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"I Need a New PC!" 2015 Part 2. Read the OP. Rocking 2500K's until HBM2 and beyond.

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Flaxh

Member
Hmm, 46 degrees seems kinda high for just web browsing and a chat program. However, 65~70 degrees Celsius for games is nothing. That's very safe. You don't have to worry unless it's 80~90 degrees or higher.

When you installed the new RAM, did you take off the CPU cooler to get to the RAM slots? If it's been a while and you took it off, then you should apply new thermal paste.

I only took off the coolers fan so that I could install the new RAM and they put it as high as possible as shown in this picture:

IPlkSQ1.jpg


Here's a print while playing The Division's beta: (69ºC / 49% usage)

9kyfHh3.jpg


I'll look for a way of improving airflow when I get home. I was a bit careless with the PC but I'm starting to read some info about hardware so that I can avoid this kind of problem in the future.

7qP4eIJ.jpg
 
I am a console gamer for a long, long time. I own an PS4 and Xbox One and I love my consoles but I think that now is the perfect time for some serious changes in my gaming world. These last couple of days i'm thinking about that "I need a New PC!" and i'm gonna need some advices from you guys. I would use this PC in my living room for gaming and as a multimedia center, I have an LG home cinema with an optical in.

What do you think about this specs, what would you change? Thanks in advance

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (€209.79 @ Mindfactory)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (€132.74 @ Mindfactory)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory (€45.48 @ Mindfactory)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (€88.34 @ Mindfactory)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (€341.72 @ Mindfactory)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case (€88.35 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (€79.90 @ Caseking)
Total: €986.32
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-19 22:12 CET+0100
 

RGM79

Member
What drivers do I need ? CPU, Motherboard and GPU ?
Yeah, will do.

This is all I need, right ?

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4/?cat=Download&os=Win1064

Download and install everything from the "driver" category. Ignore the stuff in the "utilities" category below.

I only took off the coolers fan so that I could install the new RAM and they put it as high as possible as shown in this picture:

IPlkSQ1.jpg


Here's a print while playing The Division's beta: (69ºC / 49% usage)

9kyfHh3.jpg


I'll look for a way of improving airflow when I get home. I was a bit careless with the PC but I'm starting to read some info about hardware so that I can avoid this kind of problem in the future.

7qP4eIJ.jpg

You don't need to mount it too high. I see that the fan is in the way of an unused RAM slot, that's fine. Move the fan down to its normal position so the airflow blows at the heatsink fins. Don't worry too much about the few millimetres of the RAM module sticking up in front of the fan.

Just read that link... geeeeez what a mess! Cables that appear to work fine but run the risk of damaging your phone... that's really, really freaking bad!

Bless Benson Leung, the man on a solo crusade against crappy USB type C cables. His Chromebook Pixel died for their sins.

I am a console gamer for a long, long time. I own an PS4 and Xbox One and I love my consoles but I think that now is the perfect time for some serious changes in my gaming world. These last couple of days i'm thinking about that "I need a New PC!" and i'm gonna need some advices from you guys. I would use this PC in my living room for gaming and as a multimedia center, I have an LG home cinema with an optical in.

What do you think about this specs, what would you change? Thanks in advance

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (€209.79 @ Mindfactory)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (€132.74 @ Mindfactory)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory (€45.48 @ Mindfactory)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (€88.34 @ Mindfactory)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card (€341.72 @ Mindfactory)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case (€88.35 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (€79.90 @ Caseking)
Total: €986.32
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-19 22:12 CET+0100

Are you planning to overclock or not? If you're not, then you can get a cheaper H170 or B150 motherboard instead. Would you want a smaller PC for the living room?
 

RGM79

Member
@RGM79
Yes I plan to overclock the RAM and CPU if Intel allows :) This size of the case is ideal no need for something smaller.
You will want a K model processor like the i5 6600K instead of the i5 6500. Only the K models can be overclocked. There is some unofficial overclocking with non K model processors and certain motherboards, but Intel is putting a stop to it and forcing motherboard manufacturers to remove support for it.

Keep in mind that to overclock, you will need an aftermarket heatsink. In Germany the Cooler Master Hyper 212 series, Scythe Megan series, and perhaps Cryorig H5 or H7 are available and are well priced for OVERCLOCK ABLE CPU cooling.

You will also need a Z170 motherboard. You already have one in your list, but I do not know of any reviews for that motherboard, perhaps there are better and more reliable choices. Corsair CX power supplies are kind of low end, there are usually alternatives with better build quality. I recommend EVGA, XFX, Seasonic, Super Flower, etc. Instead of Pcpartpicker.com for prices, I recommend geizhals.de for German region. I will recommend a parts list for you from there once I get home.
 

TheExodu5

Banned
Wow. Just saw the Acer X34 in person. I'm completely sold on curved 21:9 monitors.

Now...I wonder if I should wait for a 144Hz variant.
 

Kieli

Member
Wow. Just saw the Acer X34 in person. I'm completely sold on curved 21:9 monitors.

Now...I wonder if I should wait for a 144Hz variant.

I've heard people say that the jump from 60 -> 100Hz feels bigger than from 100 -> 144 Hz.

Obviously is a very YMMV sort of thing, and I would personally wait for 144.
 

TheExodu5

Banned
I've heard people say that the jump from 60 -> 100Hz feels bigger than from 100 -> 144 Hz.

Obviously is a very YMMV sort of thing, and I would personally wait for 144.

Well, I have a 144Hz G-sync monitor, and honestly, past 85Hz or so, it's hard to see much of a difference. 60 -> 85Hz is huge, but beyond that, it feels perfectly smooth. The only real concern is the lack of uLMB.
 

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
I've heard people say that the jump from 60 -> 100Hz feels bigger than from 100 -> 144 Hz.

Obviously is a very YMMV sort of thing, and I would personally wait for 144.
Yeah my perception increased petered out about 85-100Hz for me personally.
 

theRizzle

Member
I've heard people say that the jump from 60 -> 100Hz feels bigger than from 100 -> 144 Hz.

Obviously is a very YMMV sort of thing, and I would personally wait for 144.

Going from a 60hz monitor to a 120hz monitor was easily the most noticeable upgrade I've made in over 10 years. I used to be all about everything on Ultra even if I ended up with 30-50 fps instead of a solid 60... until I started playing at 120hz.

Ever since then, I'll happily go down to High or even medium to get a better framerate.
 

inner-G

Banned
I got a temp ban right after I got it finished up, but I wanted to post a few pics of the setup and say thanks to everyone that gave me advice/input/help.

Also, I'm not sure how often the OP is updated, but it has the ASUS PB278Q listed as $700, but it's like $408 most places now.
 
Hi everyone,

Having bought a gaming laptop over a year ago, I've realised that although it works perfectly fine for gaming what I use it mostly for it encoding h264 video.
The issue with that is laptops are not designed to have their CPU's running all 4 cores (I have an i7 in mine) at 100% for hours on end, and I have to dial back the CPU so that the laptop doesn't cook itself. This leads to relatively slow encodes and is rather frustrating.
I pulled my old Core I3 HTPC out of the cupboard and installed windows 10, but found it encodes at about half the speed of my laptop so me being me, I've decided to build a PC that I can primarily use for video encoding, but can upgrade with a Pascal GPU in the future if I want to use it for more.
So this is the initial build I want to make but I have a couple of questions:

CPU - Core I5 6500
MB - ASRock H170M-ITX
RAM - 8GB Kingston DDR4 (probably upgrade that later but 8GB should be fine for video encoding)
PSU - Corsair CX600M Semi-Modular
Case - Thermaltake Core V1 Mini-ITX case
GPU - Onboard for now
HDD - Haven't decided yet but I'll probably get a 250GB SSD for the OS.

Anyway, my main question is whether it's worth forking out the extra $30 to get a 6600 Skylake CPU rather than the 6500?
The only difference I can see is a minor boost in the clockspeed. The 6600K is another $30 and I'm not really the sort of person who bothers with overclocking.
 

longdi

Banned
I will say the $60 for 6600K is more worth it.
Else you can spend the $30 on a better SSD brand or a third party cooler.
 
Hi everyone,

Having bought a gaming laptop over a year ago, I've realised that although it works perfectly fine for gaming what I use it mostly for it encoding h264 video.
The issue with that is laptops are not designed to have their CPU's running all 4 cores (I have an i7 in mine) at 100% for hours on end, and I have to dial back the CPU so that the laptop doesn't cook itself. This leads to relatively slow encodes and is rather frustrating.
I pulled my old Core I3 HTPC out of the cupboard and installed windows 10, but found it encodes at about half the speed of my laptop so me being me, I've decided to build a PC that I can primarily use for video encoding, but can upgrade with a Pascal GPU in the future if I want to use it for more.
So this is the initial build I want to make but I have a couple of questions:

CPU - Core I5 6500
MB - ASRock H170M-ITX
RAM - 8GB Kingston DDR4 (probably upgrade that later but 8GB should be fine for video encoding)
PSU - Corsair CX600M Semi-Modular
Case - Thermaltake Core V1 Mini-ITX case
GPU - Onboard for now
HDD - Haven't decided yet but I'll probably get a 250GB SSD for the OS.

Anyway, my main question is whether it's worth forking out the extra $30 to get a 6600 Skylake CPU rather than the 6500?
The only difference I can see is a minor boost in the clockspeed. The 6600K is another $30 and I'm not really the sort of person who bothers with overclocking.
If it's for encoding I would definitely go for an i7... either 4790k, 6700k, or 5820k, depending on what you can afford. Note the latter has more cores.
 

R0C

Member
What is an ideal temperature for gaming on i5 4690 Case is NZXT S340 i hit around 72-73C at peak in CPU heavy games , sometimes it uses 90% of CPU .GPU is Asus Strix GTX 970
 

LilJoka

Member
Hi everyone,

Having bought a gaming laptop over a year ago, I've realised that although it works perfectly fine for gaming what I use it mostly for it encoding h264 video.
The issue with that is laptops are not designed to have their CPU's running all 4 cores (I have an i7 in mine) at 100% for hours on end, and I have to dial back the CPU so that the laptop doesn't cook itself. This leads to relatively slow encodes and is rather frustrating.
I pulled my old Core I3 HTPC out of the cupboard and installed windows 10, but found it encodes at about half the speed of my laptop so me being me, I've decided to build a PC that I can primarily use for video encoding, but can upgrade with a Pascal GPU in the future if I want to use it for more.
So this is the initial build I want to make but I have a couple of questions:

CPU - Core I5 6500
MB - ASRock H170M-ITX
RAM - 8GB Kingston DDR4 (probably upgrade that later but 8GB should be fine for video encoding)
PSU - Corsair CX600M Semi-Modular
Case - Thermaltake Core V1 Mini-ITX case
GPU - Onboard for now
HDD - Haven't decided yet but I'll probably get a 250GB SSD for the OS.

Anyway, my main question is whether it's worth forking out the extra $30 to get a 6600 Skylake CPU rather than the 6500?
The only difference I can see is a minor boost in the clockspeed. The 6600K is another $30 and I'm not really the sort of person who bothers with overclocking.

Consider a 5820k and mATX?
 
If it's for encoding I would definitely go for an i7... either 4790k, 6700k, or 5820k, depending on what you can afford. Note the latter has more cores.
I'm trying to keep it to a budget, but it's harder than I thought. There's no point in me buying a K processor as the motherboard is only an H model. The Z models which allow overclocking are even more expensive. The K processors are way too expensive anyway. The 6700 (non K version) itself is over $120AUS more expensive than the 6600 so I have to question as to whether it's worth it...
Consider a 5820k and mATX?
Physical foot print is incredibly important so Mini-ITX is where it's at for me. :)
 
Anywhere good uk who will do you a custom build at a fair price? I'm crap at cable management. Not urgent, I'm a few months off buying, just feel like browsing. Will be looking top end, 980, i7, etc.
 

RayStorm

Member
Here's the parts list

http://geizhals.de/?cat=WL-643696&wlkey=bfc64304a7182cc100fc55f27f942996
I'm not sure if those prices include shipping and taxes, but that's a generally better all around build for about the same cost.

Taxes are of course included. Shipping however is not. But if you click on the "Günstigste Anbieter für alle Artikel ermitteln" you can get that calculated, included parameters for how many different vendors you want to be shipped from, how much higher the price may be than the best price etc. But you should also see this in English if you click on the EU-flag on the top left and then deselect countries you don't want to see offers from.
 
One question regarding upgrading from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10.
Is it necessary to upgrade from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 if I want to use my cd key?
I have a OEM version, problem is I already registered the digital entitlement to my former PC.
Do I have to do the procedure again, Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 upgrade and then I can clean install again?
MS employee told me that on the phone, that I should upgrade via the Media Creation tool.
 
Your windows 10 license will be linked to your Microsoft Account
No keys needed or upgrade from 8 to 10 in the future

I never used a Microsoft account, so that is even more baffling, I already tried to activate Windows 10, but it didn't work. I only have a outlook account for Office, but never used it for any other stuff.
Edit: I think I found the answer, you have to upgrade once, if you have a new PC, so it gets registered on the activation servers, so you have to do the procedure once upgrading with the Media Creation Tool.
 
The feeling of having Rise of the Tomb Raider sitting on steam and your new PC still isn't there :(

Apart from that, I have a question for my old PC and Windows 10.

I overclocked the GPU and somehow I must've hit the slider of the fan to 100, so it's always at 100 when I boot until MSI starts where it loads up the profile 1, where it's at auto. I don't know why it does that.
But thankfully, Windows 10 has the option to reset everything and to install Windows 10. Will it solve the issue ?
 

Bloodember

Member
One question regarding upgrading from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10.
Is it necessary to upgrade from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 if I want to use my cd key?
I have a OEM version, problem is I already registered the digital entitlement to my former PC.
Do I have to do the procedure again, Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 upgrade and then I can clean install again?
MS employee told me that on the phone, that I should upgrade via the Media Creation tool.

Your windows 10 license will be linked to your Microsoft Account
No keys needed or upgrade from 8 to 10 in the future

To do a clean install after you've upgraded you need to use your Windows 8 key to validate Windows 10.
 

bomblord1

Banned
The feeling of having Rise of the Tomb Raider sitting on steam and your new PC still isn't there :(

Apart from that, I have a question for my old PC and Windows 10.

I overclocked the GPU and somehow I must've hit the slider of the fan to 100, so it's always at 100 when I boot until MSI starts where it loads up the profile 1, where it's at auto. I don't know why it does that.
But thankfully, Windows 10 has the option to reset everything and to install Windows 10. Will it solve the issue ?

You should probably check the fan settings in the BIOS first.
 
To do a clean install after you've upgraded you need to use your Windows 8 key to validate Windows 10.
No you don't. When performing a fresh install of Windows 10 after doing the upgrade I've never had to input a key. I think it ties it to the hardware, as mine just automatically activates upon connection to the internet.
 
You can activate windows 10 with an old windows key without upgrading first. This is possible since the november update, however you also need an updated iso for this.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/activation-in-windows-10
Starting with the November update, Windows 10 (Version 1511) can be activated using some Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 product keys.

I tried it, but I couldn't activate Windows 10, I think because the digital entitlement was already on my old PC. So I have to do the procedure, upgrading and activating through that. Seems only to apply if you haven't already registered it with an old PC.
 

Poker360

Member
Ended up building my pc that I had questioned about a few weeks ago. Been gaming with tomb raider, firewatch, and rocket league maxed put at 4k with pretty smooth framerates. Very happy with the build.

vhlcTEp.jpg


nhZiMp6.jpg
 

longdi

Banned
You can activate windows 10 with an old windows key without upgrading first. This is possible since the november update, however you also need an updated iso for this.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/activation-in-windows-10
Starting with the November update, Windows 10 (Version 1511) can be activated using some Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 product keys.

Yeap, follow these steps to get W10 1151 running fresh on your new PC

I will follow these steps to get W10 Pro 1151 ISO directly from MS site.

Go this page using IE11, hit F12 and change user agent string to Apple Safari(ipad) found in the emulation tab, and boom you can download the 1151 ISO without needing MS useless and slow upgrade agent.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

Create bootable USB stick with Rufus portable exe.
https://rufus.akeo.ie/downloads/rufus-2.6p.exe

If you have W7/8 pro key from your old lap/desktop, then follow these steps to activate using your old keys.
http://www.zdnet.com/article/going-pro-how-to-upgrade-windows-10-home-without-hassles/

Once activated, MS will store your system specs in their server and you can always activate it should you need to reinstall your Windows.

And you can now clean install from your USB3 stick anytime, like the old days, but much faster. :D
 

Bloodember

Member
No you don't. When performing a fresh install of Windows 10 after doing the upgrade I've never had to input a key. I think it ties it to the hardware, as mine just automatically activates upon connection to the internet.
Using the same hardware, no you don't. If your upgrading your hardware, you have to input the Windows 8 key.
 

inner-G

Banned
Hi everyone,

Having bought a gaming laptop over a year ago, I've realised that although it works perfectly fine for gaming what I use it mostly for it encoding h264 video.
The issue with that is laptops are not designed to have their CPU's running all 4 cores (I have an i7 in mine) at 100% for hours on end, and I have to dial back the CPU so that the laptop doesn't cook itself. This leads to relatively slow encodes and is rather frustrating.
I pulled my old Core I3 HTPC out of the cupboard and installed windows 10, but found it encodes at about half the speed of my laptop so me being me, I've decided to build a PC that I can primarily use for video encoding, but can upgrade with a Pascal GPU in the future if I want to use it for more.
So this is the initial build I want to make but I have a couple of questions:

CPU - Core I5 6500
MB - ASRock H170M-ITX
RAM - 8GB Kingston DDR4 (probably upgrade that later but 8GB should be fine for video encoding)
PSU - Corsair CX600M Semi-Modular
Case - Thermaltake Core V1 Mini-ITX case
GPU - Onboard for now
HDD - Haven't decided yet but I'll probably get a 250GB SSD for the OS.

Anyway, my main question is whether it's worth forking out the extra $30 to get a 6600 Skylake CPU rather than the 6500?
The only difference I can see is a minor boost in the clockspeed. The 6600K is another $30 and I'm not really the sort of person who bothers with overclocking.
Wait until you can get an i7.

The hyper threading will help with a lot of video encoding.
 
Hello there.

I bought my first PC gaming after reading this thread four years ago. This is a thread that's an invaluable source of information and I'm deeply grateful for that.

Well, it was the time I bought a new gaming PC, so I did that based on the Enthusiast/Smokey builds on the OP. That being said, my new GPU is gonna be a 980ti.

I want to change my monitor too, but am in doubt: 144Hz, 4K or Ultra Wide? I'd love some help from my fellow gaffers, if possible. I also have a budget problem: G-sync compatible monitors are ultra costly here in Brazil, so that's out of the question, unfortunately.

Monitors I'm considering:

LG 29" 29UM67 (Ultra Wide)
BenQ 27" XL2720Z (144Hz @ 1080p)

I'm inclined to by the BenQ one, because I love 60fps gaming and think that 144Hz would be an even smoother experience. But I'd love a bigger resolution too, so that's my conundrum.

What do you guys think? My options here in Brazil are really limited regarding new models, but feel free to give me some tips. And thank you very, very much again in advance.
 

RedSwirl

Junior Member
My brother's in the market for a new family desktop. Mostly he just needs a new computer in general and needs something to help his seven-year-old learn his way around a desktop. BUT, he also really wants to get Street Fighter V. He pretty much doesn't care about any games outside of that, maybe some older fighting games.

Timeline -- April ish. Budget -- $1200 USD.

He's either going to have me build for him or pick it up at Best Buy where he works.

I'd tell him to wait for Pascal/Polaris but I don't think that's happening. Having a family laptop and learning device for his kid is probably the main priority, but SFV is a pretty big deal for him too. On the one hand a 960 would be just enough for what he's going for, but if he let's me help him build for $1200 a 970 should be feasible right?
 

theRizzle

Member
My brother's in the market for a new family desktop. Mostly he just needs a new computer in general and needs something to help his seven-year-old learn his way around a desktop. BUT, he also really wants to get Street Fighter V. He pretty much doesn't care about any games outside of that, maybe some older fighting games.

Timeline -- April ish. Budget -- $1200 USD.

He's either going to have me build for him or pick it up at Best Buy where he works.

I'd tell him to wait for Pascal/Polaris but I don't think that's happening. Having a family laptop and learning device for his kid is probably the main priority, but SFV is a pretty big deal for him too. On the one hand a 960 would be just enough for what he's going for, but if he let's me help him build for $1200 a 970 should be feasible right?

Easily (if you are talking USD). There's a complete build a page or 2 back that I posted for just over $1,000 USD with a 970. That also included a monitor, mouse and keyboard, and speakers.
 
Decided to trade in my Xbox one while GameStop is giving $200 and get the gigabyte g1 gtx 970.

I rarely use it anyway and I'll enjoy playing more games on PC with a new card than Xbox exclusives on the horizon.
 

Levyne

Banned
Question because I cant find the tech support thread and you guys might know.

I currently run a EVGA 970 SC, and I have a Asus Xonar Essence STX sound card, and a HD598 that I use for my headphones, on an asrock extreme6 z87 motherboard.

When I plug the the sound card to PCIE1 and graphics card into pcie2, everything works 99% fine, but I have a slight buzz whenever I play video games (no where else from what I can tell). If I move the graphics card away to pcie3, the buzz is gone but my card only runs at x8 instead of x16 (since it's meant to be the dual card slot.)

I have this buzz regardless of which headphones I plug in (tried my 558 and 598). I don't have another slot for the sound card.

My desktop speaker (one of these, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KIQ15U/?tag=neogaf0e-20) (which in also into the same sound card) does not seem to buzz. This suggests to me that the sound card is not going bad but that the there is some interference between my sound card and gpu when they are so close to each other that is picked up by my headphones.

Is this buzz something that I could get to go away with an amp for my headphones? I've never used one before so I'm not sure how they work.
 

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
I have a Fractal Define R5 case. Currently, one of my hard drives does not have a SATA power cable that reaches it. The SATA data cable is no problem, the only issue is the power cable.

To resolve this, I plan to get a SATA power cable splitter. (i.e. 1 SATA male to 2+ SATA female)

I noticed that SATA power cable splitters are a lot pricier on Monoprice than Molex -> SATA splitters. Sometimes when stuff is expensive on Monoprice, that indicates that the thing I'm trying to do is unsupported or unwise. Is there any reason I should be worried about ordering a SATA power cable splitter and using it to hook up another hard drive?
 
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