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When using this resource, please read the opening post. The Tech Support forum regulars have helped create countless of desktop systems without any compensation. The least you can do is provide all of the information required for them to help you properly. |
What is your budget?
2300$
What is your monitor's native resolution?
May need monitor. Cintiq has to be included
What games do you intend to play on this computer? What settings?
May play games so computer but doesnt requiere Ultra settings. High preferred but med is fine
What do you intend to use the computer for besides gaming?
Mostly Animation and drawing.
Do you intend to overclock?
Would love to overclock
Do you intend to do SLI / Crossfire?
No but may be a good option in the future.
Do you need an operating system?
copy of windows 7
Do you need a monitor or any other peripherals and is this part of your budget?
CIntiq Monitor is a Must
If you have any requirements or brand preferences, please specify.
Not really.
What country will you be buying your parts in?
Canada
If you have any retailer preferences, please specify.
Computer Canada and NCIX.
This is what i have in mind but it is overbudget so should i reduce the processor or change the card and power supply...? And forgot the add monitor.
Cintiq 13inch 989$
WD black 89
i7-4770k 350
motherbord 150
g skill f3 150
fractal design white (window 109
video card asus 660ti 190
evga supernova 750w
heatsink noctua 90
windows 7 100$
let me know thanks you!
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Um just a quick question, I decided to run intelburntest for the first time in years to see how my cpu overclock was holding up (2500k at 4.4GHz with 1.24V, god knows what the fiddly settings are) and whilst the computer handles it fine, with temps ~65C, what confused me was that the voltages start at 1.24V, then later on go up to 1.38V (yet the temps are fine O_0). This seems to yield a very high package tdp of 120W, but then it randomly drops to 70W that whilst still being at 100% load and 1.38V. + Show Spoiler [Screenshot] +
And having just typed this up my cpu just failed IBT (on the 2nd run of 5 with 4GB RAM usage :/). Not quite sure what to make of this new development, I guess I'll probably just ignore it lol. Any explanations for the odd TDP/voltage readings?
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What is your budget?
$1000 USD +/- 200
What is your monitor's native resolution?
1920x1080
What games do you intend to play on this computer? What settings?
DayZ, Arma 2, Arma 3, DayZ Standalone at Very High/Ultra Settings
What do you intend to use the computer for besides gaming?
MATLAB, CAD Modeling, Engineering Schoolwork
Do you intend to overclock?
Yes
Do you intend to do SLI / Crossfire?
No
Do you need an operating system?
No
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.
Intel for processor, NVidia for video card
What country will you be buying your parts in?
USA
If you have any retailer preferences, please specify.
Amazon, Newegg
Hi skyR, do you think you can critique my build? It's based off of your guide and some of your responses but I changed a few things.
I already have a monitor, an additional Western Digital HD, as well as Windows 7, but my proposed build is:
Intel Core i5 4670k @ $230
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO @ $35
Gigabyte GTX 760 @ $255
G.Skill Ripjaws Z 2x4GB 2400MHz @ $63
Gigabyte Z87X-D3H @ $140
Samsung 840 EVO 250GB @ $170
Fractal Design Define R4 @ $90
Rosewill Capstone 450W @ $60
DVD Burner @ $15
Total: $1058
Do you think you can critique this build? A couple of questions:
Is the power supply okay if I decide to overclock but not do SLI?
Should I upgrade to a GTX 770 if my brother is thinking about subsidizing it for me?
Also, what warrants the 2400MHz RAM over the traditional 1600MHz? Is overclocking RAM noticeably faster?
Thanks!
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The Cooler Master 212 won't cut it unless you delid or are aiming for a low Overclock (~4.2) as 4th gen intel runs stupidly hot. Since all nvidia cards are voltage locked it's pretty pointless to buy one with a way overkill cooler as you won't get more mhz; therefore I would just get the evga 760 ACX for $256.
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On September 09 2013 16:24 Rollin wrote:Um just a quick question, I decided to run intelburntest for the first time in years to see how my cpu overclock was holding up (2500k at 4.4GHz with 1.24V, god knows what the fiddly settings are) and whilst the computer handles it fine, with temps ~65C, what confused me was that the voltages start at 1.24V, then later on go up to 1.38V (yet the temps are fine O_0). This seems to yield a very high package tdp of 120W, but then it randomly drops to 70W that whilst still being at 100% load and 1.38V. + Show Spoiler [Screenshot] +And having just typed this up my cpu just failed IBT (on the 2nd run of 5 with 4GB RAM usage :/). Not quite sure what to make of this new development, I guess I'll probably just ignore it lol. Any explanations for the odd TDP/voltage readings?
Each run it does, it seems it first has to do some sort of setting up (on whatever it uses all that memory for perhaps), only then it starts up all those calculations that heat up the CPU and use all those Watts. Next run will look the same. So it always cycles between somewhat lower package power and the very high one.
On my 3570k, it's about 50 W when it's on the low use of whatever it does in a run, 77 W for the hot part (still a lot higher temperatures than what you see at your 120W).
If it finds an error, I guess it wants more voltage, though perhaps only for whatever IBT does, not anywhere else. For me it's reversed. I can have IBT run fine with a lot lower settings than what it needs for normal programs.
You can try to tweak things like that by changing the setting that controls LLC/vdroop for your board. IBT is the highest possible load. That's where vdroop is the strongest normally and wants to pull down voltage. You can try to use stronger LLC (load-line calibration) if you are not at its max setting already. It will cause higher voltage for IBT but not as much change in normal use.
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United Kingdom20345 Posts
On September 09 2013 16:24 Rollin wrote:Um just a quick question, I decided to run intelburntest for the first time in years to see how my cpu overclock was holding up (2500k at 4.4GHz with 1.24V, god knows what the fiddly settings are) and whilst the computer handles it fine, with temps ~65C, what confused me was that the voltages start at 1.24V, then later on go up to 1.38V (yet the temps are fine O_0). This seems to yield a very high package tdp of 120W, but then it randomly drops to 70W that whilst still being at 100% load and 1.38V. + Show Spoiler [Screenshot] +And having just typed this up my cpu just failed IBT (on the 2nd run of 5 with 4GB RAM usage :/). Not quite sure what to make of this new development, I guess I'll probably just ignore it lol. Any explanations for the odd TDP/voltage readings?
Check with hwinfo (not hwmonitor) and are you using offset volts? the VID that you are offsetting from can change under some circumstances, i don't really remember them because offset is worse than manual/adaptive for Haswell (where you can more accurately specify voltages and it'll drop to 0.7v/800mhz anyway)
I can't really compare package power readings because haswell pulls a ton more power to achieve its 210gflops @4ghz*
Each run it does, it seems it first has to do some sort of setting up (on whatever it uses all that memory for perhaps), only then it starts up all those calculations that heat up the CPU and use all those Watts. Next run will look the same. So it always cycles between somewhat lower package power and the very high one.
Yea, linpack does this, what cooling is it on too?
*Edit: Avx1 IBT (not avx2 which pulls a ton more power) i get ~17w idle, 80w ramping up, ~130w load with 1.22vcore and ht on, so if you're talking about lower power between runs, then that's just normal. I think hwinfo also lets you monitor the VID - can you check that too?
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What is your budget?
As low as possible, under 700€ if possible.
What is your monitor's native resolution?
1920x1080
What games do you intend to play on this computer? What settings?
SC2, maybe some Dota2. Crysis 3, Far Cry 3, Bioshock infinite, Skyrim on high settings but NOT necessarily ultra settings. Also, more importantly, Il-2: BoS, Il-2: CloD and War Thunder. The Total War series. Games that are CPU intensive but not necessarily GPU intensive.
What do you intend to use the computer for besides gaming?
Browsing the internet, maybe some streaming, maybe making some videos for the sim games.
Do you intend to overclock?
No.
Do you intend to do SLI / Crossfire?
No.
Do you need an operating system?
No.
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.
Um, the most cost-efficient ones. xD
What country will you be buying your parts in?
France
If you have any retailer preferences, please specify.
100% Amazon please, unless some other retailer offers much better prices or something, which I doubt.
Ok, so if you read that then you already kind of know what I'm looking for. A cost-effective gaming PC primarily, that can run most games on high graphic settings but it doesn't have to go to the tip-top ultra x4 AA. Also nice is being able to record videos and upload to Youtube. I don't think I'll be streaming, but if I can I won't mind.
I've already fleshed out my build here: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1BOPr (this isn't my retailer, i'm buying everything on amazon.fr)
I would like your opinions on this build. Allow me to briefly explain why I chose each component.
Processor is i5 3570. I didn't take i5 3570K because I don't feel like over-clocking my system. I did some research and apparently i7 is overkill for gaming. Since I'm trying to save as much money as possible, I went for the i5, which is apparently sufficient for gaming. I took the i5 3570 because I know that intel make great processors and I want a good one for CPU intensive games such as Rome Total War 2 or Il-2. Recording videos while playing Flight Sims would be nice (1080p? 720p?) and I think this processor can handle that.
Graphics card is GTX 660 Ti. I spent maybe an hour comparing this card to the HD7950. Overall, this review convinced me to go with the GTX 660 Ti. I'm looking for a graphics card that can run AAA titles on high settings.
I looked at this: http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/video_lookup.php?gpu=GeForce GTX 660
It seems as if this is the GPU I'm looking for. Something not overly expensive (it's at 226€ on amazon) but reasonably powerful. My friend, who has the HD6950, says: "plus i can still max everything anyway". Is there a better choice for a graphics card? Its price is very reasonable for the performance it apparently gives, though I realize that I must take benchmarks with a grain of salt. The fact that it only costs 226€ is one of the factors of me choosing it, I would rather not go over 750€ and this card with the processor costs 410€. This leaves me 350€ for the rest of the components.
To be brief, the motherboard I used is the ASRock H77 which is ATX sized. I think it should house everything without a problem. I don't plan on over-clocking. Maybe there's a board out there that can support my hardware at a lesser price? It costs 73€. The case I used is the less expensive one I could find of the ATX size, I know that it may be a good idea to be more careful with buying the case but I really don't care all that much, I'll buy high end equipment when I'm done with studying and get a job and can afford it more easily. My case is a Thermaltake. Can anyone recommend good cases that don't cost too much? Or vouch this one's qualities? It costs 50€.
My power supply is Corsair 500w at 58€. At first I had a 420W because the site told me that I would use approximately 336W so 420W seemed enough but I got flamed by my friends who told me not to neglect the power supply so I ended up going for this one, which seems to coincide with what was posted @ OP. The OP was really nice, really informative btw.
8 GB of RAM because that's plenty sufficient. It may also help with heavier tasks such as video recording no (59€, also I took Kingston HyperX and I'll take a picture of that and tell Kingston that I bought this brand only because of EG.IdrA)? I also took the cheapest Samsung DVD drive I could find because DVDs ftw (20€)!
My last component is a sound card, but since it wasn't mentioned in the OP and people seem to discuss it little, can I get rid of it completely? It's 26€ but a penny saved is a penny earned and that's a fuck-ton of pennies right there. If I can not buy it and still have average sounding sound I won't buy it.
As of now, my system costs 759€ (733€ without the sound card) on amazon, I think/hope it covers shipping as well but I'm not sure.
Finally one last question, I can't be arsed to check the youtube videos explaining how to build the PC but I know what the inside of a PC looks like and really, it's all about putting components where they should be, plugging everything where it should be, screwing everything that needs to be held in place and connecting power, turning on computer and inserting widows CD, correct? Nothing fancy am i right?
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On September 09 2013 16:37 koreakool wrote:+ Show Spoiler +What is your budget?
$1000 USD +/- 200
What is your monitor's native resolution?
1920x1080
What games do you intend to play on this computer? What settings?
DayZ, Arma 2, Arma 3, DayZ Standalone at Very High/Ultra Settings
What do you intend to use the computer for besides gaming?
MATLAB, CAD Modeling, Engineering Schoolwork
Do you intend to overclock?
Yes
Do you intend to do SLI / Crossfire?
No
Do you need an operating system?
No
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.
Intel for processor, NVidia for video card
What country will you be buying your parts in?
USA
If you have any retailer preferences, please specify.
Amazon, Newegg
Hi skyR, do you think you can critique my build? It's based off of your guide and some of your responses but I changed a few things.
I already have a monitor, an additional Western Digital HD, as well as Windows 7, but my proposed build is:
Intel Core i5 4670k @ $230
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO @ $35
Gigabyte GTX 760 @ $255
G.Skill Ripjaws Z 2x4GB 2400MHz @ $63
Gigabyte Z87X-D3H @ $140
Samsung 840 EVO 250GB @ $170
Fractal Design Define R4 @ $90
Rosewill Capstone 450W @ $60
DVD Burner @ $15
Total: $1058
Do you think you can critique this build? A couple of questions:
Is the power supply okay if I decide to overclock but not do SLI?
Should I upgrade to a GTX 770 if my brother is thinking about subsidizing it for me?
Also, what warrants the 2400MHz RAM over the traditional 1600MHz? Is overclocking RAM noticeably faster?
Thanks!
As iTzSnypah mentions, you'll want a better heatsink.
Yes the power supply is enough if you decide to overclock.
2400MHz memory isn't noticeably faster but it is still faster none the less and isn't that much more expensive than 1600MHz.
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That's pretty interesting hmm.
I immediately checked the prices though and the Corsair is cheaper than the SF450W so I'll probably go with Corsair, especially since I originally thought that 420W would be sufficient. However, does more power equate to more performance? I'll be honest I want a power supply that does it job and a good price. Is 404W of the corsair insufficient to run the system I've proposed?
Edit: you know ropid you're right. i randomly checked GTX 760 and saw that it was only marginally more expensive than 660 Ti.
I may do another complete system again? But it might be more expensive by 100€ and I'm already over 700€. I'll take another look, thanks for the tip.
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I think it's enough. I also can't find a cheaper PSU on amazon.fr that I think is better.
You could go down a little to i5-4570 from i5-4670. That's 0.2 GHz less. Be careful with things like an "S" being added to the end. 4570 is different from 4570S.
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TL guide said that S and T stand for suck and terrible. K is for overclocK which i'm not going to do, so i'll go with standard, no suffix.
i redid everything and it's actually cheaper (ditched the sound card, it's apparently useless): http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1BQpn
went with ASrock H87 motherboard, single stick of 8gb ram (is 2 sticks of 4 gb better?), gtx760, i5-4670
stuck with corsair since it's cheap and apparently sufficient. haven't checked on amazon for the final real price yet but is this build more up to date? the additional cost is almost negligible at first view
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On September 10 2013 03:44 Incognoto wrote:+ Show Spoiler +That's pretty interesting hmm.
I immediately checked the prices though and the Corsair is cheaper than the SF450W so I'll probably go with Corsair, especially since I originally thought that 420W would be sufficient. However, does more power equate to more performance? I'll be honest I want a power supply that does it job and a good price. Is 404W of the corsair insufficient to run the system I've proposed?
The Superflower Golden Green uses a better design and components which allows it to output more power at a higher temperature than the Corsair CX. Yes, a quality 400w unit is enough to run a non-overclocked i5 and a GTX 660 Ti as the combined load total would be under 250w.
You probably want Core i5 4570 or 4670 and a H81 or B85 motherboard instead. H87 really isn't necessary for most people, especially if you're on a tight budget.
I'd consider an mATX board as well and get a Fractal Design Core 1000 rather than the Thermaltake you have listed which isn't exactly cheap.
You need another HDD to record to. A single HDD to run your operating system, game, other programs, and recording too is going to result in poor performance.
Most people don't find the integrated sound to be a problem and a sound card is an easy addition later. So I'd give the integrated a try before spending.
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Thanks for the replies everyone! It has helped a lot!
I updated my build to reflect what ropid & skyR told me. It ends up being lower price but I have better processor (i5-4670) and graphics card (GTX760). I also found a cheaper case than the Thermaltake but the Fractal Design Core 1000 is even cheaper still and compatible with the current build.
I went with the B85 motherboard as the H81 wasn't compatible and H87 was more expensive.
I'll keep the Corsair until now because it remains cheaper than the SF model while apparently remaining sufficient to run the system I have now.
Current build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1BQU4
It's at 677€ now thanks to your tips, which is very good.
I currently have an external hard drive with a lot of free space, could I record to that hard drive efficiently or not? Also is there anything good about getting 2 4Gb RAM sticks rather than 1 8Gb RAM stick? The 2x4 is more expensive than the 1x8, which leaves me pondering. I'll probably stick with the cheaper solution.
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Thanks Ropid and skyR. I've rethought about my build and now I don't know if I need such a big upgrade because I'm just trying to run Arma 3 at ~60 FPS with a 1080p monitor, since the monitor I'm using only has around 60 Hz so anything over that is a waste (essentially using the GPU to redraw the same frames). Everything else over that is just future proofing or overkill so I think I'm going to shrink my budget to ~$800. With that, here's my proposed build:
Intel Core i5 4670 @ $215
MSI B85M-G43 @ $75
G.Skill Ripjaws X 2x4GB 1600MHz @ $60
Sapphire Radeon HD7870 GHz Edition OC 2GB @ $185
Samsung 840 250GB @ $165
Rosewill Capstone 450 @ $60
Fractal Design Core 1000 @ $27
DVD Burner @ $15
Wireless Network Card @ $23
Total: $825
Basically, what skyR suggested for the "typical gamer" build, except I don't need an additional hard drive. What do you think about this? Do you think I should throw in a CPU cooler even though I don't intend to overclock anymore? I feel that I can just get a newer generation CPU when it comes out instead of buying a CPU cooler and overclocking my current CPU.
Partpicker list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1BQP7
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On September 10 2013 04:37 Incognoto wrote:Thanks for the replies everyone! It has helped a lot! I updated my build to reflect what ropid & skyR told me. It ends up being lower price but I have better processor (i5-4670) and graphics card (GTX760). I also found a cheaper case than the Thermaltake but the Fractal Design Core 1000 is even cheaper still and compatible with the current build. I went with the B85 motherboard as the H81 wasn't compatible and H87 was more expensive. I'll keep the Corsair until now because it remains cheaper than the SF model while apparently remaining sufficient to run the system I have now. Current build: http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/It's at 677€ now thanks to your tips, which is very good. I currently have an external hard drive with a lot of free space, could I record to that hard drive efficiently or not? Also is there anything good about getting 2 4Gb RAM sticks rather than 1 8Gb RAM stick? The 2x4 is more expensive than the 1x8, which leaves me pondering. I'll probably stick with the cheaper solution.
Incognoto, do you think you can update your link to http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/?
I'm interested in seeing your build because you have very similar requirements/budget as me.
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Ahaha, I made a very silly mistake, rectified now:
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1BQU4
Here you are. Also indeed, we have similar builds.
edit: oh btw, do i need an ethernet adaptor for internet connection btw? or does that come free with motherboard or something? this is my first time building a PC you see
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United Kingdom20345 Posts
Do you think I should throw in a CPU cooler even though I don't intend to overclock anymore?
Personally, i'd get one. The types of temperatures that intel throws out on the stock cooler are pretty barbaric right now, but you might be personally ok with them. I don't think they'll actually harm the CPU any kind of short term, but it makes me cringe a bit. It does cost, though
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On September 10 2013 04:37 Incognoto wrote:+ Show Spoiler +Thanks for the replies everyone! It has helped a lot! I updated my build to reflect what ropid & skyR told me. It ends up being lower price but I have better processor (i5-4670) and graphics card (GTX760). I also found a cheaper case than the Thermaltake but the Fractal Design Core 1000 is even cheaper still and compatible with the current build. I went with the B85 motherboard as the H81 wasn't compatible and H87 was more expensive. I'll keep the Corsair until now because it remains cheaper than the SF model while apparently remaining sufficient to run the system I have now. Current build: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1BQU4It's at 677€ now thanks to your tips, which is very good. I currently have an external hard drive with a lot of free space, could I record to that hard drive efficiently or not? Also is there anything good about getting 2 4Gb RAM sticks rather than 1 8Gb RAM stick? The 2x4 is more expensive than the 1x8, which leaves me pondering. I'll probably stick with the cheaper solution.
You can give it a try but I wouldn't suggest using an external drive since they're typically slow.
Dual channel (2x4GB) is faster but it's probably not noticeable in most cases.
The motherboard comes with ethernet. If you want wireless than yes you will need a wireless adapter.
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EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/BHSrvZp.png)
