PC Build Advice/Review Thread

[Kalmado]

Depends on how fast you want to buy parts, but you can do a lot better on prices. I don't have much time this morning, but below are some tweaks that would save you around $55. The 760 will go on sale and you should be able to snag one after rebates for around $225. Also, 600w 80+Bronze psu do go on sale after rebates for around $35. I have a Antec 620 Neo Eco (made by Seasonic) and it's solid. Got it for $30 after rebates.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2ZKPG

[Squah]

lol, the setup i edited in yesterday was $820~ when I went to bed, and its $870 now. Guess I didn't notice the sales/rebates ending. Also, I just noticed that the case doesn't have front panel USB ports while the motherboard has an onboard header.

edit: Thermaltake Chaser A31 ATX Mid Tower Case works and looks nifty with good reviews. Opinions?

[Siya]

Been a while since this thread had a post but don't feel like making a new thread. Upgrading my CPU soon and want some suggestions. So far I'm set on:

Have:
EVGA 680 4gb

Upgrade:
i5-4670k (I have a Hyper 212 EVO to use, if it's not enough I will replace)
Asus Maximus VI Hero

Looking at RAM I came across 1866 8GB RAM but open to suggestions. Also looking for a new PSU, hopefully modular but w.e for a lower price.


Edit: Also want an SSD, don't know much about them. http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-240GB-.../dp/B00BQ8RM1A sale seems nice.

[achira]

I'm wondering if it's time to revamp my computer or if there are small changes I can make to get a bit more out of what I already have.

I'm currently using a Pentium(R) Dual-Core CPU E5200 @ 2.50GHz Processor with 4GB Ram, a 500GB hard drive & NVIDIA GeForce GT 640 Graphics Card. (Other misc:I use two monitors, a G710+ keyboard and my ethernet connection is wired).

I'm usually running a couple of instances of FFXI, Visual Studio, a chat program and Chrome. I keep things updated and organized, and move media (images etc) to external drives when possible.

It's not that it's incapable, it just gives me lag at times times & I am wondering: is this the best I'll get out of this particular system? If so, then I suppose an upgrade to my motherboard and processor is next. If not, does anyone have any advice for changes I could make to help it be a little better?

TIA! ^_^

Does anyone have any advice?

[falseliberty]

Soooo my M/B took a dive last week , Can someone recommend a decent CPU and M/B combo on the dirt cheap, money is kinda tight atm.
I'm looking at the new I5 haswell, is that a better deal than the ivy bridge I5 that runs at lower watts? I won't be overclocking.

Also would I be able to reuse this cpu fan?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835186134

Thx in advance for any help

[Silenka]

Looking for a laptop for XIV, something that will ideally play the game well and around $500.
It doesn't need to have a lot of bells and whistles, just be sturdy and affordable. No touch screen or anything. I know next to nothing about laptops because I've used desktops all my life so I don't even really know where to start with this. I've been recommended older ASUS products but I'd prefer to buy new from a retail place. Any suggestions? Thanks.

[Ayn]

Hello all:

I'm needing to rebuild my system (or at least parts of it).

I already have a case that recently had fans replaced (NZXT tempest) so that's fine. My friend came up with these options for me:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3wA5f

as well as:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3wD8V (said "future proof for at least 5 years, minus the GPU")

Another friend also linked this processor:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819113284

The components I am changing out:

Motherboard
Processor
RAM
(Potentially) Video card. (already has a Radeon 6850 in there; yes, I could probably upgrade)
Optical Drive

I already have a new SSD in the system and another HD.

I don't play a lot of FPS games, so really I want something that runs FFXIV well and other MMOs, the standard fare of games I'd play on the PC (a lot of Dragon Age / Witcher / etc. type games).

Any thoughts? I was thinking of going with an intel set, but the friend recommended that one. The last PC I built (even with my newbie mistakes) lasted 6 years while only needing the vid card and PSU swapped out (the PSU failure happened after upgrading the vid card, so yeah). Probably would have lasted longer if I hadn't been an idiot and tried a minor overclock, but it was overdue for an upgrade anyway.

Any and all advice, whether PMed or posted here would help.

[Jojimbo]

Spending that much on an LGA 1150 isn't a good idea, especially if you are just going pair it with a GTX 760 and a 212 EVO cooler.

Something like http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3xagv has a much faster GPU and you'll get the same performance out of that MB as the $300 Asus. However if you don't want to OC then you can ditch the cooler, get an even cheaper MB and a locked CPU.

[Ayn]

Thank you very much.

We consulted again and we ended up going for a cheaper Gigabyte Motherboard found here: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyt...oard-gaz87xd3h

I may end up OCing down the line after giving it some thought.

Again, thanks a ton. I'd have taken your advice on the vid card, but I ended up ordering that today (since I'd just sit and overanalyze everything if I waited too long).

[Ayn]

All the PC parts are in, but I'm realizing that I may need to eventually upgrade my monitor.

I currently have a 20 inch samsung LCD from.. 8 years ago or so? It's lasted fine, and will probably continue to last, but does anyone have any suggestions?

Thinking something in the 23 inch range, as a 27 inch would feel massive on my desk, but I'm not completely closing off the possibility.

[Kalmado]

I recently got a 23" AOC IPS 1080p for I want to say $90 after coupons and what not through Staples. I really like it coming from a 19" HP lcd. Before getting the IPS I bought a standard LED and I returned it after one day. Love the IPS.

[Ayn]

..And after seeing a 27 inch in store, maybe it's not allt hat bad.

I was looking at this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824236313

But since I don't play a ton of FPS titles, I'm wondering if I'd even benefit.

The AOC is a good one, sorry to be pesky about this, but if anyone could give a list of decent ones, I'd be happy. Not looking to go above $300 if I can help it.

[Vandole]

I personally have a 27 inch asus monitor for gaming and a 25 inch AOC monitor for extra stuff. My Asus monitor has truly vibrant colors and is 3 years old, my aoc monitor has a blue hue and is about 8 months old. one is clearly better quality than the other when you look at it.


Asus is typically noted as the least possible lag you can get in a monitor, so...

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B17C5KO/?tag=dislag-20 is also the highest rated monitor on displaylag.com

[jinkazama]

..And after seeing a 27 inch in store, maybe it's not allt hat bad.

I was looking at this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16824236313

This is the one I have and it is amazing, even for every day use. I mainly play league and hearthstone, very little FPS usage.

[Ayn]

Ended up going with that one.

But been so damn busy haven't had time to set things up really. Had to do a ton of cleaning anyway.

[Plow]

not sure if this is the right place for this or not, but whatever

Is there a better deal for a solid just above low-end gaming laptop than this out there?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16834152406

core i7 4700mq (haswell)
8g ddr3 1600mhz
shitty hard drive
geforce gtx 765m w/2g gddr5
$920 after rebate


Has 2 msata slots, so I'll probably toss in a couple 128gig ssd's in raid. I'll also probably add another 8 gigs of ram.


I'd really like to get a 17", but it doesn't look like there's anything with that kind of specs in a 17" anywhere close to that price range. The same model in 17 is ~$1250. I'm not all that concerned about the size anyway, though.


Anyway, yeah. Just wanting to get a second opinion (or 3rd or 4th etc), I can't seem to find anything competitive. I'm not as informed on the topic as I'd like to be these days, though.

[Krandor]

Unless MSI has changed their design on the 15" models, the CPU/GPU share a heatpipe and as a result the laptop can get hot as fuck while gaming. I'd probably look around and see if that's still the case, assuming it's an issue to you.

I had one about 2 years ago that I couldn't set on my lap without a cooler, it was always sitting in the 90°c range if I using it for gaming.

[Plow]

I've done a bit of looking around at that, it sounds like it may have a bit of an issue with it. It does now come with a "coolermax" or some such feature, which is apparently a button you can press to set all the fans to 100%, in exchange for obviously making it really loud.

That said, I'm not particularly averse to using it with a cooling pad on my lap, been doing that with my old one for a couple years anyway heh.

[Kachiko]

So, my computer has been freezing, and only during games, and researching the DMP files indicates the video card is going bad. I don't really have the funds to do a full upgrade, so I"m looking for a video card that can replace my GTX 470 and get the same/better performance. Is it still the GTX 670 or is there something else I should look at, considering my rig:

OS - Windows 7 64x
MB - Asus P7P55D-E LX
CPU - Intel i5 750 2.67 (4cpu)
Memory - 12 gigs
HD - Non-SSD

[Outlaw]

I just built a new system. I got everything up and running this week and have windows installed, all necessary programs, etc. One thing has me concerned though. The CPU idle temps seem a little high. It's a 3570k with a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo heat sink. I saw it first in the BIOS and the average tempurature was around 40C. I downloaded CPUID and it lists the individual temps for each core and they all read around 31-34C. It also shows the 40 though. I'm not sure which to go by. I read somewhere that with the 212 idle temp should be around 25C. I haven't run any stress tests on it yet cause I'm afriad too. Any advice would be welcome. This is my first time having a higher end processor so I'm trying to be really careful.