PC Build Advice/Review Thread

[xElipsis]

Hey, I'm trying to figure out if my motherboard is compatible with a wireless card:

MB:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157236

Card1:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833704133

A tech friend of mine said that it wasn't compatible and suggested another card. His reasoning was:

Nah sorry man, the pci express x1 is used for your video card. The tiny slot at the bottom is pci express x16.

Suggested card2:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833704031


From looking at the pictures on Newegg, my graphics card is using the PCI Express 2.0 slot, which is the x16. Is he correct in the matter or did he misread?

Also, the PCI slot is kind of close to my graphics card. So I don't know if that will cause any issues.

I'd also like whichever gives me better speeds. I understand wireless is slower than direct connection, but my current situation calls for wireless.

Thanks.

[Jojimbo]

Have no idea wtf he is talking about, GPUs use x16 slots (the long ones), the bottom is x1 and should still work with a GPU in use (unless there's some weird quirk with this MB that makes it different to every other one).

[Caiyuo]

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.

For what it's worth that's one of my favorite cases and probably what I'd choose if I had to pick again. It gets reeeally good marks.

[Mojo]

Hey, I'm trying to figure out if my motherboard is compatible with a wireless card:

MB:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157236

Card1:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833704133

A tech friend of mine said that it wasn't compatible and suggested another card. His reasoning was:


Suggested card2:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16833704031


From looking at the pictures on Newegg, my graphics card is using the PCI Express 2.0 slot, which is the x16. Is he correct in the matter or did he misread?

Also, the PCI slot is kind of close to my graphics card. So I don't know if that will cause any issues.

I'd also like whichever gives me better speeds. I understand wireless is slower than direct connection, but my current situation calls for wireless.

Thanks.

Your friend is incorrect. The blue slot (where your card probably sits now) is for PCIe 2.0/1.0 devices up to 16 lanes. The small bottom white one is for PCI express 1.0 devices with up to 1 lane (the first suggested card will work.)

[xElipsis]

Ah, okay. I thought so. Thanks for the help. Just put in the order for the first card

[Athas]

So I stumbled into some extra money and I'm looking to build a new gaming PC.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...umber=22947732

This is what I'm looking at so far there were a few bits I'm looking for some feedback on though:

I was considering shelling out for a i7-4930K but I'm wondering first if it's worth the extra cost from the 4770K and second that I wouldn't be able to upgrade to Broadwell without buying a new board as well. I've also heard conflicting information on whether or not Hawsell can run ram at 1.65V.

I was also looking at this card, which seemed a good deal at a 33% off and I've generally used AMD myself but I've heard the drivers don't play well with XIV, which I was looking to try out at least (and the 8 free games promotion has ended as well).

I'm also not sure about the case, I was mainly interested in it because of the old LV10 and this doesn't cost $700, I dunno if anyone has any experience with it but can't decide if I'd be better off with something more boring but practical like HAFX/932 or Antec 1200.

I've also got this heatsink I picked up already from some time ago, it's compatible with LGA 1156 so it'll work on the 1150 right?

And of course any other advice would be welcome as well. Thanks in advance.

[Kalmado]

So I stumbled into some extra money and I'm looking to build a new gaming PC.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...umber=22947732

This is what I'm looking at so far there were a few bits I'm looking for some feedback on though:

I was considering shelling out for a i7-4930K but I'm wondering first if it's worth the extra cost from the 4770K and second that I wouldn't be able to upgrade to Broadwell without buying a new board as well. I've also heard conflicting information on whether or not Hawsell can run ram at 1.65V.

I was also looking at this card, which seemed a good deal at a 33% off and I've generally used AMD myself but I've heard the drivers don't play well with XIV, which I was looking to try out at least (and the 8 free games promotion has ended as well).

I'm also not sure about the case, I was mainly interested in it because of the old LV10 and this doesn't cost $700, I dunno if anyone has any experience with it but can't decide if I'd be better off with something more boring but practical like HAFX/932 or Antec 1200.

I've also got this heatsink I picked up already from some time ago, it's compatible with LGA 1156 so it'll work on the 1150 right?

And of course any other advice would be welcome as well. Thanks in advance.

I'm still learning, so I'm not criticizing, but isn't that a lot of money to spend without SLI'ing or having a blu ray player? Also, correct me if I'm wrong but if the machine is mainly used for gaming isn't I7 kind of pointless seeing as the majority of reports/reviews for I7 state it's for hyperthreading and does nothing extra for gaming?

[Athas]

Oh, I was thinking to SLI another card around Christmas or so which was why I went overkill on the PSU. As to the other bit, uh I dunno. Was just looking at benchmarks and figured higher numbers = more better, but I'll look into it a bit more.

[Kalmado]

A few reviews regarding I5 vs. I7. Some say it doesn't matter. Others say one is better than the other.
http://www.ocaholic.ch/modules/smart...d=1061&page=14
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/326220-28-gaming
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/11...3-better-games
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/I...arison/10.html

If you have a Microcenter near by you can save some money on your processor. I5-4670k before tax is $200 and the I7-4770k is $280 before tax. Regarding the video cards, Currently there isn't a game that utilizes above 3gb Vram. There have been articles stating Battlefield 4 will be the game to use the most, but I can't remember specifically how much. If you have the money to spend, then by all means get the card with the best specs! But if you are trying to be more budget oriented, an option to take would be using the savings from buying your cpu from Microcenter and/or saving $ from purchasing the I5 to SLI 670s 4gb(each) for as little as $600 if you don't mind brand. I'm waiting eagerly for price drops in October when the prices of AMD's R-series is released.

I'm finishing up my build currently and as I said earlier I'm learning as I go so I'm doing a lot of reading. I find trying to decipher what the "right" choice to make regarding pc parts is very difficult if you are on a tight budget such as myself. Something I learned while researching motherboards was with the Haswell chip it appears for overclocking purposes, a cheap board vs. an expensive board yields equal benchmarks. Again, that's strictly for overclocking purposes. While youtube is by no means a gold standard for info, it's pretty hard to argue this info.

[Jinn]

Hello friends, been a while since I've done this.

I originally started with this
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1Ja6M

Had a friend look at it and suggested
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1Jaed

Tweaked it some more and now I'm sitting at this.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1JaX6

Any suggestions on parts or where to go from there? I only play FFXIV:ARR at the moment and would love to run it on max settings. Budget is around $1600.

[Pharaun]

Since you can't overclock that cpu you should be able to drop the aftermarket cooler and stick with the stock intel fan and be fine.

[Jojimbo]

Why i7 and 16GB RAM if just for FFXIV? If just gaming then should get an i5 and 8GB RAM. HAF X is very expensive as well tbh, if you like the style then I would go for one of the "lesser" HAF cases unless you really need the size.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1K6sp If you don't want to OC then drop the cooler and the semi-expensive Z87 MB as they aren't needed. Add i7 and 16GB RAM back if you are doing more than just gaming (video editting/rendering etc). Could also wait a month if you want and GPU prices will fall when AMD launch their new series.

[Jinn]

Thanks for the advice gents. Adjusting~

[Iku]

Hello friends, been a while since I've done this.

I originally started with this
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1Ja6M

Had a friend look at it and suggested
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1Jaed

Tweaked it some more and now I'm sitting at this.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1JaX6

Any suggestions on parts or where to go from there? I only play FFXIV:ARR at the moment and would love to run it on max settings. Budget is around $1600.

Your motherboard is for overclocking CPU. You can buy cheaper motherboard from H series like this one and save yourself some money.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813130697

Do you consider of ATI 7950 video card series?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121716

200 dollars case is too much. Some of nicer case is only worth half of that. Check out Fractal Design R4 and NZXT’s Phantom 410.

[Jojimbo]

That 7950 is a bit expensive, you can almost get 7970s for that price. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814202026 $190 after MIR

[dejet]

im running a damn GTX 560 ti(SLI) and I get 40+ FPS at all times. My god is that system way overpowered even for max settings.

gtx is SLIed but I do not think the game even supports that yet. I do have none SLI settings OCed to 1 GHz. And yes i7 is not needed. I have the Phenom II 965 and its holding up decently well OCed as well.

Unless this rig is going to be for some heavy gaming outside FF14 as others have said ton it back a little and save the cash. You can always upgrade later.

as others have said ditch the extra RAM for a single stick of 8GB, get an I5. and lastly only an SSD? I dont see a storage drive outside that. Get yourself a 1tb drive or more depending things are dirt cheap, almost to pree flood pricing. PUS is a little overkill with your set up you could use a 650. but you wont save that much, the 750 leaves room for crossfire and OCing so maybe stick with it.

edit: I want that SSD drive from the post O.o 512 GB. holy hell

edit2: just an example my PC ran me around 700. (had windows and a monitor) it runs FF14 very nicely outside fate crazed areas. ill see a dip around there. I could fix this by tweeking some settings but it does not bother me to even try really.

[Totien]

Alright folks, so this is a build I'm looking at doing in about a month or two once I can finance the thing. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1KjeI It's my first build with any AMD parts, but right now that CPU seems like it's the most bang for the buck based on benchmark tests. The Radeon is my first non-nVidia part, but I've chosen it because it's part of a combo on newegg for the CPU and mobo. :3 SSD benchmarks high and is in my pricerange.

I'd welcome any input/concerns, especially advice on how to swap AMD choices for comparable Intel/nVidia but still stay around $1000. (rumor has it the nVidia 7 series is going to drop in price before the holidays)

[dejet]

Alright folks, so this is a build I'm looking at doing in about a month or two once I can finance the thing. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1KjeI It's my first build with any AMD parts, but right now that CPU seems like it's the most bang for the buck based on benchmark tests. The Radeon is my first non-nVidia part, but I've chosen it because it's part of a combo on newegg for the CPU and mobo. :3 SSD benchmarks high and is in my pricerange.

I'd welcome any input/concerns, especially advice on how to swap AMD choices for comparable Intel/nVidia but still stay around $1000. (rumor has it the nVidia 7 series is going to drop in price before the holidays)

Ways to save money.

-Drop to one stick of ram(unless you see doing video editing)
-you don't have a single copy of Window you can move to the new pc?
-Do you need a dvd drive?
-why an 850 W psu?

Someone else can comment on the cpu and gpu I like the 7950 and amd in general for last years cards. Lastly do you have a storage drive I only see the ssd.

[Jojimbo]

I would get 2 * 4GB sticks rather than one stick, at least it'll be running in dual channel.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1KmpM Would be much faster and same price (cheaper after price drops), http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1KmGO cheaper (can drop to 600~650W PSU if not planning to CFX). If you do plan to CFX (assuming you do due to 850W PSU) then don't get the Asus DC2, triple slot cooler = very hot GPU(s).

The Asus Blu-Ray drive has writing capabilities if you really need an optical drive and windows ultimate would most likely be a waste of money.

[Mojo]

Applies to the last two people.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1KmF5

You'll have to select your own optical drive/storage. Once you go MicroATX (or ITX) you never go back.