EPTComputer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread - Page 187
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Cyro
United Kingdom20326 Posts
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wptlzkwjd
Canada1240 Posts
On January 16 2014 07:24 sechkie wrote: Not sure how often you guys do recommendations on ultrabooks, but what do you guys think of http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/ASUS-Zenbook-Touch-UX31LA-UH51T-Touchscreen-Ultrabook/productID.288024700 It's the Asus Venbook UX31LA with the i54200u. with a 13.3 inch 1080p display The build also seems to be high quality as well. I'm just looking for something with which I can watch youtube videos and stream movies as well as something light to carry around at school. I also find this laptop aesthetically pleasing to me. Any suggestions? Eh...spending $1000 on a laptop with those specs is like buying a MacBook Air... I don't agree with purchasing this laptop for several reasons: 1) if you have the money, might as well go for the Zenbook UX301LA or UX302LG. They're the new refreshes for the Zenbook (formerly known as Zenbook Infinity). The UX301LA in particularly might be of interest to you because it comes with a 1440p screen which would make your daily tasks and videos better looking. The UX302LG packs some decent hardware and can be used for light gaming. However, both 301 and 302s are crazy expensive (1500-2500 USD). 2) In comparison to a desktop you're getting about $200 worth of hardware, if that. 3) Apart from the aesthetics, you could spend like $300 on a cheap laptop and do the same things. Granted they probably won't come with a 1080p display, but it's still paying far less. They're not as light or fancy looking but laptops these days aren't as heavy as before. TLDR: You're paying like $300 for the hardware and about $700 for its looks and size. It's the equivalent of buying costumes in League of Legends. | ||
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Cyro
United Kingdom20326 Posts
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Myrmidon
United States9452 Posts
If around $1000 is the budget, and as mentioned above if build quality / weight / size are the primary concerns, that's decent. If it's something you'll use a lot and frequently not on a desk, it can make sense. I mean, in terms of running the programs you want to, despite whatever power limits and hardware you want to talk about, i5-4200U is already more than enough. If 128 GB storage is a concern, you could find say a Clevo W840SU barebones or configurable option somewhere and just put in a sufficient SSD or even mechanical drive yourself (and everything else necessary for roughly $1000 total), especially if you can get an OS for less than ~$100. | ||
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wptlzkwjd
Canada1240 Posts
http://shop.lenovo.com/ca/en/laptops/ideapad/y-series/y510p/?sb=:000001CA:00004738: Has an i7 4700MQ and a GT 750M on a 1080p screen. It's not as sleek or thin as a Zenbook but it's not a brick like Alienware. 1TB storage + 24GB SSD for your OS. Well, Windows DPI scaling still kind of blows, so I'm not even sure 1440p would be an upgrade really. (though you may need to use greater than 100% for 1080p on 13.3" already) lol true but on a 13.3 screen, even a 1080p screen text looks tiny so if you're going to be using a magnifying glass you might as well go all out. The Samsung Ativ Book 9 Plus has an even higher resolution screen I think...3200X1800. Makes your text look like bacteria lol. http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msca/en_CA/pdp/productID.295271400?srccode=cii_363499683&cpncode=32-308334566-2&WT.mc_id=PLA_CAEN_GooglePLA | ||
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Prplppleatr
United States1518 Posts
Upgrade first: + Show Spoiler + What is your current build? Processor (CPU) - i7 920 2.67GHz Motherboard - not sure Memory (RAM) - 6GB Primary Storage - 1TB Power Supply (PSU) - 1000W GPU - Geforce GTX 285 OS - Windows 7 64bit What is your monitor's native resolution? 1920x1080 Why do you want to upgrade? What do you want to achieve with the upgrade? Smoother game play and not deal with outdated gpu...plus comp keeps crashing so that's why i'd only be willing to spend so much with out getting a new setup since i'm not positive on what is wrong (power error in event viewer, but i think its gpu failing or some other hardware) What is your budget? $500 What country will you be buying your parts in? USA If you have any brand or retailer preferences, please specify. none If I go new: + Show Spoiler + What is your budget? up to $2000 What is your monitor's native resolution? 1920x1080 What games do you intend to play on this computer? What settings? Dota2, CS:GO, SC2, Rome Total War2 - preferably on high What do you intend to use the computer for besides gaming? Office, internet Do you intend to overclock? no Do you intend to do SLI / Crossfire? if it's in the budget and worth the extra, but not needed Do you need an operating system? yes, windows 7 preferred Do you need a monitor or any other peripherals and is this part of your budget? no If you have any requirements or brand preferences, please specify. none What country will you be buying your parts in? USA If you have any retailer preferences, please specify. none Thanks in advance for w.e help. I hope I have enough information with this. Let me know if you would like to know something. | ||
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wptlzkwjd
Canada1240 Posts
It's probably not necessary to buy a whole new $2000 computer especially since you're just playing SC2, CSGO, etc. What you have now is more than enough to run those games. It would be smarter to fix that crash first either by more diagnosing or the aforementioned new hardware. By the way, why did you buy a 1000W PSU? | ||
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Cyro
United Kingdom20326 Posts
I am unsure whether to do a completely new build (I would like liquid cooling) or just try to upgrade the one I have (if it's worth it). Here is each option: Why do you want "liquid" cooling? What does this mean to you or what benefits are you looking for? All in one coolers (closed loops) marked as "liquid" are rather expensive for their performance and with stock fans, significantly louder than comparable performance air options, they're very often a bad choice in an ATX-sized case (though if budget and noise are not really concerns, a 240mm rad clc with a pair of sp120's is always nice on haswell cpu) - but you don't seem like the advanced hardware nut to want to spend a ton of money on a custom water loop and manually set up tubing, connections, radiators, pump, reservoir etc (most people who say liquid don't actually want to do that) You wrote "no" on overclock - so what are you hoping to gain? I mean noise, aesthetics, gotta be something :D To open up some windows: Firstly, what's your PSU model? That's pretty important a little curious about RAM specs, since you only listed 6gb and then for the possibility of overclocking your current CPU (i7 920's are very low clocked at stock - many of them took +50% overclocks relatively easily) it's somewhat important to know your motherboard name, as well as the revision of the CPU. You can check both from CPU-Z - the revision of your CPU should be on the first page, either "c0" or "d0" - and your motherboard should be identified on the mainboard tab. Memory frequency and timings can be seem from memory tab too, if you don't know them | ||
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Rodrek
United States14 Posts
On January 14 2014 15:43 Cyro wrote: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2B03G $729 without GPU or CPU cooler - maybe a bit more if bought from the same shops etc, and not counting rebates (spent like $17 extra on RAM for that kit; probably not super important) some GPU options: http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=AS-R927D2O&c=CJ - $190 (bit worse than 270x.. but waaay better price performance than some $240 270x model, they're close in performance) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130932 - $250 (stronger but costlier gpu, nvidia) I've also noticed some "Compatibility issues" on this build... when i say this I mean this is what pcpartpicker is saying to me. "G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory operating voltage of 1.65V exceeds the Intel Haswell CPU recommended maximum of 1.5V+5% (1.575V). This memory module may run at a reduced clock rate to meet the 1.5V voltage recommendation, or may require running at a voltage greater than the Intel recommended maximum. Gigabyte GA-Z87X-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard has onboard USB 3.0 headers, but the Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case does not have front panel USB 3.0 ports." Not sure what to think about this | ||
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Mavvie
Canada923 Posts
RAM doesn't matter either, especially on a Z87 build. Just go into BIOS and manually set the DRAM voltage to 1.65v. I'm not sure about this, but I imagine it would automatically underclock/undervolt if it's an issue. So you have no real compatibility issues, just very small things! I'm running 1.65v shitty Kingston RAM just fine, it's really just Intel's "recommendation", not a guideline. | ||
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Myrmidon
United States9452 Posts
You can take a very mild performance hit and save some money (after promo code) on some nominal 1.5V 1866 MHz rated kit instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231550 Something like that might hit close to 2400 MHz at those timings at 1.65V anyway... | ||
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Zeller
United States1109 Posts
What is your budget? ~$2,000 What is your monitor's native resolution? I'll have to get back with you on that, I'm on vacation. It's a fairly new (2012) LG 17 inch What games do you intend to play on this computer? What settings? Anything and everything, maximum settings is preferred or at least close to it, I want the full experience What do you intend to use the computer for besides gaming? A lot of music listening, online school, maybe some movie watching Do you intend to overclock? I don't have the time to learn it, can I just request the manufacturer do it? Do you need a monitor or any other peripherals and is this part of your budget? No What country will you be buying your parts in? USA The only thing to add, does the sound card matter in terms of the sound I get from my speakers? I have a fairly nice BOSE set up, I'd like to make sure I get the maximum potential from them. I'm big on listening to music. I also have some pretty decent Sennheiser headphones, again does the sound card matter, or is there technology in PC's to get maximum sound? | ||
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Prplppleatr
United States1518 Posts
On January 16 2014 14:51 wptlzkwjd wrote: + Show Spoiler + You could spend $75 on a new PSU and give that a try to see if it stops crashing. If not, you could always return it or put it towards your new build. Get a video card to help with the crashing like you suspect. You could go for a GTX 770, which would put you below budget. If you decide to buy a new PC later on, you can get another 770 and SLI that which would make it more powerful than a 780. It's probably not necessary to buy a whole new $2000 computer especially since you're just playing SC2, CSGO, etc. What you have now is more than enough to run those games. It would be smarter to fix that crash first either by more diagnosing or the aforementioned new hardware. By the way, why did you buy a 1000W PSU? Ya, that's what i'm leaning towards, but i just hope that it hasn't caused more problems with more of my hardware, which is why im just considering a whole new comp....i bought this one prebuilt from ibuypower on newegg, that's why it has that power CORRECTION: I have Soly Tech ATX 800W Switching power supply model SL-8850EPS On January 16 2014 15:26 Cyro wrote: + Show Spoiler + I am unsure whether to do a completely new build (I would like liquid cooling) or just try to upgrade the one I have (if it's worth it). Here is each option: Why do you want "liquid" cooling? What does this mean to you or what benefits are you looking for? All in one coolers (closed loops) marked as "liquid" are rather expensive for their performance and with stock fans, significantly louder than comparable performance air options, they're very often a bad choice in an ATX-sized case (though if budget and noise are not really concerns, a 240mm rad clc with a pair of sp120's is always nice on haswell cpu) - but you don't seem like the advanced hardware nut to want to spend a ton of money on a custom water loop and manually set up tubing, connections, radiators, pump, reservoir etc (most people who say liquid don't actually want to do that) You wrote "no" on overclock - so what are you hoping to gain? I mean noise, aesthetics, gotta be something :D To open up some windows: Firstly, what's your PSU model? That's pretty important a little curious about RAM specs, since you only listed 6gb and then for the possibility of overclocking your current CPU (i7 920's are very low clocked at stock - many of them took +50% overclocks relatively easily) it's somewhat important to know your motherboard name, as well as the revision of the CPU. You can check both from CPU-Z - the revision of your CPU should be on the first page, either "c0" or "d0" - and your motherboard should be identified on the mainboard tab. Memory frequency and timings can be seem from memory tab too, if you don't know them I said that I would like liquid because i have 4 fans but still hear them going hard after a few hours of gaming, where as my friend has liquid and i never hear his fans working hard. I don't care about the noise, I just don't want things to fail because they are too hot. Ty for the cpu-z, motherboard is MSI X58 Pro SLI; CPU revision D0 Memory is DDR3 6GB, DRAMfrequency 534.6 MHz, NB Frequency ~2138, CL/tRCD/tRP 8 clocks, tRAS 19 clocks, tRFC 59 clocks, CR 1T I guess my biggest question is whether it is worth trying to upgrade this one (with the Kernel-41 Power error, likely caused by hardware from what i've researched) or just buy a new one which seems to be about $1200 for a really nice one that fits my needs. I would assume my GPU is what needs the biggest upgrade (and is what i think is failing the most, i know i have got a driver error from windows for it but they are always up to date) Thank you for the help | ||
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sechkie
United States334 Posts
[QUOTE]On January 16 2014 07:24 sechkie wrote: Not sure how often you guys do recommendations on ultrabooks, but what do you guys think of [url=http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/ASUS-Zenbook-Touch-UX31LA-UH51T-Touchscreen-Ultrabook/productID.288024700]http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/ASUS-Zenbook-Touch-UX31LA-UH51T-Touchscreen-Ultrabook/productID.288024700[/url] It's the Asus Venbook UX31LA with the i54200u. with a 13.3 inch 1080p display The build also seems to be high quality as well. I'm just looking for something with which I can watch youtube videos and stream movies as well as something light to carry around at school. I also find this laptop aesthetically pleasing to me. Any suggestions?[/QUOTE] I have looked at options such as the thinkpad and the UX301, but basically what I'm looking for is something that is decently fast with good battery life (hence why I would probaby prefer the haswell processors) as well as something that is small and light. the 13.3 inch screen size is quite nice although a 12-14 inch screen can be acceptable. The most important part is just that I would really like a lightweight thin device that I will definitely want to keep under 4 pounds. Are there other recommendations that I might want to consider then? Just to clarify, budget is around 700-1000 with an importance on battery life, build, size and weight. Things like a 1440p screen and such as unnecessary and probably a waste of money for me. | ||
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nonsequitur
384 Posts
$950 usd. What is your monitor's native resolution? 1920x1080 What games do you intend to play on this computer? What settings? Battlefield 4 at Ultra with 60fps minimum. What do you intend to use the computer for besides gaming? Not much else. Do you intend to overclock? Yes Do you intend to do SLI / Crossfire? Would like for this to be an option in the future Do you need an operating system? No Do you need a monitor or any other peripherals and is this part of your budget? No. I intend to reuse my gpu and ram. Edit: My gpu is the 7950. If you have any requirements or brand preferences, please specify. No. What country will you be buying your parts in? Singapore, but it's fine to use US prices. If you have any retailer preferences, please specify. No. I could link the price list provided by my retailer here, but I doubt anyone wants to sift through a badly scanned pdf. Edit: Here it is anyway. Dropbox pdf link. Other notes: My current gpu is the 7950 and cpu is the i5-750 oc'd to 3.4ghz. How much fps can I expect to gain from upgrading to a i5-4670k? Tentative build: CPU: i5-4670K Mobo: Gigabyte z87x-d3h (is there a better alternative? Also, is the z87x-ud3h worth the extra $30+ if all I'm really looking to do is gaming?) SSD: Samsung Evo 250 gb PSU: Seasonic M12II-Modular 750W CPU Cooler: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 X Case: Fractal Design R4 Total price: ~$940 usd. | ||
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wptlzkwjd
Canada1240 Posts
[QUOTE]On January 17 2014 12:50 sechkie wrote: [QUOTE]On January 16 2014 08:41 wptlzkwjd wrote: [QUOTE]On January 16 2014 07:24 sechkie wrote: Not sure how often you guys do recommendations on ultrabooks, but what do you guys think of [url=http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/ASUS-Zenbook-Touch-UX31LA-UH51T-Touchscreen-Ultrabook/productID.288024700]http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/ASUS-Zenbook-Touch-UX31LA-UH51T-Touchscreen-Ultrabook/productID.288024700[/url] It's the Asus Venbook UX31LA with the i54200u. with a 13.3 inch 1080p display The build also seems to be high quality as well. I'm just looking for something with which I can watch youtube videos and stream movies as well as something light to carry around at school. I also find this laptop aesthetically pleasing to me. Any suggestions?[/QUOTE] I have looked at options such as the thinkpad and the UX301, but basically what I'm looking for is something that is decently fast with good battery life (hence why I would probaby prefer the haswell processors) as well as something that is small and light. the 13.3 inch screen size is quite nice although a 12-14 inch screen can be acceptable. The most important part is just that I would really like a lightweight thin device that I will definitely want to keep under 4 pounds. Are there other recommendations that I might want to consider then? Just to clarify, budget is around 700-1000 with an importance on battery life, build, size and weight. Things like a 1440p screen and such as unnecessary and probably a waste of money for me. [/QUOTE] If the most important part is being lightweight and thin, then the Zenbook is pretty much perfect because that's what it was built for. You can check out the Samsung Ativ Book 9 Lite but I'm not sure what the price is for that. It's fairly similar to the Zenbook in terms of size weight and specs. | ||
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wptlzkwjd
Canada1240 Posts
On January 17 2014 14:13 nonsequitur wrote: What is your budget? $950 usd. What is your monitor's native resolution? 1920x1080 What games do you intend to play on this computer? What settings? Battlefield 4 at Ultra with 60fps minimum. What do you intend to use the computer for besides gaming? Not much else. Do you intend to overclock? Yes Do you intend to do SLI / Crossfire? Would like for this to be an option in the future Do you need an operating system? No Do you need a monitor or any other peripherals and is this part of your budget? No. I intend to reuse my gpu and ram. If you have any requirements or brand preferences, please specify. No. What country will you be buying your parts in? Singapore, but it's fine to use US prices. If you have any retailer preferences, please specify. No. I could link the price list provided by my retailer here, but I doubt anyone wants to sift through a badly scanned pdf. Edit: Here it is anyway. Dropbox pdf link. Tentative build: CPU: i5-4670K Mobo: Gigabyte z87x-d3h (is there a better alternative? Also, is the z87x-ud3h worth the extra $30+ if all I'm really looking to do is gaming?) SSD: Samsung Evo 250 gb PSU: Seasonic M12II-Modular 750W CPU Cooler: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 X Case: Fractal Design R4 Total price: ~$940 usd. What's the GPU you're using? 750W is most likely way overkill for what you're going to build. You can get away with a cheaper one at the same wattage (which I don't recommend) or you can buy a higher quality PSU at a lower wattage. Fractal Design R4 is so ugly  Look up NZXT Phantom 410. It's a lot cooler looking IMO and around the same price. | ||
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nonsequitur
384 Posts
On January 17 2014 15:37 wptlzkwjd wrote: + Show Spoiler + On January 17 2014 14:13 nonsequitur wrote: What is your budget? $950 usd. What is your monitor's native resolution? 1920x1080 What games do you intend to play on this computer? What settings? Battlefield 4 at Ultra with 60fps minimum. What do you intend to use the computer for besides gaming? Not much else. Do you intend to overclock? Yes Do you intend to do SLI / Crossfire? Would like for this to be an option in the future Do you need an operating system? No Do you need a monitor or any other peripherals and is this part of your budget? No. I intend to reuse my gpu and ram. If you have any requirements or brand preferences, please specify. No. What country will you be buying your parts in? Singapore, but it's fine to use US prices. If you have any retailer preferences, please specify. No. I could link the price list provided by my retailer here, but I doubt anyone wants to sift through a badly scanned pdf. Edit: Here it is anyway. Dropbox pdf link. Tentative build: CPU: i5-4670K Mobo: Gigabyte z87x-d3h (is there a better alternative? Also, is the z87x-ud3h worth the extra $30+ if all I'm really looking to do is gaming?) SSD: Samsung Evo 250 gb PSU: Seasonic M12II-Modular 750W CPU Cooler: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 X Case: Fractal Design R4 Total price: ~$940 usd. What's the GPU you're using? 750W is most likely way overkill for what you're going to build. You can get away with a cheaper one at the same wattage (which I don't recommend) or you can buy a higher quality PSU at a lower wattage. Fractal Design R4 is so ugly Look up NZXT Phantom 410. It's a lot cooler looking IMO and around the same price. I'm using the 7950. I kinda prefer the minimal sleek look of the design r4 but to be honest, looks don't matter to me all that much and the noise dampening of the r4 appeals to me. I may end up going for a 620w instead since I'm not entirely sure if I'll be doing sli/crossfire in the future. | ||
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wptlzkwjd
Canada1240 Posts
On January 17 2014 15:43 nonsequitur wrote: I'm using the 7950. I kinda prefer the minimal sleek look of the design r4 but to be honest, looks don't matter to me all that much and the noise dampening of the r4 appeals to me. I may end up going for a 620w instead since I'm not entirely sure if I'll be doing sli/crossfire in the future. It's probably not such a good idea to crossfire the 7950 because it's not that great of a gaming card for its price which is inflated due to mining... | ||
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Incognoto
France10239 Posts
7950 prices are indeed inflated due to mining but I think our friend already has his. It's not a bad card, it's the AMD equivalent of a GTX 760 which didn't get rebranded like the 7870 and the 7970. The case is easily the most subjective part of the build, everyone has their favorites. It comes down to looks really, as long as you read a few reviews first to make sure you're not getting a case that's really difficult to work with. On top of that, the R4 has a stellar reputation, so that's an easy buy. Coolermaster 212X is a weak heatsink, you won't get much of an overclock out of that. People here like to recommend the Hr-02 Macho Rev.a for mid-range cooling, or something like a Silver Arrow or Noctua DH14 for high end cooling. Here are two threads you might wanna read: http://www.overclock.net/t/1386288/guide-budget-mid-range-and-high-end-heatsink-choice-price-performance http://www.overclock.net/t/1096408/new-high-end-cpu-vga-coolers | ||
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