• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

"I Need a New PC!" 2016 Plus Ultra! HBM2, VR, 144Hz, and 4K for all!

Status
Not open for further replies.

kennah

Member
Okay, since I didn't get a response, i'll try asking a more specific question:

I'm interested in building a handheld/slightly-thicker-than-a-tablet-size PC for playing games in 720/1080 on the go (rough build: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/2VCpBP) and was wondering about powering such a device with a rechargeable battery. Would this be possible and if so, what battery could be used (I found this one for about $25 but I don't know if it would be powerful enough to run such a device for 2-3 hours plus the screen)? As a follow-up, would it be possible to solder button inputs to the motherboard? Budget is $1,000 but i'm willing to spend a bit more efficient components.

Define "On The Go"? I don' think this is going to do what you think it does. That battery is 12V and at 6800ma it would only last like, 25 minutes, if that.

Why not just get a Windows 10 Tablet?
 

jfoul

Member
I knew it was coming soon to compete with the Intel 600p Series. The 960 PRO and 960 EVO SSDs will be available worldwide starting October 2016

Samsung Announces the 960 Pro and 960 EVO Series M.2 NVMe SSDs

85b_thm.jpg


The 960 EVO is available in 250GB, 500GB and 1TB capacities and provide users with next-generation personal computing performance. The new Samsung Intelligent TurboWrite technology makes its debut in the 960 EVO and accelerates sequential read and write speeds, that reach peaks of 3,200 MB/s and 1,900 MB/s respectively.4,5 The 960 EVO's random read speed reaches up to 380,000 IOPS and random write speed up to 360,000 IOPS.6 The 960 EVO comes with a three-year limited warranty and up to 400 terabytes written (TBW), whichever occurs first, for the 1TB capacity version.
 

CazTGG

Member
Define "On The Go"? I don' think this is going to do what you think it does. That battery is 12V and at 6800ma it would only last like, 25 minutes, if that.

Why not just get a Windows 10 Tablet?

Already own a tablet and don't see the point in buying another. What I mean by "on the go" is that the PC is portable i.e. able to be held in one's hands like a GameGear, Lynx or any other bulky handheld device, minus the AA batteries, and played outside of the house for a period of time. Speaking of the batteries, the one I linked to was just an example of one that I found and I could (and most likely would) go for one with a higher one, however i'd prefer to know if that kind of battery would work for this project and how so I know i'm on the right track before I go any further with/start this project.
 
NO worries :) Personally I'd go for the BH4, it's only slightly bigger, supports MATX. It's literally an inch larger than the super small ITX case I have at home. Really want to upgrade.

I'll take that into consideration. Not going to build until around the holidays but I'm doing my research now because I've never tried small form factor. Appreciate the advice
 

tim.mbp

Member
Okay, since I didn't get a response, i'll try asking a more specific question:

I'm interested in building a handheld/slightly-thicker-than-a-tablet-size PC for playing games in 720/1080 on the go (rough build: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/2VCpBP) and was wondering about powering such a device with a rechargeable battery. Would this be possible and if so, what battery could be used (I found this one for about $25 but I don't know if it would be powerful enough to run such a device for 2-3 hours plus the screen)? As a follow-up, would it be possible to solder button inputs to the motherboard? Budget is $1,000 but i'm willing to spend a bit more efficient components.

What's your plan in fitting a micro atx board and desktop graphics card into a slightly thicker than tablet sized case?
 

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
Already own a tablet and don't see the point in buying another. What I mean by "on the go" is that the PC is portable i.e. able to be held in one's hands like a GameGear, Lynx or any other bulky handheld device, minus the AA batteries, and played outside of the house for a period of time. Speaking of the batteries, the one I linked to was just an example of one that I found and I could (and most likely would) go for one with a higher one, however i'd prefer to know if that kind of battery would work for this project and how so I know i'm on the right track before I go any further with/start this project.

So you want to build a handheld PC? Whatever you put together is either not going to be portable or it's not going to be what you want.

Even if you do manage to build something, it's going to be more expensive and require a lot more work than just buying a Windows 10 tablet, or something like a GPDWin.

If you don't care and are more interested in the project than the device you end up with, look into modding an Intel NUC, that will at least get you going in the right direction.
 

Raw64life

Member
Is waiting for Kaby Lake worth it at this point? I'm due for a new build and was hoping that by the time GTX 1000 series prices stabilized Kaby Lake would at least have a release date.

If it isn't at least out by Black Friday then I'm going to say to hell with it. I'm not gonna miss out on deals for what's probably gonna be a 5-10% better CPU.
 

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
Is waiting for Kaby Lake worth it at this point? I'm due for a new build and was hoping that by the time GTX 1000 series prices stabilized Kaby Lake would at least have a release date.

If it isn't at least out by Black Friday then I'm going to say to hell with it. I'm not gonna miss out on deals for what's probably gonna be a 5-10% better CPU.

5-10% is optimistic. Kaby is basically Skylake refresh, similar to what Devil's Canyon was to Haswell.

Intel is just selling it as a new series so PC manufacturers have an upgrade for the year.
 
My mother in law wants a new computer and I was wondering if there's any benefit to me building a computer over her just buying one? Obviously this is not going to be a gaming rig and will be more of a general purpose machine, but I'd like something that will last them a long time.
 

kennah

Member
My mother in law wants a new computer and I was wondering if there's any benefit to me building a computer over her just buying one? Obviously this is not going to be a gaming rig and will be more of a general purpose machine, but I'd like something that will last them a long time.

Get a Dell or something reasonable
with good phone support that she can call instead of you
 

Bloodember

Member
My mother in law wants a new computer and I was wondering if there's any benefit to me building a computer over her just buying one? Obviously this is not going to be a gaming rig and will be more of a general purpose machine, but I'd like something that will last them a long time.

Price and knowing what you have.
 

Raw64life

Member
5-10% is optimistic. Kaby is basically Skylake refresh, similar to what Devil's Canyon was to Haswell.

Intel is just selling it as a new series so PC manufacturers have an upgrade for the year.

Thanks. Has there been any talk of a big update next year? I really don't want to wait another year to upgrade but I'm afraid of biting the bullet now and then next year "WOW THE BIGGEST UPDATE SINCE SANDY BRIDGE" (which is what I have currently have).
 

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
Thanks. Has there been any talk of a big update next year? I really don't want to wait another year to upgrade but I'm afraid of biting the bullet now and then next year "WOW THE BIGGEST UPDATE SINCE SANDY BRIDGE" (which is what I have currently have).

You probably don't have to worry about that. Cannon and Coffee Lake in 2018 should be marginal improvements. Cannonlake is going is a tick and move to 10nm, Coffee Lake is basically Cannon on 14nm which will just be further optimization of Skylake. Ice Lake will probably be the next tock which will have a bigger performance increase, realistically in 2019, but it's still unlikely to be a "BIGGEST UPDATE SINCE SANDY BRIDGE" situation. Intel is still focused on efficiency above all else.

Zen/Summit Ridge is the most interesting thing on the horizon. It's not going to beat Intel's offerings in raw performance, but it might at least be close enough that AMD is a viable option for non-enthusiast-tier builds.
 

CazTGG

Member
So you want to build a handheld PC? Whatever you put together is either not going to be portable or it's not going to be what you want.

Even if you do manage to build something, it's going to be more expensive and require a lot more work than just buying a Windows 10 tablet, or something like a GPDWin.

If you don't care and are more interested in the project than the device you end up with, look into modding an Intel NUC, that will at least get you going in the right direction.

It's moreso the project of making a handheld PC with controller inputs and a small screen than the end results (I was considering the WIN but its performance leaves something to be desired and I have no idea what is going on with the Dragonbox Pyra or PGS). I was looking into modding one of the NUC models, specifically the Skull Canyon or the Maingear Spark (which doesn't seem to be sold anymore) prior to this project, though finding a recommended 19v battery to supply the necessary power has yielded few results that aren't justpower banks (which i'm not sure if it could be modded to work as a battery or to indicate how much or little power is left).
 

amardilo

Member
Has anyone used a PCI slot fan to exhaust air out of a case?

I have a spare slot under my graphics card (ASUS GTX 1070 Strix) and was wondering if I should get one to help get the hot air out of my case. Are they any good and are there any quiet ones?
 

Pagusas

Elden Member
Has anyone used a PCI slot fan to exhaust air out of a case?

I have a spare slot under my graphics card (ASUS GTX 1070 Strix) and was wondering if I should get one to help get the hot air out of my case. Are they any good and are there any quiet ones?

I did in my current build for a short while. It ended up being the noisest fan in my case and I despised it. Tried several, never found a good one, so I took a hole saw and cut a 120mm hole into the case side just above the GPU and added an intake (I believe in possitive pressure combined with monthly cleanings)
 
Have a wierd question, picked up a 1060 last week - I'm benchmarking on GRID Autosport and it's not maxing out full CPU or GPU processors... Why is that? It's not VSYNC or anything like that, definitely off.
 

MrOogieBoogie

BioShock Infinite is like playing some homeless guy's vivid imagination
Just installed a brand new EVGA GTX 1060 6GB SC (holy acronyms) and I want to make sure it's not running too hot. HWMonitor reports 48C idle temp and 77C during Mankind Divided gameplay. I worry only because my EVGA GTX 960 2GB never went above 65C during load and hovered in the low 30s while idle. I don't know what's normal or not.

Also according to HWMonitor, my fan idles at 0 RPM. Does this mean it's not spinning at all?

EDIT: Doing some further research I've discovered that the 0 RPM is actually an advertised "feature" for this card, sacrificing higher idle temps for less noise.

Anyway, I just completed my upgrade:

i3-2100 to i5-6500
960 GTX 2GB to 1060 GTX 6GB
16GB 1333MHz RAM to 16GB 2133MHz RAM


oh my god

Albeit I'm running these games at 1050p (one upgrade at a time :p), but...

Mankind Divided: 60fps locked at max settings
DOOM: 145-200fps at Ultra settings (Vulkan)
Witcher 3: 80fps in the middle of Novigrad on Ultra

I feel like someone gave me control of the universe and I don't know what to do with it.
 

Uraizen

Banned
Need a second opinion.

Would it be worth upgrading from:

i7 2600k (stock speeds, can only OC to ~3.7)
GTX 980 G1 Gaming (non Ti)
DDR3 16GB at 1600 (If I recall correctly)

to

i7 6700k
GTX 1080
DDR4 16GB 2400

I find myself often having to turn down settings at 1080p now. Trying to stream certain games to twitch isn't an option now. I run a dual monitor setup and am always using both at the same time, even when gaming. I figure my GPU is still "good enough," but my CPU is questionable.
 

Raw64life

Member
You probably don't have to worry about that. Cannon and Coffee Lake in 2018 should be marginal improvements. Cannonlake is going is a tick and move to 10nm, Coffee Lake is basically Cannon on 14nm which will just be further optimization of Skylake. Ice Lake will probably be the next tock which will have a bigger performance increase, realistically in 2019, but it's still unlikely to be a "BIGGEST UPDATE SINCE SANDY BRIDGE" situation. Intel is still focused on efficiency above all else.

Zen/Summit Ridge is the most interesting thing on the horizon. It's not going to beat Intel's offerings in raw performance, but it might at least be close enough that AMD is a viable option for non-enthusiast-tier builds.

Thanks. In that case I'll probably be biting the bullet on a new build around Black Friday.
 

Vipu

Banned
Need a second opinion.

Would it be worth upgrading from:

i7 2600k (stock speeds, can only OC to ~3.7)
GTX 980 G1 Gaming (non Ti)
DDR3 16GB at 1600 (If I recall correctly)

to

i7 6700k
GTX 1080
DDR4 16GB 2400

I find myself often having to turn down settings at 1080p now. Trying to stream certain games to twitch isn't an option now. I run a dual monitor setup and am always using both at the same time, even when gaming. I figure my GPU is still "good enough," but my CPU is questionable.

That would be pretty big upgrade yes, but "worth it" depends from your budget etc.
 

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
Thanks. In that case I'll probably be biting the bullet on a new build around Black Friday.

That's my plan, at least for my core parts.

Have my case (Silverstone SG10). Ordered an optical drive and adapter for it. Under $30 for a BD drive? Sure, I'll give it a try. Might also order the case fans I'm looking at in advance, basic stuff I can test out in my current build to make sure it works, then set it aside.



Now might not be a bad time though, Monoprice has 6600Ks and 6700Ks for $210 and $300 respectively, both on their site and via Ebay. Probably the lowest they have ever been.
 

Pagusas

Elden Member
One thing I'm skipping on my next build is an optical drive (my last build's DVD drive got used 1 time, to install Windows 7 and that was it. Anyone had any issue going without an optical drive?
 
One thing I'm skipping on my next build is an optical drive (my last build's DVD drive got used 1 time, to install Windows 7 and that was it. Anyone had any issue going without an optical drive?

I don't have an optical drive and it hasn't been an issue. I just had to download the Windows 10 installer onto a USB drive. The code I have with my physical copy of Win7 worked with it, no problems.
 

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
Would it be possible for me to build an AMD powered rig at $700 that'd meet the recommended specs on Gears 4?

static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/3109571-specs.jpg

Hopefully just an AMD GPU, not CPU and GPU? You don't want an AMD CPU, at least not until Zen hits. And there's no guarantee that will deliver either.

If you have peripherals (mouse, keyboard, monitor) to carry over you could get a build with a 470 or 480 though, even better if you have more to reuse. Something between the Good and Great build in the OP would fit that fine.
One thing I'm skipping on my next build is an optical drive (my last build's DVD drive got used 1 time, to install Windows 7 and that was it. Anyone had any issue going without an optical drive?

Most builds recommended here pass on the optical drive. I still use mine maybe a few times a year so I keep one, but I think most people could get by without one.
 
One thing I'm skipping on my next build is an optical drive (my last build's DVD drive got used 1 time, to install Windows 7 and that was it. Anyone had any issue going without an optical drive?

I've been without an optical drive for at least 3 years, and it has never been an issue. My current case doesn't even support it.

I am considering getting an external Blu-ray player now though ... but with the current lack of 4K BD support on PC I'm hesitating. Would rather spend that money on an X1 S/Scorpio tbh.
 

kuYuri

Member
Would it be possible for me to build an AMD powered rig at $700 that'd meet the recommended specs on Gears 4?

static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/123/1239113/3109571-specs.jpg

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($184.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI 970 GAMING ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($87.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 480 8GB NITRO+ Video Card ($268.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.89 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $705.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-21 20:05 EDT-0400

If you want an AMD CPU, would highly recommend waiting until Zen though.
 

MrOogieBoogie

BioShock Infinite is like playing some homeless guy's vivid imagination
One idea: supersample.

Can I achieve the same effect by increasing the resolution scale in games?

If at 100% in BF4 I'm playing at my native resolution of 1680x1050, what should I set it to to emulate performance on a 1080p monitor? 110%? 115%? Or is it not entirely possible to emulate it this way? Overwatch has this setting too.
 

J_Viper

Member
Hopefully just an AMD GPU, not CPU and GPU? You don't want an AMD CPU, at least not until Zen hits. And there's no guarantee that will deliver either.

If you have peripherals (mouse, keyboard, monitor) to carry over you could get a build with a 470 or 480 though, even better if you have more to reuse. Something between the Good and Great build in the OP would fit that fine.


Most builds recommended here pass on the optical drive. I still use mine maybe a few times a year so I keep one, but I think most people could get by without one.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($184.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI 970 GAMING ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($87.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 480 8GB NITRO+ Video Card ($268.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.89 @ OutletPC)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $705.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-21 20:05 EDT-0400

If you want an AMD CPU, would highly recommend waiting until Zen though.

Yes but dont get AMD cpu.

Thanks a bunch to all of ya, this is the first time I've ever looked into building a PC, so I'm totally new to this.

What's a solid CPU alternative to an AMD that'd fit that $700~ price range?

I figure I can get away with a stock KB+M since I plan to roll with an Xbone controller for games.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top Bottom