PC Build Advice/Review Thread

[Arkanna]

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.

Plus, they make a bit of a negative impression by being capped at 4GB of RAM, because of the type of RAM on the cards. They claim it's enough due to more efficient use of the RAM that's present, but that's been proven false by a certain hardware site that shall remain nameless.

[Purrrfect]

Guess I'll just watch for a good rebate or game bundle on a 970/290x/390 to make my choice. Would love to have my new card and be ready for a reformat with WinX arrives.

[Adajer]

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...

Samsung EVO 850 500GB ssd for $159 after promo code EMCAVKW22
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc..._-20147373-S0A

[Purrrfect]

awfully tempted to get that to raid with my 500gb 840...

[Arkanna]

Samsung EVO 850 500GB ssd for $159 after promo code EMCAVKW22
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc..._-20147373-S0A

That'll do it. Good lookin out!

[Palpatine]

Looking for some advice as I don't know much about computers other than the basics. I bought a few parts last year (AMD Athlon HD 6700 series & AMD Athlon II X3 450 processor for super cheap) but as my computer performance is pretty terrible, I'd like to upgrade with $350 max available.

http://tinyurl.com/q3pfv5o seems like a pretty good deal; nay? What would I pair that with, if a good deal? What else would I need to buy with that? (RAM? See. I really don't know much) Any other information I'd need to supply?

Thanks to anybody who is willing to give some advice.

[Kalmado]

$350 max budget isn't going to get you much. You could do a Pentium G3258 build if you're comfortable overclocking. You would still be looking at a gpu in the range of a 750 ti or R9 270 (370?). The rest would be super budget everything. I would heavily consider saving more to raise your budget, or go with an AMD cpu build such as a FX-6300 or 8320(e). The motherboard linked is so so, but I wouldn't buy at that price, especially on a budget.

[Palpatine]

I've already got a case, power supply, HD, and all the accessories. Just need the big few parts. And I'm not sure what overclocking is I definitely appreciate your advice and will pass until I can find a good combination of MoBo, CPU, & Video card.

[Kalmado]

I've already got a case, power supply, HD, and all the accessories. Just need the big few parts. And I'm not sure what overclocking is I definitely appreciate your advice and will pass until I can find a good combination of MoBo, CPU, & Video card.

What's the exact make and model of your psu?

[Palpatine]

Corsair CX500

[Kalmado]

Right this minute, the below is the best I could come up with doing a quick browse. These prices reflect the best price at this time. The AMD R9 280 regularly goes on sale for $150 after rebate (usually XFX which is good because of the lifetime warranty) so that would shave $23 off the total. 1tb HDD usually will go on sale for around $40 as well. Tigerdirect frequently has a bundle offer for free 2x4gb CAS11 1600 DDR3 ram, but it's a $100 in rebates which can scare some people. I hope this helps!

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($99.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock 970M PRO3 Micro ATX AM3+/AM3 Motherboard ($41.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: PNY Anarchy 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($40.50 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($52.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 280 3GB WINDFORCE Video Card ($172.98 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $0.00)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $427.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-29 08:45 EDT-0400

[Dead Phoenix]

About to get my next pay check, with which i can hopefully finish my pc. Still missing a motherboard, cpu, cooler, optical drive and a Os(probably go with that link you posted earlier). Some friends of mine mentioned getting a small solid state drive, to install windows(and perhaps a few other choice applications) on for faster booting... is that worth it? they seem to go for 50-60 bucks for 160 gigs, which seems small for the price, but idk, maybe its worth it?

[Gryffes]

About to get my next pay check, with which i can hopefully finish my pc. Still missing a motherboard, cpu, cooler, optical drive and a Os(probably go with that link you posted earlier). Some friends of mine mentioned getting a small solid state drive, to install windows(and perhaps a few other choice applications) on for faster booting... is that worth it? they seem to go for 50-60 bucks for 160 gigs, which seems small for the price, but idk, maybe its worth it?

It's entirely worth it. Single biggest upgrade you can make once you have a decent cpu/gpu.

[Oreth]

Birthday weekend is here. Managed to save a few quid and the bit extra from the wife for the birthday i should have enough for a new SSD and GPU. I went to get a GPU a few months back but held off until i seen what AMD was due to bring out and seen that was dissapointing.

Is the GTX 980 still the best? Is the GTX 980 Ti upgrade worth it? In terms of what you get etc?

Currently using a GTX 770 OC Edition 4GB on a QNIX Q2710 Evolution II which runs overclocked to 120 frames. I will need at least 4GB RAM so staying in within those parameters. Will be preparing for Starwars Battlefront / The Division / Metal Gear and would like to run all on max.

I seen the Samsung 850 recommended there ill prob go for the 500GB one just need to try find a new deal on it if i can

[Kalmado]

About to get my next pay check, with which i can hopefully finish my pc. Still missing a motherboard, cpu, cooler, optical drive and a Os(probably go with that link you posted earlier). Some friends of mine mentioned getting a small solid state drive, to install windows(and perhaps a few other choice applications) on for faster booting... is that worth it? they seem to go for 50-60 bucks for 160 gigs, which seems small for the price, but idk, maybe its worth it?

Ever since having a SSD for my boot drive I go nuts when having to use a pc without one (think at work). At first I thought it was a silly upgrade, but I am very grateful for having one. Depending on sales, you can snag a 240gb for less than $50 depending on available rebates, usually at Tigerdirect.com with a McAfee rebate (around $100 in mail in rebates). I use a PNY 240gb SSD and it's incredibly fast. I was fortunate to grab it for super cheap awhile ago. Many would balk at PNY for a SSD, but it's been great.

[xElipsis]

Having some trouble with a new optical drive. When I plug in the sata cable, the computer won't boot.

I have an MSI z97 gaming mobo, i5-4690k, r9-290x, 750watt cx PSU. Not sure what else I would need to list for information.

I had a working OD, but I replaced my GPU and PSU then it stopped working (I put it in another desktop and it still would not work). I have not put the new OD in my other desktop to see if it is defective - yet. I'm not too familiar with BIOS configuration, but I have not disabled anything since the other OD broke. I've also tried using three sata cables, and multiple ports. If needed I can send screenshots of BIOS/PC.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Krandor]

When you say won't boot, like it won't even spin up the fans and get to the bios splash screen or it just won't load into Windows?

If it's the first option it might be shorted out, otherwise it might be something with your boot order in the BIOS.

[xElipsis]

Won't boot meaning GPU and Tower fans spin for a second then stop. BIOS doesn't start. Windows doesn't star. Everything is just OFF.

I can have a power cable plugged into the OD just fine. But when I plug in the SATA cable, then the problems start.

[Krandor]

Without the sata cable plugged in there shouldn't be any reason for the drive to get any kind of power on command that would reveal the short. I had a similar situation recently with a hard drive that ended up being a shorted out IC on the logic board.

[Buffy]

If the computer boots without it plugged in and doesn't boot with it plugged in, there are three options:

The cable is bad, the drive is bad, or the port on the mobo is bad.

It's simple enough at that point to ISO test what is wrong. Assuming you have an alternate cable/drive.