PC GAMING MASTER RACE, ASSEMBLE!!!! First time PC builder here, how does this rig look? - UPDATE #4

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

I have an 8350 and it pretty much laughs at anything I throw at it, but I'm sure far off in the future there will be something that will bring it to its knees.

I have an FX-8350 too. It's a beast! FX-8320 is no slouch either. It's the same chip, just clocked a bit lower. Some people even think that getting an FX-8350 is $30-$50 wasted. They might be right. I don't think there's any noticeable advantage between the FX-8320 and FX-8350 in games. Or at least one that would justify the price difference.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

I have an 8350 and it pretty much laughs at anything I throw at it, but I'm sure far off in the future there will be something that will bring it to its knees.

I have an FX-8350 too. It's a beast! FX-8320 is no slouch either. It's the same chip, just clocked a bit lower. Some people even think that getting an FX-8350 is $30-$50 wasted. They might be right. I don't think there's any noticeable advantage between the FX-8320 and FX-8350 in games. Or at least one that would justify the price difference.

yeah to be honest I recommend the 8320 to just about everyone when they ask, the only reason why I got the 8350 was it was during a christmas sale so it was down to 175 at the time and 8320 was at 150, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to bump it up.


Shit is beast though, got a hyper 212 EVO on it and it's been running like a champ, I have wasteland 2 and mass effect 3 running with about 50 tabs in chrome opened up (why? BECAUSE I CAN.) with itunes and autoCAD work idling as well....and CPU is barely pushing 10%. What more can you ask for?


captcha: Pandora's box.

yes captcha, that is exactly what is attached to my cpu socket.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

There's an option you might not have heard of called powerline ethernet [http://www.cnet.com/topics/networking/best-networking-devices/power-line-adapters/]. I didn't believe this magic at first, but it lets you sent your Internet though the powerlines of your house. It goes router to powerline box on a wall outlet, then another box on the same circut in your house then to the computer. I use it myself and its more stable than my laptop's wifi. Its also expensive, my set cost $60. But if you want it, its possible

how the fuck have I never seen this magic before....


time to upgrade my muggle house with this magic.

 

[V da Mighty Taco]

Here you go dude. A PC rig with FX-8320 and GTX 970 for your money: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dbLDmG

This will play all of the upcoming games at 60 FPS 1080p. This card is good enough for 1440p gaming.

And think very carefully about the OS you want to purchase. Windows 10 will be released next year, together with Dx12. Games will begin to use Dx12 soon, probably, because the Xbox One will have it as well. There are rumors that Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for Windows 8 users.

gotta agree and emphasize jensen's build, it is one of the best (we can piddle paddle all day on what part is better than what, but for gaming wise this is pretty much the bees knees of tighter budget builds) you can get right now on that budget and that 970 will last you quite a long time in this "generation". I have an 8350 and it pretty much laughs at anything I throw at it, but I'm sure far off in the future there will be something that will bring it to its knees.

I'm currently looking at a modified version of Jensen's build here: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Dnjcyc

I had to drop the SSD to keep the budget down, but otherwise it's looking pretty promising imho. What are your thoughts on it? How well will it perform on dual 1080p 144hz monitors?

 

[Groenteman]

UPDATE #3: I've come up with an alternative build, thanks to the recommendations of [user]Adam Jensen[/user]. I'm not writing off the above build, but am curious how this new one compares to it. Unfortunately, it's quite likely that the SSD will have to go on this rig, since it pushes the budget more than I like. It's still there for now, though, and does having that 970 that everyone keeps talking about so much.

Anyways, how does this look and what's it like compared to Update #2's rig?: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/TNvVLk

CPU is somewhat underspeced in terms of IPC (power of a single core), note that games mostly use 2 cores, sometimes a bit of another 2 and only in very rare instances more than 4 cores. You can consider going for an i5-4440 instead which is decent value for money and should saturate the 970 GPU, or possibly save some bucks by going with the FX-6300 instead as it only has 6 instead of 8 cores. For gaming it wont make a difference.

Edit: I would hang onto the gtx 970 though. It wont run the latest and greatest on dual FHD 144hz but certainly gets closer than most, the Radean 270 wont do very well and that.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

Here you go dude. A PC rig with FX-8320 and GTX 970 for your money: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dbLDmG

This will play all of the upcoming games at 60 FPS 1080p. This card is good enough for 1440p gaming.

And think very carefully about the OS you want to purchase. Windows 10 will be released next year, together with Dx12. Games will begin to use Dx12 soon, probably, because the Xbox One will have it as well. There are rumors that Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for Windows 8 users.

gotta agree and emphasize jensen's build, it is one of the best (we can piddle paddle all day on what part is better than what, but for gaming wise this is pretty much the bees knees of tighter budget builds) you can get right now on that budget and that 970 will last you quite a long time in this "generation". I have an 8350 and it pretty much laughs at anything I throw at it, but I'm sure far off in the future there will be something that will bring it to its knees.

I'm currently looking at a modified version of Jensen's build here: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Dnjcyc

I had to drop the SSD to keep the budget down, but otherwise it's looking pretty promising imho. What are your thoughts on it? How well will it perform on dual 1080p 144hz monitors?

Definitely looking pretty spiffy, idk if you looked but if you put everything in there correctly the card should fit in the case with a couple of inches to spare (which is good, I've had a couple builds where it was like playing operation to get that thing in there.) and all the sata cable ports on the motherboard are in the corner so they won't be underneath the graphics card (another annoyance sometimes depending on how long your graphics card is).

All in all, shouldn't need to upgrade....anything, for at least 3-4 years.

the only thing I would suggest is possibly getting an aftermarket cooler for your cpu (99% of cpu's come with their own stock fan cooler to put on there, and they tend to do the job, but the aftermarket ones are quite amazing.)


the one that I have and many others get is this:

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2

~30 bucks, and you can go back and install it later if you choose not to get it right now, but it's just a bit of a process to take your cpu chip out and clean the thermal paste off with the proper chemicals (isopropyl alchohol I believe? it's been a while since I've done it) when you're putting the new cooler on.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

I have an 8350 and it pretty much laughs at anything I throw at it

That's the model I have. It handles rendering video fantastically, and since my movie program can use both CPU and GPU I can render some nice 1080p 60FPS video without having to wait forever.

I'm currently looking at a modified version of Jensen's build here: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Dnjcyc

I had to drop the SSD to keep the budget down, but otherwise it's looking pretty promising imho. What are your thoughts on it? How well will it perform on dual 1080p 144hz monitors?

You're getting there, but running a gaming system off of a single hard drive is problematic. I'd recommend buying a cheap 128GB hard drive for the OS for now; there are programs that will let you copy a Windows installation onto an SSD without any sort of issue.

the one that I have and many others get is this:

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2

That's what I use. At full load my CPU only gets up to about 43 degrees C. The only downside is that it blocks off one of my RAM slots- but as I'm running 2x8GB that's not a problem.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

128MB hard drive for the OS for now; there are programs that will let you copy a Windows installation onto an SSD without any sort of issue.

damn son, that is one compressed windows installation

That's what I use. At full load my CPU only gets up to about 43 degrees C. The only downside is that it blocks off one of my RAM slots- but as I'm running 2x8GB that's not a problem.

yeah it was one HELL of a tight fit next to the closest ram stick, I had to improvise and stick the fan up about an eighth of an inch higher than what it should be...but still does the job

 

[V da Mighty Taco]

You're getting there, but running a gaming system off of a single hard drive is problematic. I'd recommend buying a cheap 128MB hard drive for the OS for now; there are programs that will let you copy a Windows installation onto an SSD without any sort of issue.

I'm assuming that you meant GB there? >

Fuck it, I'm probably gonna get a 64GB SSD anyways (How does this one look?: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211718 ). Hate to push up the budget that much, but I really like the idea of having the OS on it's own drive, especially if that drive is an SSD. It also would save the trouble of copying over or reinstalling Windows down the line, which sounds nifty to me.

Fortunately, I overrode the merchant on the parts list for the CPU to Newegg instead, and apparently they have a combo deal with the CPU and HDD that shaves $13 off the total price. Makes fitting the SSD in less painful. I wonder if there are any other unintentional combo deals in this setup that I may have missed...

Captcha: "carry on"

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

Did you read my post about the motherboard on the previous page?

 

[renegade7]

difficulty running games at 120 fps at 1080p even in medium settings.

Wouldn't that be bad for the monitor? Plus I thought it was impossible to notice any difference past about 60 fps?

I'd skip the thermal past entirely and go for thermal pads from Digikey. You can get a few for a dollar, which is likely more than you'll need. They're used for heavy-duty MOSFETs in solid-state switching power supplies, so they should do the job nicely for a desktop PC. Read the data sheets and make sure it can handle your CPU's TDP (thermal power dissipation, in watts).

Also, speaking of cooling, do these parts come with fans?

A terabyte for your hard drive might be overkill. I think you might be able to save a few dollars going for a 500GB drive, or just investing in a single larger solid-state drive. You can get two of these SSDs, adding up to 256 GB http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8864223&Sku=TNQ-102297328 for the same price as you're looking to buy that SSD and HDD for, though you'll also need to get a 2.5" to 3.5" mounting kit, but those aren't extremely expensive.

It's just that I can't really see anything that you'd need that much space for.

Finally, since you're using this for gaming, make sure you get an ethernet adapter. Wi-Fi is unreliable and slow compared to ethernet when it comes to playing games.

 

[V da Mighty Taco]

Did you read my post about the motherboard on the previous page?

Yeah, but I forgot to respond. I did some checking though and all of the MBs I could find, including the one you listed, had that same BIOS warning. It doesn't seem like something I'll be able to avoid, which sucks since I know nothing about how to update a BIOS.

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

128MB hard drive for the OS for now; there are programs that will let you copy a Windows installation onto an SSD without any sort of issue.

damn son, that is one compressed windows installation

I'm assuming that you meant GB there? >

PC MASTER RACE DON'T NEED NO GIGABYTES, WINDOWS 8 ON A 3.5" FLOPPY YO

Yeah, yeah. I fixed it.

 

[V da Mighty Taco]

Did you read my post about the motherboard on the previous page?

I found this MB that doesn't seem to need a BIOS update, by the looks of things. How is it?: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-980de3u3s3

It also drops the price a bit, which I like.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

That's because the BIOS has been modified to allow 8 core CPUs, but 760g chipsets hasn't been designed for 8 core processors. I wouldn't risk it. Anything below 970 chipset can't guarantee you a stable system. Power delivery isn't good enough for what is primarily going to be a gaming rig.

A lot of these motherboards have been updated to support the FX CPUs. It would be harder to sell them otherwise. You just need to send an e-mail to the seller and ask them to make sure. It's just a precaution, but it's probably not going to be a problem. You can probably even ask them to update the BIOS for you before they ship it.

Take a look at Asus M5A97 R2.0
ASUS motherboards have never failed me.

 

[V da Mighty Taco]

That's because the BIOS has been modified to allow 8 core CPUs, but 760g chipsets hasn't been designed for 8 core processors. I wouldn't risk it. Anything below 970 chipset can't guarantee you a stable system. Power delivery isn't good enough for what is primarily going to be a gaming rig.

A lot of these motherboards have been updated to support the FX CPUs. It would be harder to sell them otherwise. You just need to send an e-mail to the seller and ask them to make sure. It's just a precaution, but it's probably not going to be a problem. You can probably even ask them to update the BIOS for you before they ship it.

Hmmm, looking at this [http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-970pro3r20] mobo here and decided to go to the manufacturer's website to see if I could find out anything. According to ASRock's webpage on that particular board, it seems like it's specifically selling itself on the mobo's support of 8-core CPUs. Webpage link is here: http://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/970%20Pro3%20R2.0/

Let me know what you can make of it. Thanks again for all the help, btw.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

I've never used an ASRock motherboard, but they seem to be quite popular nowadays, especially with AMD builds. Try googling it to see what people say about it on various tech forums. Remember, there are bound to be some negative comments about system hangups and various errors, but that can happen with every motherboard. Find out as much as you can about it. Especially about it's power delivery (VRM phases) and the features it offers, like USB3, UEFI etc.

I still think you should shell out a few more bucks for that sweet, sweet MSI 970 GAMING. I'd get it now if I didn't already have an AMD rig. Quality 7.1 on-board solution and Killer NIC make a pretty big difference in online gaming. And there's no question that it supports all of the latest tech. It just came out a few months ago. It has no right to be that good and that cheap.

 

[pokepuke]

Anyways, how does this look and what's it like compared to Update #2's rig?: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/TNvVLk

That Monk dude seems to know what he is doing. Your first priority should be CPU and GPU, followed by amount of RAM, then the rest. The mobo should just meet the basics, and you're not doing SLI, so you can go cheap with latest gen. The PSU for your level really only needs 500 watts. You can even get a GTX 970 and be fine (they're very efficient). I have a 450w and I'm getting it soon (currently R7850). But you want at least a R9 280 which often is on sale, or step it up to the 970.

Don't go AMD. They are so far behind it's not funny. And 8 cores is utterly useless for gaming. You had it right before: the current rule for gamers is get the best i5. And if you're desperate to save 25$ get the 4590.

Do not get the WD Black. It is super overpriced. The best deal still out there is the 3TB Barracuda by Seagate, but you can get a 2TB for the same price as the 1TB WD Black and it will be faster, but not as fast as the 3TB. Don't listen to anyone claiming any certain brand sucks, because they all have almost exactly the same failure rates.

But if you really want any real speed, get a SSD, and not that shitty 60GB one you had before that was nearly 1$ per GB. Disgusting. I would recommend getting a 240GB or 480GB SSD alone, then later you can get a HDD when it fills up and you know how much extra space you might need for storage.

[quote post="9.862182.21471448"]and getting the cheap stuff can be even worse than not having any paste at all. In my opinion (and experience), getting 200 grams of thermal paste for 15$ is a very bad idea.[/quote]
This bit of "advice" should be ignored completely. Even with a few grains of salt for hyperbole, this example would never ring true, and any thermal paste is at least decent. Having none would ruin a CPU.

You can look up benchmarks if you want, but most of the known good brands are very close. I got Arctic MX-2 way back, and it was (very) arguably the best performer at the time. Now there is MX-4. Remember to look up how-to videos to make sure you don't put too much and see how to press down the heatsink.

Why are you buying Windows 7? Do you not already have a copy? It's just such a waste to see it add 100 bucks to a PC, for software.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/dhzMyc - $1179.59 with 480GB SSD
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/YMhqwP - $1064.59 with 240GB SSD
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/W7NNBm - $1047.37 with 2TB HD
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/JYD8xr - $1021.37 with 4590 and 2TB HD
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/77LDmG - $992.58 with 4590 and 1TB HD
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/V2PsvK - $858.50 with 4590, R9 280, and 1TB HD

 

[major_chaos]

It's just that I can't really see anything that you'd need that much space for.

Have you bought any PC games recently? TitanFall is 50GB, The Witcher 2 comes in around 27GB IIRC, Wolfenstine is 44GB, WoW is currently at 25GB and I have a feeling that will increase with the expansion. Unless you play exclusively retro games or have a incredibly tiny library you can burn through 500GB insanely fast. Hell I used 44% of my 120GB SSD just on Windows and applications.

 

[JET1971]

Shooting for 120 FPS isn't the best practice. The best thing you can do is cap it at 45-60 FPS, not Vsync but a hard cap.

From one of my games ini files:
EnableFPSLimit=True
FPSLimit=45.0

The reason to cap the FPS lower than what the video card can handle is so there is the extra processing power available for when something happens. Being in a dusty/rainy/snowy environment and there's allot of explosions plus players running around shooting. All those particle effects can and will bring the card to %100 if it is running %80 average without the explosions or whatever and cause stuttering. Capped at 45-60 FPS leaves enough processing power available to prevent those stutters because the card doesn't jump to %100.

Any frames over that cap are well beyond what the human eye can detect but our eyes are quite good at noticing stuttering and preventing that stutter is far better than having frames you don't even see. Ofcourse if you are running a current gen, high end video card and playing a 3-5 year old game you can just let it do whatever and you shouldn't max it out.

With that said I wouldn't bother spending more for a 120+ hrtz monitor when older games with V-sync on and new games with a cap look just as good as 120 fps. And high framerates are only really useful for benchmarking and comparing settings or different cards so you can see what's the better performer.