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[gamma]

I just plugged both in right now into the graphics card and I can only have one display on at a time. For example, if the DVI port is being used by my monitor than the TV won't display anything but if I have the HDMI plugged into the graphics card and the monitor is off, then the display will be on the TV and not the monitor.

If this is the best I can get it right now then that's fine, but being able to use both the monitor and the TV at the same time would be ideal for me.

Try Windows Button + P.

 

[Phatosaurus]

Is building a Pc for the first time supposed to be so nerve wrecking?

I've installed everything so far apart from the GPU (which is still in my old PC), the SSD and the back 140mm case fan as I'm waiting for Amazon to get their shit together on that.

Something felt extremely uncomfortable about screwing in the motherboard. Little metal screws going directly through the board and screwing into the standoffs underneath. I watched about 30 different videos on that shit to make sure I was going to break something.

Plugging the PSU cables into the MoBo didn't feel right either. I still don't think I've plugged the main PSU cable in correctly as it doesn't seem to fit flush but I'm was too pussy to press any harder on it incase something broke.

Other than that, Gonna wait until I have the SSD before testing it. Though I'm hoping it'll all be fine.

 

[Bloodember]

I just plugged both in right now into the graphics card and I can only have one display on at a time. For example, if the DVI port is being used by my monitor than the TV won't display anything but if I have the HDMI plugged into the graphics card and the monitor is off, then the display will be on the TV and not the monitor.

If this is the best I can get it right now then that's fine, but being able to use both the monitor and the TV at the same time would be ideal for me.

Try the two above suggestions. I know you can have more than one monitor per gpu as I've used 2 monitors for 10 plus years.

 

[rand0mZer0]

Try the two above suggestions. I know you can have more than one monitor per GPU as I've used 2 monitors for 10 plus years.

Did you right click a blank spot on the desktop and tinker with the multiple displays section? Sometimes you need to do that to enable multiple displays and how they are handled. You should be able to set them as either extended desktop (so each can have their own content) or mirrored (so the same content is diplayed on both at the same time).

Try Windows Button + P.

So I was able to get the card to recognise that both are available to use. I set my Monitor as 1 and my TV as 2. So when I hit windows + p key, extended only displays on my monitor, while my TV says there is no signal. But if I choose display PC screen only, the TV will display but the monitor will be off.

I apologise if I'm going around in circles but this is the first time I've had this problem.

 

[gamma]

So I was able to get the card to recognise that both are available to use. I set my Monitor as 1 and my TV as 2. So when I hit windows + p key, extended only displays on my monitor, while my TV says there is no signal. But if I choose display PC screen only, the TV will display but the monitor will be off.

I apologise if I'm going around in circles but this is the first time I've had this problem.

If you go the nVidia Control Panel -> Set up multiple displays, are both selected?

Btw you said your card only has 1 HDMI and 1 DVI, but you should have 2 HDMIs on the back and 1 somewhere on the front.

EDIT: I just looked at your card. It seems like if you have DVI connected, out of the 2 HDMI ports on the back, only HDMI 1 will work (the one next to the DVI port). Are you connected to that on or the other one? Maybe thats the problem.

 

[rand0mZer0]

If you go the nVidia Control Panel -> Set up multiple displays, are both selected?

Btw you said your card only has 1 HDMI and 1 DVI, but you should have 2 HDMIs on the back and 1 somewhere on the front.

Both are selected.

I have 2 HDMI and 1 DVI on the card itself. But I don't know if that is for VR (which the graphics card really wanted to let me know it had) or if I can use it as another display input.

 

[gamma]

Both are selected.

I have 2 HDMI and 1 DVI on the card itself. But I don't know if that is for VR (which the graphics card really wanted to let me know it had) or if I can use it as another display input.

Take a look at my edit. Make sure you're connected to HDMI 1.

 

[Socreges]

Is building a Pc for the first time supposed to be so nerve wrecking?

I've installed everything so far apart from the GPU (which is still in my old PC), the SSD and the back 140mm case fan as I'm waiting for Amazon to get their shit together on that.

Something felt extremely uncomfortable about screwing in the motherboard. Little metal screws going directly through the board and screwing into the standoffs underneath. I watched about 30 different videos on that shit to make sure I was going to break something.

Plugging the PSU cables into the MoBo didn't feel right either. I still don't think I've plugged the main PSU cable in correctly as it doesn't seem to fit flush but I'm was too pussy to press any harder on it incase something broke.

Other than that, Gonna wait until I have the SSD before testing it. Though I'm hoping it'll all be fine.

Brother....you are not alone. I built my first computer last night. Nothing felt right. I exercised a lot of caution, though in some instances that was the right call since I'd end up finding out the right move. Definitely plugging stuff in to the motherboard made me anxious. The PSU connector, for one, but also the little power LEDs and such.

When I finally had everything in, the panels back on, and the desktop ready to go...I was convinced there must be something wrong. With so many decision points, obvious or not, I didn't trust that it would all work. So I was pretty relieved when I turned it on and it seemed to work. I'll wait until I install windows and play a game or two before announcing it as a success.

 

[Grexeno]

Quick question

I have this case and recently one of the case fans that came with it has apparently started to die, as it sounds noticeably choppy when trying to run at higher RPMs.

My question: what size and which fans should I buy to replace it (and the other 2 since I might as well.)

 

[hitme]

Making a build with RGB components soon, but is a MOBO w/ RGB overkill? I'm already going to have the case, RAM, and CPU cooler have RGB.

I'm specifically looking at the ASUS Z270E/F.

 

[RumblingRosco]

Making a build with RGB components soon, but is a MOBO w/ RGB overkill? I'm already going to have the case, RAM, and CPU cooler have RGB.

I'm specifically looking at the ASUS Z270E/F.

I'd say yes, but to be honest, it's entirely up to you.

 

[rtcn63]

RGB solely exists to distract people from their own mortality

 

[A Twisty Fluken]

are there any ways to escape the GPU etherium bubble outside of trolling craigslist and meeting up with randos to buy their GPUs? amazon is a wasteland.

 

[A Sentient Keyboard]

Gonna rebuild my PC tomorrow, and I will be reusing my current HDD (used for file storage and most programs) and SSD (used for windows 10 and some games). Both are 4 years old. I have a couple of questions about this:

Is there any sort of drive maintenance that would be worthwhile? I've heard about defragmenting and reformatting, but I'm not sure when they're useful/necessary, and if they are applicable to HDDs, SSDs or both. Is it a good to reformat and/or defragment my drives, or is that nonsense? If I do both, does the order matter? Is there any other sort of maintenance I could do?

 

[RumblingRosco]

are there any ways to escape the GPU etherium bubble outside of trolling craigslist and meeting up with randos to buy their GPUs? amazon is a wasteland.

There are websites that can send you alerts when items are in-stock. Find one of those websites and set alerts for the GPUs you want. They still go for MSRP or close to it when they're on sale by legit retailers, it's mainly third parties that are jacking it up.

Gonna rebuild my PC tomorrow, and I will be reusing my current HDD (used for file storage and most programs) and SSD (used for windows 10 and some games). Both are 4 years old. I have a couple of questions about this:

Is there any sort of drive maintenance that would be worthwhile? I've heard about defragmenting and reformatting, but I'm not sure when they're useful/necessary, and if they are applicable to HDDs, SSDs or both. Is it a good to reformat and/or defragment my drives, or is that nonsense? If I do both, does the order matter? Is there any other sort of maintenance I could do?

You don't defragment or need to reformat an SSD. You can defragment an HDD after it's in your new system; just hit Windows Key + S, type in Defragment, and select the built-in Windows defragment software to tidy up your HDD. That's all I'd do personally, and even that isn't probably necessary.

 

[PlayALLtheGames]

just hit Windows Key + S, type in Defragment, and select the built-in Windows defragment software to tidy up your HDD. That's all I'd do personally, and even that isn't probably necessary.

Windows key + R
cleanmgr.exe

Save him probably 1 sec!

Anyway Soka is right though I always reformat and reinstall OS when rebuilding; avoids weird shit and problems caused by drivers and I would take a backup even if you don't reinstall.

But I'd reinstall.

 

[GodzillaDB]

Probably isn't the right place to ask this question, but does GAF have a "Need a New PC" equivalent for general home use or does this thread cover the same territory despite being in the gaming section? I'm pretty much in dire straits for another desktop computer as someone that's still rocking Windows

Spoiler

XP SP3

with a fading hard drive from late 2006.

Thanks in advance!

 

[kmfdmpig]

Quick question

I have this case and recently one of the case fans that came with it has apparently started to die, as it sounds noticeably choppy when trying to run at higher RPMs.

My question: what size and which fans should I buy to replace it (and the other 2 since I might as well.)

It looks like it comes with 140mm fans. You can replace with the same size (or smaller if you'd prefer).

In terms of the fans you want it depends what matters to you. Do you want the best cooling? The quietest? A decent budget option? RGB bling? There are a lot of options out there for different types of fans and no real "best" choice as it depends what you want.

Probably isn't the right place to ask this question, but does GAF have a "Need a New PC" equivalent for general home use or does this thread cover the same territory despite being in the gaming section? I'm pretty much in dire straits for another desktop computer as someone that's still rocking Windows

Spoiler

XP SP3

with a fading hard drive from late 2006.

Thanks in advance!

If you're only using it for internet and light Office work then anything you buy should be sufficient. Are you looking to buy a system or build your own?

 

[Grexeno]

It looks like it comes with 140mm fans. You can replace with the same size (or smaller if you'd prefer).

In terms of the fans you want it depends what matters to you. Do you want the best cooling? The quietest? A decent budget option? RGB bling? There are a lot of options out there for different types of fans and no real "best" choice as it depends what you want.

Thanks! Looks like I'm spending 90 bucks on fans.

 

[RumblingRosco]

Probably isn't the right place to ask this question, but does GAF have a "Need a New PC" equivalent for general home use or does this thread cover the same territory despite being in the gaming section? I'm pretty much in dire straits for another desktop computer as someone that's still rocking Windows

Spoiler

XP SP3

with a fading hard drive from late 2006.

Thanks in advance!

Just tell us what your budget is, or maybe more importantly what you want to use it for, and we can probably whip something up for you to build yourself. Or, if you just want to buy a pre-built PC, we might be able to help with that too.

 

[SUPARSTARX]

Looking to upgrade my i7-3770k. I have it OC'd to 4ghz with a Corsair H50 atm.

Looking at possibly Ryzen 1700X/1800X or maybe pick up the Intel Core X. Thoughts? Or go with the price cuts on I7-7700K?

 

[kmfdmpig]

Thanks! Looks like I'm spending 90 bucks on fans.

For just two? That seems very high. Some of the best fans out there are the Corsair ML140s, which are very high end. They're $25 for plain or $30 with LED (blue, red, or white). Unless you're buying a lot of fans then $90 seems very high.

If you wanted RGB you could get a NZXT Hub + 2 140 fans for $80, and that would only make sense if you wanted to really bling out your system with lots of RGB components and light strips.

 

[Grexeno]

For just two? That seems very high. Some of the best fans out there are the Corsair ML140s, which are very high end. They're $25 for plain or $30 with LED (blue, red, or white). Unless you're buying a lot of fans then $90 seems very high.

If you wanted RGB you could get a NZXT Hub + 2 140 fans for $80, and that would only make sense if you wanted to really bling out your system with lots of RGB components and light strips.

I am pretty sure my case has 3 fans, but I do need to check.

 

[kmfdmpig]

I am pretty sure my case has 3 fans, but I do need to check.

According to this it should come with 2, but it has room for quite a few (9 depending on whether you have an AIO with a radiator):
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

You should be able to determine which fan is the problem and just swap it out for $14 (assuming it's out of warranty and not covered by Fractal):
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835352020

 

[butts]

Got burnt by trying to go cheap on a 144hz monitor. Bought this:
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824009909

Hooked it up, first game noticed some horrible ghosting. Turns out this monitor has an issue with an "Overdrive" setting - it shows as being "Off", but every time the monitor is turned on/off or even changes modes (i.e. running/quitting any video game ever), the setting in the background goes back to "Extreme" which causes this ridiculous ghosting. Even shows as being off still in the menu, so it has to be cycled through every setting each time you run basically any game. Only fix is sending it in for a firmware they for some reason don't have factory-installed.

Never again Acer, never again.

 

[RS4-]

Quick question

I have this case and recently one of the case fans that came with it has apparently started to die, as it sounds noticeably choppy when trying to run at higher RPMs.

My question: what size and which fans should I buy to replace it (and the other 2 since I might as well.)

Depends on which fan has issues, as in, where it's placed in the case. There's static pressure ones, and air flow fans that do the same thing but are applied differently.

 

[RandomExpletive]

PHEW either I'm the worst at mounting CPU coolers or the Cryorig H7 is only meant for when your mobo's outside your case

Got it installed (sister helped out), and it looks like we're in business, 35 degree idle vs the 40-45 on the stock cooler. Gonna look at a tad more aggressive fan curve to keep this thing low until we start gaming.

Is everyone using their BIOS to adjust their CPU fan curve for Ryzen? I used to use speedfan for my 2500k but it doesn't recognize Ryzen apparently

 

[RS4-]

PHEW either I'm the worst at mounting CPU coolers or the Cryorig H7 is only meant for when your mobo's outside your case

Got it installed (sister helped out), and it looks like we're in business, 35 degree idle vs the 40-45 on the stock cooler. Gonna look at a tad more aggressive fan curve to keep this thing low until we start gaming.

Is everyone using their BIOS to adjust their CPU fan curve for Ryzen? I used to use speedfan for my 2500k but it doesn't recognize Ryzen apparently

Your mobo might have an actual app for itt; Gigabyte has SIV I believe.

 

[RandomExpletive]

Your mobo might have an actual app for itt; Gigabyte has SIV I believe.

I've read some less than stellar impressions of MSI's app, but that'd probably be the simplest solution I'd wager

Duuuude this cooler is doing work. Fans at 800 RPM and my temps leveled off at 52 in ADA64 (CPU only not FPU)

 

[RumblingRosco]

PHEW either I'm the worst at mounting CPU coolers or the Cryorig H7 is only meant for when your mobo's outside your case

Got it installed (sister helped out), and it looks like we're in business, 35 degree idle vs the 40-45 on the stock cooler. Gonna look at a tad more aggressive fan curve to keep this thing low until we start gaming.

Is everyone using their BIOS to adjust their CPU fan curve for Ryzen? I used to use speedfan for my 2500k but it doesn't recognize Ryzen apparently

I use my BIOS (MSI motherboard) to set my fan curves for my Ryzen 1700. I had the same issues with Speedfan as you have and I also came from a 2500k.

 

[GodzillaDB]

If you're only using it for internet and light Office work then anything you buy should be sufficient. Are you looking to buy a system or build your own?

Just tell us what your budget is, or maybe more importantly what you want to use it for, and we can probably whip something up for you to build yourself. Or, if you just want to buy a pre-built PC, we might be able to help with that too.

When I typically approach buying a new computer, I always ask myself, "What desktop offers a solid spec foundation that could hold out for a whole decade if needed?" While general usage would cover the bulk of my time with a desktop computer, I'd like to utilize this opportunity to strive toward getting more tech muscle for something that could handle professional video editing software (Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro X equivalent) without hitching and possibly leaving the door open for future customization. I've been a console gamer my entire life so, consequently, I currently don't see myself joining Steam or any digital-only services in the immediate future. I appreciate physical media although my main focus would be minimizing internet data usage outside of a typical browser and other necessary applications.

Current computer was ordered from Dell so I'd prefer something pre-built from them if it would help provide a good starting point for recommendations. Main budgeting around $1000 USD. I have a Thunderbolt-to-HDMI cord and CompactFlash cards from a Canon 5D Mark III as potential points of consideration from a video editing perspective. Would like to connect my main television for editing purposes, but I do have an USB card reader for the aforementioned camera. I've made a bunch of DVDs for film festival submissions so a disc-writer is essential. In terms of gaming, I like to collect older titles on disc from Windows 7 and older. Will I have to worry heavily about compatible issues in general, even with stuff like freeware (ex. Yume Nikki) as someone likely jumping to Win 10? It's probably going to sound sad, but I've never played my hard copies of Amnesia and Crysis as a result of being a holdout so hitting max system requirements would be cool as well. However, I don't want to cut myself short on the tech side despite everything that I mentioned while keeping the "decade" perspective embedded in the mind.

Sorry again from my stubborn views and rambling, but I appreciate any sort of advice I can get as someone really needing to take that next step beyond a dying Windows XP.

 

[Samaritan]

Hoping to get some feedback on a rig I'm building for my girlfriend. Her budget is about $1300, and that's for everything, including keyboard + mouse, monitor, etc; she's completely starting from scratch with this thing. It's going to mostly be for gaming and streaming. How does this look so far? It leaves about $100 for K+M, and I've already got a headset for her.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-7600K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($224.88 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master - Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-H270-Gaming 3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($96.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($125.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($104.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB GAMING Video Card ($304.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks - ECLIPSE P400S TEMPERED GLASS ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA - BQ 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ Amazon)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($89.89 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer - H236HLbid 23.0" 1920x1080 60Hz Monitor ($84.99 @ Newegg (Refurbished))
Total: $1212.34
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-19 01:09 EDT-0400

 

[Bloodember]

Hoping to get some feedback on a rig I'm building for my girlfriend. Her budget is about $1300, and that's for everything, including keyboard + mouse, monitor, etc; she's completely starting from scratch with this thing. It's going to mostly be for gaming and streaming. How does this look so far? It leaves about $100 for K+M, and I've already got a headset for her.

I fixed a few things, first if your going to get a K cpu you need a Z270 motherboard for overclocking and use of faster RAM. I also added faster Ram that was cheaper and better and changed the cooler to a cooler that is actually good with these cpu's. I also changed the SSD to a WD no loss in quality. Lastly I changed the PSU to a better one. Now with the savings in money you may want to add a 1TB hard drive for more storage.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-7600K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($224.88 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - Z270 GAMING PLUS ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($91.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($121.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital - Blue 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($83.69 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB GAMING Video Card ($304.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks - ECLIPSE P400S TEMPERED GLASS ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($89.89 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Acer - H236HLbid 23.0" 1920x1080 60Hz Monitor ($84.99)
Total: $1172.26
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-19 02:53 EDT-0400

 

[Samaritan]

I fixed a few things, first if your going to get a K cpu you need a Z270 motherboard for overclocking. I also added faster Ram that was cheaper and better and changed the cooler to a cooler that is actually good with these cpu's.

Oh damn, I completely blanked on it being HZ270 and not Z270.

Appreciate the changes! Not exactly sure how she'd feel about the red/black color scheme that's going on here, but this is a really good set of guidelines for me to work with, so thanks for the help.

I am curious about your change of cooler; you make it sound like the Hyper 212 EVO isn't what it used to be? Is that particular to Kaby Lake CPU's?

 

[Bloodember]

Oh damn, I completely blanked on it being HZ270 and not Z270.

Appreciate the changes! Not exactly sure how she'd feel about the red/black color scheme that's going on here, but this is a really good set of guidelines for me to work with, so thanks for the help.

I am curious about your change of cooler; you make it sound like the Hyper 212 EVO isn't what it used to be? Is that particular to Kaby Lake CPU's?

The 212 EVO is crap and old as hell. The Kaby Lake CPU'S run hot, so use a modern cooler. I also added some more info to my last post.

 

[Samaritan]

The 212 EVO is crap and old as hell. The Kaby Lake CPU'S run hot, so use a modern cooler. I also added some more info to my last post.

Good to know. I've been out of the PC-building game for about 2-3 years now, so I'm resting on my laurels a little too much with this build, which is evident in your changes. Really appreciate the help!

 

[Bloodember]

Good to know. I've been out of the PC-building game for about 2-3 years now, so I'm resting on my laurels a little much with this build, which is evident in your changes. Really appreciate the changes!

No problem, if she don't like the color scheme it can be easily changed.

 

[Samaritan]

No problem, if she don't like the color scheme it can be easily changed.

Yeah it's nothing that can't be worked around.

One last thing; what's the consensus on swapping out the types of fans you get included with your case? I can't seem to find any specs on the exact model of Phantek fans included with the Eclipse P400S TG, but they just seem to be run-of-the-mill 120mm's. I'm already going to get at least a single extra fan, so I'm wondering if I should just swap the two included ones out as well.

 

[Bloodember]

Yeah it's nothing that can't be worked around.

One last thing; what's the consensus on swapping out the types of fans you get included with your case? I can't seem to find any specs on the exact model of Phantek fans included with the Eclipse P400S TG, but they just seem to be run-of-the-mill 120mm's. I'm already going to get at least a single extra fan, so I'm wondering if I should just swap the two included ones out as well.

The fans Phanteks use in their cases are actually pretty good, I would keep them and just get another fan.

 

[Samaritan]

The fans Phanteks use in their cases are actually pretty good, I would keep them and just get another fan.

Good to know, I'll do just that.

 

[Dmax3901]

Hey all!

This is more or less the PC I have now (as in I built it two years ago), looking to upgrade my GPU and made this just to confirm there's no compatibility issues. Is there anything there (other than the Freesync monitor obviously) that would make getting a 1070 or 1080 a problem?

My current card is an R9 290 and I'm getting some money soon so looking into upgrading. Vega seems to be a bit underwhelming and buying used is tough cause of current mining prices. Can anyone recommend which model/brand of 1070/1080 I should get? My budget is $900AUD.

 

[ISee]

Hey all!

This is more or less the PC I have now (as in I built it two years ago), looking to upgrade my GPU and made this just to confirm there's no compatibility issues. Is there anything there (other than the Freesync monitor obviously) that would make getting a 1070 or 1080 a problem?

My current card is an R9 290 and I'm getting some money soon so looking into upgrading. Vega seems to be a bit underwhelming and buying used is tough cause of current mining prices. Can anyone recommend which model/brand of 1070/1080 I should get? My budget is $900AUD.

Nothing is a problem, you are fine.

Personally I went with asus strix for pascal. Good build quality, very good and powerful cooling and so far good overclockability. The MSI gaming X is also pretty good, cooling is a bit worse though but the card is also shorter (but a bit wider) than the strix. Gigabytes gaming series was the top dog for Maxwell but their padcal cards only offer one 8 pin power connection which isn't great for overclocking. The cooling and noise is still good though and ~2036MHz should be possible. The newest cards from EVGA have grat build quality, especially the 1080Ti line up, older 1070/80 cards suffered from missing vram heatpads though. Zotac does a lot of visual blending. Their coolers look massive but aren't as effective as the ones from Asus, msi and gigabyte. Build quality is also a bit strange sometimes. KFA2 offers the cheapest 1080s out there (were just as expansive as 'high end' 1070s for some time), but cooling and build quality aren't comparable with high end cards. Still a 1080 for the price of a 1070 is a valid and strong argument to buy a kfa2 1080.

 

[Phatosaurus]

Brother....you are not alone. I built my first computer last night. Nothing felt right. I exercised a lot of caution, though in some instances that was the right call since I'd end up finding out the right move. Definitely plugging stuff in to the motherboard made me anxious. The PSU connector, for one, but also the little power LEDs and such.

When I finally had everything in, the panels back on, and the desktop ready to go...I was convinced there must be something wrong. With so many decision points, obvious or not, I didn't trust that it would all work. So I was pretty relieved when I turned it on and it seemed to work. I'll wait until I install windows and play a game or two before announcing it as a success.

Glad I'm not alone then. Kinda funny that we both built a PC for the first time on the same day ha. Here's hoping that when Amazon finally deliver my SSD that everything runs smoothly.

 

[A Sentient Keyboard]

You don't defragment or need to reformat an SSD. You can defragment an HDD after it's in your new system; just hit Windows Key + S, type in Defragment, and select the built-in Windows defragment software to tidy up your HDD. That's all I'd do personally, and even that isn't probably necessary.

Thanks!

 

[LelouchZero]

Hmm, she's looking to game and stream? What kind of games does she play and what kind of frame-rates does she target? 30 fps, 60 fps, over 60 fps?
Also, is she concerned about having a good quality stream? You can use the GTX 1060's built-in NVENC encoder but it won't be as good looking as an x264 stream, I find it to be decent though.

If she wants to have a higher quality stream ideally you'd be looking at a CPU with more cores or threads, something like a Ryzen 1600x CPU would do a good job. It's a 6 core 12 thread processor and is around the same price as the i5 7600K, although you may sacrifice gaming performance in some games.

I also think the Ryzen 1600x is a better buy for the future, it'll be on a platform which has really good upgrade paths and I've also seen that 4 core 4 thread CPUs are getting stressed pretty heavily in some of the latest games while targeting 60 fps and above.
A lot more games are scaling beyond 4 threads today and I think the same could be said for future titles. The 1600x may not outperform the 7600K much if at all in some of the games of today but as newer games release which are better optimized for Ryzen's CPU tech it will distance itself more. The additional CPU power can also be put to good use for streaming and other background tasks as there is a lot of headroom in the 6 core 12 thread Ryzen 1600x compared to the 4 core 4 thread i5.

In all honesty I wouldn't buy an i5 today if I was looking to run the same CPU 2+ years from now, especially since there's a Ryzen 6 core 12 thread processor at the same price point. In some extreme cases I've seen i5s struggle to hit a 60 fps target, one of which would be Watch Dogs 2, although that game looks to be a bit of a mess on the CPU side.

 

[RS4-]

Hey all!

This is more or less the PC I have now (as in I built it two years ago), looking to upgrade my GPU and made this just to confirm there's no compatibility issues. Is there anything there (other than the Freesync monitor obviously) that would make getting a 1070 or 1080 a problem?

My current card is an R9 290 and I'm getting some money soon so looking into upgrading. Vega seems to be a bit underwhelming and buying used is tough cause of current mining prices. Can anyone recommend which model/brand of 1070/1080 I should get? My budget is $900AUD.

Since you're in Australia, I'd pick a few cards out and see who actually offers no hassle warranty if something comes up. You wouldn't want one that has you send it overseas at your expense, etc.

 

[Samaritan]

Hmm, she's looking to game and stream? What kind of games does she play and what kind of frame-rates does she target? 30 fps, 60 fps, over 60 fps?
Also, is she concerned about having a good quality stream? You can use the GTX 1060's built-in NVENC encoder but it won't be as good looking as an x264 stream, I find it to be decent though.

If she wants to have a higher quality stream ideally you'd be looking at a CPU with more cores or threads, something like a Ryzen 1600x CPU would do a good job. It's a 6 core 12 thread processor and is around the same price as the i5 7600K, although you may sacrifice gaming performance in some games.

I also think the Ryzen 1600x is a better buy for the future, it'll be on a platform which has really good upgrade paths and I've also seen that 4 core 4 thread CPUs are getting stressed pretty heavily in some of the latest games while targeting 60 fps and above.
A lot more games are scaling beyond 4 threads today and I think the same could be said for future titles. The 1600x may not outperform the 7600K much if at all in some of the games of today but as newer games release which are better optimized for Ryzen's CPU tech it will distance itself more. The additional CPU power can also be put to good use for streaming and other background tasks as there is a lot of headroom in the 6 core 12 thread Ryzen 1600x compared to the 4 core 4 thread i5.

In all honesty I wouldn't buy an i5 today if I was looking to run the same CPU 2+ years from now, especially since there's a Ryzen 6 core 12 thread processor at the same price point. In some extreme cases I've seen i5s struggle to hit a 60 fps target, one of which would be Watch Dogs 2, although that game looks to be a bit of a mess on the CPU side.

Thanks for the perspective and input. I very briefly considered going the Ryzen route, but have been very skittish as I've been in the Intel ecosystem for basically a decade now. Haven't built a PC with an AMD chip inside of it since I was in my teens.

She's going to want to play games at 60fps @ 1080p. Stream quality isn't imperative for her, but she'll want her streams to at least look good. Might go the 30fps route when it comes to streaming if it means a better looking stream.

But, back to Ryzen. I looked at benchmarks, and like you've said yourself, comparable Intel CPU's outperform their Ryzen counterparts in basically all game applications, with Ryzen outperforming Intel in basically all other use-cases. I feel like we've been waiting for games to really take full advantage of quad and hexa core processors for 5+ years now, and I'm worried about putting my eggs in the Ryzen basket purely on the hope that future games will start taking advantage of all those extra threads.

I'm also, like I said, a little skittish about doing an AMD build, as I just have zero experience with any modern AMD products. I don't know the quirks and specifics of that ecosystem and would be afraid of making mistakes with motherboard and RAM choices.

 

[Dmax3901]

Nothing is a problem, you are fine.

Personally I went with asus strix for pascal. Good build quality, very good and powerful cooling and so far good overclockability. The MSI gaming X is also pretty good, cooling is a bit worse though but the card is also shorter (but a bit wider) than the strix. Gigabytes gaming series was the top dog for Maxwell but their padcal cards only offer one 8 pin power connection which isn't great for overclocking. The cooling and noise is still good though and ~2036MHz should be possible. The newest cards from EVGA have grat build quality, especially the 1080Ti line up, older 1070/80 cards suffered from missing vram heatpads though. Zotac does a lot of visual blending. Their coolers look massive but aren't as effective as the ones from Asus, msi and gigabyte. Build quality is also a bit strange sometimes. KFA2 offers the cheapest 1080s out there (were just as expansive as 'high end' 1070s for some time), but cooling and build quality aren't comparable with high end cards. Still a 1080 for the price of a 1070 is a valid and strong argument to buy a kfa2 1080.

Thanks, will look into the brands you've mentioned.

Since you're in Australia, I'd pick a few cards out and see who actually offers no hassle warranty if something comes up. You wouldn't want one that has you send it overseas at your expense, etc.

So make sure the retailers have warranty etc? I think most would.

 

[LelouchZero]

Thanks for the perspective and input. I very briefly considered going the Ryzen route, but have been very skittish as I've been in the Intel ecosystem for basically a decade now. Haven't built a PC with an AMD chip inside of it since I was in my teens.

She's going to want to play games at 60fps @ 1080p. Stream quality isn't imperative for her, but she'll want her streams to at least look good. Might go the 30fps route when it comes to streaming if it means a better looking stream.

But, back to Ryzen. I looked at benchmarks, and like you've said yourself, comparable Intel CPU's outperform their Ryzen counterparts in basically all game applications, with Ryzen outperforming Intel in basically all other use-cases. I feel like we've been waiting for games to really take full advantage of quad and hexa core processors for 5+ years now, and I'm worried about putting my eggs in the Ryzen basket purely on the hope that future games will start taking advantage of what Ryzen does best.

I'm also, like I said, a little skittish about doing an AMD build, as I just have zero experience with any modern AMD products. I don't know the quirks and specifics of that ecosystem and would be afraid of making mistakes with motherboard and RAM choices.

I understand your hesitation, especially with the concept of gambling on the future.
For what it's worth, some games have already received optimizations for Ryzen CPUs like Dota 2, Rise of the Tomb Raider and Ashes of the Singularity.
Although I wouldn't expect many games that have already released to receive optimizations, unless they're being constantly updated like Dota 2 is.

Games have been taking advantage of 4+ cores/threads in CPUs, especially Intel CPUs although perhaps not fully.
Interestingly Ryzen's gaming performance is a bit odd considering the CPU power that is available, it seems optimizations need to be geared towards the CPUs themselves, not just the number of cores/threads they have which is why some games got optimizations for those CPUs.

Here are some examples of the CPU core scaling that can be seen on Intel CPUs.

Battlefield 1

Source - PC Games Hardware

Assassin's Creed Syndicate

Source (PC Games Hardware)

In Digital Foundry's testing you can see the i7 7700K distancing itself from the i7 7600K.

Digital Foundry - i7 7700K Review

Unfortunately I can't say for certain how Ryzen's gaming performance will be in the future, the best thing to work with is the performance we can see now and the gaming performance of today shows that the i5 7600K outperforms the Ryzen CPUs in the majority of games, however they both appear to be capable of delivering 60 fps in most games, even with the 1600x being underutilized.

I guess you have to decide if you're happy with it's performance in today's games, if you are then performance gains in the future as it is better utilized would be a plus.

I'm not sure if you've already seen this but Paul runs some benchmarks and his video provides a pretty good look at the performance of the Ryzen 5 CPUs against the 7600K.

RYZEN 5 REVIEW! 1500X + 1600X Gaming Benchmarks vs 7600K - Paul's Hardware

 

[RS4-]

Thanks, will look into the brands you've mentioned.



So make sure the retailers have warranty etc? I think most would.

Oh sorry, meant actual GPU vendor. For example, EVGA might have a local HQ or wherever that handles RMAs and repairs, whereas Gigabyte requires you to mail the GPU to the US or Asia, etc.