PC build thread

[noiseredux]

so I've got a new old laptop heading my way. Curious if anybody's got an extra Windows 7 or 8 key?

[MrEco]

So I only got into this scene relatively recently (like a little over a year ago). I'm looking to upgrade my computer soon, and the only thing that really stands to be improved is my graphics card. After a lot of research I've got my eye on either the GTX 960 or 970. The 960 is easily within my comfortable budget (about $200) and the 970 is a little over (about $300+).

My question is basically this. How long does it usually take for graphics cards to drop in price? From the benchmarks I've seen the 960 should be able to cover my needs for now, but the 970 seems to have a substantial boost in performance. Enough of a boost that it should future-proof my computer quite well so I won't have to upgrade again for quite some time. But obviously the 970 is a bit expensive. Is it likely to drop in price any time soon? If not soon, should it be worth waiting for the price to drop even if it takes a while? Or maybe I'm being too cautious, and I should just stick with the 960 and that will still be good for a long time? For that matter, is the 960 likely to drop in price any time soon?


Lol, okay, maybe not so simple of a question? I'll appreciate any feedback though.

[noiseredux]

the 900 series just came out about a year ago, so I wouldn't expect drastic price drops any time soon. The 960 seems to me like a really great card if you're aiming to get into PC gaming on the cheap. But as it's only got 2GB VRAM, it's not going to "future proof" you as much as the 970. If you plan to play new games and want your rig to last, go with the 970. I got mine in October, and have played every game since on maxed out settings flawlessly.

[Ziggy]

Only 2GB of VRAM? Damn. I haven't played a recent PC game in years now. I'm still rocking my 9800 GT with half a gig of RAM.

[noiseredux]

not a new build nor upgrade, but I just got an Alienware M11x.



It's from 2010 with an 11.6" display, dual core 1.7 CPU, 4GB RAM, and Nvidia GT 335M. Basically a small enough laptop to feel actually portable and decent enough to play quite a few games.

[Cronozilla]

The new AMD cards are in the price range of the GTX 970 and perform like (or better than) the GTX 980. Also they have 8GB of memory to support 4K.

[marurun]

Sounds like a win to me. I know some folks are purists for Nvidia, but I find AMD usually gives me more bang for the buck.

[MrPopo]

Is that a Sidewinder 2 I spy?

[RyaNtheSlayA]

Those M11X were interesting at the time. I feel like there are better options now but if you got it for a good price then it's a decent machine.

I vividly remember hating the keyboard on my buddies though.

[Ziggy]

Everyone always talks video cards and never sound cards. What sound cards are you all using? Or do most people still use whatever is on board?

Me personally, I never really used a dedicated sound card. My last desktop (earliest P4 build) I used the motherboard's built in audio. When the computer was showing it's age, when the Core 2 Duos were all the rage, I decided to get a sound card. A then $25 Sound Blaster card actually improved the audio. Slightly, but noticeably cleaner sound.

I'm using on board sound with my current desktop (earliest i7 build). I have no real complaints with it, not that I game or listen to music much on my desktop, but it sounds alright. One thing that sucks though is when using headphones, there's constant white noise. It's low, so you don't hear it when there's sound playing, but you can definitely hear it in between tracks or during quiet parts. Kinda sucks. I don't know if I should spend $35 on a card, or ~$100 on something "better".