PC Build Advice/Review Thread

[Headspace]

I don't know much, but I wouldn't assume so. Most do SSD for the speed to boot OS and such, but if you're not getting that then I don't think so.

Question:

I have a large case (Fractal Design R4), what can I get to make sure it's not sitting on my carpet?

[Aylee]

any suggestions that will run ff14 on max, spending as little as possible (monitor/mouse/keyboard not needed)

[jmc]

Upgrading my desktop I built awhile ago....

Has: i5 2500k
8gb DDR3
MSI P67 Board
Evga Nvidia 560 TI (448 Cores)

The only change I was going to make would be adding a 2nd 560 TI which I could get for around $200. I'm wondering if it would be worth it to run SLI cards, or should I just put the money towards a newer card?

[Adajer]

Get a 760

[Oreth]

So currently have a Saphire HD7970 3GB Vapor-X Ghz edition card. Thing is driving me nuts in FFXIV with stuttering and not running great! Also I find the fans can get a bit loud.

Decided to bite the bullet and order a Gigabyte Nvidia GTX 770 OC 4GB DDR5 Had a quick look and it seems to be on par or slightly above the HD7970 GHz card.. Please someone tell me i wont be dissapointed? Been AMD for the better part of the last 8 years!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...scrollFullInfo

[Adajer]

Welcome to team green.

4GB is overkill for 1080p

[Oreth]

Welcome to team green.

4GB is overkill for 1080p

Thanks! Hope it runs well... Any current problems with drivers with FFXIV or a certain driver set i should be on?

Im running 2560 x 1440p @ 120Mhz and felt the 2GB would be slightly lacking? So figured id pay the bit more for the 4GB,

[BaneTheBrawler]

Do server cases have the same scale/size as normal pc cases? I have an idea for something fun I could do with my next computer if I have it in a rack-mountable case, but it's going to be expensive. So I'd like to start with just the case, which i'll be building my new pc in, and then build the rest piece by piece later on. Of course, all of this hinges on the cases actually being compatible with normal PC parts.

[sleepness]

I have a 780. FFXIV seems to be CPU bound at that resolution, as I've turned down some things but can't seem to raise my FPS above 80 steady or so.

[Caiyuo]

So currently have a Saphire HD7970 3GB Vapor-X Ghz edition card. Thing is driving me nuts in FFXIV with stuttering and not running great! Also I find the fans can get a bit loud.

Decided to bite the bullet and order a Gigabyte Nvidia GTX 770 OC 4GB DDR5 Had a quick look and it seems to be on par or slightly above the HD7970 GHz card.. Please someone tell me i wont be dissapointed? Been AMD for the better part of the last 8 years!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...scrollFullInfo

There was a thread about how the AMD drivers weren't great and people were testing out beta drivers and other ways to get around the stuttering, not sure if it's entirely solved yet. http://www.bluegartr.com/threads/117...AE-Beta-Driver

Did you return your 7970 or just upgrade from it? It seems like the 770 is slightly better but they're both in the same ballpark, I wouldn't say it's at all worth the cost unless you traded up.

[Kalmado]

Thanks! Hope it runs well... Any current problems with drivers with FFXIV or a certain driver set i should be on?

Im running 2560 x 1440p @ 120Mhz and felt the 2GB would be slightly lacking? So figured id pay the bit more for the 4GB,

I've read in forums and what not there isn't a game out that uses above 1.5gb of vRAM. Not sure if true?

You can sell me that 7970 for $100 to help pay for your new 770

[Krandor]

Most modern games (well coded ones anyways) are designed to use around 1.9gb of VRAM at max settings on 1920x1080.

[Kalmado]

What controller is compatible with most games for pc? I've tried using my ps3 controller with the motionjoy program but it's very random and frustrating. The Logitech F310 looks like a great value around $18 shipped from Ebay. I'm not trying to spend $40+ on a 360 for windows controller. There are also the off brand $8 ones, but that seems like failure waiting to happen. A friend suggested just getting a wired 360 controller or even a wireless and the dongle. Suggestions?

Also, really thinking hard about dropping comcast internet. They mess up so much it's beyond frustrating. Right now, I have the 20mbps and am paying $52/m and that's with a $10 discount per month. Already ran through retention for a discount but they say I can't get anything more. I can get Uverse 6mbps for $20/m for 1yr contract, but gotta buy their modem for $50. My question is, will I really tell a difference with the speeds? I don't download much and don't do any online gaming, but do plan on using Hulu in the future and doing some online gaming. Will I regret the switch?

[Tenbroya]

What controller is compatible with most games for pc? I've tried using my ps3 controller with the motionjoy program but it's very random and frustrating. The Logitech F310 looks like a great value around $18 shipped from Ebay. I'm not trying to spend $40+ on a 360 for windows controller. There are also the off brand $8 ones, but that seems like failure waiting to happen. A friend suggested just getting a wired 360 controller or even a wireless and the dongle. Suggestions?

Also, really thinking hard about dropping comcast internet. They mess up so much it's beyond frustrating. Right now, I have the 20mbps and am paying $52/m and that's with a $10 discount per month. Already ran through retention for a discount but they say I can't get anything more. I can get Uverse 6mbps for $20/m for 1yr contract, but gotta buy their modem for $50. My question is, will I really tell a difference with the speeds? I don't download much and don't do any online gaming, but do plan on using Hulu in the future and doing some online gaming. Will I regret the switch?

IIRC you can just plug in the Xbox 360 controller and use it. I don't have a 360 but I have seen my friend do it and I'm pretty sure he doesn't run any 3rd party software to do it.

[Kalmado]

I just downloaded xpadder and mapped everything for a game w/out gamepad support and it works like a charm! Very excited. I'll pose the internet question in a thread as this isn't really the place for it.

[derethan]

What controller is compatible with most games for pc? I've tried using my ps3 controller with the motionjoy program but it's very random and frustrating. The Logitech F310 looks like a great value around $18 shipped from Ebay. I'm not trying to spend $40+ on a 360 for windows controller. There are also the off brand $8 ones, but that seems like failure waiting to happen. A friend suggested just getting a wired 360 controller or even a wireless and the dongle. Suggestions?

Also, really thinking hard about dropping comcast internet. They mess up so much it's beyond frustrating. Right now, I have the 20mbps and am paying $52/m and that's with a $10 discount per month. Already ran through retention for a discount but they say I can't get anything more. I can get Uverse 6mbps for $20/m for 1yr contract, but gotta buy their modem for $50. My question is, will I really tell a difference with the speeds? I don't download much and don't do any online gaming, but do plan on using Hulu in the future and doing some online gaming. Will I regret the switch?

There is a good chance you will notice some different if you change from 20 mbps down to 6 mbps. You will likely be able to get away with a single mmo, or other online game at a time without any noticeable difference however once you get into anything related to video streaming such as hulu or even you tube there is going to be a fairly big drop in you ability to stream at higher quality without those annoying buffer periods.

[Havok]

How do people usually go about picking out a case? I'm looking at http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-11352020-L07A on sale atm, but that's really just because I saw it on sale.

[Kalmado]

I used http://pcpartpicker.com/ to gauge pricing and newegg for pics/sales. I also would check Amazon since I have prime and I usually have gift cards or points to use there.

[Jojimbo]

By manufacture, specs, sizing and style, the case is what you'll be seeing most of the time so unless you are on a *really* tight budget then pick what looks good and does what you want it to. So stuff like airfilters, fan mounts (and included fans), interior layout and mounting mechanisms (i.e. are HDDs bolted straight to metal like in Antec cases or are they dampened like in my Xigmatek case or are they toolless and sideways like in Corsair cases), overall quality and so on.

The R4 is a good case though, but may run a bit hot as it's designed for silence/quietness over cooling.

[Kalmado]

I was going for value, looks, and what was reviewed to be a decent case. Ended up going with the NZXT M59. I like the jagged look to it as well as the smoked glass side panel. I had already purchased three Cooler Master 120mm fans and this case accommodated all with providing two stock fans. I was also looking at the Corsair 200R as it was on sale for $40 after mail in rebate, but chose the NZXT since it was the same price and I had a $5 gift card for Amazon, plus they allow you to use Citi credit card Thank You points. Ended up scoring the case for $14.

http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Series...words=nzxt+m59