• PC Building Thread
    4,998 replies, posted
So I tried installing Bitdefender. After two bluescreens I found out its completely incompatible with ASUS AI Suite. Fuck that.
Hey guys! I'm about to build my first PC, and could use some help with selecting parts and all that. I'm looking to assemble a rig for playing the occasional game at 1080p, doing photo work and general studies use (MATLAB, programming, simulations etc.). Being a student I live in a fairly tight space so my PC lives firmly on the floor under my desk. I don't want or need any windows or LED strips or anything like that. I'm kind of split between "I'm not going to be seeing it much after assembling so internal looks don't matter" and "Holy shit these things are so tacky I actually refuse to buy them", but I would prefer to have relatively clean looking parts if possible. I think. I've opted for a white Fractal Define R5 case, just because it looks nice and seems pretty roomy. For a CPU I'm really stumped. I want to be able to upgrade this computer relatively hassle-free later on, so it's going to have to be compatible with a chipset and socket type that's going to stick around for a while. I'm currently looking at an Intel Core i5 6400, because it fits an LGA 1151 socket which I read is replacing the LGA 1150 standard. Is this a bad idea? Because I want an LGA 1151 socket and also SLI, I'm currently looking at an MSI Z170A Krait Gaming just because it's on sale on the webstore I'm using so it's the cheapest one available. I actually think it looks pretty bad with the plasticy bits and text and all that on there, but not bad enough that I won't buy it on sale. If I can't make up my mind before the sale ends I'm going with an ASUS Z170-A instead. For storage I'm hoping to salvage my 1 TB HDD from my current computer, and buy a 250 GB SSD, probably Kingston, to have as a boot drive. I'll also be trying to salvage the disc drive from there, because why not. My GPU is a GTX 970 that I already bought. I couldn't make it work with my current computer without replacing so many things that I decided I might as well just build a whole new computer instead of trying to upgrade this old, prebuilt thing. The 970 is also the reason why I want SLI, so I can buy a second one relatively cheap if I decide I want to upgrade and go 4K in a few years. Looking at this in a few calculators tells me I'm going to need like 500 watts, so I've arranged to buy a 750W PSU used from a friend who knows his shit. And finally I'm going to have to buy new RAM since the motherboard I'm looking at only takes DDR4 memory. I'm probably going with 8 GB, unless someone can show me that's a terrible move. So do you guys think I'm fucking myself sideways here, or is this going to be alright?
Don't get a Kingston, get a decent drive like a Samsung 850 EVO or Crucial MX200.
[QUOTE=Levelog;49551274]Don't get a Kingston, get a decent drive like a Samsung 850 EVO or Crucial MX200.[/QUOTE] What he said and either you grab i5 6600k and match it with the asus mobo, which I have, great mobo so far. or grab a different mobo, no point giving a OC mobo to a locked cpu.
OH, I hadn't thought of that! I'm not looking to tinker so much, and most definitely not overclocking yet. That motherboard is just the cheapest with that chipset and SLI support that I could find. Should I be looking at a different Skylake compatible chipset? I'm thinking overclocking support is an okay feature to have just so I have the opportunity to try it out at a later time. I'd like this motherboard to have some space for me to grow in, as I'd rather incrementally upgrade the components on it than completely rebuild every few years. If I get this motherboard, I can do SLI-ed 970s and/or an overclockable CPU if I wish to upgrade later on and that's a fairly important point to me. I'll take my savings from buying a used PSU and put them into a nicer SSD! Are there any benefits other than lifespan to this?
You're not going to find a non Z series board with SLI really, so go with the MSI. The benefits are that Kingston pulled a pretty big bait and switch with their SSD's and they really don't have SSD like performance. The Samsung 850 EVO and the Crucial MX200 are the top two consumer drives in performance and reliability, but they really aren't much more than the Kingston.
By the time you want to play in 4K, the newest games that come out will be too demanding in 4K for two 970s. Especially considering they're 970s, and the VRAM issue is still an issue. Would suggest sticking with a single card, upgrading as you go. Use the money you save for a bigger and better one, and you have the bonus of being able to sell the card as you go.
IMO stick with 1080 or 1440p until 4k becomes mainstream and graphics cards become powerful enough to handle 4k and above with a single gpu.
[QUOTE=redBadger;49552823]IMO stick with 1080 or 1440p until 4k becomes mainstream and graphics cards become powerful enough to handle 4k and above with a single gpu.[/QUOTE] Id actually recommend the opposite. Get a 4k monitor, it looks just as good set at 1440p and 1080p at the same size would. And if you're interested in a new monitor itll be better to get the 4k one now than a 1440p one and a 4k one later.
[QUOTE=TheDestroyerOfall;49552903]Id actually recommend the opposite. Get a 4k monitor, it looks just as good set at 1440p and 1080p at the same size would. And if you're interested in a new monitor itll be better to get the 4k one now than a 1440p one and a 4k one later.[/QUOTE] Actually it doesn't, scaling isn't perfect, even at 1080p. Most monitors don't have nearest neighbor scaling.
[QUOTE=Levelog;49552911]Actually it doesn't, scaling isn't perfect, even at 1080p. Most monitors don't have nearest neighbor scaling.[/QUOTE] My asus 4k 27in looks actually better than a similar size 1080p at 1080p. Most people i know agree with that, and ive read on a lot of other forums, (trubritars while it was still up, toms hardware and even andantech) of the same sentiment. The picture is by no means fuzzy but the dpi makes up for the decreased resolution. [editline]18th January 2016[/editline] Its also the case of 1080p scaling perfectly with 4k like 720p does for 1440p. They look similar, the same or even better dependant on the screen and manufacturer.
Updated builds in OP
I'm split between an i7-5820k or an i7-6700k... Any suggestions? (or wait until Kaby Lake for Optane support? [Do others have Optane support?])
[QUOTE=Revenge282;49558740]I'm split between an i7-5820k or an i7-6700k... Any suggestions? (or wait until Kaby Lake for Optane support? [Do others have Optane support?])[/QUOTE] For what uses?
I'm getting close to building (just waiting on a few things to arrive this week, Saturday is the build day) and have a question about testing. I watched the NewEgg building videos in the OP and I noticed they did a out-of-case power test (motherboard, PSU, CPU, graphics card) just to make sure nothing is DOA. It'd be fine to test those one night and then just pack them up until the weekend, right? As far as I could tell it was just plugging things into slots that they can be easily removed from. Apart from the CPU, which I assume is okay to leave in the motherboard? And I don't need the CPU fan in place just for the test, do I? I'd just like to make sure everything's good before it's Saturday and I have to wait until next week to mail it back.
You do need the CPU fan in place for the test. Just leave the fan/heatsink and CPU on the mobo after the test.
This is the first time I'm getting a replacement PSU for myself, I'm trying to replace what looks like a Chinese PSU which I never bought originally. The card on this PC, a Radeon HD 4850 is dying, and I'm going to move my GTX 650 Ti on this computer instead, this current PSU goes up to 550W, I stumbled upon this and it doesn't look too bad, and it also ships here in Romania. [url]http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00FG9FWF8[/url] I'd like to get this as a replacement for my main computer. Are there better alternatives? It looks great to me but I might be wrong though, this is only the second time I ever picked a GPU myself but I've been happy with my 650, it has served me really well. [url]http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B013P2OVO0[/url] If I need to post more infos I'll do that. I'm sorry if my post might be too vague.
Try to find any SuperFlower, Seasonic, Antec HGC/Green/EarthWatts, or EVGA GS/G2 for cheaper. That Corsair is fine, just a bit pricey.
[QUOTE=Levelog;49561441]Try to find any SuperFlower, Seasonic, Antec HGC/Green/EarthWatts, or EVGA GS/G2 for cheaper. That Corsair is fine, just a bit pricey.[/QUOTE] I might have to stick with Corsair if I'm going to buy from Amazon seeing as so far they are the only ones who can consistently deliver all the products they sell. I found these but, they have pretty much the same prices. [url]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Antec-True-Power-650W-Supply/dp/B00HGFYGOS/[/url] [url]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seasonic-M12-II-Bronze-Certified-Modular/[/url] Also is this data correct? Am I actually getting a 715W PSU? [t]http://i.imgur.com/GjK6W0E.png[/t]
You didn't get the whole link on the Seasonic one. If it's the same price, I'd get it. If it's any more money at all, don't.
[QUOTE=Levelog;49561519]You didn't get the whole link on the Seasonic one. If it's the same price, I'd get it. If it's any more money at all, don't.[/QUOTE] Oops, here. It's modular too so about the same. I'm not saving much at all though. [url]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Seasonic-M12-II-Bronze-Certified-Modular/dp/B00HHH8AA6/[/url] Nevermind, I'm saving a shitload.
I would get the Seasonic personally. [editline]18th January 2016[/editline] Just whichever is cheaper between those two models.
[QUOTE=Levelog;49561532]I would get the Seasonic personally.[/QUOTE] From £235.57 to £177.92 (with that videocard I posted), so that's pretty good. Seasonic it is. Is the videocard okay too? I'd buy you a game but I only have 5$ on my Paypal, I rarely get to buy replacement parts too, I'll make it up to you one day I suppose when I'll have a job, I'll have to note that somewhere, I'll see if I can get you something though :v:
[QUOTE=RaTcHeT302;49561541]From £235.57 to £177.92 (with that videocard I posted), so that's pretty good. Seasonic it is. Is the videocard okay too?[/QUOTE] I'd recommend an MSI or an EVGA over a Zotac but if it's going to be much more expensive go ahead and grab the Zotac.
[QUOTE=Levelog;49561551]I'd recommend an MSI or an EVGA over a Zotac but if it's going to be much more expensive go ahead and grab the Zotac.[/QUOTE] MSI and EVGA all seem to deliver here in Romania, the prices are also about the same, I'm not sure what to pick though. I found these so far, but there's so many EVGA ones to pick from and I have no idea, they all look the same to me. Apparently they can go up to 350W though, I only have a 650W PSU on my main computer right now, so no overclocked stuff. [url]http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0144YGBMI[/url] [url]http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B013SUP76U[/url] This looks like the better one, I may have missed a bunch other cards though, I'll look again. MSI all ship here so that's cool. [url]http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B013SUP76U[/url] I'd love to get this one but it looks like it might be a bit too long, which sucks. Edit: Oh, nevermind, MSI only ships in Romania.
I'd go with the longer MSI. A 650w PSU is more than enough for any single GPU system. You could run a fucking Titan X off a half decent 650w.
[QUOTE=Levelog;49561619]I'd go with the longer MSI. A 650w PSU is more than enough for any single GPU system. You could run a fucking Titan X off a half decent 650w.[/QUOTE] I'd love to but it looks like a small piece from the motherboard might be slightly in the way, I'll try to take a photo, maybe when I'll order the card itself it won't be a problem though. [editline]19th January 2016[/editline] Actually there might be enough space in between the card so I guess it really doesn't matter, I'm probably just being stupid about it but I really cannot afford to ruin this seeing as if I break anything I'll never be able to replace it :v: Nevermind, time to order them.
Should I get the build as it is with the 980 Ti or get a cheaper card and upgrade when Pascal comes around? My current build is about 5 years old and still somewhat able to hold its own with a Radeon 6970 and Phenom X6 1100T, and I'd like to hand it down to my siblings so we can actually play together. [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mMhNK8]PCPartPicker part list[/url] / [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mMhNK8/by_merchant/]Price breakdown by merchant[/url] [b]CPU:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54690k]Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor[/url] ($227.99 @ SuperBiiz) [b]CPU Cooler:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2]Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler[/url] ($24.88 @ OutletPC) [b]Motherboard:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-h97mpro4]ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard[/url] ($62.98 @ Newegg) [b]Memory:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f31600c9d8gab]G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory[/url] ($29.99 @ Newegg) [b]Memory:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f31866c10d16gsr]G.Skill Sniper Gaming Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory[/url] ($63.99 @ Newegg) [b]Storage:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-internal-hard-drive-sv300s37a240g]Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive[/url] ($69.89 @ OutletPC) [b]Storage:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st2000dm001]Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive[/url] ($65.88 @ OutletPC) [b]Video Card:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-gtx980tigaming6g]MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card[/url] ($649.99 @ B&H) [b]Case:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcadefr5bk]Fractal Design Define R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case[/url] ($79.99 @ Newegg) [b]Power Supply:[/b] [url=http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cx600m]Corsair CX 600W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply[/url] ($47.98 @ Newegg) [b]Total:[/b] $1323.56 [i]Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available[/i] [i]Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-19 00:17 EST-0500[/i]
Did anyone ever use these? I'm wondering if they would help a little bit with things like the Unreal Engine 4, Visual Studio, Photoshop and stuff like that. [url]http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0079NRZHC[/url] I'm wondering if I could actually install them, my current motherboard doesn't seem to be able to support them, I've read somewhere that I could underclock them but is that worth it? They are most likely incompatible though so I'm not sure if I'll bother. [url]https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/P5QC/[/url]
[QUOTE=RaTcHeT302;49562520]Did anyone ever use these? I'm wondering if they would help a little bit with things like the Unreal Engine 4, Visual Studio, Photoshop and stuff like that. [url]http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0079NRZHC[/url] [/QUOTE] What use 1600 RAM? The general consensus is that the speed of your RAM means nothing for game performance, and only a little in the performance of VS and Photoshop etc. If the rest of your parts are top notch. Seeing that you are on an old LGA775 motherboard, you will notice no difference at all in anything.
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