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Hace posted:Memory is memory, doesn't really matter. I'd agree on the SSD if he's trying to save every penny he can but still get a powerful system. Neglecting the load-time benefits of an SSD, 1TB of space and an i5 processor would be a lot more fun than 120GB of space and an i3 processor, for around the same price. He could always buy the 1TB HDD, and then add a 512GB or 1TB SSD when prices have dropped more. Swapping your entire HDD to an SSD would be a fun upgrade.
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Apr 17, 2014 16:31
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The 750ti is really only preferable in circumstances where you don't have PCI-e power plugs available. It's a great card but it's mostly for people with prebuilts in the context of this thread.
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Apr 17, 2014 16:47
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Is there a huge difference between ASUS and MSI Z87s?
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Apr 17, 2014 16:55
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So goons, it's been about three years since I've really upgraded my system or done anything to it. Here are my current specs: CPU: Intel i7-2600 @ 3.46 GHz RAM: 16GB DDR3 GPU: Nvidia GTX 670 FTW w/ 4GB onboard memory HDD: 2 1TB drives Motherboard: Asus V8-Z68 V-PRO Resolution: 1920x1080 Monitor: IPS 20'' @ 1920x1080, I don't remember specifically which it is I'm going to be using this for gaming first and foremost. I do some dabbling in music creation, but no rendering or Photoshop or anything like that. I'm noticing that some modern games are getting choppier/lower FPS and I'd like to start pricing upgrades. I want to get maximum performance and run those sweet sweet games as prettily as they can be run. Maybe there's something wrong with my eyes but to me, it doesn't look like most games are really "good" looking compared to screenshots I've seen. I worry that either I'm inexperienced with this to the point of not knowing how to get the full potential out of my system or that the hardware is simply being outpaced by new games. My budget for this is $1500. What are the things that need to be replaced first? I'm not necessarily going to buy all of the parts at the same time, but I'm looking to have this completed by the end of summer. Can someone help me triage?
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Apr 17, 2014 17:08
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Fat_Cow posted:Is there a huge difference between ASUS and MSI Z87s? Between Asus and MSI, the differences aren't so much brands as it is the "tiers" the motherboards they sell on. Both brands often reserve their best components and features for their higher-end boards, such as workstation-style boards or the Republic of Gamer boards, of which both Asus and MSI have a board for. That being said, that doesn't mean they skimp on the rest of their Z87 (and lower) boards, as both manufacturers are apparently good at what they do. In the end, it really just comes down to how many ports and slots the board has, and what kinds of slots/ports those are.
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Apr 17, 2014 17:10
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Hace posted:Doesn't the 7850 outperform the 750ti? Not in the few benchmarks I dug up, admittedly in a hurry. With the newer drivers that increased overclocking ability I've read that you can get a 750ti to just about hold it's own with a gtx660.
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Apr 17, 2014 17:15
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HonorableTB posted:So goons, it's been about three years since I've really upgraded my system or done anything to it. Here are my current specs: Can you give an example of what games you notice the most issues with? As far as I know that GPU is just a bit better than current gtx 760. And it's not like your CPU is slow or anything. Depending on the game or situation that might help with recommendations
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Apr 17, 2014 17:26
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Ignoarints posted:Can you give an example of what games you notice the most issues with? As far as I know that GPU is just a bit better than current gtx 760. And it's not like your CPU is slow or anything. Depending on the game or situation that might help with recommendations The games I tend to notice this on are simulation games like Civ 5, Paradox games like Crusader Kings 2, and the like. It seems that games that require a lot of intensive processing get choppier and laggier as the game goes on. I've also hit a lot of slowdown with very graphically intense games, but none in particular really stand out. Games that have a lot of particle effects/explosions/etc tend to cause slowdown too.
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Apr 17, 2014 17:31
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HonorableTB posted:So goons, it's been about three years since I've really upgraded my system or done anything to it. Here are my current specs: 250 GB Samsung 840 EVO and a 3TB WD Red (and if you don't have backup, a USB 3.0 external enclosure and another 3TB WD Red). Your call whether you want to drop the rest on that one actually-worth-something Monoprice 1440p monitor and a GTX 780 or on mechanical keyboards or on two-year treasury notes or whatever (also desks and chairs should be thought about, since the user has to go somewhere too). System cruft will disappear when you reinstall on the EVO; just make sure you back up the stuff you care about, get updated drivers and maybe clear the dust out of your case. Also locked Sandy Bridge processors could still have their multipliers pushed to the turbo cap on P- and Z- boards; that might get you some breathing room. dont be mean to me fucked around with this message at 17:48 on Apr 17, 2014 |
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Apr 17, 2014 17:45
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HonorableTB posted:The games I tend to notice this on are simulation games like Civ 5, Paradox games like Crusader Kings 2, and the like. It seems that games that require a lot of intensive processing get choppier and laggier as the game goes on. I've also hit a lot of slowdown with very graphically intense games, but none in particular really stand out. Games that have a lot of particle effects/explosions/etc tend to cause slowdown too. Just want to make sure you don't have a k processor since you didn't list it as that. This is kind of a tough one as far as best bang for buck. If it were me, I'd start with a component that can transfer easily to a new computer if you do need to do that (GPU in this case). While Civ 5 and Crusader Kings 2 might be rough on CPU, everything else a GPU upgrade will certainly help (and likely the first two as well). It's kind of hard to recommend the next step up (770) for the money. If you have the PSU and don't mind finding used you'd probably get the most GPU improvement per dollar in this case by SLI. But, I'd check if the games you are interested in support SLI first. Also it might be harder to find a 4gb 670 for a reasonable price. On the other hand ... and I'm scared to say this now, but the next step up other than a 770 is a 780. If you can supplement the cost of that by ebaying your 670 or something you might come out not paying all that much and it will be a nice improvement. If SLI is appealing to you though it should surpass an 780's performance. Either way, I'd spend the $200-$300 on improving your GPU situation either by selling yours and buying new or buying a used 670 4gb before touching anything else to see if that does it for you. edit: You really don't need 4gb imo, but it'd be a shame to SLI with a 2gb card Ignoarints fucked around with this message at 18:06 on Apr 17, 2014 |
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Apr 17, 2014 17:51
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Ignoarints posted:Just want to make sure you don't have a k processor since you didn't list it as that. I've been interested in SLI for a long time, but I was under the impression that SLI gives you the ability to push to a higher resolution, which would require me to get a new monitor to take advantage of that. Is that not the case?
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Apr 17, 2014 18:07
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HonorableTB posted:I've been interested in SLI for a long time, but I was under the impression that SLI gives you the ability to push to a higher resolution, which would require me to get a new monitor to take advantage of that. Is that not the case? If you SLI your 670 you will have enough gpu power to put you solidly in the overkill zone for 1080p. But given the situation it still might be the best route and you would effectively eliminate a gpu bottleneck, plus if and when you do get a 1440p you'll be well equipped to take advantage of it. But really check if the games you like support SLI, which frankly is most, but some key titles are still waiting on it (like Titanfall) and some may never (MWO). The only other issue I've seen with SLI is the possibility of screen tearing, but it is so incredibly minor for me I have to try to notice it. SLI'ing can be viewed as mashing two gpus together to form a faster effective gpu, not just something to give you the ability to run a higher resolution. edit: after a little ebaying looks like you would have to spend ~300. This is right on the line imo, but today's cards are still basically the same architecture and everything so its not like you're buying some dinosaur either. Ignoarints fucked around with this message at 18:22 on Apr 17, 2014 |
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Apr 17, 2014 18:15
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Torabi posted:What do you guys think of this card? Gigabyte 770 GPU. The MSI card of the two that I was talking about just received a discount today for the easter holidays. Think I'll get it. I just hope they won't force the MSI afterburner software on you. It has it's own Shadowplay counter part among other things and just seems like bloatware. Anyone who has an MSI card who can give an opinion on their software?
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Apr 17, 2014 18:24
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MSI Afterburner is actually great software for overclocking, but regardless, you shouldn't install anything on the disc that comes with the GPU, since it'll just be out of date.
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Apr 17, 2014 18:36
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Torabi posted:The MSI card of the two that I was talking about just received a discount today for the easter holidays. Think I'll get it. I just hope they won't force the MSI afterburner software on you. It has it's own Shadowplay counter part among other things and just seems like bloatware. Anyone who has an MSI card who can give an opinion on their software? It's not that bad a product. Afterburner works on all cards (not just MSI ones) and is fairly useful for fan-speed and other GPU dicking-around if you don't have EVGA Precision-X, or whatever other programs/software you might use. But if you don't want to use Afterburner, you're free to uninstall it no-problem.
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Apr 17, 2014 18:38
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Thanks for the responses. It's so god drat hard to choose between the two. The Gigabyte has higher clock speeds out of the box but the MSI is apparently quieter overall. But the Gigabyte has three fans. I'm no overclocking kind of person though. The MSI is cheaper right now so I guess that settles it.. 
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Apr 17, 2014 18:47
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Torabi posted:Thanks for the responses. It's so god drat hard to choose between the two. The Gigabyte has higher clock speeds out of the box but the MSI is apparently quieter overall. But the Gigabyte has three fans. I'm no overclocking kind of person though. The MSI is cheaper right now so I guess that settles it.. Yeah, I just finished deciding on an EVGA card over a Gigabyte, simply because the Gigabyte one is a massive 11.6 inches long. That's huge for the case it's going in, and I didn't want to deal with it.
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Apr 17, 2014 18:51
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Torabi posted:Thanks for the responses. It's so god drat hard to choose between the two. The Gigabyte has higher clock speeds out of the box but the MSI is apparently quieter overall. But the Gigabyte has three fans. I'm no overclocking kind of person though. The MSI is cheaper right now so I guess that settles it.. Dont worry you can't really go wrong. And overclocking these is not really like overclocking a CPU, its pretty hard to mess up the card just by using the software. Also the MSI has "OC mode" which matches the Gigabyte exactly so it's not like you're giving that up either.
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Apr 17, 2014 19:02
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I'm looking for a motherboard, in trying to stay under $150. I have an i5 4670k or what ever it's called. I'm probably getting a gtx760 or 770 (I haven't decided yet). I plan to over clock. My storage, case, and psu will be carry overs. I haven't at all worked though the soup of ddr3 sticks out there. I was thinking of the msi g55 or the asrock extreme4. I want over clocking and future sli support. I do gaming, engineering work, and photo editing. Any advice on motherboards?
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Apr 17, 2014 21:13
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A question about cases and cooling. If I have a fairly high end GPU like a GTX 770, no SLI, an aftermarket cooler on the CPU and summer temperatures that can get pretty brutal, how much case cooling do I require? Would a case like Fractal Design R4, which as the OP describes is more silence oriented, be enough with one or two fans on the front and one in the back? Am I correct in assuming top fans and open fronts like this will just add more dust than good unless you're overclocking?
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Apr 17, 2014 21:44
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Sadi posted:I'm looking for a motherboard, in trying to stay under $150. I have an i5 4670k or what ever it's called. I'm probably getting a gtx760 or 770 (I haven't decided yet). I plan to over clock. My storage, case, and psu will be carry overs. I haven't at all worked though the soup of ddr3 sticks out there. I was thinking of the msi g55 or the asrock extreme4. I want over clocking and future sli support. I do gaming, engineering work, and photo editing. Any advice on motherboards? What's wrong with the stuff in the OP?
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Apr 17, 2014 22:01
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drat NIGGA posted:PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks The Sony thing wouldn't work. The computer is going to essentially act as a server which will my wirelessly streaming to things like the Roku, and my laptop/iPad on my new home network and when I'm at work. I need a full-fledged computer to do that. The build looks great, though. I can omit the HDD (As I have one I can pop in it) and the OS and it will be a fine price. Edit: Thanks! DarkestLite fucked around with this message at 09:51 on Apr 18, 2014 |
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Apr 17, 2014 22:23
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beejay posted:What's wrong with the stuff in the OP? fyi, both of those boards are included in the second link here: ShaneB posted:
re: Sadi, if you didn't already have the 4670K I'd tell you to get that and the ASRock Extreme4 from Micro Center (provided you have one near you), since they've got a combo deal going that effectively slashes that board's price to $95. Looking at the standalone pricing for the two boards you mentioned, it's basically a wash unless you really, really don't want to spend an extra $10 for two extra SATA 6 ports. (Also 3 of the fan connectors are kind of weirdly placed on the ASRock board. and by that I mean they're randomly in the middle of the board right next to the CPU) eBay Huckster fucked around with this message at 01:50 on Apr 18, 2014 |
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Apr 18, 2014 00:57
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So I was swapping out boards and when I pop off my cooler, I get to see that two small strands of AS5 flowed down the side of the lid, onto the green PCB of my 3770K, down the side of that, and a very small amount had made it under that edge and barely onto a single gold pin contact. It doesn't look like it actually made it to where the pin made contact given the pin imprint location, but I'm wondering: What's the best approach to cleaning one of the pin contacts, and/or is it even worth it if there's a chance it could mess up the motherboard, system, etc. (as hard as it is to say given the cost of the processor)? Today was already a bad day, and now it's just getting worse...
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Apr 18, 2014 01:17
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Has anyone ever used a Corsair CX430M with a Haswell system? I cannot get the drat thing to boot an i3-4130 on a B85N motherboard. I've been able to boot the system using a borrowed PSU, but I really don't want to have to buy yet another power supply.
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Apr 18, 2014 01:43
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I've been looking for a new graphics card for a while now, but haven't had the money until recently, so I finally got more seriously to researching what card I should take. Some friends tell me "GO GET R9 290X BRAH", others tell me "Nvidia's high-end is pretty slick". Anyway, I currently have a Sapphire Radeon HD4870, which still works, but is slowly showing more and more problems as well as low framerates in more recent games (eg. Tomb Raider), even with lower settings. Besides that, it doesn't support DirectX 11 nor OpenGL 4 (hell, I don't think it supports OpenGL 3). Hell, I even get dropped frames with 1080p 8-bit H264 video's. HELL, I even get some horizontal tearing in higher-kbps 720p videos. ;_; My monitor's resolution is 1920x1200 and my being not-shitpoor budget is around $800 (wow that's actually a lot of money  )I started looking into those R9 290's, but found the reviews meh meh... more recently I started looking into those shiny new 780's. I am inclining towards the 780's right now, but I'm very open for suggestions (that's why I'm here in the first place). Another thing to look at is my PSU. It's a Coolermaster Silent Pro Bronze 620W. If Nvidia, should I get a 780 Ti? Or is that a waste of money and should I get a normal 780 instead? Cards I was specifically looking at are the Gigabyte GV-N78TOC-3G, MSI GTX 780Ti GAMING 3G and its non-Ti variant, and the Asus GTX780-DC2OC-3GD5 (seems pretty popular). If AMD... R9 280X? R9 290? R9 290X? O.O Cheers!
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Apr 18, 2014 01:56
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My Rhythmic Crotch posted:Has anyone ever used a Corsair CX430M with a Haswell system? I cannot get the drat thing to boot an i3-4130 on a B85N motherboard. I've been able to boot the system using a borrowed PSU, but I really don't want to have to buy yet another power supply. Avoiding the CX series is spelled out pretty clearly in the OP, hth
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Apr 18, 2014 02:02
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I'm building my first PC, and after going through the thread and some guides on PC Part Picker, I've narrowed things down to 2 builds around the same total price. I'm diving headfirst into this stuff so I'm hoping for some advice. Here's the first build- PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Amazon) Motherboard: ASRock B85 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($64.99 @ Amazon) Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg) Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($153.95 @ Newegg) Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon) Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($264.99 @ Amazon) Case: NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($139.99 @ Amazon) Power Supply: XFX XTR 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg) Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($102.98 @ Newegg) Wireless Network Adapter: Intel 62205ANHMWDTX1 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($33.99 @ Amazon) Total: $1170.85 (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.) (Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-17 21:05 EDT-0400) and the second one - PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Amazon) Motherboard: ASRock B85M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg) Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg) Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($153.95 @ Newegg) Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon) Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($344.99 @ Newegg) Case: Corsair 350D MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Newegg) Power Supply: XFX XTR 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg) Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($102.98 @ Newegg) Wireless Network Adapter: Intel 62205ANHMWDTX1 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($33.99 @ Amazon) Total: $1205.85 (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.) (Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-04-17 21:05 EDT-0400) With a smaller case, I could upgrade the graphics card for around the same total price, but ultimately I want something with great cooling that can keep the dust out. The NZXT also looks easy to configure, but the pricing is kind of crazy compared to other cases.
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Apr 18, 2014 02:17
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The 1TB WD Blue drive is $49.99 on Amazon right now. I know they're recommended for system drive purposes, but would a Blue drive be ok for data storage too?
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Apr 18, 2014 02:48
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teagone posted:The 1TB WD Blue drive is $49.99 on Amazon right now. I know they're recommended for system drive purposes, but would a Blue drive be ok for data storage too? Absolutely.
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Apr 18, 2014 02:51
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Alwyn posted:I've been looking for a new graphics card for a while now, but haven't had the money until recently, so I finally got more seriously to researching what card I should take. A 780 is more than enough for 1920x1200. A 770 would be fine. Most people here get 760s.
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Apr 18, 2014 02:58
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fletcher posted:Avoiding the CX series is spelled out pretty clearly in the OP, hth 
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Apr 18, 2014 03:11
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The Lord Bude posted:It's almost as if you read some sort of guide, like, at the beginning of the thread or something, and were able to use it to make correct selections for everything. Just wanted to say thanks for the advice and help. I've put in my order with PCCG and will pick everything up tomorrow. I went with the Noctua Cooler and 450W PSU. I also got a 24" Dell Ultrasharp. The 16:10 one was cheaper than the 16:9, so I went with that and will run things at 1920x1200.
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Apr 18, 2014 03:39
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Torabi posted:The MSI card of the two that I was talking about just received a discount today for the easter holidays. Think I'll get it. I just hope they won't force the MSI afterburner software on you. It has it's own Shadowplay counter part among other things and just seems like bloatware. Anyone who has an MSI card who can give an opinion on their software? It's pretty great, and you actually need 3rd party software anyway these days to overclock, or control the fan speed of Nvidia Cards - you can no longer do it through the Nvidia control panel. So I definitely suggest using it.
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Apr 18, 2014 05:20
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My Rhythmic Crotch posted:Has anyone ever used a Corsair CX430M with a Haswell system? I cannot get the drat thing to boot an i3-4130 on a B85N motherboard. I've been able to boot the system using a borrowed PSU, but I really don't want to have to buy yet another power supply. Why did you buy a CX430 to begin with? The CX line is bad, replace it. Alwyn posted:I've been looking for a new graphics card for a while now, but haven't had the money until recently, so I finally got more seriously to researching what card I should take. Even a 780 is a bit of a waste for 1920x1200. Just get a gtx770. Or a Radeon R9-280X, or R9-290. If you're getting a 290 avoid the stock cooler - it sounds like a chainsaw and runs so hot the card throttles. A custom cooled model would be fine. The Lord Bude fucked around with this message at 05:25 on Apr 18, 2014 |
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Apr 18, 2014 05:22
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Alwyn posted:I've been looking for a new graphics card for a while now, but haven't had the money until recently, so I finally got more seriously to researching what card I should take. 770 is fine for most people. A 780 lets you iron out the rest (max everything, frame dips and stutters). It's up to you if thats worth $150 more or not. Yes though a 780ti is without a doubt over the top there.
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Apr 18, 2014 05:24
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The Mime posted:I'm building my first PC, and after going through the thread and some guides on PC Part Picker, I've narrowed things down to 2 builds around the same total price. I'm diving headfirst into this stuff so I'm hoping for some advice. Here's the first build- Do the second one, absolutely. If you want a slightly larger case that comes with more fans consider a corsair obsidian 450D, or if you stick with the 350D add a second 140mm intake fan. If you really want to get fancy in the cooling department, remove all the fans it comes with, and replace them with bitfenix spectre pros or Noctua fans. Not also that the 450d has a top dust filter, the 350D doesn't, so you'd need to buy a demciflex filter to keep the dust out. Please bear in mind that any decent case is going to have perfectly adequate cooling given that you aren't overclocking, and you should be adding an aftermarket CPU cooler - the hyper212 evo is cheap and adequate, the Noctua U12s is better and much easier to install - to reduce both noise and temperatures before adding fans to your case.
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Apr 18, 2014 05:31
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Grumio posted:Just wanted to say thanks for the advice and help. I've put in my order with PCCG and will pick everything up tomorrow. I went with the Noctua Cooler and 450W PSU. I also got a 24" Dell Ultrasharp. The 16:10 one was cheaper than the 16:9, so I went with that and will run things at 1920x1200. You're welcome. In fairness, you did most of the work yourself, thanks to your rare ability to actually read an OP.
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Apr 18, 2014 05:33
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Well, the parts all came in, and I built the PC and it works, but the darn chassis very slightly gets in the way of the GPU's hdmi port. Now I need to go buy a DVI-HDMI adapter 
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Apr 18, 2014 05:43
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MondayHotDog posted:A 780 is more than enough for 1920x1200. A 770 would be fine. Most people here get 760s. Ignoarints posted:770 is fine for most people. A 780 lets you iron out the rest (max everything, frame dips and stutters). It's up to you if thats worth $150 more or not. Yes though a 780ti is without a doubt over the top there. Are there any recommendations about brands? Like are there any I should avoid or look at specifically? Personally MSI seems cool because it includes Afterburner, but I still remember all the broken motherboards they used to make... Cheers 
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Apr 18, 2014 14:22
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