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[OniBarubary]

Alright, I've been putting it off as long as I could but after some more recent games coming out really taxing my system, I finally decided I need to upgrade.

So here's where I'm at:

Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3570K CPU @ 3.40GHz
Graphics card: GeForce GTX 660 Ti

Everything else is stuff I can handle on my own, such as RAM and HDD and whatever. I already kinda handled those anyways.

What I'm wondering is 1. whether I need to upgrade my Processor (signs point to no) and 2. what I should upgrade my graphics card to. I'm not looking for top of the line, pushes everything to max settings shit, I'm looking for something similar to the 660ti at the time; something that was pretty damn good and not $500. Because I don't keep up to date on graphics cards, I wasn't sure if a new set were coming out that would drop other cards prices that I should wait for or, rarer still, a new set coming soon that would have a good upgrade option.

So I guess I'm basically asking what card I should upgrade to and if I should wait to do it til a new series comes out. I think it's the only thing holding my system back.

 

[Kito]

Not a fan of how the CPU AIO Cables are kind of resting on GPU though.

I have the same problem. I don't know how to flex the cables to look this:

Also, I find it curious you chose NZXT for additional fans.

 

[ISee]

Alright, I've been putting it off as long as I could but after some more recent games coming out really taxing my system, I finally decided I need to upgrade.

So here's where I'm at:

Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3570K CPU @ 3.40GHz
Graphics card: GeForce GTX 660 Ti

Everything else is stuff I can handle on my own, such as RAM and HDD and whatever. I already kinda handled those anyways.

What I'm wondering is 1. whether I need to upgrade my Processor (signs point to no) and 2. what I should upgrade my graphics card to. I'm not looking for top of the line, pushes everything to max settings shit, I'm looking for something similar to the 660ti at the time; something that was pretty damn good and not $500. Because I don't keep up to date on graphics cards, I wasn't sure if a new set were coming out that would drop other cards prices that I should wait for or, rarer still, a new set coming soon that would have a good upgrade option.

So I guess I'm basically asking what card I should upgrade to and if I should wait to do it til a new series comes out. I think it's the only thing holding my system back.

Yes you should also upgrade your CPU (but waiting for ryzen benchmarks before making a decision is the way to go). The thing is: currently your gpu is THE bottleneck in most games. With a better gpu you'll start to run into cpu bottlenecks. I upgraded my 3570k last year and got a boost of 20-40 fps in some games like witcher 3, JC3 or gta 5 (same 980, just new skylake cpu).
When it comes to gpus, well the 1060 and 480 comes to mind. You can find both under 300€ atm. Overall the 1060 is the faster cards in most games due to bad amd dx11 performance.
Currently there are no new cards on the horizon, maybe in 6-8 months.

 

[nightmare-slain]

if my 6700K is running at 4.5GHz it is essentially a stock 7700K?

6700K - 4.0 / 4.2 turbo / 4.5 OC
7700K - 4.2 / 4.5 turbo / ~5.0 OC

i really wish i could overclock higher than 4.5GHz i guess i got unlucky. needs 1.34V to run at that unless i'm doing something wrong. at first i locked it to 1.3V and managed to run Prime95 for 20 minutes at 4.4GHz but when i went to 4.5GHz I need 1.34V. does that mean if i want 4.6GHz I'll need about 1.38V? i really don't want to go any higher than 1.35V well my motherboard doesn't let me go higher than that manually. when i used the built in overclock it was running 4.4GHz but voltage was set to 1.42V!

highest temperatures i get are about 76C after about an hour of Prime95. when i am doing video editing it can top out at about 73C. i'm using a Hyper Evo 212X cooler. is that safe or should i go down to 4.4GHz and run at 1.3/1.31V?

 

[Finaika]

if my 6700K is running at 4.5GHz it is essentially a stock 7700K?

6700K - 4.0 / 4.2 turbo / 4.5 OC
7700K - 4.2 / 4.5 turbo / ~5.0 OC

i really wish i could overclock higher than 4.5GHz i guess i got unlucky. needs 1.34V to run at that unless i'm doing something wrong. at first i locked it to 1.3V and managed to run Prime95 for 20 minutes at 4.4GHz but when i went to 4.5GHz I need 1.34V. does that mean if i want 4.6GHz I'll need about 1.38V? i really don't want to go any higher than 1.35V well my motherboard doesn't let me go higher than that manually. when i used the built in overclock it was running 4.4GHz but voltage was set to 1.42V!

highest temperatures i get are about 76C after about an hour of Prime95. when i am doing video editing it can top out at about 73C. i'm using a Hyper Evo 212X cooler. is that safe or should i go down to 4.4GHz and run at 1.3/1.31V?

Stock 7700K runs at 4.5 only on a single core.

 

[lordkosc]

Correct, 4.5Ghz boost on core 1, all other cores boost to 4.4Ghz.

 

[nightmare-slain]

ah ok. so the 6700K is every so slightly faster when overclocked to 4.5GHz?

any tips on overclocking? i am reading about LLC but not sure exactly what to do. in my BIOS it is set to Auto and the only other option is "Mode 1". there is also CPU GT llc but i don't know what that is. this is my first time overclocking a cpu.

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Alright, I've been putting it off as long as I could but after some more recent games coming out really taxing my system, I finally decided I need to upgrade.

So here's where I'm at:

Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3570K CPU @ 3.40GHz
Graphics card: GeForce GTX 660 Ti

Everything else is stuff I can handle on my own, such as RAM and HDD and whatever. I already kinda handled those anyways.

What I'm wondering is 1. whether I need to upgrade my Processor (signs point to no) and 2. what I should upgrade my graphics card to. I'm not looking for top of the line, pushes everything to max settings shit, I'm looking for something similar to the 660ti at the time; something that was pretty damn good and not $500. Because I don't keep up to date on graphics cards, I wasn't sure if a new set were coming out that would drop other cards prices that I should wait for or, rarer still, a new set coming soon that would have a good upgrade option.

So I guess I'm basically asking what card I should upgrade to and if I should wait to do it til a new series comes out. I think it's the only thing holding my system back.

Yes you should also upgrade your CPU (but waiting for ryzen benchmarks before making a decision is the way to go). The thing is: currently your gpu is THE bottleneck in most games. With a better gpu you'll start to run into cpu bottlenecks. I upgraded my 3570k last year and got a boost of 20-40 fps in some games like witcher 3, JC3 or gta 5 (same 980, just new skylake cpu).
When it comes to gpus, well the 1060 and 480 comes to mind. You can find both under 300€ atm. Overall the 1060 is the faster cards in most games due to bad amd dx11 performance.
Currently there are no new cards on the horizon, maybe in 6-8 months.

If 500 dollars is the upper limit they don't want to cross, the GTX 1070 is always an option, if somewhat overkill at 1080p. Most variants hover around the $400 mark. Below that, yeah, 1060 or RX 480 is the least one should get for a 'substantial' upgrade.

 

[Pureauthor]

Hi all, I'm a complete newbie to this stuff who's currently looking to build their own PC.

Would I be pretty much okay with following with one of Haz's builds in the OP to the letter? I understand that one of the advantages of a desktop is that it's easy to upgrade and/or repair.

Also, is having a good case very important? I've seen people talk about heat problems before.

Thanks in advance.

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Hi all, I'm a complete newbie to this stuff who's currently looking to build their own PC.

Would I be pretty much okay with following with one of Haz's builds in the OP to the letter? I understand that one of the advantages of a desktop is that it's easy to upgrade and/or repair.

Also, is having a good case very important? I've seen people talk about heat problems before.

Thanks in advance.

The builds in the OP are a little old, though still valid stuff. The general recommendation would be that, with regards to CPU and motherboard, is to compare to current Kabylake options. For example, no point getting an i3-6100 when the i3-7100 is roughly the same price, unless you're getting a cheaper skylake motherboard.

And cases are more... don't have one that sucks, and understand what your needs are. You don't need to spend 100 dollars on one, but it wouldn't be recommended to find one less than 20.

 

[nightmare-slain]

Hi all, I'm a complete newbie to this stuff who's currently looking to build their own PC.

Would I be pretty much okay with following with one of Haz's builds in the OP to the letter? I understand that one of the advantages of a desktop is that it's easy to upgrade and/or repair.

Also, is having a good case very important? I've seen people talk about heat problems before.

Thanks in advance.

the guide is a bit out of date. go for a kabylake cpu over skylake unless skylake is considerably cheaper.

as for a case you just want as much air flow as possible. if you are building a small form factor PC then there isn't much room for fans or airflow. a larger case with more fans is better. my old case had storage/disk cages so i could only run two 120mm fans at the front and 1 of them was blocked by the storage cage. it was OK but my current case is much better with 3x 140mm fans pulling air in and nothing blocking it. i paid the same for both cases.

 

[OniBarubary]

Yes you should also upgrade your CPU (but waiting for ryzen benchmarks before making a decision is the way to go). The thing is: currently your gpu is THE bottleneck in most games. With a better gpu you'll start to run into cpu bottlenecks. I upgraded my 3570k last year and got a boost of 20-40 fps in some games like witcher 3, JC3 or gta 5 (same 980, just new skylake cpu).
When it comes to gpus, well the 1060 and 480 comes to mind. You can find both under 300€ atm. Overall the 1060 is the faster cards in most games due to bad amd dx11 performance.
Currently there are no new cards on the horizon, maybe in 6-8 months.

If 500 dollars is the upper limit they don't want to cross, the GTX 1070 is always an option, if somewhat overkill at 1080p. Most variants hover around the $400 mark. Below that, yeah, 1060 or RX 480 is the least one should get for a 'substantial' upgrade.

Thanks for these. The 1060 sounds right up my alley, specifically I was looking at this one as it seems a pretty damn good value for the price: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JNUO6BG/ref=psdc_284822_t2_B01LZYPEHK

I am...unsure what the differences are between certain versions though, minus some of the obvious ones (3 RAM instead of 6, one fan instead of 2, etc).

As far as the CPU goes, are we really expecting a lot from Ryzen? I know AMD hasn't been competitive in years but if they look to keep up with the Intel chips is the price going to be significant enough of a difference to warrant buying an AMD over an Intel?

I'm also sorta curious which path I should go to upgrading specifically; stay at an i5 and just push higher or swap over to an i7?

 

[nightmare-slain]

i wanted to further test the stability of my system so ran 15 passes of intel burn test. i read that so many passes is equivalent to hours of Prime95. 15 passes only took a few minutes. i'm wondering how many passes i should run to make sure it's really stable.

also highest temp i got was 81C. prime 95 never put it past 76C after an hour. video editing highest is 73C. during games it can be anywhere between 50-70C depending on the game and what is happening.

 

[TC McQueen]

As far as the CPU goes, are we really expecting a lot from Ryzen? I know AMD hasn't been competitive in years but if they look to keep up with the Intel chips is the price going to be significant enough of a difference to warrant buying an AMD over an Intel?

I'm also sorta curious which path I should go to upgrading specifically; stay at an i5 and just push higher or swap over to an i7?

The latest info from Canard PC, a reputable French tech site, is that Intel might be shitting themselves over Ryzen and might be rushing to put together a new CPU to counter it. So wait until the end of the month, when the chips are out and benchmarks are available, and see what it's got.

That said, odds are decent that whatever CPUs they put out in the $250-350 range are going to be pretty competitive with i5s and i7s in terms of value.

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Thanks for these. The 1060 sounds right up my alley, specifically I was looking at this one as it seems a pretty damn good value for the price: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JNUO6BG/ref=psdc_284822_t2_B01LZYPEHK

I am...unsure what the differences are between certain versions though, minus some of the obvious ones (3 RAM instead of 6, one fan instead of 2, etc).

As far as the CPU goes, are we really expecting a lot from Ryzen? I know AMD hasn't been competitive in years but if they look to keep up with the Intel chips is the price going to be significant enough of a difference to warrant buying an AMD over an Intel?

I'm also sorta curious which path I should go to upgrading specifically; stay at an i5 and just push higher or swap over to an i7?

Honestly the baseline hope with Ryzen is that it may force intel to actually compete and bring its prices down to match. So worth waiting at this stage either way, to see how prices affected.

 

[nightmare-slain]

The latest info from Canard PC, a reputable French tech site, is that Intel might be shitting themselves over Ryzen and might be rushing to put together a new CPU to counter it. So wait until the end of the month, when the chips are out and benchmarks are available, and see what it's got.

That said, odds are decent that whatever CPUs they put out in the $250-350 range are going to be pretty competitive with i5s and i7s in terms of value.

i hope so. they need a fire lit under their ass.

i'm just wondering what they'll put out? i believe coffeelake is their next desktop cpu and will still be 14nm but with more cores (not sure if 6 or 8). there is cannonlake which is 10nm but i thought that was aimed at low powered devices? the first 10nm desktop cpu will be Icelake.

Coffeelake might not be out until 2018 and all I can see for Icelake is 2018 too but i'd imagine that'd be closer to 2019. what can they put out in 2017 that isn't cannonlake?

 

[OniBarubary]

The latest info from Canard PC, a reputable French tech site, is that Intel might be shitting themselves over Ryzen and might be rushing to put together a new CPU to counter it. So wait until the end of the month, when the chips are out and benchmarks are available, and see what it's got.

That said, odds are decent that whatever CPUs they put out in the $250-350 range are going to be pretty competitive with i5s and i7s in terms of value.

Honestly the baseline hope with Ryzen is that it may force intel to actually compete and bring its prices down to match. So worth waiting at this stage either way, to see how prices affected.

Good to know, thanks.

 

[Earthbound64]

Hey all. Recently my motherboard died (it had been an older one supporting an i7-990x), so I ended up replacing it with an ASRock Z170 (since it supported the DDR3 RAM I already had, and I didn't want to buy new RAM as well) and an i7-6700. I have a couple of questions, though.

*See note at bottom with regards to questions 1 and 2* 1) I got the i7-6700, not the i7-6700k, but in the Bios it appears to be giving me options to overclock it. I just have the stock cooler on it, but right now it's running at around 25C. I do have a Titan Black stuck in there as well, but it's also not overclocked. Should I be able to push the i7-6700 up to at least 4GHz without too much problem/worry, or should I just leave it at the stock 3.4GHz?

2) Obviously I already purchased it, but how does the i7-6700 sit among processors? I know a year ago it was fairly close to the top, but hopefully this should last me for quite some time? *See note at bottom with regards to questions 1 and 2*

3) With the motherboard - good choice? I was mainly looking for something with a USB-C port (although I do have an expansion card with a couple of extra USB-C ports), which it has, and which supported my DDR3 RAM (and a decent processor). Again, obviously I already bought it, but is it something I'm going to have to look at replacing as I upgrade parts in the future, or should it be good for a while?


Sorry about the uninteresting questions / questions about stuff I already got. I know I could've / should've done more research (although I did do some) before sinking like $440 on a Motherboard / CPU, but still, just looking to get some general feedback and stuff. Thanks


P.S. Well, darn. I just noticed that the i7-7700 is out, and isn't much more than the 6700 was. Is the difference between the two meaningful enough to go through the return/exchange process?

EDIT: After realizing that, I actually went ahead and did a return on the i7-6700 and ordered the i7-7700. It was well within the return period (Amazon), and I knew that was something I was going to be kicking myself over.

So, yeah, replace everything I said above with regards to the 6700 with 7700.

 

[ISee]

Thanks for these. The 1060 sounds right up my alley, specifically I was looking at this one as it seems a pretty damn good value for the price: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01JNUO6BG/ref=psdc_284822_t2_B01LZYPEHK

I am...unsure what the differences are between certain versions though, minus some of the obvious ones (3 RAM instead of 6, one fan instead of 2, etc).

As far as the CPU goes, are we really expecting a lot from Ryzen? I know AMD hasn't been competitive in years but if they look to keep up with the Intel chips is the price going to be significant enough of a difference to warrant buying an AMD over an Intel?

I'm also sorta curious which path I should go to upgrading specifically; stay at an i5 and just push higher or swap over to an i7?

The differences between the 3gb and 6gb 1060s are significant, it's not just the ram size. The 6gb 1060 has more shader processors and texture mapping units.
For the rest: It's about design and cooling, noise, boost clock and oc capabilities. The windforce 1060 is nothing to go crazy about, but it is a good entry level card. You should also be able to squeeze out a higher stable clock speed without much trouble (if you want to) on it.

Are we really expecting something from Ryzen? At least some sort of competition would be nice. Ryzen won't blow us away and people on a 4560k (or better) processors won't feel the need to upgrade but the rest? it might be a worthwhile and cheaper alternative.

Good old i5 vs i7 question. There is still no definitive answer her.
A new 7600k is more than fast enough for all games, especially overclocked and paired with xmp ddr4 3000+ mhz ram. It is a great CPU but an i7 is a bit faster, especially in games with high CPU load and proper thread utilization like Witcher 3, Watch_Dogs 2, GTA V or JC 3. Personally I upgraded my 3570k to an i7 6700k last year just because I experienced how well a friends 3770k performed while my 3570k was running out of breath. I hope for the same kind of mileage out of a new skylake/kabylake i7.

 

[shanafan]

In my NVIDIA control panel, there is an option to enable G SYNC in either full screen mode, or windowed and full screen mode.

Unless there is an issue with it, why wouldn't you just enable it for both windowed and full mode by default?

 

[Booker.DeWitt]

is this a good deal?

https://www.costco.com/CyberpowerPC...orce-GTX-1060-Graphics.product.100333329.html

 

[Cast-Iron]

No. From 500 bucks, the cheapest and better idea is to build your own pc

 

[Sword Of Doom]

Mine did. $650. May be store dependent, but I had read somewhere that they stocked the Acer.

Thanks for the heads up. Went to my local Costco and they didn't have it. Tried another one and they had them in stock so I picked one up for $650. I haven't tried it yet but it looks so "gamer" and plasticky. I hope the panel is good quality.

 

[JonnyDBrit]

is this a good deal?

https://www.costco.com/CyberpowerPC...orce-GTX-1060-Graphics.product.100333329.html

Deal? No. This an approximate if deliberately cheap equivalent from parts:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($309.33 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B250M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($158.28 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($43.74 @ B&H)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($63.86 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB GAMING Video Card ($239.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Rosewill Galaxy-02 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: CoolMax 600W ATX Power Supply ($38.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer ($16.88 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.58 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1091.50
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-05 14:30 EST-0500

Which gives you about $200 worth of wiggle room to get better components. If you're adamantly opposed to building it, then perhaps, but even then you would definitely be paying a premium on it being prebuilt.

 

[OniBarubary]

The differences between the 3gb and 6gb 1060s are significant, it's not just the ram size. The 6gb 1060 has more shader processors and texture mapping units.
For the rest: It's about design and cooling, noise, boost clock and oc capabilities. The windforce 1060 is nothing to go crazy about, but it is a good entry level card. You should also be able to squeeze out a higher stable clock speed without much trouble (if you want to) on it.

Are we really expecting something from Ryzen? At least some sort of competition would be nice. Ryzen won't blow us away and people on a 4560k (or better) processors won't feel the need to upgrade but the rest? it might be a worthwhile and cheaper alternative.

Good old i5 vs i7 question. There is still no definitive answer her.
A new 7600k is more than fast enough for all games, especially overclocked and paired with xmp ddr4 3000+ mhz ram. It is a great CPU but an i7 is a bit faster, especially in games with high CPU load and proper thread utilization like Witcher 3, Watch_Dogs 2, GTA V or JC 3. Personally I upgraded my 3570k to an i7 6700k last year just because I experienced how well a friends 3770k performed while my 3570k was running out of breath. I hope for the same kind of mileage out of a new skylake/kabylake i7.

Thanks, this was exceedingly helpful. I'll think I'll grab the card now and wait for the Ryzen to get benchmarked/come out to maybe put the squeeze on Intel pricing/see if it's a better deal and then wait a tad to see if it effects the landscape at all.

Thanks again.

 

[Booker.DeWitt]

Deal? No. This an approximate if deliberately cheap equivalent from parts:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($309.33 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B250M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($158.28 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($43.74 @ B&H)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($63.86 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB GAMING Video Card ($239.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Rosewill Galaxy-02 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: CoolMax 600W ATX Power Supply ($38.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer ($16.88 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.58 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1091.50
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-05 14:30 EST-0500

Which gives you about $200 worth of wiggle room to get better components. If you're adamantly opposed to building it, then perhaps, but even then you would definitely be paying a premium on it being prebuilt.

awesome, thanks for the response. I need to read more, this will be my first high end desktop and I am completely ignorant in this field, never built anything myself, I am afraid to screw up during the installation or have horrible cable management and causing heating issues

 

[appaws]

I think I've finalized my build - thoughts? (Thanks to Bloodember who gave me a template to start with, and after doing research over the last week I ended up choosing most of what he started me with)

PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i5-7600K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus PRIME Z270M-PLUS Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Micro Center w/ $30 CPU combo discount)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($94.99 @ Newegg - sale ends Monday)
Storage: Intel 600p Series 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($164.99 @ Micro Center)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($44.99 @ Micro Center)
Video Card: Asus Radeon RX 480 4GB Dual Video Card ($169.99 @ Micro Center after $20 mail in rebate)
Case: Fractal Design Define Mini C MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Amazon)

Total: $1009.91 (Before tax)

550W should easily be fine for this? And I should be ok with WD Blue over Black if I'm mostly using it as a temporary storage drive? (I have a NAS drive for more permanent storage)

Looks great to me! 550 watts is good for sure.

 

[Grimalkin]

~snip~ Good CPU info ~snip~

This is my struggle. How powerful of a CPU do I want? My i5-2500K from 6 years ago has been a faithful worker all this time but it's just too old now. I investigated trying to get the last bit of juice out of it but naw, it's time for something new.

So... do I go with the i5-7600K or the i7-7700K? I'm going to still be at 1080p for another few years at least, so in many ways the i7 is overkill but I do enjoy a lot of CPU heavy games.

I want to "treat yo self" since it's been such a long time, and the power jump to the i7 is greater than the i5. I believe now more than ever if you get an overpowered CPU you can just swap out the graphics cards and be good to go for many years.

Trying to find the right balance of power to cost; I want the maximum amount of power that I'm actually going to use.

 

[JonnyDBrit]

awesome, thanks for the response. I need to read more, this will be my first high end desktop and I am completely ignorant in this field, never built anything myself, I am afraid to screw up during the installation or have horrible cable management and causing heating issues

Based on the one you were looking at, I presume you're willing to spend around 1300 on a build? Not including monitor or mouse and keyboard?

 

[Spine E Lobster]

Looking to build my first desktop. I'm somewhat tech savvy i guess and my son needs a good computer in the house instead of just the laptop.

Budget is $600 with wiggle room depending on if spending a bit more will really benefit me. This is not including monitor which I'd like recommendations for separately. I also have a keyboard and wireless mouse already.

Primary use is schoolwork, internet, and I'd like to be able to do some light gaming even though we game mostly on ps4 and xbox.

I have an Amazon credit card I'd like to use if it's possible to get most of the parts from there but if the price difference is too great it's ok and i can just buy from wherever. Thank you.

Oh and i can buy as early as this week or wait but preferably I'd like to get started by the end of the month. Thanks

 

[Coulomb_Barrier]

Deal? No. This an approximate if deliberately cheap equivalent from parts:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($309.33 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($27.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B250M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($158.28 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($43.74 @ B&H)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($63.86 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB GAMING Video Card ($239.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Rosewill Galaxy-02 ATX Mid Tower Case ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: CoolMax 600W ATX Power Supply ($38.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSC0B DVD/CD Writer ($16.88 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.58 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1091.50
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-05 14:30 EST-0500

Which gives you about $200 worth of wiggle room to get better components. If you're adamantly opposed to building it, then perhaps, but even then you would definitely be paying a premium on it being prebuilt.

Great card choice and good all around.

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Looking to build my first desktop. I'm somewhat tech savvy i guess and my son needs a good computer in the house instead of just the laptop.

Budget is $600 with wiggle room depending on if spending a bit more will really benefit me. This is not including monitor which I'd like recommendations for separately. I also have a keyboard and wireless mouse already.

Primary use is schoolwork, internet, and I'd like to be able to do some light gaming even though we game mostly on ps4 and xbox.

I have an Amazon credit card I'd like to use if it's possible to get most of the parts from there but if the price difference is too great it's ok and i can just buy from wherever. Thank you.

Oh and i can buy as early as this week or wait but preferably I'd like to get started by the end of the month. Thanks

Did one real quick.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($70.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B250M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($56.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($43.74 @ B&H)
Storage: Toshiba Product SeriesT01ACA 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon RX 470 4GB STRIX Video Card ($169.99 @ Jet)
Case: DIYPC DIY-N8-BK MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($39.88 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 400W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Corsair)
Total: $562.33
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-05 16:29 EST-0500

Edit: Modified slightly because I derped on the SSD a bit, and additionally revised since Quantum Squid pointed out an aftermarket cooler was unnecessary.

Now I admit, that's not including the price of the operating system, but that's because you can find W10 keys around for a fair bit cheaper than what the site suggests. You can downsize the GPU to a 1050 Ti to save a little more if need be, and if being able to see the insides doesn't matter so much, there are cheaper but still good cases available. It's got all the essentials though, and leaves you guys some room to upgrade in future if you want to ease him into this stuff.

 

[Booker.DeWitt]

Based on the one you were looking at, I presume you're willing to spend around 1300 on a build? Not including monitor or mouse and keyboard?

1000 would be preferable, but 1300 if it is a killer for years I would be able to do it

 

[QuantumSquid]

Did one real quick.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($70.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B250M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($56.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($43.74 @ B&H)
Storage: Toshiba Product SeriesT01ACA 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($46.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon RX 470 4GB STRIX Video Card ($169.99 @ Jet)
Case: DIYPC DIY-N8-BK MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($39.88 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 400W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ Corsair)
Total: $597.21
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-05 16:04 EST-0500

Edit: Modified slightly because I derped on the SSD a bit.

Now I admit, that's not including the price of the operating system, but that's because you can find W10 keys around for a fair bit cheaper than what the site suggests. You can downsize the GPU to a 1050 Ti to save a little more if need be, and if being able to see the insides doesn't matter so much, there are cheaper but still good cases available. It's got all the essentials though, and leaves you guys some room to upgrade in future if you want to ease him into this stuff.

Why do you need an aftermarket CPU cooler for an unoverclockable Pentium that comes with an Intel cooler in the box?

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Why do you need an aftermarket CPU cooler for an unoverclockable Pentium that comes with an Intel cooler in the box?

...That is a fair point, hadn't realised the Pentium comes with one.

 

[nkarafo]

hi PC GAF, i need a new GFX card.

Currently i have a GTX 960 2GB and i manage to sell it along with some other stuff to get a 1060. However, i don't know which one to get. I am currently looking at this:

http://www.askadam.gr/%CF%85%CF%80%CE%BF%CE%BB%CE%BF%CE%B3%CE%B9%CF%83%CF%84%CE%AD%CF%82/hardware/%CE%BA%CE%AC%CF%81%CF%84%CE%B5%CF%82-%CE%B3%CF%81%CE%B1%CF%86%CE%B9%CE%BA%CF%8E%CE%BD/%CE%BA%CE%AC%CF%81%CF%84%CE%B1-%CE%B3%CF%81%CE%B1%CF%86%CE%B9%CE%BA%CF%8E%CE%BD-gigabyte-geforce-gtx1060-windforce-oc-6gb-ddr5-gv-n1060wf2oc-6gd.html

Is that a good choice? I don't want it to be warmer or louder than the one i have (960 Windforce OC). Also, i am worried about another thing. This 1060 only has one 6-pin power input. The 960 i have has two. Does that mean the 1060 draws less power? Because i thought it was the same? I'm worried that maybe this card is chopped down? Other 1060 cards are better?

Help me GAF.

 

[Weevilone]

Why do you need an aftermarket CPU cooler for an unoverclockable Pentium that comes with an Intel cooler in the box?

If it's anything like the stock Intel fans I've used, to reduce unnecessary noise.

 

[Wallach]

Rumors were Q1 2017.

Oh well. Maybe we'll see it in Q2.

It's basically a guessing game between now and June. Assuming nothing crazy happened with the Ti in production, they have the luxury of releasing it whenever is most convenient to shit on Vega's release.

 

[JonnyDBrit]

1000 would be preferable, but 1300 if it is a killer for years I would be able to do it

Well, what I listed before, with some tweaking - say, replacing the 7700 with an i5-7600k - could put you comfortable around 1000 with some decent performance. For the 1300 'killer' option...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($343.49 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($76.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z270M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($119.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($106.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($43.74 @ B&H)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($68.82 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC GAMING ACX 3.0 Black Edition Video Card ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Apevia X-QTIS-BK MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($36.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G3 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($77.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1254.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-05 16:48 EST-0500

Could double the SSD storage, or increase the HDD, or get a different case, maybe a better motherboard, doesn't matter too much. This is the sort of thing you'd be looking at, spending that much money.

 

[Zoomed]

Hey guys and gals,

I have my eye on a PowerSpec PC from MicroCenter. I have a few questions:

-Is PowerSpec a good brand? I had never heard of this brand before looking around for a new PC. Also, is MicroCenter a decent place to buy a pre-built PC? I am not capable of building my own, so I am looking to buy one.

-This is the one I have my eye on:
Intel Core i5-7500 Processor 3.40GHz
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5
16GB DDR4-2133 RAM
1TB HDD + 250GB SSD
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64-bit
ASUS 24x DVDRW Drive
10/100/1000 Network
802.11ac Wireless

$799

Does this seem like a pretty good deal? Are there any detailed specs that I need to check to make sure it has before buying?

Thanks,

 

[ISee]

hi PC GAF, i need a new GFX card.

Currently i have a GTX 960 2GB and i manage to sell it along with some other stuff to get a 1060. However, i don't know which one to get. I am currently looking at this:

http://www.askadam.gr/%CF%85%CF%80%CE%BF%CE%BB%CE%BF%CE%B3%CE%B9%CF%83%CF%84%CE%AD%CF%82/hardware/%CE%BA%CE%AC%CF%81%CF%84%CE%B5%CF%82-%CE%B3%CF%81%CE%B1%CF%86%CE%B9%CE%BA%CF%8E%CE%BD/%CE%BA%CE%AC%CF%81%CF%84%CE%B1-%CE%B3%CF%81%CE%B1%CF%86%CE%B9%CE%BA%CF%8E%CE%BD-gigabyte-geforce-gtx1060-windforce-oc-6gb-ddr5-gv-n1060wf2oc-6gd.html

Is that a good choice? I don't want it to be warmer or louder than the one i have (960 Windforce OC). Also, i am worried about another thing. This 1060 only has one 6-pin power input. The 960 i have has two. Does that mean the 1060 draws less power? Because i thought it was the same? I'm worried that maybe this card is chopped down? Other 1060 cards are better?

Help me GAF.

-The card isn't chopped down (as long as it is the 6gb version).
-If you are happy with the 960 windforce, you'll be happy with the 1060 windforce when it comes to noise and temperature levels (temperature should actually be even better).
-Yes the 10xx series draws less power than the 9xx series, still you'll find 1060s with more power connectors. Gigabyte decided to only put one power connector on all their cards this time around (after offering up to 2x8 pin on their 9xx series) . Which isn't bad per se but hinders manual overclocking, especially on 1070s and 1080s (power limitation). BTW the Gigabyte 1060 G1 has an 8pin connector.
-960 to 1060 is a significant step up. Have fun!

 

[Varg]

Well, what I listed before, with some tweaking - say, replacing the 7700 with an i5-7600k - could put you comfortable around 1000 with some decent performance. For the 1300 'killer' option...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($343.49 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($76.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z270M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($119.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($106.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Sandisk SSD PLUS 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($43.74 @ B&H)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 7K2000 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($68.82 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC GAMING ACX 3.0 Black Edition Video Card ($379.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Apevia X-QTIS-BK MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($36.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G3 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($77.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1254.78
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-05 16:48 EST-0500

Could double the SSD storage, or increase the HDD, or get a different case, maybe a better motherboard, doesn't matter too much. This is the sort of thing you'd be looking at, spending that much money.

Thank you for this this seems right up my alley .

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Hey guys and gals,

I have my eye on a PowerSpec PC from MicroCenter. I have a few questions:

-Is PowerSpec a good brand? I had never heard of this brand before looking around for a new PC. Also, is MicroCenter a decent place to buy a pre-built PC? I am not capable of building my own, so I am looking to buy one.

-This is the one I have my eye on:
Intel Core i5-7500 Processor 3.40GHz
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5
16GB DDR4-2133 RAM
1TB HDD + 250GB SSD
Microsoft Windows 10 Home 64-bit
ASUS 24x DVDRW Drive
10/100/1000 Network
802.11ac Wireless

$799

Does this seem like a pretty good deal? Are there any detailed specs that I need to check to make sure it has before buying?

Thanks,

That's... not that bad actually. Even being really cheap on Part Picker it's hard to match.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-7500 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($197.99 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B250M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: GeIL EVO POTENZA 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($82.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.80 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB GAMING Video Card ($239.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Rosewill FBM-02 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair VS 400W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $804.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-05 17:03 EST-0500

What's the source for your thing?

 

[Zoomed]

That's... not that bad actually. Even being really cheap on Part Picker it's hard to match.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-7500 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($197.99 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B250M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($73.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: GeIL EVO POTENZA 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($82.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital RE3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($45.80 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB GAMING Video Card ($239.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Rosewill FBM-02 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair VS 400W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $804.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-05 17:03 EST-0500

What's the source for your thing?

Source?

Where I am looking to buy it from? MicroCenter. Looks like they have around 40 locations in the US.

Edit - I am not seeing anything in the specs about cooling. Should that be noted separately in the specs? Or is it lumped in with something?

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Source?

Where I am looking to buy it from? MicroCenter. Looks like they have around 40 locations in the US.

Edit - I am not seeing anything in the specs about cooling. Should that be noted separately in the specs? Or is it lumped in with something?

I mean like, what's the specific page of the PC, so that the specs can be examined in detail, and shared around if people are interested in a PC at that level if it's actually good.

As for cooling, I am again derping on that point. It might well be if not probably is a stock cooler.

 

[Zoomed]

I mean like, what's the specific page of the PC, so that the specs can be examined in detail, and shared around if people are interested in a PC at that level if it's actually good.

As for cooling, I am again derping on that point. It might well be if not probably is a stock cooler.

Oh, gotcha. Sorry.

http://www.microcenter.com/product/474127/G221_Desktop_Computer

 

[dreamer3kx]

Did ram jump up in price recently, I swore it wasnt these prices around 6 months ago.

 

[nkarafo]

-The card isn't chopped down (as long as it is the 6gb version).
-If you are happy with the 960 windforce, you'll be happy with the 1060 windforce when it comes to noise and temperature levels (temperature should actually be even better).
-Yes the 10xx series draws less power than the 9xx series, still you'll find 1060s with more power connectors. Gigabyte decided to only put one power connector on all their cards this time around (after offering up to 2x8 pin on their 9xx series) . Which isn't bad per se but hinders manual overclocking, especially on 1070s and 1080s (power limitation). BTW the Gigabyte 1060 G1 has an 8pin connector.
-960 to 1060 is a significant step up. Have fun!

Thanks! Yeah, i'm going for 6GBs this time around, 2GBs were limited even 1.5 years ago when i bought the card. This time i won't do the same mistake.

I didn't plan to overclock anyway so i guess i don't mind the one less power connector.

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Oh, gotcha. Sorry.

http://www.microcenter.com/product/474127/G221_Desktop_Computer

Ah, in-store pickup only. Must be a clearance sale. Still, that's not bad at all actually, power supply bigger than the one I picked out. If you'd prefer not to build your PC then this isn't too much of a price to pay for what you're getting.

Did ram jump up in price recently, I swore it wasnt these prices around 6 months ago.

Apparently there's a shortage in supply.

 

[Husker86]

Thanks for the heads up. Went to my local Costco and they didn't have it. Tried another one and they had them in stock so I picked one up for $650. I haven't tried it yet but it looks so "gamer" and plasticky. I hope the panel is good quality.

Yeah, luckily I have mine mounted so I don't have to use the stand. The Predator logo is a bit much, but overall it's not so bad.

Good luck on the panel!