• PC Building Thread
    4,998 replies, posted
Parts despatched. Looking forward to building my own PC for the first time tomorrow. :excited: Already installed components before and fiddled about inside, but never done the whole thing from scratch before. [editline]5th January 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Mabus;49454605]Quick question, do most modern pc's come with WiFi built in or do you have to buy an adapter? I've been using a laptop for so long I've not kept up-to-date with that kind of stuff.[/QUOTE] Since no-one answered your question, depends on the motherboard. Some have 'WiFi' models with built in WiFi. Alternatively just buy a PCI-E card for £20/£30 (often better performance, saves a USB slot) or a USB wireless adapter for less.
[QUOTE=~Kiwi~v2;49456168]Nah there are features that some other boards do better then other boards. That being said avoid Asrock unless you're that much of a cheap bastard.[/QUOTE] Asrock is great, they even held the top for a while with their z77 extreme 4 series. The only real difference between mobo’s these days is the audio quality, ports, m.2 slots and amount of CPU power phases.
[QUOTE=benbb;49459587]Parts despatched. Looking forward to building my own PC for the first time tomorrow. :excited: Already installed components before and fiddled about inside, but never done the whole thing from scratch before. [editline]5th January 2016[/editline] Since no-one answered your question, depends on the motherboard. Some have 'WiFi' models with built in WiFi. Alternatively just buy a PCI-E card for £20/£30 (often better performance, saves a USB slot) or a USB wireless adapter for less.[/QUOTE] Thanks man, I'd say I'll have to add one of those cards to the list.
[QUOTE=~Kiwi~v2;49456168]Nah there are features that some other boards do better then other boards. That being said avoid Asrock unless you're that much of a cheap bastard.[/QUOTE] What? They used to be a division of ASUS. In the X99 category their Extreme6 motherboard beats most twice its price, it can quite happily laugh down the ASUS branded ones. More expensive most certainly doesn't mean better
I'm trying to help my friend with his first build. He's using CyberPower because he doesn't feel comfortable building a computer (he gets nervous). I would offer to build it for him, but I now live 10 hours away due to work. He wants the PC to be able to handle VR like a boss, but has a budget of about $2200, but would like to get it under $2000. I'm gonna get him to put a 980Ti in it, but I'm not sure if I should use a Skylake or a Haswell. Would it be worth it to use a i5-6600K over something like an i7-4790K?
[QUOTE=Silence I Kill You;49460209]I'm trying to help my friend with his first build. He's using CyberPower because he doesn't feel comfortable building a computer (he gets nervous). I would offer to build it for him, but I now live 10 hours away due to work. He wants the PC to be able to handle VR like a boss, but has a budget of about $2200, but would like to get it under $2000. I'm gonna get him to put a 980Ti in it, but I'm not sure if I should use a Skylake or a Haswell. Would it be worth it to use a i5-6600K over something like an i7-4790K?[/QUOTE] 4790K is better
[QUOTE=Sand Castle;49460224]4790K is better[/QUOTE] Could I go down to a Haswell i5 and still be good enough for VR?
[QUOTE=Silence I Kill You;49460209]I'm trying to help my friend with his first build. He's using CyberPower because he doesn't feel comfortable building a computer (he gets nervous). I would offer to build it for him, but I now live 10 hours away due to work. He wants the PC to be able to handle VR like a boss, but has a budget of about $2200, but would like to get it under $2000. I'm gonna get him to put a 980Ti in it, but I'm not sure if I should use a Skylake or a Haswell. Would it be worth it to use a i5-6600K over something like an i7-4790K?[/QUOTE] Even something like the 980 will be able to run the rift. It's gunning for the 970 mark as is. It needs only about 50% more processing power than is needed to drive a 1080p monitor. If he's not doing anything but gaming, then the 4690K is a better choice. VR and most games don't take advantage of hyperthreading
I'm having a bit of difficulty determining what means what when looking for the right processor. What specifications should I look at when choosing the processor? The only thing I know is that GHz determines the speed of the processor.
So I just got some of the PC parts and am at a bit of a loss here. Is it possible to purchase another SSD and not run it in a RAID configuration? I'm trying to figure out how to do an HDD + SSD setup but with 2 of the same SSDs instead.
[QUOTE=nerdster409;49460419]I'm having a bit of difficulty determining what means what when looking for the right processor. What specifications should I look at when choosing the processor? The only thing I know is that GHz determines the speed of the processor.[/QUOTE] Clockspeed hasn't really meant anything helpful for a long time. [t]http://i.imgur.com/k4C32F8.png[/t] My 2600k at 4.0 GHz doesn't do as well as a 6700k at 4.0 GHz. Parity on clock rates for AMD CPUs is even further off as an Intel processor does more per clock than an AMD processor does. Generally AMD processors aren't worth while for low end gaming or at all mid-high (gaming or not) end (this may change with Zen - hopefully it does, Intel hasn't done much for years). Intel processors have higher single thread performance than AMD which is what games need. If you are only doing games then i3/i5 is best (depending on budget). i7 is only worth it if you do a lot of heavy multithreaded use like video editing, modelling, or streaming (about a 15-20% increase over i5 of same clock speed if it can use all 8 threads). k versions of Intel CPUs can be overclocked, non k can't (or not much I don't remember?). Non k Skylake processors can be overclocked in some motherboards but since Intel put higher binned silicon into the k versions it won't be as stable at higher clocks. Skylake (i3/5/7-6XXX) and DDR4 isn't really worth the price increase at this point. [QUOTE=Kagu;49460489]So I just got some of the PC parts and am at a bit of a loss here. Is it possible to purchase another SSD and not run it in a RAID configuration? I'm trying to figure out how to do an HDD + SSD setup but with 2 of the same SSDs instead.[/QUOTE] RAID isn't something that automatically happens. If you don't want RAID just don't turn it on.
[QUOTE=helifreak;49460531]RAID isn't something that automatically happens. If you don't want RAID just don't turn it on.[/QUOTE] Got it, I'll just install the second SSD as if it were the first one then. Thanks, I read somewhere about storage loss but guess that was just a dumb response.
[QUOTE=Mabus;49459946]Thanks man, I'd say I'll have to add one of those cards to the list.[/QUOTE] I'd definitely recommend TP-Link cards. Any with Atheros chipsets seem to play nice with Windows, Linux and OSX. Avoid Realtek WiFi chips like the plague.
[QUOTE=helifreak;49460531] My 2600k at 4.0 GHz doesn't do as well as a 6700k at 4.0 GHz. Parity on clock rates for AMD CPUs is even further off as an Intel processor does more per clock than an AMD processor does. Generally AMD processors aren't worth while for low end gaming or at all mid-high (gaming or not) end (this may change with Zen - hopefully it does, Intel hasn't done much for years). Intel processors have higher single thread performance than AMD which is what games need. If you are only doing games then i3/i5 is best (depending on budget). i7 is only worth it if you do a lot of heavy multithreaded use like video editing, modelling, or streaming (about a 15-20% increase over i5 of same clock speed if it can use all 8 threads). k versions of Intel CPUs can be overclocked, non k can't (or not much I don't remember?). Non k Skylake processors can be overclocked in some motherboards but since Intel put higher binned silicon into the k versions it won't be as stable at higher clocks. Skylake (i3/5/7-6XXX) and DDR4 isn't really worth the price increase at this point. [/QUOTE] What I got from this was not to get the i7 since I shouldn't worry about multithread performance. However, the only difference between the i3 and i5 that I see is the number of cores and price. Is there more to it? Also, these questions I have with processors also can apply to video cards. With a bunch of companies selling different kinds of video cards I wouldn't know where to begin except with the amount of memory it has.
[QUOTE=nerdster409;49460925]What I got from this was not to get the i7 since I shouldn't worry about multithread performance. However, the only difference between the i3 and i5 that I see is the number of cores and price. Is there more to it? Also, these questions I have with processors also can apply to video cards. With a bunch of companies selling different kinds of video cards I wouldn't know where to begin except with the amount of memory it has.[/QUOTE] I3 supports hyperthreading, much like the i7, which gives it a performance increase in multithreaded applications. Besides that most desktop I5s have quad cores, and i3s are dual cores. Its easier to take a top-down approach and compare hardware through benchmarks, preferably of the application you want to use your PC for.
So I'm gonna buy a new computer very soon, but I'm not quite sure how much I should spend. I want to be able to run all my favorite games well and preferably with relatively high graphic settings. I can spend about 1000 dollars right now, or wait two or three weeks and spend 1500. Kind of a dumb question but not sure if it's really worth the difference or I don't know
[QUOTE=Chaseymusica;49461902]So I'm gonna buy a new computer very soon, but I'm not quite sure how much I should spend. I want to be able to run all my favorite games well and preferably with relatively high graphic settings. I can spend about 1000 dollars right now, or wait two or three weeks and spend 1500. Kind of a dumb question but not sure if it's really worth the difference or I don't know[/QUOTE] Depends how desperate you are and if you're willing to pay that extra money. That 500 could really go the extra mile.
I want it within the next couple weeks, so I suppose I'm pretty desperate. I'm not really gonna use it for anything else other than just straight me playing games, so a high end i5 and like a 970 would do fine right? Admittedly, I'm new to this.
with 1500 you can get a good i7 and 980ti which would pretty much leave you set for a good while. You could play your cards a little differently though, maybe get an i5, 980 regular, and a 1440p monitor. What kind of games do you play the most and what do you see yourself using this computer for? Do you want it to just be a gaming machine or do you want some workstation abilities as well?
I already have a laptop for work and school that's just fine, so this would be for primarily me playing games and maybe streaming for fun. I also stream paintball/airsoft events to my friends through my GoPro so maybe supporting that as well but I already have the equipment. The games I play mainly are like DayZ, Arma 3, CSGO, and I'm looking to play some new games like Fallout and Witcher 3. I just want my games to look good and run well. I know DayZ and Arma are fickled fiends with optimization though
For arma/dayz/streaming you'll definitely want an i7. You can save money by getting haswell instead of skylake. The 4790k would be perfect and last you a good while. If you really want you can get skylake, since your budget is high.
ehh, may as well save that cash and put it toward a 980 Ti 6 GB of VRAM is probably going to hold up a lot better after Pascal happens
With a H100I top mounted is it better to have the fans as an intake or exhaust?
[QUOTE=Lexinator;49466097]With a H100I top mounted is it better to have the fans as an intake or exhaust?[/QUOTE] intake.
[QUOTE=Sand Castle;49462589]ehh, may as well save that cash and put it toward a 980 Ti 6 GB of VRAM is probably going to hold up a lot better after Pascal happens[/QUOTE] Or just get an AMD 390 (or 390X) with 8 gb VRAM for the same price. They already perform great, and are predicted to gain even more when DX12 and VR hit. [editline]6th January 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=nerdster409;49460925]What I got from this was not to get the i7 since I shouldn't worry about multithread performance. However, the only difference between the i3 and i5 that I see is the number of cores and price. Is there more to it? Also, these questions I have with processors also can apply to video cards. With a bunch of companies selling different kinds of video cards I wouldn't know where to begin except with the amount of memory it has.[/QUOTE] Well only AMD and NVIDIA make actual graphic core's. ( small 1x1 inch squares) For AMD the current GPU core lineup is named for example: (low to high performance): [B]r7-370, r9-380, r9-380x, r9-390x, r9-Fury[/B] For NVIDIA the current GPU CORE lineup is named for example: (low to high performance): [B]750TI, gtx960, gtx970, gtx980, Gtx980TI, Titan[/B] For a complete overview of all GPU's (including older ones) and how they match up to eachother you can see this resource: [URL]http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gpu-hierarchy,4388.html[/URL] Company's like ASUS, MSI, EVGA etc make the actual cards around these cores and the coolers. The performance is almost the same for all cards from the same series. (MSI r9-380 = EVGA r9-380). The difference is mainly in the cooling performance (noise/Overclocking), power distribution (Overclocking) and the warranty's. Some do also pre-overclock the card a bit and then ask more money for them. This is considered wasted money as you can do this yourself in 5 minutes. To see which GPU is for you you can just ask here or look at benchmarks like these: [URL]http://nl.hardware.info/reviews/6391/6/amd-radeon-r9-380x-review-volwaardige-tonga-benchmarks-battlefield-4[/URL] Currently we have a small problem that most benchmarks where done in Q2 2015 and AMD jacked up their performance via driver updates afterwards, so its a bit skewed. [B]All in all, Id say the current sweetspot gaming pc(800-1000$) has the following:[/B] Intel i5-6600k/4690K And a Z170/Z97 Motherboard to match. Hyper 212 CPU cooler. AMD r9-390 / Nvidia 970 8Gb RAM 450-600Watt good brand Power supply. 250GB Samsung or Crucial SSD 1TB harddrive.
i'm sure this has been asked about a billion times, but what the hell, i'm gonna ask anyway. so i've been running a GTX 750 ti, AMD Phenom II X4 955 ~3.2GHz, and a GTX 750ti (replaced a 6950) for a long time now, which is far from ideal. i get about 25-30 fps in most games on high/ultra settings. i've never actually played a game with high graphical fidelity at 60 fps. i want to change that. i'm looking to build a new rig as cheaply as possible that can run as many games as possible at a stable 60fps at 1080p. my budget is about $900 but i'd like to keep the price as low as possible. what parts/retailers do you recommend? i'd prefer to stick with nvidia cards as their driver software seems to be much, much better. i've heard a lot of horror stories about amd drivers, but i'm far from up to speed.
[QUOTE=grimascension;49466846] i'd prefer to stick with Nvidia cards as their driver software seems to be much, much better. i've heard a lot of horror stories about amd drivers, but i'm far from up to speed.[/QUOTE] These stories are years old. Overall driver screw-ups have gone down. But Nvidia and AMD are kinda on the same lvl now. No reason to pick one over the other. Also a 750Ti and the AMD 6950 are almost exactly on the same performance lvl, so I guess it wasn’t much of an upgrade? This is from the first page of this thread: [B]CPU:[/B] [URL="http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80662i56500"]Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor[/URL] ($194.99 @ Amazon) [B]Motherboard:[/B] [URL="http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-b150pcmate"]MSI B150 PC Mate ATX LGA1151 Motherboard[/URL] ($82.99 @ SuperBiiz) [B]Memory:[/B] [URL="http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f42400c15d8gvr"]G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory[/URL] ($46.99 @ Newegg) [B]Storage:[/B] [URL="http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz75e120bam"]Samsung 850 EVO-Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive[/URL] ($62.39 @ Amazon) [B]Storage:[/B] [URL="http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st1000dm003"]Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive[/URL] ($44.89 @ OutletPC) [B]Video Card:[/B] [URL="http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-r9380p4df5"]XFX Radeon R9 380 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card[/URL] ($209.99 @ Amazon) [B]Case:[/B] [URL="http://pcpartpicker.com/part/nzxt-case-s210e002"]NZXT Source 210 Elite (White) ATX Mid Tower Case[/URL] ($42.99 @ Directron) [B]Power Supply:[/B] [URL="http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seasonic-power-supply-s12ii520bronze"]SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply[/URL] ($53.99 @ SuperBiiz) [B]Total:[/B] $739.22 Its still very relevant, but you could upgrade the GPU to an AMD390 or Nvidia 970 if you really want to play everything on ultra.
You say driver screw-ups are mostly gone, but Just Cause 3 had a major issue (still does, I believe) where people using AMD cards just get terrible hangups and stuttering. There are still games that do not behave well with AMD, we shouldn't downplay that.
Am I right when I think that a AMD GPU works with an Intel motherboard? Also, are AMD GPUs any good?
Yes and ehhhh. I don't like them, personally, but they do have better DirectX 12 compatibility than most Nvidia GPUs. Of course, there are the issues they have in specific games, which do very much exist. But if you're looking for raw horsepower, 4k gaming, 3+ monitor configurations, or lots of VRAM, AMD puts out some pretty solid cards for that.
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