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[ricki42]

If you want to stick with Skylake, then you don't need to buy the Alpenföhn cooler. The i5 6500 cannot be overclocked, so you won't really need an aftermarket cooler as the stock cooler will handle temperatures just fine.

Does 'boxed version' always mean it comes with a cooler? I was looking at some of the store links from the geizhals.de link that Haribi posted. I found three that state that it doesn't come with a cooler Boxed-Version ohne Kühler, Box Version ohne Lüfter, and boxed o. Kühler!.
On the other hand, pcpartpicker says for the same manufacturer number that it does come with the cooler. So I guess those stores got it wrong?

 

[RGM79]

Does 'boxed version' always mean it comes with a cooler? I was looking at some of the store links from the geizhals.de link that Haribi posted. I found three that state that it doesn't come with a cooler Boxed-Version ohne Kühler, Box Version ohne Lüfter, and boxed o. Kühler!.
On the other hand, pcpartpicker says for the same manufacturer number that it does come with the cooler. So I guess those stores got it wrong?

As far as I know, only Skylake-K was officially said to not come with stock coolers. I doubt Intel would make users buy aftermarket coolers for the non-K models.

There is some news about a "stock Skylake cooler", but until the rest of Skylake-S ships, we won't know for sure. I think that's a bit too large to be bundled with the non overclocking processors.

 

[Sectorseven]

What's the cheapest way to get Windows 10, buy a Windows 8 key?

 

[opticalmace]

Ok, a problem with my new Skylake set that is driving me insane!

Seasonic 550 watt G series PSU
MSI Z170A Gaming M5 Motherboard
Crucial Ballistix Sport 2400 DDR4
Core i5 6600k
Evo 850 SSD


Everything works fine when the computer is running, under extreme loads. But every time I shut it down, and let it be in stand-by for over 12 hours or so, the PC won't turn on! The front power switch does absolutely nothing.

I have to manually switch off either the PSU or the surge protector (doesn't matter which), to reset the PC. It takes about 3 seconds I would say, quickly snapping the power switch on and off won't help.

Please help me guys, what the hell can cause this? Can it be the surge protector itself? My other appliances work fine on it. It's a horrible problem to have, because it takes the said 12 hours to replicate for troubleshooting. I'm just afraid what's causing this will eventually break totally.

What version of Windows? Doesn't really sound like your PSU is failing or anything, sounds more like a problem with standby due to Windows, or maybe your motherboard is turning it off after a certain amount of time.

Someone with the same board has the same problem: https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=260837.0

I'm guessing you're on Windows 10 as well?

 

[Wag]

What's the cheapest way to get Windows 10, buy a Windows 8 key?

WIN7?

 

[Credo]

I'm going to buy a 4 TB portable hard drive in the near future, and I've looked at a couple different models. I was wondering which would be most reliable.

The 4 TB models I've looked at are:
1.) Seagate Backup Plus Slim 4TB
2.) Samsung P3 4TB

I also looked at a Western Digital My Passport Ultra 3 TB, but it's not as good of a value as the Seagate or Samsung. However, I'm still considering it because I thought I remembered people on here recommending Western Digital over Seagate in the past due to them having a lower failure rate.

Any recommendations would be appreciated, and thanks in advance.

 

[LiK]

I'm going to buy a 4 TB portable hard drive in the near future, and I've looked at a couple different models. I was wondering which would be most reliable.

The 4 TB models I've looked at are:
1.) Seagate Backup Plus Slim 4TB
2.) Samsung P3 4TB

I also looked at a Western Digital My Passport Ultra 3 TB, but it's not as good of a value as the Seagate or Samsung. However, I'm still considering it because I thought I remembered people on here recommending Western Digital over Seagate in the past due to them having a lower failure rate.

Any recommendations would be appreciated, and thanks in advance.

if you had a choice, always go WD over Seagate.

 

[Haribi]

Sorry, what's your overall budget? And what parts do you have exactly to reuse? I want to make sure the power supply is good enough, for example.

You may want to consider a Haswell-based computer which will run a bit cheaper and allow you to spend a bit more on a stronger graphics card. The R9 270X is currently ok for 1080p (I currently have one myself) but it will probably struggle after that long a time unless you don't mind lowering the graphics settings. It's a little confusing, you say you won't need a better GPU because you mainly play those three games which aren't that intensive, but then you ask if it can handle the latest games 4 years later?

If you want to stick with Skylake, then you don't need to buy the Alpenföhn cooler. The i5 6500 cannot be overclocked, so you won't really need an aftermarket cooler as the stock cooler will handle temperatures just fine.

Sorry if I was unclear, english isn't my first language.

The 4 year timeline was not meant for the GPU but for everything else like CPU, RAM etc.
Right now I don't really need to spend more on a GPU as the 270x is enough for the games I play. I don't need a high end GPU just something that can play new games on like medium settings if I feel like playing something new. And the 270x is capable of that.
And when in like 2 years it can't handle most games anymore, I would be willing to upgrade the GPU then.
Everything else like CPU, RAM, MB etc. I don't want to upgrade any time soon so they should last like 4-5 years when I might upgrade to a completely new system.
So the plan is to buy this pc, only if necessary upgrade the GPU in 2 years or so and then upgrade the whole system in 5 years.



The problem is I just found out that the 270x isn't even compatible with my current PSU (be quiet L7 pure power 430W) because it requires 2x 6 pin and my PSU only has 1x 6/8 Pin.

So I was thinking of buying the GTX 960 instead of going for a new PSU as it would be chaper. Can anyone tell me if this GPU, Motherboard and PSU combination is compatible with each other? Because the PSU has 1x 8Pin and the GPU also has 1x 8Pin. But I can't tell if the Motherboard also needs 1x 8Pin (which would then be one 8Pin too much I guess). Just wanna make sure, I have no clue about this kind of stuff tho.

http://skinflint.co.uk/kfa-geforce-gtx-960-exoc-96nph8dvd9xx-a1220634.html
http://skinflint.co.uk/be-quiet-pure-power-l7-430w-atx-2-3-l7-430w-bn105-a448450.html
http://skinflint.co.uk/asrock-b150m-pro4s-90-mxgzx0-a0uayz-a1318332.html


With the 960 I'm at 690€. That's also almost the most I would be willing to spend. So budget is 700€ max. The less the better of course

 

[Tacitus_]

So here's my two tentative picks

an offer from a local store (so probably not optimal):
INTEL Core I5-6600K 3,5GHz LGA1151 6MB Cache Boxed CPU NO COOLER
MSI Z170A PC MATE LGA1151 ATX DDR4 max RAM 64GB 6xSATA3 1xPCI-Ex16 HDMI
DVI D-Sub
CORSAIR DDR4 2400MHz 8GB Vengeance LPX Black Heat spreader
DEEPCOOL Theta 7 CPU-cooler
for 540€

or

Hazaros picks
Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
ASRock Z97 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
for ~400€

I'll be replacing my old Lynnfield i5 760 and the goal is to run new games well for 2-3 years. My GPU is a 970 and I've got 12G of DDR3 already.

 

[SliChillax]

Guys, what's the best place to buy a used gpu in the UK? Looking for a used 980Ti.

 

[Nakkilokki]

What version of Windows? Doesn't really sound like your PSU is failing or anything, sounds more like a problem with standby due to Windows, or maybe your motherboard is turning it off after a certain amount of time.

Someone with the same board has the same problem: https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=260837.0

I'm guessing you're on Windows 10 as well?

Yes, I'm running a legit copy of Windows 10, an upgrade from OEM Windows 7.

The person you linked seems to be talking about sleep mode, but I'm talking about stand-by. Is that the wrong word? I mean, when I shut down the PC completely, and let it be for approximately 12 hours, it will simply lose all power. It won't turn on until I unplug it for a couple of seconds.

I have no problems with sleep mode, though I did have to enable USB wake up from the BIOS. Could that cause these problems? I might actually turn off USB wake up to see it it messes things up.

Is there some bad capacitor somewhere that could lose its charge that slowly?

 

[RGM79]

What's the cheapest way to get Windows 10, buy a Windows 8 key?

Buy a Windows 7 or 8 or 8.1 N license key for $10 from reddit, and then upgrade to Windows 10. Here's my usual disclaimer on reddit sales:

Cheap Windows licenses can be bought from reddit's microsoftsoftwareswap for cheap, around $20 USD or less. Windows 10 licenses are also available for $30~40. These are most likely legitimate keys that are resold from educational programs like Technet or MSDNAA/Dreamspark. However, you are dealing with a person instead of a retailer, and informal Windows keys sales are not approved by Microsoft and probably breaking some licensing agreement, but it's not illegal. The risks involved are that the person could be selling you a fake or used key, or that Microsoft may refuse to give you support and/or deactivate your license and refuse to reactivate it. That's not very likely, usually it only happens if the seller and their list of sold keys was caught. We've had people here using those keys without issues for a long time and others who say Microsoft deactivated their key after several months. These keys should be upgradeable to Windows 10, but confirm with the seller to be sure, of course.

Sorry if I was unclear, english isn't my first language.

The 4 year timeline was not meant for the GPU but for everything else like CPU, RAM etc.
Right now I don't really need to spend more on a GPU as the 270x is enough for the games I play. I don't need a high end GPU just something that can play new games on like medium settings if I feel like playing something new. And the 270x is capable of that.
And when in like 2 years it can't handle most games anymore, I would be willing to upgrade the GPU then.
Everything else like CPU, RAM, MB etc. I don't want to upgrade any time soon so they should last like 4-5 years when I might upgrade to a completely new system.
So the plan is to buy this pc, only if necessary upgrade the GPU in 2 years or so and then upgrade the whole system in 5 years.

The problem is I just found out that the 270x isn't even compatible with my current PSU (be quiet L7 pure power 430W) because it requires 2x 6 pin and my PSU only has 1x 6/8 Pin.

So I was thinking of buying the GTX 960 instead of going for a new PSU as it would be chaper. Can anyone tell me if this GPU, Motherboard and PSU combination is compatible with each other? Because the PSU has 1x 8Pin and the GPU also has 1x 8Pin. But I can't tell if the Motherboard also needs 1x 8Pin (which would then be one 8Pin too much I guess). Just wanna make sure, I have no clue about this kind of stuff tho.

http://skinflint.co.uk/kfa-geforce-gtx-960-exoc-96nph8dvd9xx-a1220634.html
http://skinflint.co.uk/be-quiet-pure-power-l7-430w-atx-2-3-l7-430w-bn105-a448450.html
http://skinflint.co.uk/asrock-b150m-pro4s-90-mxgzx0-a0uayz-a1318332.html

With the 960 I'm at 690€. That's also almost the most I would be willing to spend. So budget is 700€ max. The less the better of course

Oh, I see. Well, the R9 270X should suit you just fine then. You shouldn't need to upgrade the processor, and it's unlikely that you would need more than 8GB of RAM (but it is nice to have more).

Yeah, 430 watts is a bit weak as well, you should consider a new power supply. Don't worry about the CPU/motherboard needing 8 pin power cable, power supplies always have that and it is different from and should not be confused with graphics card 8 pin power cables. They do not work together and are not interchangeable.

Going with the GTX 960 isn't a bad idea, it consumes less power than the R9 270X and shouldn't require you to upgrade the power supply. However, if you wanted to, upgrading the power supply would ensure that the PC would be able to better handle future upgrades. According to the official specs that power supply is really only capable of 360 watts at 12V. The 12V rail is the important one that powers the graphics card and processor, and if you ever intend to buy a stronger graphics card, you will want to replace that Be Quiet! L7 power supply.

If you wish to spend less, I think the following build will suit you best:

1 x Crucial BX100 250GB, SATA (CT250BX100SSD1)
1 x Intel Core i5-4460, 4x 3.20GHz, boxed (BX80646I54460)
1 x Crucial Ballistix Sport DIMM 8GB, DDR3-1600, CL9-9-9-24 (BLS8G3D1609DS1S00)
1 x Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 WindForce 2X OC, 4GB GDDR5, 2x DVI, HDMI, 3x DisplayPort (GV-N960WF2OC-4GD)
1 x ASUS H81M-K (90MB0HI0-M0EAY0)
1 x BitFenix Comrade schwarz
Summe aller Bestpreise: € 620,80 (Österreich)
Summe aller Bestpreise: € 573,33 (Deutschland)

Edit: Included pricing from Deutschland since that seems to be where you're looking? Not sure what country you're in.

This build is cheaper and should offer close to the same performance as the Skylake build you were looking at. I would recommend Skylake if you were able to spend more, but because you're on a smaller budget and if you do not need the absolute latest parts, then for 621€ it's hard to go wrong.

So here's my two tentative picks

an offer from a local store (so probably not optimal):
INTEL Core I5-6600K 3,5GHz LGA1151 6MB Cache Boxed CPU NO COOLER
MSI Z170A PC MATE LGA1151 ATX DDR4 max RAM 64GB 6xSATA3 1xPCI-Ex16 HDMI
DVI D-Sub
CORSAIR DDR4 2400MHz 8GB Vengeance LPX Black Heat spreader
DEEPCOOL Theta 7 CPU-cooler
for 540€

or

Hazaros picks
Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
ASRock Z97 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
for ~400€

I'll be replacing my old Lynnfield i5 760 and the goal is to run new games well for 2-3 years. My GPU is a 970 and I've got 12G of DDR3 already.

If you want to save money, the Haswell build is the better pick since it should perform fairly closely. Otherwise going with Skylake means you get new tech like USB 3.1 and compatibility with future upgrades like DDR4 RAM.

Yes, I'm running a legit copy of Windows 10, an upgrade from OEM Windows 7.

The person you linked seems to be talking about sleep mode, but I'm talking about stand-by. Is that the wrong word? I mean, when I shut down the PC completely, and let it be for approximately 12 hours, it will simply lose all power. It won't turn on until I unplug it for a couple of seconds.

I have no problems with sleep mode, though I did have to enable USB wake up from the BIOS. Could that cause these problems? I might actually turn off USB wake up to see it it messes things up.

Is there some bad capacitor somewhere that could lose its charge that slowly?

Try disabling any power-saving features you find in the BIOS. An issue with that may be causing your PC to fail to turn back on.

 

[The Boat]

Does overclocking make that much of a difference in games and general use? I'm pondering waiting for non K Skylakes to reduce costs. I'm also afraid of shortening the CPUs life,

 

[Tacitus_]

If you want to save money, the Haswell build is the better pick since it should perform fairly closely. Otherwise going with Skylake means you get new tech like USB 3.1 and compatibility with future upgrades like DDR4 RAM.

Yeah, saving money is important for my students shoestring budget. I'll build a new machine from ground up once I graduate.

 

[CreepingFear]

Just completed my first PC technician call. Windows not booting= the video cable was loose. Installed PC speakers. Power cycled the modem twice. Installed Rosetta Stone. $30 for an hours work. Only needed to travel 10 minutes.

 

[RGM79]

Yeah, saving money is important for my students shoestring budget. I'll build a new machine from ground up once I graduate.

Haswell is still good for at least another two years, I'd say. You won't be missing out on too much by going with the build with the i5 4690K now. Two or three years from now, Intel should be ready to release the successor to Skylake and Z170's socket 1151 that was just released itself.

What country are you in, and how much are you thinking of spending? Maybe I can find something for you at a better price if you're on a shoestring budget.

Does overclocking make that much of a difference in games and general use? I'm pondering waiting for non K Skylakes to reduce costs. I'm also afraid of shortening the CPUs life,

Overclocking can make a difference depending on what you're doing. For the last few years, each new generation of Intel consumer processors hasn't been that strong of an improvement in processing power (Intel's been focusing on reducing power consumption and heat among other things) so when properly overclocked, even a 4 year old Intel i5 processor can dance with the latest i5 processors.

For that reason, we tend to recommend overclockable processors if it fits well into peoples' budgets. Saves them from having to upgrade as soon.

CPU lifespan is mostly a non-factor these days. They're made with such good quality control that I expect them to be able to last for at least a decade, and it's exceedingly rare to get a defective processor. When overclocked, they will still last longer than most people would ever need to keep them around for before the user will buy new parts.

 

[SliChillax]

http://www.newegg.com/global/uk/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133611&ignorebbr=1

This seems too good for the price. I see the reviews mentioning that it gets too hot but that doesn't seem to be much of an issue when you consider it costs at least 100 pounds less than the other 980 Ti's.

 

[RGM79]

http://www.newegg.com/global/uk/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133611&ignorebbr=1

This seems too good for the price. I see the reviews mentioning that it gets too hot but that doesn't seem to be much of an issue when you consider it costs at least 100 pounds less than the other 980 Ti's.

Go for it. Even if you spent some money on a better VGA cooler, that still probably costs less and is a better deal.

 

[low-G]

Any tips on reducing vibrations / noise from vibrations?

I'm using the Fractal Design R5 and it's incredibly quiet but somewhere near the power supply / bottom vent / rear is causing an occasional buzzing vibration. I'm thinking I just need some sort of small piece of padding around where the bottom vent slides in near the back.

Any good small foam suggestions?

 

[RGM79]

Any tips on reducing vibrations / noise from vibrations?

I'm using the Fractal Design R5 and it's incredibly quiet but somewhere near the power supply / bottom vent / rear is causing an occasional buzzing vibration. I'm thinking I just need some sort of small piece of padding around where the bottom vent slides in near the back.

Any good small foam suggestions?

Is the power supply fan defective? Any padding or foam should do.. try a dollar store?

 

[low-G]

Is the power supply fan defective? Any padding or foam should do.. try a dollar store?

I suspected that, so I put the PSU into Eco mode (only runs the fan sometimes), didn't hear the buzz. But then I realized it wasn't buzzing because I placed the computer on the carpet to test which was holding the bottom still.

It's buzzing more under load, but it's definitely because of a vibration because if I hold my hand in certain spots the buzz stops altogether & I can feel the vibration in those spots. Basically some fan is causing it, seemingly.

But I don't understand why the buzzing started exactly, I changed many components since it wasn't vibrating.

I put some packaging foam and wedged it under my case in the back and it seems to work, I was hoping for a small thing I could attach, to maybe make a foamed lip to the far end of the filter. But I'll look into dollar store foam.

 

[LilJoka]

I suspected that, so I put the PSU into Eco mode (only runs the fan sometimes), didn't hear the buzz. But then I realized it wasn't buzzing because I placed the computer on the carpet to test which was holding the bottom still.

It's buzzing more under load, but it's definitely because of a vibration because if I hold my hand in certain spots the buzz stops altogether & I can feel the vibration in those spots. Basically some fan is causing it, seemingly.

But I don't understand why the buzzing started exactly, I changed many components since it wasn't vibrating.

I put some packaging foam and wedged it under my case in the back and it seems to work, I was hoping for a small thing I could attach, to maybe make a foamed lip to the far end of the filter. But I'll look into dollar store foam.

Buzzing is usually from something vibrating at a resonant frequency. It can absolutely just start from moving the PC or just messing with the innards. It's usually a fan or more likely causing the resonance.

 

[SliChillax]

Go for it. Even if you spent some money on a better VGA cooler, that still probably costs less and is a better deal.

Price is without vat and shipping costs 37 pounds, 550 total. I hate it when websites fool you like this. I'd rather get a Gigabyte one.

 

[Tacitus_]

What country are you in, and how much are you thinking of spending? Maybe I can find something for you at a better price if you're on a shoestring budget.

I'm in Finland. I've got two carts ready, one here ordering from Germany http://de.pcpartpicker.com/p/4Wh2bv and one from Finland, which has the same components for 435€.

So my budget is around 400.

 

[SliChillax]

Thinking of getting a Noctua NH-D15 for my 5820k and it's currently 70 pounds at Amazon. Should I look further into water cooling? Noctua is always praised everywhere I read.

 

[RGM79]

I'm in Finland. I've got two carts ready, one here ordering from Germany http://de.pcpartpicker.com/p/4Wh2bv and one from Finland, which has the same components for 435€.

So my budget is around 400.

I found these links for parts, they total less than 350€ but I'm not sure if they include taxes or shipping.

1 x Intel Core i5-4690K, 4x 3.50GHz, boxed (BX80646I54690K)
1 x ASUS Z97-E (90MB0KX0-M0EAY5)
1 x Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo
Summe aller Bestpreise: € 344,16

Price is without vat and shipping costs 37 pounds, 550 total. I hate it when websites fool you like this. I'd rather get a Gigabyte one.

Thinking of getting a Noctua NH-D15 for my 5820k and it's currently 70 pounds at Amazon. Should I look further into water cooling? Noctua is always praised everywhere I read.

Looks like good air coolers cost 50~70.. while water coolers for that same price range aren't anywhere near as good in performance if you compare them to a similarly-price Noctua.

That's too bad about the GTX 980 Ti.

 

[kennah]

Thinking of getting a Noctua NH-D15 for my 5820k and it's currently 70 pounds at Amazon. Should I look further into water cooling? Noctua is always praised everywhere I read.

Make sure it is compatible with socket 2011 before ordering. Certain models aren't.

 

[CreepingFear]

Thinking of getting a Noctua NH-D15 for my 5820k and it's currently 70 pounds at Amazon. Should I look further into water cooling? Noctua is always praised everywhere I read.

I'm going with the Noctua NH-D15 when the 6700k is finally available. My research shows that the Noctua NH-D15 is just as good as the all in one closed loop water coolers. Maybe a few degrees difference in the bench marks I saw. Plus, you don't have to worry about potential leakage of the AIO close loop water coolers or having to place the radiator somewhere. Sure, there are minuses like the huge ass heat sink and memory clearance. That can be remedied by either buying low profile ram, taking off the second fan, or moving the second fan a little above the ran heat spreaders.

 

[SliChillax]

Make sure it is compatible with socket 2011 before ordering. Certain models aren't.

Yup it's compatible.

I'm going with the Noctua NH-D15 when the 6700k is finally available. My research shows that the Noctua NH-D15 is just as good as the all in one closed loop water coolers. Maybe a few degrees difference in the bench marks I saw. Plus, you don't have to worry about potential leakage of the AIO close loop water coolers or having to place the radiator somewhere. Sure, there are minuses like the huge ass heat sink and memory clearance. That can be remedied by either buying low profile ram, taking off the second fan, or moving the second fan a little above the ran heat spreaders.

Yeah that's what I also got from my research. I don't mind the added bulk from the huge heatsink since my case is big enough and my ram is already low profile. Closed loops look too much of a hassle to me.

Looks like good air coolers cost 50~70.. while water coolers for that same price range aren't anywhere near as good in performance if you compare them to a similarly-price Noctua.

That's too bad about the GTX 980 Ti.

I already ordered the G1 Gigabyte 980Ti so no big deal, glad to hear I chose the right cooler.

 

[CreepingFear]

Yup it's compatible.



Yeah that's what I also got from my research. I don't mind the added bulk from the huge heatsink since my case is big enough and my ram is already low profile. Closed loops look too much of a hassle to me.



I already ordered the G1 Gigabyte 980Ti so no big deal, glad to hear I chose the right cooler.

I feel like if I'm going to ever go liquid cooling, I'll go all the way with fittings, pump, etc. That adds quite a cost to the build and you have more maintenance. Water cooling and Small Form Factor are things I want to try someday. I don't think I'm comfortable doing it for my main rig just yet.

 

[RGM79]

Was looking into getting a new computer and was waiting on the Surface Pro 4, but every time I think about getting that, I can't help but feel I should be getting a gaming PC for that money.

The only thing is, every time I think about building one, I come into this thread and immediately get a headache lol. Everything is laid out pretty well, but I just don't know where to start and I'm used to getting computers where everything is made for me, so this is new to me. Makes me think should I try something like CyberPower or something or maybe I'm just being difficult. *shrugs*

Your Current Specs: None. No gaming PC.
Budget: $1000-$1250

Main Use: Gaming will be the main priority here in addition to some Photoshop/Illustrator work. Also some general usage and web searching.

Monitor Resolution: 1080p is what I want to shoot for. May go higher later on.
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: GTA5, Battlefield 4, Counterstrike, LoL, and most other relatively new games on great settings.

Is 30FPS acceptable? I prefer 60FPS.

How important is PhysX / SuperSampling / CUDA to you? Willing to take advice as far as if I will need it.
Looking to reuse any parts?: Nah. Everything from scratch.
When will you build?: No deadline.
Will you be overclocking?: Sure. Maybe. lol.

If you don't quite want to do the whole thing yourself, places like NCIX offer assembly for $50, just order all the parts from there. Assembly includes 1 year warranty.

I'd recommend you a parts list, but I'm occupied at the moment. Still, maybe someone else will see this and help, or I'll get back to you later when I have time.

 

[paskowitz]

Tomorrow I am deliding my 4790K and applying CooLaboratory Liquid Metal Ultra. Also applying CLU to my 980 ti Classified.

Pray for me.

 

[DeliciousDoc]

so I think I messed up pretty bad. I bought a pc with no OS.

I have an iso of windows 7 on an external drive (along with other stuff inside folders )and a copy of my old pc (had windows create an image including drivers) on another external drive. PC I bought has no CD drive (realized this now). How can I get an OS on my PC.

Booting from either external drives ( if im doing this properly) brings me back to the BIOS on my pc. Thought this would be simple but Im way over my head. I have access to a laptop to move or add files to my external hard drives.

Help.

 

[Mohasus]

so I think I messed up pretty bad. I bought a pc with no OS.

I have an iso of windows 7 on an external drive (along with other stuff inside folders )and a copy of my old pc (had windows create an image including drivers) on another external drive. PC I bought has no CD drive (realized this now). How can I get an OS on my PC.

Booting from either external drives ( if im doing this properly) brings me back to the BIOS on my pc. Thought this would be simple but way over my head. I have access to a laptop to move or add files to my PC.

Help.

Check if the flash drive isn't showing as a hard drive. If it is, set as the first drive to boot.

 

[M.D]

A PC with a GA-F2A88X-D3H, AMD A10-6790K and 8GB RAM should be able to run Windows 10 and light games like Dota 2 fairly well, right? Because this new PC in my mom's house runs Windows like garbage and Dota 2 is barely 30FPS with less than medium settings

I've tried a ton of solutions regrading the Windows performance but it still runs like garbage for some reason :\

 

[LilJoka]

so I think I messed up pretty bad. I bought a pc with no OS.

I have an iso of windows 7 on an external drive (along with other stuff inside folders )and a copy of my old pc (had windows create an image including drivers) on another external drive. PC I bought has no CD drive (realized this now). How can I get an OS on my PC.

Booting from either external drives ( if im doing this properly) brings me back to the BIOS on my pc. Thought this would be simple but Im way over my head. I have access to a laptop to move or add files to my external hard drives.

Help.

You need to use the Microsoft USB install tool to create a bootable USB installer. The tool asks you to browse to the ISO and and a target USB device to create the USB installer. That would need another of handy if you only have the ISO in your possession.

 

[RGM79]

A PC with a GA-F2A88X-D3H, AMD A10-6790K and 8GB RAM should be able to run Windows 10 and light games like Dota 2 fairly well, right? Because this new PC in my mom's house runs Windows like garbage and Dota 2 is barely 30FPS with less than medium settings

I've tried a ton of solutions regrading the Windows performance but it still runs like garbage for some reason :\

Are all the drivers installed? What are the system specs? RAM speed?

 

[LilJoka]

A PC with a GA-F2A88X-D3H, AMD A10-6790K and 8GB RAM should be able to run Windows 10 and light games like Dota 2 fairly well, right? Because this new PC in my mom's house runs Windows like garbage and Dota 2 is barely 30FPS with less than medium settings

I've tried a ton of solutions regrading the Windows performance but it still runs like garbage for some reason :\

Check the GPU and CPU usage.

 

[DeliciousDoc]

You need to use the Microsoft USB install tool to create a bootable USB installer. The tool asks you to browse to the ISO and and a target USB device to create the USB installer. That would need another of handy if you only have the ISO in your possession.

Thanks again for the help. Does this work with a 2TB external drive or do I need a usb key? Im having some problems and im not sure if its the iso (worked 3 years ago) or the fact my drive is too big.

 

[Stubo]

Make sure it is compatible with socket 2011 before ordering. Certain models aren't.

Yup it's compatible.

It's worth looking at the S version of the NH-D15 if you're running X99.

Some motherboards will have the top PCI-E slot blocked off by the heatsink on the regular NH-D15, this is particularly an issue with X99 because it's often the slot you'd use for your GPU. The NH-D15S is offset so that it clears this slot and it has 1 fan instead of 2 so RAM clearance isn't an issue.

Surprisingly from the reviews I've seen the performance isn't hindered much by the single fan, but you can always add another later if you wish.

 

[The Boat]

Haswell is still good for at least another two years, I'd say. You won't be missing out on too much by going with the build with the i5 4690K now. Two or three years from now, Intel should be ready to release the successor to Skylake and Z170's socket 1151 that was just released itself.

What country are you in, and how much are you thinking of spending? Maybe I can find something for you at a better price if you're on a shoestring budget.



Overclocking can make a difference depending on what you're doing. For the last few years, each new generation of Intel consumer processors hasn't been that strong of an improvement in processing power (Intel's been focusing on reducing power consumption and heat among other things) so when properly overclocked, even a 4 year old Intel i5 processor can dance with the latest i5 processors.

For that reason, we tend to recommend overclockable processors if it fits well into peoples' budgets. Saves them from having to upgrade as soon.

CPU lifespan is mostly a non-factor these days. They're made with such good quality control that I expect them to be able to last for at least a decade, and it's exceedingly rare to get a defective processor. When overclocked, they will still last longer than most people would ever need to keep them around for before the user will buy new parts.

Thank you, I'll try to accommodate it in my budget when I have a final one.

 

[LilJoka]

Thanks again for the help. Does this work with a 2TB external drive or do I need a usb key? Im having some problems and im not sure if its the iso (worked 3 years ago) or the fact my drive is too big.

It works with any USB drive, but remember it will be formatted in the process.

 

[OEM]

bump

PC GAF I need some helps deciding wheatear to build new rig or upgrade my old.
So about 5 years ago I build my first PC, I did not think it through and even bought overpriced dead end components. (Why dead end? I will tell you in a sec). So here are the main components.
AMD Phenom II X6
Crosshair IV Formula
GTX 465
4GB RAM
2TB HDD

Btw my GPU was busted a year ago so just to avoid cost I bought 100$ GPU at the time. Which works fine for my basic browsing and some counter strike at the moment.

Now here is a problem. I have money to build new PC, but I don’t like the idea of my old PC going to waste (no one is going to buy it I know). And nothing in my current PC will be reusable because I want to go with Intel set up this time around.

Now if I want to upgrade my old PC. What are my options? I have spent so much money on my motherboard at the time and did not realize it will not support new AMD processor. That’s what I meant by dead end component.

But is it okay if I get something like GTX 970, and upgrade my RAM to 16GB (does my MOBO even support 16GB RAM?). I should be fine? Or my CPU will bottleneck my rig heavily? I am screwed with my overprice motherboard lol

P.S

I am not intense PC gamer, I want to do programming, watch high def movies, and occasionally play games too on my PC.

I'm sure you could still get a couple hundred for your old pc.

too much hassle, and is it worth selling it for super low? and build new 1k+ rig?

 

[Tacitus_]

I found these links for parts, they total less than 350€ but I'm not sure if they include taxes or shipping.

1 x Intel Core i5-4690K, 4x 3.50GHz, boxed (BX80646I54690K)
1 x ASUS Z97-E (90MB0KX0-M0EAY5)
1 x Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo
Summe aller Bestpreise: € 344,16

I appreciate the effort, but that's a different motherboard. http://geizhals.de/asrock-z97-extreme3-90-mxgu90-a0uayz-a1111282.html is the same one and it's price differs by two euros from the one from Mindfactory.
I'll read some reviews on it as I'd like to go with ASUS on a principle, but performance trumps principles.

 

[w00zey]

really stupid question but building my first pc i a long time and everything has gone fine but what is he connector next to the two powerr connectors on the top of a 980ti ? It looks like a fan connector but I'm not sure if this is if you do something after market.

 

[w00zey]

nevermind definitely for the fan but wtf they didn't give me an adapter and I don't think I got one with my power supply.

 

[SliChillax]

It's worth looking at the S version of the NH-D15 if you're running X99.

Some motherboards will have the top PCI-E slot blocked off by the heatsink on the regular NH-D15, this is particularly an issue with X99 because it's often the slot you'd use for your GPU. The NH-D15S is offset so that it clears this slot and it has 1 fan instead of 2 so RAM clearance isn't an issue.

Surprisingly from the reviews I've seen the performance isn't hindered much by the single fan, but you can always add another later if you wish.

Ahhh that doesn't sound too good. Mine is already being shipped so I'll see if I have any clearance issues I'll return it. Thanks a lot for the info.

 

[Bizzquik]

Hi all.
Question on motherboards:

Generally speaking, how many frames per second would I improve by getting a motherboard like the ASUS ROG Maximus VII Hero vs the cheaper ASUS Z97-A USB 3.1 ...?

Using two 980 TI's and an i7-4970K...with light overclocking.
Already own the Z97-A and planned to use it here, but I'm worried its going to drag down the other components.

Thanks in advance.

 

[FadedRevolution]

I'm not sure where to put this but I'm having a problem with my pc. My son disconnected my pc and now it won't turn on at all. I don't know if he was able to get into the pc and touch the motherboard and short it out (There are some small spaces where he can stick his fingers in). Right now when I turn on my pc some of the lights come on in the case. The CPU fan turns on and runs also changes colors to the settings I put it at and the dvd drive works. Besides that nothing else comes on. Did my motherboard get a short and do I need to buy a new one or is it still salvagable.

 

[ChackanKun]

I need an opinion.

This is my current rig:

- AMD FX8350
- 6GB DDR3 RAM (soon to be 12GB)
- KINGSTON SSD 128GB and WD SATA 1TB
- AMD RADEON R7 265

Would getting another AMD RADEON R7 265 and X-Fire them make a nice bump in FPS?