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[ab.aeterno]

Looking for any input on this build I'm putting together for a friend. Their main priority is to make a solid workhorse computer for graphical editing/3D modelling/video editing that can also play games at 1080p/High, and last for 4+ years (with the exception of the GPU, which might get upgraded in a few years.)

Note: The motherboard, hard drives, case and CPU cooler are already bought and locked in, as they were bought on sale. I've bolded them below.

Budget: $1000-2000
Main Use:
Gaming (3)
Emulation (PS2/Wii) (1)
Video Editing (4)
Streaming games in HD (2)
3D/Model work (and what program) (3)
Graphical Editing (5)
General Usage (Word, Web, 1080p playback) (5)
Monitor Resolution: 1080p
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well:
Photoshop, 3DS MAX, Premiere (or similar)
When will you build?: Now
Will you be overclocking?: Yes (mildly)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($413.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 7 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar NAS 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($279.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 500R White ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic Platinum 860W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($40.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1504.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-05 12:31 EST-0500

Any thoughts? Would appreciate feedback!

 

[bomblord1]

Looking for any input on this build I'm putting together for a friend. Their main priority is to make a solid workhorse computer for graphical editing/3D modelling/video editing that can also play games at 1080p/High, and last for 4+ years (with the exception of the GPU, which might get upgraded in a few years.)

Note: The motherboard, hard drives, case and CPU cooler are already bought and locked in, as they were bought on sale. I've bolded them below.

Budget: $1000-2000
Main Use:
Gaming (3)
Emulation (PS2/Wii) (1)
Video Editing (4)
Streaming games in HD (2)
3D/Model work (and what program) (3)
Graphical Editing (5)
General Usage (Word, Web, 1080p playback) (5)
Monitor Resolution: 1080p
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well:
Photoshop, 3DS MAX, Premiere (or similar)
When will you build?: Now
Will you be overclocking?: Yes (mildly)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($413.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Gaming 7 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar NAS 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($279.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 500R White ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic Platinum 860W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BC-12B1ST/BLK/B/AS Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer ($40.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1504.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-05 12:31 EST-0500

Any thoughts? Would appreciate feedback!

An r9 390 should outperform that 970 and is a bit cheaper than the one you linked.

 

[Exile550]

Can anyone recommend RAM for my new setup.

I5 6600K, gigabyte Z170X gaming 5 mobo.

I'm looking at the corsair LPX DDR4 2400. I have experience with corsair and want to stay with that brand. Should I go higher on the mhz?

Also, what's the word on that mobo regarding quality and overclocking, good choice? I can have it at 184$ cad.

Thanks!

Bump for new page!

 

[e90Mark]

Can anyone recommend RAM for my new setup.

I5 6600K, gigabyte Z170X gaming 5 mobo.

I'm looking at the corsair LPX DDR4 2400. I have experience with corsair and want to stay with that brand. Should I go higher on the mhz?

Also, what's the word on that mobo regarding quality and overclocking, good choice? I can have it at 184$ cad.

Thanks!

I have LPX DDR4 3200 with my 6600k and z170mx gaming 5.

I like the board. The only other current option was the Asus ROG Gene, for a lot more money for features I didn't really need.

 

[Exile550]

I have LPX DDR4 3200 with my 6600k and z170mx gaming 5.

I like the board. The only other current option was the Asus ROG Gene, for a lot more money for features I didn't really need.

Any reason to go 3200 instead of 2400?

 

[Upinsmoke]

Just querying something here. Got a couple of new ram sticks today, 2x4 gb (already got 2x4 in another two slots). Anyhow i stuck them in and the PC wouldn't boot. Removed them, pc booted. Added just the one module to the existing two and pc wouldn't boot. Removed my old modules and stuck both the new ones in, booted fine. Tried the old one with the new ones which just worked and it wouldn't boot.

Ended up corrupting my bios in the end and had to use the backup bios. Why isn't it letting me add more than 8gb, the board has a max of 32 so i don't understand :butt

All slots work as i've tried them all but only ever with two sticks max.

Any help appreciated.

 

[LilJoka]

Just querying something here. Got a couple of new ram sticks today, 2x4 gb (already got 2x4 in another two slots). Anyhow i stuck them in and the PC wouldn't boot. Removed them, pc booted. Added just the one module to the existing two and pc wouldn't boot. Removed my old modules and stuck both the new ones in, booted fine. Tried the old one with the new ones which just worked and it wouldn't boot.

Ended up corrupting my bios in the end and had to use the backup bios. Why isn't it letting me add more than 8gb, the board has a max of 32 so i don't understand :butt

All slots work as i've tried them all but only ever with two sticks max.

Any help appreciated.

RAM kit model numbers?
Motherboard model?

 

[Upinsmoke]

RAM kit model numbers?
Motherboard model?

The ram is the same, Corsair Vengeance, same profile and specs.

Board is a Gigabyte Z77 D3h

I just can't fathom why both sticks work separately in different slots, but as soon as I try anything over 8gb it just won't boot.

 

[e90Mark]

Any reason to go 3200 instead of 2400?

Not much more money for more memory bandwidth.There was like a $15 difference. Price to performance drops off after 3000. So just kinda go as fast as you can go in your budget.

 

[Exile550]

Not much more money for more memory bandwidth.There was like a $15 difference. Price to performance drops off after 3000. So just kinda go as fast as you can go in your budget.

2400 it is then.

 

[jotun?]

My wife and I are looking into building a small console PC. It would mostly be used for media and some couch multiplayer. Most of the games we have in mind so far don't really need any 3D power, so we're thinking we'll start off just using the Intel built-in graphics, then add a real GPU later if we decide we need it.

Case: SilverStone RAVEN RVZ02B Mini-ITX
Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-H170N-WIFI
CPU: Core i5-6600 OR Core i3 6320
Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i
Memory: Crucial 2x8GB DDR4-2133 CL15
SSD: Crucial MX200 500GB
PSU: SilverStone SX500-LG Modular

The case has a slot for a slim blu-ray drive if we decide we need it (the PS3 is good enough at the moment), though from what I can see the PC blu-ray situation is a big mess due to DRM.

The Noctua fan seems a bit expensive, when the stock cooler would probably do a good enough job, but I'd like it to be nice and quiet

Any opinions on which CPU to go with, whether leaving out the GPU for now seems like a reasonable idea, or any other aspects? I've never built a media PC before, so it's possible that I'm forgetting something important

Page bump

 

[mhayze]

for pure gaming, which motherboard pulls out ahead?

ASUS ROG MAXIMUS VIII HERO

or

MSI Z170A GAMING M5

Generally the motherboard will have a minuscule effect on benchmarks other than tiny overclock-like tweaks they apply automatically at stock settings. A relatively larger difference is their ability to support the upper end of the spectrum on overclocks.

I pick motherboards based on stability, price/features (and layout flexibility for the build I want to do) and expected longevity or quality.
Support is generally dismal for both ASUS and MSI, so not much between the two, but I'd give MSI the nod by a hair. ASUS has been generally slightly ahead of the game out the gate with X99/Z170 in terms of their ability to maximize the platform, but MSI is not far behind.

After that, I usually look through the owners thread on overclock.net (regardless of whether I plan to OC it or not, to see what the 'state' of the motherboard is - known issues, knowledge levels, BIOS updates, RAM compatibility, etc.

Both look like good boards, the MSI is the better value, the ASUS has better sound from what I can see (I don't own either but looked at the reviews and owners' threads). I bet you will be happy with either as long as you don't get a bum board.

 

[rav]

If I were to build a PC with a window of from here to April or so, would it be best to wait until new stuff comes out if I can?
I can't specifically remember when new GPUs and CPUs are slated to release, does anyone have a link or information they can point me to?

 

[OldAsUrSock]

If I were to build a PC with a window of from here to April or so, would it be best to wait until new stuff comes out if I can?
I can't specifically remember when new GPUs and CPUs are slated to release, does anyone have a link or information they can point me to?

Summer. I will provide a link soon.

 

[rav]

Summer. I will provide a link soon.

Thanks!!

 

[LQX]

Edit-
Deal dead

 

[Mad Season]

for gaming, is HDMI better than DVI or vice versa?

 

[Novum_Veritas]

for gaming, is HDMI better than DVI or vice versa?

HDMI is better for gaming, sound and picture is both transferred via one cable.

 

[Mad Season]

HDMI is better for gaming, sound and picture is both transferred via one cable.

aside from sound, is the video quality better with HDMI than over DVI?

 

[Novum_Veritas]

aside from sound, is the video quality better with HDMI than over DVI?

No, DVI and HDMI are equal on picture quality, if you use DVI, use DVI-D, D means digital, so you get the best quality out of your GPU and monitor.

 

[FlyingSaucer]

Kind of doubt it. Did you upgrade or switch out any hardware parts recently?

My keyboard, but I don't think it counts ?

I had a warning at boot that my system didn't properly shut down last time, so I'm half suspecting that something may have done a LAN wakeup, something failed and my authentification was lost... I tried several solutions (command line rearm, windows genuine, entering again my product code...), nothing seems to work. Weird.

 

[RGM79]

I built a computer two months ago and everything has been going great. Recently though, when I boot up my computer, the fans start up for a moment then power down and then power up again and boots up normally. It only happens every once in awhile, but is there a deeper underlying issue? Aside from that, I haven't experienced an issues so far.

Not sure. You're sure it hasn't happened in the last two months? Some computers when powering on will spin up the fans to ensure they're running properly before slowing them back down to normal levels, because some if not most fans will fail to spin if they don't get enough voltage to begin with. I don't know if any do that twice before booting up, though.

for pure gaming, which motherboard pulls out ahead?

ASUS ROG MAXIMUS VIII HERO

or

MSI Z170A GAMING M5

The motherboard doesn't really influence gaming performance. Except if you're overclocking the processor. That said, the MSI model seems to have better reviews in general, so I'd recommend that one for potentially fewer headaches.

My keyboard, but I don't think it counts ?

I had a warning at boot that my system didn't properly shut down last time, so I'm half suspecting that something may have done a LAN wakeup, something failed and my authentification was lost... I tried several solutions (command line rearm, windows genuine, entering again my product code...), nothing seems to work. Weird.

Is your computer set up for remote wake? In my experience, it's difficult to do that unless the PC has several things enabled to allow a user to remotely turn it on. Try calling Microsoft support and have them help you activate.

You may want to try reformatting and reinstalling if nothing else works. If even a clean installation of Windows cannot be activated using your license key, then something is terribly wrong.

Page bump

Do you prefer to order everything from Newegg or are other retailers okay? What's your budget? The i3 processor isn't bad, but if you can afford the i5 processor it'll mean the PC won't feel as bottlenecked a few years down the line and won't need to be upgraded as quickly.

 

[Laieon]

Trying to put together a budget build for myself, setting my budget at $400 (preferably cheaper). I'm also living abroad, so I'd like an mITX build so that it will be easier to move whenever I decide to move back home.

Right now it's looking something like this:

Motherboard: MSI A68HI AC FM2+ Mini ITX AMD Motherboard

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K Kaveri Quad-Core

GPU: MSI Radeon R7 360 or GTX 750 Ti.


A buddy is going to give me 8gb of ram and a PSU. He's also wanting to sell me a 680 for $140ish (which seems to be the going rate on ebay). What would give me the best performance games wise, a 680, a 750, or the R7 360?

Right now, I'm sitting at $300 for the GPU, CPU, and Motherboard, which leaves me about $100 for the case, a potential non-stock fan, and a hard drive. I don't mind going over $400, but I'd like to be as close to it as possible.

 

[Cerity]

Just querying something here. Got a couple of new ram sticks today, 2x4 gb (already got 2x4 in another two slots). Anyhow i stuck them in and the PC wouldn't boot. Removed them, pc booted. Added just the one module to the existing two and pc wouldn't boot. Removed my old modules and stuck both the new ones in, booted fine. Tried the old one with the new ones which just worked and it wouldn't boot.

Ended up corrupting my bios in the end and had to use the backup bios. Why isn't it letting me add more than 8gb, the board has a max of 32 so i don't understand :butt

All slots work as i've tried them all but only ever with two sticks max.

Any help appreciated.

Your memory controller might be going, see if you can't try out some lower rated sticks - speed, size and voltage. It's not often but the imc on your cpu can get damaged by running sticks that are rated above the spec.

 

[VanillaCakeIsBurning]

Be sure to use borderless window mode for less than 0 delay!

Is there a performance difference between Fullscreen and Borderless Window mode?

I usually go with Borderless Window mode already since it seems to be more alt-tab friendly (still slow on my PC but less so than if I do it when using Fullscreen).

 

[Maddanth]

Is there a way to check if my GPU are working correctly? I don't know allot about PC and my question is basically, once the GPU are installed, that's it rite? It shows my SLI enabled etc. I know it sounds like a stupid question its just the reason I'm asking this is I have an I7@4790@4.0ghz@32gb ram@ 2 980ti SLI. I assumed that I should be able to get a constant 60 fps with max settings at 1080p and games that have SLI support I thought I should be able to get more then 60fps. Isn't this set up good enough to support 4k? Or does it have something to do with my monitor? As I'm using a 65 inch tv. If someone could shed some light I would be greatly appreciated. Everywhere I've kind of read up on is saying I should hit 60fps Easily at 1080p. I do realize some games aren't optimized well, or don't have SLI support etc. Thanks much in advance.
Also when i run unigine valley etc it seems to be hitting the 130-200 or over fps rendering some intense stuff but the fps is constantly fluctuating going up and down.

 

[Dusktildawn48]

So at my local microcenter I bought a 2 year warrenty for my board and cpu. That means within that 2 years I could return it no questions asked for a full refund minus the cost of the warrenty. Thing is that warrenty runs up in june. When it comes time what should I upgrade too?

Edit: probably should've mentioned right now I have a 4790k and a maximus vii hero

 

[Cute Dragon Here]

Is there a way to check if my GPU are working correctly? I don't know allot about PC and my question is basically, once the GPU are installed, that's it rite? It shows my SLI enabled etc. I know it sounds like a stupid question its just the reason I'm asking this is I have an I7@4790@4.0ghz@32gb ram@ 2 980ti SLI. I assumed that I should be able to get a constant 60 fps with max settings at 1080p and games that have SLI support I thought I should be able to get more then 60fps. Isn't this set up good enough to support 4k? Or does it have something to do with my monitor? As I'm using a 65 inch tv. If someone could shed some light I would be greatly appreciated. Everywhere I've kind of read up on is saying I should hit 60fps Easily at 1080p. I do realize some games aren't optimized well, or don't have SLI support etc. Thanks much in advance.
Also when i run unigine valley etc it seems to be hitting the 130-200 or over fps rendering some intense stuff but the fps is constantly fluctuating going up and down.

It looks fine.

Resolution support is independent of the display size - check your TV's spec sheet for more details.

Whether it can hit 1080p/60FPS easily also depends a lot of a game, really. But for the most part, yes, your system should basically never run into performance issues, shoddy ports aside.

You should ignore any fluctuations in Unigine benchmarks - just focus on the average. I've noticed that due to the way the engine works when loading different scenes, expect very awful minimum rates.

 

[SolarMystic]

Hey all, I'm considering upgrading at some point this year. Mostly a new build while utilizing some older parts like my case and power supply if I can.

Here is what I'm currently rocking (format might look weird, copy/paste from an old order form):

XIGMATEK Dark Knight II SD1283 Night Hawk Edition CPU Cooler

EVGA E758-TR 3-Way SLI (x16/x16/x8) LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

CM Storm Sniper - Gaming Mid Tower

CORSAIR TX Series CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V v2.3

EVGA GeForce GTX 285 01G-P3-1180-AR 1GB 512-Bit

OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)

Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield Quad-Core 2.66 GHz LGA 1366

Western Digital Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"

----

So I was thinking, if I could, keep my 1) case 2) hard drive 3) disc drive 4) power supply

Then I would only need a new cpu, gpu, motherboard, ssd and memory. Under 800 USD.

I've been out of the PC hardware scene since I built my current PC in 2009, so I have no idea whether I should go Intel, AMD or nvidia for my parts. Also have no experience with SSDs or running a HDD and SSD together.

I am content with my current PC for the moment so I can wait for new tech to release if new processors or graphic cards are releasing later this year.

I have no intention to overclock or go crazy with water cooling or dual gpus or anything like that. Just want a good solid rig that will last me years like my current rig has lasted me almost 7 years. Though I haven't been able to max a AAA title for awhile. Even Fallout 4 can't run since my gpu only has 1gb of vram.

I want something that can max most games for the next couple of years at 1080p 60fps, then I can start moving down to high settings and other compromises.

EDIT:

So I've been going over some builds. Currently looking at an i7 4790k setup with a gtx 970 and 16gb of memory. Looks like DDR4 ram is a thing now, though the 4790k is only compatible with motherboards supporting DDR3. What do you guys think?

EDIT 2: Here's my (amateur, been out of the PC scene too long) build so far. $140 more than I want to spend though.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($339.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z97X Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($131.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX200 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($313.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $945.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-06 05:54 EST-0500

EDIT 3: i5 6600k build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($254.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($127.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: G.Skill TridentZ Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial MX200 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($313.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $881.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-06 10:19 EST-0500

Would an i7 4790k or i5 6600k be better for gaming?

 

[Mets9]

Guys, I have an old PC I would like to upgrade.
8gb RAM, fx-6600 and an HD6870 (can't remember the mobo, will check later)
With 250 €, which GPU would you suggest?

 

[Xero]

So looking to get around a $800 gaming pc with the tax return and im capable of putting it together seeing as the only thing in my old pc i didnt change was the disc drive and harddrive (which is whats failing) with all these websites out there to assemble your pc or customize one of their rigs for you nowadays is it still as cost efficient to put it together myself or to pay a company to do it and warranty it.

 

[ISee]

Guys, I have an old PC I would like to upgrade.
8gb RAM, fx-6600 and an HD6870 (can't remember the mobo, will check later)
With 250 €, which GPU would you suggest?

With your CPU the gtx 960 could make sense because you would run into less CPU overhead situations because of AMD GPU driver issues. Still I'd like to recommend the Sapphire Radeon 380x 4gb Nitro to you.
You can find it for around 240-260€ in most shops. It's a decently overclocked card and around 10-15% faster than the GTX 960 so it should give you at least the same performance as the gtx 960 even in bad situations.

 

[Maddanth]

It looks fine.

Resolution support is independent of the display size - check your TV's spec sheet for more details.

Whether it can hit 1080p/60FPS easily also depends a lot of a game, really. But for the most part, yes, your system should basically never run into performance issues, shoddy ports aside.

You should ignore any fluctuations in Unigine benchmarks - just focus on the average. I've noticed that due to the way the engine works when loading different scenes, expect very awful minimum rates.

Thanks allot. I appreciate you taking the time to reply. I mean I guess for the most part I am pretty much hitting max settings@60 fps. For example. Project cars, everything low. I'm hitting 150 fps. Everything maxed, and I sit at about 60. I just assumed at 1080p everything maxed I should still be getting above 60 fps as if I were to go to 4k and i definitely wouldn't be hitting 60 fps and I thought that was odd. I realize that just one example, but I guess if I were to go to 4k i wouldn't be able to max settings obviously? So there isn't really a gpu out rite now that will give u 4k and everything maxed then? I mean there's the Titan X but from what I understand other then the 12g VRAM there isn't allot of a difference? Is this information accurate?lol. Again, thanks allot

 

[knitoe]

Thanks allot. I appreciate you taking the time to reply. I mean I guess for the most part I am pretty much hitting max settings@60 fps. For example. Project cars, everything low. I'm hitting 150 fps. Everything maxed, and I sit at about 60. I just assumed at 1080p everything maxed I should still be getting above 60 fps as if I were to go to 4k and i definitely wouldn't be hitting 60 fps and I thought that was odd. I realize that just one example, but I guess if I were to go to 4k i wouldn't be able to max settings obviously? So there isn't really a gpu out rite now that will give u 4k and everything maxed then? I mean there's the Titan X but from what I understand other then the 12g VRAM there isn't allot of a difference? Is this information accurate?lol. Again, thanks allot

What are your gpu usages? You can monitor with MSI Afterburner.

 

[luffeN]

Is there a performance difference between Fullscreen and Borderless Window mode?

I usually go with Borderless Window mode already since it seems to be more alt-tab friendly (still slow on my PC but less so than if I do it when using Fullscreen).

I am not sure, but everytime I look at what GeForce Experience would do, it always says to play in fullscreen compared to borderless windowed.

 

[Bradf50]

Hi guys. Been a Mac ( currently on a MBP Retina) user for a long while now and would like to build my first gaming/work pc. I've been doing abit of research on the components I would like (see below), but I just would like to put it to you guys too see if there's anything you would change for the better of the build. Being a designer by profession this will be used for graphic/motion design & video editing etc, hence the processor choice (do you guys agree?). I do plan on overclocking the cpu to around 4.2 ghz so input on the cooler I've chosen would also be of great value. But I want something with a good chunk of power to play games well. In a couple of months I'm looking to pick up an ultrawide monitor (one of the 3440x1440 34" ones). I assume this build will have enough grunt to at least play modern games at high settings at hopefully 60fps (at 3440x1440)?

EDIT: I would say my budget is around what it is now, maybe £1850 maximum.

Anyway, any input would be appreciated.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-5820K 3.3GHz 6-Core Processor (£329.98 @ Novatech)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i GTX 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (£100.27 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: MSI X99A SLI PLUS ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard (£174.98 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory (£175.16 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£119.00 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£42.99 @ Ebuyer)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£42.99 @ Ebuyer)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card (£549.99 @ Ebuyer)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo EVOLV ATX Mid Tower Case (£149.59 @ Overclockers.co.uk)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (£90.11 @ Amazon UK)

Total: £1775.06

Hi guys, any thoughts?

 

[Mets9]

With your CPU the gtx 960 could make sense because you would run into less CPU overhead situations because of AMD GPU driver issues. Still I'd like to recommend the Sapphire Radeon 380x 4gb Nitro to you.
You can find it for around 240-260€ in most shops. It's a decently overclocked card and around 10-15% faster than the GTX 960 so it should give you at least the same performance as the gtx 960 even in bad situations.

What if I'm considering to change cpu+ mobo in a couple of months and switching to Intel, would it be better to get the 960?
Edit: Also could you suggest me a good SSD?

 

[texore]

Hi guys, any thoughts?

I've been looking at liquid coolers myself and I've read the corsair ones can be fairly loud. I believe you can get the NZXT Kraken for around the same price and I've read positive things about them.

 

[crisdecuba]

I built a computer two months ago and everything has been going great. Recently though, when I boot up my computer, the fans start up for a moment then power down and then power up again and boots up normally. It only happens every once in awhile, but is there a deeper underlying issue? Aside from that, I haven't experienced an issues so far.

This is what my desktop does. I built it around seven years ago and it's still going strong. I was worried too in the beginning, but it's simply how it goes about powering up.

 

[FlyingSaucer]

Is your computer set up for remote wake? In my experience, it's difficult to do that unless the PC has several things enabled to allow a user to remotely turn it on. Try calling Microsoft support and have them help you activate.

You may want to try reformatting and reinstalling if nothing else works. If even a clean installation of Windows cannot be activated using your license key, then something is terribly wrong.

I will try what you said. Thanks a lot !

 

[Zenaku]

I've been thinking about upgrading for a while, and considered it around the launch of the 6600k and 6700k, but put it on hold due to not finding them on Amazon.

Is it worth waiting another half a year, or should I just get a 6700k/5820k/something else? I'd be upgrading everything but my GPU (GTX 980, planning to get a Pascal whenever they're released). Part of my desire to upgrade stems from the fact I'm running out of space (only 50GB left in 6.5TB) with no more space for HDD/SSD in my case (so I'll need to get a case and mobo that can accommodate more, though I'm eyeing a case that can have around 12-14 or so).

 

[bomblord1]

Trying to put together a budget build for myself, setting my budget at $400 (preferably cheaper). I'm also living abroad, so I'd like an mITX build so that it will be easier to move whenever I decide to move back home.

Right now it's looking something like this:

Motherboard: MSI A68HI AC FM2+ Mini ITX AMD Motherboard

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 860K Kaveri Quad-Core

GPU: MSI Radeon R7 360 or GTX 750 Ti.


A buddy is going to give me 8gb of ram and a PSU. He's also wanting to sell me a 680 for $140ish (which seems to be the going rate on ebay). What would give me the best performance games wise, a 680, a 750, or the R7 360?

Right now, I'm sitting at $300 for the GPU, CPU, and Motherboard, which leaves me about $100 for the case, a potential non-stock fan, and a hard drive. I don't mind going over $400, but I'd like to be as close to it as possible.

Does that $400 cover the cost of the OS? Also whats the wattage on the PSU? Finally, is the Ram DDR3?

 

[kennah]

I keep having an issue with Ubuntuserver and I am not sure how to fix it.

I have an N40L and I recently tried to add a 3TB WD Red HDD to it but it just won't take. When I try to mount it, I just get an error and it seems to partition the drive as 2TB with 1TB of unallocated space.

I have a 2TB Seagate Barracuda in there that works just fine.

It seems to work fine in my Windows PC. I am only really getting this issue in Ubuntuserver.

I get the same error no matter if it is NTFS or ext4.

Try a bios update. Seems the earlier gens only worked with 2tb drives but later models with anything. So. Check for bios updates.

So at my local microcenter I bought a 2 year warrenty for my board and cpu. That means within that 2 years I could return it no questions asked for a full refund minus the cost of the warrenty. Thing is that warrenty runs up in june. When it comes time what should I upgrade too?

Edit: probably should've mentioned right now I have a 4790k and a maximus vii hero

Why would you have done that? Motherboards and CPUs have a 3 year warranty.

Nothing coming out between now and June will be any faster than your 4790k

 

[Dusktildawn48]

Try a bios update. Seems the earlier gens only worked with 2tb drives but later models with anything. So. Check for bios updates.

Why would you have done that? Motherboards and CPUs have a 3 year warranty.

Nothing coming out between now and June will be any faster than your 4790k

Why would I have done what?

 

[Burgess_101]

Try a bios update. Seems the earlier gens only worked with 2tb drives but later models with anything. So. Check for bios updates.

I am already on latest, I'll have to maybe look into custom BIOS.

 

[Bradf50]

I've been looking at liquid coolers myself and I've read the corsair ones can be fairly loud. I believe you can get the NZXT Kraken for around the same price and I've read positive things about them.

Thanks for the recommendation, I'll do some more research into this.

 

[LilJoka]

Cranked the i7 3770 to 4.4Ghz 107.4x41 1.1v for some lolz and it actually booted.

 

[QuantumSquid]

I put the PC together and it boots just fine and everything appears to be working, but I seated the hard drive in its toolless tray too far forward so when you plug in the 2 cables into it, it's too far forward to get the side panel back on. Not only that, but due to the nature of the toolless design, the drive is not only stuck in the tray, but also stuck inside the tray holder of the case. I am going to visit a local PC specialist guy and see what he can do - if he can't get it fixed, I'm just going to buy a new hard drive as a back-up in case using force to yank it out of the tray breaks the one I already have.

 

[Laieon]

Does that $400 cover the cost of the OS? Also whats the wattage on the PSU? Finally, is the Ram DDR3?

$400 doesn't cover the cost of the OS, but I have an extra copy of 10 lying around. Ended up spending roughly $500, going with an i3 6100, upgrading from 8gb ddr3 to 8gb ddr4, and an ITX MSI Skylake motherboard.

I've only built Intel builds (for nyself, I've built AMD builds for friends) in the past, figured I'd stick with that route even if it's a bit more pricey.

 

[LilJoka]

I put the PC together and it boots just fine and everything appears to be working, but I seated the hard drive in its toolless tray too far forward so when you plug in the 2 cables into it, it's too far forward to get the side panel back on. Not only that, but due to the nature of the toolless design, the drive is not only stuck in the tray, but also stuck inside the tray holder of the case. I am going to visit a local PC specialist guy and see what he can do - if he can't get it fixed, I'm just going to buy a new hard drive as a back-up in case using force to yank it out of the tray breaks the one I already have.

What?! Just bend the holder and pull the drive out. You probably put the drive in the holder the wrong way around that's all. The only thing that could break is the holder...