PC Build Advice/Review Thread

[Adajer]

bet you $100 monopoly money he is going i7

[Boyiee]

Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely keep it all in mind. The last time I listened to reviews and a few other forums I grabbed a rampage and regretted it, so I'm always looking to ask real world experience from a more trusted source.

I was going to try and run a trisli setup, or at least use a board capable of it so a 2 way sli could have the gap in the middle, but my current mobo failed on that end. Sata placement is SHIT.

I'm still on tri channel ram, and I know the current model is dual, but what amount of ram are people running for typical gaming/encoding hubs nowadays? I see an astronomical amount of people going 12++++ gb's of ram now and I've always been under the experience of the more ram the more annoying the overclock.

[Adajer]

I was just looking into ram yesterday. I originally wanted to grab a 4x4gb but my budget is making me go 2x4gb. The general consensus is 16gb is overkill. Depending on what you are doing 8gb is the perfect amount and you will probably never max out your ram. Probably be into DDR4 before you need more than 8gb of ram. That said, 8gb kits go for $39-50. 16gb kits go for $80-120. So if you got the money, why not. Speed wise, I wouldnt bother going beyond 1600mhz.

[Weeks]

Okay, I think this is what I want to go with:

Case: Antec ISK 110 VESA
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-I Deluxe
CPU: Intel i7-3770S
GPU: Onboard HD4000
Memory: Corsair 2x 4GB
SSD: Samsung 830 Series 128GB

I'm driving a large 2560x1600 monitor, so DisplayPort is necessary. That CPU seems to be the fastest thing going at 65W. 8GB RAM strikes me as plenty given my modest needs, and I'll consider going with an SSD that's a little lighter on the power requirements, but 128GB is easily twice what I need given that I have an NAS I can put media on.

[Adajer]

Why do you want an i7? I dont know much about amd cpus but I do know their integrated gpus are better than intel. An i7 is overkill, 3570k has the same integrated gpu as the i7. Also, the i7 3770S doesnt have an unlocked multiplier for overclocking.

[hey]

I'm still on tri channel ram, and I know the current model is dual, but what amount of ram are people running for typical gaming/encoding hubs nowadays? I see an astronomical amount of people going 12++++ gb's of ram now and I've always been under the experience of the more ram the more annoying the overclock.

The vast majority of people will not benefit from >8 gb at this time. Most people can get by just fine on 4 gb. Certain things can easily make use of more, but if you needed more you would know, and wouldn't be asking here. I'd definitely recommend 8, if you don't have a specific need for more. If you've got money to spend, then going higher never hurts. Worst can you can always make a ram disk and use it for temp storage.

[Jojimbo]

Grabbing a 3770S with a MB that expensive and designed primarily for OCing seems a waste, i7 is overkill for just gaming and general use anyway (although there is no S version for i5 atm). The 2560x1440 monitor combined with 90W PSU really throws things off though, couldn't you just get a slightly bigger case that can support a HD 7750 or something? Sucks that cheaper iTX boards don't seem to even have Dual-Link DVI

EDIT:: Maybe something like http://pcpartpicker.com/p/gjWP or http://pcpartpicker.com/p/gjXR, second is a more balanced gaming pc but may be a bit overkill, could probably lower CPU in first one although there are no i3 IBs yet, both need arftermarket coolers (I'm not that familiar with what's quiet). Hell the first build is only $90 more than what you pick together (http://pcpartpicker.com/p/gjY9) but has OCable CPU and discrete GPU.

[Weeks]

Still open to advice if that computer isn't going to work at these resolutions or if there is a better tiny case I should be using, but I'll spend a few hundred extra to get a smaller computer. Even if I decide not to mount it to the back of my monitor, it's just cooler to have a tiny computer like that than a mini-tower. Overclocking is not something I have any interest in. I'm going to buy a CPU that's overkill for my current needs anyway, and silence and stability are musts. That motherboard may have some OC features, but the reason I'm willing to pay a small premium for it is the higher number of USB3.0 ports and built-in bluetooth.

[Adajer]

you could go for an i3 or amd micro ATX build and get a gtx 550,560, or a zotac 660ti. Those are all small cards. Are you strickly playing FFXI @ 2560x1600? Doesnt make much sense to have such a nice monitor and swear off graphics cards.

[Jojimbo]

It's hardly a small premium, but there's little you can do with a case that small anyway especially if you are using a 2560x1440 monitor. Issue is it's not so much spending few hundred for a smaller pc as it is spending more for less, and there is a difference between overkill and useless (HTing is useless for gaming/general use)

you could go for an i3 or amd micro ATX build and get a gtx 550,560, or a zotac 660ti. Those are all small cards. Are you strickly playing FFXI @ 2560x1600? Doesnt make much sense to have such a nice monitor and swear off graphics cards.

Can't use card because of the size of the case and limited PSU (either one prevents use of anything beyond basic non-OCed low power setup), can't use cheaper MB/CPU without a GPU because of need for DL-DVI or DP (and no cheap MBs seem to have DL-DVI)

[Adajer]

I know, thats why i suggested a micro ATX build

edit: And yes, it doesnt make much sense to spend more for less. Especially at that resolution.

[Kais]

Could always look into PC models that are compatible with hacking the mac OS on if you're curious but don't want to commit to the price; google "hackintosh". I think it's been awhile since the Apple PC lines have been given any real kind of revision so I'd be a little sour about paying so much still.

fuckit, i'm too scared to drop cash on an irreparable retina macbook even if it's a gift
i'm just gonna type papers and watch backlog films/shows and mebbe play video games
whats a good laptop with a fast 256gbish ssd and sexy screen, give or take (less cash is better obv) $1500 budget.

[Jojimbo]

Might be better to consider SSD-less laptops and then add one in as well, I have a feeling SSDs will cost a premium. However there is no need to spend $1500 on a laptop (or even desktop) for watching films/word processing, maybe if you play games a lot on it then it could be worth it but you could easily spend $500-700 + $200* for SSD for what you want (minus playing graphically intensive games)

EDIT:: Oops, was thinking of 128GB prices, although there are some laptops that would let you have a 64/128GB SSD as a boot drive and still keep a HDD for storage.

[Caiyuo]

fuckit, i'm too scared to drop cash on an irreparable retina macbook even if it's a gift
i'm just gonna type papers and watch backlog films/shows and mebbe play video games
whats a good laptop with a fast 256gbish ssd and sexy screen, give or take (less cash is better obv) $1500 budget.

What I meant was you can buy a regular laptop running Windows and install the Mac OS on it after the fact depending on if the model has compatible hardware. It usually just means searching for hackintosh compatibility to see if it'll work beforehand.

Like Jojimbo said, $1500 is like portable gaming/desktop replacement money. For that you could get a desktop and a laptop, lol. Anything that comes with an SSD stock will probably be spec'd very high and overpriced.

[Kais]

yeah i feel you, but i don't really have any reason to switch over to mac os other than "wonder why everyone's likes this os so much"
not aiming for a $1500 laptop; i don't even think my desktop costs that much; just saying i can go up to $1500 tippytops worst case scenario.
however again i know nothing of the laptop market or reputable models, recommendations on something way cheaper than $1500 is more than welcome
making a note of that ssd recommendation. do they sell laptops without hdds or do i just swap em' out when i get them or something?

[Jojimbo]

I doubt you'll find one sold without a HDD, there might be models with a spare empty bay (not that familiar with laptops tbh) although I know for sure there are ones where you can replace the DVD drive

[Isiolia]

making a note of that ssd recommendation. do they sell laptops without hdds or do i just swap em' out when i get them or something?

Usually it's swapping it out, but it depends on the model. It may be a customization option, or with Ultrabooks and the like it may be a custom job with no room for a HDD. In general though, buy RAM and storage separately and swap them in yourself. Unless the particular model you're looking at can't be user upgraded.

Also, $1500 isn't really only desktop replacement money. If you start looking at most anything actually built similarly to an Apple laptop, it'll start costing a fair bit (I have yet to actually use a trackpad that isn't pure dogshit next to Apple's - they probably exist, but not exactly standard). Whether or not it's warranted by your use is another matter, but there's plenty that goes right past the $1k mark. Thing with Apple is they just don't offer the Wal Mart models or whatever you want to consider the glut of consumer-level 15.4" 720p laptops out there.

If you put an accidental damage plan on it, that'll add a few hundred (typically) which can be a nice thing if you'll be toting it around a lot. We have hundreds of laptops in use by students at work, and get a lot of mileage out of that kind of coverage.

Just as well not going with a Retina MBP for schoolwork though. The only Office app that's been updated for the Retina display is Outlook, the rest look worse than they do on lower DPI screens (AFAIK there are no plans to fix them until the next Office revision). Really, so does anything not updated for the Retina display (stuff that is looks gorgeous, however).

If you do want to still consider Apple, their "low end" machine is now the Air, though a 13" with a 256GB is still at your max budget (and with that you need to order it with more RAM to start). Compared to higher end Windows Ultrabooks like the ASUS UX31A-DB71 it's not -that- far off base pricewise (but the $1500 ASUS does have a nicer 1080p IPS screen).

[Jojimbo]

Just thought I'll mention this but Ivy Bridge i3 and low power i5 CPUs were just released. Prices and feature table

And Trinity APU prices although no release date mentioned.

[Kais]

looking into shit, thanks folks
question: if swapping parts voids warranties and afterwards i somehow damage my screen or find a few dead pixels or something, will either apple or w/e company refuse to replace it?

[Jojimbo]

afaik swapping the HDD shouldn't void the warranty, those bays often have their own access panels which are separate from the rest of the laptops internals.