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[JonnyDBrit]

Cheaper is better, although if any parts are worth the extra money, then
I'd like to know. In particular, I'm not well-versed with motherboards.
(Also US dollars if that's what you meant)

Dollars, and was kinda wanting to know what sort of upper limit you'd be looking at. But since you say an RX 480, I'll presume that a fair bit of spend is fine.

After looking more closely, and after remembering that rebates are actually a thing to consider in US pricing, you can pick up this XFX card for $200 - 230 minus a 30 dollar rebate. This one - 220 after a rebate - comes with a game (based on what I can find, I presume Civ VI?) if you wanna show off the new hardware for the kid, otherwise there's the PowerColor Red Devil in the middle at 210 after rebate. Fortunately your case supports GPUs of full size, so these should all fit fine.

So you're looking at around $210 on the GPU.

Now for a cheaper CPU, would suggest the i3-7100. Same price as the older 6100 - $120 - and will get slightly better performance, though it is a dual core and thus there will be some bottleneck. But, the socket type will give him the ability to upgrade if he so desires.

I presume you're not intending this thing to be overclocked, so after looking around my suggestion falls on this, though I admit to motherboards not being a speciality, and thus it's mostly the price. But, it will support DDR4 2400 memory, so you won't limit the build there. $107.

Ripjaws have a 2x8GB set of RAM available at $90, slightly more expensive than a few cheaper options, but more familiar and trusted brand.

So, that comes out to $527 without shipping. You've already got storage, a case, power - I presume already fits the case - and the OS, so the only thing to maybe consider would be a cooler. You can probably stick with stock if need be, but this Shadow Rock would do the trick at $30. Admittedly, one of the preview pictures would suggest being careful with the orientation - or no clearance for the RAM.

So, about $530-$570 total, depending on what you do or don't get. I presume the nephew has a monitor (ie, TV) available? Mouse and keyboard?

 

[Speedwagon]

Dollars, and was kinda wanting to know what sort of upper limit you'd be looking at. But since you say an RX 480, I'll presume that a fair bit of spend is fine.

After looking more closely, and after remembering that rebates are actually a thing to consider in US pricing, you can pick up this XFX card for $200 - 230 minus a 30 dollar rebate. This one - 220 after a rebate - comes with a game (based on what I can find, I presume Civ VI?) if you wanna show off the new hardware for the kid, otherwise there's the PowerColor Red Devil in the middle at 210 after rebate. Fortunately your case supports GPUs of full size, so these should all fit fine.

So you're looking at around $210 on the GPU.

Now for a cheaper CPU, would suggest the i3-7100. Same price as the older 6100 - $120 - and will get slightly better performance, though it is a dual core and thus there will be some bottleneck. But, the socket type will give him the ability to upgrade if he so desires.

I presume you're not intending this thing to be overclocked, so after looking around my suggestion falls on this, though I admit to motherboards not being a speciality, and thus it's mostly the price. But, it will support DDR4 2400 memory, so you won't limit the build there. $107.

Ripjaws have a 2x8GB set of RAM available at $90, slightly more expensive than a few cheaper options, but more familiar and trusted brand.

So, that comes out to $527 without shipping. You've already got storage, a case, power - I presume already fits the case - and the OS, so the only thing to maybe consider would be a cooler. You can probably stick with stock if need be, but this Shadow Rock would do the trick at $30. Admittedly, one of the preview pictures would suggest being careful with the orientation - or no clearance for the RAM.

So, about $530-$570 total, depending on what you do or don't get. I presume the nephew has a monitor (ie, TV) available? Mouse and keyboard?

Yeah, I've got everything for him besides the computer itself.

Would it be better to get 8GB RAM and put the money towards the CPU instead to avoid the bottleneck? I could get an i5 6600K with this motherboard for $238+tax. Would that be sufficient?

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Yeah, I've got everything for him besides the computer itself.

Would it be better to get 8GB RAM and put the money towards the CPU instead to avoid the bottleneck? I could get an i5 6600K with this motherboard for $238+tax. Would that be sufficient?

In the immediate, probably. 8 GB of RAM will be a little limiting for large games, but that's more of a mild comfort that can be easily rectified with an additional purchase in future, while the CPU is a heftier investment.

 

[Speedwagon]

In the immediate, probably. 8 GB of RAM will be a little limiting for large games, but that's more of a mild comfort that can be easily rectified with an additional purchase in future, while the CPU is a heftier investment.

Yeah, I was thinking he could get more RAM if he needed. He's used to a 6+ year old laptop with 2GB RAM, so I think 8GB would already feel like a godsend to him. (He does like opening 100s of tabs, though)

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Yeah, I was thinking he could get more RAM if he needed. He's used to a 6+ year old laptop with 2GB RAM, so I think 8GB would already feel like a godsend to him.

If that's what he's going from, the whole rig'll blow his mind.

 

[CrankyKong]

What happened to the 1080 Ti?

 

[JonnyDBrit]

What happened to the 1080 Ti?

No-show at CES. Supposedly releases in March, launching at PAX East. Apparently Nvidia want to hold out on a reveal so they can try to undercut interest in Vega.

 

[Vipu]

No-show at CES. Supposedly releases in March, launching at PAX East. Apparently Nvidia want to hold out on a reveal so they can try to undercut interest in Vega.

Indeed, imagine how embarassing it would be for nvidia to release 1080ti with all kind of limits to be 20% better than 1080 and straight after AMD releases vega that is 30% better than 1080.

Now they can wait and loosen those limits a bit of 1080ti so its better than vega in any case.

 

[kennah]

In my experience getting sound dampening working correctly is a huge pain, but that's in an actual studio / theater environment rather than a PC. Sound is one of those things that "always finds a way".

So it will probably help, but don't expect anything amazing unless you spend way too much time and money on it.

You work in theatre? High five

 

[Vipu]

This is the new tier of Gaming chairs

 

[theRizzle]

Soooo last night I was using my PC like normal... No issues. I went to bed and left it on like I always do. When I got up this morning, the LEDs on my keyboard and mouse were off and nothing was showing on my monitor, even though the power light on the PC was still on. It shut off as soon as I hit the power button.

I'm guessing PSU died?

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Soooo last night I was using my PC like normal... No issues. I went to bed and left it on like I always do. When I got up this morning, the LEDs on my keyboard and mouse were off and nothing was showing on my monitor, even though the power light on the PC was still on. It shut off as soon as I hit the power button.

I'm guessing PSU died?

Presuming it doesn't turn back on?

It sounds like there may have been some sort of surge - any storms last night? - that put it over the edge.

 

[TC McQueen]

I'm planning on upgrading to Ryzen when it comes out (hopefully without horrible availability issues), but Newegg's got a 10% off coupon that's making some Cas 15 DDR4 RAM look very attractive. Should I buy it now and avoid a potential rush on DDR4 when Ryzen comes out, or wait to see if there's new DDR4 with Ryzen specific overclocking features equivalent to XMP?

 

[theRizzle]

Presuming it doesn't turn back on?

It sounds like there may have been some sort of surge - any storms last night? - that put it over the edge.

No, it doesn't turn back on. Lights are coming on the case, but nothing is happening. No storm, and I have it plugged into a UPS so surge shouldn't be the culprit.

 

[Sectorseven]

I'm planning on upgrading to Ryzen when it comes out (hopefully without horrible availability issues), but Newegg's got a 10% off coupon that's making some Cas 15 DDR4 RAM look very attractive. Should I buy it now and avoid a potential rush on DDR4 when Ryzen comes out, or wait to see if there's new DDR4 with Ryzen specific overclocking features equivalent to XMP?

If it's a good deal then go for it, but I don't think RAM is going to be flying off the shelves just because Ryzen is launching.

 

[JonnyDBrit]

No, it doesn't turn back on. Lights are coming on the case, but nothing is happening. No storm, and I have it plugged into a UPS so surge shouldn't be the culprit.

Hm... so power is passing through the case, but not enough to actually run the system. Yeah, sounds like the PSU I'd say.

 

[TC McQueen]

If it's a good deal then go for it, but I don't think RAM is going to be flying off the shelves just because Ryzen is launching.

Yeah, I'm probably just a little paranoid because I got DDR3L a month or two before the price jumped.

 

[HazySaiyan]

So what's a good, quiet 120mm fan to put on a Hyper 212? Was thinking of a Be Quiet Silent Wings 3.

 

[molnizzle]

So what's a good, quiet 120mm fan to put on a Hyper 212? Was thinking of a Be Quiet Silent Wings 3.

Noctua NF-F12

 

[HazySaiyan]

Noctua NF-F12

Just what I need. Thanks!

 

[Skyfireblaze]

Could someone help me with a potential monitor calibration issue? For years now I have been using a cheap LG 23ET83 IPS panel and was always pretty happy with it. Now I purchased a small ASUS VZ229H 21.5" screen as a second monitor and it made me realize a issue with the LG. Ever since I upgraded my desktop to Windows 10 I wondered why the right-click menu appears gray while it's white on my Macbook. I always thought it was a theme-issue or something till I purchased the ASUS which made me realize that whites appear gray on the LG.

I know this is most likely due to the panel itself but is there anything settings-wise that could help to alleviate it?

 

[Akai__]

You won't see an overview of all of them, maybe a selection of 1-2 from each brand, but not a comprehensive view of all the Z270 boards.

What is it that you're looking for in such an article?

I just want a good overview that's all.

 

[FJ0372]

Hey guys! not sure if this is the right place to post this but whatever.

I have a really weird problem with gaming on my PC and can't find the answer online anywhere. I have my PC connected to a 4K TV, but whenever I try to play a game in 1080p, the TV goes into "no signal" mode. If I run the game in windowed mode it works fine (but only 1/4 screen) and when I run my computer in 1080p mode it works on windows fine, but again when I try to play a game in 1080p it immediately goes into "no signal".

Any ideas on how to fix this would be much appreciated!

 

[BoboBrazil]

I guess it was buggy screen then?
Review doesnt seem to say anything about it

There are some videos of it out from other owners

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBm3k8xeObw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmvTqcgTuso

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Hey guys! not sure if this is the right place to post this but whatever.

I have a really weird problem with gaming on my PC and can't find the answer online anywhere. I have my PC connected to a 4K TV, but whenever I try to play a game in 1080p, the TV goes into "no signal" mode. If I run the game in windowed mode it works fine (but only 1/4 screen) and when I run my computer in 1080p mode it works on windows fine, but again when I try to play a game in 1080p it immediately goes into "no signal".

Any ideas on how to fix this would be much appreciated!

What's the rating on the HDMI cable?

 

[e90Mark]

Bought a Dell S2716DG today for 144hz and gsync, but have to return it because it has horrible text ghosting on it. Why haven't very many people mentioned this? Back to my 4K IPS at 60hz.

Something I was willing to live with for the price I got mine, I guess. It only is really noticeable to me with text on white backgrounds. I use dark themes with everything so I don't really notice, and/or just got used to it by now.

 

[BoboBrazil]

Something I was willing to live with for the price I got mine, I guess. It only is really noticeable to me with text on white backgrounds. I use dark themes with everything so I don't really notice, and/or just got used to it by now.

Gives me headaches, so unable to get used to it. Guess I'll have to wait for that 4k ips 144hz gsync monitor.

 

[mkenyon]

Bought a Dell S2716DG today for 144hz and gsync, but have to return it because it has horrible text ghosting on it. Why haven't very many people mentioned this? Back to my 4K IPS at 60hz.

Because that's worth it over the shit blacks of IPS for me. Each person has different requirements.

The ghosting is only when you move windows around though, so I'm not sure why it's an issue.

I just want a good overview that's all.

Look at the different boards to see what features you want, then look at reviews of those specific boards you've narrowed down to see further detail if you don't understand some of the features.

There will likely be some roundup that includes a few of them, but there's not going to be a roundup that will include all of the boards.

 

[BoboBrazil]

Because that's worth it over the shit blacks of IPS for me. Each person has different requirements.

The ghosting is only when you move windows around though, so I'm not sure why it's an issue.

Ghosting happens every time I scroll text, which is basically what I'm doing at all times when I'm reading websites or forums. It's not just when moving windows.

 

[e90Mark]

Gives me headaches, so unable to get used to it. Guess I'll have to wait for that 4k ips 144hz gsync monitor.

Good thing there was a couple announced at CES.

Definitely shouldn't have to "settle", so don't blame you for returning the monitor.

 

[mkenyon]

Ghosting happens every time I scroll text, which is basically what I'm doing at all times when I'm reading websites or forums. It's not just when moving windows.

Try enabling ULMB mode on it in Windows, should help quite a bit.

 

[mkenyon]

DP, sorry.

 

[Gigglepop]

Bought a Dell S2716DG today for 144hz and gsync, but have to return it because it has horrible text ghosting on it. Why haven't very many people mentioned this? Back to my 4K IPS at 60hz.

I almost bought one of those from dell outlet but read about the pixel inversion issues. Glad I passed.

 

[BoboBrazil]

Good thing there was a couple announced at CES.

Definitely shouldn't have to "settle", so don't blame you for returning the monitor.

You would think you wouldn't have to settle with a $600 monitor, but I guess welcome to things that have gaming in mind.

Try enabling ULMB mode on it in Windows, should help quite a bit.

All this did was make the screen much darker. It didn't fix the issue. I've tried a bunch of the supposed fixes listed online and none worked.

 

[mkenyon]

You would think you wouldn't have to settle with a $600 monitor, but I guess welcome to things that have gaming in mind.



All this did was make the screen much darker. It didn't fix the issue. I've tried a bunch of the supposed fixes listed online and none worked.

Bummer.

Hope there's something that comes out that meets your demands. Per the bolded though, different things bug different people. There is no perfect screen really, though VA is awfully close. I was holding off waiting for a 1440p 144Hz VA monitor, but there doesn't really seem to be anything in sight

 

[Visualante2]

Noticed something RE: the RX 480s. The Civilization VI promotion ends Sunday. That might be why the prices have been inflated a little because they know that it's your last chance.

Can we expect a new pack in game soon or is that just for the holidays? Would be cool to see Resident Evil 7 but maybe the age rating would prevent that.

 

[mkenyon]

Hey guys! not sure if this is the right place to post this but whatever.

I have a really weird problem with gaming on my PC and can't find the answer online anywhere. I have my PC connected to a 4K TV, but whenever I try to play a game in 1080p, the TV goes into "no signal" mode. If I run the game in windowed mode it works fine (but only 1/4 screen) and when I run my computer in 1080p mode it works on windows fine, but again when I try to play a game in 1080p it immediately goes into "no signal".

Any ideas on how to fix this would be much appreciated!

Sounds bandwidth related perhaps?

What kind of input are you using? If HDMI, what kind of video card?

 

[Pachimari]

Can someone help me with what kind of fans I should be looking for?

I think I want an extra one in the front, and maybe another on top.

 

[Visualante2]

Can someone help me with what kind of fans I should be looking for?

I think I want an extra one in the front, and maybe another on top.

120mm fans are the most common I think. But it depends on your case. Have you measured what size the old ones or gaps were? For me I just pick whatever is cheap and not too gaudy but I know you can spend a lot on premium ones. They're quite easy to just slot into pins that are usually located around your mother board. I suppose you might want to look at your motherboard manual to see where you can place them before purchasing.

 

[BoboBrazil]

Bummer.

Hope there's something that comes out that meets your demands. Per the bolded though, different things bug different people. There is no perfect screen really, though VA is awfully close. I was holding off waiting for a 1440p 144Hz VA monitor, but there doesn't really seem to be anything in sight

There is always the Korean market with qnix etc, although those probably would be freesync and not gsync. I have a Dell P2715q now which is 4k and the picture is beautiful, but it's only 60hz.

 

[mkenyon]

There is always the Korean market with qnix etc, although those probably would be freesync and not gsync. I have a Dell P2715q now which is 4k and the picture is beautiful, but it's only 60hz.

They're all AHVA, aren't they?

TMK, the only VA panels are the 1080 and 1080 ultrawides.

 

[Yappadappadu]

Have a Samsung 850 Evo 1 TB Sata SSD lying around (still new/unused, bought for a good price, that is 245€, February 2016) and am about to buy parts for my 7700K/Z270 build. The Z270 mainboards come with 2x M.2.
Could buy a Samsung 960 Evo 512 GB M.2 SSD which is like 4-5 times faster for the same price.
What would you guys do?
Or maybe use both?

 

[Little Old Man]

Can someone help me with what kind of fans I should be looking for?

I think I want an extra one in the front, and maybe another on top.

I went for a fractal design 140mm fan to team up with the existing case fans in my recent build (the case fans also being fractal). My reasoning is that they compared to an equivalent 120mm fan can push through the same volume of air at a lower speed, with less noise, ceteris paribus.

The fractal fans are well regarded too and not too pricey. I used noctua anti vibration fan mounts to install them too.

 

[vector824]

Have a Samsung 850 Evo 1 TB Sata SSD lying around (still new/unused, bought for a good price, that is 245€, February 2016) and am about to buy parts for my 7700K/Z270 build. The Z270 mainboards come with 2x M.2.
Could buy a Samsung 960 Evo 512 GB M.2 SSD which is like 4-5 times faster for the same price.
What would you guys do?
Or maybe use both?

Get the m.2, put your OS and programs on it, its great especially if you're transferring large files for video and such. Then use the SSD as scratch and backup.

 

[Angry Grimace]

Have a Samsung 850 Evo 1 TB Sata SSD lying around (still new/unused, bought for a good price, that is 245€, February 2016) and am about to buy parts for my 7700K/Z270 build. The Z270 mainboards come with 2x M.2.
Could buy a Samsung 960 Evo 512 GB M.2 SSD which is like 4-5 times faster for the same price.
What would you guys do?
Or maybe use both?

I mean, m.2 NVMe drives are ridiculously fast, but its up to you whether that's worth it.

If you're interested, the 960 EVO NVMe drives are finally shipping, so you can actually try one out without spending a ridiculous amount of money. It's still like an added $150 on top of whatever else you have. If it were me, I'd just get a smaller M.2 drive for OS/programs and use the other SSD as a backup drive.

 

[CreepingFear]

I am SSD crazy. I used $70 that I got from signing up for Amazon Rewards Visa to buy another 850 EVO.

PC 1 currently has:
1 TB 960 EVO NVME
1 TB 850 Pro Sata SSD

PC 2 currently has:
250 GB 850 EVO
256GB 830

I'll probably add the new EVO to PC 1.

 

[theSlacker]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LS5NFQ2/?tag=neogaf0e-20

I got the 3.5'' one and I haven't had any problems with it.

Thanks for the input. Was looking for something a bit smaller that can just be powered by the usb transfer cable as well but will look into that one now as well. It may be nice to have to just keep at home for all my external drives.

 

[FJ0372]

What's the rating on the HDMI cable?

Sounds bandwidth related perhaps?

What kind of input are you using? If HDMI, what kind of video card?

Thanks for the replies, I'm using the official Xbox One HDMI cable that came in the box (1.4 I believe, whatever that means), do you think that could be the problem? and my graphics card is an Nvidia 970.

 

[CaptainSmirnov]

Just picked up a Dell U3417W, looked gorgeous in the store. It was either that or the LG 34UC88 but it was sold out everywhere.

Hope it looks just as good at home, hoping for minimal light bleed.

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Thanks for the replies, I'm using the official Xbox One HDMI cable that came in the box (1.4 I believe, whatever that means), do you think that could be the problem? and my graphics card is an Nvidia 970.

Oddly enough, it might be? Assuming your desktop resolution is 4k (since you mentioned windowed being 1/4 of the screen), it might be that shifting from 4k@30 Hz (the max that 1.4 can deliver) to 1080p@60 Hz, even if technically less demanding, is messing up the system. Get an HDMI 2.0 cable and see if that fixes things.