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

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Vipu

Banned
I can't speak to the overclocking potential but I installed one in a silent build last week and with a 2600k running at stock and the fan on minimum temps were good (much better than the stock cooler would have been). I wouldn't recommend using a $35 heatsink on an overclocked 6-core cpu though.



Later this year there's an Asus 4K IPS 144hz Gsync 27" monitor coming: http://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/...-is-the-worlds-first-144hz-4k-gaming-monitor/
but that will probably be towards the end of the year if I had to guess. Both the Asus ROG and Acer Predator are well-liked monitors, but I've heard of the Acer predators having a "more-than-necessary" anti-glare coating on the screen that can be noticeable when reading text on a white background. I haven't seen one in person to validate, but if I were going to buy a monitor today I'd get the Asus between the two. My only concern is quality control and the possibility of more backlight bleed then I'm willing to tolerate (I returned two monitors last year due to this), but it would be a risk with any brand.

And it will cost 2000$ dont forget that.
 
Friend wants a budget build that does fine at 1080p for $600 but can be upgraded in the future. He already has his old HDD and new PSU he wants to bring over. Any suggestions? This is what I have so far.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-7100 3.9GHz Dual-Core Processor ($118.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z270P-D3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($110.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Dark 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon RX 480 4GB RS Video Card ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($62.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $595.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-01-27 10:44 EST-0500
 
Well, new motherboard arrived, planning to put things together next week.

A question I have: I've seen it suggested that swapping from AMD to Intel CPU wise will require a wipe of my install of Windows. However, I don't recall making such a wipe when I last swapped. Have I just gotten lucky and should do the fresh install anyway, or is it nothing to worry about? Is my memory just shoddy?
 
Well, new motherboard arrived, planning to put things together next week.

A question I have: I've seen it suggested that swapping from AMD to Intel CPU wise will require a wipe of my install of Windows. However, I don't recall making such a wipe when I last swapped. Have I just gotten lucky and should do the fresh install anyway, or is it nothing to worry about? Is my memory just shoddy?
I don't think so. You'll need a new CD key, unless you tie yours into your Microsoft Account.
 

Regginator

Member
I'm about to get 16GB of DDR3 at 2400MHz for €110 to replace my current 8 at 1600. Is that an okay price? I'd have bought DDR4 but my mobo doesn't support it.

edit: or should I just not upgrade at all at this point, survive with 8GB, and wait ~2 years before building a new rig?
 
i like my evo 212X. under normal usage (chrome/spotify mostly) i can get anywhere between 19-24C on my i7-6700K. it's sitting at 20C right now. Absolute highest it's went was 76C while overclocked at 4.5GHz and after about an hour of Prime95. In games it usually sits about 55-65 and never goes over 70C.

to be fair my last cooler was a stock intel that would never go below 30C under normal usage and would hit 70C no matter what when gaming even on a locked 4th gen i5. Nobody will convince me to put an AIO/custom loop in my PC so I'm relying totally on air. I have been looking at possibly upgrading the cooler...if there is a decent priced one out there that cools significantly better. has to be less than about £75 and available in the UK. i've seen a lot of people mention the cryorig h7 but doesn't seem to be available here.

that said, i'm in no rush. the 212X does a decent job and only cost me £30 so yeah...

I'm about to get 16GB of DDR3 at 2400MHz for €110 to replace my current 8 at 1600. Is that an okay price? I'd have bought DDR4 but my mobo doesn't support it.

edit: or should I just not upgrade at all at this point, survive with 8GB, and wait ~2 years before building a new rig?

It's really your decision. I think 8GB is still fine today so if you think you will be happy with that for another 2 years then sure stick with it. If you want the best performance then 16GB should be the minimum any new build. I have 16GB right now and I am already thinking about going up to 32GB. A lot of games can use 9GB easily so that only leaves about 5GB of headroom with while leaving room for Windows (~2GB). I know I'd rather have about 20GB free than just 5GB.
 

K1LLER7

Member
Is it recommended to upgrade the motherboard bios from stock? Got the z170i pro gaming and read there are some people having issues with the latest bios release.

Is it normal to update with each release?
 
Is it recommend to upgrade the motherboard bios from stock? Got the z170i pro gaming and read there are some people having issues with the latest bios release.

Is it normal to update with each release?

a lot of people say you should only update your BIOS if you experience issues but it should be so straightforward to update it. yeah it can mess your PC up if you interrupt the process but otherwise it's quick/simple. the only reason i don't bother updating so often is because i can't be bothered going through everything to apply all my settings like fans/overclock/boot settings.

you just download the file, stick it on a USB, and go into bios settings and find the update option then let it do it's thing. mines locks the keyboard/mouse so you can't exit it. other than that you just make sure the USB isn't removed or power is lost.
 

Gandie

Member
I'm about to get 16GB of DDR3 at 2400MHz for €110 to replace my current 8 at 1600. Is that an okay price? I'd have bought DDR4 but my mobo doesn't support it.

edit: or should I just not upgrade at all at this point, survive with 8GB, and wait ~2 years before building a new rig?

Seems like a weird thing to upgrade. 8 should be fine for gaming and casual use.What are your other specs?
 

K1LLER7

Member
a lot of people say you should only update your BIOS if you experience issues but it should be so straightforward to update it. yeah it can mess your PC up if you interrupt the process but otherwise it's quick/simple. the only reason i don't bother updating so often is because i can't be bothered going through everything to apply all my settings like fans/overclock/boot settings.

you just download the file, stick it on a USB, and go into bios settings and find the update option then let it do it's thing. mines locks the keyboard/mouse so you can't exit it. other than that you just make sure the USB isn't removed or power is lost.
Thanks for answering. I guess if there are no issues then it should be okay to keep going without having to constantly update.

Should hopefully have my parts come by monday and then time to build for the first time.
 
Thanks for answering. I guess if there are no issues then it should be okay to keep going without having to constantly update.

Should hopefully have my parts come by monday and then time to build for the first time.

the only time i had to update my BIOS was after the november 2015 windows 10 update. i kept getting BSOD's and tried everything to fix it. as a last resort i updated my BIOS and that did the trick.

if you have any issues then update it and also for example if you had a z170 motherboard you'd need to do a BIOS update to let you use the new Kabylake cpu's.

Anybody got Z270 + Kaby Lake setup, and got it to 5ghz?

getting to 5ghz on kabylake should be simple enough. i haven't heard of anyone struggling to hit it yet. some people have got it to 5.1/5.2ghz. i guess this is for the i7 though. not sure about the i3/i5.
 
Anybody got Z270 + Kaby Lake setup, and got it to 5ghz?

My 7700k won't go higher than 4.9GHz without a huge jump in voltage. On an Asus z270g, my chip takes 1.39v for a stable 4.9GHZ and 1.47v for 5.0GHz. There are people getting (validated) 5.2GHz at 1.4v and people struggling to hit 5.0GHz.

...


getting to 5ghz on kabylake should be simple enough. i haven't heard of anyone struggling to hit it yet. some people have got it to 5.1/5.2ghz. i guess this is for the i7 though. not sure about the i3/i5.

The 7600k has better results than the 7700k due to the increased temperature associated with hyperthreading.
 
My 7700k won't go higher than 4.9GHz without a huge jump in voltage. On an Asus z270g, my chip takes 1.39v for a stable 4.9GHZ and 1.47v for 5.0GHz. There are people getting (validated) 5.2GHz at 1.4v and people struggling to hit 5.0GHz.



The 7600k has better results than the 7700k due to the increased temperature associated with hyperthreading.

what do you consider to be the max voltage you are comfortable with? my 6700K can only do 4.5 at 1.34V. i know it's probably not worth going up to 4.6 but maybe if i can do it under 1.4V. i'm just not sure what is voltages are safe for sky/kabylake.

ah ok. i didn't realise hyperthreading added so much heat.
 
Hyper 212 is entry level - just to silence the rig.
Noctua NH D15 is ultimate air cooling. Silent and the best performance from air.
The H7 is in between but more towards the high end.
You can't beat noctua fans though. That alone makes the D15 good value.

I would switch to matx. Then sell the 1070 for a 1080ti rather than SLI, as per our earlier posts.

If you want a beautiful rig, look at a Lian Li PC 06S or even 05 for mitx.

O5-15.jpg
Damn! That is gorgeous.
 

Compsiox

Banned
Is anyone getting slower transitions alt-tabbing in and out of games after installing the newest Nvidia driver?
(Fullscreen)

I have a 980Ti.
 
putting this up again to see if anyone has any comments...

with the Intel 600p drives I know about the issue with what happens when the cache gets full...my question is would downloading a large file (like a game from Steam) cause the issue as well?

that's really the only thing I ever do that involves large files (I don't record videos or other things that would involve huge files)
 

Bloodember

Member
ok...was just asking about the drive slowing down when the cache is full and if larger downloads on Steam would cause that

wasn't asking about the drive itself getting full
The cache should empty out when the stuff in it is no longer needed and I don't see why a download would fill it up, if you have windows managing the cache it should adjust accordingly.
 
The cache should empty out when the stuff in it is no longer needed and I don't see why a download would fill it up, if you have windows managing the cache it should adjust accordingly.

How would Windows manage the cache?

(I am admittedly stupid to pretty much everything about M.2 drives so I apologize if these questions are...well, stupid)
 

Regginator

Member
Seems like a weird thing to upgrade. 8 should be fine for gaming and casual use.What are your other specs?

- i5 4670K at 4GHz
- Sapphire 280X
- 8GB DDR3 1600MHz

I usually wouldn't bother upgrading RAM, but I kinda promised my current 8GB to someone before I knew how much the prices have spiked. But on the other hand, with rapidly accelerating tech like RAM, €110 for 16GB sounds kinda... much.
 

Kito

Member
After changing one of my case fans from static pressure to high airflow my idle GPU fan spin is ...10RPM less, lol. I think I will see a bigger difference when I put load on it. Either way, my GPU temp isn't an issue anymore.
 

Bloodember

Member
Has anyone replaced their stock radiator fan with a quieter one, and is the difference noticeable?
I have a x61 and changed the fans out to Noctua industrial fans. They said they were quieter but they are not, I get better cooling so I keep using them.
 

Kadey

Mrs. Harvey
Yep. I'm sticking with everything I have in place. Something has to really convince me to change anything now. After reading up and asking so many people, it seems the Asus is the better of the two monitors.
 
Well, after many, many long years, I think it's time to finally get a new PC. This is about my max budget (considering there will still be shipping etc.) but I have been out of the loop on hardware for some time now, so I don't mind a second set of eyes.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-7600K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($232.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z170I PRO GAMING Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($154.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($92.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($96.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC GAMING ACX 3.0 Black Edition Video Card ($379.99 @ B&H)
Case: Fractal Design Define Mini C MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1161.20
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-01-27 21:21 EST-0500

Have windows and storage drives already (and I only tossed in the SSD because the computer I'm typing this on has my only other one)
 

Bloodember

Member
Well, after many, many long years, I think it's time to finally get a new PC. This is about my max budget (considering there will still be shipping etc.) but I have been out of the loop on hardware for some time now, so I don't mind a second set of eyes.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-7600K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($232.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus Z170I PRO GAMING Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($154.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($92.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($96.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC GAMING ACX 3.0 Black Edition Video Card ($379.99 @ B&H)
Case: Fractal Design Define Mini C MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($78.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1161.20
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-01-27 21:21 EST-0500

Have windows and storage drives already (and I only tossed in the SSD because the computer I'm typing this on has my only other one)

Switch your motherboard out to a z270 board, the z170 is for Skylake. It'll work, but the z270's are designed for kaby lake.
 
what do you consider to be the max voltage you are comfortable with? my 6700K can only do 4.5 at 1.34V. i know it's probably not worth going up to 4.6 but maybe if i can do it under 1.4V. i'm just not sure what is voltages are safe for sky/kabylake.

ah ok. i didn't realise hyperthreading added so much heat.

Up to 1.45v is totally fine for 24/7 use if temps are good.
 
Anybody got Z270 + Kaby Lake setup, and got it to 5ghz?

*raises hand*

I have my 7700k at 5.0Ghz at 1.34v - highest temps under absolute full load are 77-79C. I'm still breaking it in (just got a Kraken X62) so I may need to continue to play with it. But it's been pretty steady and I've been pleased.
 

Kito

Member
I have a x61 and changed the fans out to Noctua industrial fans. They said they were quieter but they are not, I get better cooling so I keep using them.

I'm actually interested in replacing mine with Noctua but the redux type, not industrial. Although I prefer the black colourway they're too expensive.
 
Switch your motherboard out to a z270 board, the z170 is for Skylake. It'll work, but the z270's are designed for kaby lake.
Thanks for the heads up on that! Hmm, I'm having trouble finding on that I like as much as the one I linked. There's not too many to choose from. Any preference?
 

Lethal

Neo Member
Anybody got Z270 + Kaby Lake setup, and got it to 5ghz?

7700k on a GB Gaming 5 with a h80.
4.9 @ 1.35v with bench temps up in the high 90s. Dropped it down to 4.6 @ 1.27 after watching the digital foundry video. Max temps now around 72. I wanna delid so bad...
 

Majine

Banned
Hyper 212 is entry level - just to silence the rig.
Noctua NH D15 is ultimate air cooling. Silent and the best performance from air.
The H7 is in between but more towards the high end.
You can't beat noctua fans though. That alone makes the D15 good value.

I would switch to matx. Then sell the 1070 for a 1080ti rather than SLI, as per our earlier posts.

If you want a beautiful rig, look at a Lian Li PC 06S or even 05 for mitx.

O5-15.jpg

Lian Li in general makes beautiful cases.
 

Bloodember

Member
Thanks for the heads up on that! Hmm, I'm having trouble finding on that I like as much as the one I linked. There's not too many to choose from. Any preference?

Asrock Fat1lity Z270 Gaming-ITX/AC or if you can wait a few weeks the Asus ROG STRIX Z270i GAMING Mini ITX
 
I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this one myself but,

AMD R7 240 to pair up with a 7670k in dual graphics mode
Or
Geforce 1050
Or
Is there any gpu in £50-£100 price range that provides better performance than dual graphics setup listed above


Will be gaming at 1080p.
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
I bought a gtx 1080 to pair with my Htc vive. I then sold my vive and I don't game as much as before so it feels like it's being wasted (but it's lovely when I do use it with my 3440x1440 monitor. Yum)

I have a couple of options I'm considering
1) keep it. Even if I don't game much it'll last me for years and years.

2) sell it, get something like a 1050/1060 which would be 'good enough' and use the proceeds towards a switch :p
I can easily sell it for £400-450.

not sure how much a 'good but cheaper' card would set me back. Depending on that delta would influence whether to keep it or not
 
I bought a gtx 1080 to pair with my Htc vive. I then sold my vive and I don't game as much as before so it feels like it's being wasted (but it's lovely when I do use it with my 3440x1440 monitor. Yum)

I have a couple of options I'm considering
1) keep it. Even if I don't game much it'll last me for years and years.

2) sell it, get something like a 1050/1060 which would be 'good enough' and use the proceeds towards a switch :p
I can easily sell it for £400-450.

not sure how much a 'good but cheaper' card would set me back. Depending on that delta would influence whether to keep it or not

i'd just keep the 1080 if you're playing at 3440x1440. a 1050/1060 is aimed at 1080p 60fps and a 1070 is 1440p 60fps. 1080 is 1440p 60fps and above including some 4K. you'll need that power to push that many pixels unless of course you don't mind lowering settings/resolution or playing with an unstable framerate or locking at 30fps.
 

Indyana

Member
Sorry for the late reply.
Not really... for now.
http://techreport.com/review/30813/samsung-960-pro-2tb-ssd-reviewed/5

If you're doing heavy video stuff it's basically mandatory over a regular SSD.

Just frees up more space for the computer and same price.

there's two kinds of M.2 drives: NVMe and SATA. NVMe is awesome magic that makes for fast drives in ways that don't consist of expensive pci slot boards, such as the 960 PRO and 600p (beats read speeds of anything SATA based at high end sata prices). Then you have the SATA based drives, which are just, well, SATA drives in a small form factor.

The only improvement imo is NVME makes everything looks neater! No dangling power and sata cable, all embedded onto the motherboard!

Thanks a lot for your input. Now I understand better the appeal of these units, but I'm afraid I'm not buying and NVMe drive. If I can find a good sale, I might buy an M.2 SSD
 
I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this one myself but,

AMD R7 240 to pair up with a 7670k in dual graphics mode
Or
Geforce 1050
Or
Is there any gpu in £50-£100 price range that provides better performance than dual graphics setup listed above


Will be gaming at 1080p.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01JPAVZQI/

This is pretty close to your price range and a hell of a lot better than that 240.

It's also a 4gb RX 460 for a bit cheaper than the cheapest 2gb 1050 I saw when lookng.
 
Are 2560x1080 ultrawides worth it? Since I went with a half assed i7 build, I'm thinking of getting a half assed ultrawide. LG has a 25" and 29" @ 2560x1080 that I could afford in a few months. I also only have a R9 290.
 
Are 2560x1080 ultrawides worth it? Since I went with a half assed i7 build, I'm thinking of getting a half assed ultrawide. LG has a 25" and 29" @ 2560x1080 that I could afford in a few months. I also only have a R9 290.

I have an LG 29" Ultrawide. I personally love gaming on it, barring the occasional games that don't support the resolution... but you can still play them in Windowed mode.

I didn't have any issues pushing the resolution with a 290X, you may need to lower some settings here or their to keep the 75Hz.

Also, with 2560x1080 it won't matter if you use Displayport or HDMI. HDMI 1.4 can handle 2560x1080@75Hz.
 
I have a bit of an unusual question and don't know where else to ask...

- my force feedback racing wheel calibrates (rotates 450° left, then 900° right, then to center again) the moment it's plugged in to USB - that's normal!

- after my MoBo upgrade a few months ago, it calibrates not only after every Windows 10 start up, it also already calibrates the moment I switch on my PC.

before it used to only calibrate at Windows launch. And I want it to be like that again.

Was this some USB-power while PC off thing with my old mainboard and my new one doesn't power USB when turned off? !??
What Bios-thingy do I have to switch? (my new motherboard is the MSI Z170A Gaming Pro Carbon)
 
I'm devastated. I'm in need of a mouse and I see that my current mouse, the CM Xornet II is discontinued with no direct replacement. I used to use the Spawn which was discontinued but luckily the Xornet II was the direct replacement, same shape and inexpensive. It took me forever to find the perfect mouse for my grip and now it's gone. I guess I'm on the hunt again for the perfect finger tip grip mouse again.

This is what it looked like:
mcozm5g.jpg


Edit:

Hmmm... I may see a few options for purchasing one still, at a premium of course but not as bad as I had feared. I guess I should snatch one up while I can.
 

mrklaw

MrArseFace
i'd just keep the 1080 if you're playing at 3440x1440. a 1050/1060 is aimed at 1080p 60fps and a 1070 is 1440p 60fps. 1080 is 1440p 60fps and above including some 4K. you'll need that power to push that many pixels unless of course you don't mind lowering settings/resolution or playing with an unstable framerate or locking at 30fps.

I like eye candy but I'm also pretty happy with 30fps and lowering a few of the more expensive but not drastically better settings
 

Vipu

Banned
I'm devastated. I'm in need of a mouse and I see that my current mouse, the CM Xornet II is discontinued with no direct replacement. I used to use the Spawn which was discontinued but luckily the Xornet II was the direct replacement, same shape and inexpensive. It took me forever to find the perfect mouse for my grip and now it's gone. I guess I'm on the hunt again for the perfect finger tip grip mouse again.

This is what it looked like:
mcozm5g.jpg


Edit:

Hmmm... I may see a few options for purchasing one still, at a premium of course but not as bad as I had feared. I guess I should snatch one up while I can.

You should check Mionix, they make that shaped mice.
 

TokiDoki

Member
Friend wants a budget build that does fine at 1080p for $600 but can be upgraded in the future. He already has his old HDD and new PSU he wants to bring over. Any suggestions? This is what I have so far.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-7100 3.9GHz Dual-Core Processor ($118.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z270P-D3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($110.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Dark 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon RX 480 4GB RS Video Card ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($62.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $595.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-01-27 10:44 EST-0500

Possible to stretch for an i5 ? The cpu is quite important as the core of a build for longevity .
 
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