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[ColdDeckEd]

I don't currently overclock but might do it. What cooler would you recommend? I had a beQuiet recently which didn't really fit on my motherboard so I returned it.

Might go with your harddrive recommendations. Thanks!

You could look for a 2600k/2700k/3770k and then try to sell the 2500k to offset the cost. Or just do as soka suggested and oc it for now. In fact you should go that route first and see if its enough. 4.7 isnt that hard to reach with the 2500k just make sure you have a decent cooler.

Cryorig h7 is a good budget cooler.

 

[RumblingRosco]

I don't currently overclock but might do it. What cooler would you recommend? I had a beQuiet recently which didn't really fit on my motherboard so I returned it.

Might go with your harddrive recommendations. Thanks!

Do you know what motherboard you have? Is it a P67? H67 motherboards can't overclock, so this is an important question.

EDIT: Looking into this further I may be wrong; the H67 might also be able to overclock.

 

[Ladekabel]

You could look for a 2600k/2700k/3770k and then try to sell the 2500k to offset the cost. Or just do as soka suggested and oc it for now. In fact you should go that route first and see if its enough. 4.7 isnt that hard to reach with the 2500k just make sure you have a decent cooler.

Cryorig h7 is a good budget cooler.

I looked it up on amazon and found the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo which is a little bit cheaper. Is it a good option, too?

Do you know what motherboard you have? Is it a P67? H67 motherboards can't overclock, so this is an important question.

EDIT: Looking into this further I may be wrong; the H67 might also be able to overclock.

I looked and I have an H67 board.

 

[Booker.DeWitt]

so it is better to have one SSD 240gb and 1tb HDD or one 500Gb SDD? Price would be the same.

when you are gaming, you basically transfer the active games to the SDD and when you are done, transfer back to HDD? the SDD is basically for windows and games you are playing?

 

[SecretMoblin]

well, I was going to look to upgrade the mobo/CPU/GPU of my 5-year-old rig but I was confused when I looked at the build guide and the GPUs are twice the price listed

thanks bitcoin, I guess

I think my i5-3570k and Radeon HD 7950 can probably hold off until the mining market cools off again

 

[Brandwin]

1050 Ti should never be selling for $500. The price you see as the list price is grossly inflated.

Look at this link from PCPartPicker and scroll down to the graph. You'll see the product you're looking at is generally around $160, so the price from Amazon is basically standard price.

Thank you. After doing some digging, it looks like video cards are overpriced at the moment.

 

[GodofWine]

Is this a good deal? I think I am going to buy piece by piece and saw it was originally $330 more.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MA62JSZ/?tag=neogaf0e-20

The GPU market is so screwed right now, In early may I bought two 1050tis for $112 each, new, delivered from newegg.

The two PC's I built then cost about $450 each (no OS or peripherals), today to make the same two PC's would be $560 each.

Those were for my kids, I was gonna make myself a more stout rig, but Im holding off, I seriously thought I could land a 580 for about $200 at one point..hahahahahahahahahahahah...I'll wait it out.

 

[RumblingRosco]

I looked and I have an H67 board.

I'm not totally sure, but if I remember correctly, H67 boards don't allow you to overclock your CPU. P67 boards, however, did. Maybe someone else can back me up on this, but if what I'm saying is correct, overclocking your i5-2500k may not be an option.

 

[kmfdmpig]

so it is better to have one SSD 240gb and 1tb HDD or one 500Gb SDD? Price would be the same.

when you are gaming, you basically transfer the active games to the SDD and when you are done, transfer back to HDD? the SDD is basically for windows and games you are playing?

It's hard to answer that without knowing your usage.

If you have a music/photo/video collection then you'd almost certainly need a HDD, although if you had an external drive that would work instead.

With a 240 GB drive you'd have plenty of room for Windows, Office (if you use it), and a few games. Obviously with a 500GB drive you'd have more breathing room on the SSD, but much less overall storage space.

 

[PlayALLtheGames]

so it is better to have one SSD 240gb and 1tb HDD or one 500Gb SDD? Price would be the same.

when you are gaming, you basically transfer the active games to the SDD and when you are done, transfer back to HDD? the SDD is basically for windows and games you are playing?

More storage is probably better in your case unless you do other things that really take advantage of SSDs (video editing, drawing programs, etc.)

SSDs will open and load games faster but the difference is not major over a decent SATA 6Gbs HDD.

You're not transferring anything between disks. Once the HDD is active, you can choose it as a destination to install game files and that's from where the games will run.

 

[Booker.DeWitt]

It's hard to answer that without knowing your usage.

If you have a music/photo/video collection then you'd almost certainly need a HDD, although if you had an external drive that would work instead.

With a 240 GB drive you'd have plenty of room for Windows, Office (if you use it), and a few games. Obviously with a 500GB drive you'd have more breathing room on the SSD, but much less overall storage space.

I would probably be ok with 500gb size, but my question is: the SSD is mainly for windows, office, main software you use on day by day basis and games you ARE ACTUALLY playing right? much better to play games fromSDD than HDD. correct?

 

[RumblingRosco]

I would probably be ok with 500gb size, but my question is: the SSD is mainly for windows, office, main software you use on day by day basis and games you ARE ACTUALLY playing right? much better to play games fromSDD than HDD. correct?

I would say this is correct, with the caveat that some games don't necessarily see huge boosts on an SSD vs an HDD. I think you'd want to check case-by-case. But as a rule of thumb, yeah, running software (productivity software or games) on an SSD is ideal.

 

[coopolon]

I'm still confused about Ryzen and RAM.

I bought the Ryzen 1600. I'm going to pair with this mobo:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157762&ignorebbr=1

Can I use this RAM: The mobo says they support 3200/2933/2667/2400/2133. But can't it just run the 3000 at 2933? Or at 2667 like officially supported?
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820313841&ignorebbr=1

 

[RumblingRosco]

I'm still confused about Ryzen and RAM.

I bought the Ryzen 1600. I'm going to pair with this mobo:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157762&ignorebbr=1

Can I use this RAM: The mobo says they support 3200/2933/2667/2400/2133. But can't it just run the 3000 at 2933?
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820313841&ignorebbr=1

Looking at your mobo's website, there is a list of RAM that has been tested to work properly with the MB. The RAM you linked isn't listed. That doesn't mean it won't] work at the rated speed, but that it's not really a sure thing. For the record, I have a (different) mobo and RAM combo and the RAM isn't on the QVL list, but it still clocked to the rated 3000 MHz easily. Actually, it is 3000 MHz RAM, but my mobo only let it hit the preset 2933 MHz... so basically, the same as your situation.

tl;dr: in theory yes, 3000 MHz RAM will run fine at 2933 MHz on that mobo, but there's no guarantee that those specific sticks will work well due to not being on the QVL list. If you're really worried, aim to get sticks that are on that QVL list I linked above.

 

[coopolon]

Looking at your mobo's website, there is a list of RAM that has been tested to work properly with the MB. The RAM you linked isn't listed. That doesn't mean it won't] work at the rated speed, but that it's not really a sure thing. For the record, I have a (different) mobo and RAM combo and the RAM isn't on the QVL list, but it still clocked to the rated 3000 MHz easily. Actually, it is 3000 MHz RAM, but my mobo only let it hit the preset 2933 MHz... so basically, the same as your situation.

tl;dr: in theory yes, 3000 MHz RAM will run fine at 2933 MHz on that mobo, but there's no guarantee that those specific sticks will work well due to not being on the QVL list. If you're really worried, aim to get sticks that are on that QVL list I linked above.

Yeah, I think I'll risk it. If it doesn't work I'll just return the RAM. It just seems like this RAM has decent reviews and is actually a reasonable price which is impossible to find these days.

Thanks!

 

[RumblingRosco]

Yeah, I think I'll risk it. If it doesn't work I'll just return the RAM. It just seems like this RAM has decent reviews and is actually a reasonable price which is impossible to find these days.

Thanks!

No problem. Be sure to update your BIOS for your motherboard first thing, then try to clock the CPU to whatever frequency and the RAM to 2933 MHz. It'll go much more smoothly with the newest BIOS.

 

[PlayALLtheGames]

I would probably be ok with 500gb size, but my question is: the SSD is mainly for windows, office, main software you use on day by day basis and games you ARE ACTUALLY playing right? much better to play games fromSDD than HDD. correct?

It's not on the level of "much" better. Games install a bit faster and most games will have improved loading times but it's not like it's night-and-day difference.

That's why your usage is more important to this decision than anything.

How many games do you typically have installed at once? How much disk space (total) do you have and how much of it is used?

When you're not doing all the things that are really disk read/write intensive, the advantages of a SSD (speed, size, less power draw, less noise and heat) can be negligible IF your main concern is space.

With the 240GB and 500GB SSDs, you have a bit over 700GBs in usable space. If you think that's plenty given your current usage and room for growth, go with the SSD. If you anticipate running out of fairly quickly, go with the HDD.

 

[EVA UNIT 01]

Gaf
I'm about to replace my PSU,CPU,and MOBO.
I currently have a retail boxed usb drive of win 10 that I used when i first built my current PC and I'm wondering how this works as I've never upgraded these parts.

Do I simply install and everything will be as it was or do I use the usb drive again and boot up the win 10 install a 2nd time for this new MOBO?
And if so is that all that needs to be done?
Do I need to contact MS for any kind of transfer?

 

[Buggy Loop]

Holy shit at the Ryzen 1700 & 1700x prime day deals!

As a canadian, i'm jelly.

If you live in US, wanted to upgrade your pc and don't buy this... you're insane.

 

[RumblingRosco]

Holy shit at the Ryzen 1700 & 1700x prime day deals!

As a canadian, i'm jelly.

If you live in US, wanted to upgrade your pc and don't buy this... you're insane.

Oddly enough, I got my Ryzen 1700 for $275 before tax from Microcenter last week ($280 list price plus $5 off store-wide coupon) and then on top of that they gave me $50 off my motherboard for buying the Ryzen there.

So I mean, the Amazon deal is good of course, but still isn't better than Microcenter if you're also needing a motherboard.

 

[Buggy Loop]

Oddly enough, I got my Ryzen 1700 for $275 before tax from Microcenter last week ($280 list price plus $5 off store-wide coupon) and then on top of that they gave me $50 off my motherboard for buying the Ryzen there.

So I mean, the Amazon deal is good of course, but still isn't better than Microcenter if you're also needing a motherboard.

Of course, i forgot how many deals rains on you guys...

 

[RumblingRosco]

Gaf
I'm about to replace my PSU,CPU,and MOBO.
I currently have a retail boxed usb drive of win 10 that I used when i first built my current PC and I'm wondering how this works as I've never upgraded these parts.

Do I simply install and everything will be as it was or do I use the usb drive again and boot up the win 10 install a 2nd time for this new MOBO?
And if so is that all that needs to be done?
Do I need to contact MS for any kind of transfer?

You should be able to use the same key. In the Start Menu --> Accounts --> Activation settings, you'll enter it there and then it'll say it has already been used, but there should be an option somewhere that you can select which says "I recently changed hardware." which will make it work. If that fails, then you'll have to call MS support (I did this last week). The call was infuriatingly complicated and took about 1.5 hours across 5 different people I spoke to (two separate phone calls and a handful of transfers in-between)... but it is doable! Hopefully you won't need to make that call.

 

[EVA UNIT 01]

You should be able to use the same key. In the Start Menu --> Accounts --> Activation settings, you'll enter it there and then it'll say it has already been used, but there should be an option somewhere that you can select which says "I recently changed hardware." which will make it work. If that fails, then you'll have to call MS support (I did this last week). The call was infuriatingly complicated and took about 1.5 hours across 5 different people I spoke to (two separate phone calls and a handful of transfers in-between)... but it is doable! Hopefully you won't need to make that call.

Jesus lol
So then I dont even reboot a 2nd install?
I just install my new parts and win 10 will boot off of my SSD?
Then pray to God the menu method works?

 

[RandomExpletive]

Holy shit at the Ryzen 1700 & 1700x prime day deals!

As a canadian, i'm jelly.

If you live in US, wanted to upgrade your pc and don't buy this... you're insane.

Whoa the 1700 has a deal too?

I wonder if Amazon'll credit me for the difference, ordered the 1700 like a week ago

Guess I could always return the 1700 and buy this one lol

 

[kuYuri]

Gaf
I'm about to replace my PSU,CPU,and MOBO.
I currently have a retail boxed usb drive of win 10 that I used when i first built my current PC and I'm wondering how this works as I've never upgraded these parts.

Do I simply install and everything will be as it was or do I use the usb drive again and boot up the win 10 install a 2nd time for this new MOBO?
And if so is that all that needs to be done?
Do I need to contact MS for any kind of transfer?

As long as the hard drive remains the same where windows is installed, then everything should stay the same. If you want to be extra sure, you can always backup an image of your hard drive to an external USB drive or other internal drive but it's not necessary.

If you use your Microsoft account to sign in into Windows, that allows you to tie your Windows 10 key to your MS account. If you then sign into that MS account after replacing the mobo and such, it will recognize you and activate Windows on that mobo. Otherwise, you can re-use the Windows 10 key you got with your retail USB on the activate Windows screen in Windows settings without having to use your MS account to sign into Windows. Either option is valid, up to you.

 

[NEO0MJ]

the S340 will have better air flow due to better design for cable management and no ODD/HDD cages. the s340 can fit 2 fans on the front and they won't be blocked. if you have 2 fans at the front of the 100R then one will be blocked by the HDD cage. also the s340 has a PSU shroud so the air from the 2 fans will be directed straight to your GPU/CPU.

Thanks for the info. While I might be annoyed to have wasted money on the 100R this might be worth it. I'll mull over this decision.

 

[Hopeford]

Okay, decided to finally upgrade. No more procrastination.

I think I'm okay on RAM(16gb) but everything else might need an upgrade.

I think that my CPU should be usable for now(intel core i5 3450 310ghz). I tend to be okay gaming in low settings(...currently playing Hitman on 1368 x 768) buuut I think I'm pushing it too far. Might be time to retire my 660ti. Plus I've been really meaning to play Witcher 3 but I keep telling myself "No man, wait until you got a good graphics card."

I think the 1060 should be more than enough for my needs(1080p somewhat medium to high settings). I got one question though...

There's a lot of different models for the same graphics card and I don't know why some are more expensive than others. For example, I don't know what the difference is between this and this, but the second one is like over a hundred dollars more expensive.

 

[Celcius]

Okay, decided to finally upgrade. No more procrastination.

I think I'm okay on RAM(16gb) but everything else might need an upgrade.

I think that my CPU should be usable for now(intel core i5 3450 310ghz). I tend to be okay gaming in low settings(...currently playing Hitman on 1368 x 768) buuut I think I'm pushing it too far. Might be time to retire my 660ti. Plus I've been really meaning to play Witcher 3 but I keep telling myself "No man, wait until you got a good graphics card."

I think the 1060 should be more than enough for my needs(1080p somewhat medium to high settings). I got one question though...

There's a lot of different models for the same graphics card and I don't know why some are more expensive than others. For example, I don't know what the difference is between this and this, but the second one is like over a hundred dollars more expensive.

The huge price difference is because one is sold by Newegg and the other is sold by a 3rd party vendor. If you want to get a gtx 1060 I'd recommend getting a 6gb model (not only does it have more memory than the 3gb model but the gpu itself has more cuda cores which means it will perform better). Evga has great customer service and warranties. Differences between cards include things like aesthetics, fan noise, founders edition vs aftermarket coolers, brand, etc...

 

[Hopeford]

The huge price difference is because one is sold by Newegg and the other is sold by a 3rd party vendor. If you want to get a gtx 1060 I'd recommend getting a 6gb model (not only does it have more memory than the 3gb model but the gpu itself has more cuda cores which means it will perform better). Evga has great customer service and warranties. Differences between cards include things like aesthetics, fan noise, founders edition vs aftermarket coolers, brand, etc...

Awesome, thank you! I think I'm gonna go with that link then. It's 6GB and at $360, it's the best deal I've found in Canada so far.

No chance that prices drop any time soon right? haha.

 

[FHIZ]

Whoa the 1700 has a deal too?

I wonder if Amazon'll credit me for the difference, ordered the 1700 like a week ago

Guess I could always return the 1700 and buy this one lol

I ordered the Corsair cooler they have on sale over the weekend. Emailed support asking about the difference and got a quick stock response of "no." Then hit up chat and asked and they granted it no problem. Worth a try.

 

[RumblingRosco]

Jesus lol
So then I dont even reboot a 2nd install?
I just install my new parts and win 10 will boot off of my SSD?
Then pray to God the menu method works?

So if it's already installed on your SSD, you don't need to uninstall or reinstall. Some people will suggest you do a clean install... But I've never done that and never had any issues.

When you put the new hardware in, your PC should check all your connected drives until it finds one that it can boot from (such as your SSD) automatically. If that fails, it'll go to your BIOS and you can select your SSD as the boot drive there. Then you'll go through all the nonsense I put in my last post.

 

[coopolon]

I think the 1060 should be more than enough for my needs(1080p somewhat medium to high settings). I got one question though...
.

Fyi 1060 can play Witcher 3 at 1080p ultra everything 60fps solid. Maybe have to turn hair works off, I always have it off but not sure if it would bring down fps if it we're on.

Edit: I'm wrong about this, sorry! It drops in taxing areas.

 

[A Sentient Keyboard]

Hello thread, I'm about to replace the guts of my current PC and I'm wondering if I can get your blessing for the parts list I arrived at: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/3fNZyf

I'm only replacing the GPU, CPU, CPU cooler, motherboard and RAM. I'm reusing the PSU, case, storage etc. from my current PC. The CPU cooler I'll be using is the Wraith Spire that comes free with the CPU. So, this is what I'm actually buying:

I'll be using my PC for modern games at ultra settings 1080p/60fps, while also voicechatting on discord, watching a stream or video on the second monitor, and/or having an irresponsible amount of browser tabs open. I'd also like to casually stream for friends, but nothing professional. I'm not planning to do any serious overclocking at present time.

I'll likely make small hardware upgrades in the future (1-3 years), such as adding a second set of RAM, replacing the CPU cooler with one more fit for overclocking, and replacing reused parts (PSU, storage) that'll have worn down. I'll also be looking to get a better monitor (1440p or 144Hz, or perhaps a VR headset). This is all based on what makes sense in the future with regards to prices and my needs.

Overall, I'm hoping this build will last me at least 4 years with these requirements in mind.

My biggest headache arriving at these parts has been the RAM. It seems Ryzen 5 has some compatibility issues, and researching this led me through a rabbit hole of ram speeds, single vs dual rank, Samsung B-dies and hundreds of forum posters describing their problems with their specific RAM + mobo combination. I ended up looking through the QVLs of the motherboards I'm interested in, and arrived at the above combination. The mobo is actually a tier higher than I will probably need, but my prefered pick, the Gigabyte GA-AB350-Gaming 3, did not guarantee compatibility with any sensibly priced RAM I could find. If compatibility wasn't an issue, I'd probably go with the AB350 Gaming 3 motherboard (€113.95) + G.Skill Ripjaws F4-3200C16D-8GVK RAM (that's 3200 MHz, 2x4GB, 16 CAS for €93.79).

So, does my build seem appropriate for the plans I have with it? Any glaring compatibility issues or bottlenecks? Thanks in advance!

 

[Booker.DeWitt]

Gag, need help. I am planning to build my first gaming PC, and I see a few deals on components today during prime daym however, gpu are out of stock everywhere and I don't know when they will be back (I am looking for exactly 580 or gt1070). I am not sure if it is wise to buy stuff today and wait for the gpu when it might take few weeks to have some stock. Maybe gpu should be my first conponent to buy and go from there ? I did not see any killer oh my God deal anywhere today (although ryzen 1700 for 270 bucks is a good deal)

 

[xBladeM6x]

PCGAF, I need your help. What is the absolute best thermal paste to replace stock GTX 980 GPU thermal paste with?

 

[NEO0MJ]

Think I'll wait on buying a new case until I replace my GPU in a couple of years.

Gag, need help. I am planning to build my first gaming PC, and I see a few deals on components today during prime daym however, gpu are out of stock everywhere and I don't know when they will be back (I am looking for exactly 580 or gt1070). I am not sure if it is wise to buy stuff today and wait for the gpu when it might take few weeks to have some stock. Maybe gpu should be my first conponent to buy and go from there ? I did not see any killer oh my God deal anywhere today (although ryzen 1700 for 270 bucks is a good deal)

Buy the stuff you want now, at least the ones that have a deal on them. Other than the GPU and maybe the CPU nothing will be outdated until next year, and even then not by much. Just be careful about the motherboard. Don't want to buy one that won't be compatible with whatever CPU you go for.

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

Fyi 1060 can play Witcher 3 at 1080p ultra everything 60fps solid. Maybe have to turn hair works off, I always have it off but not sure if it would bring down fps if it we're on.

No it can't. Do you have an FPS counter and are you using sync?

Even the 1070 drops frames to below 60 at 1080p with all ultra settings and hairworks off. Especially in scenes with dense foliage and heavy weather effects. Doesn't drop to dramatically lows like 30s, but it definitely drops to mid 45s at times.


Unless you mean "60 most of the time" then my bad.

 

[Booker.DeWitt]

Think I'll wait on buying a new case until I replace my GPU in a couple of years.



Buy the stuff you want now, at least the ones that have a deal on them. Other than the GPU and maybe the CPU nothing will be outdated until next year, and even then not by much. Just be careful about the motherboard. Don't want to buy one that won't be compatible with whatever CPU you go for.

Thanks

 

[PlayALLtheGames]

After building my new system I figured I was going to sell my old stuff; instead decided to re-purpose it into a mATX server.

Old stuff:

2600k
ASUS ROG Maximus IV Gene-Z
32GB Corsair Vengeance Pro (2133)
Samsung EVO 850 256GB SSD
Corsair Force GT 240GB SSD
Corsair Force GT 180GB SSD
Corsair TX750 PSU

Ditching old case and Intel heatsink/fan. Grabbed a Thermaltake V21

and Corsair H55

Starting to clean old components and hope to have this up and running this weekend!

 

[Hopeford]

Fyi 1060 can play Witcher 3 at 1080p ultra everything 60fps solid. Maybe have to turn hair works off, I always have it off but not sure if it would bring down fps if it we're on.

No it can't. Do you have an FPS counter and are you using sync?

Even the 1070 drops frames to below 60 at 1080p with all ultra settings and hairworks off. Especially in scenes with dense foliage and heavy weather effects. Doesn't drop to dramatically lows like 30s, but it definitely drops to mid 45s at times.


Unless you mean "60 most of the time" then my bad.

Honestly if I can get 60s with high, not even ultra on most things I'm gonna be a happy man haha.

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

Honestly if I can get 60s with high, not even ultra on most things I'm gonna be a happy man haha.

You'll be fine on high and some ultras with mostly 60fps and if you're coming from console it will melt your face

 

[Booker.DeWitt]

It's not on the level of "much" better. Games install a bit faster and most games will have improved loading times but it's not like it's night-and-day difference.

That's why your usage is more important to this decision than anything.

How many games do you typically have installed at once? How much disk space (total) do you have and how much of it is used?

When you're not doing all the things that are really disk read/write intensive, the advantages of a SSD (speed, size, less power draw, less noise and heat) can be negligible IF your main concern is space.

With the 240GB and 500GB SSDs, you have a bit over 700GBs in usable space. If you think that's plenty given your current usage and room for growth, go with the SSD. If you anticipate running out of fairly quickly, go with the HDD.

I would say this is correct, with the caveat that some games don't necessarily see huge boosts on an SSD vs an HDD. I think you'd want to check case-by-case. But as a rule of thumb, yeah, running software (productivity software or games) on an SSD is ideal.

Nice, thanks

 

[Hopeford]

You'll be fine on high and some ultras with mostly 60fps and if you're coming from console it will melt your face

Still coming from PC, but a 660ti is probably weaker than consoles right now to be honest haha. I do play on consoles too, so I guess technically coming from those as well.

 

[EVA UNIT 01]

Gaf help!
I just installed the new MOBO,CPU,and PSU.
All is well except my Ethernet isn't being detected.
Solutions?

 

[Envelope]

Gaf help!
I just installed the new MOBO,CPU,and PSU.
All is well except my Ethernet isn't being detected.
Solutions?

updated your drivers yet?

 

[EVA UNIT 01]

updated your drivers yet?

Attempting now...
Lan drivers or BIOS with it?

Edit:did both and I'm in buisness!

 

[coopolon]

No it can't. Do you have an FPS counter and are you using sync?

Edit: actually you're right. Just turned on fraps and it's not as stable as I thought, guess I'm just not very sensitive. My mistake!

 

[Crash331]

I ordered the Corsair cooler they have on sale over the weekend. Emailed support asking about the difference and got a quick stock response of "no." Then hit up chat and asked and they granted it no problem. Worth a try.

Amazon gave me shit about an item that was $4 cheaper the day after i bought it. Had to speak to a supervisor to get a $4 gift card. The other agents wanted me to reorder and return the one I had. I had to put up a fight about how ridiculous and wasteful it was.

 

[UrbanRats]

Double post.

 

[Ted]

This isn't really a question but I want to get this out and no-one I actually know will give even the vaguest shit about something like this. Feel free to skip past this post if you are not interested in essentially a blog post about me being excited about the chance to get a new PC.

So, first up the background. I have been for many years predominantly a console user. I've always had a itch to go PC but have never really been able to really justify a PC with gaming capabilities (cost and time really). This was compounded by the way our living space is set up. My partner is an MS sufferer who is very into movies and television drama and until very recently for mobility and comfort reasons has preferred to consume media using a desktop PC rather than our television. It enables her to watch TV on demand, play simple games (bejeweled, mahjong, tap-tiles and the sort) and access email and comms stuff from a single place using an interface she is comfortable with. This means she sits at a desk in the lounge and if we are watching TV (on the computer) I'll sit on the sofa and peer at the monitor essentially over her shoulder. In turn this means the actual TV is rarely used for anything other than console gaming (or terrestrial TV when she has gone to bed sometimes).

Recently I have become concerned about how this affecting her (in terms of comfort) and us (in terms of how we spend time together at home) so we have been trying out divorcing her media consumption from the computer by using a Roku streaming stick in the TV while still allowing her to check emails, Skype the kids and play games by using a new laptop I picked up recently for her. We had to add a wireless mouse and a thick book (!) after she found the touch pad less user friendly than a mouse but all in all so far she is very positive about the arrangement which makes me smile.

What also makes me smile though (in a far more selfish manner!) is the now empty computer desk.

I was recently thinking about a low power machine to sit next to the TV as an HTPC with the bonus that it allows me to play low spec PC games. Now however my partner agrees that I may as well move the PS4 to the computer desk and has said why don't I go ahead a build a new PC for it too.

As a bonus, since the focus is no longer on form and practicality and I have been talking a bit about my dissatisfaction with Playstation so far this gen, she also agreed that we should perhaps invest a little more to make it a reasonably capable gaming machine!

It's going to take me a while to sort the funding out so I'm not going to start asking questions just yet but I'm way more excited than I thought I would be and have already added twenty or more new games to my Steam wish list and have dusted down my Logitech G25! I'm looking forward to it far more than I really should be, the breadth and depth of available games on PC is incredible and now I actually get to try it all!!

OK, just one question to make it a little on-topic, I'm thinking I should start by working out what level of GPU I want and go from there, what do you fine folk think?

tl;dr, I think I've made my mrs happy and I can save for a new PC. Whoohoo!