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[SURESNIPE-MSU]

I would check for BIOS updates, if he's not on the latest bios. Sometimes they add certainly stabillity things for ram and whatnot.

Could try resetting the CMOS battery. Is there another set of RAM he could borrow from someone to try out?

Could he update bios without seeing anything on the display?

I will mention resetting the CMOS battery to him. Don't think he has another set of ram to try out and my pc is a prebuilt hp deal that was circulating on this forum a week or two ago.
Wouldn't it be odd for 4 sticks of his ram to crap out all at once ?

 

[Fix-It Felix. Jr.]

Hey guys, I have been thinking about moving to PC gaming for a while now, and I think I've finally decided to take the plunge. I'll probably be visiting here often to ask some questions and check out the resources in the OP - but before I start anything, I have a question. I've googled and found some answers on other forums, but I'd like to know what GAF thinks.

Would it be better for me to build my own PC right off the bat, or should I buy a pre-built PC and slowly learn more about the different components as I upgrade them through the years?

I'm sure that building your own PC is always the ideal situation, but I'm honestly not too confident in my ability. I've never been good with small intricate stuff like connecting wires - but I don't know if I've ever really given it a chance, either. Do I want this super expensive equipment that I paid for to be my first attempt though? I'd hate to mess something up and have to replace equipment before it even gets a single use.

I'm thinking that buying pre-built and upgrading it would be the best option. I can jump into some games as soon as it arrives, and learn about building as I upgrade it. Unless there's a reason why this is a bad approach? (I'm thinking that PC will be my main platform after this, by the way)

Also, if you guys think I should go with pre-built, are there any specific companies I should be looking at that have PCs that are easier to upgrade?

 

[kuYuri]

I'm just really worried about investing a ton of money into something (new CPU) that might not make a big difference in games. But stuff like Watch Dogs 2 is completely pegging my current CPU even with a decent OC and I don't know where to go from here.

That seems to be the common thing I see with some open world games on PC. Many like GTAV, THe Witcher 3, etc. really take advantage of the extra threads from i7 CPUs.

WD2 in general is also a very demanding game on higher settings.

 

[rtcn63]

I'm just really worried about investing a ton of money into something (new CPU) that might not make a big difference in games. But stuff like Watch Dogs 2 is completely pegging my current CPU even with a decent OC and I don't know where to go from here.

Have tried some graphics optimization? Watch Dogs 2 is one of the most CPU-limited games this gen. http://www.gamersnexus.net/game-bench/2785-watch-dogs-2-cpu-settings-optimization-guide

 

[KingKong]

Will I get as good of a connection (ping, stability, speed) with a high quality router and wireless adapter as I would connecting directly to the modem on my pc?

Im looking to rearrange things and get rid of some cables but Im stuck to that phone line

the router would still be just a few feet away

 

[ISee]

Hey guys, I have been thinking about moving to PC gaming for a while now, and I think I've finally decided to take the plunge. I'll probably be visiting here often to ask some questions and check out the resources in the OP - but before I start anything, I have a question. I've googled and found some answers on other forums, but I'd like to know what GAF thinks.

Would it be better for me to build my own PC right off the bat, or should I buy a pre-built PC and slowly learn more about the different components as I upgrade them through the years?

I'm sure that building your own PC is always the ideal situation, but I'm honestly not too confident in my ability. I've never been good with small intricate stuff like connecting wires - but I don't know if I've ever really given it a chance, either. Do I want this super expensive equipment that I paid for to be my first attempt though? I'd hate to mess something up and have to replace equipment before it even gets a single use.

I'm thinking that buying pre-built and upgrading it would be the best option. I can jump into some games as soon as it arrives, and learn about building as I upgrade it. Unless there's a reason why this is a bad approach? (I'm thinking that PC will be my main platform after this, by the way)

Also, if you guys think I should go with pre-built, are there any specific companies I should be looking at that have PCs that are easier to upgrade?

I assemble my own PCs because it is cheaper, I can balance out the hardware, scale it to my needs and because I like building PCs in the first place. It's part of the hobby, for me. If you don't feel comfortable with building your own PC than go for a pre-build one. There is nothing special about assembling your own PC in the first place, you just put stuff into stuff. It's just like following a lego instruction. It's not art, it doesn't need a lot of skill and it won't give you better performance over a pre-built (using the same hardware).
Upgrading needs about the same level of knowledge and skill as building a new PC, especially if you switch the PSU, motherboard or CPU.
My tip: Make a list of components you would buy, check if something is missing (for example here) and then watch YT guides how to assemble a (sort of) similar build till you can't stand them anymore. If you still feel unsecure to assemble it yourself afterwards, get a pre-build one. Also, don't skip console gaming altogether. Some exclusives are worth owning a PC and at least one other console (switch and/or PS4).

For the last question: Sorry, no idea.

Will I get as good of a connection (ping, stability, speed) with a high quality router and wireless adapter as I would connecting directly to the modem on my pc?

Im looking to rearrange things and get rid of some cables but Im stuck to that phone line

the router would still be just a few feet away

There should be no change in stability or speed, but your ping will of course suffer, if you add stuff in between your modem and PC. Using WiFi will also increase your Ping.
Will it be a drastic change though? If you're a pro 0.1% ESL gamer that is using a 144hz display, sure it may have an effect. If you just want to enjoy your LoL, CSGO, CoD etc: I doubt you'll notice it.
An easy way to check if and by how much your 'ping' has changed would be to use the ping command in command promt: Just open your command promt and write ping -n 10 google.com. This will ping the nearest google server 10 times and give you a short connection summary. But watch out, results can and will change depending on the time of day. To get comparable results (sort of) measure your ping while being connected via wifi to your new router. Right after that connect your pc directly to the modem and ping again.

I think I finally got my parts nailed down, I used the OP as a guide (it was a big help!). I'll be using the PC primarily for digital art (Photoshop/Illustrator, etc), some video editing, streaming my art on Twitch Creative, and some gaming on the side. I think this should be plenty beefy for that sort of stuff. My max budget was $1500 and, with a new Win10 license included, this comes in just shy of that.

• Case - MasterCase Maker 5 Mid-Tower Case with FreeForm™ Modular System, Upgraded I/O with 3.0 Type C
• Motherboard - MSI Z270 GAMING M3 LGA 1151 Intel Z270 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 ATX
• GPU - EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB SSC GAMING ACX 3.0, 6GB GDDR5, LED, DX12 OSD Support (PXOC)
• CPU - Intel Core i7-7700K Kaby Lake Quad-Core 4.2 GHz LGA 1151 91W BX80677I77700K
• Memory - Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 2133 (PC4 17000)
• Storage - WD Blue 2TB Desktop Hard Disk Drive - 5400 RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5 Inch
• Power - EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2, 80+ GOLD 750W
• Cooling - CRYORIG H7 Tower Fan Cooler For AMD/Intel CPU
• CD/DVD Drive - ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
• Rosewill RNX-AC1900PCE, Dual Band Wireless AC1900 Wi-Fi Adapter, IEEE802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Up to 1300 Mbps (5.0 GHz) + 600 Mbps (2.4 GHz)

Unfortunately I do have to invest in a wi-fi adapter, since ethernet isn't an option in my current living situation.

Looks fine, not much to add but the usual:
-750W is overkill. You can go down to 600W or even 550W, if you want to.
-Modern Intel and AMD CPUs scale well with faster memory. Going for DDR4 3000 MHz (or higher) instead of DDR4 2133MHz can be as effective as overclocking your CPU. At least in cpu heavy games. Also 32GB of ram could be beneficial for professional photo editing.
-The 7700k is the best gaming cpu out there, due to its very good per core performance. But streaming, photoshop and lightroom are heavy multi-threaded workloads. An Amd r7 1700 could be the better choice for you because of the sheer amount of threads it is able to handle (16 v 8)
edit: Go for an 7200 RPM HDD. Being able to read/write data faster is always better. If you are worried about longevity: Get a WD Black instead of a WD Blue.

 

[Loxley]

I think I finally got my parts nailed down, I used the OP as a guide (it was a big help!). I'll be using the PC primarily for digital art (Photoshop/Illustrator, etc), some video editing, streaming my art on Twitch Creative, and some gaming on the side. I think this should be plenty beefy for that sort of stuff. My max budget was $1500 and, with a new Win10 license included, this comes in just shy of that.

• Case - MasterCase Maker 5 Mid-Tower Case with FreeForm™ Modular System, Upgraded I/O with 3.0 Type C
• Motherboard - MSI Z270 GAMING M3 LGA 1151 Intel Z270 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 ATX
• GPU - EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB SSC GAMING ACX 3.0, 6GB GDDR5, LED, DX12 OSD Support (PXOC)
• CPU - Intel Core i7-7700K Kaby Lake Quad-Core 4.2 GHz LGA 1151 91W BX80677I77700K
• Memory - Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 2133 (PC4 17000)
• Storage - WD Blue 2TB Desktop Hard Disk Drive - 5400 RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5 Inch
• Power - EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2, 80+ GOLD 750W
• Cooling - CRYORIG H7 Tower Fan Cooler For AMD/Intel CPU
• CD/DVD Drive - ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
• Rosewill RNX-AC1900PCE, Dual Band Wireless AC1900 Wi-Fi Adapter, IEEE802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Up to 1300 Mbps (5.0 GHz) + 600 Mbps (2.4 GHz)

Unfortunately I do have to invest in a wi-fi adapter, since ethernet isn't an option in my current living situation.

 

[PlayALLtheGames]

My buddy recently built a pretty high end machine for work... and it has been working fine for a month or so.

Yesterday his computer stopped booting. When he powers it on the fans spin but his dram led light stays solid red (on his mobo) and the CPU led light does nothing. He also gets some error 53 on his mobo related to ram/memory issue. Nothing shows up on his monitor display. He has a Rampage V extreme
E9550.

He has tried all his ram sticks individually (he has 32gb in each slot) with no luck, reseated his CPU multiple times and is just sort of stuck with what to.

Any ideas? It is his first pc build and I myself have never built a pc.

Thanks!

Is he OC'ing the RAM? First thing to do is always reset bios to default settings (making sure to account for things like RAiD afterwards) and then try booting up with just one stick like you mentioned. All four sticks can't be bad. And Jesus, 32GB in each slot? 128GB of fucking RAM? For what purpose?

 

[Fix-It Felix. Jr.]

I assemble my own PCs because it is cheaper, I can balance out the hardware, scale it to my needs and because I like building PCs in the first place. It’s part of the hobby, for me. If you don’t feel comfortable with building your own PC than go for a pre-build one. There is nothing special about assembling your own PC in the first place, you just put stuff into stuff. It's just like following a lego instruction. It’s not art, it doesn’t need a lot of skill and it won’t give you better performance over a pre-built (using the same hardware).
Upgrading needs about the same level of knowledge and skill as building a new PC, especially if you switch the PSU, motherboard or CPU.
My tip: Make a list of components you would buy, check if something is missing (for example here) and then watch YT guides how to assemble a (sort of) similar build till you can’t stand them anymore. If you still feel unsecure to assemble it yourself afterwards, get a pre-build one. Also, don’t skip console gaming altogether. Some exclusives are worth owning a PC and at least one other console (switch and/or PS4).

For the last question: Sorry, no idea.

Thanks for the response! I have extremely basic knowledge of computer components, but I don't plan on buying anything until autumn at the earliest. I think I'll take your advice, and spend the summer familiarizing myself with the various components, and then form some kind of list for what I'd like to have. I think that being able to say I built my own PC would be pretty cool, so hopefully I'll feel more comfortable with the concept once I've saved up the money for what I want. Regardless of if I go pre-built or not, at least the knowledge I gain over the summer will help me do upgrades!

I have a Switch and PS4, only thing I am missing out on are Microsoft game. Being able to play my PS4 with my monitor will play a big part in what I choose there.

 

[Loxley]

Looks fine, not much to add but the usual:
-750W is overkill. You can go down to 600W or even 550W, if you want to.
-Modern Intel and AMD CPUs scale well with faster memory. Going for DDR4 3000 MHz (or higher) instead of DDR4 2133MHz can be as effective as overclocking your CPU. At least in cpu heavy games. Also 32GB of ram could be beneficial for professional photo editing.
-The 7700k is the best gaming cpu out there, due to its very good per core performance. But streaming, photoshop and lightroom are heavy multi-threaded workloads. An Amd r7 1700 could be the better choice for you because of the sheer amount of threads it is able to handle (16 v 8)
edit: Go for an 7200 RPM HDD. Being able to read/write data faster is always better. If you are worried about longevity: Get a WD Black instead of a WD Blue.

Thanks for the feedback! I never would have known any of that. I'll update my list

 

[opticalmace]

Anyone have experience with powerline adapters?

Considering this one: TP-Link AV2000

Also considering going with a cheaper one, like the AV500 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010Q29OW6/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2G2NZBNK946JJ&coliid=I3I2TS4VR87WXU&th=1), though I'd rather just buy it once and be done with it.

No way to run network cable where I am, and I think setting up a repeater is going to be a headache. What do you think?

 

[HarryDemeanor]

Anyone have experience with powerline adapters?

Considering this one: TP-Link AV2000

Also considering going with a cheaper one, like the AV500 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B010Q29OW6/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=2G2NZBNK946JJ&coliid=I3I2TS4VR87WXU&th=1), though I'd rather just buy it once and be done with it.

No way to run network cable where I am, and I think setting up a repeater is going to be a headache. What do you think?

Performance is all about how well your place of residence is wired. I've got one hooked in in my room going straight to the garage for another PC. Speed is okay but I'm sure it'll perform better if it didn't travel as far. Regardless I'm pretty happy at how well they work.

 

[KingKong]

There should be no change in stability or speed, but your ping will of course suffer, if you add stuff in between your modem and PC. Using WiFi will also increase your Ping.
Will it be a drastic change though? If you're a pro 0.1% ESL gamer that is using a 144hz display, sure it may have an effect. If you just want to enjoy your LoL, CSGO, CoD etc: I doubt you'll notice it.
An easy way to check if and by how much your 'ping' has changed would be to use the ping command in command promt: Just open your command promt and write ping -n 10 google.com. This will ping the nearest google server 10 times and give you a short connection summary. But watch out, results can and will change depending on the time of day. To get comparable results (sort of) measure your ping while being connected via wifi to your new router. Right after that connect your pc directly to the modem and ping again.

awesome thanks,

is there any preference for usb vs pci wireless adapters? Keeping in mind that my PC will be really close to the router so distance isn't an issue (though it is in a medium sized apartment building)

 

[opticalmace]

Performance is all about how well your place of residence is wired. I've got one hooked in in my room going straight to the garage for another PC. Speed is okay but I'm sure it'll perform better if it didn't travel as far. Regardless I'm pretty happy at how well they work.

Thanks. My uncle and aunt had their place rewired (or updated?) in 2013, so it should be good.

What model are you using?

 

[HarryDemeanor]

Thanks. My uncle and aunt had their place rewired (or updated?) in 2013, so it should be good.

What model are you using?

Using these right now.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AWRUICG/?tag=neogaf0e-20

 

[BeekleMatter]

Anybody got any recommendations for a cheap AC pci internal Wi-Fi card?

 

[e90Mark]

Anybody got any recommendations for a cheap AC pci internal Wi-Fi card?

GC-WB867D-I

 

[SURESNIPE-MSU]

Is he OC'ing the RAM? First thing to do is always reset bios to default settings (making sure to account for things like RAiD afterwards) and then try booting up with just one stick like you mentioned. All four sticks can't be bad. And Jesus, 32GB in each slot? 128GB of fucking RAM? For what purpose?

Haha no 32 total and I guess only 2 sticks.

 

[ChoklitReign]

I want to use my SSD in a new setup without buying another Windows key. I backed up my important files and tried to run Sysprep but got this error message:

2017-05-23 21:52:24, Info                  SYSPRP ========================================================
2017-05-23 21:52:24, Info                  SYSPRP ===          Beginning of a new sysprep run          ===
2017-05-23 21:52:24, Info                  SYSPRP ========================================================
2017-05-23 21:52:24, Info       [0x0f004d] SYSPRP The time is now 2017-05-23 21:52:24
2017-05-23 21:52:24, Info       [0x0f004e] SYSPRP Initialized SysPrep log at C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\Panther
2017-05-23 21:52:24, Info       [0x0f0054] SYSPRP ValidatePrivileges:User has required privileges to sysprep machine
2017-05-23 21:52:24, Info       [0x0f007e] SYSPRP FCreateTagFile:Tag file C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\Sysprep_succeeded.tag does not already exist, no need to delete anything
2017-05-23 21:52:24, Info       [0x0f003d] SYSPRP WinMain:Displaying dialog box for user to choose sysprep mode...
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Info       [0x0f00d7] SYSPRP WinMain:Pre-validing 'cleanup' internal providers.
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Info                  SYSPRP RunExternalDlls:Running platform actions specified in action file for phase 3
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Info       [0x0f00ba] SYSPRP SysprepSession::CreateSession: Successfully created instance with mount path C:, action file C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\ActionFiles\Cleanup.xml, and mode <null>
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Info                  SYSPRP SysprepSession::Validate: Beginning action execution from C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\ActionFiles\Cleanup.xml
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Info                  SYSPRP ActionPlatform::GetStringValue: Getting REG_SZ value SysprepMode under key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\Sysprep
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Info                  SYSPRP ActionPlatform::GetValue: Getting value SysprepMode under key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\Sysprep
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Warning               SYSPRP ActionPlatform::GetValue: Error from RegQueryValueEx on value SysprepMode under key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\Sysprep; dwRet = 0x2
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Info                  SYSPRP SysprepSession::CreateXPathForSelection: Sysprep mode in registry is <null>
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Info                  SYSPRP ActionPlatform::GetStringValue: Getting REG_SZ value PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE under key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Info                  SYSPRP ActionPlatform::GetValue: Getting value PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE under key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Info                  SYSPRP SysprepSession::CreateXPathForSelection: Processor architecture in registry is AMD64
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Info       [0x0f0080] SYSPRP ActionPlatform::LaunchModule: Found 'Sysprep_Clean_Validate_Opk' in C:\Windows\System32\spopk.dll; executing it
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Info                  SYSPRP spopk.dll:: Sysprep will run on an upgraded OS.
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Info       [0x0f0081] SYSPRP ActionPlatform::LaunchModule: Successfully executed 'Sysprep_Clean_Validate_Opk' from C:\Windows\System32\spopk.dll without error
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Info       [0x0f00d7] SYSPRP WinMain:Pre-validing 'generalize' internal providers.
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Info                  SYSPRP RunExternalDlls:Running platform actions specified in action file for phase 1
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Info       [0x0f00ba] SYSPRP SysprepSession::CreateSession: Successfully created instance with mount path C:, action file C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\ActionFiles\Generalize.xml, and mode <null>
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Info                  SYSPRP SysprepSession::Validate: Beginning action execution from C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\ActionFiles\Generalize.xml
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Info                  SYSPRP ActionPlatform::GetStringValue: Getting REG_SZ value SysprepMode under key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\Sysprep
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Info                  SYSPRP ActionPlatform::GetValue: Getting value SysprepMode under key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\Sysprep
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Warning               SYSPRP ActionPlatform::GetValue: Error from RegQueryValueEx on value SysprepMode under key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\Sysprep; dwRet = 0x2
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Info                  SYSPRP SysprepSession::CreateXPathForSelection: Sysprep mode in registry is <null>
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Info                  SYSPRP ActionPlatform::GetStringValue: Getting REG_SZ value PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE under key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Info                  SYSPRP ActionPlatform::GetValue: Getting value PROCESSOR_ARCHITECTURE under key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Environment
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Info                  SYSPRP SysprepSession::CreateXPathForSelection: Processor architecture in registry is AMD64
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Info       [0x0f0080] SYSPRP ActionPlatform::LaunchModule: Found 'SysprepGeneralizeValidate' in C:\Windows\System32\AppxSysprep.dll; executing it
2017-05-23 22:04:31, Info                  SYSPRP Entering SysprepGeneralizeValidate (Appx) - validating whether all apps are also provisioned.

2017-05-23 22:04:32, Error                 SYSPRP Package Microsoft.MicrosoftMinesweeper_2.5.1603.2101_x86__8wekyb3d8bbwe was installed for a user, but not provisioned for all users. This package will not function properly in the sysprep image.

2017-05-23 22:04:32, Error                 SYSPRP Failed to remove apps for the current user: 0x80073cf2.

2017-05-23 22:04:32, Error                 SYSPRP Exit code of RemoveAllApps thread was 0x3cf2.

2017-05-23 22:04:32, Error      [0x0f0082] SYSPRP ActionPlatform::LaunchModule: Failure occurred while executing 'SysprepGeneralizeValidate' from C:\Windows\System32\AppxSysprep.dll; dwRet = 0x3cf2
2017-05-23 22:04:32, Error                 SYSPRP SysprepSession::Validate: Error in validating actions from C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep\ActionFiles\Generalize.xml; dwRet = 0x3cf2
2017-05-23 22:04:32, Error                 SYSPRP RunPlatformActions:Failed while validating SysprepSession actions; dwRet = 0x3cf2
2017-05-23 22:04:32, Error      [0x0f0070] SYSPRP RunExternalDlls:An error occurred while running registry sysprep DLLs, halting sysprep execution. dwRet = 0x3cf2
2017-05-23 22:04:32, Error      [0x0f00d8] SYSPRP WinMain:Hit failure while pre-validate sysprep generalize internal providers; hr = 0x80073cf2
2017-05-23 22:04:42, Info       [0x0f0052] SYSPRP Shutting down SysPrep log
2017-05-23 22:04:42, Info       [0x0f004d] SYSPRP The time is now 2017-05-23 22:04:42

I'm also transitioning from an Intel 1155 chipset to Ryzen. Is there anything I could do to mitigate problems?

 

[OverdriveOtaku]

Have some simple OS questions. I know I can google it but I'd prefer to hear answers from you guys since I've made my first PC on threads like this.


If I am using my PC primarily for gaming, is there any specific version of Windows 10 that I should be looking at? I see there's Home and Pro.

Also, reputable place to buy a copy? I was originally considering Amazon but I'm seeing way too many people leaving reviews after receiving botched or alleged fake copies. And I think I'd prefer a physical copy (or at least the serial key printed on something) in case I upgrade to a newer PC and change parts and what not.

 

[ISee]

awesome thanks,

is there any preference for usb vs pci wireless adapters? Keeping in mind that my PC will be really close to the router so distance isn't an issue (though it is in a medium sized apartment building)

PCI-E cards are preferable.

I want to use my SSD in a new setup without buying another Windows key. I backed up my important files and tried to run Sysprep but got this error message:

I'm also transitioning from an Intel 1155 chipset to Ryzen. Is there anything I could do to mitigate problems?

Most SSD manufacturers have simple tools for cloning an existing boot/os drive to a new ssd. I used the samsung magician now twice and it worked perfectly. No idea if there is one for your brand though, but there are some free and some paid tools able to do the same like arconis.
You can switch mainboards/cpus on windows 10 without the need to reinstall it. I'm not sure you can do the same on win7. Anyway, a fresh install is always preferable. New architecture, new and different drivers, new registry entries, a lot of stuff can go wrong.
BTW you can reuse your old windows 7 key as often as you want to. It's yours forever, no need to buy a new one. If you can't find your key anymore: There are some tools able to check for you win7 keys.

 

[StaSeb]

I think I finally got my parts nailed down, I used the OP as a guide (it was a big help!). I'll be using the PC primarily for digital art (Photoshop/Illustrator, etc), some video editing, streaming my art on Twitch Creative, and some gaming on the side. I think this should be plenty beefy for that sort of stuff. My max budget was $1500 and, with a new Win10 license included, this comes in just shy of that.

• Case - MasterCase Maker 5 Mid-Tower Case with FreeForm™ Modular System, Upgraded I/O with 3.0 Type C
• Motherboard - MSI Z270 GAMING M3 LGA 1151 Intel Z270 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 ATX
• GPU - EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB SSC GAMING ACX 3.0, 6GB GDDR5, LED, DX12 OSD Support (PXOC)
• CPU - Intel Core i7-7700K Kaby Lake Quad-Core 4.2 GHz LGA 1151 91W BX80677I77700K
• Memory - Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 2133 (PC4 17000)
• Storage - WD Blue 2TB Desktop Hard Disk Drive - 5400 RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache 3.5 Inch
• Power - EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2, 80+ GOLD 750W
• Cooling - CRYORIG H7 Tower Fan Cooler For AMD/Intel CPU
• CD/DVD Drive - ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
• Rosewill RNX-AC1900PCE, Dual Band Wireless AC1900 Wi-Fi Adapter, IEEE802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Up to 1300 Mbps (5.0 GHz) + 600 Mbps (2.4 GHz)

Unfortunately I do have to invest in a wi-fi adapter, since ethernet isn't an option in my current living situation.

My two cents:

Get an AMD Ryzen R7 1700 and a motherboard with B350 chipset. It should be cheaper in total than the core I7 + Z170-board. Put the savings into a SSD-harddrive for your ioperating system. 250GB is enough, 500GB is comfortable.

With an SSD everything feels faster and snappier. The AMD CPU with double the cores and threads (albeit at lower performance per core) will help with multithreading, scalable workloads (rendering, convertig, compression) and streaming.

be aware that AMD CPUs have some issues reaching high memory-speeds, though. If you want to run a DDR-4-3200-Kit, be sure to choose one that runs nicely with Ryzen.

 

[Zeus7]

Any advice on how I can get this system down to a £600 build. I keep overshooting the mark. I would prefer to keep the 1060 but would drop to a 1050 if I have to. I am trying to build a system for a friend.

I was thinking a CPU such as the i3-7100 and drop down to DDR3? He wants a machine to play Battlegrounds on and also general gaming. Nothing too powerful but capable.

PCPartPicker part list: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/bhMN4C

CPU: Intel - Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor (£160.00 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-H110M-S2H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£49.78 @ Novatech)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£67.49 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£85.97 @ BT Shop)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1060 3GB 3GB Windforce OC Video Card (£185.33 @ CCL Computers)
Case: Corsair - 100R ATX Mid Tower Case (£47.75 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£68.80 @ Alza)
Optical Drive: LG - GH24NSD1 DVD/CD Writer (£13.85 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit (£83.94 @ Aria PC)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link - TL-WN881ND PCI-Express x1 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter (£12.48 @ Amazon UK)
Monitor: BenQ - GL2250HM 21.5" 1920x1080 60Hz Monitor (£89.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £865.38

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Any advice on how I can get this system down to a £600 build. I keep overshooting the mark. I would prefer to keep the 1060 but would drop to a 1050 if I have to. I am trying to build a system for a friend.

I was thinking a CPU such as the i3-7100 and drop down to DDR3? He wants a machine to play Battlegrounds on and also general gaming. Nothing too powerful but capable.

PCPartPicker part list: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/bhMN4C

CPU: Intel - Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor (£160.00 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-H110M-S2H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£49.78 @ Novatech)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£67.49 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£85.97 @ BT Shop)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1060 3GB 3GB Windforce OC Video Card (£185.33 @ CCL Computers)
Case: Corsair - 100R ATX Mid Tower Case (£47.75 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£68.80 @ Alza)
Optical Drive: LG - GH24NSD1 DVD/CD Writer (£13.85 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit (£83.94 @ Aria PC)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link - TL-WN881ND PCI-Express x1 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter (£12.48 @ Amazon UK)
Monitor: BenQ - GL2250HM 21.5" 1920x1080 60Hz Monitor (£89.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £865.38

Given your phrasing, I imagine this is for a friend. You can't 'drop' to DDR3, it's a functionally different format that will not work on any board that natively supports a kabylake CPU. If you're gonna drop to i3, you might as well make it the G4560, and spring for a kabylake board while you're at it (you picked a skylake board, which while technically capable of supporting a kabylake CPU, would need a BIOS update).

On the GPU front, if your friend is willing to put up with used hardware in some respects, then they could spring for a GTX 970. It'll be a bit behind the 1060, but still well ahead of the 1050 Ti for a similar price - most go for around £120-150 on ebay nowadays, and that's including 'Buy It Now' prices.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor (£54.00 @ Kustom PCs)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-B250M-D2V Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£61.96 @ PC World Business)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£67.49 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Corsair - Force LE 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£71.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Palit - GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card (£150.00)
Case: Thermaltake - Versa H15 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£31.62 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£68.80 @ Alza)
Optical Drive: LG - GH24NSD1 DVD/CD Writer (£13.85 @ Amazon UK)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link - TL-WN881ND PCI-Express x1 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter (£12.48 @ Amazon UK)
Monitor: BenQ - GL2250HM 21.5" 1920x1080 60Hz Monitor (£89.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £622.18
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-24 15:38 BST+0100

So if you score well on the 970 front, that would get the build under £600, even including the monitor. I also bumped down the case and found a cheaper but similarly sized SSD. They can get a HDD for a tonne more storage space later if need be.

I also dropped Windows 10 from the price listing because you can get that via other sellers for pretty cheap and still have a key that works.

In general, this would be capable of games at High or tweaked Ultra settings while maintaining 60 FPS, at 1080p.

 

[Zeus7]

Given your phrasing, I imagine this is for a friend. You can't 'drop' to DDR3, it's a functionally different format that will not work on any board that natively supports a kabylake CPU. If you're gonna drop to i3, you might as well make it the G4560, and spring for a kabylake board while you're at it (you picked a skylake board, which while technically capable of supporting a kabylake CPU, would need a BIOS update).

On the GPU front, if your friend is willing to put up with used hardware in some respects, then they could spring for a GTX 970. It'll be a bit behind the 1060, but still well ahead of the 1050 Ti for a similar price - most go for around £120-150 on ebay nowadays, and that's including 'Buy It Now' prices.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor (£54.00 @ Kustom PCs)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-B250M-D2V Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£61.96 @ PC World Business)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£67.49 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Corsair - Force LE 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£71.99 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Palit - GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card (£150.00)
Case: Thermaltake - Versa H15 MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£31.62 @ Amazon UK)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£68.80 @ Alza)
Optical Drive: LG - GH24NSD1 DVD/CD Writer (£13.85 @ Amazon UK)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link - TL-WN881ND PCI-Express x1 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter (£12.48 @ Amazon UK)
Monitor: BenQ - GL2250HM 21.5" 1920x1080 60Hz Monitor (£89.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £622.18
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-24 15:38 BST+0100

So if you score well on the 970 front, that would get the build under £600, even including the monitor. I also bumped down the case and found a cheaper but similarly sized SSD. They can get a HDD for a tonne more storage space later if need be.

I also dropped Windows 10 from the price listing because you can get that via other sellers for pretty cheap and still have a key that works.

In general, this would be capable of games at High or tweaked Ultra settings while maintaining 60 FPS, at 1080p.

Thank you Jonny, much appreciated. Yes it is for a friend, I did state that in the post. Sorry I could have explained that clearer, I meant dropping down to DDR3 thus changing the MoBo etc.
Is there much of a difference with DDR3 and DDR4 on a 1080P gaming machine? Thank you for finding some cheaper alternatives, exactly the kind of help I was looking for!

 

[ISee]

Any advice on how I can get this system down to a £600 build. I keep overshooting the mark. I would prefer to keep the 1060 but would drop to a 1050 if I have to. I am trying to build a system for a friend.

I was thinking a CPU such as the i3-7100 and drop down to DDR3? He wants a machine to play Battlegrounds on and also general gaming. Nothing too powerful but capable.

PCPartPicker part list: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/bhMN4C

CPU: Intel - Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor (£160.00 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-H110M-S2H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£49.78 @ Novatech)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£67.49 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£85.97 @ BT Shop)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1060 3GB 3GB Windforce OC Video Card (£185.33 @ CCL Computers)
Case: Corsair - 100R ATX Mid Tower Case (£47.75 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£68.80 @ Alza)
Optical Drive: LG - GH24NSD1 DVD/CD Writer (£13.85 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit (£83.94 @ Aria PC)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link - TL-WN881ND PCI-Express x1 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter (£12.48 @ Amazon UK)
Monitor: BenQ - GL2250HM 21.5" 1920x1080 60Hz Monitor (£89.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £865.38

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/Bcktyf
You can't use ddr3 with a kaby- or skylake cpu. That's also 'just' a 1060 3G, an amd 470/480 would be faster. In general hitting £600 with a new display and a new windows 10 key is pretty hard. The best I'm able to do is £624.80. The CPU is a bit weaker but it should able to handle 1080p/30, even 45-60 in many games. The GPU is certainly strong enough for 1080p. The FireCuda is a hybrid drive (combined hdd and ssd) and the display is a bit better.

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor (£54.00 @ Kustom PCs)
Motherboard: Asus - PRIME B250M-K Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£59.39 @ Aria PC)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws 4 series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (£59.30 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Seagate - FireCuda 1TB 2.5" 5400RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive (£51.99 @ CCL Computers)
Video Card: Asus - Radeon RX 480 4GB Dual Video Card (£177.23 @ BT Shop)
Case: Thermaltake - Versa H23 ATX Mid Tower Case (£26.48 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Corsair - Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (£49.80 @ Aria PC)
Optical Drive: Lite-On - iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer (£11.90 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 PRO (£5.75 @ Amazon UK)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus - USB-N10 USB 2.0 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter (£8.99 @ Novatech)
Monitor: Asus - VS248HR 24.0" 1920x1080 60Hz Monitor (£119.97 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £624.80 (£595 with the 21.5" BenQ Display)

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Thank you Jonny, much appreciated. Yes it is for a friend, I did state that in the post. Sorry I could have explained that clearer, I meant dropping down to DDR3 thus changing the MoBo etc.
Is there much of a difference with DDR3 and DDR4 on a 1080P gaming machine? Thank you for finding some cheaper alternatives, exactly the kind of help I was looking for!

Some good considerations from Isee too.

And well, at the low end when CPU and GPU are the primary bottlenecks, no - not significantly on framerates at least. It's when you get higher up either in framerate or resolutions that high speed RAM frequency can become something to boost your performance. Especially if you're rocking a Ryzen build (unfortunately for which the budget option isn't on the market yet), where higher speeds can be the difference between it and parity with Intel's CPUs.

 

[Later Alligator]

Any advice on how I can get this system down to a £600 build. I keep overshooting the mark. I would prefer to keep the 1060 but would drop to a 1050 if I have to. I am trying to build a system for a friend.

I was thinking a CPU such as the i3-7100 and drop down to DDR3? He wants a machine to play Battlegrounds on and also general gaming. Nothing too powerful but capable.

PCPartPicker part list: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/bhMN4C

CPU: Intel - Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor (£160.00 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-H110M-S2H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£49.78 @ Novatech)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£67.49 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£85.97 @ BT Shop)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1060 3GB 3GB Windforce OC Video Card (£185.33 @ CCL Computers)
Case: Corsair - 100R ATX Mid Tower Case (£47.75 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£68.80 @ Alza)
Optical Drive: LG - GH24NSD1 DVD/CD Writer (£13.85 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit (£83.94 @ Aria PC)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link - TL-WN881ND PCI-Express x1 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter (£12.48 @ Amazon UK)
Monitor: BenQ - GL2250HM 21.5" 1920x1080 60Hz Monitor (£89.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £865.38

you might want to check how battlegrounds runs on hardware of that level before pulling the trigger. its early access, even on top of the line machines there are performance issues currently

 

[jim2point0]

I did it! I'm in the 5Ghz club now.

I heard that once you join this illustrious group, you get like all the ladies.

Damn, that's impressive. Stuff like this makes delidding really tempting, but I'll hold off on that. Wonder if there's an equivalent service to Silicon Lottery in the UK...

I watched a view videos and the process is really simple. I was just super concerned about breaking something when removing the adhesive and putting on the new adhesive later.

 

[ISee]

I did it! I'm in the 5Ghz club now.



I heard that once you join this illustrious group, you get like all the ladies.



I watched a view videos and the process is really simple. I was just super concerned about breaking something when removing the adhesive and putting on the new adhesive later.

1.344V @ 5GHz is good. What are you using for stability testing?

 

[spons]

<snip>

I've found the following cards that meet the requirements:

MSI GeForce GTX 1050 TI GAMING X 4G (no backplate, 1.29GHz)
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1050 Ti G1 Gaming 4G (backplate, VRM/VRAM heatsinks, 1.366GHz)
Asus Republic Of Gamers Strix GeForce GTX 1050 Ti OC 4GB (backplate, highest stock overclock, 1.379GHz)

I'm geared towards the Gigabyte, although I hear nothing but good things about MSI. Any advice on which to choose is welcome. Thanks.

Ordered the Gigabyte card. I'm sure it's a good one.

 

[jim2point0]

1.344V @ 5GHz is good. What are you using for stability testing?

Ran Prime95 for 30 minutes or so. Then about 1 hour of BF1 and 1 hour of Quantum Break. Though Prime95 was really the only thing putting serious stress on the CPU.

Over the weekend I'll try to punish it a bit more. Is there something better I should be using? I also want to see if I can push it another 100-200mhz seeing as I have some thermal headroom.

 

[ISee]

Ran Prime95 for 30 minutes or so. Then about 1 hour of BF1 and 1 hour of Quantum Break. Though Prime95 was really the only thing putting serious stress on the CPU.

Over the weekend I'll try to punish it a bit more. Is there something better I should be using? I also want to see if I can push it another 100-200mhz seeing as I have some thermal headroom.

Linpack is even more taxing, but unnecessary. A newer version of p95 is more than enough.

 

[GodofWine]

Any advice on how I can get this system down to a £600 build. I keep overshooting the mark. I would prefer to keep the 1060 but would drop to a 1050 if I have to. I am trying to build a system for a friend.

I was thinking a CPU such as the i3-7100 and drop down to DDR3? He wants a machine to play Battlegrounds on and also general gaming. Nothing too powerful but capable.

PCPartPicker part list: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/bhMN4C

CPU: Intel - Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor (£160.00 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-H110M-S2H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£49.78 @ Novatech)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (£67.49 @ Amazon UK)
Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£85.97 @ BT Shop)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1060 3GB 3GB Windforce OC Video Card (£185.33 @ CCL Computers)
Case: Corsair - 100R ATX Mid Tower Case (£47.75 @ Aria PC)
Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£68.80 @ Alza)
Optical Drive: LG - GH24NSD1 DVD/CD Writer (£13.85 @ Amazon UK)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit (£83.94 @ Aria PC)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link - TL-WN881ND PCI-Express x1 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Adapter (£12.48 @ Amazon UK)
Monitor: BenQ - GL2250HM 21.5" 1920x1080 60Hz Monitor (£89.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £865.38

Edited - put the UK version in - US version is at bottom if any one is looking...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor (£54.00 @ Kustom PCs)
Motherboard: ASRock - B250M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£69.99 @ Eclipse Computers)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (£102.60 @ Aria PC)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£41.88 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Video Card (£134.09 @ BT Shop)
Case: Thermaltake - V3 Black ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: EVGA - 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply (£32.88 @ Aria PC)
Total: £435.44
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-24 17:30 BST+0100

Battlegrounds runs fine / good / like honestly good, on a g4560/1050ti/16GB build. At 1080p I get 50-70fps on middle settings, and as the game is finished, it should run ever better.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($59.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: ASRock - B250M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($75.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($113.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.26 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Video Card ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake - V3 Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($36.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA - 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($31.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $505.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-24 12:06 EDT-0400

I left out the monitor and OS. You could drop to 8 GB of ram to bring it down $50 (sorry I did this in US currency).

Full video of a match from my PC - I only recorded at 480p, but I assure you I play at 1080p.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aERUg0HQniw

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Battlegrounds runs fine / good / like honestly good, on a g4560/1050ti/16GB build. At 1080p I get 50-70fps on middle settings, and as the game is finished, it should run ever better.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Pentium G4560 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($59.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: ASRock - B250M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($75.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($113.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.26 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4GB Video Card ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Thermaltake - V3 Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($36.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA - 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($31.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $505.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-24 12:06 EDT-0400

Full video of a match from my PC - I only recorded at 480p, but I assure you I play at 1080p.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aERUg0HQniw

Small note, but they're looking to buy in £, not $.

 

[GodofWine]

Small note, but they're looking to buy in £, not $.

Yea, caught that with a 'slightly too late' edit, hopefully the general build info helps.

Edit (Im edit happy today) : added UK prices!

 

[Crimsonsky]

I did it! I'm in the 5Ghz club now.



I heard that once you join this illustrious group, you get like all the ladies.



I watched a view videos and the process is really simple. I was just super concerned about breaking something when removing the adhesive and putting on the new adhesive later.

What program is this?(Not CPU-Z). Just built my i7-7700k over the weekend. Haven't stressed it out yet.

 

[jim2point0]

What program is this?(Not CPU-Z). Just built my i7-7700k over the weekend. Haven't stressed it out yet.

NZXT's CAM software. It can control all things NZXT. I'm using it for:

General CPU monitoring
Tweaking AIO cooler fan curve and pump speed based on CPU temp
Kraken X52 LED colors
Hue+ LED Light strip and AER RGB fan color

It also gives detailed specs on just about everything in your PC.

 

[Smokey]

NZXT's CAM software. It can control all things NZXT. I'm using it for:

General CPU monitoring
Tweaking AIO cooler fan curve and pump speed based on CPU temp
Kraken X52 LED colors
Hue+ LED Light strip and AER RGB fan color

It also gives detailed specs on just about everything in your PC.

I sometimes run into an issue where it won't hold the color profile for my X62, or it'll start, but the option to customize the fans isn't here and I haven to reboot.

Does this happen to you?

 

[knitoe]

I sometimes run into an issue where it won't hold the color profile for my X62, or it'll start, but the option to customize the fans isn't here and I haven to reboot.

Does this happen to you?

It's happens often on my X62 to be annoying. Settings randomly defaulting reboot. Also, you can't tune / customize the fan, lightning and etc. if the software won't login to their server on startup. No fucking idea why they decided you can't make changes offline.

 

[BlindSwordsmanZ]

Anyone have a recommendation for a good heat sink for use with a 7700K?

 

[Zeus7]

Thank you very much for the advice people, much appreciated. I convinced him to stretch his budget by £100 and upped the spec slightly. Thanks again

 

[jim2point0]

It's happens often on my X62 to be annoying. Settings randomly defaulting reboot. Also, you can't tune / customize the fan, lightning and etc. if the software won't login to their server on startup. No fucking idea why they decided you can't make changes offline.

Just login as a guest and you can use everything as normal. I'm never signed in with my NZXT account.

I sometimes run into an issue where it won't hold the color profile for my X62, or it'll start, but the option to customize the fans isn't here and I haven to reboot.

Does this happen to you?

If you don't see your Kraken in CAM, it's because it's not detecting that the cooler is connected to the PC. That happened to me once. I don't think it's a software issue so much as crappy cables connecting to the cooler. I shut my PC down and just reconnected the cables. Hasn't happened since luckily.

 

[JonnyDBrit]

Thank you very much for the advice people, much appreciated. I convinced him to stretch his budget by £100 and upped the spec slightly. Thanks again

So what's the final build, if I might ask?

 

[NEO0MJ]

I've had a play Asia account for years with no issues. Of course I also don't use the same password as my email with anything else.

Same here, but his story made it seem that it was something related to the activation of the key.

Ordered the Gigabyte card. I'm sure it's a good one.

Really, it's hard to go wrong with any of those three GPUs.

Anyone have a recommendation for a good heat sink for use with a 7700K?

OP has a few suggestions based on how much you're willing to spend. The Corsair H100i V2 seems to be the best if you have money to spare.

 

[knitoe]

Just login as a guest and you can use everything as normal. I'm never signed in with my NZXT account.

Tried that a few times, but using guest / offline, Settings > Tuning > Lightning tab is missing. The only option under Tuning > OC beta. I am not the only one. Plenty of people complain of missing options while in the offline mode on their official NZXT CAM forum.

 

[Rex_DX]

So I apologize in advance - pretty sure there's a better thread to post this in, I know this isn't a troubleshooting thread, but I'm at the end of my rope and GAF has never let me down yet.

I built a PC in December and it ran perfectly. I got a new job and was working a lot so I didn't turn it on for the past two months or so. Now, when I turn it on I hear the fans and the HDD start up and the silly lights on my keyboard turn on, but I can't get it to display on either of my monitors.

Once, it worked but then froze at my desktop. I've tried reseating my RAM and swapping the CMOS battery (although that seems like a long shot given that the system was only built in December).

I feel like this has to be a stupidly simple issue and I figured someone here might have had a similar experience. Help would be great.

I don't think specs are necessarily relevant but I can supply them if need be.

Sorry - I know this is kind of an awkward spot to post this but a lot of people in here know their shit so I figured it couldn't hurt.

Cheers.

 

[GodofWine]

So I apologize in advance - pretty sure there's a better thread to post this in, I know this isn't a troubleshooting thread, but I'm at the end of my rope and GAF has never let me down yet.

I built a PC in December and it ran perfectly. I got a new job and was working a lot so I didn't turn it on for the past two months or so. Now, when I turn it on I hear the fans and the HDD start up and the silly lights on my keyboard turn on, but I can't get it to display on either of my monitors.

Once, it worked but then froze at my desktop. I've tried reseating my RAM and swapping the CMOS battery (although that seems like a long shot given that the system was only built in December).

I feel like this has to be a stupidly simple issue and I figured someone here might have had a similar experience. Help would be great.

I don't think specs are necessarily relevant but I can supply them if need be.

Sorry - I know this is kind of an awkward spot to post this but a lot of people in here know their shit so I figured it couldn't hurt.

Cheers.

Im sure you'll get help here, but also try reddit at r/buildapc


I personally, have no idea what could be the problem. Can you test the monitor on a different source? (PS4 / DVD etc?) to rule that out.

Can you get into Bios? Do you have a GPU? if so can you try moving the video output back to the motherboard/integrated graphics to rule out GPU issues?

 

[Rex_DX]

That's the weird thing with the monitors - they are totally fine and the one time they actually picked up the connection they worked like normal. Tested them both on my laptop and still fine.

I might be able to get into BIOS but I'd be going in blind since I have no visuals. I'm not even sure my pc is booting fully. It sounds like it is but I can't be certain.

As for GPU, yes I have an ASUS GTX 1070. I have not switched to integrated graphics. I suppose I could try but with no way to navigate I'd basically just be pulling the plug on the card. Seems like a bad idea ...

I'm capable enough but far from an expert when it comes to hardware issues.

 

[BlindSwordsmanZ]

OP has a few suggestions based on how much you're willing to spend. The Corsair H100i V2 seems to be the best if you have money to spare.

edit - nvm