The 'Build Me A PC' Thread

[calapine]

You will get more bang for your buck from going with 8GB of RAM rather than 2 extra processor cores as the vast majority of applications are still mainly single threaded. Sure, more cores are better, but the price premium is usually not worth it when you are on a tight budget. It is why the i5 is so popular over the i7. Hyperthreading and bigger caches are cool and all, but they are not going to give the majority of applications an equal amount of boost versus price.

Uh, no. This sounds like a comment from 2008. i7 (4 cores + HT) aren't really worth it now, but dual core CPUs aren't advisable anymore even for just "mainstream" gaming PCs.

[Hawkbit]

I need a cheap, non-gaming notebook.  Any recommendations?

I basically need it for on the go web development and it needs to be fairly mobile.  I'm trying to hit some Rails meetups and need something portable.  It doesn't have to be a power machine.   

Shooting for the mythical $500 price point, if possible.  Trying to stave off a $2k Macbook purchase for as long as possible.  Thanks.

[Trippy]

Get a Macbook Air for ~$1000. Trying to do that sort of development on Windows is just asking for a world of hurt.

[Numtini]

You can get a refurb i5 MacBook Air for $719.

And they're apparently on sale for $799 at Best Buy and possibly elsewhere.

[Hawkbit]

Thanks for the advice.  I was hoping to not have to spend that cash, but looks like I might have to suck it up and spend.  I'm planning to graduate in December, currently I'm in my application dev class using Rails.  I like Rails a LOT and planning to focus there for a few years immediately out of school.  Developing in Rails on a Windows unit has been... challenging so far. 

I think I might get a bit of cash off the purchase by being a student.  In fact, the Pro non-Retina unit is $999 with my student discount. 

[Trippy]

The other option if you are comfortable with installing Linux and dealing with all sorts of drivers issues (Linux on laptops is still a PITA) is to install Ubuntu or equivalent on a Windows laptop. Dell used to sell Ubuntu laptops with proper drivers (e.g. sleep actually works) but don't at the moment (they come and go on a whim) and they were more expensive than the Windows versions for some reason so they weren't necessarily good budget machines.

[Hawkbit]

I thought about that, too.  Drivers and laptops are such a pain though.  I think I'm going to spend the cash on the Mac.  I suspect the extra money spent will be worth not having the hassle of configuration.  Plus, it might be interesting to pickup an iOS dev license.

Thanks again for the advice! 

[Salamok]

Linux Mint went on my Dell Studio with very few issues.  I will say that 90% of the people I see at web dev conventions are using Mac's though.  I prefer developing on Linux myself just because it gives me some immersion in Linux so I don't feel uncomfortable when I need to do something with the web servers.  Even when I develop using a Windows box I either spin up a local LAMP VM or push to a LAMP test server.  You can also do RoR development on IIS but you will be off the grid and if you run into problems help might be hard to find.

edit - If you still wanted to go for a cheaper solution you could try a Dell Outlet XPS 14, coupon code T9SLV7V3VW$8V4 should get you an additional 25% off.

[Rasix]

Anyone have suggestions for a laptop around $1000.  It's for my brother's work, so he'll need to be running Windows on it, and gaming really isn't something that needs to be considered.  15" screen is desired and weight isn't a huge issue.

[Chimpy]

Dell Latitude E5540 would probably be a good option. The resolution on the sub-1k version is a bit meh, but for around 1100 you can get one with 8GB of RAM and a 1920x1080 screen.

http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/latitude-e5540-laptop/pd

Also comes with Win7 instead of 8 installed if he does not want to deal with flat pastel color palettes.

[koro]

So I'm looking at finally getting a new PC to replace my five-year-old rig, but I'm not sure where to go to get it done at. I'd rather not have to buy parts and assemble the thing myself, but I'm not sure what boutique sites are any good anymore.

I'm looking mainly in the ~$1000 range, and hopefully at something that will last me for at least 3-4 years of moderately intensive games running on it.

Any ideas?

[MisterNoisy]

MWave does assembly for a nominal fee - I know others here have used them.  As for the parts, 4670K, Z97 motherboard, 8GB RAM, Crucial MX100 SSD + 1TB HDD + your choice of sub-$300 video cards and the ancillaries (PSU, case, OS, etc.) and you're good.

[Soln]

Updated the bios (it's an ASROCK z68).  Now I get a blank screen, no bios splash.  Time to call the Nerd Herd I expect.

[Setanta]

Ok, time to get a new PC - current system is 3 years old but most new games won't run on it. I'm thinking the video card is the bottleneck and that I could upgrade it, but I may be better off with a new system

Current specs are:
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2600 CPU @ 3.40GHz (8 CPUs), ~3.4GHz
Memory: 8192MB RAM
Card name: NVIDIA GeForce GT 430

Should I try and salvage something from this or just get a complete new system?

[Hoax]

100% video card. Start there. That card is worse (according to what I'm looking at) than the 8800's and those were standard budget gaming buys forever ago. You have a fucking i7 + 8MB ram system fer chrissake what would you upgrade to exactly?

I mean what games won't run on it? What settings are you trying to use? Also what motherboard and power supply do you have in there?

[Engels]

Its the video card. That's an old old chipset on there. I'm not even sure it does DX11.

[Lantyssa]

Yeah, your machine itself is still up to modern specs.  Go with a new video card.

[Setanta]

I think that's what threw me - I don't see it as running DX 10 that well.

 Games that don't run well in 1920 x 1080 on medium settings:
Gw2 (14fps)
Eve (18-20fps)
Diablo3 chokes on the mist filled map before malph
Starcraft 2 ffs

Wildstar barely runs - unplayable

I'll go spend the money in a new card rather than a new machine.

Thanks

[Hoax]

Yeah just spend ~$200-300 on a good card as your first step. If things still aren't running after that... something is very wrong somewhere because I am on a much much worse system and I have run all of those games at 1900x1200 though I turned D3 pretty low.

If you just go back through this thread you'll be able to collect data points of cards people have used in builds and even better often the price at the time.


*edit*

I still think that you need to post what power supply you currently have and if its some pre-built, off-brand piece of shit I highly recommend making the upgrade to a nice reliable, efficient, quiet SeaSonic.

[Xuri]

Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart (tomshardware.com) <-- Very nice chart of where the various graphics cards fit into the performance hierarchy. Worth taking note of the fact that higher numbers in the gfx card names doesn't necessarily translate to higher performance.

[Setanta]

Thanks to those that helped out. I went and bought a Geforce 760 and upgraded my power supply from 420W to 650W. Also picked up a second 2 TB hard drive and a new mouse. The power supply was a bit of a pain to work out as I haven't fitted a modular unit before. In the end I went back and upgraded my SSD from 56 gig to 256. Stupidly picked up a copy of Win 8 - why I don't know other than *on sale*.

The system is running all the games that struggled with 7-20 frames on medium/low to 56fps minimum on full on a busy screen. For less than 1/3 of what a new machine would have cost it's doing everything I need :)

Cheers

[Lantyssa]

Glad to hear it.

o7

[Furiously]

Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart (tomshardware.com) <-- Very nice chart of where the various graphics cards fit into the performance hierarchy. Worth taking note of the fact that higher numbers in the gfx card names doesn't necessarily translate to higher performance.

It's amazing to me how good the 8800 Series really was.

[Engels]

I still haven't thrown mine out, purely out of nostalgia.

[MisterNoisy]

Mine (like a lot of others) consumed itself in fire, but only after a couple of years so I wasn't too peeved about it.

[MahrinSkel]

Anyone have opinions on MSI gaming laptops?  They seem to be doing to Asus what Asus did to Alienware, not quite as good of build quality but far higher bang for the buck.  I'm currently considering the low end of their Dominator line, either the Dominator-895 or Dominator Dragon-1866, i7 @2.7-2.8ghz, GT870M graphics, 8gb RAM, 1tb HDD (I'll add a 256gb SSD myself).

I'm planning on using this for college, I'll pack it up and move it every couple of weeks but use it in dedicated workspaces, hooked up to external keyboards/mice and sitting on a cooling pad.  The only bad things I've heard about them is that they'll scorch your groin if you actually use them in your lap, and the hinges give out if you're using them constantly (as in, use them as a laptop).  Since my goal is a desktop replacement I occasionally change desks with, it seems like a good option, and the cost differences are extreme (the Lenovo/Asus equivalents of those systems are over $2000).

Any thoughts?

--Dave

[Trippy]

Those seem fine to me.

[Brofellos]

Anyone have opinions on MSI gaming laptops?  They seem to be doing to Asus what Asus did to Alienware, not quite as good of build quality but far higher bang for the buck.  I'm currently considering the low end of their Dominator line, either the Dominator-895 or Dominator Dragon-1866, i7 @2.7-2.8ghz, GT870M graphics, 8gb RAM, 1tb HDD (I'll add a 256gb SSD myself).

I'm planning on using this for college, I'll pack it up and move it every couple of weeks but use it in dedicated workspaces, hooked up to external keyboards/mice and sitting on a cooling pad.  The only bad things I've heard about them is that they'll scorch your groin if you actually use them in your lap, and the hinges give out if you're using them constantly (as in, use them as a laptop).  Since my goal is a desktop replacement I occasionally change desks with, it seems like a good option, and the cost differences are extreme (the Lenovo/Asus equivalents of those systems are over $2000).

Any thoughts?

--Dave

I have a 14 inch one and it's fine, I suppose. It can get pretty hot but the games run smoothly. It's decently light and thin and the battery power is good. most of my complaints about it are I think standard PC complaints (I had a macbook before so there are some things that take getting used to). I use it for law school and I also hook it up to a 24in BenQ monitor for LoL and Hex, etc. It's been durable overall and I'd recommend it, if only because it's so much cheaper than other gaming laptops. Honestly if you don't need a ton of mobility I'd just get a desktop though

[MahrinSkel]

I need to cart it 200 miles back and forth from school every two weeks or so for 4 years, and I may need to occasionally take it to a class, study group, or lab.  I thought about some lunchbox-style DIY, but by the time I've squeezed the same level of performance out of an itx board, I haven't saved much and I still don't have something I can use in a classroom setting.

--Dave

[Numtini]

I've heard good things about MSI. I don't do laptops for gaming, but what's the deal with the heat stuff. Is there ever going to be any sort of gaming laptop that doesn't end up hotter than hell?

[MahrinSkel]

I've heard good things about MSI. I don't do laptops for gaming, but what's the deal with the heat stuff. Is there ever going to be any sort of gaming laptop that doesn't end up hotter than hell?

Short answer: No.

Long answer: You're packing a lot of computational power into a small space, and heat sinks take up a lot of room and add a lot of weight.  If you could build a laptop with a benchmark of 1000 that didn't generate much heat, you could build one with a benchmark of 2000 that did just by putting in a higher end video chipset, and which would you rather game on?  Almost by definition, a "gaming laptop" is too much power in too small a space for adequate cooling.

--Dave

EDIT: BTW, I got the Dominator Dragon with the shiny red case, it was $50 more for "pretty", and that model upgraded the DVD-ROM to a BD-ROM.

[Stormwaltz]

EDIT: BTW, I got the Dominator Dragon with the shiny red case, it was $50 more for "pretty", and that model upgraded the DVD-ROM to a BD-ROM.

As I found out a few years back, a BD-ROM on a PC is largely worthless. There's precisely one piece of software that will play BRs on a PC, and it's overpriced bloatware that you have to re-buy every year.

Things may have improved, but IMO there's no reason to get more than a DVD-ROM. In three years, I have never been able to use my BD-ROM to play an actual Blu-Ray disc.

[Numtini]

There must be more software out there somewhere to rip movies. I see 720p versions of movies on torrents all the time.

[Cyrrex]

I go through a series of mental gymnastics where I tell myself that I paid good money for a BD Drive for my PC, and therefore the universe automatically owes me the software with which to utilize it.  I pirate the FUCK out of PowerDVD.  Screw that nonsense.

New gaming computer came in the mail today.  I7 4770k with a 770 GTX card.  Some kind of mid level Fata1ity H87 (which I feel very 1337 in regards to) board to hold the stuff with some Arctic cooling something or other (I don't overclock).  Rest is ordinary bullshit.

I didn't really need it, but my oldest son's PC bit the dust and I thought it was time for a bit of an upgrade for all of us.  I get a new one, he gets my old one, and then we salvage some bits to upgrade his brother's less uber machine.  Everybody wins.  Except my bank account.

[Abagadro]

Looks like you alrady bought one, but thought I'd give you my feedback anyways. I bought an MSI gaming rig (a GE series) for my boy and it has worked out well. Hasn't been called upon to do much heavy lifting from a graphics standpoint but has held up to being a 10-year old's laptop that he hauls back and forth between our house and a friend's house (bought it about a year ago). 

I did have to replace the fan though as it went bad (still blew air but clicked like a motherfucker, something wrong with the bearing). This is a fairly common problem with these I found through looking at forums.  Rather than deal with the warranty I just bought an OEM fan and put it in, but it did set me back 60 bucks.