• PC Building Thread
    4,998 replies, posted
[QUOTE=Just2Rusty;49107449]Hmmm. Yeah thats heaps more money than I want to spend. Is there a huge difference in the type of hardware you need for 2k vs 4k? because I was looking moreso at 2K monitors. Ultimately I just want heaps of screen real estate because I need to have a bunch of things open for work, but I also want something that's going to run GTA5 on really high settings. I'd be looking at PC & screens and am hoping for around $3,000AUD. I guess the resolution really kills the possibility for high performance without paying buttloads? [editline]13th November 2015[/editline] Would one 2K monitor (primary) and two 1080p monitors be a better way to go? [editline]13th November 2015[/editline] (I dont even know what I really want. I was just hoping for three monitors and a swish PC for around $3kAUD)[/QUOTE] Well if you only want to game on one 4K screen at a time one 980Ti is enough. 2 screens extra showing work, your desktop or a browser dont really add to the GPU load all that much. However gaming on 3 screens at once does. 4K gaming = 4096*2304 = 9.437.184 Pixels that have to be rendered and calculated at 60 frames per second. 2K Gaming = 2048 × 1080 =2.211.840 Pixels. So around 4 times less taxing.A Nvidia 970 costing 350 AUD would be enough then. (2K is almost Full HD= 1980*1050 btw) So it really depends on the resolution and whether you think you need to game on 3 screens at once or not. Also what kind of work do you want to do on 3 screens at once?
I would be happy to game on the one screen I think. Mostly spreadsheet work - excel and access and web browsers cover my monitors. I guess based on that it would make the most sense to get a single 2K or 4K monitor as the primary, get a couple of nice 1080p monitors on either side, that way I get a higher resolution single monitor for nice gaming and the real estate I need without it costing a bazillion dollars? I've been holding out until around christmas before I buy anything because I figured it was smart to wait for sales and stuff. Is that the right thing to be doing?
A friend asked me to make a few builds for him, giving me a budget of ~200-250$ , he already has a case, PSU, HDD, GPU. So I made these 3 builds for him [URL="http://pcpartpicker.com/p/47B66h"]http://pcpartpicker.com/p/47B66h[/URL] 204$ [URL="http://pcpartpicker.com/p/4qdPdC"]http://pcpartpicker.com/p/4qdPdC[/URL] 244$ [URL="http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3XyHpg"]http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3XyHpg[/URL] 304$ (please note that he will be buying from our country so I just chose what was available here) I added the i5 build as the best overall since that i5 will destroy both the fx and the i3 Any way to make the intel builds cheaper? Should I go for h81 boards since they are much cheaper and possibly some RAM without heatsinks?
[QUOTE=Just2Rusty;49107532]I would be happy to game on the one screen I think. Mostly spreadsheet work - excel and access and web browsers cover my monitors. I guess based on that it would make the most sense to get a single 2K or 4K monitor as the primary, get a couple of nice 1080p monitors on either side, that way I get a higher resolution single monitor for nice gaming and the real estate I need without it costing a bazillion dollars? I've been holding out until around christmas before I buy anything because I figured it was smart to wait for sales and stuff. Is that the right thing to be doing?[/QUOTE] I dont know how good or true the sales are in Australia. I found everything expensive all the time there. But why not.. Yes by all means get a good 2k monitor and 2 cheaper (maybe more square) screens. I can tell you from experience that its nice if your monitors have the same vertical resolution(and less so size). So you have a nice 1:1 movement when you move your mouse from one screen to another. For example, I have a 1920*1200 screen with a 1600*1200 screen next to it. If you are gaming at 2K it really depends on your budget which GPU is best for you, but overall a build like this one COLD made might be something for you: [URL="http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/rJtnzy"]PCPartPicker part list[/URL] / [URL="http://au.pcpartpicker.com/p/rJtnzy/by_merchant/"]Price breakdown by merchant[/URL] AUSTRALIAN DOLLARYDOOS [B]CPU:[/B] [URL="http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80662i56600k"]Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor[/URL] ($325.00 @ CPL Online) [B]CPU Cooler:[/B] [URL="http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhd14"]Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler[/URL] ($99.00 @ CPL Online) [B]Motherboard:[/B] [URL="http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-z170kraitgaming"]MSI Z170 Krait Gaming ATX LGA1151 Motherboard[/URL] [B]Memory:[/B] [URL="http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f42400c15d16gnt"]G.Skill NT Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory[/URL] ($143.00 @ IJK) [B]Storage:[/B] [URL="http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz75e250bam"]Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive[/URL] ($135.00 @ CPL Online) [B]Video Card:[/B] [URL="http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-gtx980gaming4g"]MSI GeForce GTX 980 4GB Twin Frozr Video Card[/URL] ($739.00 @ Centre Com) [B]Case:[/B] [URL="http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcadefr4bl"]Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case[/URL] ($149.00 @ CPL Online) [B]Power Supply:[/B] [URL="http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-120g10650xr"]EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply[/URL] ($135.00 @ CPL Online) [B]Operating System:[/B] [URL="http://au.pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-fqc08930"]Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM (64-bit)[/URL] [B]Total:[/B] $1725.00 [I]Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available[/I] [I]Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-13 21:48 AEDT+1100[/I] Just add the screens/mouse/keyboard.
Can my Corsair CX500 psu support an r9 380? Will an intel i3-2100 3.1 GHz be a bottleneck?
[QUOTE=~Kiwi~v2;49106584]i dunno gtx 950 is good enough for me, im running it at basically ultra with godrays at low(they both look subjectively the same and you wouldn't notice the differences in game and sometimes they're better COMPLETELY OFF) averaging a good 40-60FPS majority of the time at 1600x900 so a gtx 960 would be good enough or a r9 380 [editline]13th November 2015[/editline] actually the r9 380x is about to launch so i'd wait to the 380x then buy it it should be around the $249 mark[/QUOTE] Be sure to check out EVGA's B-Stock, by the way. They sell out quick but you can pick up 970s for $220-$260[url]http://www.evga.com/Products/ProductList.aspx?type=8[/url]
Got a question about coolers. How reliable are those all-in-one water cooling assemblies for the CPU? Are they worth the price compared to air? Which should I consider for a Mini-ITX build?
For a Mini-ITX build, you can get better cooling out of water for the space if you can't fit a big air cooler, but it won't be very much quieter and it'll be a lot more expensive. It mostly depends on heatsink clearance of that specific case - if you can fit a big air cooler, you can spend the other $40-70 you'd spend on a water cooler elsewhere. MicroATX builds that would easily fit air cooling and standard size equipment generally get you a fair amount more performance for the buck, so they're worth considering - but they're a sizable amount bigger too. [editline]13th November 2015[/editline] [QUOTE=slashsnemesis;49108643]Can my Corsair CX500 psu support an r9 380? Will an intel i3-2100 3.1 GHz be a bottleneck?[/QUOTE] If you ever want to upgrade your CPU to an overclocked i5 then you might want to upgrade your power supply (as you'd be pushing its limits), but overall the r9 380 draws 200W so you'll be fine with your pretty low power consumption i3 About the only things that would be bottlenecked by the CPU would be CPU-intensive games and programs like ArmA and video editing software
[QUOTE=fishyfish777;49109418]For a Mini-ITX build, you can get better cooling out of water for the space if you can't fit a big air cooler, but it won't be very much quieter and it'll be a lot more expensive. It mostly depends on heatsink clearance of that specific case - if you can fit a big air cooler, you can spend the other $40-70 you'd spend on a water cooler elsewhere. MicroATX builds that would easily fit air cooling and standard size equipment generally get you a fair amount more performance for the buck, so they're worth considering - but they're a sizable amount bigger too. [editline]13th November 2015[/editline] If you ever want to upgrade your CPU to an overclocked i5 then you might want to upgrade your power supply (as you'd be pushing its limits), but overall the r9 380 draws 200W so you'll be fine with your pretty low power consumption i3 About the only things that would be bottlenecked by the CPU would be CPU-intensive games and programs like ArmA and video editing software[/QUOTE] I suppose, since the case I'm looking at comes in a micro-atx variant that's the exact same size, I could do something like that instead. The biggest difference is where the motherboard mounts, although most people use a water loop in those because of clearance issues. I might consider the Micro-ATX for the expandability, especially for graphics cards. This is the difference. Micro-ATX [t]http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uCnukIfOxFs/UkmNWGRvk0I/AAAAAAAABp8/yhEI8EQwNDE/s1600/1054.png[/t] Mini-ITX [t]http://assets.hardwarezone.com/img/2013/09/BitFenix_Mini-ITX_News.jpg[/t] You can see that in the Mini-ITX version, the board's horizontal above the power supply, while in the Micro-ATX, it's mounted traditionally. They both use water loops, though, because of size constraints.
Well, the phenom M / Phenom both have CPU cooler heights of 175/160mm (in comparison to a Hyper 212 EVO's 159mm) respectively, so a regular hyper 212 would [URL="https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/b/6s4CmG"]fit[/URL] [URL="https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/builds/by_part/bitfenix-case-bfcphm300kkxkkrp#h=5"]either[/URL] (as long as the motherboard layout supports it). That being said, I'd personally shoot for an AIO cooler for a mini-ITX build and use a slightly larger case for a microATX build. The MicroATX version of that case has fuckall for drive bays and the mini-ITX version would be absolutely jam-packed and hard to maintain with a 212 in it(and component-dependent on how things fit). If you're insistent on sticking with the mini-ITX build, try and find an AIO cooler on sale during black friday - but keep in mind the cheapest Z97 boards for mini-ITX are $40 more expensive than microATX boards, and adding onto that a cooler that's $30 more expensive that's a ~$70 price difference at minimum.
I may be getting a GPU next month, but unsure on what to get. Budget's around €200. EDIT: Found a GTX 960 4GB for €215, tempting? My CPU(APU) is a A10-6800k 4.1GHz and my PSU is the same as slashsnemesis, Corsair CX500W. I've read that this PSU isn't very good tho, something about cheap capacitors? Should I get a higher quality PSU too?
[QUOTE=Onule;49109887]I may be getting a GPU next month, but unsure on what to get. Budget's around €200. EDIT: Found a GTX 960 4GB for €215, tempting? My CPU(APU) is a A10-6800k 4.1GHz and my PSU is the same as slashsnemesis, Corsair CX500W. I've read that this PSU isn't very good tho, something about cheap capacitors? Should I get a higher quality PSU too?[/QUOTE] Psu is good enough. I would get the r9 380 instead of the 960.
o shit my current mobo is a micro atx and the one i ordered isnt. i measured inside the case before buying to make sure it has clearance but is there a pretty good chance it won't have the appropriate mounts?
it should have at least most of the essential mounts. but if it's a micro-atx case that doesn't have enough room for an atx mobo then you're probably in trouble.
it looks like a mid case and by my measurements the new mobo should clear the power supply on the bottom by just about a cm
[QUOTE=fishyfish777;49109656]Well, the phenom M / Phenom both have CPU cooler heights of 175/160mm (in comparison to a Hyper 212 EVO's 159mm) respectively, so a regular hyper 212 would [URL="https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/b/6s4CmG"]fit[/URL] [URL="https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/builds/by_part/bitfenix-case-bfcphm300kkxkkrp#h=5"]either[/URL] (as long as the motherboard layout supports it). That being said, I'd personally shoot for an AIO cooler for a mini-ITX build and use a slightly larger case for a microATX build. The MicroATX version of that case has fuckall for drive bays and the mini-ITX version would be absolutely jam-packed and hard to maintain with a 212 in it(and component-dependent on how things fit). If you're insistent on sticking with the mini-ITX build, try and find an AIO cooler on sale during black friday - but keep in mind the cheapest Z97 boards for mini-ITX are $40 more expensive than microATX boards, and adding onto that a cooler that's $30 more expensive that's a ~$70 price difference at minimum.[/QUOTE] As long as I can fit two drives in (one 2.5" SSD, and one 3.5" 1TB storage drive), I'll be fine. I'm not looking to have a stack of drives in my machine, most of my drive bays are empty now. I'm just trying to figure out if it's worth considering potential for GPU expansion later on, because only the Micro-ATX variant has potential for multi-GPU setups. I know the Micro-ATX variant has better GPU cooling, since it has the vent at the top above the GPUs, but they sell a side panel with a vent for the Mini-ITX version that solves that issue as well. If Micro-ATX is going to be cheaper and more flexible at the expense of drive bays, I'd much sooner do that than mITX, as my storage needs are minimal. Also, there is the hard drive bracket, which allows for mounting 2 3.5" and 3 2.5" drives if I use an AIO cooler, which would more than handle storage needs for a decade. And I feel I should clarify, I'm not trying to go bottom of the barrel here. I want a computer I won't have to replace for five or six years, so I'm willing to pay a little more to get something that'll last.
Hey, guys. For liquid cooling: blocks -> Reservoir -> Pump -> Radiator -> blocks -or- blocks -> Radiator -> Reservoir -> Pump -> blocks
Doesn't really matter.
I guess it would be better for the pump if the water flowing trough it is cooler. (Oil/grease stays in longer). But I dont think it really matters all that much.
Alright guys it's finally time for an upgrade to my aging computer but it's been so long it'll essentially be almost a new build. I have the case, hard drive, power supply already, here's what I'm looking at getting for a dirt cheap build. If my research is correct this should be able to run most newer games at like medium settings at 1080p. What do you guys think? [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/p9kwWZ]PCPartPicker part list[/url] / [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/p9kwWZ/by_merchant/]Price breakdown by merchant[/url] [b]CPU:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646g3250]Intel Pentium G3250 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor[/url] ($56.99) Amazon Prime [b]Motherboard:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-h81me34]MSI H81M-E34 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard[/url] ($50.99) Amazon Prime [b]Memory:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cml8gx3m2c1600c9]Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory[/url] ($38.99) Amazon Prime [b]Video Card:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-n750ti2gd5oc]MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card[/url] ($89.99 @ Newegg) [b]Case:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/rosewill-case-cruiser]Rosewill Cruiser ATX Mid Tower Case[/url] (Purchased For $0.00) Already have [b]Operating System:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-gfc02050]Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM (64-bit)[/url] ($58.00) Amazon Prime [b]Total:[/b] $294.96 [i]Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available[/i] [i]Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-13 20:20 EST-0500[/i]
[QUOTE=taipan;49110263]Psu is good enough. I would get the r9 380 instead of the 960.[/QUOTE] May I ask why get the R9 380 over the 960? Better performance? And what's the difference between 2GB and 4GB? EDIT: Isn't the 380X coming out soon too?
[QUOTE=Onule;49112985]May I ask why get the R9 380 over the 960? Better performance? And what's the difference between 2GB and 4GB? EDIT: Isn't the 380X coming out soon too?[/QUOTE] Better performance. If you're playing at 1080p I'd recommend the 4gb for sure. And yes, the 380x is coming out soon. I'd wait for that if you can. It's a straight upgrade on the 380 which means it's got the newer GCN architecture that only the 285/380 does.
Hey guys, the PC parts I ordered last week finally arrived. I put it all together and I don't think I missed anything, however it won't POST. Power is reaching the motherboard but there's no action when I hit the power button. I've already checked the connections and that everything is plugged in properly. I have no idea what to do.
[QUOTE=Janus Vesta;49114097]Hey guys, the PC parts I ordered last week finally arrived. I put it all together and I don't think I missed anything, however it won't POST. Power is reaching the motherboard but there's no action when I hit the power button. I've already checked the connections and that everything is plugged in properly. I have no idea what to do.[/QUOTE] Both the 4/8 pin CPU power and the main 24 pin power on the motherboard? Are you getting any signs of life like any small LEDs on the board? Try booting with just the CPU/cooler and one stick of RAM in. Also try jumping the pins that the power button is tied into with a screw driver. Also try [URL="http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-power-up-an-ATX-Power-Supply-without-a-PC/"]bridging the PSU[/URL] to make sure it turns on properly. Could you post your full build that you ordered?
[QUOTE=Janus Vesta;49114097]Hey guys, the PC parts I ordered last week finally arrived. I put it all together and I don't think I missed anything, however it won't POST. Power is reaching the motherboard but there's no action when I hit the power button. I've already checked the connections and that everything is plugged in properly. I have no idea what to do.[/QUOTE] Did you plug in the CPUs power connector?
[QUOTE=Levelog;49114225]Both the 4/8 pin CPU power and the main 24 pin power on the motherboard? Are you getting any signs of life like any small LEDs on the board? Try booting with just the CPU/cooler and one stick of RAM in. Also try jumping the pins that the power button is tied into with a screw driver. Also try [URL="http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-power-up-an-ATX-Power-Supply-without-a-PC/"]bridging the PSU[/URL] to make sure it turns on properly. Could you post your full build that you ordered?[/QUOTE] The 8 pin and 24 pin connectors are plugged in, there's also an orange light when I flick the psu switch. I'll take out the graphics card and some ram and try that. My build is this: Intel Core I5-6600 ASUS Trooper B150 D3 16GB Kit G.Skill PC3-12800U GTX 970 XFX PRO550W Core Edition Full Wired Power Supply Samsung DVD Drive Western Digital Blue 3TB TP-Link TL-WN781N NZXT Source 210 Elite Mid Tower [editline]14th November 2015[/editline] The orange light is constant when I turn the PSU on.
Got your case's power button connectors plugged in correctly? I know I've screwed those up a few times. They're so tiny, and hard to manage.
[QUOTE=woolio1;49114306]Got your case's power button connectors plugged in correctly? I know I've screwed those up a few times. They're so tiny, and hard to manage.[/QUOTE] I'm pretty sure I have. Though the audio connector was longer than the motherboard said, maybe I connected something I shouldn't have. Also, I removed the gpu, 1 stick of ram, the network card, and disconnected both drives. Still an orange light and no post.
[QUOTE=Janus Vesta;49114350]I'm pretty sure I have. Though the audio connector was longer than the motherboard said, maybe I connected something I shouldn't have. Also, I removed the gpu, 1 stick of ram, the network card, and disconnected both drives. Still an orange light and no post.[/QUOTE] Does the PSU look like it tries at all?
[QUOTE=Levelog;49114381]Does the PSU look like it tries at all?[/QUOTE] The fan in the psu doesn't seem to move.
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