The 'Build Me A PC' Thread

[JRave]

Have you looked into Powerline Adapters instead of wireless?  Depending on the condition of the electrical wiring in your house, it could be more reliable vs wireless.  Although it could end up adding extra cost over a wireless card, you wouldn't have to deal with wireless dropping/disconnecting.

[Sky]

I went for the amazon waiting list for the MSI. I don't really feel like taking off another EVGA heat sink again (and waiting anyway, though amazon put an Oct 10 date on it). I don't see the prices dropping on them for a bit because nvidia put amd in the vice with a dominant top end card and a mid-range card that competes with amd's top for a fraction of the price. The weird thing is that the 700 series doesn't seem to be dipping, but imo to get a strong single card solution for $330-350 or w/e there's only really one choice to make.

Teleku, that's pretty much what I'd build myself if I could swing the whole tamale right now. Maybe I'd do an i5 4690k with a hyper 212; maybe g-skill sniper ddr3-2400; less hdd space.

[Trippy]

First, I could just take my wireless card from my current machine and put it into the new one (Its like, a wireless N card from 2008).  If I was to spend the money to buy some new wireless ac card, would I notice any difference?  I sometimes worry that lag spikes I get might be due to haveing a shitty old wireless card or something, but download speeds are still very very fast.  Does the card make much of a difference, or will some old card from 6 years ago still work just as well as a new one?

I depends on your Internet download speed and whether or not you have multiple computers you transfer files between. If you have download speeds >100 Mbps you would probably benefit from going 802.11ac assuming you have an 802.11ac router as well (802.11n generally tops out around 100 Mbps). Similarly if you transfer files among multiple computers, some of which are wireless, and your wired network is Gigabit (or faster) and your wireless computers are 802.11ac then you'll see a speed up in transfer rates.

Second, I'm wondering if I can fortify my will enough to wait a month or two for prices to drop.  Not only is the holiday seasons approaching (And thus deals), but as Trippy mentioned Intel just released new shit (Thats way to expensive), which I'm hoping will drive down prices of the current stuff.  But I'm not sure how long it will take.  Do prices tend to drop fast in these situations over a month or so?  If waiting till November only saves me $100 or something then screw it.  Want power now!

In terms of CPUs there's nothing interesting happening until Q2 2015 when Broadwell is scheduled to arrive:

[Sky]

Well, that worked out well, I think. Just got an email from newegg that the evga is back in stock. I could cancel the MSI but meh, I'm done with EVGA's gpus.

[Teleku]

Well, that worked out well, I think. Just got an email from newegg that the evga is back in stock. I could cancel the MSI but meh, I'm done with EVGA's gpus.

I just ordered the MSI GTX 970 Gamer card from Newegg, which just magically became in stock, fyi.

And yeah, was tempted to go for faster RAM..... but eh.  Taking Trippys advice that if I'm not overclocking I wont need above 1600.  Though if I later find out it is bottlenecking me in some way I don't like, its the easiest part to replace with a faster component.  And I'm a digital packrat that hordes everything I've been downloading since the mid 90's.  I need all the HD space I can get.  

Trippy/JRave:

Thanks for the advice.  My download speeds are very fast here, but next year I'll be moving to a country where you pay hundreds of dollars for 56k modem speeds.  So spending money on a new wireless card or other solutions is probably not the best use of my resources right now, haha.  From what you say Trippy, I'll probably be fine running this one into the ground for a few more years.  And yeah, I decided I can't wait for prices to drop.  Just ordered everything split between Amazon and Newegg, depending on who gave me a better price.

Now to see if it can actually make it to me in one piece.  The people they have working at Chicago's airport, who handles all of our outgoing Diplomatic Post........are not the most gentle people in the world when handling pouch bags.

[Sky]

Sonofabitch it timed out in my cart twice, once just before I finalized checkout.

My wireless card is a decent little dude, pretty cheap: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704045

[apocrypha]

If it helps my 970 is an MSI and it's great. So quiet.

[Sky]

If it helps my 970 is an MSI and it's great. So quiet.

Yeah, thanks for the feedback. I'm confident in my choice to wait it out for the MSI, even if newegg were being dicks last night. How about some live stock tracking so if it's in my cart it can't get sniped!? Not like I left it sitting in there (and that's what timeouts are for anyway). I was on my speed mode I use for buying front row concert tickets and got sniped  

Anyway. It'll all be fine in the end.

edit: I mean....really?

Oct 03 - 2:15 PM EST   Newegg : MSI GTX 970 GAMING 4G Out of Stock
Oct 03 - 2:02 PM EST   Newegg : MSI GTX 970 GAMING 4G In Stock for $349.99

[Teleku]

Yeah, those things are flying off the virtual shelf.  Crazy.

[Strazos]

So, it's about time for me to get a new gaming PC - any thoughts on this:

1 x Corsair Dominator Platinum Series 16GB 4X4GB DDR4-2666 C15 Memory Kit
1 x Intel Core I7-5960X 3.50GHZ Eight Core 20MB Hyperthreading LGA2011-V3 Processor
1 x Thermaltake CLP0602 Intel LGA1155 AMD AM3 800-1800rpm CPU Cooler
1 x Gigabyte X99-UD4 ATX LGA2011 X99 DDR4 SATA3 2xPCIe16 4XPCIE8 GBLAN SLI/XFIRE USB3 Mot *IR-$10.00*
1 x EVGA GeForce GTX970 w/ ACX Cooler Superclocked 4GB GDDR5 256BIT DVI-I DVI-D SLI Ready Graphics Card
1 x Antec P280 Window ATX Mid Tower Case Black 3X5.25 6X3.5INT Front 2XUSB3.0 Audio *No PSU*
1 x Corsair AX1200I 1200W Digital ATX 12V 80 Plus Platinum Modular Power Supply 140mm Fan
1 x Bitfenix BFA-ACL-30BK15-RP Alchemy LED Connect Lit Strip 30CM 15 LEDs - Blue *OEM*
1 x Corsair Air Series AF140 LED Blue Quiet Edition 25.5 dBA 66.4 CFM 1200 RPM
1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64Bit SP1 DVD OEM
     Please note that Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit only supports up to 16GB of RAM.
1 x Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5in SATA3 MDX Solid State Disk Flash Drive SSD
1 x Western Digitial WD2003FZEX Black 2TB SATA 6GB/S 7200RPM 64MB Cache 3.5in Hard Drive OEM
1 x LG GH24NSC0 DVD-RW 24X SATA Black OEM

I'm just going to have a shop in the US assemble and ship it out, so if anyone has had any particularly good experiences with a particular shop, that'd be good to know.

[Hoax]

My thoughts are I really prefer it when people list at least approximate prices they are paying for each component.

I would make sure I was confident in that Antec case I've worked with really nice Antecs and 1-2 really poorly made ones but that was a long time ago, then I stopped buying and recommending Antec but I think I was just unlucky or accidentally bought the budget case that they use intentionally low quality production.

1200W PSU? Is this necessary? Also make sure that is a rebranded SeaSonic Corsair because otherwise its shit as far as I'm concerned. I never mess with non SeaSonic PSU's its just not worth it.

You seem to be skimping pretty hard on the CPU cooler, any reason why? It doesn't fit with the high end status of most of the other components. I think you are fine with that but it just doesn't fit the level of everything else. Also I massively prefer Noctua coolers if you aren't going to get one of the excellent Corsair self contained liquid setups. There is nothing bad you can say about Noctua fans, I don't trust some generic chinese TT fan for shit and would highly recommend replacing it unless multiple reviews say its great.

[Strazos]

The reason for the cooler choice is that I'm trying to avoid anything with liquid involved - I have to move my rig around more than most people ever will, and I would hate to ruin a system that way.

Seriously trying to find a good assembler, though - iBuyPower just seems obnoxious, while FalconNorthwest is pushing it on price, even for me (they also pretty much only offer a self-contained liquid CPU cooler, which I am hesitant about).

[Sky]

I agree about the cooler. I have a hyper 212 on this cpu, but I've heard good things about Noctua and my fans are all noctua and quiet/high airflow.

I'm skeptical of EVGA these days, as I was saying upthread a bit. MSI or one of those three-fan Gigabytes (if it'll fit).

And as usual I'd swap in an i5 unless you really need hyperthreading.

[Trippy]

For some reason Strazos wants a Haswell-E system and there is no i5 in that line.

[Strazos]

Well it's mostly a matter of me really wanting to treat myself to a nice system for once, without making a bunch of compromises based on prices.

[Hoax]

Well it's mostly a matter of me really wanting to treat myself to a nice system for once, without making a bunch of compromises based on prices.

Well don't skimp on the cooler then, get a high end Noctua air cooler, they are great and come with great paste and great fan(s).

Also double check that PSU and double check the case. Everything else sounds suitably expensive and quality.

[lamaros]

Ok, I'm looking to buy a new computer and haven't done so in about 8 or more years (got a laptop 5 years ago, that's all I can remember). I am poor/have to save for holidays so I can't get the best stuff (and have to buy all that extra crap like m/kb/screen). So I'd appreciate advice on what is the best value whilst still being pretty good performance. I'm likely to be tempted to wait a little longer and just get a better CPU and video card if it will make a fair difference.

Note, I am in Australia and so prices are shit compared to you US folk.

My main questions are, what MB/CPU/Video card should I get. I'm starting from MYS as a basic price guide to here in AUS (but will probably buy from elsewhere). Their prices are  here. I assume if I want to build something with the best upgrade potential for the future then I'm looking at the CPU and MB at the least being decent, and can save money on the rest?

CPU

I assume I need core i7. Is the 4790K worth an extra $46? (344 v 390)

GPU

Everyone is mentioning the GTX 970. Is it worth looking at anything else?

MB

I have no idea who is good here at all, or what to look out for. What are the main points to check?

Case/PSU/Cooling

No idea here, but I assume once the others are decided I can work this out.

Other

Samsung 850 PRO 128GB SSD - $135
WD Black 2TB - $162
16GB no idea what brand - $180-210

[Trippy]

Ok, I'm looking to buy a new computer and haven't done so in about 8 or more years (got a laptop 5 years ago, that's all I can remember). I am poor/have to save for holidays so I can't get the best stuff (and have to buy all that extra crap like m/kb/screen). So I'd appreciate advice on what is the best value whilst still being pretty good performance. I'm likely to be tempted to wait a little longer and just get a better CPU and video card if it will make a fair difference.

Note, I am in Australia and so prices are shit compared to you US folk.

My main questions are, what MB/CPU/Video card should I get. I'm starting from MYS as a basic price guide to here in AUS (but will probably buy from elsewhere). Their prices are  here. I assume if I want to build something with the best upgrade potential for the future then I'm looking at the CPU and MB at the least being decent, and can save money on the rest?

CPU

I assume I need core i7. Is the 4790K worth an extra $46? (344 v 390)

No, an i5 is plenty for gaming

GPU

Everyone is mentioning the GTX 970. Is it worth looking at anything else?

What's your budget?

[lamaros]

Ok, I'm looking to buy a new computer and haven't done so in about 8 or more years (got a laptop 5 years ago, that's all I can remember). I am poor/have to save for holidays so I can't get the best stuff (and have to buy all that extra crap like m/kb/screen). So I'd appreciate advice on what is the best value whilst still being pretty good performance. I'm likely to be tempted to wait a little longer and just get a better CPU and video card if it will make a fair difference.

Note, I am in Australia and so prices are shit compared to you US folk.

My main questions are, what MB/CPU/Video card should I get. I'm starting from MYS as a basic price guide to here in AUS (but will probably buy from elsewhere). Their prices are  here. I assume if I want to build something with the best upgrade potential for the future then I'm looking at the CPU and MB at the least being decent, and can save money on the rest?

CPU

I assume I need core i7. Is the 4790K worth an extra $46? (344 v 390)

No, an i5 is plenty for gaming

GPU

Everyone is mentioning the GTX 970. Is it worth looking at anything else?

What's your budget?

Ideally I'd spend no more than $1500 (not counting monitor, keyboard & mouse) with the potential to spend a bit more money to upgrade a part or two and get some value for it later on (say a year later), though if it is worth it to go beyond that I might just put it off another month and spend the extra.

Edit: I'm pretty set on the following so far. Just not sure about the best MB and PSU. For the MB I have the idea that spending more to get something that can easily upgrade other parts (video card and CPU) would be best, so wondering what that option would be that also suits what I have.

Any feedback greatly appreciated.

http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/kNZRqs

[Teleku]

Yesh, forgot how much more expensive stuff is down under.  The build looks solid to me, I did something similar (think we got the same case).  I was able to do this build for just under $1,600 (though doesn't include monitor like yours), split between Amazon and NewEgg.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/TF9xTW

[Cyrrex]

We could compare neckbeards for days dissecting every choice on that list, Lamaros, but the simple fact of the matter is that if you build the exact machine you just listed, it will be stupidly fast and it will run everything at top settings and will probably do so for the next 3 years.  You would be a poor person with a machine that would benchmark in the top 5%, easily, without tweaking or overclocking any part of it.

That said, here is some hair-splitting:

If money is an object, the i5 is more than enough.  Buying the i7 is what you do when you have more money than sense (I have an i7).

The 970 card is getting a strange amount of attention.  Nvidia is doing the exact goddamn thing they are doing every goddamn year.  They come out with the x70 card which for all intents is just a rebranding of the previous generation's x80 card.  It is just a bit cheaper than the x80 card, just like it always is, and a bit more expensive than the previous gen x70, just like it always is.  The x70 cards are never GREAT VALUES when they come out...the are only a better value than last generations best card.  That's it.  It will become a value later, when they drop the price...ostensibly when the 980 comes out and melts all the faces, or a few months later.  This has been Nvidias strategy for more than five years now.  I am not sure why there are so many boners over the 970 card.  It will become the bang-for-buck card to get, but it isn't there yet.  The fucking thing retails for 340 bucks or something?  On what planet is that a value card?  A great card, no doubt, but not a cheap one.

[lamaros]

For Samsungs the Pro is the one to get, not the Evo.

How much is a pro worth over a evo? Am I going to see much value from a 850 pro over a 840 evo? Given that the pro is nearly twice the price?

[lamaros]

The 970 card is getting a strange amount of attention.  Nvidia is doing the exact goddamn thing they are doing every goddamn year.  They come out with the x70 card which for all intents is just a rebranding of the previous generation's x80 card.  It is just a bit cheaper than the x80 card, just like it always is, and a bit more expensive than the previous gen x70, just like it always is.  The x70 cards are never GREAT VALUES when they come out...the are only a better value than last generations best card.  That's it.  It will become a value later, when they drop the price...ostensibly when the 980 comes out and melts all the faces, or a few months later.  This has been Nvidias strategy for more than five years now.  I am not sure why there are so many boners over the 970 card.  It will become the bang-for-buck card to get, but it isn't there yet.  The fucking thing retails for 340 bucks or something?  On what planet is that a value card?  A great card, no doubt, but not a cheap one.

Yeah, I am a poor fellow with no kids, etc. Not really having to push it more than "oops, I really have to make my lunch for the next few weeks".

As for the GPU: my problem is I haven't bought PC parts for a long long time and have no idea what a decent value card. My googling is saying "maybe the GTX 760?", but there's a lot of 970 gushing out there that is obscuring getting a decent read on all that.

If I can change that to something else I can probably push this (http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/rHhtNG) below 1500, which would be nice.

Though I do have a credit card and could end up walking back from the shop with an i7 and the 970 whatever this list says when I go in...

[Cyrrex]

Well, let's put it this way then.  You probably will not notice any real world difference between the i7 and the i5.

For the Sumsung Evo vs Pro - it is a choice between Super Duper Fast and Super SUPER Duper Fast.  Only the Trippys of this world would fret much over the difference.

The 970 is a blazing fast card.  No question.  But both the 770 and Radeon's 290 are better values and are still top tier cards.  Next tier down, the 760 is probably the best value.  But you probably could see a performance gap that means something three years for now.  So if you have the money, get the 970.  Hell, stay away from the i7, stay away from the Samsung Pro, and justify the 970 that way.  That will net you a faster machine than an i7 with a 770 card.

[lamaros]

Cheers.

The prices here in Australia are a bit skewed from some other countries, so I figure I will see what looks the best value video card wise when I buy. I've been pretty locked in to the i5 4690 for a while so I don't think the i7 will really tempt me.

[Sky]

Went with a Gigabyte 970 with the triple fan cooler. Because it came into stock at newegg. It was in stock almost a half hour last night!

[Trippy]

For the Sumsung Evo vs Pro - it is a choice between Super Duper Fast and Super SUPER Duper Fast.  Only the Trippys of this world would fret much over the difference.

The Pro has significantly higher write endurance than the Evo -- as in >2x. That's really what you are paying for.

[01101010]

For the Sumsung Evo vs Pro - it is a choice between Super Duper Fast and Super SUPER Duper Fast.  Only the Trippys of this world would fret much over the difference.

The Pro has significantly higher write endurance than the Evo -- as in >2x. That's really what you are paying for.

Offhand, how do you know when a SSD is failing? Or does it just up and not work anymore?

[Trippy]

For Samsungs the Pro is the one to get, not the Evo.

How much is a pro worth over a evo? Am I going to see much value from a 850 pro over a 840 evo? Given that the pro is nearly twice the price?

For your budget system is not really worth it unless you plan on using that drive for DVR or other high writing situations.

[Trippy]

For the Sumsung Evo vs Pro - it is a choice between Super Duper Fast and Super SUPER Duper Fast.  Only the Trippys of this world would fret much over the difference.

The Pro has significantly higher write endurance than the Evo -- as in >2x. That's really what you are paying for.

Offhand, how do you know when a SSD is failing? Or does it just up and not work anymore?

Some degrade graceful which you can see in the SMART data. Some just poop out in obnoxious ways including bricking themselves.

The Tech Report has the best examination of write endurance related failures I've seen so far, though they are only testing a single sample per drive (with one exception) so YMMV.

This article is the start:

http://techreport.com/review/24841/introducing-the-ssd-endurance-experiment

This one is probably the best summary of failures:

http://techreport.com/review/26523/the-ssd-endurance-experiment-casualties-on-the-way-to-a-petabyte

And this one is the latest, with the Samsung Pro being the predicted winner (highest write endurance) of the ones tested:

http://techreport.com/review/27062/the-ssd-endurance-experiment-only-two-remain-after-1-5pb

[Jimbo]

Thanks Trippy! They had an article in there about the new Samsung 850's Pro line-up, did not know they offer a 10 year warranty, but that makes it sound even better. Too bad the 1 TB SSD Pro 850 is like $660 USD ish in price. Here is what I'm kicking around for Christmas or sooner:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rsqpVn
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/rsqpVn/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($199.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler  ($74.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($144.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($179.99 @ Newegg)

Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($297.94 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 Pro Series 512GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($349.99 @ Amazon)

 
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($88.97 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital VelociRaptor 1TB 3.5" 10000RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($213.98 @ SuperBiiz)

 
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 980 4GB WINDFORCE Video Card  ($629.98 @ NCIX US)
Case: Antec Twelve Hundred ATX Full Tower Case  (Purchased For $0.00)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk II 750W 80+ Silver Certified ATX Power Supply  (Purchased For $0.00)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer  (Purchased For $0.00)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)  (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $2180.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-07 17:40 EDT-0400

I'm debating on which SSD and which 1 TB WD drive to get. I've had Velociraptors for so long I don't really want to change...but the SSD would be doing the heavy lifting now, so would a red, blue, green, or black be better?

Oh for those of you that bought the MSI motherboard how is the onboard sound? Spec sheet on the companies web site make it sound pretty nice, so if it plays nice music from some speakers or decent headphones I'm good to go on that.

[Trippy]

I'm debating on which SSD and which 1 TB WD drive to get. I've had Velociraptors for so long I don't really want to change...but the SSD would be doing the heavy lifting now, so would a red, blue, green, or black be better?

The Greens and Reds are slower than the Blues and Blacks. The Reds are more reliable than the Greens and the Blacks are more reliable than the Blues. Get a Black.

[Hoax]

Hey Jimbo, I love Corsair and have brand loyalty at this point to their ram but just so you know I'm seeing cheaper options that are latency nine. Something to consider if saving $30-40 is worth anything to you.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820226404

this has a $10 off promo
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231568

[lamaros]

Thanks for all the advice all, I'm going to buy and build this this weekend. Hopefully I won't break anything in doing so...

http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/mpj2zy

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($244.00 @ MSY)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($167.00 @ MSY)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($99.00 @ MSY)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($77.00 @ MSY)
Storage: Western Digital BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($89.00 @ PCCase Gear)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card  ($519.00 @ PCCase Gear)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($135.00 @ PCCase Gear)
Power Supply: Cooler Master VSM 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($139.00 @ PCCase Gear)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/RSBS DVD/CD Writer  ($19.00 @ PCCase Gear)
Monitor: BenQ RL2460HT 60Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($249.00 @ MSY)

Two final questions: Is it better to get 2x8GB RAM now, instead of thinking I could add another 2x4GB RAM in the future? Google seems to think 2x4gb and then maybe another 2x4 is ok, provided the MB support it, which I think mine does? Also, can I get away with no extra cooling on this?

[Trippy]

Two final questions: Is it better to get 2x8GB RAM now, instead of thinking I could add another 2x4GB RAM in the future? Google seems to think 2x4gb and then maybe another 2x4 is ok, provided the MB support it, which I think mine does?

Your case has a reasonable amount of depth to it so it's unlikely something will be blocking the empty memory slots so it'll probably be easy enough to add more memory later if you want to.

Also, can I get away with no extra cooling on this?

Depends on how hot you keep the room this comp is going to be in. Your case comes with two fans but you also aren't getting an aftermarket CPU cooler which are usually better than the stock cooler.