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[PlayALLtheGames]

I think you are right after looking into it. Let me see...switched it out with the Strix which was a Z270 chipset.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($337.88 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus STRIX Z270-E GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($186.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($134.49 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 960 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($245.98 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.45 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB FTW3 GAMING iCX Video Card ($779.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT S340 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($86.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1944.44
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-03 12:51 EDT-0400

Really nice. Thought about getting a hybrid cooler for CPU?

Also, I believe the EVGA 1080Ti SC2 Hybrids are in stock at Newegg for $809 (they were yesterday). That's $30 to upgrade to a hybrid and while the FTW3 is a good card, once you get on hybrid you'll never go back to air.

I'm building my gf a computer. She does some gaming and editing/productivity stuff. So if overclocked Ryzen 1700 can get close to a stock 7700k when using high speed RAM, and games are going to become more multi-threaded over time, it seems like Ryzen might be the better choice since she doesn't need framerates above 60hz and she's expecting not to upgrade for many years. Thoughts?

You don't need to worry about getting close to a stock 7700k unless the gaming and editing you're talking about is really demanding stuff. Sounds like it's not. So 1700 will be just fine.

 

[Kintaro]

Really nice. Thought about getting a hybrid cooler for CPU?

Also, I believe the EVGA 1080Ti SC2 Hybrids are in stock at Newegg for $809 (they were yesterday). That's $30 to upgrade to a hybrid and while the FTW3 is a good card, once you get on hybrid you'll never go back to air.

Are hybrid coolers hard to install? Can you recommend one so I can take a look? I don't have experience with them.

 

[Sändersson]

Im not sure if this is off-topic but can I ask a question related to headphones?

 

[Megabat]

Has anyone here ever bought a Micro case and then regretted going with it? I feel I'd like the smaller form factor more but what limitations should I expect?

Really, the only compromises are PCIe lanes and 3.5" storage space. Airflow will, in general, be just as good.

Here are some things that might disqualify a Micro-ATX case:
- Internal RAID with more than four 3.5" hard drives
- Multiple GPUs
- Big air coolers (depending on the dimensions of your case - some mATX can be just as wide as ATX)

There are Micro-ATX cases capable of fitting all of these things, but they'll be large enough (or expensive enough) that you'll probably wish you'd gone with standard, no-compromise ATX.

One thing I encountered when moving from Micro to standard ATX was selection - there are many more ATX cases and motherboards than other form factors. It's a bit easier to budget for an ATX system because of this.

 

[b0bbyJ03]

I've been using the SS Rival 300 for about 3 years but I'm thinking about purchasing a new mouse. Is the G502 worth it? considering it cause I'd like some extra buttons on the mouse. I'll mainly use it for FPS games and some RPGs, everything else i play with a gamepad.

 

[KurtFehl]

What the best gaming CPU right now?

What is the latest CPU right now?

What is the new (consumer) CPU coming out?

 

[NEO0MJ]

Im not sure if this is off-topic but can I ask a question related to headphones?

Sure, but isn't there a dedicated headphone OT?

snip

Thanks for the info. I still have time to research before buying.

Oh, prices on the 1080 TI should drop next month, right? Or am I misunderstanding something about it?

 

[JonnyDBrit]

What the best gaming CPU right now?

What is the latest CPU right now?

What is the new (consumer) CPU coming out?

For raw gaming performance, the i7-7700k. The latest CPU line is Ryzen, but while Ryzen 5 puts in a good showing at the mid-range, Ryzen 7 is best suited for balancing game performance versus workbench uses - undercutting Broadwell-E rather than truly competing with the i7-7700k.

Coffee Lake - the successor to Intel's Kaby Lake CPUs - is expected later this year, though there's really not much info beyond 'expected later this year'.

 

[Sändersson]

Sure, but isn't there a dedicated headphone OT?



Thanks for the info. I still have time to research before buying.

Oh, prices on the 1080 TI should drop next month, right? Or am I misunderstanding something about it?

Yeah, I saw the thread but I didnt see any talk about "gaming" headphone brands that I recognized so I though that they would smack me over the internet for buying one. xD

I really hope this question is not too technical, but im having hard time understanding how surround works and what settings should I use for it.

So I bought Corsair's wireless VOID Dolby surround 7.1 headphones. Now I know that the headphone's "7.1" is digitally simulated and not "true" 7.1. To enable "7.1" out of the box, I need to check the option on corsair's utulity engine panel. It works great, but what I dont understand is how it affects game specific settings.

For example, Battlefield 1 gives you the option to choose from surround and stereo sounds and it also lets you select the "headphone mode." The headphone mode in my understanding is a no brainer and should be checked pretty much always when playing with headphones. But what I dont understand is should I use stereo or surround mode? Since my headphones are not "real" surrounds phones. Also if i check the surround mode from the game settings and at the same time I have Dolby surround checked in my CUE panel, do they conflict with each other? Im asking this since I have weird feeling that having Dolby enabled from the CUE panel + stereo from the game settings kinda seems to sound better at times compared to the surround setting.

And I also downloaded some random 3D audio mod for witcher 3 and if I understand correctly, it basically does the same thing that the Dolby setting from the CUE panel does. The mod required that you disable any sound altering software to work properly and I think you can hear where the voices are coming from way clearer than without the mod + CUE Dolby.

 

[KurtFehl]

For raw gaming performance, the i7-7700k. The latest CPU line is Ryzen, but while Ryzen 5 puts in a good showing at the mid-range, Ryzen 7 is best suited for balancing game performance versus workbench uses - undercutting Broadwell-E rather than truly competing with the i7-7700k.

Coffee Lake - the successor to Intel's Kaby Lake CPUs - is expected later this year, though there's really not much info beyond 'expected later this year'.

Thanks.

 

[Kintaro]

So, in the end. It looks like I'll need about $2k for the build I want. Time to start saving!

 

[PlayALLtheGames]

Are hybrid coolers hard to install? Can you recommend one so I can take a look? I don't have experience with them.

The actual block is just like installing an air cooler. Actually, easier because it's a lot smaller. Compare the Cryorig to this:

I'm just providing that as an example - you don't have to get this specific model (Corsair H115i) as it's on the pricier end and you can get models with a 120mm or 140mm radiator instead of the 280mm like that one. Then you just attach the radiator to your case (typically side or top). Since you have a standard mid-tower, there shouldn't be any issues with finding a space for it, even if you go 280mm.

Corsair Hydro series is one of the more popular but there are others. You'll see quite a few people in this thread who have picked various hybrid coolers.

If you also went hybrid for GPU the cooler is already attached and you just need a place for the radiator, which is just a 120mm, so basically just thicker than a typical 120mm case fan. Again, with your case I don't think there'd be any issues, but you'd want to confirm depending on where you put the CPU cooler.

 

[joecanada]

Yeah, I saw the thread but I didnt see any talk about "gaming" headphone brands that I recognized so I though that they would smack me over the internet for buying one. xD

I really hope this question is not too technical, but im having hard time understanding how surround works and what settings should I use for it.

So I bought Corsair's wireless VOID Dolby surround 7.1 headphones. Now I know that the headphone's "7.1" is digitally simulated and not "true" 7.1. To enable "7.1" out of the box, I need to check the option on corsair's utulity engine panel. It works great, but what I dont understand is how it affects game specific settings.

For example, Battlefield 1 gives you the option to choose from surround and stereo sounds and it also lets you select the "headphone mode." The headphone mode in my understanding is a no brainer and should be checked pretty much always when playing with headphones. But what I dont understand is should I use stereo or surround mode? Since my headphones are not "real" surrounds phones. Also if i check the surround mode from the game settings and at the same time I have Dolby surround checked in my CUE panel, do they conflict with each other? Im asking this since I have weird feeling that having Dolby enabled from the CUE panel + stereo from the game settings kinda seems to sound better at times compared to the surround setting.

And I also downloaded some random 3D audio mod for witcher 3 and if I understand correctly, it basically does the same thing that the Dolby setting from the CUE panel does. The mod required that you disable any sound altering software to work properly and I think you can hear where the voices are coming from way clearer than without the mod + CUE Dolby.

I don't know the technicalities of the products you listed but I will say that if you are playing say battlefield you will want to use whatever modes allow you to hear the location of tanks, choppers, footsteps, so even with virtual surround this can be done. normally with sound devices, less "filters" is better so you should use less effect based filters where possible.
Dolby surround shouldn't interfere with normal surround as Dolby is just a trademarked sound (I don't know how to put it technically but its just a TM compression method).

good tests are to check the music, cinematic scenes, and then gameplay and see what you like best, after all, a lot of it is preference. for example in a SP game you may prefer stereo but in say BF you may insist on surround as you want to know locations. but don't always assume surround is best. for example even with a 5.1 digital surround amplifier, sometimes I use "direct" (no filters) and just use my two good towers for loud music.

 

[dr_mario]

So my decision's been made. I just ordered a Ryzen 5 1600 for 199€. Seems like agreat price.Now to finding out which RAM and MoBo (and graphicscard) are the best.

 

[Max_Po]

Hi guys, I am in Canada.

My Laptop (Dell XPS 9560) has a Samsung 512 gig NVMe PCIe Drive and I want to upgrade the internal hard drive to 1 TB. I have some rewards dollars with DELL and I want to get this drive:

WD Blue PC SSD WDS100T1B0B - Solid state drive - 1 TB - internal - M.2 2280 - SATA 6Gb/s

Will this fit the same M2 Slot ? I know it is a bit slower but I want the ssd drive for productivity and not to wave my e-peen online with read and write speeds. I am a bit confused on the whole M2 and M.2 2280

Please advise.

 

[Kintaro]

The actual block is just like installing an air cooler. Actually, easier because it's a lot smaller. Compare the Cryorig to this:



I'm just providing that as an example - you don't have to get this specific model (Corsair H115i) as it's on the pricier end and you can get models with a 120mm or 140mm radiator instead of the 280mm like that one. Then you just attach the radiator to your case (typically side or top). Since you have a standard mid-tower, there shouldn't be any issues with finding a space for it, even if you go 280mm.

Corsair Hydro series is one of the more popular but there are others. You'll see quite a few people in this thread who have picked various hybrid coolers.

If you also went hybrid for GPU the cooler is already attached and you just need a place for the radiator, which is just a 120mm, so basically just thicker than a typical 120mm case fan. Again, with your case I don't think there'd be any issues, but you'd want to confirm depending on where you put the CPU cooler.

Thank you for this. Very informative. I appreciate it. =D

 

[Dominican Power]

Is it better install apps on your SSD drive or HDD?

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

Is it better install apps on your SSD drive or HDD?

I install all the software in the SSD except some games, I treat the HDDs as something that I could remove and nothing would stop working.

 

[Moppeh]

Howdy!

I'm building a PC for the first time and I think I've mostly finalized the build I want. I'd appreciate it if some of you guys could take a look and tell me what you think.

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/Moppeh/saved/VPRxrH

It's nothing too exciting, I picked most stuff from looking at other build guides and a bit of research.

I'd like the build to be capable of streaming and maybe some light video editing work, so any changes or recommendations will be appreciated. Ideally, this thing would be VR capable and reasonably future proof.

I'm Canadian, and this current build would cost me around $1100. I don't mind going over a bit if I end up with a noticeably better PC.

I'm fairly comfortable with just about all those parts. But I'm specifically interested in hearing about the CPU, power supply and the case.

 

[BadAss2961]

Don't know where else to ask this, but anyone ever have an SSD problem where it's slow to load certain games that haven't been run in awhile? It's happened to me with Doom and GTA V. They ran fine when I first installed them, but if I shelf them for a couple weeks or so and return to them, my activity light will go crazy, assets will load slowly, and there will be hitches in gameplay. Takes a few minutes of playing through them or loading different areas of the game before things go back to normal.

Wondering if it's some sort of caching issue that could be fixed, or if freeing up space would help. Still have a over 220GB left on a 960GB SSD.

 

[ShadowKingpin]

So, I am looking at adding RGB fans to my build from NZXT or Corsair and LED lights. How does that whole process work? I read stuff about a USB 2.0 port and RGB header, but how do I determine if I have enough? I'm completely ignorant on hooking this stuff up and want to make sure I can fit all of this on my Mobo. It's the MSI B350 Tomahawk. Since I am using a Corsair AIO Liquid Cooler that has RGB lighting, how do I share the RGB header point with all of the different lights? I know their is the Corsair Node or the Hue+, but I want to make sure I don't spend a ton of money on this stuff, only to not be able to use it.

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

Howdy!

I'm building a PC for the first time and I think I've mostly finalized the build I want. I'd appreciate it if some of you guys could take a look and tell me what you think.

https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/user/Moppeh/saved/VPRxrH

It's nothing too exciting, I picked most stuff from looking at other build guides and a bit of research.

I'd like the build to be capable of streaming and maybe some light video editing work, so any changes or recommendations will be appreciated. Ideally, this thing would be VR capable and reasonably future proof.

I'm Canadian, and this current build would cost me around $1100. I don't mind going over a bit if I end up with a noticeably better PC.

I'm fairly comfortable with just about all those parts. But I'm specifically interested in hearing about the CPU, power supply and the case.

You are paying extra for DDR4-3200 RAM, but I don't think you can go over 2400 on that motherboard.

 

[Moppeh]

You are paying extra for DDR4-3200 RAM, but I don't think you can go over 2400 on that motherboard.

Yeah, you are totally right about that.

Anything else I should be aware of?

 

[Vulcano's assistant]

Yeah, you are totally right about that.

Anything else I should be aware of?

I would get an SSD that is at least 240GB. That gives you room to at least have one or two big modern game installed at time in it without fighting for space with your other software.

And I would recommend getting a case you really like, rather than saving there. It is the face of your PC when it is done.

 

[Kadey]

Programs and main games on SSD, everything else on others. Nowadays you can't be too careful with storage, games are getting bigger and bigger.

Oh so you can't even use steam for Ghost Recon freebie. No thanks.

 

[OraleeWey]

Alright guys, finally upgraded my system.
This is a really bad image I took but it is complete. I have to get a copy of Windows 10 though but the PC booted up fine and I *think* everything is in order! Anyway, I basically can't do anything yet other than stare at the BIOS.

The Maximus Code IX lights are always lit even if the PC is off. Wonder if I could turn those off? Am I also able to chose the colors manually? I should probably read the manual! This time around I tried to do a better job with the cable management and I think I did alright... But that's because half the case is able to hide the wires.

This is everything inside my case.

Spoiler

Some people buy clothes, some buy shoes, some buy weed, me, I buy PC upgrades.

 

[Kintaro]

Spoiler

Some people buy clothes, some buy shoes, some buy weed, me, I buy PC upgrades.

Amen.

 

[Sändersson]

I don't know the technicalities of the products you listed but I will say that if you are playing say battlefield you will want to use whatever modes allow you to hear the location of tanks, choppers, footsteps, so even with virtual surround this can be done. normally with sound devices, less "filters" is better so you should use less effect based filters where possible.
Dolby surround shouldn't interfere with normal surround as Dolby is just a trademarked sound (I don't know how to put it technically but its just a TM compression method).

good tests are to check the music, cinematic scenes, and then gameplay and see what you like best, after all, a lot of it is preference. for example in a SP game you may prefer stereo but in say BF you may insist on surround as you want to know locations. but don't always assume surround is best. for example even with a 5.1 digital surround amplifier, sometimes I use "direct" (no filters) and just use my two good towers for loud music.

Ok, thank you!

 

[Pooya]

This is everything inside my case.

Spoiler

Some people buy clothes, some buy shoes, some buy weed, me, I buy PC upgrades.

spending $80 on LED fans but when it comes to keyboard, the very thing you touch and interact with all the time, it's a 10 bucks keyboard, a notoriously terrible one at that. :b

 

[Godan]

I currently have a H80 corsair cooler and i am looking at getting new fans in my case. Just wanted to know is it possible to replace the fans i get with my cooler with new LED fans? Would this effect the cooler in any way?

 

[MoonGred]

Problem I had last week where my pc only boots for a second before stopping is back.

Ill take my psu in to get it replaced tomorrow but I've got a gut feeling it might be the motherboard which means a rebuild seeing as I'm on a 4690k and can't find a local itx board.

I made the mistake of watching some comparison videos between the 6700k and 7700k, with the same hardware 7700k seemed to offer way higher max fps, which is leaning me more towards the i7 camp, seeing as I'd need a new mobo and memory as well I'd like to save money where possible,especially if there is barely any real world performance difference.

Have there been any rumours of intels next gen being on another different platform? I was holding off upgrading my cpu until something worthwhile came along and this year has been lacklustre.

Im currently using a gtx 1080 and a 3440 x 1440 res.

 

[Stubo]

I'm going to be building a system for a friend later in the year, I'm happy with all of the parts selection apart from the RAM.

I'm looking for a 2x8Gb kit to be used with an R7 1700 on an MSI B350 Tomahawk motherboard. I'm not sure if I should be looking to run 3000mhz at 2933 or get a 3200mhz kit and cross my fingers. I'm currently considering the Corsair Vengeance LPX kits though I know these are optimised for Intel.

It seems like compatibility is improving with every bios update, I just wondered if anyone here has any experience or opinions on it.

Cheers!

 

[dr_mario]

Combined with the Ryze 5 1600, would that graphics card be enough for High/Very High HD Gaming? https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00ZPO9DD6/ It's 120 and presumes itself to be a gaming graphics card. It will probably be a bottleneck, but I want it as heap as possible.

 

[Red Blaster]

is it possible to buy windows 10 on a USB drive or do I have to make a boot drive myself?

 

[KurtFehl]

is it possible to buy windows 10 on a USB drive or do I have to make a boot drive myself?

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10ISO

Download to USB and select USB as boot, then follow instructions and eventually input your windows 10 key

 

[Burgess_101]

AMD and Intel's TDP ratings are not directly comparable. You wont save power/heat by going to an 8 core Ryzen.

Your case actually has good ventilation. 60C or more for idle means something is probably wrong.

On that case, around the CPU, you have rear ventilation and two fan vents on the right side (right side, from front of case).
I would do two things:
Make those two fan ports exhaust. If you don't have some fans there, get some and make them exhaust.

Remove your CPU heatsink. Clean it and your CPU with paper towels and alcohol.
Reinstall it with some quality thermal compound. I suspect the current installation may not have good coverage.
Be careful to use a good application method for the thermal compound. It can be tricky with exposed heat pipes on the base. I like to use an applicator tool or a razor blade, to fill in the grooves around the pipes, first. Then follow through with typical methods, such as two half rice grain sized dollops, etc.
My favorite is Gelid GC Xtreme. If you can't get that, I recommend Noctua's thermal compound or Arctic Silver Ceramique.
Gelid is tops, but all three give competitive thermal potential and will last a couple of years before drying out.

Dont suffocate your case on a shelf. It will just drown in its own hot air. Try to set it on top of a desk or stand.

I have had full custom watercooling loops in a HAF X in this room, many different thermal compounds and techniques, the best I got was idle of 50 (on a 2700k). Its probably the placement of my case to a certain degree but it can't go anywhere else without a major overhaul.

I am just waiting on my PSU to arrive but a quick test with my old one with my build gave me nice 30c idle temps on my 1600 so its looking good so far. I got some Noctua redux 700 fans because I have them in my server and they do a good job cooling quietly. I have two as intakes and one as exhaust. I will see how that works, if I think there is room for improvement I will switch them around and see what that does.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I take it you haven't been able to OC your 5820k much? I was able to get 4.5GHz on mine, but it's got a NH D-15 on it... At stock clocks the 1700 is probably quite a bit better (and definitely much less power).

Something else you might want to consider... I normally don't think that much of them but in your case a single-fan AIO cooler might actually help a fair amount. It's really helpful to be able to directly exhaust heat in these small cases, instead of depending on the case fans to get it out, when the CPU cooler is potentially fighting them and blowing stuff ever which way. Personally I'd be more inclined to try that before swapping power supplies (and maybe even before swapping CPUs). Perhaps someone else on here has some experience with small radiators in tight cases?

I did a little overclock but with the heat as it was, I didn't go any higher than about 3.6.

No AIO cooler fits in the case, I had a look a while ago and the radiators are all too big.

The PSU switch even if it doesn't help air flow will make the case less of a nightmare to work in, so its worth the investment personally.

 

[Weevilone]

is it possible to buy windows 10 on a USB drive or do I have to make a boot drive myself?

Yes you can buy Windows 10 on a USB stick if desired. I know Amazon has it.

 

[Red Blaster]

alright thanks brehs

anyone know if the gigabyte 1070 g1 will fit inside a fractal design mini c?

i know the mini says it can take cards up to 315 mm but the g1 is measured at 285--wont things be pretty tight?

 

[OraleeWey]

spending $80 on LED fans but when it comes to keyboard, the very thing you touch and interact with all the time, it's a 10 bucks keyboard, a notoriously terrible one at that. :b

Yeah man you're right. This cheapo keyboard works just fine so I haven't thought about getting anything else. I just can't seem to pull the trigger on anything else. I probably will though.

I currently have a H80 corsair cooler and i am looking at getting new fans in my case. Just wanted to know is it possible to replace the fans i get with my cooler with new LED fans? Would this effect the cooler in any way?

You can replace the radiator fan with any compatible fan you want. You just have to make sure that it is the right size for your radiator (120mm or 140mm) and it has to be static pressure. Static pressure fans move air better through the radiator than a regular airflow fan.

 

[Kadey]

Retail Windows comes on usb stick. No more cds.

 

[PlayALLtheGames]

Alright guys, finally upgraded my system.
This is a really bad image I took but it is complete. I have to get a copy of Windows 10 though but the PC booted up fine and I *think* everything is in order! Anyway, I basically can't do anything yet other than stare at the BIOS.


The Maximus Code IX lights are always lit even if the PC is off. Wonder if I could turn those off? Am I also able to chose the colors manually? I should probably read the manual! This time around I tried to do a better job with the cable management and I think I did alright... But that's because half the case is able to hide the wires.

This is everything inside my case.

Spoiler

Some people buy clothes, some buy shoes, some buy weed, me, I buy PC upgrades.

Nice.

There's a BIOS option to have the lights go off during sleep/shutdown.

The lights are controlled by AURA Lighting Software. Go to ASUS' site and search for the Code drivers and then look under Utilities.

I'd probably not keep that Mario figure (is that an Amiibo?) there permanently, btw. It probably doesn't matter but with the way the card heats up and applies the heat to the bottom of the figure who knows what might happen. Best to avoid. Not to mention it looks totally out of place lol.

As for your last sentence: yeah, but have you ever watched your AURA lights...on WEEEEED?

 

[OraleeWey]

Nice.

There's a BIOS option to have the lights go off during sleep/shutdown.

The lights are controlled by AURA Lighting Software. Go to ASUS' site and search for the Code drivers and then look under Utilities.

I'd probably not keep that Mario figure (is that an Amiibo?) there permanently, btw. It probably doesn't matter but with the way the card heats up and applies the heat to the bottom of the figure who knows what might happen. Best to avoid. Not to mention it looks totally out of place lol.

You're probably right about that Amiibo. I never keep it there but I'm going to move it.

Can't wait to check out the AURA settings and mess with them. I'm linking the MB, thanks for the suggestion. I think I saw some antennas (for wifi?) too, real good stuff. I have to check the manual later for all the features. I was up late just getting everything inside the case and that's all I had time for.

As for your last sentence: yeah, but have you ever watched your AURA lights...on WEEEEED?

Bruh.

 

[PlayALLtheGames]

You're probably right about that Amiibo. I never keep it there but I'm going to move it.

Can't wait to check out the AURA settings and mess with them. I'm linking the MB, thanks for the suggestion. I think I saw some antennas (for wifi?) too, real good stuff. I have to check the manual later for all the features. I was up late just getting everything inside the case and that's all I had time for.



Bruh.

Yeah that's an antenna for the wifi. On-board wifi has already been clutch for me when testing components on air before applying water-blocks, as I was able to download drivers and software from where the computer is in the living room without having to haul it (it's huge and heavy) to the bedroom to plug into the router.

Definitely read over the manual, especially the OC features. ASUS makes it easy by having some pre-configured OC profiles but you'll probably want to tinker with individual settings and you have control over a lot.

 

[Ted]

So I'm in the process of thinking about a new budget build which can be upgraded as time goes on. I want to keep half an eye on price but also not scrimp too much on potential future upgrade possibilities.

To this end I am a little concerned about motherboard choice.

PC part picker gives "potential issues/incompatibilities" warning when you try to combine a Kaby Lake CPU with a mother board with an Intel "H110" chip set. A little bit of Googling later I found out that with Kaby Lake a number of new Intel chip sets were released (Z270, H270, B250, Q270, and Q250). The prices for "H270" and "B250" motherboards seem to be broadly comparable to "H110" ones but the "Z270" type appear to be ~double these.

This leads me to a number of questions:

1) What is the function of these chip sets (at a basic level), comms between everything else?

2) Is there a distinct performance difference with these different chip sets in gaming and standard desktop usage?

3) Do you need to consider "best fit" between chip set and other parts (e.g. if you are using a G4560 you don't need to bother with anything "better" than B250/H270) or is just compatible good enough?

4) Is going H110 and "upgrading the bios" really short sighted and how easy is it to upgrade a bios?

5) Is it better, with half an eye on the future, to attempt to "go big" on such central parts?

Apologies for all the questions and thanks in advance to anyone w. Please feel free to treat me like an idiot because I'm afraid in terms of this stuff (and frankly more broadly!) I am!

 

[PlayALLtheGames]

Hi guys, I am in Canada.

My Laptop (Dell XPS 9560) has a Samsung 512 gig NVMe PCIe Drive and I want to upgrade the internal hard drive to 1 TB. I have some rewards dollars with DELL and I want to get this drive:

WD Blue PC SSD WDS100T1B0B - Solid state drive - 1 TB - internal - M.2 2280 - SATA 6Gb/s

Will this fit the same M2 Slot ? I know it is a bit slower but I want the ssd drive for productivity and not to wave my e-peen online with read and write speeds. I am a bit confused on the whole M2 and M.2 2280

Please advise.

The M.2 types (2242, 2280) are just the measurements in width-length format, i.e. 2280 is 22mm wide and 80mm long.

Quick search seems to show that's what that XPS uses (2280), so you should be good but just verify.

 

[Max_Po]

The M.2 types (2242, 2280) are just the measurements in width-length format, i.e. 2280 is 22mm wide and 80mm long.

Quick search seems to show that's what that XPS uses (2280), so you should be good but just verify.

Thank you

 

[PlayALLtheGames]

So I'm in the process of thinking about a new budget build which can be upgraded as time goes on. I want to keep half an eye on price but also not scrimp too much on potential future upgrade possibilities.

To this end I am a little concerned about motherboard choice.

PC part picker gives "potential issues/incompatibilities" warning when you try to combine a Kaby Lake CPU with a mother board with an Intel "H110" chip set. A little bit of Googling later I found out that with Kaby Lake a number of new Intel chip sets were released (Z270, H270, B250, Q270, and Q250). The prices for "H270" and "B250" motherboards seem to be broadly comparable to "H110" ones but the "Z270" type appear to be ~double these.

This leads me to a number of questions:

1) What is the function of these chip sets (at a basic level), comms between everything else?

2) Is there a distinct performance difference with these different chip sets in gaming and standard desktop usage?

3) Do you need to consider "best fit" between chip set and other parts (e.g. if you are using a G4560 you don't need to bother with anything "better" than B250/H270) or is just compatible good enough?

4) Is going H110 and "upgrading the bios" really short sighted and how easy is it to upgrade a bios?

5) Is it better, with half an eye on the future, to attempt to "go big" on such central parts?

Apologies for all the questions and thanks in advance to anyone w. Please feel free to treat me like an idiot because I'm afraid in terms of this stuff (and frankly more broadly!) I am!

1. Chipset is basically a controller for the components on the mobo and handles how they interact. It also determines features like overclocking (H110, for example, doesn't have CPU overclocking), type of RAM you'll use, support for total number of connections like USB and SATA, PCI-E configuration, etc.

2. Standard desktop usage? I guess not. Gaming? Well, to the extent that, for example, you may not be able to overclock your CPU or be limited to lower-speeds of certain components, yes.

3. As long as hardware is compatible (both from an interface and speed/performance perspective) then you're mostly just focused on the parts.

4. Updating a BIOS is fairly easy these days.

5. Not necessarily "go big" but I don't see any reason get a H110 motherboard. You can get decent Z270 boards for like $100 and have room for upgrades.

I mean, I understand the concept of a budget build but if you're really looking to only spend like $300 or whatever, I'd just buy a cheap, pre-built desktop. Save yourself a lot of hassle and worry.

 

[Vic_Viper]

Ordered the Acer $350 Laptop from Amazon last night and I was looking for a good 8gig DDR4 stick for it. The guide I was looking at recommended this Crucial stick, but I found a Ripjaw alil cheaper on Newegg. Anyone know if the Ripjaw would be good to go with or should I stick with the Crucial stick?

Heres the Laptop:

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-E5-575-33BM-15-6-Inch-Processor-Generation/dp/B01K1IO3QW/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1493920907&sr=1-2&keywords=acer+laptop

And here are the 2 different sticks of Ramm:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015HQ9TGW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2K88R8BB4WJBG&coliid=I1ZE4COXDTY3A7&psc=1


https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820232147

Both sticks look near identical imo, but just wanted to be sure.


I also have 2 8 Gig DDR3 sticks from my old laptop that died. Would it be a huge difference if I used those as opposed to the 12 gigs of DDR4?
Edit: NVM, doesnt look like I can use DDR3 with the Kaby Lake, my bad.

 

[crisdecuba]

Sigh... I need some quick help. My desktop no longer powers on. If I turn it off for a while, and then turn on the PSU, then there's a brief moment of power (less than a second) and then it goes completely dead / dark again. Pressing the power button on the computer does nothing.

The computer is 8 years old (mobo and CPU) with some newer components (ram (3 years), gpu (5 years), PSU (1 year)).

Before buying a new component I'd like to troubleshoot a bit -- is there a way to test / confirm if the issue is with the PSU? Could a mobo that's gone bad also cause this? Anything else I should be considering? I read somewhere about changing some kind of battery on the mobo but I'm not sure if that advice is applicable...

Any help or guidance would be appreciated. :-(

 

[LilJoka]

Sigh... I need some quick help. My desktop no longer powers on. If I turn it off for a while, and then turn on the PSU, then there's a brief moment of power (less than a second) and then it goes completely dead / dark again. Pressing the power button on the computer does nothing.

The computer is 8 years old (mobo and CPU) with some newer components (ram (3 years), gpu (5 years), PSU (1 year)).

Before buying a new component I'd like to troubleshoot a bit -- is there a way to test / confirm if the issue is with the PSU? Could a mobo that's gone bad also cause this? Anything else I should be considering? I read somewhere about changing some kind of battery on the mobo but I'm not sure if that advice is applicable...

Any help or guidance would be appreciated. :-(

Try the PSU paper clip test.