The 'Build Me A PC' Thread

[brellium]

Getting around to doing a new build (windows HD warning message about hard drive in process of failing along with PC lock ups which are heat related, gray and black vertical bars). Got a good five years out of it.

This time I've decided to skimp on the GPU in favor of the CPU, instead of the other way around last time.

Case: Corsair Carbide Series 500R Arctic White
CPU: i7-5820K Haswell-E 6-Core 3.3GHz
Heatsink: CORSAIR Hydro Series H80i
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-X99-UD3P
Memory: Mushkin Enhanced Redline 16GB
HD 1: Crucial MX200 CT500MX200SSD1 2.5" 500GB SATA
HD 2: 1TB HD WD cannibalizing from back up PC
Power Supply: CORSAIR TX Series CMPSU-650TX 650W (from current rig)
GPU: Cannibalizing again for the time being (finances), OC'd ATI8970 from current rig, or the GT730 from back up rig.

(I thought I was going to be able to get away with the current memory until I realized it was DDR2 667)

Video card will be the weak point until I replace it, both are 1gig DDR5 if I'm correct. I expect the 5970 will probably out perform at higher settings, with the 730 out performing at lower settings. The PSU worries me now that it's beyond warranty considering the last time I cannibalized one it killed the ram in my PC.

[Lantyssa]

Is there a reason you're going for an i-7 over an i-5?

[Sky]

Fwiw last round of GTA V benches showed significant improvement with an i7 if you have a top end gpu.

Since you play 7D2D, I highly recommend a 970 :) I was getting great fps when they released Alpha 11, but some hitching (that I could deal with), and a lot of that was cpu (I have an i5 2500k oldie). Their optimizations smoothed out fps to an absurd degree - I don't need 120fps+, I want the reduced fidelity restored :p

[brellium]

Is there a reason you're going for an i-7 over an i-5?

I went with an under-powered CPU for the last build and used the "savings" for a 450$ GPU, I want to have a top end CPU this time and the specs on this thing are awesome, the only negative with this CPU is it doesn't have enough channels for an SLI setup which I have never used and probably never will.

Fwiw last round of GTA V benches showed significant improvement with an i7 if you have a top end gpu.

Since you play 7D2D, I highly recommend a 970 :) I was getting great fps when they released Alpha 11, but some hitching (that I could deal with), and a lot of that was cpu (I have an i5 2500k oldie). Their optimizations smoothed out fps to an absurd degree - I don't need 120fps+, I want the reduced fidelity restored :p

Currently I'm thinking a 4 gig 960, I don't think the performance boasts on the 970 are worth the extra 100-300$. It's on the bench while my budget swallows and digests this thing (which I expect will last 3 months) so the situation on the 970's may change.

GPU: MSI GTX 960 GAMING 4G GeForce GTX 960 4GB this is what I'm looking at, co-incidentally the lock ups occur while playing 7D2D.

I also remembered the PSU is something like 3 years old, it replaced the one that died.

[brellium]

Fwiw last round of GTA V benches showed significant improvement with an i7 if you have a top end gpu.

Since you play 7D2D, I highly recommend a 970 :) I was getting great fps when they released Alpha 11, but some hitching (that I could deal with), and a lot of that was cpu (I have an i5 2500k oldie). Their optimizations smoothed out fps to an absurd degree - I don't need 120fps+, I want the reduced fidelity restored :p

Currently I'm thinking a 4 gig 960, I don't think the performance boasts on the 970 are worth the extra 100-300$. It's on the bench while my budget swallows and digests this thing (which I expect will last 3 months) so the situation on the 970's may change.

GPU: MSI GTX 960 GAMING 4G GeForce GTX 960 4GB this is what I'm looking at, co-incidentally the lock ups occur while playing 7D2D.

I also remembered the PSU is something like 3 years old, it replaced the one that died.

Yup, reading up on the specs I'll be going 970, it's a much better gpu.

[Sky]

I thought the 980 was just outside the price:performance, but the 970 is a really amazing card. I was at first concerned about the addressing of the last half gig, but it hasn't been an issue. I have GTA V set to use just under 3.5G in the settings panel and I did bump it back to 30fps as it would hitch a bit at 60fps and unlocked was solid 40-50fps but some tearing I finally got tired of. This is with ultra everything and all but one or two bells+whistles at 1080p.

And it doesn't crack 40C or audibly spin up the fan, which is important to me as it's in my living room. 7D2D does warm it up, but it maxed at 61C and the fan wasn't audible; so quite acceptable there, too.

Finally, it's a lower TPD than my dual 460 SLI, so I've still got my old PSU chugging along (that I originally bought for the old 8800GTX power hog).

[MisterNoisy]

Getting around to doing a new build (windows HD warning message about hard drive in process of failing along with PC lock ups which are heat related, gray and black vertical bars). Got a good five years out of it.

This time I've decided to skimp on the GPU in favor of the CPU, instead of the other way around last time.

Case: Corsair Carbide Series 500R Arctic White
CPU: i7-5820K Haswell-E 6-Core 3.3GHz
Heatsink: CORSAIR Hydro Series H80i
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-X99-UD3P
Memory: Mushkin Enhanced Redline 16GB
HD 1: Crucial MX200 CT500MX200SSD1 2.5" 500GB SATA
HD 2: 1TB HD WD cannibalizing from back up PC
Power Supply: CORSAIR TX Series CMPSU-650TX 650W (from current rig)
GPU: Cannibalizing again for the time being (finances), OC'd ATI8970 from current rig, or the GT730 from back up rig.

(I thought I was going to be able to get away with the current memory until I realized it was DDR2 667)

Video card will be the weak point until I replace it, both are 1gig DDR5 if I'm correct. I expect the 5970 will probably out perform at higher settings, with the 730 out performing at lower settings. The PSU worries me now that it's beyond warranty considering the last time I cannibalized one it killed the ram in my PC.

I actually really like this build, and am eyeing moving to the enthusiast (X99) chip set/proc next time around myself.  If you know the limitations and will be addressing them later on (which is the case here), I dig it.  I'd probably drop the extra $10 for a H100i in place of the H80i since your case will support it, though.

[brellium]

Was fun getting it up and running, learned a few things...

Corrupt peripheral drivers are not fun, and resulted in a re-install of the OS. Then had to re-install the Hard Drive controller drivers since it wouldn't recognize the hard drive, then spent 15 minutes with google and system searches to actually locate the same completely empty (and properly installed) WD drive.

The windows error messages about the failing Seagate were annoying, and it finally popped the ignore option with just 5 minutes left in the data transfer.

Still re-installing games and everything, 7DTD is candy. Runing native 1920x1080 with max settings and 1080p gives 60+ fps.  No lag in either CKII or CS:GO, still waiting on GTA:5 and TES:V to see how awesome those two look.

[Sky]

Since you have a better processor and faster RAM than I do, my money is on 'amazing'. Even on my ancient i5/16GB both 7D2D and GTAV are beautiful.

I stopped and stared at a pool for over a minute last night.

[brellium]

Since you have a better processor and faster RAM than I do, my money is on 'amazing'. Even on my ancient i5/16GB both 7D2D and GTAV are beautiful.

I stopped and stared at a pool for over a minute last night.

This rig is awesome though, I have it running at max settings in GTA:5 with the case on silent mode, the GPU got to 27c (case is running warm at 40ish)

[koro]

Looking at putting together something along these lines: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Py2gmG

Any thoughts?

[brellium]

Looking at putting together something along these lines: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Py2gmG

Any thoughts?

That's a Haswell processor, I would recommend upping the ram to 2133, it should work well and give you a solid performance boast for about 30-40$.

[Lucas]

It's basically like my recently purchased setup, minus the RAM frequency (mine is 1866): I think 1866 would be a good compromise.

Hopefully, you'll enjoy it like I'm enjoying mine: I still have to test it with the "newest kids on the block" , so to speak, but that config fears no one at the moment, at least at 1080p.

I actually had a chance to try a non patched version of Dying Light (which my dealer left on the computer for testing purposes) and it basically ran at 58-60fps without DoF, which, from what I read, got optimized in subsequent versions.

If you still have to play some games from 2011-2014, you'll be able to max. out almost all of them, basically (including a heavily modded Skyrim). The Witcher 2: all graphic settings turned on, no uber-sampling but Nvidia DSR enabled, so I play it at 2560x1600  at 53-60fps 

[koro]

Looking at putting together something along these lines: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Py2gmG

Any thoughts?

That's a Haswell processor, I would recommend upping the ram to 2133, it should work well and give you a solid performance boast for about 30-40$.

I don't know what any of those words you just said mean.

[Engels]

Now it used to be that getting the higher ram speeds  (1866 vs 2133) was really for showing off min-maxing BS with little visible impact on actual 'lived' performance. That was, like, 6 years ago. Is this now a thing that one will visibly notice?

[Trippy]

Looking at putting together something along these lines: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Py2gmG

Any thoughts?

I would get an MX100 or MX200.

http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/storage-ssd-comparison

[Polysorbate80]

Any recommendations on a quiet case/power supply to fit an extended atx motherboard? 

I swapped the video card on my edit system for a 970 and connected it to a 55" 4k tv (LG 55UB8500, so-so television but as a monitor it does 4k at 60hz and 4:4:4 color) to ditch my multi-monitor setup. 

It's all working great except I've also moved it from the seperate editing room to my office, and the case and psu the builder used is noisy as fuck. Heat shouldn't be a major factor, no extreme cooling measures should be required

[Trippy]

What case and power supply do you have now?

Ideally what you would want is a power supply that runs cool enough and has fan that doesn't need to always be spinning. It also helps to put such a power supply in a case where the power supply mounts at the bottom since it'll be cooler down there and the fan won't need to spin up as much. The case itself should have sound-damping/reducing features like sound-absorbing side panels as well.

Unfortunately since you have an E-ATX motherboard your case choices are more limited but I would recommend checking out the Fractal Design DEFINE XL R2.

For a power supply Seasonic has a number of models that can run without spinning the fan all the time but they are of course pricey. Look for models with their "Hybrid Silent Fan Control" feature.

[Polysorbate80]

I'd have to pull the purchase order to remember what the case is, but it's got a flex-size psu that runs the fan constantly like a little jet engine.  Anything that gets away from that is half the battle right there.

Quick glance at the case you mentioned looks pretty good, thank you.  Just need to do a comparison at the office to make sure there's no surprises hiding in the current box to wreck it....

[MisterNoisy]

Any recommendations on a quiet case/power supply to fit an extended atx motherboard?  

I swapped the video card on my edit system for a 970 and connected it to a 55" 4k tv (LG 55UB8500, so-so television but as a monitor it does 4k at 60hz and 4:4:4 color) to ditch my multi-monitor setup.  

It's all working great except I've also moved it from the seperate editing room to my office, and the case and psu the builder used is noisy as fuck. Heat shouldn't be a major factor, no extreme cooling measures should be required

Most full-tower cases will fit an E-ATX board, but without knowing your taste in PC aesthetics, I'd say look at the FD Define XL, Phanteks Enthoo Luxe or (my favorite in this category) the NZXT H630 if you want to keep it 'tasteful' and fairly quiet.
  
As for a PSU, I'd strongly recommend the EVGA SuperNOVA G2 line - it's a rebranded SuperFlower Leadex Gold, but with a ten-year warranty from EVGA.

EDIT:  O wow, clearly I'm late to respond.

[Nebu]

Any thoughts on monitors? 

I'm looking at a 24" for gaming and debating the merits of a 120 Hz BenQ or Asus.  I'm wondering how much difference I'll see between 60 and 120 Hz (I doubt I'll need 144Hz) since I don't play FPS.  I imagine 120Hz may be better for driving and flight games though. 

Thanks.

[Chimpy]

I know they are not "gaming" monitors, but I am a big fan of the Dell 24" monitors. Specifically the U2412M (the U2415 is the newer thin-bezel model). They have every connection type under the sun, are adjustable height/rotate, are 16:10 IPS and will last a long time.

[Lantyssa]

I got a 28" AOC a month ago and it looks great.  No, I've never heard of them, but they were the best ones on display and I needed a new monitor ASAP.

[Trippy]

Any thoughts on monitors? 

I'm looking at a 24" for gaming and debating the merits of a 120 Hz BenQ or Asus.  I'm wondering how much difference I'll see between 60 and 120 Hz (I doubt I'll need 144Hz) since I don't play FPS.  I imagine 120Hz may be better for driving and flight games though. 

Thanks.

You might want to look into getting a G-Sync for FreeSync compatible monitor if you GPU supports one or the other.

[Nebu]

You might want to look into getting a G-Sync for FreeSync compatible monitor if you GPU supports one or the other.

I thought about that, but is there really much out there that supports this?

[MisterNoisy]

You might want to look into getting a G-Sync for FreeSync compatible monitor if you GPU supports one or the other.

I thought about that, but is there really much out there that supports this?

GSync/Freesync doesn't need to be supported by individual software - it's baked into the drivers and the GSync/Freesync module on the monitor - you just select it in the nVidia/AMD control panels and it overrides the applications' VSync settings, much like nVidia's Adaptive VSync does without GSync hardware.

[schild]

Ahem, waiting in my ivory tower for 34 inch curved G-Sync monitors to come out.

[Nebu]

Ahem, waiting in my ivory tower for 34 inch curved G-Sync monitors to come out.

Lies.  I'm IN the ivory tower and I don't see you anywhere.

[MahrinSkel]

I've become a big fan of AOC since getting their 29" ultra-wide. For an IPS panel, it fucking rocks. For 16:9, although a 60hz model this one is supposed to stand head and shoulders above everything remotely close in price: 27" 1080P, 2ms GtG response.

I'm really liking this ultra-wide, though. For the handful of games that properly support it, the extra peripheral vision is awesome (in others, it will actually cut down your vertical view angle because the game is limiting your horizontal view). It's also the only ultra-wide with a D-Sub input, and supports DisplayPort daisy-chaining: 29" Ultrawide. The only negative is that the way the back is set up, you have to do some shenanigans to get it to point properly on an arm mount (otherwise it will want to face upwards at a 10-20 degree angle). And the built-in speakers suck even a bit more than is typical, but I've got a soundbar velcroed to the top of it. It's about $100 cheaper than any of the other 29" UWHD's, though.

--Dave

[veredus]

My video card just died, it was a 2gb GTX 460 that Ive had for several years. Just looking to get as close to the performance I was getting with it for as cheap as possible. Really wasn't looking to have to replace anything on my PC right now. Was looking at something like this since I like the price.
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-750Ti-GDDR5-Graphics/dp/B00IDG3IDO/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1435559377&sr=1-2&keywords=gtx+750.
With the rebate would be looking at $120 total. Any other suggestions?


Edit: In case it matters I have an i5-750 with 12GB DDR3

[Sky]

Save your money and buy a 970.

I'm just tired of hearing Nix complain in minecraft  (he just bought a new vidya card and isn't happy with it)

[Cyrrex]

Save your money and buy a 970.

This.  But if you decide to ignore this advice, the 750Ti is a decent card for the price.

Speaking of 970s, I had to RMA mine about two weeks ago.  Bad memory, it seems, which is apparently a fairly common problem with these cards.  Still don't have a replacement back, getting annoyed.

[Jimbo]

I built 2 computers with these : MSI GTX 970 Gaming Both my son's and mine have been rocking out w/o problems :) So my vote is to save up and get a 970 graphic card.

What are some thoughts on gaming mice and keyboards? I can't remember if it was this thread or if we had another thread for it, but need a really responsive mouse for shooter type games but don't want to break the bank.

[Trippy]

I'm using the Logitech G502 currently which is descended from the MX 518/G5/G400/G500/G400s/G500s line of mice. I don't try out many mice though cause of my unusual requirement of a mouse with a tilt scroll wheel so I can't compare it to it's closest competitors.

For keyboards these days I mostly game on 'tenkeyless' mechanical keyboards with Cherry Red MX switches with the Aorus GK-THUNDER K7 being the one I'm currently using.

[Nebu]

For keyboards these days I mostly game on 'tenkeyless' mechanical keyboards with Cherry Red MX switches with the Aorus GK-THUNDER K7 being the one I'm currently using.

Been using a CM storm with Cherry Blue switches and I love it.  I like the smaller profile of a keyboard without 10-key and the clicky-click of the blue switches suits me. I should have gotten a mechanical a LONG time ago.