PC Build Advice/Review Thread

[Deejay]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/YGqz99

So I've been doing a little research for a 1k budget/1080p PC build. This is my first experience building a rig on my own, so I opted for a i5-4460 CPU since most places I've read say this is the best CPU for a gaming centric machine. I'm new to building so I don't plan on overclocking anytime soon, so this processor gives me the most bang without much crazy fancy water-cooling required (I'm probably going to use just the stock intel heatsink/fan).

I opted for the asus GTX 970 only because it's smexy and I won't have to worry about upgrading for a while. I'm going to be using two 1080P dual screen monitors with my setup, so gaming in 4K isn't that important to me. I just want something that I know will be able to run games at max/good settings 60 FPS @1080p for the foreseable future. The 970 should do that fine. I was considering going with the 960, but the 970 packs a lot of power and I don't mind spending a little extra on the GPU.

The only thing I'm worried about is finding a proper MOBO for my setup, since I don't plan on using SLI or anything fancy anytime soon, so if you guys have know of any cheaper or more reliable mobos, please let me know. I just chose an ASUS mobo because they've got a lot of youtube tutorials, so if I mess up one of my connections, I'll be able to easily look them up. >_>

If you guys got any suggestions for my build, please feel free to comment. I'm new to this whole thing so I'm worried that I'll make some rookie mistakes when it comes to part picking.

[Krandor]

There isn't a huge difference in mobos in the lower price tiers. Most of the fancy features are going to be coming in the higher price tiers.

You're paying a little more for that Asus model compared to bargain bin models from something like ASRock, but the price premium is probably worth it.

And yes you should be fine with the stock Intel cooler, though it might be worth noting that the case you picked only supports 120mm fans (2 intake and 1 exhaust). While that could likely get the job done things could potentially get hot in the case.

Edit : I hate you for making me go onto PC Part Picker and deciding to price out my computer. Shit is way too expensive and I have tons of extra parts (Mobo, RAM, Fans, Case) just lying around too which makes how much money I've put into this thing over the last 2 years just insane.

[Purrrfect]

Superclocked is pretty much just the basic model for EVGA. Tbh as long you don't get coil whine (which cards from any developer could end with) there's not a huge difference between all the versions.

Is coil whine something that newegg will replace a product for without much issue? I've got a little currently, and pretty sure I had some in my older hardware as well. Not looking to deal with it on future pieces.

[Krandor]

Coil whine is not considered a defect. You might be able to pull it with Newegg but none of the manufacturers would accept coil whine as an RMA reason.

[Reposado]

Just noticed the drafting station I have is only PCI-E 2.0... I am getting a GTX980 Strix from work but is it going to be bottlenecked from the PCI-E 2.0? We are provided with:

Motherboard:
CPU Type QuadCore Intel Xeon W3565, 3333 MHz (25 x 133)
Motherboard Name Lenovo
Motherboard Chipset Intel Tylersburg X58, Intel Nehalem
DIMM: Samsung M391B5273DH0-YH9 16 GB DDR3-1333 ECC DDR3 SDRAM

Processor Properties:
Manufacturer Intel
Version Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU W3565 @ 3.20GHz
External Clock 133 MHz
Maximum Clock 3200 MHz
Current Clock 3200 MHz
Type Central Processor
Voltage 1.4 V
Status Enabled
Upgrade Socket LGA1366
Socket Designation 1366-pin LGA
HTT / CMP Units 2 / 4
Capabilities 64-bit

Am I pretty much hooped for cheap-ish upgrades to get PCI-E 3.0? Would a new mobo support my processor/RAM still?
Not much of a hardware guru sad to say.

[Adajer]

no

[Reposado]

Yea just read a bit more about PCI2.0x16 memory capabilities, the difference is so minute that it's not worth it to overhaul the motherboard. Thanks!

[enzan]

I bought a 970 from NewEgg before Christmas, and the coil whine is terrible. I didn't even ask NewEgg about it I just went straight to EVGA and they setup an advanced RMA. You can also use their step up program to upgrade your card and they only charge you the difference.

[Adajer]

ill never buy evga

[Boyiee]

The Asus strix, Galaxy G1 and Msi's are amazing. I have the the 970 with the 980 reference cooler and love it. OC's so easily.

[Yuri-G]

Apologies for the formatting issues but here is my new FFXIV PC. my stated goal was to tow the line where budget meets performance - to hit the point where price increases vs. performance increases become less and less worth considering. I think I did ok! It certainly plays everything I want to play like a dream.

1 x ($164.99) SAPPHIRE DUAL-X 100365L Radeon R9 270 2GB 256-Bit

$164.99

1 x ($109.99) AMD FX-6300 Vishera 6-Core 3.5GHz (4.1GHz Turbo) S

$109.99

1 x ($98.99) ASRock 970 Performance AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB

$98.99

1 x ($72.99) HyperX Fury Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRA

$72.99

1 x ($29.99) Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus - CPU Cooler with 4 D

$29.99

Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit, Operating System Software - OEM DVD, English - WN7-00659 (FIC-102028495)

1

$89.99


$89.99

Asus DRW-24B1ST 24X Internal DVD Burner - DVD±R 24X, DVD+RW 8X, DVD-RW 6X, DVD±R (DL) 12X, DVD-RAM 12X, CD-R 48X, CD-RW 32X, SATA, 2MB, Black, OEM (A455-5022)

1

$19.99


$19.99

Ultra Etorque X1 Mid-Tower Gaming Case - 3x 5.25" Drive Bays, 6x 3.5" Drive Bays, USB 3.0/USB 2.0, HD Audio Port, 2x 2.5”Front Hot Swappable Drive Bays, 2x 120 mm fans (U12-42378)

1

$39.99


$39.99

Corsair CX Series CP-9020060-NA 600W Power Supply - 80+ Bronze, ATX, Modular Cabling, Active PFC, Single +12V Rail, Low Noise, Trouble-free Installation (C13-CX600M)

1

$69.99


$69.99

WD Blue 1 TB Desktop Hard Drive, Solid Performance for Everyday Computing - 3.5" - Sata 6Gb/s, 7200RPM, 64MB Cache, 2 Year Warranty - WD10EZEX (TSD-WD10EZEX)

1

$54.99


$54.99

ADATA Premier Pro SP600 128GB Solid State Drive - 2.5", 7MM, SATA III 6 Gbs - ASP600S3-128GM-C (A208-5202)

1

$59.99


$59.99

[Melena]

Quick question on photoshop performance. Friend is working on upgrading her computer, found out her 5+ year old motherboard will only accept up to 8gb ram. She has an existing case, psu and a recently upgraded video card. Will an I7 help with Photoshop (she is starting her own photography business) or would an I5 be more that sufficient?

[Senji]

Quick question on photoshop performance. Friend is working on upgrading her computer, found out her 5+ year old motherboard will only accept up to 8gb ram. She has an existing case, psu and a recently upgraded video card. Will an I7 help with Photoshop (she is starting her own photography business) or would an I5 be more that sufficient?

Yes@i7

Apologies for the formatting issues but here is my new FFXIV PC. my stated goal was to tow the line where budget meets performance - to hit the point where price increases vs. performance increases become less and less worth considering. I think I did ok! It certainly plays everything I want to play like a dream.

Are you simply sharing, or asking for critiques before you pull the trigger?

[Yuri-G]

simply sharing... I hope that's ok. critiques are welcome though; I'll be building again someday!

[chullo]

i5 4690k and GTX 970....

i just built a comp with this combo of parts and it is literally the fastest computer I have ever owned. FFXIV on max settings, I push 150fps out in the field, 40fps in LL at the aetheryte crystal:

Intel 4690K
evo 212 CPU cooler
EVGA GTX970
Asrock Z97 Killer mobo
Gskill memory (8GB 1866)
Corsair PSU
Samsung 840 SSD

[Cleverness]

So making this build with my refund, PSU is not included since mine can carry over and i'm gonna take my hard drive + ram + dvd drive from this computer and stick it in this new one.

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Cleverness/saved/GMY8TW

Although looking at it the mobo doesn't seen to have its own onboard video, so whats the best way to get a dual monitor setup going with that rig?

[Buffy]

I have up to 600$ I can spend on video cards. I'd think I'd like Nvidia and the ability to run up to 4 monitors, including one off hdmi.

Upgrading in anticipation of the DX11 upgrade for FFXIV.

Suggestions?

[Jojimbo]

So making this build with my refund, PSU is not included since mine can carry over and i'm gonna take my hard drive + ram + dvd drive from this computer and stick it in this new one.

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Cleverness/saved/GMY8TW

Although looking at it the mobo doesn't seen to have its own onboard video, so whats the best way to get a dual monitor setup going with that rig?

MB's themselves haven't had iGPU's for ages, the iGPU has been built into the CPU for several generations (at least for Intel and AMDs APU line). Modern dedicated GPU's can support 3~5 monitors each depending on the model so just plug both monitors into that.

You might want to consider a Z97 MB as well, i7 depends on what you are doing with the PC and you may be fine with i5. What OS do you have currently? MS are going to be offering free Win10 upgrades to people with Win7/8 so if you currently have a Win7 licence just carry that over a get a free upgrade when Win10 is out.

The H55 is pretty old now (late 2012) and AIOs have been constantly improving, the Cooler Master Seidon 120V is currently very cheap ($30 after MIR) but otherwise just go for the Hyper 212 EVO as it tends to be on at least par with entry level AIOs in both cooling and noise or something like the Corsair H80i for better cooling.

I have up to 600$ I can spend on video cards. I'd think I'd like Nvidia and the ability to run up to 4 monitors, including one off hdmi.

Upgrading in anticipation of the DX11 upgrade for FFXIV.

Suggestions?

A GTX 970 (one in Clever's build is good iirc) or wait and see what AMD brings out and how it effects nVidia's pricing, only other option is GTX 980 which is $200 more for 15~20% better performance (and 0.5GB more usable vRAM depending on usage).

[Cleverness]

I don't have a license so thats why I'm grabbing windows 8.1 pro. And yea I haven't built a PC in awhile, last few mobos I work with had the integrated one built into the mobo itself. i7 is just cause minus grabbing another 970 to SLI in the future I'm not really looking to upgrade my PC for a long time, so although the i5 I had in my first build is more than enough figure I'd just get the i7. Updated it with your suggestions

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/Cleverness/saved/GMY8TW

[Jojimbo]

What monitor setup do you plan on using? Unless you are running 4k, 21:9 1440p or multiple monitors then there isn't really too much need for SLI GTX 970s, plus there's the entire thing about the last 0.5GB being slower to read (although it may not be too much of an issue, it's hard to say at this point and depends a lot on the game).

And if going the i7 just because and SLI GTX 970 route then you may as well get a better cooler imo