The 'Build Me A PC' Thread

[Ironwood]

I have the 6gb beast.  I can concur.

[Sky]

My 970 4GB crushes 1080p, too. I think you only have to shop if you are pushing higher resolutions.

[March]

A few years ago my boys and I built our fist PC using the GIGABYTE GA-Z87X-UD3H motherboard... whelp, now it just whirrrs a bit, beeps once, then recycles... forever.  No boot or even Bios.  So I'm sensing that maybe we've fried the MB (but open to other suggestions).  So, my question is... is it a simple task to slap in a new MB if we keep all the same components?  What replaces the GA-Z87X-UD3H?  Do I need to be super concerned about compatibility with 4-yr old components?  NVIDIA GTX 760?

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128592

[Trippy]

Did you move the case recently? It could be a power issue. E.g. the power supply itself is bad or some power cables got loose or the case is now shorting out the motherboard (the motherboard is touching the case where it shouldn't be).

It may be a simple task to drop in a new MB but it'll largely depend on drivers and whether or not Windows freaks out because of the change. If you have an OEM copy of Windows you might not be able to reauthorize it on the new motherboard.

[March]

Hmmn, don't think so... I can't see any obvious points of contact, everything looks in order.  According to son, Windows updated last night, and this AM catastrophic failure on the reboot.  Are the MS updates bricking machines?

How else would we test PSU?  Not like we've got a few lying around to swap ...

[Trippy]

Is that your only desktop PC? If so then you may want to buy a power supply from a place with a liberal return policy and test it with that.

[Viin]

Weird stuff like that seems to always be either the power supply or a bad memory stick.

[Nebu]

Agree with above.  I had something similar happen with my built PC.  I bought a new power supply and MB and started there.  Swapped the power supply and the behavior continued.  Swapped the mobo and everything worked.

If you have some parts lying around from other builds, see if a different power supply helps.  If not, the mobo is a likely culprit.

[March]

Thanks for the tips... issue persisted with each memory stick tested.  Will look in to PSU.

[Druzil]

Any opinions on i5 7600K / i5 8600K / i7 7700K / i7 8700K?  I'm replacing an i7 2600K which has never steered me wrong, but it's also felt like overkill as I've never even come close to maxing it out on anything.

Not that it matters until I can get a GPU 

[Trippy]

Personally I would favor Coffee Lake (i5 8600K / i7 8700K) over Kaby Lake (i5 7600K / i7 7700K). Overall the Coffee Lake CPUs are faster than their Kaby Lake equivalents for a relatively small price premium of around $50, though they do draw more power and generate more heat. i5 8600K or i7 8700K is a harder choice. Not sure which I would go with if I was building a gaming PC right now.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-coffee-lake-core-i5-8600k-cpu,5264.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-coffee-lake-i7-8700k-cpu,5252.html

[HaemishM]

My new off the shelf HP computer is running an i5-7400 with an Nvidia 1060 and I have yet to find anything it doesn't eat alive at 1080p once I put the OS on an SSD. Total War Warhammer doesn't even give it a hiccup, so I'm pretty sure even the 7600k would be fine. I always lean towards buying the newer gen if you have the money to spend, of course, just for longevity.

[Druzil]

Thanks for the reading, it seems like the Coffee Lake is the way to go for the nominal difference.  I still need to give the i5 vs i7 some thought.

[Rasix]

If I already have a freesync monitor (UW), would it be a better bang for my buck to get an RX580 or would the 1060 6GB still be a better buy? Fucking 1070/1080 prices are stupid high again.

Or should I just play indie shit and old Steam backlog games while the prices unfuck themselves? Goddamn crypto.

An additional completely unrelated question: anyone recommend a gaming mouse that the rest of the family could use reliably well? Mainly looking for something that isn't stupid looking or bulky (kid and wife don't have huge hands), but more of a traditional mouse look. They didn't much care for the DeathAdder (my preferred).

[Druzil]

The DeathAdder is my favorite mouse, so that would have been my first answer.  What about the SteelSeries Sensei?  It's pretty nice and it can pass off as a regular mouse.

[Trippy]

An additional completely unrelated question: anyone recommend a gaming mouse that the rest of the family could use reliably well? Mainly looking for something that isn't stupid looking or bulky (kid and wife don't have huge hands), but more of a traditional mouse look. They didn't much care for the DeathAdder (my preferred).

Wired or wireless? Logitech makes gaming mice that fit smaller hands and don't have lots of stuff on them: https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/gaming-mice

[Rasix]

Wired preferably.  The Sensei looks like it would do the trick.

[Viin]

If I already have a freesync monitor (UW), would it be a better bang for my buck to get an RX580 or would the 1060 6GB still be a better buy? Fucking 1070/1080 prices are stupid high again.

$350 for a 1060 doesn't seem that bad. I have a GTX 970 and there isn't a game that feels slow or using low graphics settings, so I imagine a 1060 could take whatever you throw at it (within reason). Even my Vive seems OK with the 970.

[Mosesandstick]

Wired or wireless? Logitech makes gaming mice that fit smaller hands and don't have lots of stuff on them: https://www.logitechg.com/en-us/gaming-mice

I picked up the G403 as a replacement for my Mx518, no frills and I'm happy with it apart from some scroll wheel issues.

[Sky]

What kind of issues? I use an mx518 now.

[HaemishM]

I'm using a wireless Logitech M510, and it's actually been much better than the last best mouse I used, a Microsoft wireless mouse. I've never had good results with "gaming mice" or things like Razer mice.

[Rasix]

Got the Sensei 310. I like it a lot so far. Nice low form factor, good dpi settings, and an overall nice feel.

I was replacing a G700s.  Which is a nice wireless, but the battery life was crap and the family didn't like the form factor much.

[Mosesandstick]

What kind of issues? I use an mx518 now.

If you scroll quickly it starts doubling back and scrolling the other way even quicker. It's a bizarre error and from a quick google looks pretty common in that family of mice.

[MisterNoisy]

If you just want a plain-Jane, reliable, simple comfy mouse, I'd recommend the Logitech G203.  Dirt cheap, good sensor and readily available.  I use one for work, and have been pretty happy with it.

[schild]

i love my james donkey

don't judge me

https://www.amazon.com/8200DPI-Modular-ADNS9800-Optical-Million-Windows/dp/B01CS99RA4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519181325&sr=8-1&keywords=james+donkey

[Nebu]

i love my james donkey

don't judge me

https://www.amazon.com/8200DPI-Modular-ADNS9800-Optical-Million-Windows/dp/B01CS99RA4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519181325&sr=8-1&keywords=james+donkey

Why would anyone judge?  Cool mouse.  Does it have decent weight to it?

[schild]

i love my james donkey

don't judge me

https://www.amazon.com/8200DPI-Modular-ADNS9800-Optical-Million-Windows/dp/B01CS99RA4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519181325&sr=8-1&keywords=james+donkey

Why would anyone judge?  Cool mouse.  Does it have decent weight to it?

yes

if you buy one, well, it makes car noises out of the box

but

the customization app is a portal into weaboo/furry hell - people seem to really like making it make hentai noises

[Tale]

i love my james donkey

don't judge me

https://www.amazon.com/8200DPI-Modular-ADNS9800-Optical-Million-Windows/dp/B01CS99RA4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519181325&sr=8-1&keywords=james+donkey

Is that not just a Logitech G502?

[Sky]

Is that not just a Logitech G502?

Donkey. James Donkey.

[Druzil]

#bullshitcurrencies

I've had a few chances to pick up a 1080ti for ~$899 which is still ~$150 over MSRP, but I haven't pulled the trigger yet.   At this point I'm tempted to just wait and see what happens with the Nvidia 2000 series stuff.   If things don't get better I'll just go ahead and pay the premium, but maybe I can just get the new card instead at a similar price.  Seems like a total waste to gather any other parts until I get the video card, though I at least have a pretty good idea of what I want.

[Chimpy]

There have been deals lately for Dell and Alienware PCs with 1080s in them for less than that.

[MahrinSkel]

Yeah, I'm trapped, I have half the pieces for my 'backpack build' gaming PC, but didn't buy the video card in the roughly 1 month window when the prices were sane. I don't want to buy a pre-built PC, but it would almost make more sense to do it and strip it for the parts I need than to buy a card a la carte.

--Dave

[Miguel]

Yeah, I'm trapped, I have half the pieces for my 'backpack build' gaming PC, but didn't buy the video card in the roughly 1 month window when the prices were sane. I don't want to buy a pre-built PC, but it would almost make more sense to do it and strip it for the parts I need than to buy a card a la carte.

--Dave

It is stupid what cards are going for.  I managed to score a pair of 6GB 1060's from Newegg last summer for $210 each, now they are going for almost double that for the same fucking cards.  Now I can't build a third so now my kids fight over the lone PC (they can't touch Dad's, of course).

[Tale]

There have been deals lately for Dell and Alienware PCs with 1080s in them for less than that.

Got my eye out for an Easter deal on one of these. Was initially looking at an Alienware Aurora, but Dell seems to be quietly matching/beating the Alienware spec at a much cheaper price badged as Inspiron, so I'm now eyeing that too.

[Hawkbit]

Any thoughts on this notebook?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y4GZS9C/?tag=igndeals14-20&pldnSite=1#customerReviews

The specs seem solid and the sub-$1k price is very nice. I think this price is today only.