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[KainXVIII]

Hi, GAF! Upgrading to new videocard (GTX 970) - i choosing between MSI GeForce GTX 970 Gaming [GTX 970 GAMING 4G] and GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 970 [GV-N970WF3OC-4GD 1.0], more quieter card is preferable.
There is also Inno3D GeForce GTX 970 iCHILL [C97V-1SDN-M5DNX] but i heard that it have some flaws in noise department (and it utilises a 3-slot design, i don't know..)

 

[AsfaeksBR]

I was thinking of recommending a different model or even a different brand. Corsair CX is ok but merely average quality. I don't know what shops you're looking at, so I'll just recommend you some brands instead. Let me repeat something I said a while ago about power supply brands:

Super Flower, Seasonic, and XFX are the brands that I can say offer excellent models all across their product lines. EVGA, Corsair, Antec, Cooler Master, Fractal, Rosewill, and Silverstone offer poor to excellent models depending on which model you look at. If you are looking for reviews, then RealHardTechX is a decent resource. Look at the top of the page for listings by brand, then you can search for specific models by name or model number. That link leads to the XFX page, you can see how just about all of their power supplies are highly rated (they are actually all manufactured by Seasonic).​

Just searched for them in the places I can buy, and the only One I could find is the 450W XFX.

Is it better to get a 450W XFX or a 500W Corsair for a i5-4590 and Asus GTX960?

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

Hi, GAF! Upgrading to new videocard (GTX 970) - i choosing between MSI GeForce GTX 970 Gaming [GTX 970 GAMING 4G] and GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 970 [GV-N970WF3OC-4GD 1.0], more quieter card is preferable.
There is also Inno3D GeForce GTX 970 iCHILL [C97V-1SDN-M5DNX] but i heard that it have some flaws in noise department (and it utilises a 3-slot design, i don't know..)

You cannot go wrong with either of the first 2 cards, I have no idea about the inno3d one though.

Regarding the first 2, the MSI has a passive fan design which will turn off the fan completely when the card is under 60 degree, which means absolute silence.

IIRC, the MSI is also more quiet than the Gigabyte under load in some reviews.

 

[LilJoka]

You cannot go wrong with either of the first 2 cards, I have no idea about the inno3d one though.

Regarding the first 2, the MSI has a passive fan design which will turn off the fan completely when the card is under 60 degree, which means absolute silence.

IIRC, the MSI is also more quiet than the Gigabyte under load in some reviews.

MSI is definitely quieter than the Gigabyte.

 

[KainXVIII]

Wow, thanks guys! Also MSI card is 30cm shorter (than Gigabyte), which is nice bonus.

 

[Arozay]

So I've got my new PC coming and I think I should ditch my shitty old monitor finally (BenQ G2400W).

I got a deal on an i7 6700K + ASUS STRIX 970 GTX 4GB so that's what the main parts are, I'll try stick with the GPU for a while.

Conflicted if I should get a top of the range 24" or go for a 27" monitor as I'm worried about committing to x1440.

 

[Mystic654]

Can someone help me out. I'm looking for a good quality PC case that can house a E-ATX motherboard along with two SSD and 4 Harddrives (WD Green). Along with 980 Ti.

If possible keep it around 18 to 22 inch range and not to heavy.

Most cases are just plain looking or just plain ugly. Anyone have any good suggestions?

 

[kennah]

Can someone help me out. I'm looking for a good quality PC case that can house a E-ATX motherboard along with two SSD and 4 Harddrives (WD Green). Along with 980 Ti.

If possible keep it around 18 to 22 inch range and not to heavy.

Most cases are just plain looking or just plain ugly. Anyone have any good suggestions?

Little Devil cases.

 

[Tabasco]

I'm just curious, but what games at 1080p is it better to have a GTX 970 for?

I currently own a 960 and none of the games that I play are struggling a whole lot even at Very High/Ultra settings.

I can only think that probably Witcher 3 would somewhat suffer, but anything else?

 

[The Technomancer]

Pretty much. Depending on what case you have, it might have mounts for 2.5" drives. Even if it doesn't, it's still OK. SSDs have no moving parts and it is fine to mount it anywhere in the case, even taped down is OK since they're light. As long as they aren't just hanging off the SATA cable and will possibly come loose, it's fine.

mmk, just checking, NewEgg has a bunch of other types with more exposed hardware and I just wanted to make sure I was good to go

 

[jaaz]

Hello everyone. I am planning on building a new PC primarily for VR use. So, I have been waiting for the commercial VR headsets to be nearing release before starting the build. For those building a PC to use with VR, when are you planning on starting the build?

 

[RGM79]

Just searched for them in the places I can buy, and the only One I could find is the 450W XFX.

Is it better to get a 450W XFX or a 500W Corsair for a i5-4590 and Asus GTX960?

If you really can't spend any more, then go for the Corsair. In this case I think the extra wattage is preferable over the quality.

I'm just curious, but what games at 1080p is it better to have a GTX 970 for?

I currently own a 960 and none of the games that I play are struggling a whole lot even at Very High/Ultra settings.

I can only think that probably Witcher 3 would somewhat suffer, but anything else?

Do you prefer to play a 30FPS or 60FPS? The GTX 970's higher performance will allow for a better framerate at the same settings as the GTX 960.

 

[Jag]

Kind of a weird Windows 10 upgrade question. I have 8.1 on my Dell and don't have an upgrade window, probably because I've replaced so much hardware on it.

I plan on calling Windows to get authorization to upgrade to 10 and then install that 10 in the new machine. I'm wondering if I should wait, put 8.1 on the new machine and then try to upgrade to 10?

 

[MR ARCADE FOREVER]

Should I always leave V sync on while playing games on a gsync 144hz monitor?

 

[Fmal]

The Memex near me is out of stock of the Asus Z170-A. Any suggestions for a replacement in a similar price range? Here's the rest of the build http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/RrxNhM

 

[kennah]

The Memex near me is out of stock of the Asus Z170-A. Any suggestions for a replacement in a similar price range? Here's the rest of the build http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/RrxNhM

Canada usually has pretty limited motherboard choices for the first couple months.

 

[Fmal]

Canada usually has pretty limited motherboard choices for the first couple months.

Okay, well, any ideas of what might be in stock that I can check?

 

[MillionStabs]

PC bruddahs, what is the trick to thermal paste? Some people tell me you only need as much as a grain of rice, others say the size of a pea. Some say to let the heatsink spread it naturally, others say spread it yourself.
What is the answer here? We cannot live in a world of chaos!

 

[opticalmace]

Okay, well, any ideas of what might be in stock that I can check?

Go to the motherboard section of partpicker and restrict it to socket 1151. If you click on the mobos you'll see some are in stock. Or just check the individual sites, newegg, canada computers, memory express, etc.

 

[GRaider81]

PC bruddahs, what is the trick to thermal paste? Some people tell me you only need as much as a grain of rice, others say the size of a pea. Some say to let the heatsink spread it naturally, others say spread it yourself.
What is the answer here? We cannot live in a world of chaos!

I used between a grain of rice and a pea sized amount, then spread it very thinly all over.

pretty sure most ways are good other than using too much!

 

[Fmal]

The only 1151 mobo in stock locally is this:

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX58452

Reviews on it seem fine, and it has ports for everything in the rest of my build (http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/DtHs4D). What do you guys think?

 

[kiyomi]

Couple quick questions.

1.) How much would a used R7 265 go for? Think I could get £50/$75 for it? It overclocks nicely.

2.) I'm torn between waiting for the next Nvidia GPUs or just buying a 970, but I'm scared that if I go for the latter, the next cards will come out and I'll have bought something less than optimal. Any thoughts?

 

[Rufus]

2.) I'm torn between waiting for the next Nvidia GPUs or just buying a 970, but I'm scared that if I go for the latter, the next cards will come out and I'll have bought something less than optimal. Any thoughts?

That's always the case. I think it's best to just buy the biggest upgrade for your price range and then stop looking too closely at what's coming out. I would suggest the latter regardless of when you buy, to be honest.

 

[BolognaOni]

PC bruddahs, what is the trick to thermal paste? Some people tell me you only need as much as a grain of rice, others say the size of a pea. Some say to let the heatsink spread it naturally, others say spread it yourself.
What is the answer here? We cannot live in a world of chaos!

You want enough to fill in the gaps between HS and CPU, and ideally no more. So if it's a flat heatsink, a small drop (rice) and let it spread itself is best. If the HS has deeper grooves, like those from direct heatpipe connections (think 212), then you should use a bit more (pea), and a bit of pre-spreading can help.

 

[kiyomi]

That's always the case. I think it's best to just buy the biggest upgrade for your price range and then stop looking too closely at what's coming out. I would suggest the latter regardless of when you buy, to be honest.

Are the next GPUs still on the cards to come out this year or are we looking at 2016?

 

[MR ARCADE FOREVER]

My MSI X99A SLI PLUS motherboard died on the third day after building my new rig... WTF Will switch to an Asus board now I don't trust msi!

 

[RGM79]

Are the next GPUs still on the cards to come out this year or are we looking at 2016?

Nvidia's Pascal is still earmarked for 2016 as it has always been, while AMD just released their Fury cards not too long ago. There's nothing else new coming out this year.

My MSI X99A SLI PLUS motherboard died on the third day after building my new rig... WTF Will switch to an Asus board now I don't trust msi!

That sucks. Any idea what's wrong?

 

[ILoveBish]

PC bruddahs, what is the trick to thermal paste? Some people tell me you only need as much as a grain of rice, others say the size of a pea. Some say to let the heatsink spread it naturally, others say spread it yourself.
What is the answer here? We cannot live in a world of chaos!

I redid my paste 3 times on my i5 6600k with evo 212 cooler. First time was grain of rice size and paste was not 100%, when I took it off, there were spots with no paste. Redid it with line method, and better but still had some spots. Last time I did the spread thin method and temps have never been lower and everything's working great.

 

[MR ARCADE FOREVER]

Nvidia's Pascal is still earmarked for 2016 as it has always been, while AMD just released their Fury cards not too long ago. There's nothing else new coming out this year.



That sucks. Any idea what's wrong?

Probably a faulty board from the factory. I won't risk again I'm switching to Asus

 

[Evo X]

So I've got my new PC coming and I think I should ditch my shitty old monitor finally (BenQ G2400W).

I got a deal on an i7 6700K + ASUS STRIX 970 GTX 4GB so that's what the main parts are, I'll try stick with the GPU for a while.

Conflicted if I should get a top of the range 24" or go for a 27" monitor as I'm worried about committing to x1440.

Go for 27in 1440P. You won't regret it. Monitors last a long time. You don't want to be stuck with a lower res as GPUs keep becoming more powerful. 1440P is big step up from 1080P and will keep you happy for years.

Hello everyone. I am planning on building a new PC primarily for VR use. So, I have been waiting for the commercial VR headsets to be nearing release before starting the build. For those building a PC to use with VR, when are you planning on starting the build?

Now is a good a time as any. New CPU architecture just launched, and the next wave of GPUs are still about a year away.

Should I always leave V sync on while playing games on a gsync 144hz monitor?

The only 1151 mobo in stock locally is this:

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX58452

Reviews on it seem fine, and it has ports for everything in the rest of my build (http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/DtHs4D). What do you guys think?

Gigabyte makes great stuff. Go for it.

My MSI X99A SLI PLUS motherboard died on the third day after building my new rig... WTF Will switch to an Asus board now I don't trust msi!

Probably a faulty board from the factory. I won't risk again I'm switching to Asus

As much as I love ASUS, I wouldn't recommend one of their X99 motherboards. There are a bunch of horror stories about them overvolting and killing CPUs.

I went with an ASRock mobo on my X99 and I'm super happy with it.

This one:

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/71...3-1-intel-x99-motherboard-review/index11.html

Great stability, overclocking, build quality and the latest feature set with M.2, USB Type-C & 3.1.

 

[XBP]

So guys this is the final build my cousin wants to get

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/rZxNhM

Case is his choice and he really wants to get that one. His budget was CAD $1050 including monitor which he has already bought. Should I go ahead and place an order?

Edit:

Link fixed.

Sorry for the bump but would really appreciate an answer.

 

[Jag]

Go for 27in 1440P. You won't regret it. Monitors last a long time. You don't want to be stuck with a lower res as GPUs keep becoming more powerful. 1440P is big step up from 1080P and will keep you happy for years.

Any recommendations?

 

[Evo X]

Any recommendations?

What's your budget?

 

[MR ARCADE FOREVER]

Go for 27in 1440P. You won't regret it. Monitors last a long time. You don't want to be stuck with a lower res as GPUs keep becoming more powerful. 1440P is big step up from 1080P and will keep you happy for years.



Now is a good a time as any. New CPU architecture just launched, and the next wave of GPUs are still about a year away.





Gigabyte makes great stuff. Go for it.





As much as I love ASUS, I wouldn't recommend one of their X99 motherboards. There are a bunch of horror stories about them overvolting and killing CPUs.

I went with an ASRock mobo on my X99 and I'm super happy with it.

This one:

http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/71...3-1-intel-x99-motherboard-review/index11.html

Great stability, overclocking, build quality and the latest feature set with M.2, USB Type-C & 3.1.

Thanks for the tips I'll take a look at the ASrock mobo

 

[Guri]

Hey, guys. Any recommendations of great 2.0/2.1 speakers for games and general use?

 

[Arozay]

Go for 27in 1440P. You won't regret it. Monitors last a long time. You don't want to be stuck with a lower res as GPUs keep becoming more powerful. 1440P is big step up from 1080P and will keep you happy for years.

I was tossing up between the XL2420G (24") and the XB270HU. Of course waiting a few months for new models is kinda in the back of my mind too.

I'm just worried about upgrading to 1440 and either not liking it, or the PC underperforming.

 

[exmachina64]

Hey, guys. Any recommendations of great 2.0/2.1 speakers for games and general use?

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/speakers-z130?crid=47

 

[Guri]

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/speakers-z130?crid=47

Would it be better than a 2.1 alternative?

 

[exmachina64]

Would it be better than a 2.1 alternative?

What's the upper limit of your budget?

 

[Guri]

What's the upper limit of your budget?

I'm OK with something up to around US$ 100 or so.

 

[exmachina64]

I'm OK with something up to around US$ 100 or so.

Hot diggity.

Edit: Video.

 

[Evo X]

I was tossing up between the XL2420G (24") and the XB270HU. Of course waiting a few months for new models is kinda in the back of my mind too.

I'm just worried about upgrading to 1440 and either not liking it, or the PC underperforming.

Go for the XB270HU. It's the best gaming monitor in the world right now. What's not to like?

Your 970 will perform well at that resolution for most games, especially with GSYNC smoothing things out. If you SLI or upgrade to Pascal down the line, you will be able to max every game at 1440.

You're building a fairly high end PC with a lot of options for expandabilty to keep it relevant for years to come. Don't let it be held back by a 1080P panel.

 

[Etria]

Hey guys, so I'm kind of computer illiterate about rigs and whatnot and want some advice on a certain one:

https://www.mightyape.co.nz/product/Gibbon/23015155

Nothing too major because it's not really for me, and mainly for normal web browsing and streaming videos, etc. Pretty light work all in all. But can it run some games such as GW2, FF Type-0, TW3, among other Steam games, then are the parts satisfactory?

Oh, and emulation (e.g. Wii games in full HD) would be a nice bonus!

I'm thinking about asking the store to swap out the CPU for a i5-4690k and upgrade the RAM to 2x8GB. Not sure about the graphics card because I did want at least a GTX 970 but will have to run it past them for the cost.

I would build one myself but am wary of putting it together incorrectly and time constraints at the moment.

Thoughts?

 

[djblackice]

Ok, trying this again. Sorry for the multiple posts. Just found a good deal on a GTX 970 and wanted to go with a NZXT S340 case. Could someone help me finish this build with the best compatible parts that's also not including any overkill parts (i.e. liquid cooling if not needed). Thank you.

I need a CPU cooler (the quieter the better), memory, SSD, power supply, ethernet card, wireless card, and optical drive. Budget is less than $1000 and is for gaming at 1080p, 60fps (if you need this info).

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($115.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: *Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.50 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: NZXT S340 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($62.10 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $447.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-03 01:42 EDT-0400

 

[RGM79]

Ok, trying this again. Sorry for the multiple posts. Just found a good deal on a GTX 970 and wanted to go with a NZXT S340 case. Could someone help me finish this build with the best compatible parts that's also not including any overkill parts (i.e. liquid cooling if not needed). Thank you.

I need a CPU cooler (the quieter the better), memory, SSD, power supply, ethernet card, wireless card, and optical drive. Budget is less than $1000 and is for gaming at 1080p, 60fps (if you need this info).

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($115.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: *Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.50 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: NZXT S340 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($62.10 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $447.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-03 01:42 EDT-0400

Do you want to purchase everything from Superbiiz, or are other retailers OK? Also, it looks like you're going for a black and white theme? Should we recommend you black and white parts?

For a very quiet CPU cooler, look at Noctua. Do you really want a separate ethernet card? Your motherboard already has that.

Hey guys, so I'm kind of computer illiterate about rigs and whatnot and want some advice on a certain one:

https://www.mightyape.co.nz/product/Gibbon/23015155

Nothing too major because it's not really for me, and mainly for normal web browsing and streaming videos, etc. Pretty light work all in all. But can it run some games such as GW2, FF Type-0, TW3, among other Steam games, then are the parts satisfactory?

Oh, and emulation (e.g. Wii games in full HD) would be a nice bonus!

I'm thinking about asking the store to swap out the CPU for a i5-4690k and upgrade the RAM to 2x8GB. Not sure about the graphics card because I did want at least a GTX 970 but will have to run it past them for the cost.

I would build one myself but am wary of putting it together incorrectly and time constraints at the moment.

Thoughts?

It's difficult for me to look up parts on my phone at the moment so I can't compare costs, but I don't quite think that build will work out for what you want it to do. Yes, with a i5 4690K and 16GB of RAM it can kick ass, but some parts aren't great and some combinations don't go well together. For example, the i5 4690K is compatible, but ideally that should be paired with a Z97 motherboard for the ability to overclock. That PC you linked to has a B85 motherboard which isn't really capable of overclocking, so that's a bit of wasted potential. If you won't be doing any overclocking, then consider going with a cheaper processor like the similar but slightly lower performing i5 4460.

The Raidmax Cobra gold-rated power supply is kinda iffy as well. HardOCP says the 500 watt bronze version is crap. I'm not sure how much better the gold version is due to a lack of reviews. It's not that it's definitely crap or anything, I'm just wary of a lack of professional reviews.

The GTX 950 is alright. It'll do what you want, but I'm not exactly sure at what performance or framerate because it's a fairly new graphics card. Maybe someone else can chime in.

 

[Random17]

I'm thinking of getting a 4k PC; that can play modern games at 30FPS at high settings. Is it worth buying now or waiting for HBM DX12 cards next year?

What's the weakest graphics card that can do this for most games?

 

[djblackice]

Do you want to purchase everything from Superbiiz, or are other retailers OK? Also, it looks like you're going for a black and white theme? Should we recommend you black and white parts?

Other retailers are more than ok. The whiter the items, the better, but in the end, I would rather go for performance than style

 

[Etria]

It's difficult for me to look up parts on my phone at the moment so I can't compare costs, but I don't quite think that build will work out for what you want it to do. Yes, with a i5 4690K and 16GB of RAM it can kick ass, but some parts aren't great and some combinations don't go well together. For example, the i5 4690K is compatible, but ideally that should be paired with a Z97 motherboard for the ability to overclock. That PC you linked to has a B85 motherboard which isn't really capable of overclocking, so that's a bit of wasted potential. If you won't be doing any overclocking, then consider going with a cheaper processor like the similar but slightly lower performing i5 4460.

The Raidmax Cobra gold-rated power supply is kinda iffy as well. HardOCP says the 500 watt bronze version is crap. I'm not sure how much better the gold version is due to a lack of reviews. It's not that it's definitely crap or anything, I'm just wary of a lack of professional reviews.

The GTX 950 is alright. It'll do what you want, but I'm not exactly sure at what performance or framerate because it's a fairly new graphics card. Maybe someone else can chime in.

Okay, so I'm not sure how to carry out overclocking, so yeah, I guess it would be wasted potential going with that.
For this 'custom' rig from the store, they pretty much put it together and you can swap out some parts for others, but yeah, never heard of the power supply included in it, and I agree with the lack of reviews being a bit strange.

I guess that also means that I don't need to bother with 16GB RAM with the system if the other parts are not that demanding?

Originally, I had this kind of build similar to a Haswell one in the OP, but had to bail because it went over budget, and like I said, I won't be the one using it most of the time.
http://nz.pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/ (it also didn't include the price of the 970, power supply, and DVD writer, which adds probably >$800 to the ~$1300.

 

[Xisiqomelir]

Oh god.

I just helped my uncle do an mATX build (CM Elite 130) and I never want to deal with the form factor ever again. I was constantly worried about breaking things as I stuck my hand in at weird angles and pressed in trepidation to get RAM to set in socket and connect USB headers.

People IRL keep calling my box (Thermaltake Urban S71) HUEG even though it isn't compared to true big cases, but I like having room for all my HDDs, the graphics card and 3rd-party air coolers without stress.

 

[lordfuzzybutt]

Sorry for the bump but would really appreciate an answer.

Looks good. Only thing that can be improved is buying 2 sticks of ram to run dual channel mode, but I guess he wants to leave room for upgrade later?

Personally, I would go with a 280x. It is better than a 960 in most cases. The XFX 280x can be had for pretty much the same price.