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[WooHooAlex]

I'm gonna be building my first rig a little later this summer. I think I've decided on the final build. Here's what I came up with (after some much appreciated advice from GAF)

Case - Thermaltake Chaser Series Chaser MK-I - ($114.99) ($85 after $30 rebate)
Motherboard - ASUS Z170-AR LGA 1151 ATX Intel Motherboard - ($109.99)
CPU - Intel Core i5-6600k 3.5GHz - ($209.99)
CPU Cooler - Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler - ($36.99)
GPU - GTX 1070 - ($379.99)
RAM - CORSAIR Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 3000 - ($68.99)
SSD - SanDisk SSD Plus 480GB - ($119.99)
Power Supply - Thermaltake 600 Watt 80 Plus ATX Power Supply - ($54.99)
OS - Windows 10 Home - ($85.95)
Monitor - BenQ RL2755HM 27 inch - ($259.99)

This build (including monitor) will cost about $1400-$1450 before taxes. Hoping some parts will be on sale/rebate when I'm ready to buy and obviously much of that build is subject to tweaks. Anyone have any suggestions?
Also, think that power supply will do?

I'm still undecided on the GTX 1070. I may go for the RX 480 instead (the 8GB model) paired with a nice freesync monitor. Since I'm targeting ultra/high settings at 1080p with a high FPS anyways. Could save me $200-$300 and I'd still be getting the performance I'm looking for.

 

[Ace 8095]

I don't know anything about that Dell but note that it has a TN panel. The Acer (and the competing Asus) have IPS-type panels.

Somehow I completely missed that Acer is an IPS monitor. That explains the price difference.

 

[cHinzo]

thanks


i see thanks
sorry but what uyou mean by 2 ? a stock and aftermarket or 2 aftermarket?

I think he means put 2 fans onto the cooler itself. One on the front to blow cool air in and one on the rear to blow hot air out, to get a push-pull effect which generally gets you lower temperatures.

 

[Celcius]

Meh, I'm disappointed in Broadwell-E. Just ordered some 2133mhz memory to upgrade from 1600mhz since it's dirt cheap these days. My 4.6ghz 2600k just keeps on going

 

[K' Dash]

I'm just stopping by to thank Hazaro and everyone helping in this thread, thanks to you I built my second Gaming PC using this very thread.

Now I have what I consider a very high end rig that is being put to good use with Witcher 3 blood and wine and Doom.

Keep the good work guys, you're awesome 😘

 

[kuYuri]

Cousin wanted to build a budget desktop wanted some help from you guys.

Your Current Specs: None
Budget: $400-$600 + United States
Main Use: Word processing, web browsing, movies (no games)
No monitor required.
List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: Office and any media players
When will you build?: Don't have a deadline
Will you be overclocking?: No point this cousin can't game haha.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($110.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B150M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($67.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($34.49 @ Newegg)
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Corsair 100R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($42.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0 DVD/CD Writer ($15.89 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($84.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $462.31
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-02 21:48 EDT-0400

 

[ndawgdrake]

How would a 2500k @4.5 paired with a 1070 handle 1440p? Thinking of getting a 1440p 144hz gsync monitor.

 

[NOKYARD]

I'm just stopping by to thank Hazaro and everyone helping in this thread, thanks to you I built my second Gaming PC using this very thread.

Now I have what I consider a very high end rig that is being put to good use with Witcher 3 blood and wine and Doom.

Keep the good work guys, you're awesome 😘

Pics, or it didn't happen.

 

[kennah]

What do you think. Go from 3770K @stock because H67 board to i3 6100 at stock? I'd make about $100 doing the change.

 

[xkramz]

anyone has the asus sabertooth z170 S?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132715

any thoughts??

 

[Cutwolf]

How long do you guys think until there are 4k/144 hz displays and cards (in sli) to power them?

 

[Emarv]

How long do you guys think until there are 4k/144 hz displays and cards (in sli) to power them?

Depends on what HBM2 results actually are. I'd still say a few years before they're anywhere near accessible to normal consumers.

 

[Sarobi]

So I'll be doing an i5 2500k with a 212 evo cpu cooler. I want to overclock it, but have no experience OC'ing... so.. is it hard? I'd like to go for 4.5ghz since that seems like the normal OC to do for the 2500k. Any help would be appreciated. Oh, and the mobo is an Asrock Z75 PRO3 (in case that helps in anyway)

 

[Celcius]

What do you think. Go from 3770K @stock because H67 board to i3 6100 at stock? I'd make about $100 doing the change.

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

 

[sfried]

Each added HDD increase boot time. When I built my X99, start with just a SSD and fresh install Windows. 5 sec boot. Shutdown, add a HDD, and suddenly, it's now a 20 sec startup.

It probably has to do with how HDD initialize / verify by the bios and OS startup. Since SSDs are so much faster, they don't add noticeable time compare to HDDs.

That's odd though. I boot to Safe Mode and it essentially replicated the original boot time I got from a fresh install. Also note that I did not "add" an HDD when I first installed my PC. It already had the internal 4TB HDD and 1TB SDD in addition to the M.2 drive all built-in into the rig.

 

[Megabat]

What do you think. Go from 3770K @stock because H67 board to i3 6100 at stock? I'd make about $100 doing the change.

Huh, well. Considering you would have to find a used Z77 board to overclock that 3770K, I would probably go for the i3. Will you have a Z/H170 board, 16GB of DDR4, and that extra hundred in the end?

Depending on what GPU you have now, $100 would go a long way to an upgrade. That's half an RX 480, and you'd have a newer socket, better memory...

 

[Megabat]

My friend has an old Cooler Master 212 that he got for an LGA 1151 socket CPU. He got a new CPU that's LGA 2011 V3 and a new motherboard and the bracket for the heat sink doesn't seem to fit. The bracket doesn't screw down far enough which allows the heat sink to shift in a circular motion.

Has anyone ever had this issue or something like it. Could it be that the old parts are stripped or damaged in some way and that's why the bracket doesn't fit properly, or are there possibly new parts to the cooler and he should get a new one?

I see what you mean. This might help: http://www.overclock.net/t/1322128/guide-installing-cooler-master-hyper-212-evo-plus-x-on-sockets-775-115x-1366-2011-v3-am2-am3-fm1-fm2

Though I believe your friend should get a better cooler for an LGA2011 CPU. The 212 is good for mainstream systems, but for a 140W six-or-eight core, you should use something more reliable/performant. Maybe a Noctua NH-D14 or an NZXT Kraken X61.

 

[kennah]

Huh, well. Considering you would have to find a used Z77 board to overclock that 3770K, I would probably go for the i3. Will you have a Z/H170 board, 16GB of DDR4, and that extra hundred in the end?

Depending on what GPU you have now, $100 would go a long way to an upgrade. That's half an RX 480, and you'd have a newer socket, better memory...

Currently I have the h67. Not having much luck finding a z77 and I don't like any of the itx z77 boards anyway.

There is a b150 Asus board that looks cool available locally for $85 Canadian. That $100 is with 16 ram from 8 and a 780 from 670

 

[UmbraeCruxis]

Strictly gaming...? Definetly an i5 6600k right now.



I think an i5 build with an RX 480 is probably your best bet. You can probably get it under $800...not including Windows or a Display. Start by looking at the builds in the OT.

Something like this...?

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/DyxJ7h
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/DyxJ7h/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($233.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3P ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($102.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($57.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 480GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($94.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 380 4GB Video Card ($199.99 @ Micro Center)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($42.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $802.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-02 17:52 EDT-0400

I put an R9 280 in there as a stand in for the 480...similar price.

Oh man, thanks so much! ^^.

 

[darkwing-buck]

Hey pc gaf, my computer is acting weird. Earlier today i shut off my pc and left however an hour later I come back and my pc is still on however there's no display on the monitor when I turn it on. I tried to turn it off by holding down the power button but it still wouldn't turn off so i switched the PSU off. For some reason when I boot up my pc it won't go beyond the BIOS screen and it acts really weird when I try to turning it on and off. Don't know what to do.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/BWLzt6


CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($239.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($124.09 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($59.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($88.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($304.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT S340 (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($74.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply: EVGA 600B 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($52.72 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($85.95 @ Amazon)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter ($32.99 @ Amazon)
Monitor: Acer G236HLBbd 23.0" 60Hz Monitor ($117.97 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($27.69 @ Amazon)

 

[opticalmace]

What do you think. Go from 3770K @stock because H67 board to i3 6100 at stock? I'd make about $100 doing the change.

I'd say no. If it were me I'd rather just sell the 3770k outright (if not keep it) and then invest in a 6700k or 6800k/5820k.

 

[ISee]

How would a 2500k @4.5 paired with a 1070 handle 1440p? Thinking of getting a 1440p 144hz gsync monitor.

Drops even down to ~45fps aren't as huge of a deal on a gsync monitor as with normal monitors. Still on a display able to sync up to 144fps your aim should be to go higher than 45 or even 60 fps and a 1070 should be able to achieve that.
Your CPU on the other side will even bottleneck a 980 @ 1080p in many games and it will for sure bottleneck your experience @ 1440p. 2500ks are now more then 5 years old and it's time to start replacing them for the newest generation of gpus and especially for high end gpus like the 1070 and 1080.

Currently I have the h67. Not having much luck finding a z77 and I don't like any of the itx z77 boards anyway.

There is a b150 Asus board that looks cool available locally for $85 Canadian. That $100 is with 16 ram from 8 and a 780 from 670

The 780 is of course way better than a 670 but your 3770 is still significantly better than a 6100 so your plan is to make one part better and one part worse... In the end that's not a good deal for you. People complain about the cost versus performance i7 ratio all the time and rightfully so, but HTT still seems to make 2600ks and 3770ks valid companions for even high end gpus like the 1070 while their i5 counterparts start to fall behind.

Just a random scene from several Digital Foundry Benchmarks (left numbers= current fps, right numbers = average fps). The interesting part (at least for me): The 3770 is able to perform even slightly better than the 6600k.

 

[darkwing-buck]

*update* My pc works again after leaving it off for two hours don't know what made it work. My guess is that it's hot as hell in my room so it might've been the reason to my pc's weird behavior.

 

[kuYuri]

I'm just stopping by to thank Hazaro and everyone helping in this thread, thanks to you I built my second Gaming PC using this very thread.

Now I have what I consider a very high end rig that is being put to good use with Witcher 3 blood and wine and Doom.

Keep the good work guys, you're awesome 😘

Congrats! <3

 

[RamaTheVoice]

Got about this far last night before turning in. In my defense I spent about an hour playing around with the case. So far the longest and most annoying bit was, of course, the cooler.

Plan for today: backup my current C: drive, then transplant it, the graphcis card and the PSU from my current computer to the new one, spend 3 hours dicking around with cable management, then install Windows 10.

Can't wait

 

[K' Dash]

Pics, or it didn't happen.

Congrats! <3

Thank you! I took only one picture, I was trying to concentrate on the work at hand, my builds tend to not turn on on the first try lol, but this one did.

 

[JMTHEFOX]

Got the parts with the Cooler Master PSU (since its cheaper) and Logitech K400+ yesterday along with the Steam Controller. All of them are coming around next week.


In the future, I might get the Radeon RX 480. The price for it sounds promising.

 

[LilJoka]

Thank you! I took only one picture, I was trying to concentrate on the work at hand, my builds tend to not turn on on the first try lol, but this one did.

CPU fan should be on the right hand side of the cooler blowing to the left.

 

[bjaelke]

What's a good ergonomic mouse? Currently using a Logitech G600 and that monstrosity is starting to give me cramps after 15 minutes of use.

 

[Erekiddo]

I ran a 3.5mm cable from my Predator monitor into a Sonos 5 and it sounds fine.

I run the same cable from my motherboard line in input into the Sonos 5 and it sounds like tinny garbage.

I need a sound card don't I.

 

[NippleViking]

As an Aussie, with a $1000 budget and the presumption that the 480 will be $400 (will wait on benchmarks), how should I allocate the remaining $600? Any suggestions?

Ideally I'd like a bit of room to upgrade CPU, RAM and add an SSD in the long-term.

 

[RamaTheVoice]

What's a good ergonomic mouse? Currently using a Logitech G600 and that monstrosity is starting to give me cramps after 15 minutes of use.

MX Master is comfy, so is the Performance Mouse MX, although I didn't use either for very long. I love my G602 as well, nothing like the G600. I think my all-time favorite in terms of comfort was the G400 though.

Don't have much experience with other brands, sorry :/

E: I'm done building. I'm freaking out so much that I might've made a small but fatal mistake (tightened the cooler over the CPU too much and crushed it, left a smudge of oil from my skin between two pins that would conduct electricity and fry the whole thing, not having grounded myself enough even though I was obsessively touching the radiator...) that I'm scared to turn it on...

 

[K' Dash]

CPU fan should be on the right hand side of the cooler blowing to the left.

Yeah, I fixed that, I wasn't done when I took that pic

 

[RamaTheVoice]

Alright, apart from some RAM weirdness at the beginning (the RAM slots on the motherboard seem to be labeled wrong), I booted in to Windows 10 just fine. It's even still activated, who'd have thought?

Only thing is, I thought watercooling setups were supposed to be less noisy. The Nepton 140XL is making one hell of a racket, it's weird.

 

[ISee]

As an Aussie, with a $1000 budget and the presumption that the 480 will be $400 (will wait on benchmarks), how should I allocate the remaining $600? Any suggestions?

Ideally I'd like a bit of room to upgrade CPU, RAM and add an SSD in the long-term.

Do you need everything or are there some parts you can use from a previous build like a case, a psu,a harddrive?

 

[kennah]

Thanks for talking me down. I'm going to hold on to what I have now for another couple years. Hopefully the 780 will tide me over. I just have trouble resisting good deals

Edit: 399 Watts on a 450W Bronze powersupply. Am I boned?

 

[opticalmace]

Thanks for talking me down. I'm going to hold on to what I have now for another couple years. Hopefully the 780 will tide me over. I just have trouble resisting good deals

Edit: 399 Watts on a 450W Bronze powersupply. Am I boned?

Depends on the PSU. What's the full specs?

 

[kennah]

Depends on the PSU. What's the full specs?

3770k
H67n
2x4 1.35v Samsung green
Reference 780
2xssd
1x water pump (15w)
3x 120mm fans

No overclocks on anything.

Psu is a silver stone sfx bronze 450w

 

[opticalmace]

3770k
H67n
2x4 1.35v Samsung green
Reference 780
2xssd
1x water pump (15w)
3x 120mm fans

No overclocks on anything.

Psu is a silver stone sfx bronze 450w

I think under load it's probably "OK", but I don't think you have much if any room for overclocking. I just googled some of the parts and checked out the jonny guru review of that PSU.

You might be able to reduce your cpu's vcore a bit to give a little bit of breathing room, depending on how stable it is.

edit: this is assuming you have already bought and are using these parts. If you haven't, I would go for a higher wattage PSU considering that build.

 

[Red]

Anyone using a Corsair Air 240 and a 10"+ GPU? Does it fit well? I'd like to keep mini ATX size but have more flexibility for upgrades. My current case is too small for full sized cards. I need to keep things small and unostentatious. I'm also considering a water cooling solution. How is the NZXT Kraken X61? I think I'll probably upgrade to an i5 6600 if I can save enough the next few months.

 

[eerik9000]

Hey, I was wondering if there's any risk damaging fans (or shortening their lifespan) by running them at too low RPM?

I recently replaced the two stock fans of my Fractal Design R5 case with three Noctua NF-A14 PWM fans (with "low noise adapters") and set them up to run pretty much as slowly as possible, which seems to be around 250 RPM in idle/under light load.

I have also replaced the stock fan of my Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO with Noctua's NF-F12 IndustrialPPC 2000 RPM PWM fan, which I have also set up to run at slow speeds, though not at the extreme minimum. BIOS seems to allow the fan to run at less than 200 RPM but I have it at 300 RPM in idle.

All fans are controlled by ASUS Z170-PRO motherboard. The fan curves I made will start ramping up speeds when CPU temp goes above 50 C (it's around 38-40 in idle).

Are those speeds okay or should I increse them a bit just in case? I don't mind if the temps are a few degrees above what they could be if it means less noise, though I have not taken too much time to figure out at what speeds the fans become annoying.

 

[CitizenVectron]

I have a (hopefully) very simple question:

My mobo is dying (ram slots stopped working, now issues with GPU slot potentially), but I really want to keep my 2500k rather than upgrade (can't afford both at this point). Are there any mobos out there now that still support 2500ks? Or will I need to upgrade my cpu if I want to get a new mobo?

I'm really sad about this as I don't have the money to do a major rehaul at the moment.

 

[opticalmace]

I have a (hopefully) very simple question:

My mobo is dying (ram slots stopped working, now issues with GPU slot potentially), but I really want to keep my 2500k rather than upgrade (can't afford both at this point). Are there any mobos out there now that still support 2500ks? Or will I need to upgrade my cpu if I want to get a new mobo?

I'm really sad about this as I don't have the money to do a major rehaul at the moment.

You may be able to find a used motherboard floating around. Check local classifieds, and maybe the gaf buy and sell.

 

[Red]

I have a (hopefully) very simple question:

My mobo is dying (ram slots stopped working, now issues with GPU slot potentially), but I really want to keep my 2500k rather than upgrade (can't afford both at this point). Are there any mobos out there now that still support 2500ks? Or will I need to upgrade my cpu if I want to get a new mobo?

I'm really sad about this as I don't have the money to do a major rehaul at the moment.

My workstation has the same issue. Two dead RAM slots and two dead PCI slots. I think it's my air cooler that did it... Hauling the PC around with a Noctua DH-14 was a mistake. I think it warped the board because of its weight. Damn socket 1366.

One of reasons I want to do water cooling next time.

 

[mrklaw]

So my PC didn't seem to boot up initially but after a reset it did, and booted straight into Windows which was a surprise.

It's sitting there with the 'da da du' sound when you unplug a USB device going bong every 10 seconds and I don't have a working Ethernet connection, but I'm installing drivers off the cd that came with the motherboard for now.

I think once it's up and running I'll still do a fresh install of Windows but this is a good start

 

[Kaako]

Quick question regarding choosing a mobo:
Which Intel socket is the best/most future-proof for mobos going forward? LGA 1151 or 2011v3?

I believe the new Intels(6800K) are 2011v3, no?

 

[LilJoka]

3770k
H67n
2x4 1.35v Samsung green
Reference 780
2xssd
1x water pump (15w)
3x 120mm fans

No overclocks on anything.

Psu is a silver stone sfx bronze 450w

432W on 12v Rail
3770k is 77W, 4.2Ghz i expect 120W, Depends on voltage, some will do it at stock Vcore, mine took only 1.07v for 4.25Ghz.

GTX 780 is 250W, probably could get a medium OC and only hit 270W.

So id say its still a decent system.

Plus i just went from a 3770@4.2ghz to 6700@4.5ghz and i dont see a difference with a 970 @ 1550/3800Mhz.

So i think there is plenty of life in the system if you could get a Z77 board cheap.

Also i7 3770 non K can do 4.2Ghz OC on Z77. So you could save more money like that, but of course the K model will last maybe a year or 2 longer if heavily OCd.

Your not exactly running the CPU 100% to TDP ever either.

 

[kidko]

Own a ASUS VG248QE but never sprang for the G-SYNC module, and now it seems they're off the market. Anyone have a lead on how to get them? Would be nice to pair up with a 1070 whenever I get it.

 

[e90Mark]

Anyone using a Corsair Air 240 and a 10"+ GPU? Does it fit well? I'd like to keep mini ATX size but have more flexibility for upgrades. My current case is too small for full sized cards. I need to keep things small and unostentatious. I'm also considering a water cooling solution. How is the NZXT Kraken X61? I think I'll probably upgrade to an i5 6600 if I can save enough the next few months.

It fits fine. Clears even with a radiator + push/pull fans in front. If you had only one set of fans on the rad, could probably do a 12" card.

Corsair was really conservative with their specs.

X61 won't fit in this case, you need to go with a 240mm. Corsair H100i would be an example.

Source: I have an Air 240.

 

[mrklaw]

My fans are surprisingly audible - if I haven't gone through the bios and set things up will they be running a little fast? It might just be that my front 230mm spectre was always audible but it was masked by my noisy h60 pump which is now gone

Not loud by any means, but was hoping for quieter