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Posted: 5/20/2014 9:42:05 PM EDT
Link Posted: 5/20/2014 10:19:48 PM EDT
[#1]
I have 2 GTX 780 TI SC cards. It runs everything like a boss. Look into getting the GTX 780 6Gb cards.
I have an i7 4770k...I plan on overclocking at some point...

If you aren't going to overclock, get an i5.

I have a Samsung 840 Pro 256Gb SSD that I used for the boot drive. Do to forget to turn hibernation off.
My storage HD is just an HDD I picked up at Best Buy (1Tb Seagate for $60). I plan on getting a 1T Samsung 840 EVO to replace it...but I haven't had the chance to spend money on that.

If you use separate drives like I did, don't forget to transfer your program files .etc to your storage drive. Make sure you set your internet browser to download all files to your storage drive, and don't forget to change the path to your storage drive when you install something.
I also created folders in Storage (E:) > Users for my temporary files to keep my SSD from bogging down with temp files. It took a bit of reading up on, but I figured it out.

I have Win 8.1 and I really like it. Linux and other community based OS aren't that great to game on. Most games are Microsoft Windows based.
Link Posted: 5/21/2014 1:00:36 AM EDT
[#2]
I just built my first rig and it was intended to be for gaming. I went with an AMD 8350 and the GTX 770. It's plays BF4 on Ultra with FPS between 60 and 120, depending on the map. Also plays Titanfall just fine with settings on high. My motherboard is a mid to high Gigabyte board with 8gs of memory. Just be sure to get a PSU that can power everything.  Lastly, make sure the monitor you have will make the rest of the hardware worth the price you paid! I have a samsung SSD, and I have no complaints. Like the other guy said, always remember to change the install path to a bigger hard drive.

ETA....running windows 8.1
Link Posted: 5/21/2014 2:41:59 PM EDT
[#3]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
I just built my first rig and it was intended to be for gaming. I went with an AMD 8350 and the GTX 770. It's plays BF4 on Ultra with FPS between 60 and 120, depending on the map. Also plays Titanfall just fine with settings on high. My motherboard is a mid to high Gigabyte board with 8gs of memory. Just be sure to get a PSU that can power everything.  Lastly, make sure the monitor you have will make the rest of the hardware worth the price you paid! I have a samsung SSD, and I have no complaints. Like the other guy said, always remember to change the install path to a bigger hard drive.

ETA....running windows 8.1
View Quote

I thought about the AMD really hard before getting an Intel i7 4770k, but the power consumption and performance/$ were pretty ridiculous long term.
Link Posted: 5/21/2014 3:19:00 PM EDT
[#4]
I wanted the intel, but I suppose I wasn't thinking long term. I basically built it for BF4 and I saw the performance people had with the AMD and GTX 770 combo so I went with that. My next build, whenever that may be will be an intel for sure. If I had gone intel, my total would have been $2k + as I had nothing! no monitor, keyboard, etc.
Link Posted: 5/21/2014 7:34:57 PM EDT
[#5]
The i5 4670k is just fine. Buy a Noctua DH-D14 or a all in one water cooler like a Corsair H70/80/90/100. Quieter than the stock cooler and allows extra cooling for overclocking. The i7 offers no performance advantage over the i5 when it comes to gaming.

GTX 770 or R9 280X or better. The 770 and 280X are just rebadged 680s and 7970s from the previous generation. New architecture is coming up pretty soon.

Buy a 250GB or 256GB SSD. Prices have come down dramatically. A 250GB Samsung 840 Evo is $139 on Amazon right now.

Sounds like you are going to do some gaming. Pretty much limited to Windows. 8/8.1 has a slight edge when it comes to gaming performance as well as various other "under the hood" improvements. A few things other things were changed, but if you aren't aware of them then they probably don't affect you.

As far as case goes anything from Fractal Design or Corsair are good. Personally, the Fractal Design R4 would be my recommendation. Has optimizations for quiet computing. You may not care about noise now, but you might change your mind after listening to it drone for days, weeks, or months.
Link Posted: 5/21/2014 7:36:01 PM EDT
[#6]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
I wanted the intel, but I suppose I wasn't thinking long term. I basically built it for BF4 and I saw the performance people had with the AMD and GTX 770 combo so I went with that. My next build, whenever that may be will be an intel for sure. If I had gone intel, my total would have been $2k + as I had nothing! no monitor, keyboard, etc.
View Quote


You must have gotten a good deal. An Intel i5 and MB is roughly equivalent in price with an AMD 8350 and MB.
Link Posted: 5/22/2014 4:05:49 AM EDT
[#7]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


You must have gotten a good deal. An Intel i5 and MB is roughly equivalent in price with an AMD 8350 and MB.
View Quote View All Quotes
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Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
I wanted the intel, but I suppose I wasn't thinking long term. I basically built it for BF4 and I saw the performance people had with the AMD and GTX 770 combo so I went with that. My next build, whenever that may be will be an intel for sure. If I had gone intel, my total would have been $2k + as I had nothing! no monitor, keyboard, etc.


You must have gotten a good deal. An Intel i5 and MB is roughly equivalent in price with an AMD 8350 and MB.


Won't disagree with that. I'm weird in that if I decided to go with intel, it had to be an i7. I didn't want to buy the i5 knowing there was a better / next gen  processor out there from intel. But I learned something for the future though.
Link Posted: 5/22/2014 6:53:19 AM EDT
[#8]
Link Posted: 5/22/2014 7:48:47 AM EDT
[#9]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Is there any significant difference between 2, 3 and 4 gigs of memory for the video card?  
View Quote


Yes.  Higher resolutions require more VRAM.  Also, so games are notorious for sucking up VRAM.  Skyrim, for examples, uses a lot of VRAM if you install mods.  

At the price level you are looking at, there is no reason to get more than 2gb IMHO.  The VRAM will not really be used by the GPU.

Link Posted: 5/22/2014 8:10:51 AM EDT
[#10]
Link Posted: 5/22/2014 9:16:12 AM EDT
[#11]
http://alienbabeltech.com/main/gtx-770-4gb-vs-2gb-tested/3/

Summary:  Most games will see minimal difference at 1080p with 2gb vs 4gb.  An exception is modded Skyrim, which will benefit from the extra VRAM.  

I wouldn't buy a 4gb 770.  If you are going 770, I'd go 2gb and just accept that the framerate will drop some with skyrim.  If you aren't satisfied with that, move up to a 780.

Link Posted: 5/22/2014 1:36:39 PM EDT
[#12]
VRAM is also a balance between GPU power and resolution. You need more VRAM for higher resolutions and more textures, but at the same time, the GPU needs to be powerful enough to run the higher resolution. So, something like a GTX 750Ti with 10GB of VRAM (doesn't exist) would over no performance increase over 2GB. The memory bus would also have to be sufficiently wide to address the large amounts of memory effectively.
Link Posted: 5/27/2014 9:15:09 PM EDT
[#13]
Link Posted: 5/27/2014 9:53:40 PM EDT
[#14]

I have a Samsung Pro SSD and would buy it again.

For WD HDDs, I went with black.  The 5 year warranty is no joke.  Reliability is very important to me.  I've had exactly one issue with a WD HDD and it wasn't even catastrophic.  It was just making noises so I sent it in and they sent me a new replacement.  

Link Posted: 5/28/2014 3:48:58 PM EDT
[#15]



I recently rolled this.  Works very well.  Only real problem was they sent me a bum WD hard drive.  Computer would not recognized it.  But I just cannibalized the one from my old computer and it works fine.



















Corsair Vengeance 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory





























































FYI, www.pcpartpicker.com is a great resource for comparing prices.  It also flags if you are buying incompatible parts.








 
Link Posted: 5/31/2014 12:33:02 AM EDT
[#16]
Link Posted: 5/31/2014 4:10:56 AM EDT
[#17]
I don't think you'll regret going WD Black.  Top notch.

As long as the Crucial is compatible with your MB, no problems.  8gb is a good amount.  I have 16 and I've never seen my usage over about 6gb.
Link Posted: 6/1/2014 6:39:52 PM EDT
[#18]
Link Posted: 6/1/2014 6:47:12 PM EDT
[#19]
On your MB, the four RAM slots will be color coded.  Check your manual, but you want to run your two sticks in the same colored slots.  That way they'll run in dual channel.

Link Posted: 6/21/2014 7:01:04 PM EDT
[#20]
Link Posted: 6/21/2014 11:16:13 PM EDT
[#21]
SeaSonic is what you seek.  You want stability and reliability and that's what you'll get.

Don't buy into the "I need a 2000W PSU" farce.  I have a 700W and it's honestly overkill.  Google for psu watt calculators and see what they recommend.  

Please do not cheap out on the PSU.

p.s. You probably should make sure your PSU is listed as "Haswell compatible".  It's an ultra-low power state that your i5 will go into when it's idle.  Great for decreasing heat and electricity costs, but older designs for PSU can't put out such a low output and you'll have issues.  Solutions are to disable that specific sleep power state (google for details - it's not hard) or just buy a Haswel-compatible PSU.  My Haswell-compatible SeaSonic has zero problems.
Link Posted: 6/21/2014 11:36:16 PM EDT
[#22]
Link Posted: 6/22/2014 12:27:28 AM EDT
[#23]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
SeaSonic or Corsair have been the two I've been looking at.

Is there any significant difference between bronze/gold/etc ratings?

ETA - I've read that cheap or inferior PSUs can blow shit up, I got no plans of skimping, I'm taking my time putting this one together so I only have to do it once.
View Quote


Both are top notch--Seasonic  manufacters Corsair PSU--at least they used to.
Seasonics are the best.
Link Posted: 6/22/2014 8:31:25 PM EDT
[#24]
Link Posted: 6/22/2014 10:12:49 PM EDT
[#25]
Nothing wrong with that at all.  The johnnyguru recommendation is solid.  

Good choice.
Link Posted: 6/23/2014 5:05:19 PM EDT
[#26]
Link Posted: 6/23/2014 6:49:41 PM EDT
[#27]
They're all huge today.  I run a Cooler Master 212 evo and I'd feel comfortable using it as a personal defense weapon if needed.  
Link Posted: 6/23/2014 9:00:43 PM EDT
[#28]
Link Posted: 6/23/2014 10:19:45 PM EDT
[#29]
Make sure your case isn't too noisy.  It is fatiguing to use a loud computer 24/7.  It's okay if it's loud when you're gaming and the fans are all spun up, but it should be silent or "light breezy fan" quiet when you're just surfing.  Read the reviews to see how quiet they are.  

For the GPU, you can shoot for the moon or go modest.  It all depends on the resolution, what games you want to play, and how much you like spending money.  
Link Posted: 6/23/2014 11:02:19 PM EDT
[#30]
Link Posted: 6/24/2014 2:41:39 AM EDT
[#31]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
The case is going to be a Corsair C70. It looks really cool, and reviewers have raved about the cable management and how quiet it is.

Resolution, um, 1920x1080 I suppose. I really want things to be smooth - 60+ FPS is what I'm after. What games am I going to play?  Skyrim and FO3 with mods, probably revisit Dead Space, the Bioshock games, gonna be Minecrafting. DayZ looks really interesting, as does Rust. I got burned on BF4 on XB1, don't know if I want to give Dice/EA any more of my money for that.   Might try Mobas as well, I dunno.

Never played the Stalker games, I'm looking forward to them.

Reviews I've read have me thinking 770 or 780. I don't really mind paying for something good.
View Quote


I have a 780 and I can run Skyrim/FO3/Bioshock Infinite  at 2560x1440.  Shouldn't be an issue.

Link Posted: 7/15/2014 12:24:47 PM EDT
[#32]
Link Posted: 9/2/2014 10:57:59 PM EDT
[#33]
Is liquid cooling a must now? I built a comp 10 years ago and liquid was just another way of
cooling. I used it on the CPU and video card. The radiator was a tower that was outside and

cooled passively. Needless to say my knowledge of things is hosed by now.
Link Posted: 9/2/2014 11:49:04 PM EDT
[#34]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Is liquid cooling a must now? I built a comp 10 years ago and liquid was just another way ofcooling. I used it on the CPU and video card. The radiator was a tower that was outside and
cooled passively. Needless to say my knowledge of things is hosed by now.
View Quote


Not necessary, but the all-in-one water coolers are cheap, easy, and pretty good.
Link Posted: 9/3/2014 9:58:02 AM EDT
[#35]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Is liquid cooling a must now? I built a comp 10 years ago and liquid was just another way ofcooling. I used it on the CPU and video card. The radiator was a tower that was outside and
cooled passively. Needless to say my knowledge of things is hosed by now.
View Quote


No, liquid cooling is not a must.  Air is still perfectly reasonable for most users.

However, liquid has never been more accessible than it is now.  If you want it, it's not hard and it's not expensive.
Link Posted: 9/3/2014 11:02:34 PM EDT
[#36]
I just bought a new rig

I7 4790K
GIGABYTE 770 GTX
16G RAM
2TB HD
512 SSD


I am running an I7 with a corsair H80 water cool.
Link Posted: 9/4/2014 3:51:48 AM EDT
[#37]
Are you getting anything done on this Quintin?   I am curious to see how it works out for you.   I am upgrading an old piece of #%@! to a slightly newer, faster piece of $%#.

I don't play the fancy games that you play on PC though.
Link Posted: 9/4/2014 4:17:58 AM EDT
[#38]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Are you getting anything done on this Quintin?   I am curious to see how it works out for you.   I am upgrading an old piece of #%@! to a slightly newer, faster piece of $%#.

I don't play the fancy games that you play on PC though.
View Quote


If you are not a gamer and instead use your computer for web surfing, paying bills, watching netflix, etc. then you don't need a lot of computer.  An inexpensive prebuilt from Wal-Mart or Fry's will be plenty.  No need to waste money.

Even if you are a light gamer, those prebuilts are fine.  Just buy a discrete video card for $100 if the built-in video isn't hacking it.  Boom, done.

Link Posted: 9/4/2014 4:42:13 AM EDT
[#39]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


If you are not a gamer and instead use your computer for web surfing, paying bills, watching netflix, etc. then you don't need a lot of computer.  An inexpensive prebuilt from Wal-Mart or Fry's will be plenty.  No need to waste money.

Even if you are a light gamer, those prebuilts are fine.  Just buy a discrete video card for $100 if the built-in video isn't hacking it.  Boom, done.

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Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
Are you getting anything done on this Quintin?   I am curious to see how it works out for you.   I am upgrading an old piece of #%@! to a slightly newer, faster piece of $%#.

I don't play the fancy games that you play on PC though.


If you are not a gamer and instead use your computer for web surfing, paying bills, watching netflix, etc. then you don't need a lot of computer.  An inexpensive prebuilt from Wal-Mart or Fry's will be plenty.  No need to waste money.

Even if you are a light gamer, those prebuilts are fine.  Just buy a discrete video card for $100 if the built-in video isn't hacking it.  Boom, done.



Not hijack his thread.. But I only play Counter Strike on PC.  Everything else I play on console.   So I am just upgrading GPU and RAM a little so it runs the CS smoothly.    

I was just curious how much he had done and how it was going.  I've gamed with Quintin quite a bit so I was just curious how it was going for him.
Link Posted: 9/4/2014 11:59:19 AM EDT
[#40]
Link Posted: 9/4/2014 12:59:18 PM EDT
[#41]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:

  It's on a temporary hold, as we've been in the middle of a big project at work so I haven't really had much time to mess with it.

All I'm lacking is a video card, OS and a keyboard and mouse. I recently upgraded my internet at home to U-Verse, no more 4G hot spot garbage.
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Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
Quoted:
Are you getting anything done on this Quintin?   I am curious to see how it works out for you.   I am upgrading an old piece of #%@! to a slightly newer, faster piece of $%#.

I don't play the fancy games that you play on PC though.

  It's on a temporary hold, as we've been in the middle of a big project at work so I haven't really had much time to mess with it.

All I'm lacking is a video card, OS and a keyboard and mouse. I recently upgraded my internet at home to U-Verse, no more 4G hot spot garbage.


I hope your U-Verse is better than mine... It is up and down all the time.  Hopefully, it will be better than your phone though.
Link Posted: 9/4/2014 6:57:58 PM EDT
[#42]
Link Posted: 9/19/2014 1:28:32 PM EDT
[#43]
Link Posted: 9/19/2014 1:38:04 PM EDT
[#44]
Get a 900 series card.

http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/nvidia_geforce_gtx_970_and_980_reference_review,1.html


EVGA 970 is $329 on newegg. 980 is $549
Link Posted: 9/19/2014 1:45:35 PM EDT
[#45]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
So Nvidia announced the GTX 970/980. I really want to try and set my PC up in such a manner to future proof it as best as possible, to have as much headroom as I can get for future releases. I was pretty well set on a 780, but now I don't know whether to wait out and get a 980 or what. Thoughts?
View Quote


I just read a review.  It looks like the 970 is close to 780ti performance at a substantial discount.  If you were going to be happy with a 780, you'd likely be even happier with a 970.

Link Posted: 9/19/2014 2:41:19 PM EDT
[#46]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


I just read a review.  It looks like the 970 is close to 780ti performance at a substantial discount.  If you were going to be happy with a 780, you'd likely be even happier with a 970.

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Quoted:
Quoted:
So Nvidia announced the GTX 970/980. I really want to try and set my PC up in such a manner to future proof it as best as possible, to have as much headroom as I can get for future releases. I was pretty well set on a 780, but now I don't know whether to wait out and get a 980 or what. Thoughts?


I just read a review.  It looks like the 970 is close to 780ti performance at a substantial discount.  If you were going to be happy with a 780, you'd likely be even happier with a 970.



I think EVGA has a trade in program. Ill do some research...as I have 2 780-ti SC's


ETA: looks like the 980 isn't that much better than my 780-ti SC

I'll wait until the 980-ti's come out and see.

Unless I strike it rich and then I'll just buy a few Titan-Z cards
Link Posted: 9/19/2014 4:14:44 PM EDT
[#47]
Link Posted: 9/19/2014 8:01:13 PM EDT
[#48]
If only you were good at video games building this PC would almost be worth it for you......

All joking aside...  I am curious what the final cost of the build is with the changes and everything.  It looks like you are putting a lot of higher quality components.  Are you finding yourself spending a lot more than your original budget?

I plan on having a lower end PC available to me from now on to help me handle my Counter Strike addiction that I developed recently.  I am looking forward to seeing how your build works out for you.
Link Posted: 9/19/2014 8:03:16 PM EDT
[#49]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:
I plan on having a lower end PC available to me from now on to help me handle my Counter Strike addiction that I developed recently.  I am looking forward to seeing how your build works out for you.
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CS doesn't take much of a computer at all.  I bet my integrated graphics that I've never used can render that just fine.
Link Posted: 9/19/2014 9:36:23 PM EDT
[#50]
Discussion ForumsJump to Quoted PostQuote History
Quoted:


CS doesn't take much of a computer at all.  I bet my integrated graphics that I've never used can render that just fine.
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Quoted:
Quoted:
I plan on having a lower end PC available to me from now on to help me handle my Counter Strike addiction that I developed recently.  I am looking forward to seeing how your build works out for you.


CS doesn't take much of a computer at all.  I bet my integrated graphics that I've never used can render that just fine.


The integrated graphics on my old i3 ran CS, but it skipped a little bit.
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