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[deoee]

Hey guys!
I don't really know where to ask so I'll try here

I recently bought a MSI Z170 board and 6600k to OC the baby a bit I turned up the ratio.

Now in BIOS everything is set correctly - 44 Ratio, Vcore above normals levels etc. pp.
The "funny" part is, this OC does not apply?

Every time I start Windows I have to manually apply the settings in the MSI Command Center.
Is there something configured the wrong way here? Like Turbo or anything else?

 

[zma1013]

So I have a i7 2600k and I was looking to just do a little bit of overclocking. Nothing extreme. My only issue is I know nothing about it and all the beginner guides I've read seem to be written in a different language. Is that just the nature of overclocking or is there an overclocking for dummies that spells everything out more clearly?

 

[Bloodember]

where's the best place to find a motherboard for a i5 3570k?

I think my CMOS battery is dead.

Then buy a new battery, why would you buy a new motherboard?

 

[brooklyniteOne]

Im looking to start building an Enthusiast level (i7 6700 etc.) PC next week. Looking to use it mostly for streaming games and video editing.

What OS would you guys recommend? Windows 7, 8, 10?

 

[RGM79]

Since he said the main things he does is video editing and 3D rendering, are there any other builds you'd recommend? I feel like the FX-8350 is significantly better for those purposes than the i5 you mentioned since the i5 only has 4 cores without hyperthreading and has a lower clock speed.

Well he said his budget isn't that high, and his friends already suggested the AMD parts list which is somewhat better for video and 3D rendering but not quite as good for games. The Intel parts list I recommended is sort of the opposite, it's not quite as good for video and 3D rendering, but somewhat better for games.

It's hard to go wrong either way, but I recommend Intel because it runs cooler and has better support for newer technology and features like the new USB types. However if his work is much more important than gaming performance and he comes up against deadlines, then perhaps the AMD's somewhat faster video and 3D rendering is worth it to him. My take on it is that when rendering, you're usually doing something else or away from the computer and not paying much attention to render times (unless it's a huge project or something) so if rendering a finished product takes a couple minutes longer, it's probably not such a big deal. However when gaming, you are looking at the display and gameplay. Any perceived performance issues will be right in front of the user's face, and he'll find it harder to run games at as high a framerate or on higher settings with a FX-8350+GTX 750 Ti compared to an i5 6500+R9 380X.

Edit: I looked up some benchmarks between the FX-8350 and the similar i5 6600K. The i5 6500 is a bit lower performing (around 10~15% slower) going off the clock speed and this Eurogamer review which includes video rendering benchmarks.

Anyway, those Anandtech benchmarks show that the i5 6600K apparently ties or beats the FX-8350 by a fair margin in video and 3D rendering tests, and the i5 6500 should deliver similar but slightly lower performing scores compared to the i5 6600K. The FX-8350's extra cores no longer give it an edge for those kinds of work now. I think I feel confident enough to fully recommend against the FX-8350 and recommend going with Intel, even when taking video and 3D rendering into account.

So I have a i7 2600k and I was looking to just do a little bit of overclocking. Nothing extreme. My only issue is I know nothing about it and all the beginner guides I've read seem to be written in a different language. Is that just the nature of overclocking or is there an overclocking for dummies that spells everything out more clearly?

What are your PC's specs? What motherboard and CPU cooler do you have? Try this guide, it's written fairly plainly and tells you exactly what to set for example motherboards from Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI.

Pretty sure if I upgrade my CPU, I gotta upgrade my mobo. When I looked into it a few years ago, I'm pretty sure I found out that I didn't have much room to move up in regards to the CPU. I've been holding off on a whole new build because of that, haha.

Yep, you definitely do. All compatible motherboards and CPUs for your PC have been discontinued for a couple of years now.

ah ok yes I will be watching a few youtube videos first I just need to make sure I don't confuse those 4+2, 6+2 cables....

here is what my pc basically will be. I haven't bought the GPU yet, or decided on exact GPU, I was just using pc part picker to find PSU

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/7nXysY

its a cyberpowerpc,
i5 6500
came with 4 gb cheap avirex ram, swapped that out for hyperX 8gb
psu is some turbolink junk that I am getting rid of. atx500W .......... just bought EVGA 500B
current GPU is still GTX 720 1 gb for now...

Ah, too bad you didn't build your own PC. Would have been preferable to getting a prebuilt PC full of random parts that you don't want.

 

[repeater]

Sorry for bumping myself, but this might have gotten lost at the end of the last page, and it was a 24-hour kind of deal, so if anyone has any thoughts or advice it would be much appreciated.

Hi thread! I've come across what seems to me a pretty good deal on a rig with the following components:

I have previously mainly been a console person (I own all three current gen systems) but I have been curious about PC gaming. Right now, I am tempted by the idea of getting to play Dark Souls 3 at 60 fps and a higher degree of graphical fidelity (and I take it this configuration would likely be able to provide that?), as well as games like Witcher 3 and GTA V with better performance and graphics than on console; and I could certainly see myself moving much of my multiplatform gaming to PC if I had a better machine.
The main thing I'm wondering about, I guess, is whether the configuration listed above would be "future proof" for a while when it comes to serious gaming, or if it is likely to be outdated relatively quickly? Knowing myself, I know I likely wouldn't want to invest the time and money into upgrading it too quickly and/or too regularly. I hope the question isn't too vague or unclear, but PC gaming is a new and slightly daunting world..

 

[RGM79]

Sorry for bumping myself, but this might have gotten lost at the end of the last page, and it was a 24-hour kind of deal, so if anyone has any thoughts or advice it would be much appreciated.

How much does it cost? Is this a prebuilt PC that some shop is offering? Do you have the option of changing parts?

In terms of performance, it's quite good. Hard to say about the future of gaming, but I feel reasonably confident in saying it'll probably last you a good two years, perhaps longer if you don't mind turning down some settings for certain games. Even at the end of those two years, it won't be obsolete or unusable, just not as capable because who knows, it might be considered midrange or average by then.

 

[Ambitious]

Oh dear. My brother wants to build himself a Gaming PC, and as I'm the dedicated computer guy in the family, he asked me for help. The problem is, I don't know anything about PC gaming or hardware at all.

He sent me a list of components he's planning to buy and wants to hear my opinion. Now, I had a look at the complete builds in the OP and was able to find some of the key components in there, so that's a good sign, I guess.
I would really appreciate it if something could comment on this build:

CPU: Intel Core i5 6600k 3.5GHz (€264)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X Gaming 5 (€178)
RAM: HyperX Fury 16GB DDR4 (€73)
Graphics: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 G1-Gaming WF 4GB GDDR5 (€367)
SSD: Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB (€136)
Storage: WD Black 1TB 7200rpm (€86)
Power Supply: be quiet! Pure Power L8 CM 630W (€86)
Case: be quiet! Silent Base 800 (€119)
Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 3 (€61)

That's €1370. No drive or soundcard. He's gonna buy a 1080p 60Hz BenQ monitor.
It sounds kinda fine to me. But as mentioned above, I have no clue about this sort of thing.

 

[killertofu]

Anyone know why I can't get a signal out of my Motherboard HDMI/DVI? My PCI express slot is busted so I can't get a signal through that...

 

[mkenyon]

Anyone know why I can't get a signal out of my Motherboard HDMI/DVI? My PCI express slot is busted so I can't get a signal through that...

What motherboard/proc?

 

[Soren01]

It's worth going from GTX 960 2GB to R9 380 4GB?

 

[Megabat]

Oh dear. My brother wants to build himself a Gaming PC, and as I'm the dedicated computer guy in the family, he asked me for help. The problem is, I don't know anything about PC gaming or hardware at all.

He sent me a list of components he's planning to buy and wants to hear my opinion. Now, I had a look at the complete builds in the OP and was able to find some of the key components in there, so that's a good sign, I guess.
I would really appreciate it if something could comment on this build:

CPU: Intel Core i5 6600k 3.5GHz (€264)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X Gaming 5 (€178)
RAM: HyperX Fury 16GB DDR4 (€73)
Graphics: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 G1-Gaming WF 4GB GDDR5 (€367)
SSD: Samsung 850 Pro Series 256GB (€136)
Storage: WD Black 1TB 7200rpm (€86)
Power Supply: be quiet! Pure Power L8 CM 630W (€86)
Case: be quiet! Silent Base 800 (€119)
Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock 3 (€61)

That's €1370. No drive or soundcard. He's gonna buy a 1080p 60Hz BenQ monitor.
It sounds kinda fine to me. But as mentioned above, I have no clue about this sort of thing.

A lot of these components are overkill. swap the Z170X board for a regular Z170 (maybe the Gigabyte UD5) and switch the 850 PRO with an 850 EVO. He won't notice the difference unless he's dealing with enterprise-level workloads. I suppose he's going for a quiet system, so I won't knock the WD Black, but he could get 2TB Red (slower, but just as quiet) and rarely notice. The power supply is a good choice for noise, but 450W is much closer to what he needs.

 

[Megabat]

It's worth going from GTX 960 2GB to R9 380 4GB?

Nope! Unless you're getting the Radeon for free.

R9 380 is very slightly faster, but the extra VRAM is nothing to get excited about.

 

[LilJoka]

Wouldn't go for the WD Red, just get a Toshiba ACA 1TB or a Hitachi HDD.
Seagate and WD are going downhill these days.

 

[Megabat]

Wouldn't go for the WD Red, just get a Toshiba ACA 1TB or a Hitachi HDD.
Seagate and WD are going downhill these days.

Uh, you got any sources/reasons?

edit: There are legitimate reasons not to use a Red in a non-NAS system, but the brand itself?

 

[killertofu]

What motherboard/proc?

GA Z77N WiFi Mini ITX
Intel Core i5-3570K

Is it cause my CPU fan isnt' plugged in?

 

[LilJoka]

Uh, you got any sources/reasons?

edit: There are legitimate reasons not to use a Red in a non-NAS system, but the brand itself?

I don't think I need to for seagate but there's some data at backblaze in all the drives, Hitachi coming out on top, I recommend the Toshiba ACA drives since under the hood they are Hitachis.

https://www.backblaze.com/blog/hard-drive-reliability-q4-2015/

Personally out of my drives the only to fail was a WD Black. I have the 3TB Toshiba ACA now, a bunch of other WD and Seagate drives also. My Samsung Spinpoints also failed recently.

 

[Hey Im Patrick]

Im looking to start building an Enthusiast level (i7 6700 etc.) PC next week. Looking to use it mostly for streaming games and video editing.

What OS would you guys recommend? Windows 7, 8, 10?

I currently have an 8.1 and a 10 right now. 10 on an ssd is amazing, it's just me though since I haven't experienced 7 or 8.1 on an ssd.

 

[joecanada]

Ah, too bad you didn't build your own PC. Would have been preferable to getting a prebuilt PC full of random parts that you don't want.

Actually I don't feel too bad about it. I got the i5 6500, mobo, case, fans, windows 10, gtx 720 (im not switching out right away), hdd, dvd, keyboard, etc. for 670 Canadian or so... that's like 525 American.

the ram was easy and cheap, the psu was my only disappointment really, didn't realize they would risk such a p.o.s in there under warranty doesn't make sense to me... but all in all I'm pretty happy with it. switching out three components over the next 6 months is not too bad, and I couldn't actually build one too much cheaper, I checked.

but next time around I do feel confident in building my own... besides this case is a monster with three fans, so I could pretty much switch out everything eventually.

But it is a lesson to anyone doing a build vs. pre-built to verify every component because after doing my research I couldn't just leave that PSU in...

 

[repeater]

How much does it cost? Is this a prebuilt PC that some shop is offering? Do you have the option of changing parts?

In terms of performance, it's quite good. Hard to say about the future of gaming, but I feel reasonably confident in saying it'll probably last you a good two years, perhaps longer if you don't mind turning down some settings for certain games. Even at the end of those two years, it won't be obsolete or unusable, just not as capable because who knows, it might be considered midrange or average by then.

Thanks for your help! It is a prebuilt PC, yeah, no options when it comes to the individual parts here. It's sold for the Swedish equivalent of ~1,680$. That includes VAT, and I think Swedish prices are in general higher.

 

[Megabat]

I don't think I need to for seagate but there's some data at backblaze in all the drives, Hitachi coming out on top, I recommend the Toshiba ACA drives since under the hood they are Hitachis.

https://www.backblaze.com/blog/hard-drive-reliability-q4-2015/

Personally out of my drives the only to fail was a WD Black. I have the 3TB Toshiba ACA now, a bunch of other WD and Seagate drives also. My Samsung Spinpoints also failed recently.

Whoa! Yeah, thanks for this.

 

[Megabat]

I currently have an 8.1 and a 10 right now. 10 on an ssd is amazing, it's just me though since I haven't experienced 7 or 8.1 on an ssd.

I upgraded (no clean install yet) from 8.1 to 10 and saw some improvement.

 

[zma1013]

What are your PC's specs? What motherboard and CPU cooler do you have? Try this guide, it's written fairly plainly and tells you exactly what to set for example motherboards from Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI.

i7 2600k 3.4ghz
Asrock p67 I think
Aftermarket Zalman fan cooler
8gb ram


I say I think because I'm currently not in position to check my motherboard at the moment.

 

[finalflame]

Build complete Warning: lots of pictures below.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $364.99)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i 57.5 CFM CPU Cooler (Purchased For $39.95)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170N-Gaming 5 Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard (Purchased For $149.99)
Memory: Kingston Savage 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (Purchased For $103.19)
Storage: Mushkin Reactor 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Purchased For $242.99)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card (Purchased For $609.99)
Case: Silverstone RVZ02B HTPC Case (Purchased For $64.99)
Power Supply: Silverstone 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply (Purchased For $129.99)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM (64-bit) (Purchased For $0.00)
Monitor: Acer XB271HU bmiprz 165Hz 27.0" Monitor (Purchased For $769.99)
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse (Purchased For $0.00)
Headphones: Plantronics Gamecom 780 7.1 Channel Headset (Purchased For $0.00)
Speakers: Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 120W 2.1ch Speakers (Purchased For $134.99)
Other: KÛL ES-87 (Cherry MX Green) (Purchased)
Total: $2611.06
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-15 18:44 EDT-0400

 

[Deleted member 22576]

I've got to get that 600watt psu that youve got there, still rocking the 450watt version from 2012.

 

[LilJoka]

Build complete Warning: lots of pictures below.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $364.99)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i 57.5 CFM CPU Cooler (Purchased For $39.95)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170N-Gaming 5 Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard (Purchased For $149.99)
Memory: Kingston Savage 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (Purchased For $103.19)
Storage: Mushkin Reactor 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Purchased For $242.99)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card (Purchased For $609.99)
Case: Silverstone RVZ02B HTPC Case (Purchased For $64.99)
Power Supply: Silverstone 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply (Purchased For $129.99)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM (64-bit) (Purchased For $0.00)
Monitor: Acer XB271HU bmiprz 165Hz 27.0" Monitor (Purchased For $769.99)
Mouse: Logitech G502 Wired Optical Mouse (Purchased For $0.00)
Headphones: Plantronics Gamecom 780 7.1 Channel Headset (Purchased For $0.00)
Speakers: Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 120W 2.1ch Speakers (Purchased For $134.99)
Other: KÛL ES-87 (Cherry MX Green) (Purchased)
Total: $2611.06
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-15 18:44 EDT-0400

Excellent rig

 

[brooklyniteOne]

I currently have an 8.1 and a 10 right now. 10 on an ssd is amazing, it's just me though since I haven't experienced 7 or 8.1 on an ssd.

I upgraded (no clean install yet) from 8.1 to 10 and saw some improvement.

Ok thanks!

I do plan to run the OS on an SSD. I also have 4 WD black caviar drives I want to run in raid 0 again for HD capture.

I do have that old avermedia capture card that runs without hdcp with the windows 7 64 drivers. I guess ill just get the elgato pro internal card or whatever.

Have you guys experienced many issues with older drivers not working on windows 10?

 

[Hero_of_the_Day]

Newb question. Got a corsair h105 and an asus z170a. What pins should I hook the three powers from the cooler to? I currently have the two fans plugged into chas fan pins, and the pump itself to the cpu fan pin. Is that right? There is also 1 pin that is labeled chas fan 1 with pump. Should I use that?

This thing is pretty fucking loud.

 

[Mad Season]

posting again for help

So I overclocked my i5 2500k from 4.5 GHz (which it has been at for years) to 4.6GHz. I also overclocked my EVGA SC GTX 980 using precision X using the following settings:

power target - 124%
GPU temp target - 84%
GPU clock offset - 133%
Mem clock offset - +0

I then ran 3DMARK Firestrike which went through perfectly and there was no artifacting.

The problem is, every now and again, a game will go to an orange screen and hard lock the PC. I reverted all overclock settings and the games work fine. My question is, do you believe it to be more of a GPU overclock issue or the CPU OC? If it's the GPU overclock, any recommendations on what I should lower the above settings to?

 

[Megabat]

posting again for help

So I overclocked my i5 2500k from 4.5 GHz (which it has been at for years) to 4.6GHz. I also overclocked my EVGA SC GTX 980 using precision X using the following settings:

power target - 124%
GPU temp target - 84%
GPU clock offset - 133%
Mem clock offset - +0

I then ran 3DMARK Firestrike which went through perfectly and there was no artifacting.

The problem is, every now and again, a game will go to an orange screen and hard lock the PC. I reverted all overclock settings and the games work fine. My question is, do you believe it to be more of a GPU overclock issue or the CPU OC? If it's the GPU overclock, any recommendations on what I should lower the above settings to?

I can't tell you for sure what it is, but you should revert to stock GPU settings until it happens again (if it does). That really does sound like a GPU overclocking issue.

If it subsides, It's probably best just to stick to stock GPU clocks and revisit when that becomes a bottleneck.

If it keeps happening with the GPU reset, knock everything back down to stock and troubleshoot from there.

 

[Lockjaw333]

You guys/gals think its worth it to swap a 970 for a 390 right now if I can pretty much break even on the transaction? Or is that crazy?

I don't plan on upgrading with the new cards from either team this year, and was thinking the 390 would be a better way to go with the higher vram for the next few years.

 

[Megabat]

You guys/gals think its worth it to swap a 970 for a 390 right now if I can pretty much break even on the transaction? Or is that crazy?

I don't plan on upgrading with the new cards from either team this year, and was thinking the 390 would be a better way to go with the higher vram for the next few years.

Out of curiosity, not skepticism: how would you break even? Trading with someone?

The 390 is a bit faster, but twice the VRAM is kind of useless. Neither card is quite capable of filling 4GB. It would also depend on the boards in question. I don't think there are many reference 390s out there, but you'll want a really nice cooler on that thing (Sapphire, Asus, Gigabyte) to keep a similar level of noise.

Oh, I've just noticed that you said "pretty much break even." Yeah, if there's any monetary difference to make up, it's not worth it. A local card-for-card swap is the only way you should be interested in this.

 

[RGM79]

Thanks for your help! It is a prebuilt PC, yeah, no options when it comes to the individual parts here. It's sold for the Swedish equivalent of ~1,680$. That includes VAT, and I think Swedish prices are in general higher.

Do they offer any other PCs? Do they have a website?

You guys/gals think its worth it to swap a 970 for a 390 right now if I can pretty much break even on the transaction? Or is that crazy?

I don't plan on upgrading with the new cards from either team this year, and was thinking the 390 would be a better way to go with the higher vram for the next few years.

As long as there's nothing wrong with the R9 390 and it has warranty, I don't see why not.

 

[sfried]

I-I manage to score an i7-6700k at MicroCenter with their sale + online rebate:

This just bring me down to the M.2 drive and 4TB HDD. And thermal paste. And eSATA-to-SATA adapter (for the optical drive). And any additional screws I need.

Another question: Thermal paste application - My instructor in the ComptiaA+ class has always told us to never use the pea method. Instead they tell use to use a streakless, time consuming application of a very even layer spread of thermal paste (emphasis on streakless: they basically made do a carpenter-like application of concrete, making sure it was very thin, very very smooth and absolutely flat). I've seen countless videos of people comparing and testifying with the pea method but always do the spread method incorrectly (they just smooshing it with a buisness card, which is what my instructor deems incorrect).

 

[e90Mark]

I-I manage to score an i7-6700k at MicroCenter with their sale + online rebate:

This just bring me down to the M.2 drive and 4TB HDD. And thermal paste. And eSATA-to-SATA adapter (for the optical drive). And any additional screws I need.

Another question: Thermal paste application - My instructor in the ComptiaA+ class has always told us to never use the pea method. Instead they tell use to use a streakless, time consuming application of a very even layer spread of thermal paste (emphasis on streakless: they basically made do a carpenter-like application of concrete, making sure it was very thin, very very smooth and absolutely flat). I've seen countless videos of people comparing and testifying with the pea method but always do the spread method incorrectly (they just smooshing it with a buisness card, which is what my instructor deems incorrect).

That's a really good price for the 6700k. Nice deal.

I use the pea method. LTT recently did a video on this.

TL;DW - It doesn't matter as long as you don't put too little.

https://youtu.be/r2MEAnZ3swQ

 

[DarkestHour]

The pea method is fine. Heck, most methods are fine as long as the coverage is uniform and not too much compound.

Congrats on that great deal on the processor!

 

[RGM79]

I-I manage to score an i7-6700k at MicroCenter with their sale + online rebate:

This just bring me down to the M.2 drive and 4TB HDD. And thermal paste. And eSATA-to-SATA adapter (for the optical drive). And any additional screws I need.

Another question: Thermal paste application - My instructor in the ComptiaA+ class has always told us to never use the pea method. Instead they tell use to use a streakless, time consuming application of a very even layer spread of thermal paste (emphasis on streakless: they basically made do a carpenter-like application of concrete, making sure it was very thin, very very smooth and absolutely flat). I've seen countless videos of people comparing and testifying with the pea method but always do the spread method incorrectly (they just smooshing it with a buisness card, which is what my instructor deems incorrect).

Way too time consuming and annoying to achieve a perfect spread manually, and it doesn't make a big enough difference from just using the pea method. Perhaps with certain specific pastes it does, but who knows which kind?

 

[sfried]

That's a really good price for the 6700k. Nice deal.

I use the pea method. LTT recently did a video on this.

TL;DW - It doesn't matter as long as you don't put too little.

https://youtu.be/r2MEAnZ3swQ

Yeah I watched that video. I do know the pea method also doesn't provide adequate coverage at times. This is even more true for CPU fans with direct heat pipes, of which I have actually gotten one.

But yeah, my professor has made it a point that having an even spread of compound (and leaving a margin so as not to spill on the sides of the processor) is optimal. Not too much, but definitely not too little.

The pea method is fine. Heck, most methods are fine as long as the coverage is uniform and not too much compound.

Congrats on that great deal on the processor!

It's good to hear that its a good price.

I was thinking of getting the Artic MX 4 as I hear it is less prone to...shorting a processor should it be incorrectly applied.

I might consider giving my instructor a visit, and ask him too if a similar effective application I've seen (the X method) would work. Key point is the elimination of bubbles (hence why he emphasizes flattening out and removing any streaks from the application), but I also want to consult him with regards to thermal paste and direct heat pipes.

 

[sfried]

Way too time consuming and annoying to achieve a perfect spread manually, and it doesn't make a big enough difference from just using the pea method. Perhaps with certain specific pastes it does, but who knows which kind?

This is one of the tests which I've mentioned where they did not do the spread method correctly. It's a streakless, even spread (not just smeared like in the example). It takes time but pays off when correctly done.

I'd rather spend all the time and care achieving the perfect, German efficient spread even if it only saves me a few degrees, which could be life or death should something really bad happen. This is my first build I'm assembling, so even I want my cable management to be as really elegant as possible.

Besides, my CPU fan is a CNPS8900 Quiet, which doesn't exactly have a flat surface. I might have to consult my instructor once again regarding what he says about this situation.

 

[Armadilo]

USGAF Has anyone financed a Rig ? Make payments instead of just paying in full ?

 

[Jimrpg]

Thanks for the reply, Arbok!

I think in the position I am now, I should probably avoid the K/Z combo because, like you said, it changes the value quite a bit. The only thing I decided to change was the graphics card to try and get a bit more juice out of it and the RAM to save a few bucks. I went with the R9 380X because of the value, but do you still recommend a GTX970? And how about that RAM choice?

Here's what I've landed on (including everything like peripherals, monitor and OS):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110M-A Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($51.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($32.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($42.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 380X 4GB DD XXX OC Video Card ($208.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 USB 3.0 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($28.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-16D1HT Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($40.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($87.95 @ OutletPC)
Software: Microsoft Office Home and Student 2016 ($105.00 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Asus VX238H 23.0" Monitor ($109.99 @ Micro Center)
Keyboard: Rosewill RK-201 Wired Standard Keyboard ($7.89 @ OutletPC)
Mouse: V7 M30P20-7N Wired Optical Mouse ($4.71 @ Amazon)
Total: $992.22
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-15 10:07 EDT-0400

It's a bit over where I wanted to take this, but I guess I didn't take into account the OS and peripherals. I also want to get an El Gato for streaming, so pushing past a grand here.

Any glaring things I should change on this list? Monitor? RAM? GTX970 over R9 380X?

The RAM choice is fine.

In regards to the graphics card, you can always sell it (or return it) if you want more performance.

It's going to cost another $100 to get a GTX 970 so its really up to you. One thing to consider is whether you are interested in VR, in that case a GTX 970 is the recommended level of card to get in order to get the performance required for VR so it will save you some trouble down the road.

Also if you go with the 380X the minimum power supply is 550W as described on XFX website, so you'll need to get to get a new power supply.

Check your PM as well, I answered your OS and monitor questions there.

 

[HokieJoe]

Is the MSI R9-390 Gaming 8G a pretty good card for the money? It seems to compare fairly well with the 970.

 

[Ultima_5]

USGAF Has anyone financed a Rig ? Make payments instead of just paying in full ?

Based on my basic ideas of finance. It'll be better to save up

 

[SmartWaffles]

Tinkered a bit around my overlock and welp seems my RAM is a bit crappy, can't hold DDR3-1866 @ 10-10-10-25-1T 1.6V, gonna settle at 1600 9-9-9-25-1T I guess.

Is the MSI R9-390 Gaming 8G a pretty good card for the money? It seems to compare fairly well with the 970.

Yes if you don't want to hold out till Pascal and Polaris, R9 390 is very cost efficient.

 

[Leatherface]

Just a heads up, if any of you are in the market for some nice PC speakers I can't recommend Mackie CR4 series enough. I just upgraded from a Klipsch 2.1 system and these absolutely smoke them. No sub needed. They are studio reference quality speakers but very affordable ( in the same range as the Klipsch 2.1 system). Let me tell you the sound is off the charts.

Here is a pic of the speakers near my monitor for size reference (Monitor is 27").
Yes you will need a little more desk space but it is completely worth it as you won't have to screw around with a sub.

 

[OraleeWey]

Just a heads up, if any of you are in the market for some nice PC speakers I can't recommend Mackie CR4 series enough. I just upgraded from a Klipsch 2.1 system and these absolutely smoke them. No sub needed. They are studio reference quality speakers but very affordable ( in the same range as the Klipsch 2.1 system). Let me tell you the sound is off the charts.

Here is a pic of the speakers near my monitor for size reference (Monitor is 27").
Yes you will need a little more desk space but it is completely worth it as you won't have to screw around with a sub.

I wish you had posted this earlier. The no sub would have saved me a lot of space.

 

[Nostremitus]

So, 8 core Zen in October?

http://wccftech.com/amd-zen-cpu-8-core-summit-ridge-launching-october/

Is this the 8c 16t chip?

Edit: yep... Also...

Citing more instructions per clock than Intel’s Broadwell and just a smidgen behind Skylake. The 95W TDP if accurate indicates that indeed we’re looking at a very power efficient design.

If this is true...

IPC better than broadwell, 8c 16t @95W, at between i5 and i7 price points...

This could change the pricing landscape in a big way, especially if their lowest chip is 4c8t with i7 ICP.

 

[hateradio]

Forgot to put the pics of my ROG Swift.

Can't get a good pic of the actual monitor, but it's amazing.

 

[HokieJoe]

Tinkered a bit around my overlock and welp seems my RAM is a bit crappy, can't hold DDR3-1866 @ 10-10-10-25-1T 1.6V, gonna settle at 1600 9-9-9-25-1T I guess.



Yes if you don't want to hold out till Pascal and Polaris, R9 390 is very cost efficient.

Thanks. Ive always owned Nvidia cards in the past. In fact, the last card I bought was a 6800gtx lol. I trust driver support is better for AMD now than in the older days with ATI?

 

[Nostremitus]

Thanks. Ive always owned Nvidia cards in the past. In fact, the last card I bought was a 6800gtx lol. I trust driver support is better for AMD now than in the older days with ATI?

I have a 290X and haven't had any problems. Only the occasional hotfix issues just like Nvidia. Just don't crossfire, they're a little slow with profiles.