The 'Build Me A PC' Thread

[taolurker]

Had this happen to me, and thought I'd share..



  <terribad phone picture>

First time in almost 20 years of building/salvaging my own computers that I broke a fan myself. Had plenty die, but this was a cable hitting the running fan, which should've happened sooner since my Franken-puters also seem to run hot, so I often have cases wide open... Replaced lots of fans, and luckily had an old mobo with a similar fan that is working <ok> for now.

Sure hope there's nothing else that goes wrong. <crosses fingers> Happy Friday the Thirteenth!!

If anyone has spare parts they'd like to donate to the old clumsy crippled poor guy, I'd happily take them as my video card is running extremely hot (#thanksLandmark)

[MahrinSkel]

MrHat: I've been really happy with my Crucial MX100, it's a retail rebranding of their low-end server offering, and has performance on par with anything out right now (450 meg/second reads, 300/sec writes) as well as good reliability ratings. $110 for the 256, $210 for the 512, at Newegg.

--Dave

[Lucas]

So, at the end of this month I'll assemble (actually, together with my 15+ years, long-time trustworthy dealer who will put that into practice :P) a new PC.

- First of all, it's going to be a gaming rig; second, I'll play at 1080p, I don't want to invest in 2K/4K monitors for now.
- I'm coming from an i7-920/6GB RAM/Nvidia GTX 560
- The life cycle of the above mentioned PC was 6-7 years; I would like the new one to last about the same.

- Budget (consider that, again, I'm going through a personal dealer who works in a shop, I don't purchase online and assemble it myself) is about € 1600/1700 (yeah, euros given where I'm from :D)

My idea:

Case: Cooler Master CM 690 III
Motherboard: Z97
CPU: i5-4690k
Graphic Card: Nvidia GTX 970
RAM 24GB (3x8GB)
1 TB HD
256GB SSD

(Add fans, DVD player, and a decent PSU capable of handling those specs). I know that different brands bring some price difference with their models (motherboards and graphic cards), but I'll fine-tune that later.
-------

Some considerations:

- Not ready for a Haswell-E/DDR4/X99 change. i5-4690k/i7 4790 plus DDR3 RAM is still perfect for gaming, IMO, at least for the next 3 years;
- Yep, I like to go a little overkill with RAM, it's one of those things that you should invest when you have some more budget at your disposal, IMO:

- CPU: with the amount of RAM I listed, plus that GTX 970, I'm not sure I really need an i7-4790k for gaming (nor a 4770, which could be a compromise)

- Graphic Card: I'm a bit torn. The recently unveiled GTX 960 4GB (yeah, I know they're not like the "proper" 4GB cards) should be enough to play at 1080p, even with titles like The Witcher 3 (or Star Citizen  ). I don't know, I could go for a 960 4GB now then switch to a better one in a couple years.

[Trippy]

The Z97 is dual channel so that's 16 or 32 GB. The 970 is not a "real" 4 GB card either, though I've never noticed an issue on mine.

I would also get a bigger SSD.

[Lucas]

The Z97 is dual channel so that's 16 or 32 GB. The 970 is not a "real" 4 GB card either, though I've never noticed an issue on mine.

I would also get a bigger SSD.

Regarding RAM, I thought I would have spent more than € 350 for 32GB, but I actually found out that prices for the Corsair Vengeance go for as low as €280; regarding the SSD, just like Rendakor I think that the difference is a bit steep between 256 and 512, not sure.

[Trippy]

Using the 840 Pro as an example the 512 GB model is cheaper per GB than the 256 GB model.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009NB8WTI

[Engels]

What on earth are you doing that merits that much ram?

[Trippy]

Running Google Chrome probably

[Chimpy]

What on earth are you doing that merits that much ram?

He needs a gig for every hour of the day.

[Lucas]

What on earth are you doing that merits that much ram?

You never know!!!   No, but seriously, I would be covered for the next 7-8 years, as far as RAM is concerned anyway :D.

Alright, alright, guess I won't join the VIP Lounge of the PC Master Race villa, for now; I'll limit myself to one of those inferior guest rooms and purchase an obscene 16GB  

Running Google Chrome probably

And that, absolutely!!! 

[Lucas]

So, as a folllow up:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  (€233.42 @ Amazon Italia)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  (€137.33 @ Amazon Italia)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  (€151.08 @ Amazon Italia)
Storage: Crucial MX100 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  (€185.71 @ Amazon Italia)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  (€85.49 @ Amazon Italia)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 970 4GB AMP! Extreme Core Edition Video Card  (€380.24 @ Amazon Italia)
Case: Cooler Master 690 III ATX Mid Tower Case  (€106.00 @ Amazon Italia)
Power Supply: *EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply  (€48.87 @ Amazon Italia)
Optical Drive: Pioneer BDR-209DBK Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer  (€77.26 @ Amazon Italia)
Case Fan: BitFenix Spectre Pro LED 148.7 CFM 200mm  Fan  (€29.89 @ Amazon Italia)
Fan Controller: *Aerocool Strike-X-X1000 Fan Controller  (€29.60 @ Amazon Italia)

Total: €1464.89

- Price doesn't include Windows 8 (which should be about 100 more bucks, right?) and the labour cost to assemble the rig (I'll round up to €50). So, I should end up right about my projected budget.

Also:

- Regarding the video card, I've chosen Zotac simply because it was the only one with an attached price that more or less should be the average for a GTX 970; I'm open to suggestions about what could be the best quality/price deal for it (same for the Motherboard)

- And same goes for Power Supply (is 500W overkill for a projected 346W or so usage?), Optical Drive, Case Fan (I like low temperatures :P) and Fan Controller. I know nothing about that stuff.

Dat SSD price seems VERY low ($197 for a 512GB??)

[MahrinSkel]

Not really, 512gb is the new sweet spot, about twice the 256 for a lot of lines (like the Crucial MX100 I mentioned right before your post above). Terabyte models are still expensive as hell (cheaper to pair 512's as long as you have the space).

If I were buying now instead of 9 months ago, I'd go with 512. Back then, it would have been triple the price for twice the capacity.

--Dave

[Lucas]

So, I spoke with my dealer about the above mentioned specs, and he compiled an estimate, complete with also labour work and Win 8.1 license, of € 1.960,00(or $ 2.121,00; quite higher, but expected, compared to just purchasing the parts on Amazon...but you have to count in wholesalers and the gain of the shop itself).

So, he proposed me an alternate, cheaper system he built for himself a few months ago, and I would like your opinion about it. Highlights: mini ITX Tower Case and liquid cpu cooler :)



CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 120V 86.2 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Motherboard: MSI Z97I AC Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory 
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive   
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card 
Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case 
Power Supply: Cooler Master i500 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer 

Total: € 1.481,00 (or $1.602,00, labor work included of €80/$86...I can, let's say "avoid" purchasing Win 8, for now).

I can always add an SSD later this summer when the upgrade to Windows 10 comes out.

[Cyrrex]

Take this however you like, but I will never again build myself a system without an SSD.  Not sure why you would spend all that money and not get an SSD.

[Lucas]

Take this however you like, but I will never again build myself a system without an SSD.  Not sure why you would spend all that money and not get an SSD.

Well, I've lived without it throughout the entirety of my last build (2009-2015), although I know that nowadays it's even more useful.

Anyway, like I said, I will definitely purchase it, just not right away (when I do, I'll go straight for a 512GB that is going to cost me about €210/$227 ) in order to space out the costs a little.

Hopefully, when it comes out, I'll be able to upgrade my Windows 8 installation on the HD to Win 10 on the SSD (I guess they'll include a "change installation drive" on the installer :P)

[Chimpy]

It is so much easier to just install the OS on the SSD to start. Honestly, if you don't have a pressing need for the extra space right now, leave out the spinning disk and put in an SSD. Hell, leave out the spinning disk and buy an external USB3 disk.

Go with something micro-ATX and a decent air  cooler and you probably would come out about the same.

[Cyrrex]

Yeah, I guess I am saying that I would sacrifice other things before sacrificing the SSD.  I'd sacrifice a cooler entirely, I would sacrifice up to 8 gigs of that RAM, I would do as Chimpy suggests and sacrifice the spinner for a bit.  If you have never had an SSD, you may not know what you are missing.

[Lantyssa]

Get the SSD, even if it's just a 128 Gig and all you put on it is the OS and basic programs.

Things such as my games I keep on my standard drive, but the system itself runs like silk.

[Hawkbit]

Get the SSD, even if it's just a 128 Gig and all you put on it is the OS and basic programs.

Things such as my games I keep on my standard drive, but the system itself runs like silk.

My system is 2 years old and has exactly that. I'm really happy with putting the OS on the SSD. I think it's worth doing if you can find a way.

[Lucas]

Thanks folks :)

You know, with the total cost of the second build I mentioned above (€ 1.481), I'm now actually under my projected budget (around 1.600-1.650). I definitely want that amount of RAM right NAO  , so I won't sacrifice that.

I could drop the 1TB HD (€90) and put in the 512GB SSD (€210) and still be very well within the budget (€1.601), saving almost €400 compared to the estimate of the first build (€1.960).

[Cyrrex]

Thanks folks :)

You know, with the total cost of the second build I mentioned above (€ 1.481), I'm now actually under my projected budget (around 1.600-1.650). I definitely want that amount of RAM right NAO  , so I won't sacrifice that.

I could drop the 1TB HD (€90) and put in the 512GB SSD (€210) and still be very well within the budget (€1.601), saving almost €400 compared to the estimate of the first build (€1.960).

You won't regret it.  I like putting my games on the SSD too...I don't know if it makes for any framerate improvements, but start and load times seem quite a bit snappier.

[Lucas]

I'll just have to be a little less compulsive on what I want to keep on the SSD at any time   (complete TV series seasons at 720, not to mention 1080p; dozens of Steam games installed at the same time; multi gigabyte folders with game mods, etc.). Guess I'll start making use of external HDs (welcome to 2015, Lucas) instead of smaller USB keys.

[Cyrrex]

There are certain guidelines that are easy to follow.  Windows, games and programs go on the SSD (though lots of programs can go on the spinner as they get no benefit).  Video, audio and other files go on the spinner for sure.  There is no reason at all to put all those huge video files on the SSD and very good reasons to keep them off...writing and erasing from the SSD reduces it's life span.

[Lucas]

Absolutely. On my current 1TB HD, my default "download","video" and "documents" folders occupy 250GB on their own; Steamapps folder alone is at 227GB  

Can you split your steam games among different drives? I mean, one thing is installing Crysis 3, Metro last light or the monstrous Witcher 3; another is installing a bunch of other games that may occupy 1.5-2gb each (4x strategy games and other genres) but nothing a "spinner" wouldn't handle easily (and I'm also talking about older but big budget games you might want to go back to, like Dragon Age 1, Mass Effect 1-2 and similar products), especially together with high-end specs.

[Chimpy]

Yes you can, just do a Google search and you will find step by step instructions.

[MisterNoisy]

If anyone has spare parts they'd like to donate to the old clumsy crippled poor guy, I'd happily take them as my video card is running extremely hot (#thanksLandmark)

I've got a bunch of ancillaries laying around (fans, cables, etc) and four or five empty cases if you're still looking for loose hardware.

[climbjtree]

I'm totally out of the hardware loop, and I'd like to upgrade my graphics card. I've got a dual core i3 processor (I think), and some entry level radeon card.

I'd be happy to spend about 300 dollars or so, and I'd like to know what the general consensus is on cards these days.

What does F13 say?

[Merusk]

Get a new processor first.

 

Seriously though, does your mobo support a 16x PCIE?  I haven't seen an i3 in forever and didn't realize they still made them until you mentioned it.  At the price you're asking for a vid card you're going higher end. Geforce 900 series or so. Why so strong vs. a midrange card?

I always take a look at the passmark benchmarks, find a decent one and price it out locally, amazon and new egg.
http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/

[Cyrrex]

i3s are still all over the place.  What else are they going to sell to the masses?  I almost said rubes, but I like climbjtree.

Anyway, yeah, your processor sucks.  But still, if you are willing to spend 300 or so, just get a 970 card and be done with it.  Move along, nothing to see here.  I am sure the boost you'd get over whatever low level radeon card you have will be faaaaaar greater than what could be achieved by what would probably be a more expensive CPU upgrade.

You might want to list your basic specs though, just in case.

[Trippy]

I'm totally out of the hardware loop, and I'd like to upgrade my graphics card. I've got a dual core i3 processor (I think), and some entry level radeon card.

I'd be happy to spend about 300 dollars or so, and I'd like to know what the general consensus is on cards these days.

What does F13 say?

$300 is in between two price points so you have to decide if you want to go down to $250 or up to $350. At $250 the choices are the NVIDIA GTX 960 or the ATI R9 280x. The 280x is a bit faster than the 960 but runs hotter/draws more power. At $350 the choices are the GTX 970 or the R9 290x. The performance of the two is about the same but again the ATI card runs hotter/draws more power.

You'll want to check the specs on your power supply to see how much power it can supply to a video card.

[climbjtree]

So, I can be pretty impulsive/lazy.

I read y'alls advice and read some things online and saw that my PC was pretty out of date. So rather than take the time to buy components and piece together something respectable, I just went out and bought the cheaper of the ASUS gaming rigs. Still not retardedly high end, but leaps and bounds ahead of what I was rocking. Here's the basics (or my version of basics - I'd imagine y'all include some of the more technical details):

i5-4460  CPU @ 3.20GHz
8192MB RAM
GeForce GTX 750
1TB HDD

I'm going to give some more resource intensive games a go with this setup, and if performance is still lacking I'm happy to upgrade this thing too. I'm sure there's room for improvement. Would the first thing to upgrade be the GTX 750 to one of the cards mentioned previously? Or is it to an i7?

Forgive my ignorance - the last time I built a computer was back in Quake 2's heyday.

[MisterNoisy]

So, I can be pretty impulsive/lazy.

I read y'alls advice and read some things online and saw that my PC was pretty out of date. So rather than take the time to buy components and piece together something respectable, I just went out and bought the cheaper of the ASUS gaming rigs. Still not retardedly high end, but leaps and bounds ahead of what I was rocking. Here's the basics (or my version of basics - I'd imagine y'all include some of the more technical details):

i5-4460  CPU @ 3.20GHz
8192MB RAM
GeForce GTX 750
1TB HDD

I'm going to give some more resource intensive games a go with this setup, and if performance is still lacking I'm happy to upgrade this thing too. I'm sure there's room for improvement. Would the first thing to upgrade be the GTX 750 to one of the cards mentioned previously? Or is it to an i7?

Forgive my ignorance - the last time I built a computer was back in Quake 2's heyday.

Video card and (most likely) the PSU.  SSD after that.

[Cyrrex]

Yeah, what MisterNoisy said.  Give that 750 a shakedown and figure out if it is running the things you want it to run at an acceptable level.  If not, then you will want to upgrade that first.  And the thing about the 750 card is that it is super efficient, so it is likely that you will need to look at your PSU if you are going to upgrade the vid card.

If the new rig runs well enough, then maybe just an SSD.  Or nothing.

[Sky]

I should probably get an SSD, I guess. 

[Lucas]

Ok, today I received my little beast, detailed a few messages back (in short, i5-4960k, now overclocked at 4.5ghz; 16GB DDR3-1866 RAM; Nvidia Zotac GTX 970, MSI z97 Gaming motherboard).

First impression is.... . Just amazing; I still haven't had the chance to test it thoroughly, but maxing out Dying Light at 1080p with no slow downs and The Witcher 2 with Ubersampling is no small feat, so far 

Temperatures while running them is 43° for the CPU (it's about 30-33 idle) watercooled with a Seidon 120V) and 79-80° for the stock Zotac 970. It's even more impressive when I take a look at the whole package and see it inside a mini-ITX :)