://www.frys.com/product/8125515

Exactly what I've been looking for too... no luck so far.

 

[EatChildren]

According to CPU-Z my i5 is constantly sitting at my 4.3GHz overclock, when in the past during idle and general desktop use it'd trop to 1.6GHz (standard Intel idle drop).

Anybody know why this might be?

EDIT: Nevermind. Seems to be a result of the Samsung High Performance power mode my SSD introduced. Wonder if I should return it to balanced....

 

[Ivan Amiibo]

Sounds weird yea, maybe it's calculating more power from the 2 HDDs and fans.

550 W seems like it should be enough but you could be nearing the limit of that.

I am getting an R9 380 or GTX 970 (if I decide to burn some additional bucks). Both will claim 750w PSU's.

I personally know 620w will be fine. I was a bit scared of going 550w myself.

i5 4460 full load ~ 197w (going w/ 4590 myself - about the same I wager)
R9 380 full load ~ 370 w

Add-in some miscellaneous usage (SSD, fans etc...) and you're at 550 w. Now obviously you'll hardly run at those kinds of loads for extensive amounts of time but just in case if it were up to me 600w+ PSU - a good one. Emphasis on good.

Just youtube some reviews for your GPU and CPU under full load and work from there.

Thanks guys, i went ahead and ordered a nice evga psu that's at 750. Just to be sure.

 

[GianFrom1987]

Hi guys, I just buyed a new monitor ( dell u2515h) and it's 1440p, I'm playing Syndicate with my 7950 and it's still enjoyable (1440p msaa and everything on high/ultra) but I'm starting to look for an upgrade... my cpu is a 3570k and obviously I want to play at 1440p now...
Budget 400$

 

[Jimrpg]

The parts list looks OK for the most part. Consider getting 1x8GB instead of 2x4GB so you have a free slot to add RAM if needed in the future. I don't know how intensive the AutoCAD work that is needed to be done on the PC will be, but with a free slot you could add another 8GB in the future if needed.

If you want to overclock it, then the G3258 is what you want. For basic office work it'll do just fine. The G3220 and G3260 are similar but non-overclocking models, you do not want it if you want to overclock. Overclocking the G3258 will result in higher performance than both the G3220 and G3260 anyway. Keep in mind that you will need a decent cooler for overclocking.

A Z97 motherboard is preferable for overclocking, but H81 will do fine. H81 can still overclock, although it is more limited and possibly less stable. The H81M-K model is not listed at that link, but I believe it should still have the same capability as the other Asus H81 models because they should share a common BIOS. I personally have a G3258 overclocked on an Asus B85 motherboard, which is similarly marketed as a cheap motherboard alongside H81. I use a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo in a case filled with fans to ensure good airflow not just for the CPU cooler, but for the motherboard itself. Overclocking involves setting higher voltages and the motherboard must be able to deliver power to the processor, that can result in the motherboard heating up somewhat. You may have noticed that higher end motherboards have heatsinks mounted around the processor socket (labeled #3), that helps with cooling down parts of the motherboard that have to do with power delivery and power phases for the CPU.

We typically don't recommend case and PSU combos that are packaged together, the PSU in those bundles are usually low quality. For overclocking, you will want a better quality power supply anyway. For PSU recommendations on a budget I usually end up looking at XFX or EVGA.

Thanks RGM79!

I've decided to go with G3250 and no overclocking so the H81 should be good.

I will try and get one stick of ram.

What do you think of the Corsair VS 450W PSU? I don't really have much choice here to be honest. I want to keep it at or below RM200 (US$50). Here's the shop I'll be buying the rest of my stuff in.

 

[SwordStruck]

Friend is looking to stick 16GB of DDR3 in his i7 2600K system, given he's currently running 4 sticks of 2GB (total of 8GB, same as me). Given I'm not cluey on RAM I figured I'd ask here for him. Two questions:

1) Is it better to go 2x8GB, or 4x4GB?
2) Any recommendations?

Edit: Read that as 6600k.

 

[TaterTots]

I can't remember if I posted about it or not, but I finally began ordering parts. Since I'm using the PC for basic tasks and some non demanding games I've opted for a budget build. The parts I ordered so far are as follows;

Intel core i3 4170 CPU
MSI H81m- P33 Motherboard
Crucial Ballistix Sport 1x8 GB RAM(1600)
EVGA 500w PSU

This leaves me with 3 quesions;

1. Can I use a hard drive from another PC in my build or will I need a fresh install of Windows?

2. Would a GTX 960 be bottlenecked by the i3 4170?

3. The PSU I ordered is not modular(kind of regretting it). Can you suggest a case with a lot of space for cables to be tucked away?

 

[BossDarkseid]

Got a lovely bsod on Win10 about MEMORY_MANAGEMENT. Had 2 BSODs in 24 hours now which is simultaneously nerve wracking and also feels like its a new PC, it'll work itself out. There are more updates for Win10 to download (why does it not do it at once) so I'll see if that helps.

 

[opticalmace]

Got a lovely bsod on Win10 about MEMORY_MANAGEMENT. Had 2 BSODs in 24 hours now which is simultaneously nerve wracking and also feels like its a new PC, it'll work itself out. There are more updates for Win10 to download (why does it not do it at once) so I'll see if that helps.

Definitely do the updates. I would also run memtest to exclude a possible RAM hardware failure.

 

[BossDarkseid]

Definitely do the updates. I would also run memtest to exclude a possible RAM hardware failure.

I'll do that once this update has finished downloading. FML if it is borked tho. Had to practically destroy the box the PC was in to get it out. Oh well.
Edit: About 10secs into Win10s memory test it says hardware problems were detected. Only 25% into pass 1 of 2. Bugger.

2nd Edit: Finished. Nothing additional popped up but it said it'd display the log or something when I had restarted. Restarted and nothing popped up. Does anyone know if/where Windows10 saves these things?

3rd edit: After a few moments a box popped up just saying there were problems and to contact the manufacturer. I sent Overclockers a webnote/email but I'll call them when I get home tomorrow afternoon. If I have to send it back hopefully nothing will take too long as a working PC like this was pretty important.

Not just for games, if you can believe it

It seems to be unable to install Windows 10 Home, version 1511, 10586...is that this latest fall update for it or just some hotfix type deal.

 

[BeekleMatter]

You'll need a new motherboard at the very least, and possibly a new cooler depending on what case you get and whether you overclock your CPU or not.

Buying smaller mITX or mATX motherboards for a processor like yours is kind of iffy in that you're looking for discontinued parts that can be somewhat expensive. How small do you want to go? Do you have a compact case in mind?

I don't know, I feel like it's hard to gauge the true size of some of these cases. Maybe a Bitfenix Prodigy? And can you elaborate on the discontinued thing you mentioned.

 

[ampere]

GTX 970 came back in stock on Amazon for $315. Had to bite the bullet on that one, $340 tax included and shipped beats any other deal I've seen for it. And worst case if there's a crazy deal somewhere tomorrow, this one doesn't ship for a week so I might be able to cancel.

Still thinking about what mobo/case I will settle on. The more I look into the Define S the more I want it, but want to see if anyone comes close to that deal Newegg had for it the other day

 

[kikonawa]

I can't remember if I posted about it or not, but I finally began ordering parts. Since I'm using the PC for basic tasks and some non demanding games I've opted for a budget build. The parts I ordered so far are as follows;

Intel core i3 4170 CPU
MSI H81m- P33 Motherboard
Crucial Ballistix Sport 1x8 GB RAM(1600)
EVGA 500w PSU

This leaves me with 3 quesions;

1. Can I use a hard drive from another PC in my build or will I need a fresh install of Windows?

2. Would a GTX 960 be bottlenecked by the i3 4170?

3. The PSU I ordered is not modular(kind of regretting it). Can you suggest a case with a lot of space for cables to be tucked away?

You need to reinstall windows

Bottlenecked but maybe not so much. Depends on the game anyway

 

[Vertti]

Suddenly my 4 month old computer doesnt turn on. The light blinks for second and fans spin a second too but then nothing. Motherboard light is on so it's getting power right?

I've checked every cable and they are connected. I guess I have to disconnect every component one in a time. I really dont have time for this s*** but I guess it can't be helped.

Fractral R5
Asus Pro Gamer
4690k oc'd
WD Blue 1 tb
Crucial BX100
MSI 980 Ti 6G
8 gigs of ram 4+4

Thank you in advance.

EDIT. Didn't check well enough. One of the fans was connected loosely and that's why my computer didn't start. I just find it funny it wasn't even the CPU fan. I thought it should boot even if that fan was not connected.

 

[goober]

I'm not sure this is the thread but is there any Antivirus/Internet Security software worth paying for?

Newegg has some deals for Kapersky or Bitdefender for 5 bucks, but I'm not sure what the difference would be between that and free software.

 

[Idesofmarch]

Building my first PC and thinking of pulling the trigger today since Newegg has that 5% coupon until 5 pm EST.

What do people think?

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($204.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z170 PRO GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($53.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 390 8GB Nitro Video Card ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 Blackout ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Cooler Master 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($146.30 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($25.50 @ SuperBiiz)

Total: $989.75

 

[Deleted member 98878]

Building my first PC and thinking of pulling the trigger today since Newegg has that 5% coupon until 5 pm EST.

What do people think?

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($204.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z170 PRO GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($53.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 390 8GB Nitro Video Card ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 Blackout ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Cooler Master 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($146.30 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($25.50 @ SuperBiiz)

Total: $989.75

Looks decent, but why aren't you going for an unlocked CPU? If you don't want to OC, you could get a cheaper MB which has all the features you want/need (pretty sure you can find one).

Also, get a CPU cooler.

 

[opticalmace]

Building my first PC and thinking of pulling the trigger today since Newegg has that 5% coupon until 5 pm EST.

What do people think?

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($204.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus Z170 PRO GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($144.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($53.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($59.00 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 390 8GB Nitro Video Card ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 Blackout ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Cooler Master 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($146.30 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($25.50 @ SuperBiiz)

Total: $989.75

I would go for the 6600K (and 212 Evo cooler), and that PSU seems really expensive. Check out the EVGA Supernova G2 750W (or 650W), probably cheaper.

Also go for faster ram, look for G.Skill DDR4-3000.

 

[TheOnlyMook]

Need some help! Cleaned out my system, dusted etc and replaced my thermal paste on the CPU because it hasn't been changed since I first built my PC in early 2012. Hooked everything back up, was super careful the whole time, plugged PC back in.

When I push the power button, it'll turn on for about 15 seconds, turn off, then turn back on. Nothing shows up on the monitor at all. What did I bork? What am I doing wrong? Thanks in advance!

 

[Rand0m TAG]

G502 or G602?

 

[Ultrabum]

Need some help! Cleaned out my system, dusted etc and replaced my thermal paste on the CPU because it hasn't been changed since I first built my PC in early 2012. Hooked everything back up, was super careful the whole time, plugged PC back in.

When I push the power button, it'll turn on for about 15 seconds, turn off, then turn back on. Nothing shows up on the monitor at all. What did I bork? What am I doing wrong? Thanks in advance!

My first thought is to double check that the power from the power supply is connected to the graphics card, this happened to me once. I simply forgot to plug it back in.

 

[opticalmace]

G502 or G602?

I don't like wireless mice, so I'd go 502.

 

[TheOnlyMook]

My first thought is to double check that the power from the power supply is connected to the graphics card, this happened to me once. I simply forgot to plug it back in.

Didn't unplug the GPU at all, also made sure I plugged my DVI cord into the GPU and not the motherboard, I've definitely done that before haha

 

[opticalmace]

Need some help! Cleaned out my system, dusted etc and replaced my thermal paste on the CPU because it hasn't been changed since I first built my PC in early 2012. Hooked everything back up, was super careful the whole time, plugged PC back in.

When I push the power button, it'll turn on for about 15 seconds, turn off, then turn back on. Nothing shows up on the monitor at all. What did I bork? What am I doing wrong? Thanks in advance!

- is the heatsink fan spinning?
- is the heatsink definitely latched down properly (i.e. tight on the cpu)?
- were you overclocking beforehand?

you could try resetting the CMOS or whatever, check your motherboard's manual.

edit: oh, it does in fact turn on, just no video output? definitely check your cables, you might have dislodged something (e.g. GPU PCIe cables).

 

[TheOnlyMook]

- is the heatsink fan spinning?
- is the heatsink definitely latched down properly (i.e. tight on the cpu)?
- were you overclocking beforehand?

you could try resetting the CMOS or whatever, check your motherboard's manual.

edit: oh, it does in fact turn on, just no video output? definitely check your cables, you might have dislodged something (e.g. GPU PCIe cables).

Yeah everything is on and spinning. Heatsink fan, GPU fans, case fans, etc. I'll try resetting my CMOS if nothing else seems to work

 

[opticalmace]

Yeah everything is on and spinning. Heatsink fan, GPU fans, case fans, etc. I'll try resetting my CMOS if nothing else seems to work

Are there any diagnostic lights on?

 

[Deleted member 98878]

Need some help! Cleaned out my system, dusted etc and replaced my thermal paste on the CPU because it hasn't been changed since I first built my PC in early 2012. Hooked everything back up, was super careful the whole time, plugged PC back in.

When I push the power button, it'll turn on for about 15 seconds, turn off, then turn back on. Nothing shows up on the monitor at all. What did I bork? What am I doing wrong? Thanks in advance!

Did you plug in the 12V cpu power connector?

 

[TheOnlyMook]

Are there any diagnostic lights on?

This light is solid red: DRAM _LED Mem Ok!

Other than that, nothing else out of the ordinary