PC Build Advice/Review Thread

[Krandor]

Ok so not actually a desktop, but figured I show some random nonsense I did with my new laptop. It came with an m.2 slot, which shares a bay with a standard SATA port. Had an Intel SSD lying around, so after cracking that bitch open...

[DrClout]

How's it performing with that different tech put in. I know I use an M.2 instead of standard SSD on my work NUC and it feels like a dream.

[Krandor]

I want to say I saw numbers up to 1.3 GB/s read and 1.1 GB/s write. It's not up to the level of the higher models, but still blows anything SATA based out of the water.

[myreality]

This question is most likely for the parts thread.

Question: Are there special discount days for computer component sites? Like prime day and or black Friday, is there an event in the year that slash prices for computers and their parts?

[DrClout]

Monoprice/TigerDirect/SlickDeals/NewEgg just to name a few don't have anything specific. Just check their websites every few days and something always comes up, especially weekends and ANY given American (locally at least) holiday.

If all else fails, do what the rest of BG does. . . ask Kalmado to find you something lol

[myreality]

Lol, all hail Kalmado.

[Dead Phoenix]

So I just got brought a video card from new egg, but being the dumb ass I am, I don't quite have a computer to go with it. The one I'm using now is old as fuck with video card i bought that is slightly less old, and if the new one would even work on this POS, it just seems like a waste. So i came here hoping for suggestions, or just tips, on what pc i could buy for relatively cheap that could handle this card. Something in the $300-400 preferable, that I could perhaps upgrade later when I have more cash. I'm not looking for something amazing, but being able to play, say ffxiv at, at least, a constant 30 fps would be nice(i currently get like below 20 in the start up menu, and it will go down to like... 5 fps when fighting big enemies and bosses. Not great for tanking on my pld as you can imagine).

In case you are wondering why I have a video card for a computer I don't own or have even bought yet, I assure you its because I was being an idiot.

[Kalmado]

If you can return that gpu I would as it's performance capabilities are incredibly low for today's games. From there let us know what area you live and if there is a Micro Center nearby. That will help out a lot.

[Dead Phoenix]

It really that bad? I wasn't expecting greatness for sure, but ehh... oh well. not sure if I can return it. I thought I canceled the order before, but apparently it started shipping today, and I can't find where to cancel it(even though I had just do so with some other stuff yesterday). Oh well, anyways, I checked and the nearest micro center to Kilmarnock, VA is a 2 and a half hour drive away, which is about 2 more hours of driving then I would like(especially with the shity car i currently has access too).

[Krandor]

That card wouldn't even meet the minimum requirements for most games released this year, or the last year or two as well. It's the absolute bottom tier of a line that's now 2 generations behind.

[Dead Phoenix]

Alright, I sent a message to the seller(apparently it wasn't from new egg itself, so that why it didn't cancel with the other stuff I bought). Hopefully I can get a return on it.

[Kalmado]

A budget gaming pc can be done for $300-$400, but that's involving big mail in rebates and catching really good deals on things. I was just screwing around on pcpartpicker and below is the best I could come up with if everything was bought right this minute. The case I used was purely for a price reference. Note here there isn't any room for improvement.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($97.46 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master RR-HT2-28PK-R1 54.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($11.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 Micro ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($41.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($45.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Hitachi Deskstar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus Radeon R7 260X 2GB Video Card ($77.35 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer ($13.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $428.73
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-16 22:02 EDT-0400

[Kalmado]

Something to consider though is getting an Intel G3258 cpu with a Z97 motherboard combo (which do go on sale for $110 or less for both cpu/mb). You will need to overclock the cpu to 4.0ghz+ for good performance, but you'll have an 1150 socket board to upgrade to an Intel I5 quad core down the road. Using previous sales for reference, this is something I would shoot for (prices after mail in rebates, coupons, etc):

cpu: Intel Pentium G3258 - $110
mb: MSI Z97 PC-Mate - price included with cpu
cpu cooler: Cooler Master 212 Plus - $20
ram: 2x4gb 1600 Adata $0.00 (tigerdirect deal with McAfee rebate. potential $10-$20 money maker when adding a free after rebate item and using $10 off $100 coupon and $10 back when purchasing $100 from iBotta) http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...QDA-102298360K
hdd: Seagate/Western 1tb 7200rpm - $40
case: $35 allowance
gpu: $78 for that current Asus R7 260x OC 2gb
psu: quality brand like XFX, EVGA, etc 750w+ for $50
drive: $13

total: $346

[Dead Phoenix]

Something to consider though is getting an Intel G3258 cpu with a Z97 motherboard combo (which do go on sale for $110 or less for both cpu/mb). You will need to overclock the cpu to 4.0ghz+ for good performance, but you'll have an 1150 socket board to upgrade to an Intel I5 quad core down the road. Using previous sales for reference, this is something I would shoot for (prices after mail in rebates, coupons, etc):

cpu: Intel Pentium G3258 - $110
mb: MSI Z97 PC-Mate - price included with cpu
cpu cooler: Cooler Master 212 Plus - $20
ram: 2x4gb 1600 Adata $0.00 (tigerdirect deal with McAfee rebate. potential $10-$20 money maker when adding a free after rebate item and using $10 off $100 coupon and $10 back when purchasing $100 from iBotta) http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...QDA-102298360K
hdd: Seagate/Western 1tb 7200rpm - $40
case: $35 allowance
gpu: $78 for that current Asus R7 260x OC 2gb
psu: quality brand like XFX, EVGA, etc 750w+ for $50
drive: $13

total: $346

Looking over this one(kinda only skim over the first one since you mention no room for improvement)...
The cpu and mother board combo you mention is no longer up but the there is a new one with the cpu and this motherboard. would this combo be worth getting instead or should I get the motherboard you mention(the difference in price is about 2 buck right now, so no big deal... although separately the price difference is a lot bigger). its appears to have less expansion slots but better video and audio... but if I'm gonna just be getting another video card that might just be a waste of money.

The cooler's price seems to have gone up but nothing I'm worried about(there is also a newer one apparently, but i assume that is not really gonna be needed, even if it only appears to be about 5 bucks extra).

Can't complain about eventually free ram.

I assume nothing to worry about getting a refurbished hdd?

Couldn't quite find 50$ for a 750w power supply, but this should do hopefully.

Cheapest case i could find, see no reason it wouldn't work with either of the mother boards(i could be missing something or maybe it won't work with something else i am missing completely).

Drive looks fine, not much else to say there really.

Think I'll go ahead and pick up the memory now, but if i'm missing please let me know before I pick up the rest. Don't want to fuck up like I did with that memory card(which I can return, but i have to wait for it to get here first...).

EDIT: Oh hey, I'm gonna need a OS as well won't I? Any suggestions there?

[Arkanna]

Kalmado!

If you see a deal on a 2.5" SSD in the 500GB range, could you please let me know? I don't NEED one, but if the price is right...

[Palpatine]

Let me preface this with what I'm sure many others have said: I don't know much about computers. Enough to kind of know what I'm doing.

That being said, I'd like to see if anybody could help me out here. Just as of a few days ago, when booting up my computer, the monitors turn black (after the first few loading screens). My computer's pretty dang slow even though I bought a few parts only 1.5 years ago. Also, my secondary hard drive randomly hasn't been accessible for a few weeks.

Am I looking at a possible hardware problem? I can boot in safe mode just fine, although once I'm there I have no clue what to do other than system restore. For what it's worth I've got whatever this stuff means:
AMD Radeon HD 6700 Series
AMD Athlon(tm) II X3 450 Processor
3.20 GHz, 3.25 GM of RAM

halps plase

[Kalmado]

Looking over this one(kinda only skim over the first one since you mention no room for improvement)...
The cpu and mother board combo you mention is no longer up but the there is a new one with the cpu and this motherboard. would this combo be worth getting instead or should I get the motherboard you mention(the difference in price is about 2 buck right now, so no big deal... although separately the price difference is a lot bigger). its appears to have less expansion slots but better video and audio... but if I'm gonna just be getting another video card that might just be a waste of money.

The cooler's price seems to have gone up but nothing I'm worried about(there is also a newer one apparently, but i assume that is not really gonna be needed, even if it only appears to be about 5 bucks extra).

Can't complain about eventually free ram.

I assume nothing to worry about getting a refurbished hdd?

Couldn't quite find 50$ for a 750w power supply, but this should do hopefully.

Cheapest case i could find, see no reason it wouldn't work with either of the mother boards(i could be missing something or maybe it won't work with something else i am missing completely).

Drive looks fine, not much else to say there really.

Think I'll go ahead and pick up the memory now, but if i'm missing please let me know before I pick up the rest. Don't want to fuck up like I did with that memory card(which I can return, but i have to wait for it to get here first...).

EDIT: Oh hey, I'm gonna need a OS as well won't I? Any suggestions there?

I've used that motherboard before and had a stable OC to 4.1GHz. It's not a bad board, but if you plan to upgrade cpu in the future it's not a good choice. Also, for any non Z board a BIOS update will be needed to get it to OC. This link provides gathered information on the boards that will OC and which BIOS is needed.

Right this minute there doesn't seem to be any great deals currently on a cpu/mb combo deal, psu, or case. Patience is the key. I personally would avoid buying refurbished psu and hdd. Too much risk for minimal savings. Right now there aren't a lot of killer deals, but the ram deal will be ongoing all this month and will eventually have free shipping. Right this minute here is what I'd buy.

case: http://www.frys.com/product/7363704?...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG
I haven't personally worked with this case, but always wanted to as it's nice looking, windowed, and has good reviews. $30 after the $10 mail in rebate and it ships free.

gpu: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121898
Asus R7 260x 2GB OC edition. $77.35 after $30 mail in rebate and using the promo code at checkout. Right this minute that looks like the best value to dollar for a budget gpu.

psu: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139040
Corsair CX 750 80+ Bronze. $43 after $20 mail in rebate and using promo code at checkout. I'm not a huge fan of the CX line from Corsair, but the price is right. I'm using a CX 430 in my HTPC (which doesn't get much use) and no issues yet. My buddy is using the CX 750 modular and running an AMD Sapphire Tri-X r9 290 and hasn't had issues.

hdd: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/wd-blue-...CGJbP9BuH6QqvQ
Western Digital Caviar Blue 7200 rpm 64mb cache. $48 + tax. Not a deal, but it's the best out there. Better to spend a few bucks more for a new drive with better warranty.

OS: I use....ehm.....other means for my personal OS or for friends. If you're not comfortable doing that, I've used this site for W7 keys for $38. I've purchased four and haven't had any issue. It will come with a download link so you can put it on a flash drive or a cd to load on your new build. Just make sure to specify it's 64 bit.

[Kalmado]

Kalmado!

If you see a deal on a 2.5" SSD in the 500GB range, could you please let me know? I don't NEED one, but if the price is right...

I'll keep an eye out and PM you. I'm starting a new job Monday that will have me out of the house and away from the internet for 13 hours a day so I may be late getting info out there.

[Purrrfect]

So the AMD cards from E3 didn't do a whole lot to lower prices on other cards I take it?

[Krandor]

No, they kind of suck.

Fury X is competition for 980ti, but offers generally lower performance for the same price. Normal version of Fury is competition to the 980, but is more expensive for minimal gains by comparison.

Rest of the line is just rebrands and nothing new.