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[Strafebogey]

Looking for a bit of advice. For the majority of my life, I have been a console gamer. I did have a PC for a few years when the original Doom first appeared but eventually got sick of boot discs and driver problems, and eventually when back to consoles with the PS1. Anyway, all the recent talk of PS4K and my PS4 starting to sound like a jet engine have made me wonder if I should return to PC gaming using the steam link. I do have a few questions and was wondering if fellow Gaffers can help.

Does anyone use their PC purely for games in their living room?

How does the experience compare to a console, which is designed for playing games on a TV?

Can I use a controller rather than a mouse and keyboard for online gaming? I would prefer not to use a mouse and keyboard at all.

Is it simple enough for an 8-year-old kid to use?

Are boot disc, driver problems and general messing around a thing of the past with PC gaming?

Is it better to use the steam link or build a small form PC?

1. I've built a rig specifically for VR and living room gaming. They are purely for gaming, nothing else. Small enough to be unobtrusive, slightly bigger than an Xbox One. I kept it it behind the TV, although I could slip it into the entertainment cabinet if I want to. Vertical or horizontal orientation.

2. It'll take a somewhat thorough first time setup, but once you've done that, you can set it up so that EA Origin, UPlay and Steam to open on startup, so that you dont have to meddle with anything else. Regular Windows update, and graphics driver update via GeForce Experience (sorry, I cant comment on the Radeon side) with the GeForce Experience app being able to do a one-click setting on all your games without having to deal with specific settings per game.

3. Yes you can use a controller to navigate. I'm less confident about being able to just use a controller exclusively to navigate Windows. If you specifically just use Steam for all your games, you can enable Big Picture Mode, which allows navigation via controllers exclusively. However, for maintenance and troubleshooting, you will still need mouse and keyboard. Playing a game on controller while you're on PC, on certain genres like FPS games, will set you up at a disadvantage compared to the game being played on mouse/keyboard combo. Other genres like action adventure, racing and fighting games, controllers are most definitely needed.

4. I do not think it is simple enough for an 8yo to use. The open nature of the platform and the need to do frequent updates may be a little overwhelming.

5. "Messing around" is generally a thing of the past with Windows update being able to be set to auto-update and installed at specific time, graphics drivers (again, talking about GeForce Experience here) update with a simple button click and follow-through prompts, etc.

6. I'm assuming you're referring to a Steambox. I prefer an SFF (small form factor) build with the flexibility of sourcing out the parts you need and setting it up as you prefer. I have not tried SteamOS, but it hasn't really caught fire when it comes to adopting that into living room builds.

 

[beastlove]

Thanks for the help and advice Strafebogey. How much did your rig cost?

3. Yes you can use a controller to navigate. I'm less confident about being able to just use a controller exclusively to navigate Windows. If you specifically just use Steam for all your games, you can enable Big Picture Mode, which allows navigation via controllers exclusively. However, for maintenance and troubleshooting, you will still need mouse and keyboard. Playing a game on controller while you're on PC, on certain genres like FPS games, will set you up at a disadvantage compared to the game being played on mouse/keyboard combo. Other genres like action adventure, racing and fighting games, controllers are most definitely needed..

To be honest, I was just planning to boot directly to Steam big picture. I play a few FPS games and would be concerned that I would be at a disadvantage. That said, I am not that good anyway.

4. I do not think it is simple enough for an 8yo to use. The open nature of the platform and the need to do frequent updates may be a little overwhelming.

Oh, do you think this is true if I just boot directly into steam? It would be good for him to learn how to mess around with a PC.

5. "Messing around" is generally a thing of the past with Windows update being able to be set to auto-update and installed at specific time, graphics drivers (again, talking about GeForce Experience here) update with a simple button click and follow-through prompts, etc.

That was my main concern so that doesn't sound too bad.

6. I'm assuming you're referring to a Steambox. I prefer an SFF (small form factor) build with the flexibility of sourcing out the parts you need and setting it up as you prefer. I have not tried SteamOS, but it hasn't really caught fire when it comes to adopting that into living room builds.

I did look at the Steambox but they seem a bit pointless. I was looking at something like you have behind the TV. I didn't know if it would be better to have a small form PC or a larger PC connected via Steamlink.

 

[LilJoka]

I have a PC in my lounge. I play mostly with a controller, but I play CS GO with a wireless mouse and keyboard.
Yes I'm at a big disadvantage since my view distance is a lot further, but I still do well.
It's all possible to be done.

 

[Strafebogey]

Thanks for the help and advice Strafebogey. How much did your rig cost?


To be honest, I was just planning to boot directly to Steam big picture. I play a few FPS games and would be concerned that I would be at a disadvantage. That said, I am not that good anyway.



Oh, do you think this is true if I just boot directly into steam? It would be good for him to learn how to mess around with a PC.



That was my main concern so that doesn't sound too bad.




I did look at the Steambox but they seem a bit pointless. I was looking at something like you have behind the TV. I didn't know if it would be better to have a small form PC or a larger PC connected via Steamlink.

Here's the PCPartPicker for the build. http://pcpartpicker.com/list/7pGsYr You can still trim this down further into a build that can play beautifully at 1080p. If you tolerate air-coolers in tight space, you can go that route. Skip the SSD and go hard drive only. Skip that GTX1080 for a GTX970 for 1080p max setting on most modern games.

Even if the intention is to boot directly into Steam Big Picture Mode, there will be a time where a graphics driver update and Windows update is required. Which means you still need to have your 8yo be familiar with doing those two tasks at least. Or you could task yourself to do those tasks yourself every month, that should cover it once you set it to boot up in BPM.

No idea with the Steam Link. If you have multiple devices connected to the same network the Steam Link is using, it'll competing for bandwidth with the Link itself, it may result in image quality degradation.

 

[LilJoka]

Windows updates are automatic.

GPU updates don't need to be done often at all. I tend to do them only when I get a new blockbuster type game.

 

[Strafebogey]

LilJoka's probably right. I just slipped into the overclocker-squeeze-every-frames-I-can-get mode when it comes gaming rigs. Force of habit.

 

[Type2]

Do you feel your Sandy Bridge i7 becoming inadequate? And you haven't overclocked it? If I were you, I would just get the 2600K above 4.0GHz, pick up 16GB of DDR3, and buy that new GPU.

I had it at 4.0 but had some weird issues with stuff once Windows 10 took over. I'll try to over clock it again and maybe upgrade my cooking solution.

 

[vector824]

All right, I could use your help dudes.

I got a new job, basically doing software and app development for a medical company. This place is pretty behind the times so I'm going to be modernizing stuff for them as much as possible.

They're willing to buy the PC I need. Budget is $2k.

I'll be using Visual Studio, Unity, Photoshop, and some light video editing in Premiere. Nothing crazy, just basic videos. I'll also be hooking into their database and trying to make sense of it and use the data in in-house apps. I'm also doing some simple educational games. No crazy tessellation or crazy shader effects, mostly really basic stuff. Think Crossy Road at the high end of what I'd be developing.

I'll need a monitor/2 monitors in that budget as well.

Can you help me, GAF? Gimme something with at least 16GB RAM, an SSD for the OS and main programs, and a decent CPU.

I'm counting on you guys!

Here, this is basically my rig with a few adjustments. I do the same thing with video editing using Premiere. If you want to go a little higher on the CPU you can splurge for an i7. That 950 m.2 card is crazy fast, no boot up issues at all, progams start before you can think about it. OC the ram in the Bios under the XMP profile to 3000. The 480 or 1070 will suit your needs, but to max your budget I'll add the 1070. Right now all I'm using is the Intel HD graphics and it does well. As for monitors you can pick one up for ~$130 here. The mobo I picked gets you Thunderbolt 3 type-c, USB 3.1 support, tons of USB ports, DDR4 and an m.2 slot. The case is inexpensive, clean, well made, with excellent cable management and air flow. I can run this on a full 100% cpu load for a 10 minute video render at a maximum of 55 deg celcius on my i5.

i5 Version:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-UD3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($112.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($177.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($180.49 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Founders Edition Video Card ($449.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter ($29.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case Fan: NZXT Air Flow Series 59.1 CFM 120mm Fan ($8.99 @ Directron)
Case Fan: NZXT Air Flow Series 59.1 CFM 120mm Fan ($8.99 @ Directron)
Monitor: Samsung S23E200B 23.0" 60Hz Monitor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Samsung S23E200B 23.0" 60Hz Monitor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1659.26
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-20 18:50 EDT-0400


i7 Version (has combo discount):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170X-UD3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($177.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 4TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($180.49 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Founders Edition Video Card ($449.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I PCI-Express x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter ($29.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case Fan: NZXT Air Flow Series 59.1 CFM 120mm Fan ($8.99 @ Directron)
Case Fan: NZXT Air Flow Series 59.1 CFM 120mm Fan ($8.99 @ Directron)
Monitor: Samsung S23E200B 23.0" 60Hz Monitor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Samsung S23E200B 23.0" 60Hz Monitor ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1771.26
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-20 18:51 EDT-0400

Well under budget on both, just throw in a cheap mouse and keyboard, some speakers and you're good to go. There's wiggle room for more drives or RAM if needed.

 

[OkayRene]

What's the highest clock multiplier I can run on an i5-6600k without messing voltage?

 

[opticalmace]

What's the highest clock multiplier I can run on an i5-6600k without messing voltage?

Depends entirely on how your motherboard manages the 'auto' voltage. You might be able to crank it sky high, because the mobo is setting a really high vcore.

If I leave my motherboard on auto vcore, I could easily go past 4.5Ghz (6700k) because it's settings a too high vcore...

If you're going to overclock you should do a bit of research to make sure you do it right, imo.

 

[NobleXenon]

So it gets stuck before loading Win correct?

- Try disconnecting any USB device you have attached.
- SATA devices can cause this too sometimes, doesn't hurt to reconnect the cables or even try to boot with only the system disk (if you have more)
- Reseat your RAM sticks and try to boot with each of them alone.

Yeah, I'm thinking it may be the SATA ports. I was able to get to the BIOS and disable the splash screens and see the POST stuff. It hangs there for a while looking for my SSDs; however, my RAID controller shows both SSDs there immediately after the first splash screen.

All it needs to do is hang on for a little more that a year and I'll be building a Smokey Computer, complete with M.2s and an all-in-one liquid cooled over-clocked Cannonlake processor.

 

[timetokill]

Awesome Help

Dude, you rule. I REALLY appreciate the help! I told my budget to the boss and he thought I was going to go WAY over 2k so I have more breathing room than I thought.

Think I'll get a mechanical keyboard to go with it, and maybe get some bigger/nicer monitors.

Any recommendations on sweet monitors? I would prefer to have one that I can rotate vertical so I can code on it, it's much more convenient.

 

[kuYuri]

Take your RAM out and mount it again. Yes, I know you've mounted it right and made sure and triple checked. But this time, MAKE SURE IT'S MOUNTED RIGHT. Get eye level with that thing. It doesn't seem like it's it if you're getting red lights. But make sure. Make sure all the RAM is good. Use one stick and swap them out.

Now for MY problem. I bought this pcpartpicker.com/product/R998TW/aoc-monitor-g2460pg monitor. My motherboard doesn't have a Displayport I/O. I don't have my graphics card cause EVGA and Amazon just... whatever. I went to Best Buy and got a Displayport to HDMI cable. Plugged it in. Doesn't work.

Is this just not gonna work until I get the GPU?

EDIT: Further research has revealed to me that it is either literally impossible for an HDMI Source to output a DisplayPort feed or only possible with a $100+ adapter. Welp. Guess I'm waiting for Amazon and EVGA to get their shit together.

That monitor supports every other connection, have you tried plugging it via HDMI, DVI, or VGA?

 

[opticalmace]

That monitor supports every other connection, have you tried plugging it via HDMI, DVI, or VGA?

I don't think it does. Looks like DP only (e.g. http://us.aoc.com/products/details.php?&id=20).

 

[kuYuri]

I don't think it does. Looks like DP only (e.g. http://us.aoc.com/products/details.php?&id=20).

Ah, my apologies, it seems I googled the wrong AOC monitor.

Coolasj19, that adapter is definitely not going to work since you want to do HDMI to DisplayPort and not the other way around which is what you bought. Unfortunately, HDMI sucks when it comes to converting the signal. :/

You are kind of out of luck until your video card arrives.

 

[vector824]

Dude, you rule. I REALLY appreciate the help! I told my budget to the boss and he thought I was going to go WAY over 2k so I have more breathing room than I thought.

Think I'll get a mechanical keyboard to go with it, and maybe get some bigger/nicer monitors.

Any recommendations on sweet monitors? I would prefer to have one that I can rotate vertical so I can code on it, it's much more convenient.

No problem! As for monitors I'm not too knowledgable and someone else will have to help you with that. It all depends on what type of stand in order to use it vertically. 24" is enough space to do most everything you need. You can always go 27" on your main and 24" on the secondary. HERE is a good place to start looking. I'd spend a while doing the research on what you want exactly. This is the one I currently have.

 

[WooHooAlex]

Not building my first rig for a few weeks yet but I went to MicroCenter earlier and splurged on a beautiful case.
I went with the Corsair Graphite Series 760T Black Full Tower
Couldn't resist, got it on sale. After rebate it will be $135.
It's a little more than I wanted to spend on the case, but it will make for a more enjoyable building experience and the reviews are excellent pretty much across the board.

Can't wait!

 

[wheeplash]

Has anyone managed to survive using a single 250GB SSD / HDD (not sure if these exist anymore) on recent times?

 

[kennah]

Has anyone managed to survive using a single 250GB SSD / HDD (not sure if these exist anymore) on recent times?

I have two SSDS, a 128 and a 240 in my primary PC. No trouble there.

Spoiler

Everything else is in a 3 TB External

 

[wilflare]

It's an excellent PSU. Go for it.

edit: I assumed you meant in a new build.... if you already have the Seasonic don't bother.

Why? What wattage is your Seasonic?

I own the same one and it's been serving me very well the past year. Fanless mode is great, the "sleeved" cables feel high quality. It also has a fantastic review over at Jonnyguru.

oh I use this - Seasonic M12II-750 Bronze
it's okay so far except that it's noisy and not as efficient :/

 

[Onemic]

I have an Acer 1440P gsync monitor and there are times where games will randomly lock the framerate. Usually its 60, but I've sometimes seen 48 and 72 as well. Any idea what may be causing this and how to get rid of it?

 

[wheeplash]

I have two SSDS, a 128 and a 240 in my primary PC. No trouble there.

Spoiler

Everything else is in a 3 TB External

I meant as the only form of storage!
I know, I sound like a madman, but still.

 

[squadr0n]

Need help getting Windows 10 to recognize my Raid 0 Raptor hard drives.

I had it set up with a dual boot for windows 7 and 8, then it upgraded to windows 10 one night automatically. I have been trying to get rid of the dual boot setup and just run Windows 10.

My set up right now is 2 Raptor 150 gig in Raid 0 and 2 500 gig hard drives.

I tried just doing a fresh install of Windows 10 and opted to get rid of everything and start fresh which got rid of the 2 old Windows OS (7 &8) but now it only recognizes the 2 500 gig hard drives. Im downloading all the drivers currently to see if that fixes it. Anyone know what I need to do? I would delete the partition if its still there if I could see the 2 raptors but there not showing up even in the device manager.

 

[opticalmace]

I have an Acer 1440P gsync monitor and there are times where games will randomly lock the framerate. Usually its 60, but I've sometimes seen 48 and 72 as well. Any idea what may be causing this and how to get rid of it?

Some games have that as an option. Check the game's settings to see if there is something about a cap or limit.

Otherwise make sure you have gsync enabled and that you have the correct refresh rate seelcted in windows for your monitor.

Need help getting Windows 10 to recognize my Raid 0 Raptor hard drives.

I had it set up with a dual boot for windows 7 and 8, then it upgraded to windows 10 one night automatically. I have been trying to get rid of the dual boot setup and just run Windows 10.

My set up right now is 2 Raptor 150 gig in Raid 0 and 2 500 gig hard drives.

I tried just doing a fresh install of Windows 10 and opted to get rid of everything and start fresh which got rid of the 2 old Windows OS (7 &8) but now it only recognizes the 2 500 gig hard drives. Im downloading all the drivers currently to see if that fixes it. Anyone know what I need to do? I would delete the partition if its still there if I could see the 2 raptors but there not showing up even in the device manager.

Do they appear under Disk Management? google if you don't know how to get to that in Win 10.

 

[Onemic]

Some games have that as an option. Check the game's settings to see if there is something about a cap or limit.

Otherwise make sure you have gsync enabled and that you have the correct refresh rate seelcted in windows for your monitor.


Do they appear under Disk Management? google if you don't know how to get to that in Win 10.

That's the thing, it's totally random. Like right now in Unigine it's capping my framerate to 48 and 72 frames for each scene respectively. The last time I ran it(which was 30 minutes ago before I restarted my PC) it was running normally with no framerate caps. Gsync is enabled and my refresh rate is at 144hz.

 

[opticalmace]

That's the thing, it's totally random. Like right now in Unigine it's capping my framerate to 48 and 72 frames for each scene respectively. The last time I ran it(which was 30 minutes ago before I restarted my PC) it was running normally with no framerate caps. Gsync is enabled and my refresh rate is at 144hz.

My only guess is that there may be a setting in the nvidia control panel causing it... I know there was a bug in which v-sync kept getting enabled on reboot, no matter how you set it.

I would try turning everything that sounds like it is vaguely related and see if it makes a difference. Other than that, just google I suppose. Try turning off gsync too.

You could also try rolling back your graphics driver in case it's a bug that was introduced recently.

 

[NippleViking]

Hey, I'd appreciate it if someone could gloss over this build I've researched and give some feedback. Presently I'm thinking the below, with an R9 480 (which I anticipate to be about $350 Aussie)

http://au.pcpartpicker.com/list/HffZLD

Current Specs:Only have monitor, keyboard and mouse
Budget: <$1200 AUSTRALIAN; can be a little bit flexible
Main Use: Gaming and general office use
Monitor: 1080@60hz (for now)
Intended build date: Hoping to order parts within next 3-4 weeks
Overclocking? Maybe - tempting, but don't know enough about it.
Future 'upgrade-ability'? If possible, I'd like a build that will support Vega/HBM2 next year, in order to jump on the VR bandwagon

Cheers.

 

[squadr0n]

Do they appear under Disk Management? google if you don't know how to get to that in Win 10.

Yea no they dont, I tried that first

 

[Korezo]

Is it worth investing in a expensive mb $300+? or should I stick to the $150-250 range?

 

[Sarcasm]

Is it worth investing in a expensive mb $300+? or should I stick to the $150-250 range?

Isn't that take more about getting more ports for things?


What is a basic guideline for buying PSU? Keep finding dead calculators too.

 

[TerryLee81]

Thinking about upgrading my GTX680 3770k system, but I 'm not sure if it's worth it to upgrade the cpu/ram.

What my mb doesn't have is a M.2 port, would I feel a big difference between an SATA ssd and an M.2 ssd?

If not I think I'll just upgrade the GPU.

 

[TatteredHat]

http://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/LTH6hq

Made some more changes, went for a &#956;ATX case instead of a full sized one since it seemed to accommodate all the components I wanted anyway.

Just wondering about the motherboard though, I feel like it's probably a bit overkill. Could I get away with using a cheaper one?

 

[wilflare]

anyone got a good casing to recommend? really want to replace my Silvestone FT01

I'm thinking of the Corsair 600/400 or the Silverstone FT01
I prefer a case that is cool (thermals) and quiet (tough to match I guess)

 

[mrklaw]

Hmm I'm just currently trying to weigh the reduced prices, availability and better overclocking headroom of a used 980ti against possible architecture improvements of a 1070, that would possibly leave the 980ti in the dust in future titles and can't be implemented via driver updates. Support for older cards doesn't seem to be nvidia's strong suit though.

If you are planning on VR at all, the 1070 should be significantly better once SMP etc is supported

 

[mrklaw]

http://de.pcpartpicker.com/list/LTH6hq

Made some more changes, went for a &#956;ATX case instead of a full sized one since it seemed to accommodate all the components I wanted anyway.

Just wondering about the motherboard though, I feel like it's probably a bit overkill. Could I get away with using a cheaper one?

You want a Z170 for overclocking as you have a 6600k and it'll overclock nicely. They are quite a bit more expensive than the cheaper motherboards but I think it's worth it.

 

[DeathGlobe]

I built my desktop back in 2012 with a i5 3570k and recently put a 970 in it. Are the current processors a big difference or are better ones coming in the fall

 

[Beautiful Ninja]

Built a new PC this last week, got some pretty decent deals on Newegg between a combination of Father's Day weekend sales and combos. I didn't realize Newegg had such good combo deals, I was able to save a solid 60 bucks going that route alone with 3 separate bundle deals.

Ended up with this build:

Core i7 6700K
Corsair H115i
Asus ROG Maximus VIII Hero
16GB Corsair LPX DDR4-3000
Fractal Design Define S
EVGA S2 Supernova 650w PSU
2TB Toshiba 7200 RPM HDD

Sandisk 240GB SSD and 500GB HDD from previous build
GTX 770 from previous build

Newegg was good to me last week when I was buying parts. It had some pretty solid Father's Day promotions running, along with some nice combos that saved me nearly 100 bucks off the base price of the parts I bought. Was considering changing some stuff out for cheaper things, but over the course of a week or so, I watched the price of my system drop from nearly 1000 dollars to 860 bucks or so when I finally pulled the trigger.

CPU/Mobo was a bundle deal for 20 dollars off, combined with the mobo being 20 dollars off on its own, let me spring for the ROG motherboard for nearly the same price as less flashy solutions. H115i had a combo deal with the RAM for 20 dollars off as well, the Toshiba HDD had a combo deal with Windows 10 for 20 dollars off as well.

For the parts themselves, I'm pretty happy with the ROG motherboard so far. Intel NIC is nice and the SupremeFX sound looks like its a good step up off previous onboard audio solutions I've used. The BIOS is a little overwhelming for me right now with how many options it has, my Asrock Z77 seemed much more simple.

The case I'm pretty happy with as well, it has an enormous amount of space to work with if you're into things like watercooling. It's probably overkill for my needs right now, but considering that cases can this can last a decade, I won't worry about it. It's very solidly built with good cable routing options. I also generally like how you mount the hard drives on the back instead of in a cage, the only issue I've found here is that right-angle SATA connectors do not work at all on this motherboard as a result, not enough clearance. So if you plan to use all 5 total HD bays, you'll probably need to buy some extra double flat sided SATA cables.

I'm happy with the H115i as well so far, my first foray into CLC's and water cooling in general. With the default Quiet settings, it is indeed rather quiet, not whisper quiet, but quiet enough that I can't hear it over anything. Temps look fantastic so far, but I haven't taken the time to overclock the CPU and really push things, something to do this weekend.

The PSU is something else I really liked as well. This was my first modular PSU and man does it ever make a world a difference when building a PC, especially in a case with cable routing options. It was so much less frustrating to work with than my old Corsair TX 650w that wasn't modular, which inevitably made it a rats nest of wires, especially in my old ass Antec case I had that had no wire routing.

The Toshiba HD...came dead. Welp. Can't win them all I guess, luckily I springed for Newegg Premier and got free returns.

Overall I'm pretty pleased with the build so far, still working out kinks here and there. Biggest issue I've had so far was my Intel NIC knocking the PC out of sleep consistently, had to turn off any wake on LAN settings.

Now if I could just buy a GTX 1070 at a reasonable price, I could be in business on my...1080p 60hz TN panel. Gonna abuse the hell out of DSR to make use of that power until I get a better monitor.

 

[RamaTheVoice]

Now if I could just buy a GTX 1070 at a reasonable price, I could be in business on my...1080p 60hz TN panel. Gonna abuse the hell out of DSR to make use of that power until I get a better monitor.

That's what I used to do with my 8-year-old 24" 1080p60 TN, and it was fine for a long while. Just got a 32" 1440p 60hz VA panel second-hand (no dead pixels or flickering whatsoever), I know it's not the best thing for gaming but coming from the old monitor, it's already one hell of an upgrade

 

[Zojirushi]

If you are planning on VR at all, the 1070 should be significantly better once SMP etc is supported

Nope, not planning on jumping on the VR (or 4K really) train anytime soon. That would be a complete rebuild years down the road.

I merely want solid 1080p/1440p performance for a couple of more years before I make that huge 4K jump.

 

[vector824]

Thinking about upgrading my GTX680 3770k system, but I 'm not sure if it's worth it to upgrade the cpu/ram.

What my mb doesn't have is a M.2 port, would I feel a big difference between an SATA ssd and an M.2 ssd?

If not I think I'll just upgrade the GPU.

I have a 256gb Samsung 950pro m.2 that was $117. It depends on what you're doing with it, I'm constantly doing file transfers and video editing so for me faster drive = more time saved. Now my program start times are near instant and my computer is extremely responsive also, so less frustration there. Jumping from a standard HDD to a m.2 would make sense, but in your case it's probably a minimal increase in speed, especially considering your upgrade cost. I'd go with the GPU upgrade honestly.

Edit: They DO MAKE PCIe adapters to m.2, and the reviews are great. So this may be an appropriate solution for you.

 

[Vhalyar]

I just got a chance to buy a monitor tax-free...

I'm looking at the ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q, but I'm feeling a bit dumb: can I get a confirmation that this card (https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00NQ862GY/) supports g-sync?

 

[cormack12]

Hey guys,

Wonder if someone can spec another box for me? The last one for my bro was pretty cool and he's doing what he needs to on it. I'm considering waiting for this 480 as well?? Hope to be taking delivery on weekend of 1st July

I have a monitor already.
I have Operating System and license already;
Gaming mostly at 1920 x 1080/ 60Hz (downsampled if powerful enough);
Mainly be using it for games like Pillars, Civ V, Warhammer, Total War, CS:GO etc as the primary genres. Will also be using it for hobby development in Unity and Unreal 4, Visual Studio/Photoshop;
Budget: Up to £700 GBP
Need keyboard and mouse;
Ideally some memory to run some VM Hosts for development and work related purposes;
Not bothered about physical drive (e.g. blu-ray/DVD-RW)
Don't use a huge amount of storage. 500GB SSD will easily be enough for what I do/use as I have a laptop too;
I've always been intrigued by water cooling, but never built one - gimmick or legit?
No interest in VR whatsoever;
Will still use PS4 for exclusives
Overclocking not necessary but maybe squeezing out some extra performance for newer games in a few years
Not bothered about upgrades, but I want it to last 4 years or so if possible.

Any other game recommendations based on tastes above also will be nicely received

 

[Vuze]

I just got a chance to buy a monitor tax-free...

I'm looking at the ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q, but I'm feeling a bit dumb: can I get a confirmation that this card (https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00NQ862GY/) supports g-sync?

It does.
All cards >650 Ti Boost support Gsync. http://www.nvidia.de/object/g-sync-requirements-de.html

 

[Vhalyar]

It does.
All cards >650 Ti Boost support Gsync. http://www.nvidia.de/object/g-sync-requirements-de.html

Brilliant, thanks!

 

[Atraveller]

It does.
All cards >650 Ti Boost support Gsync. http://www.nvidia.de/object/g-sync-requirements-de.html

And it takes a GTX960 or above to fully take advantage of the 165Hz overclock, his 970 fits the bill. Just a heads-up for other users.

 

[e90Mark]

Is it worth investing in a expensive mb $300+? or should I stick to the $150-250 range?

Only if you need the features, otherwise no.

What is a basic guideline for buying PSU? Keep finding dead calculators too.

Stick to good brands and models. 650w will be ample for any single gpu build.

 

[Snkfanatic]

I am trying to extend the life of my old PC till next Fall or so when I have the extra funds to build a whole new machine. I was thinking of picking up this 970 for now

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125684&ignorebbr=1

It's on sale for around 255 shipped.

My concern is my old CPU, it's an Intel i7 930 overclocked to 3.0. Will this be too much of a bottleneck? I want to be able to play Doom, Battlefield 1 and Forza Horizon 3 at decent FPS rates until I get my new machine. Is this a waste of money?

 

[Akoi]

I am trying to extend the life of my old PC till next Fall or so when I have the extra funds to build a whole new machine. I was thinking of picking up this 970 for now

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125684&ignorebbr=1

It's on sale for around 255 shipped.

My concern is my old CPU, it's an Intel i7 930 overclocked to 3.0. Will this be too much of a bottleneck? I want to be able to play Doom, Battlefield 1 and Forza Horizon 3 at decent FPS rates until I get my new machine. Is this a waste of money?

Wait for the RX 480, it's going to be a better card and for $230 you can get the 8GB version.(comes out the 29th) or you could get the 4GB one for $200.(performance around the speed of the 980)

Also depending on what board you have, you might be able to throw in a hexacore xeon on there (I have the X5670 in my 2nd PC running at 4ghz) those are around $80-100 on eBay and would give you a nice boost over your 930 for cheap.(especially overclocked)

 

[Snkfanatic]

Wait for the RX 480, it's going to be a better card and for $230 you can get the 8GB version.(comes out the 29th) or you could get the 4GB one for $200.(performance around the speed of the 980)

Also depending on what board you have, you might be able to throw in a hexacore xeon on there (I have the X5670 in my 2nd PC running at 4ghz) those are around $80-100 on eBay and would give you a nice boost over your 930 for cheap.(especially overclocked)

Thanks for the response. Not a huge ATI fan after having issues with a older card from them, I pretty much stick to Nvidia. If my CPU is going to be a big issue then I think I will just hold off completely till next year and buy a new machine earlier. Hopefully by then the 1080s will have dropped a tiny bit too.

As for my board I would have to do some research, I bought this PC from Alienware so I am not entirely sure what's there, it's also liquid cooled so that may be a issue too if I wanted to switch out CPUs.

 

[mrklaw]

Nope, not planning on jumping on the VR (or 4K really) train anytime soon. That would be a complete rebuild years down the road.

I merely want solid 1080p/1440p performance for a couple of more years before I make that huge 4K jump.

Then I'd consider getting a used/discounted custom 980ti - a brand that is known to overclock well. That'll get you within shouting range of a 1080 and will be fine for 1440p. But if the difference in cost isn't huge, then consider just getting a 1070/1080