PC build thread

[Ziggy]

And what if I wanted to say fuck it and get a GTX 960 4GB model for about $200... is there something that's a better bang for buck on that level?

[emwearz]

And what if I wanted to say fuck it and get a GTX 960 4GB model for about $200... is there something that's a better bang for buck on that level?

Again, AMD have better bang for buck in the $200 price range. The R9 380tends to get one over the GTX960 with most benchmarks giving you that 10-15% higher FPS, synthetic benchmarks have them closer (like 3D Mark, etc) but game benchmarks almost always go to the 380, and goes for around $175-$185. There are of course some games that favor Nvidia (like some favor AMD hardware)

Unless you plan on buying the GTX 970 or better, I can't recommend anything from Nvidia this generation, AMD have them boxed in at almost all lower price points.

Again the only reason to go Green is for lower power consumption and brand loyalty. I jump between AMD and Nvidia most generation, best bang for my buck is what I buy. My last few cards have been AMD > Nvidia > AMD > AMD> Nvidia > Nvidia > NVidia.

[fastbilly1]

Power consumption is usually a big worry on my boxes. I have a q6600, 4gigs of ram, two hdd, and a 9600 running on a 300watt currently. I am tempted to grab a 960 to throw into the machine, but I need to double check my power consumption. I only game at 720p so my underpowered machine still serves me well. It does still take forever to make a Dwarf Fortress world though...

Trying to get a new position/job before I build a new box.

[ElkinFencer10]

I'm eventually going to grab a second 980 and run SLI once they get cheaper (I say that, but I'll probably end up going for a full upgrade when the time actually comes), but I think I should be okay; I've got, I'm pretty sure, a 750 watt power supply.

[Ziggy]

Power is one thing that has been pissing me off lately. Power supply calculators are great, but most of them are widely different than the other. On top of that, it's really not too hard to calculate what you need on your own (should be as simple as adding numbers) but manufactures can't exactly agree on rating standards. And more often than not, the power requirements are NOT listed in the specs! For example, I can't add up the watts between all the components in my current desktop because I can't find that spec for half of them.

[emwearz]

Realised I have not posted my rig.


Cables look messier than they are because the back panel is off in this picture.

Mobo: Asrock Z77 Pro4-M
CPU: Intel i5 3570K w/ Thermaltake Nic F3 (@ 4.6Ghz)
RAM: 16GB Patriot / G.Skill DDR3 160Mmhz (@1 866Mhz)
GPU: XFX 4Gb R9 290 w/ Geled Icy Vision 2.0 & R9 390X Bios Mod (@ 1070Mhz / 1350Mhz)
HDD: 2TB WD Green 64MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb
SSD: 120GB Seagate Barracuda
PSU: 600W Coolermaster eXtreme Power
Case: Deepcool Tesseract SW

[Ziggy]

What kind of CPU cooler do you have?


Unrelated: I decided to use the optical digital output from my desktop for the first time. I have an HDTV hooked up as my second monitor, and I've always just ran analog audio with it. I had a spare Toslink cable, so I figured why not? First time I EVER plugged a cable into the optical port and the stupid fucking door broke off. Not a big deal, I guess, since I now have the cable plugged into it. But it'll be real annoying if I ever decide not to use the optical output, I'll have a red light shining out the back of my PC.

What's more, I found out that I can't use the digital and analog outputs simultaneously. It's one or the other. That's kind of annoying. Any time I wanna use my HDTV now I'll have to open the Realtek Manager from the system tray and switch it (then switch it back when I'm done). I guess on the positive side, now I don't have to worry about turning down my PC speakers whenever I use the HDTV.

[emwearz]

I have a Thermaltake Nic F3, I have the brackets to make it Push/Pull, but currently just set up as a Push.

Edit; Very effective for air cooling, though I end up cleaning it quite often, despite my case being set up for positive air pressure and having filters on my intakes, dust still manages to find its way into those little fins from the top of my case (which has metal filters to allow heat to escape from the top of the case / mount outtakes if wanted).

Never had issues with heat with my i5 with it, though I don't push much extra voltage, so I have a rather reserved OC on my CPU.

EDIT EDIT: You could always just put a piece of paper with some tap over it to block the light, but it is annoying none the less.

[Ziggy]

I like how the air flow is in line with the rear exhaust fan. I have a Cooler Master V8 which is the same way. I feel like you're getting so much better air flow that way than with the stock (blowing down) CPU coolers.

[Ziggy]

Never had issues with heat with my i5 with it, though I don't push much extra voltage, so I have a rather reserved OC on my CPU.

What kind of temps are you getting idle/gaming load?

I have an i7 920, and idle is 32 C. I haven't been gaming much on the PC until recently, since I got the V8 some years back, so I don't have a good feel for the temp at load. 34-38 C is about what I've been getting with some lighter gaming. Since I have the V8 though, I was thinking about giving the 920 a slight OC, but I don't know.

You could always just put a piece of paper with some tap over it to block the light, but it is annoying none the less.

Yep, a piece of electrical tape would do the trick. Although, that's when your PC starts looking like broken down garbage, when you have to start using tape.