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[Faenix1]

Will upgrading my GPU be worthwhile or am I better off waiting until I have more money?

Off the top of my head the important stuff is:

• 4GB DDR3,
• GeForce GTS 250,
• AMD Phenom II X4 940 - 3Ghz

And I'm thinking of getting a GTX 970. But with my CPU/RAM I'm not sure if that will be worth my time doing.

I'm kind of hoping I can get more out of my games until I can afford to buy everything else. A 970 is probably easier right now since I don't plan to keep anything on my current build, but I'd like to play RUST again. (Haven't been able too since they remade it or whatever lol)

 

[Cute Dragon Here]

Will upgrading my GPU be worthwhile or am I better off waiting until I have more money?

Off the top of my head the important stuff is:

• 4GB DDR3,
• GeForce GTS 250,
• AMD Phenom II X4 940 - 3Ghz

And I'm thinking of getting a GTX 970. But with my CPU/RAM I'm not sure if that will be worth my time doing.

I'm kind of hoping I can get more out of my games until I can afford to buy everything else. A 970 is probably easier right now since I don't plan to keep anything on my current build, but I'd like to play RUST again. (Haven't been able too since they remade it or whatever lol)

If I were you I'd probably wait for GPUs based on 14/16nm to roll off the shelves and see whether there's a 970 equivalent of that generation, or if 970 ends up getting price slashed (should no "1070" exist). And with that buffer, maybe you'd be also able to afford a new platform

 

[RapidCancel]

Looking to upgrade my video card, could I get some recommendations? Looking to keep it low, maybe $200 max?

I3 4130
8gb ram
MSI radeon hd7850 2gb
Corsair CX 500w

 

[brentech]

Any of you guys have displayport cables shitting out on them? I have had two go bad in the last year and a half. Suddenly just lose the image and then when you reboot the system you get nothing on any of the screens (3 monitors) until you unplug the bad cable.

 

[Talonz]

How does this build look: Intel Core i7-6700K, Asus Radeon R9 390X, Corsair 750D Airflow Edition - System Build - PCPartPicker

Trying to get all the parts through Amazon just for the ease of returning shit. I think should really hold off on the graphics card till the Pascal stuff comes out. Everything else isn't going to change in a couple months except that part. I'll just use my old GTX570 till the new cards come out.

 

[RayStorm]

During the process of upgrading/swapping my hard drive, I noticed when I opened my case that the fan for my CPU cooler, a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO I think, wasn't working. It's definitely connected as it twitches occasionally, but it's not spinning.

I have no knowledge of the Hyper 212 cooler, and have been wrong about it before, but if your temperatures are okay it's possible, that your fan controller regulates so little power to the fan as for it not to start spinning when your PC is idling.

 

[Big Papa Husker]

What's the best GTX 970 that is available? I'm thinking about upgrading my old GTX 670.

 

[RGM79]

How does this build look: Intel Core i7-6700K, Asus Radeon R9 390X, Corsair 750D Airflow Edition - System Build - PCPartPicker

Trying to get all the parts through Amazon just for the ease of returning shit. I think should really hold off on the graphics card till the Pascal stuff comes out. Everything else isn't going to change in a couple months except that part. I'll just use my old GTX570 till the new cards come out.

You can set PCPartPicker to only show you prices from Amazon. That'll help you optimize your build for availability and pricing.

It's all compatible, but some of the choices you made aren't the best for price to performance. You don't need to spend so much on a case unless you really want that model, there are somewhat better quality power supplies for lower prices, there's faster 2666~3000MHz RAM for about the same amount of money, and you don't need thermal paste as the 212 Evo heatsink already comes with a tube.

Looking to upgrade my video card, could I get some recommendations? Looking to keep it low, maybe $200 max?

I3 4130
8gb ram
MSI radeon hd7850 2gb
Corsair CX 500w

For a bit under $200 you can get an 4GB version of the R9 380 or GTX 960, both are on par with each other. Those links go to comparisons of the card and the Radeon 7850. It's a decent boost in performance.

I would like to upgrade my PC and change from AMD to Intel. It would only initially be for basic use/Netflix etc, but may add a budget GPU later if I decide not to go for a NX.

Budget isn't really a problem and I think I would prefer to get higher quality components with more features/possible future upgrade paths. I definitely want a SSD.(250GB)

Current system:

Fractal Design ARC Mini (M-ATX)
ASRock FM2A75 Pro4-M
AMD A6-5400K
8GB Corsair XMS3 DDR3
Sapphire Radeon 6850
Corsair CX-430M

I'm also completely confused about Windows 10. I upgraded from a (cleanly installed) Windows 7 Pro retail upgrade disc (I think). Will I definitely need to buy a new key?

Thanks.

So basically you're just keeping the case and everything else can go? Well, this parts list is overkill for basic use and netflix, but it makes a good base for a gaming system if you add a graphics card. You said money isn't an issue and you'd prefer higher end components with more features, so I think this meets your requirements quite well.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($244.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170MX-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($138.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2800 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($66.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Arc Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case (Purchased For $0.00)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 650W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($66.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $587.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-09 01:44 EST-0500

And as far as reactivating your copy of Windows goes, you will need to have your old Windows license key ready and contact Microsoft support. Be sure to say that it's an upgrade, and that you're not installing it on a wholly separate and new PC.

On this page it says at the bottom at "Activating Windows 10 after a hardware configuration change" that:

If you upgraded to Windows 10 using the free upgrade offer and then made significant hardware changes to your device, such as replacing the motherboard, Windows 10 might no longer be activated. For help on how to activate your device, contact customer support.​

 

[Jzero]

Hey guys, did i put enough thermal paste on?

Spoiler

Kidding

 

[RGM79]

I have no knowledge of the Hyper 212 cooler, and have been wrong about it before, but if your temperatures are okay it's possible, that your fan controller regulates so little power to the fan as for it not to start spinning when your PC is idling.

No, the CPU fan should always be spinning. The motherboard can reduce or increase speed but won't ever automatically shut it off by default while the computer is on. Only certain graphics cards have that feature where they can shut off entirely.

What's the best GTX 970 that is available? I'm thinking about upgrading my old GTX 670.

After rebates, the absolute best ones cost can cost up to and around $350 like the Gigabyte Xtreme Gaming model, but I'd sooner recommend a decent $300 model like the EVGA SuperSuperClocked and it'll do very well if you don't mind some overclocking tweaking.

Hey guys, did i put enough thermal paste on?

Spoiler

Kidding

Oh dear. Everyone knows it goes on the other side where the sticker is.

 

[//DEVIL//]

i am not sure where to ask this.

recently i was able to get my hands on a used G1 980 ti. for 350$

the card is in good condition and working perfectly. however. if i take cover case out and stop the CPU fan for like 1 second, i can hear some coil whine sound coming from the GPU its very faint really because my CPU fan is loud and if i put the cover case i dont hear anything.

considering this being shipped to me outside the country ill assume it doesn't have warranty.

should i be worried about going bad on me later ?

 

[RGM79]

i am not sure where to ask this.

recently i was able to get my hands on a used G1 980 ti. for 350$

the card is in good condition and working perfectly. however. if i take cover case out and stop the CPU fan for like 1 second, i can hear some coil whine sound coming from the GPU its very faint really because my CPU fan is loud and if i put the cover case i dont hear anything.

considering this being shipped to me outside the country ill assume it doesn't have warranty.

should i be worried about going bad on me later ?

Coil whine isn't a sign of damage or impending death, it's just undesirable.

 

[Tenck]

Quick question before I pull the trigger on an HDD. I'm going to be replacing my dying WD Blue 1TB HDD with another one. I want my OS on the SSD and all my media on the HDD. How do I get power to the HDD (I'll be connecting it through SATA to USB for some transfers)? I'm assuming the USB cable wont be enough, or am I wrong?

Edit: Might as well ask before I forget. What's the best method of transferring OS from my HDD to SSD? My 250GB Samsung SSD came with "Samsung Data Migration." That good enough?

 

[Henrar]

Does anyone if EVGA Hybrid Cooler for Titan X fits in Cooler Master Cosmos 2? There are fittings for fans on the side of the side panel but I don't know if they'll fit.

 

[Cute Dragon Here]

Quick question before I pull the trigger on an HDD. I'm going to be replacing my dying WD Blue 1TB HDD with another one. I want my OS on the SSD and all my media on the HDD. How do I get power to the HDD (I'll be connecting it through SATA to USB for some transfers)? I'm assuming the USB cable wont be enough, or am I wrong?

Edit: Might as well ask before I forget. What's the best method of transferring OS from my HDD to SSD? My 250GB Samsung SSD came with "Samsung Data Migration." That good enough?

Does your SATA-to-USB include the power connector by itself? If so, does the power connector end either: splittable from the data part OR is powered by its own adapter?

If neither is true (you have a SATA-to-USB cable/adapter where the other end is laptop-style, SATA data and power in a single block, and is entirely bus-powered), I think you're better off to just migrate while both drives are installed properly into the system.

If not, it'll probably get detected as a normal drive, but remember that you'll need to either clone or copy (for files - for the OS you'll need to clone using something that clones disks, and the thing your SSD comes with works.)

Remember to follow instructions

 

[Tenck]

Does your SATA-to-USB include the power connector by itself? If so, does the power connector end either: splittable from the data part OR is powered by its own adapter?

If neither is true (you have a SATA-to-USB cable/adapter where the other end is laptop-style, SATA data and power in a single block, and is entirely bus-powered), I think you're better off to just migrate while both drives are installed properly into the system.

If not, it'll probably get detected as a normal drive, but remember that you'll need to either clone or copy (for files - for the OS you'll need to clone using something that clones disks, and the thing your SSD comes with works.)

Remember to follow instructions

It's the laptop-style one.

Thanks for the quick reply. Can I get windows to boot off the SSD while it's plugged in to USB? I know it's a dumb question, but I've never done it. So just asking to be safe.

 

[Cute Dragon Here]

It's the laptop-style one.

Thanks for the quick reply. Can I get windows to boot off the SSD while it's plugged in to USB? I know it's a dumb question, but I've never done it. So just asking to be safe.

Windows will likely throw a fit, and if you're like me and want to keep trouble to a minimum, well... I'd probably just install the two new drives into your computer, SATA power and cables allowing, and do your migration from your current hard rive (current cloning tools should allow you to clone away while within Windows, and in my experience, they work)

Though, if you ask me, I think I'd probably do it this way:
Assuming that your computer has the dying, but not dead HDD right now:
(If wanted) Install SSD into computer. Get the data and power connectors connected before anything else. If wanted, you could certainly rearrange the connectors on the motherboard side so that the SSD is the first device, if you want to do so.

Start the computer as normal.

Use Samsung Data Migration to migrate your OS and data from your dying HDD to the SSD. SDM should support either SATA or USB connected SSDs. SSDs can be powered off a laptop-style SATA-to-USB adapter, so no worries at this point.

(If there isn't enough space on the SSD for everything, move out the things you don't need immediately to another external HDD you might have.)

After you finish cloning, if there are still leftover data due to SSD not having enough space, once you install your new HDD, go to Disk Management, partition and format it, and put back your old data.

 

[teokrazia]

Family is now complete!

 

[Raxanas]

Family is now complete!

Check your temps before you try to overclock.I was hitting 68c at 4.2ghz 1,18v with the Nepton 240M .Now i use a Noctua NH D15s and its miles better

 

[teokrazia]

Ow, really?
That Nepton is a gift, I still have a NH D15s coming in a couple of days from Amazon.
Maybe I should consider to pick it up!

 

[RapidCancel]

For a bit under $200 you can get an 4GB version of the R9 380 or GTX 960, both are on par with each other. Those links go to comparisons of the card and the Radeon 7850. It's a decent boost in performance.

Awesome, thanks!

 

[brotkasten]

How do you have your HTPC set up? Do you have speakers hooked up to your HTPC, or are you outputting sound to TV or an A/V receiver? If it's the latter two, you could hook it up via HDMI, that wouldn't go through a sound card or even use the motherboard's onboard sound chipset.

Right now I'm using HDMI only to connect the HTPC to my AVR, but that's because the AVR is still new and I hadn't had the time to set it up. I could connect my soundcard separately via S/PDIF, but it sounds like you're suggesting that it might not even be necessary, when I use HDMI, as it passes through the audio directly to the AVR.

How exactly does it work then? The PC passes everythrough through via HDMI and the AVR does the audio processing?

 

[THE:MILKMAN]

So basically you're just keeping the case and everything else can go? Well, this parts list is overkill for basic use and netflix, but it makes a good base for a gaming system if you add a graphics card. You said money isn't an issue and you'd prefer higher end components with more features, so I think this meets your requirements quite well.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($244.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170MX-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($138.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2800 Memory ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial BX100 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($66.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Arc Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case (Purchased For $0.00)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA P2 650W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($66.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $587.70
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-09 01:44 EST-0500

And as far as reactivating your copy of Windows goes, you will need to have your old Windows license key ready and contact Microsoft support. Be sure to say that it's an upgrade, and that you're not installing it on a wholly separate and new PC.

On this page it says at the bottom at "Activating Windows 10 after a hardware configuration change" that:

If you upgraded to Windows 10 using the free upgrade offer and then made significant hardware changes to your device, such as replacing the motherboard, Windows 10 might no longer be activated. For help on how to activate your device, contact customer support.​

Thanks for that. The PSU and Memory don't seem to be available in the UK (should have mentioned that, sorry!) so will check out the equivalent ones I can get here. The only other thing would be if I went for a GPU later in the year it would probably "only" be for the Pascal 750Ti equivalent. Given that, should I knock the CPU down to the i3 and spend the extra on the other parts?

 

[Genio88]

Hey guys, with all these new CPUs coming out, broadwell, skylake etc i was wondering if my "old" hashwell i7 4770k OC'd 4ghz is still good enough for gaming on ultra at 1080p, i have a GTX 980 with it and so far so good, but do you think that it'll be fine even with Pascal for the next few years?

 

[rrs]

Hey guys, with all these new CPUs coming out, broadwell, skylake etc i was wondering if my "old" hashwell i7 4770k OC'd 4ghz is still good enough for gaming on ultra at 1080p, i have a GTX 980 with it and so far so good, but do you think that it'll be fine even with Pascal for the next few years?

Most likely will do fine

 

[Sarcasm]

What is more demanding?

2 separate monitors or 21:9 ultra wide monitor?

 

[Cute Dragon Here]

What is more demanding?

2 separate monitors or 21:9 ultra wide monitor?

What's the total amount of pixels ((monitors) * width * height) of both configurations? Calculate that, and you should be mostly there.

 

[RGM79]

Does anyone if EVGA Hybrid Cooler for Titan X fits in Cooler Master Cosmos 2? There are fittings for fans on the side of the side panel but I don't know if they'll fit.

They support 120mm fans so you can attach it, but I can't say for certain whether the case has the clearance to fit both the fan and the 120mm water radiator. I could be wrong, but I believe EVGA uses the same OEM as Corsair uses for the H55 water cooler. They seem similar enough. You can see the H55's dimensions here (25mm for the fan plus 27mm for the radiator) and then you'll need to make measurements in your case.

Right now I'm using HDMI only to connect the HTPC to my AVR, but that's because the AVR is still new and I hadn't had the time to set it up. I could connect my soundcard separately via S/PDIF, but it sounds like you're suggesting that it might not even be necessary, when I use HDMI, as it passes through the audio directly to the AVR.

How exactly does it work then? The PC passes everythrough through via HDMI and the AVR does the audio processing?

If you have audio set to be output from the HDMI port, then the audio won't have anything to do with the sound card even if you have one installed. The sound card only matters if you set sound to be outputted from the sound card.

Thanks for that. The PSU and Memory don't seem to be available in the UK (should have mentioned that, sorry!) so will check out the equivalent ones I can get here. The only other thing would be if I went for a GPU later in the year it would probably "only" be for the Pascal 750Ti equivalent. Given that, should I knock the CPU down to the i3 and spend the extra on the other parts?

I can figure out a UK parts list, give me some time. If you don't need the higher performance, yes you can go with an i3 processor. New features like USB 3.1 and USB type C options are usually only built into the higher end Z170 motherboards though, such as the Gigabyte model I listed. It's a bit silly to pair an i3 processor with a Z170 motherboard (which is compatible but meant to be paired with a K model processor for added features like overclocking).

 

[Sarcasm]

What's the total amount of pixels ((monitors) * width * height) of both configurations? Calculate that, and you should be mostly there.

Thing is my second monitor is dying. Current setup is a 24@1080 and the one dying 27@1920x1200.

Also I don't know how gaming on a 21:9 is really, can I somehow keep it 1920x1080 and have the sides open?

 

[Luckydog]

So anyone have any thoughts on the MSI X2 as a barebones base for a new gaming rig? I would pair it with:

Intel i7-6700K CPU
EVGA Geforce GTX 980 Graphics card
Corsair Vengeance DDR4 RAM x 16GB
Samsung 128GBNVMe M.2 drive

 

[Cute Dragon Here]

Thing is my second monitor is dying. Current setup is a 24@1080 and the one dying 27@1920x1200.

Also I don't know how gaming on a 21:9 is really, can I somehow keep it 1920x1080 and have the sides open?

Yes, letterbox gaming is a thing! Make sure that your video card or monitor, depending on your preference on who will handle the scaling, is configured to preserve the aspect ratio. (Check your video card driver's configuration app for further info.)

I think a 21:9 monitor that is around 1080p-ish is going to be less demanding than these two screens together. A 21:9 that is 1440p-ish, though, well, that one's going to be a bit harder, or similar.

 

[Sarcasm]

Yes, letterbox gaming is a thing! Make sure that your video card or monitor, depending on your preference on who will handle the scaling, is configured to preserve the aspect ratio. (Check your video card driver's configuration app for further info.)

I think a 21:9 monitor that is around 1080p-ish is going to be less demanding than these two screens together. A 21:9 that is 1440p-ish, though, well, that one's going to be a bit harder, or similar.

Yea I was thinking of grabbing a 2560x1080. (Can't remember the exact numbers).

 

[Brandon F]

Thing is my second monitor is dying. Current setup is a 24@1080 and the one dying 27@1920x1200.

Also I don't know how gaming on a 21:9 is really, can I somehow keep it 1920x1080 and have the sides open?

21:9 monitors generally seem to run at 2 different resolutions(dependent on the monitor):

-2560x1080 (ie. standard 1080p with a few inches extra inches of width displayed, all of them should support this)
-3440x1440p (ie. 2k resolution which can be pretty demanding, but usually reserved for the pricier 21:9 monitors)

I run a 21:9 1440p native setup with a Dell U3415W, and on a single 970 card only the most recent taxing games drop having a noticeable impact on the most recent games(Rise of the TR, etc...). It is recommended to go with a 980ti or wait for Pascal cards if you need blistering 60fps at Max settings @1440p. Dropping down to the 1080p resolution posted above makes a huge impact in improved performance for my setup, but again this only really affects the most current and demanding games. (And you can always run games at 1920x1080 with black bars on the sides if you wish...but you won't want to).

I will add that once I switched to 21:9, I will never go back. Returning to even my 16:9 4k living room TV and everything feels boxed in as I really miss having those extra inches of displayable space. For gaming its a dramatic upgrade. For productivity it depends. 21:9 certainly allows you to cascade more windows and multitask with greater screen space(plenty of room for multiple programs), but some may still prefer keeping two discrete monitors for that stuff as well. But again, for gaming I find 21:9 far more fascinating and useful than both 3D and 4k by far.

Check the 21:9 thread on this forum for more info and thoughts.

 

[RoninChaos]

Get a 25' hdmi cable. It would also send sound.

It can? Any particular setting I need to mess with to get it to send sound? I have a sound card and I'm not using on board if that makes a difference.

 

[ACE 1991]

So what's currently the cheapest motherboard + 6600K build that doesn't suck? Is Microcenter still probably the cheapest?

 

[AzerPhire]

It can? Any particular setting I need to mess with to get it to send sound? I have a sound card and I'm not using on board if that makes a difference.

I ran a 50 ft HDMI cable through the ceiling from my PC to my home theater receiver across the room in my old basement. Was able to get 7.1 surround and everything. I used a wireless 360 controller to play games on my couch. Going back I wish I would have run a long USB through the ceiling too so that I could play with keyboard/mouse/wheel too.

The HDMI was plugged into my video card and sent the signal for sound as well. In order to send the sound to the receiver versus my speakers I just had to change the default device for sound output in the Control Panel.

 

[Wowfunhappy]

Hi! So, my case has started making this strange buzzing noise. It's a pulsing sound, which is to say it will get progressively louder and then softer again in a consistent pattern, every ~5 second or so.

The noise goes away as soon as I remove the side panel, and sometimes just when I touch the side panel. I have a Fractal Design R5.

What could this be? It's not particularly loud but it's enough to be annoying, especially since my computer is otherwise virtually silent.

 

[Wowfunhappy]

So what's currently the cheapest motherboard + 6600K build that doesn't suck? Is Microcenter still probably the cheapest?

The situation may have changed, but I've been using the MSI Z170 PC Mate with a 6600K since August and been pretty happy. As of when I last checked (a couple of months ago, I think), it was still one of the cheapest Z170 boards out there.

 

[Gen.Grievous]

Hi! So, my case has started making this strange buzzing noise. It's a pulsing sound, which is to say it will get progressively louder and then softer again in a consistent pattern, every ~5 second or so.

The noise goes away as soon as I remove the side panel, and sometimes just when I touch the side panel. I have a Fractal Design R5.

What could this be? It's not particularly loud but it's enough to be annoying, especially since my computer is otherwise virtually silent.

Maybe one of the casefans. Adjust the screws on them a tiny bit and see if it helps.

 

[finalflame]

Glad to report I'll be posting my RVZ02B build in here soon Woot woot.

 

[RGM79]

Thanks for that. The PSU and Memory don't seem to be available in the UK (should have mentioned that, sorry!) so will check out the equivalent ones I can get here. The only other thing would be if I went for a GPU later in the year it would probably "only" be for the Pascal 750Ti equivalent. Given that, should I knock the CPU down to the i3 and spend the extra on the other parts?

Here's the parts list:

http://skinflint.co.uk/?cat=WL-650139&wlkey=433d0d6d5cf534f3d2d4f56f74314f66
1 x Crucial BX100 250GB, SATA (CT250BX100SSD1)
1 x Intel Core i3-6100, 2x 3.70GHz, boxed (BX80662I36100)
1 x GeIL Dragon RAM white IC DIMM kit 8GB, DDR4-3000, CL15-17-17-35 (GWW48GB3000C15DC)
1 x Gigabyte GA-Z170MX-Gaming 5
1 x XFX XTR Series 650W ATX 2.31 (P1-650B-BEFX)
Total of all best prices: £ 385.22

 

[Miljinor]

Any Gaf thoughts on an i5 6600k vs an i7 6700k as pertaining to a 4k gaming rig build? I'm leaning towards a Corsair Bulldog case and moving towards couch gaming on my 4k set.

 

[Collete]

Your Current Specs: 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3630QM (2.40GHz 6MB Cache) / Unknown / Motherboard / NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX660M 2GB with DirectX® 11 / Unknown
Basically...it's a Lenovo Y580 Laptop and it kept crashing on high end gaming like Borderlands, TF2, Dota 2, Assassin's Creed IV, etc.
Budget: $700-800 + USA
Main Use: Rate 1-5. 5 being Highest: 4-5? Streaming games in HD on Twitch. Gaming to Emulation? General Usage.
Monitor Resolution: I'm not entirely sure on resolution, I just want to be able to play fullscreen in HD. So I guess I'm flexible?
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: Dark Souls III, Skyrim, Future Elder Scrolls games, Borderlands the Prequel, No Man's Sky, Assassin's Creed IV, Witcher III. 30 FPS is acceptable. How important is PhysX / SuperSampling / CUDA to you? Kind of important.
Looking to reuse any parts?: No.
When will you build?: As soon as I can.
Will you be overclocking?: Maybe?

Sorry, I'm back again. I've asked a few other friends and family on parts advice

Spoiler

(and thought over GAF's build but turns out, I can't afford 1,000 bucks on pure parts alone... )

and they came up with this build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7xRrzy

So far I got three friends confirming this is the build I'm looking for but...before I press "buy" on everything, just want to see what you guys on GAF think.
I'm also concerned if my build is gonna be bottlenecking or not.
Thanks!

Spoiler

Keep in mind, again, I'm not a tech savvy person, so please forgive my ignorance...First time I'm doing this... ;_;

 

[SlaughterX]

Ended up going with the wireles illuminated logitech keyboard with another MX Revolution for $90 @ Amazon (realized there was a logitech DOTD late last night). So that worked up pretty well, even better when I sell this mouse.

 

[Bloodember]

Your Current Specs: 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3630QM (2.40GHz 6MB Cache) / Unknown / Motherboard / NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX660M 2GB with DirectX® 11 / Unknown
Basically...it's a Lenovo Y580 Laptop and it kept crashing on high end gaming like Borderlands, TF2, Dota 2, Assassin's Creed IV, etc.
Budget: $700-800 + USA
Main Use: Rate 1-5. 5 being Highest: 4-5? Streaming games in HD on Twitch. Gaming to Emulation? General Usage.
Monitor Resolution: I'm not entirely sure on resolution, I just want to be able to play fullscreen in HD. So I guess I'm flexible?
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: Dark Souls III, Skyrim, Future Elder Scrolls games, Borderlands the Prequel, No Man's Sky, Assassin's Creed IV, Witcher III. 30 FPS is acceptable. How important is PhysX / SuperSampling / CUDA to you? Kind of important.
Looking to reuse any parts?: No.
When will you build?: As soon as I can.
Will you be overclocking?: Maybe?

Sorry, I'm back again. I've asked a few other friends and family on parts advice

Spoiler

(and thought over GAF's build but turns out, I can't afford 1,000 bucks on pure parts alone... )

and they came up with this build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7xRrzy

So far I got three friends confirming this is the build I'm looking for but...before I press "buy" on everything, just want to see what you guys on GAF think.
I'm also concerned if my build is gonna be bottlenecking or not.
Thanks!

Spoiler

Keep in mind, again, I'm not a tech savvy person, so please forgive my ignorance...First time I'm doing this... ;_;

The motherboard isnt a z170, if your not overclocking, just get an i5 6600. If you are you need a z170 board.

 

[brotkasten]

If you have audio set to be output from the HDMI port, then the audio won't have anything to do with the sound card even if you have one installed. The sound card only matters if you set sound to be outputted from the sound card.

That means there's no reason to cling onto the sound card and I can ditch my old S/PDIF setup completely and get rid of the card then, which in return opens up some more possibilities regarding my mainboard choice.

The B150-DS3H is 15€ cheaper (65€ instead) and seems otherwise pretty much the same.
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5577#ov

Pretty great news, thank you!

And speaking of great news, on Monday Asus unveiled a GTX 950 with only 75W power draw, that means no additional power connector.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/10117...raphics-card-that-does-not-require-pcie-power

The ASUS GTX950-2G comes with 2 GB of GDDR5 memory clocked at 6.6 Gbps, a dual-slot dual-fan cooling system with an aluminum heatsink, one DVI connector, one HDMI 2.0 port and one DisplayPort output. ASUS did not lower frequency of the GPU and did not alter its configuration, though as we've seen with past attempts to produce lower power SKUs, it's likely that this card has a reduced hard power limit to stay under 75W and may be more likely to power-throttle as a result. The GPU features 768 stream processors, 48 texture units, 32 ROPs as well as a 128-bit GDDR5 memory interface. It can work at 1051 MHz base clock and at up to 1128 MHz in boost mode (when OC mode is enabled).

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this video card is that thanks to the underlying GM206 GPU, it's the first sub-75W card to gain full hardware-accelerated decoding and encoding of H.265 (HEVC) video, and it fully supports HDCP 2.2 content protection over HDMI 2.0. This will likely make the ASUS GTX950-2G a popular choice for HTPCs as a result. Conversely, due to low-power nature of the graphics adapter, the ASUS GTX950-2G may not be the best overclocker. For those, who would like to push a GeForce GTX 950 to the limits, ASUS offers its ECHELON-GTX95-O2G and the GTX950-2GD5 video cards that have power and cooling headroom as well as components with enhanced durability (the ECHELON model).

Pretty much what I've been waiting for. That seems like a great replacement for the 750 Ti for lower powered HTPCs.

 

[Collete]

The motherboard isnt a z170, if your not overclocking, just get an i5 6600. If you are you need a z170 board.

I might be overclocking in the future, but what does a z170 motherboard do specifically?

 

[RGM79]

Your Current Specs: 3rd Generation Intel® Core™ i7-3630QM (2.40GHz 6MB Cache) / Unknown / Motherboard / NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX660M 2GB with DirectX® 11 / Unknown
Basically...it's a Lenovo Y580 Laptop and it kept crashing on high end gaming like Borderlands, TF2, Dota 2, Assassin's Creed IV, etc.
Budget: $700-800 + USA
Main Use: Rate 1-5. 5 being Highest: 4-5? Streaming games in HD on Twitch. Gaming to Emulation? General Usage.
Monitor Resolution: I'm not entirely sure on resolution, I just want to be able to play fullscreen in HD. So I guess I'm flexible?
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: Dark Souls III, Skyrim, Future Elder Scrolls games, Borderlands the Prequel, No Man's Sky, Assassin's Creed IV, Witcher III. 30 FPS is acceptable. How important is PhysX / SuperSampling / CUDA to you? Kind of important.
Looking to reuse any parts?: No.
When will you build?: As soon as I can.
Will you be overclocking?: Maybe?

Sorry, I'm back again. I've asked a few other friends and family on parts advice

Spoiler

(and thought over GAF's build but turns out, I can't afford 1,000 bucks on pure parts alone... )

and they came up with this build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7xRrzy

So far I got three friends confirming this is the build I'm looking for but...before I press "buy" on everything, just want to see what you guys on GAF think.
I'm also concerned if my build is gonna be bottlenecking or not.
Thanks!

Spoiler

Keep in mind, again, I'm not a tech savvy person, so please forgive my ignorance...First time I'm doing this... ;_;

If you want the ability to overclock, you'll want a Z170 motherboard. B150 is compatible and does work, but has fewer features and does not allow the option of overclocking. I would highly recommend a graphics card with 4GB of VRAM. Games at 1080p can already go over 2GB of VRAM usage at moderate to higher graphics settings. Lastly, I'd recommend a different power supply. Corsair's CX line is only so-so when it comes to build quality, they're the cheapest models that they offer.

Here's what I'd recommend:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($244.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($25.75 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($117.75 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 380 4GB PCS+ Video Card ($188.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($41.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $790.34
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-09 13:08 EST-0500

It does cost more, but you are getting better parts.

 

[THE:MILKMAN]

Here's the parts list:

http://skinflint.co.uk/?cat=WL-650139&wlkey=433d0d6d5cf534f3d2d4f56f74314f66
1 x Crucial BX100 250GB, SATA (CT250BX100SSD1)
1 x Intel Core i3-6100, 2x 3.70GHz, boxed (BX80662I36100)
1 x GeIL Dragon RAM white IC DIMM kit 8GB, DDR4-3000, CL15-17-17-35 (GWW48GB3000C15DC)
1 x Gigabyte GA-Z170MX-Gaming 5
1 x XFX XTR Series 650W ATX 2.31 (P1-650B-BEFX)
Total of all best prices: £ 385.22

Awesome. Thanks for doing that.

 

[RGM79]

I might be overclocking in the future, but what does a z170 motherboard do specifically?

Aside from supporting more features, Intel only makes overclocking available on Z170 motherboards.

Any Gaf thoughts on an i5 6600k vs an i7 6700k as pertaining to a 4k gaming rig build? I'm leaning towards a Corsair Bulldog case and moving towards couch gaming on my 4k set.

For today's gaming the i5 6600K will be the better deal for your money as it offers very similar performance to the i7 6700K. The i7 6700K does offer somewhat higher performance in certain situations but not a lot considering how much more it costs. Hard to say about the future, though. I don't expect the i5 processor to become obsolete anytime too soon, but DX12 and some of the more polished game engines out there can take advantage of the i7's hyperthreading.

That means there's no reason to cling onto the sound card and I can ditch my old S/PDIF setup completely and get rid of the card then, which in return opens up some more possibilities regarding my mainboard choice.

The B150-DS3H is 15€ cheaper (65€ instead) and seems otherwise pretty much the same.
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5577#ov

Pretty great news, thank you!

And speaking of great news, on Monday Asus unveiled a GTX 950 with only 75W power draw, that means no additional power connector.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/10117...raphics-card-that-does-not-require-pcie-power

The ASUS GTX950-2G comes with 2 GB of GDDR5 memory clocked at 6.6 Gbps, a dual-slot dual-fan cooling system with an aluminum heatsink, one DVI connector, one HDMI 2.0 port and one DisplayPort output. ASUS did not lower frequency of the GPU and did not alter its configuration, though as we've seen with past attempts to produce lower power SKUs, it's likely that this card has a reduced hard power limit to stay under 75W and may be more likely to power-throttle as a result. The GPU features 768 stream processors, 48 texture units, 32 ROPs as well as a 128-bit GDDR5 memory interface. It can work at 1051 MHz base clock and at up to 1128 MHz in boost mode (when OC mode is enabled).

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this video card is that thanks to the underlying GM206 GPU, it's the first sub-75W card to gain full hardware-accelerated decoding and encoding of H.265 (HEVC) video, and it fully supports HDCP 2.2 content protection over HDMI 2.0. This will likely make the ASUS GTX950-2G a popular choice for HTPCs as a result. Conversely, due to low-power nature of the graphics adapter, the ASUS GTX950-2G may not be the best overclocker. For those, who would like to push a GeForce GTX 950 to the limits, ASUS offers its ECHELON-GTX95-O2G and the GTX950-2GD5 video cards that have power and cooling headroom as well as components with enhanced durability (the ECHELON model).

Pretty much what I've been waiting for. That seems like a great replacement for the 750 Ti for lower powered HTPCs.

Looks like you've got a plan then. Good luck!