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Discus-n00b
03-24-2015, 09:05 PM
#nerdhat

Anyone into building computers? I can't say I'm mega experienced or can fully speak the lingo but I know enough to be dangerous and I've been doing it for myself for years now everytime I need a new one. Figured I'd ask because I enjoy it and I know its another niche type hobby out there. I'm not brave enough yet to dive into the whole overclocking thing and start screwing with the BIOS, usually just run stock everything but I always seem drawn to the parts that allow me to OC if I wanted to. I probably should attempt it at some point.

I don't know, been pricing out a new build recently and figured I'd ask! Tell you what though...they are as expensive as a new DSLR camera setup! Crazy. And technology is flying. Especially in my case because I'm a couple years behind now and still working on a 1080p setup. Want to move to a 1440p or 4k setup (more than likely a 1440). Especially DDR4, stuff is selling for the price of a top end Video card or processor. Wouldn't really be able to use anything off of my current computer for the rebuild save for the case, but in reality thats one of the cheapest parts to buy. Guess this is one of those things i'll be forced to sell the old, but good, parts to make up the cost of the new one.

rickztahone
03-24-2015, 09:43 PM
I wish I knew how to do this Matt. I got mine built by one of my IT co-workers for gaming and recently it has been bogging down. I have done clean ups but still takes a while to boot and browse the web now. If I could build my own I am sure I would have done it now. Good luck with the new build.

Discus-n00b
03-24-2015, 10:41 PM
Its really all about figuring out what parts are compatible with what, of course with a general understanding of stuff like sizes (memory wise) and speeds of everything. Actually putting it together is the easy part, although I've fried a couple of motherboards before. And you have stuff that basically pairs together, you can throw most any graphics card in most any motherboard but you have to pair the processor with a specific type of motherboard and thats where your upgrades start getting tricky and costly. I want to update a processor but that leads into a motherboard upgrade too, and in many cases a RAM upgrade after that. Snowball effect. http://pcpartpicker.com/ makes it really really easy now, before that site you had to hunt and search almost every little detail. Funny the driving force for this was 2 things. GTA 5 FINALLY being released on PC in April and wanting a better setup for photo/video editing. My setup will do both currently but I want more lol. And being able to upgrade to a 1440p workspace would be a dream, so much more space than 1080p, I could actually get more than 1/4th of a RAW image on screen in photoshop then. I've cooled my gaming over the years, but always like to have a PC capable of going back that way if I wanted to.

My current setup uses an SSD hard drive as a boot drive, meaning JUST Windows 7 occupies it and the computer boots from that drive when I hit power. From a cold start up the computer boots to desktop in a matter of seconds, no more than 20secs. Its amazing. This new computer I want more of the same, keep the SSD boot drive and pack it full of RAM to increase my application speeds. I might have to do this in steps. New monitor(s) and new graphics card to run them, then slowly switch everything else over. Hmmm.

rickztahone
03-24-2015, 10:57 PM
Its really all about figuring out what parts are compatible with what, of course with a general understanding of stuff like sizes (memory wise) and speeds of everything. Actually putting it together is the easy part, although I've fried a couple of motherboards before. And you have stuff that basically pairs together, you can throw most any graphics card in most any motherboard but you have to pair the processor with a specific type of motherboard and thats where your upgrades start getting tricky and costly. I want to update a processor but that leads into a motherboard upgrade too, and in many cases a RAM upgrade after that. Snowball effect. http://pcpartpicker.com/ makes it really really easy now, before that site you had to hunt and search almost every little detail. Funny the driving force for this was 2 things. GTA 5 FINALLY being released on PC in April and wanting a better setup for photo/video editing. My setup will do both currently but I want more lol. And being able to upgrade to a 1440p workspace would be a dream, so much more space than 1080p, I could actually get more than 1/4th of a RAW image on screen in photoshop then. I've cooled my gaming over the years, but always like to have a PC capable of going back that way if I wanted to.

My current setup uses an SSD hard drive as a boot drive, meaning JUST Windows 7 occupies it and the computer boots from that drive when I hit power. From a cold start up the computer boots to desktop in a matter of seconds, no more than 20secs. Its amazing. This new computer I want more of the same, keep the SSD boot drive and pack it full of RAM to increase my application speeds. I might have to do this in steps. New monitor(s) and new graphics card to run them, then slowly switch everything else over. Hmmm.

Sounds awesome and also sounds like alien talk in parts but I get the general gist. Let us know how it goes.

P.S. I want to upgrade just for faster processing speed on PS Edits. I actually have it so that when PS is up and running, the computer allocates almost all resources to PS, which, I just had a lightbulb over my head, may explain WHY everything is moving so slow. I have had a photo in my PS edit for some time now without working on it. That might just be what is slowing down my cpt, lol.

sdrexler078
03-24-2015, 11:55 PM
I used to be big into computer building and phone hacking and programming but then I had a kid and it stopped which is fine cause it got me into discus. I have thought about getting back into it but now me and wife have another baby coming in 7 months so it'll have to wait alittle longer. I used to love overclocking and undervolting especially with android phones but I love my fish more. And my kids of course lol. Are you planning on using Linux or windows for your new one?

brewmaster15
03-25-2015, 12:09 AM
Matt,
Thats another of my hobbies. I even went as far as taking A+ cert training for it( my old lab paid). I FIX computers as part time thing.

I dont use it to build new ones though. I work on old Ibm Thinkpads Laptops mostly.. I Love those laptops ... rock solid. Lol...embarased to say it but I have a collection of them..going back. I even still have a few 600x here. ...not much I can use them for these days but they were my favorites as they were what I learned most on. I use one as a mp3 player in my basement now.I have rebuilt many different thinkpads models for my brothers and sistersnieces and nephews. Linux on them all.. ..last headcount the clan is running about 13 linux ibm thinkpads..NO windows for me..

brewmaster15
03-25-2015, 12:15 AM
Sounds awesome and also sounds like alien talk in parts but I get the general gist. Let us know how it goes.

P.S. I want to upgrade just for faster processing speed on PS Edits. I actually have it so that when PS is up and running, the computer allocates almost all resources to PS, which, I just had a lightbulb over my head, may explain WHY everything is moving so slow. I have had a photo in my PS edit for some time now without working on it. That might just be what is slowing down my cpt, lol.

Ricardo,
How much ram does your system have?
Al

Discus-n00b
03-25-2015, 12:53 AM
I used to be big into computer building and phone hacking and programming but then I had a kid and it stopped which is fine cause it got me into discus. I have thought about getting back into it but now me and wife have another baby coming in 7 months so it'll have to wait alittle longer. I used to love overclocking and undervolting especially with android phones but I love my fish more. And my kids of course lol. Are you planning on using Linux or windows for your new one?

Windows, I've never even used a Linux machine before lol I hope Al doesn't fall out of his chair. I don't know, I kind of want to work on someone else's Linux machine before I put it on mine type of thing, creature of habit and comfort in knowing I know my way around windows.

brewmaster15
03-25-2015, 06:56 AM
Lol Matt,
Go to distrowatch.com
down load some .iso discs of the various linux systems and burn to a dvd or copy to a usb flash drive. Then try them out live....no risk to your current Windows box. If you like it then you can install dual boot where you choose at start up whether you use windows or linux. Incidentally most linux distros come stock with gimp for digital editting.

Good transition from windows ones are Ubuntu,Mint,opensuse, and fedora. My kids have been using linux since they were 6 or 7 and readily can switch between Linux and Windows with no problems. For some reasons schools still prefer to pay for liscences to microsoft and Apple on everything...and overlook all linux has to offer.Which is a shame,and financially stupid.At the minimum, they should run dual boot systems and take advantage of the incredible number of free open source programming.

Anyhow..if you need any help on the linux let me know..Ive tried most of them. I lean toward Linux Mint these days..but I run an Ubuntu version on the multimedia pc hooked up to our living room flatscreen. have a few distros on usb sticks that I take with when traveling. That way if I need to use a hotel computer or a friends I can run it from the USB with zero chance of Security issues.

Hth,
Al

As a side...The android operating system for smart phones is Based off the linux kernal.. downloading and installing apps on a smart phone is remarkable similar to downloading and installing software from a package manager in Linux. :)
http://m.dummies.com/how-to/content/looking-at-the-android-operating-system0.html

rickztahone
03-25-2015, 08:36 PM
Ricardo,
How much ram does your system have?
Al

16gb of ram

Discus-n00b
03-25-2015, 08:56 PM
16 is good. You'd be hard pressed to find a game that needs that much but that much would come in handy with general computer work. I'm going to start with 16 myself in the new build and then get another set of 16 down the road. The new x99 chipset can support up to 128GB of ram which is utterly INSANE.

rickztahone
03-25-2015, 08:57 PM
16 is good. You'd be hard pressed to find a game that needs that much but that much would come in handy with general computer work. I'm going to start with 16 myself in the new build and then get another set of 16 down the road. The new x99 chipset can support up to 128GB of ram which is utterly INSANE.

I may try to add another 16gb to see if that helps. I forgot to close down PS last night to see if it helped with the speed, ughh.

Altum Nut
03-25-2015, 09:09 PM
:confused::computer2::confused:
huh...lets see what other threads I can follow or offer input.

...Ralph

Discus-n00b
03-25-2015, 09:30 PM
I may try to add another 16gb to see if that helps. I forgot to close down PS last night to see if it helped with the speed, ughh.

Just make sure your motherboard can support it before buying it!

LOL Ralph! I know it can sound and look like a foreign language sometimes.

kris2341
03-25-2015, 10:05 PM
hey guys, in almost all basic cases there is no need for more than 16GB of RAM in a desktop computer.

The most common source of system slow down tends to be malware of any sort, followed by registry errors and finally, disk fragmentation for those who still use platter hard drives.

common applications like web browsers also tend to have memory leaks so leaving them on for days can eat up system resources.

now legitimate situations that DO eat up tons of ram are things like working with massive raw images in photoshop that have sizes that need to be measured in gigabytes, virtual machines, and anything on that level.

if the cause is disk fragmentation, getting a Solid State drive is going to be a much bigger help than buying more RAM.

rickztahone
03-25-2015, 10:12 PM
hey guys, in almost all basic cases there is no need for more than 16GB of RAM in a desktop computer.

The most common source of system slow down tends to be malware of any sort, followed by registry errors and finally, disk fragmentation for those who still use platter hard drives.

common applications like web browsers also tend to have memory leaks so leaving them on for days can eat up system resources.

now legitimate situations that DO eat up tons of ram are things like working with massive raw images in photoshop that have sizes that need to be measured in gigabytes, virtual machines, and anything on that level.

if the cause is disk fragmentation, getting a Solid State drive is going to be a much bigger help than buying more RAM.

yeah, I've been looking at a SSD but a lot of it just goes over my head. And I do work with huge files on PS all the time which is why I get bogged down too.

kris2341
03-25-2015, 10:17 PM
functionally, the SSD works the same as a standard hard drive. just plug it in like one and run!

Discus-n00b
03-25-2015, 10:29 PM
now legitimate situations that DO eat up tons of ram are things like working with massive raw images in photoshop that have sizes that need to be measured in gigabytes, virtual machines, and anything on that level.

if the cause is disk fragmentation, getting a Solid State drive is going to be a much bigger help than buying more RAM.

I think both me and Ricardo do this lol more RAM the better I say. Future proof. Why do people need 128gb of DDR4? They don't as DDR3 can run just as well, but eventually the DDR4 will put it to bed.

Also I love SSDs but their lifespans can be shorter than the average HDD. They are getting much better as technology improves of course but they still have a limited amount of write times (I guess all HDDs will die eventually).....its excessive for most of us, but point is there is a line in the sand thats usually closer than the normal HDD at this point in time if you really work a lot on the machine. Good thing is their price is dropping very well currently, and they don't take up nearly as much room in a case build. Have 1-2 planned for this coming build, though they will be something I add later rather than at the start.

Best bang for your buck is still probably a very large traditional HDD.

kris2341
03-25-2015, 11:02 PM
most recently,people have been testing popular SSDs for write lifespans, to put it simply, the average consumer SSD can handle hundreds of terabytes of written data with some handling petabytes of data before failing....

the drive will become many many years old before this becomes an issue in a desktop environment.

drive reliability relies on the manufacturer however due to the soldering and SSD firmwares. Samsung drives seem to have the best reliability average overall.

http://techreport.com/review/27909/the-ssd-endurance-experiment-theyre-all-dead

Discus-n00b
03-26-2015, 12:02 AM
Agreed about the Samsungs. I'm eyeing that Samsung Pro.

kris2341
03-26-2015, 12:16 AM
go for it, theyre amazing

both the EVOs and Pro drives are excellent. ive built with several and not a single issue

zergling
03-28-2015, 05:15 AM
128GB of ram which is utterly INSANE. For 99% of people out there, yes, 128GB is ridiculous. For folks that run multiple virtual machines, it can be considered reasonable.

I started multi-quoting earlier, and then I realized that kris2341 has already posted everything I want to share LOL!

My home PC is getting close to 3 years old, overclocked to 4.6 GHz for the past 21 months.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh8/zergling2/PC/closed_zpsecb06b61.jpg
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh8/zergling2/PC/front_zps60bee17d.jpg
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh8/zergling2/PC/back_zpsfcb8ca5e.jpg
http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh8/zergling2/PC/46_24hours_in_zps711a59c3.png

Pretty happy with this build - it's very silent when I'm not doing anything intensive, but goes up to 4.6GHz (and fans get ramped up) when needed. Overclocking my video card was my next step, but life got too busy to ever get around to it hahaha!

i7-3770k
MSI GTX 670
ASRock Z77 Extreme6
Corsair Vengeance LP 8GB
Samsung 840 (non-pro) 250GB
WD Green 1TB
WD Red 3TB
Corsair AX750
Fractal Design Define R4 case
Noctua NH-D14 CPU cooler
Noctua 140mm cooling fans

Hopefully the market will finally bring a 27"-30" monitor that my geeky self and my anorexic budget will agree on. GPU upgrade might also become necessary, depending on what monitor resolution I get and if I ever find free time to play games again LOL. Later this year I also plan to start playing around with VM's and Linux (and maybe OSX?), so RAM and HDD upgrades will be needed.

Discus-n00b
03-28-2015, 11:31 AM
Nice! That D14 is huge, I was thinking of going for the D15 but I figure since I'm not going to be OCing straight away that a budget cooler will do the job until then. Its a way to save costs to be able to put more into a GPU or similar. I just wish the Noctua's weren't so big....I guess thats why they are the best air cooler out there but still, takes up half the case LOL. And I know you can change them but I wish they'd change the color of their stock fans, so ugly.


Hopefully the market will finally bring a 27"-30" monitor that my geeky self and my anorexic budget will agree on. GPU upgrade might also become necessary, depending on what monitor resolution I get and if I ever find free time to play games again LOL. Later this year I also plan to start playing around with VM's and Linux (and maybe OSX?), so RAM and HDD upgrades will be needed.

Thats what i've been looking at the past few days. Good monitors are a must for me. I do a lot of photo editing, but I also want some that are decent for gaming and movies. Its hard to find one perfect for all 3. I think since I don't game as much as I used to that I will go for an IPS panel. I've kind of been drooling over Acer's new release. Not one for the anorexic budget LOL but looks really good.
http://store.acer.com/store/aceramer/en_US/pd/ThemeID.35703000/productID.314151300

Also looked at this one from Asus
http://www.asus.com/us/Monitors/PA279Q/

I've considered getting one good gaming monitor and one good IPS monitor but then I'd have to place them where I want them on my desk and there will not be any real switching back and forth between them as they are meant for different purposes and I don't know if I like that. Also considered going for one 34" but they all seem to have some issue with them like back light bleed so it hasn't convinced me yet, but 34" with no bezel would be nice.

GPU upgrade is what set me on this path of a new computer, LOL. Snowball effect, if I need a new GPU then I might as well "need" this, or need that. Stuck between 2 graphics cards atm too lol.

zergling
03-28-2015, 05:43 PM
Nice! That D14 is huge, I was thinking of going for the D15 but I figure since I'm not going to be OCing straight away that a budget cooler will do the job until then. Its a way to save costs to be able to put more into a GPU or similar. I just wish the Noctua's weren't so big....I guess thats why they are the best air cooler out there but still, takes up half the case LOL.
Agreed. I think that massive air coolers like mine are only worth it if you plan to overclock in the future and need the best noise/cooling performance. Liquid cooling will bring better performance (and a cooler geekier look LOL) but the noise will be a problem, at least for me.



And I know you can change them but I wish they'd change the color of their stock fans, so ugly.
I literally LOL'd! I did notice many complaints about Noctua's beige and brown color scheme. I don't have any problems with the color scheme, but I've never been much of a fashion guy :p I've also gone through quite a few fans from 80mm to 200mm when I was trying to quiet down my previous PC, and I eventually became a fan (yes, pun intended ;) ) of Noctua's noise/cooling performance and build quality.



Thats what i've been looking at the past few days. Good monitors are a must for me. I do a lot of photo editing, but I also want some that are decent for gaming and movies. Its hard to find one perfect for all 3. I think since I don't game as much as I used to that I will go for an IPS panel. I've kind of been drooling over Acer's new release. Not one for the anorexic budget LOL but looks really good.
http://store.acer.com/store/aceramer/en_US/pd/ThemeID.35703000/productID.314151300

Also looked at this one from Asus
http://www.asus.com/us/Monitors/PA279Q/

I've considered getting one good gaming monitor and one good IPS monitor but then I'd have to place them where I want them on my desk and there will not be any real switching back and forth between them as they are meant for different purposes and I don't know if I like that. Also considered going for one 34" but they all seem to have some issue with them like back light bleed so it hasn't convinced me yet, but 34" with no bezel would be nice.

GPU upgrade is what set me on this path of a new computer, LOL. Snowball effect, if I need a new GPU then I might as well "need" this, or need that. Stuck between 2 graphics cards atm too lol.

Haha it looks like you're running into the same details that I'm dealing with while researching monitors. The Acer XB270HU sounds like a perfect fit for gamers, while the ASUS PA279Q sounds like a perfect fit for photo pros like you!

I don't do any photo editing, but I do research and read check out pictures and watch movies so much that I'm now starting to easily notice the color differences from my TN monitor compared to the iDevices and bigger TV's in the house. I think I want an IPS panel, but just about anything might be an upgrade to my now 3 yr old TN panel haha

Resolution and refresh rate - 1440p @ anything over 60Hz is going to be a nice upgrade to what I currently have (1080p @ 60Hz). However, I have barely played any games in more than a year now. My monitor is actually getting more use for work more than anything else nowadays - which makes me wonder if I should really go 2180p. Decisions decisions hahaha!

zimmjeff
03-29-2015, 12:11 PM
Alright kind of read through this and my head hurts. Going to take a nap.

rickztahone
03-29-2015, 05:38 PM
Nice! That D14 is huge, I was thinking of going for the D15 but I figure since I'm not going to be OCing straight away that a budget cooler will do the job until then. Its a way to save costs to be able to put more into a GPU or similar. I just wish the Noctua's weren't so big....I guess thats why they are the best air cooler out there but still, takes up half the case LOL. And I know you can change them but I wish they'd change the color of their stock fans, so ugly.



Thats what i've been looking at the past few days. Good monitors are a must for me. I do a lot of photo editing, but I also want some that are decent for gaming and movies. Its hard to find one perfect for all 3. I think since I don't game as much as I used to that I will go for an IPS panel. I've kind of been drooling over Acer's new release. Not one for the anorexic budget LOL but looks really good.
http://store.acer.com/store/aceramer/en_US/pd/ThemeID.35703000/productID.314151300

Also looked at this one from Asus
http://www.asus.com/us/Monitors/PA279Q/

I've considered getting one good gaming monitor and one good IPS monitor but then I'd have to place them where I want them on my desk and there will not be any real switching back and forth between them as they are meant for different purposes and I don't know if I like that. Also considered going for one 34" but they all seem to have some issue with them like back light bleed so it hasn't convinced me yet, but 34" with no bezel would be nice.

GPU upgrade is what set me on this path of a new computer, LOL. Snowball effect, if I need a new GPU then I might as well "need" this, or need that. Stuck between 2 graphics cards atm too lol.

That 279Q looks amazing! What is the price tag on that bad boy?

Discus-n00b
03-29-2015, 06:39 PM
Looking at around $800 for that one Ricardo lol. These new 27" 1440p monitors, especially IPS panels are going to be $700+. I'm really torn on the direction I want to go. I've even looked at a 34" 3440x1440 display to replace multiple monitors as well http://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-34UM95-P-ultrawide-monitor . I've heard some people complain about light bleed though yet others say its flawless. I think light bleed is just a necessary evil from the new IPS panels especially extra wide ones. If I did go for the extra wide I could always use one of my current 1080p monitors beside it for web browsing and such. I'm gonna need a VESA mount soon it seems LOL.

kris2341
03-29-2015, 09:25 PM
hey guys, somewhat of a derail but on topic...

I have 3 nearly complete Haswell based computers that I seek to sell, either as parts or as whole systems. (they're all pretty high end i5 or i7 machines, I came across a few nice deals on parts and bought them out in order to use and clear out all the old parts that i had on hand.)

I have an Achievia Shimian 2560x1440 IPS monitor (korean brand, decent quality) and AMD R9 290X graphics card that id like to sell.

Also have an ergotron arm mount to accompany it but its extremely heavy.

if anyone is interested, let me know! the only thing i cant ship is a large computer tower as the shipping becomes as much as the case!

oh, and i would consider payments of discus (not including the cost to ship) and good fish food! LOL!

Discus-n00b
03-29-2015, 11:02 PM
Have a 4790k? lol

What is everyone's take on Onboard audio vs sound card? I currently use a sound card, not sure how much good its doing me. And I feel like motherboard audio has advanced. Do I really need a soundcard? I have 2 options that I'm looking at, either going for a mATX build or a full ATX build. I kind of want to go mATX just because I like the idea of consolidating the build. Full ATX will have no real issues but on the mATX I'm worried about spacing issues in the PCIe slots so If I could drop the soundcard all together It would be a plus. Use my sound for the usual, youtube, movies, gaming, etc but I'm not an audiophile. Could I just use a USB DAC and plug straight in with headphones and have the same result?

kris2341
03-29-2015, 11:11 PM
yup i have a 4790k in one of the systems i want to sell (not really willing to sell just the CPU though LOL!)

sold a 4770k, z87 motherboard, 16GB of RAM and a 250GB samsung 850 evo the other day for $520 since it was my most used and abused set of internal parts.

I personally only like sound cards because they tend to be less noisy than onboard sound solutions, i have an asus phoebus somewhere that i no longer use because i use an ALO PanAm USB amp/DAC tube amp feeding my beyerdynamic DT 880 headphones(yes im considering selling these too... LMAO!) .

kris2341
03-29-2015, 11:24 PM
oh, and yes, if you use an external DAC/amp, you will probably get a better experience overall than just plugging into the motherboard if the audio solution on it is terrible

and now for some shameless system advertisement, I have a mATX build that utilizes an i5 4670S, Asus gryphon Z87 board, 32GB DDR3 1200mhz, an 840 Pro 256GB SSD and the R9 290X im trying to sell... all inside a lovely Silverstone TJ-08 tower and powered by a Corsair RM850 PSU!

I can drop in the 4790k into this! LOL

Im very certain this is small enough to ship without selling my soul!

Discus-n00b
03-30-2015, 10:33 PM
Well after some thought and planning I think the Monitors will be the last thing I add. My current 1080p dual setup is still very serviceable and will serve me until I can afford 2 nice 1440p (or 4k) monitors (or maybe a single ultra wide?). This is a good thing though as it gives the new ones coming out time to stabilize in price and get their kinks worked out. Plus any new stuff on the horizon. At any rate it will give me time to build the system to power the displays rather than try and cut the system and not be able to take advantage of the displays. Pricing everything out down to the case fans starts to add up quickly. What I'm thinking is if I can stretch this until Memorial Day or even July 4th then I could probably scoop up some crazy deals. Monitor wise at least, not sure I want to wait to build the whole PC for 2 months.

The system I'm building should basically murder 1080p for those 2 months.

rickztahone
03-31-2015, 05:29 PM
Good plan Matt. If only Black Friday was closer :(

Discus-n00b
03-31-2015, 06:07 PM
Memorial day is usually a pretty good one as well, and a lot of times those deals hit early, like the week of if not before. "Pre" memorial day sales. We'll see. Might wait to build the computer then as well, I might have to buy at least 2 new shoes for the car first lol.

rickztahone
03-31-2015, 06:12 PM
Memorial day is usually a pretty good one as well, and a lot of times those deals hit early, like the week of if not before. "Pre" memorial day sales. We'll see. Might wait to build the computer then as well, I might have to buy at least 2 new shoes for the car first lol.

I'll have newegg send you a few parts Matt and you can start building me a computer, huh, huh, huh? lol.

Discus-n00b
04-06-2015, 04:54 PM
Just had to buy 4 new tires today for the car so naturally the computer takes a back seat to safety. Looks like this will be delayed a bit, but that gives prices a bit of time to come down and sales to pop up. I keep watching my email daily to have the holy grail Newegg email in it where they have dropped the price on every component I need at one time ;) haha. I usually like to build my computers all at once, but this one I may just do it part by part as they fit in the budget. At least I have Amazon Prime, should help with shipping costs especially when doing multiple orders over time.

For this build I'm heading back to the green side (Nvidia) despite all of the hype and rumors about a 390x whatever AMD is putting out. My current card is red and I'm just not feeling it like I was with Nividia. The support is pure crap for it too. Don't get me wrong it works but I need more. Needless to say this jump in graphics may be one of the largest I've ever done in my personal computer from where I currently am to where I'm shooting.

rickztahone
04-06-2015, 04:58 PM
Just had to buy 4 new tires today for the car so naturally the computer takes a back seat to safety. Looks like this will be delayed a bit, but that gives prices a bit of time to come down and sales to pop up. I keep watching my email daily to have the holy grail Newegg email in it where they have dropped the price on every component I need at one time ;) haha. I usually like to build my computers all at once, but this one I may just do it part by part as they fit in the budget. At least I have Amazon Prime, should help with shipping costs especially when doing multiple orders over time.

For this build I'm heading back to the green side (Nvidia) despite all of the hype and rumors about a 390x whatever AMD is putting out. My current card is red and I'm just not feeling it like I was with Nividia. The support is pure crap for it too. Don't get me wrong it works but I need more. Needless to say this jump in graphics may be one of the largest I've ever done in my personal computer from where I currently am to where I'm shooting.

a bit OT but when I had Amazon Prime, I found myself buying stuff on my wishlist that I would not have normally actually gone through with buying, but that free 2 day shipping is too tempting sometimes.

Discus-n00b
04-06-2015, 05:26 PM
LOL I've done the same many times! Prime usually can be a deciding factor for me on where to buy since I can find and group so many items with prime instead of going through individual shops.

rickztahone
04-06-2015, 06:02 PM
LOL I've done the same many times! Prime usually can be a deciding factor for me on where to buy since I can find and group so many items with prime instead of going through individual shops.

same here. I didn't renew this year because it had gone up to like $100 for the year. I typically don't watch any of the Amazon prime streaming things, so I didn't find it that worth it for me.

zergling
04-07-2015, 05:23 AM
Lol I don't buy anything in Amazon that is not Prime eligible.

Only thing in my PC not from Amazon was my GPU, and that was because the previous one broke down unexpectedly. I miss the days when I had time after work to drive out and buy a part, install it, and go play video games hahaha!

Discus-n00b
04-07-2015, 11:13 PM
Just thought of another expense. Forgot I'm running Windows 7 Home. If I want to eventually get to 32gb RAM or higher I need at least 7 Pro. Home version limits you at 16 for some stupid reason. Not terribly expensive just something I had forgotten until now. I read somewhere I'd be able to upgrade to 10 for free should I decide to (all 7 and 8 owners) as well. I will NOT run 8 anywhere close to my machines, curse that OS. At least it will be a clean install, I like clean installs.

Also, GTA 5 is available to pre load as of today after buying it, but it's going to take 62GB of space to install LOL crazy. I need bigger HDDs or to build this computer soon.

kris2341
04-11-2015, 11:17 AM
just thought id say...

4k makes people crazy...

I have a 40" seiki pro 4k monitor and twin titan Xs in my computer now...

the damage to my funds is real, but its so beautiful...

Discus-n00b
04-11-2015, 11:38 AM
Oh man, I was just looking at a single Titan X for mine and I feel the pain already LOL. I keep dreaming of Pascal though and wonder if I should just invest in a GTX 980 now and wait it out. I don't know....i know something better will always be around the corner but Pascal seems like it'd be a significant step in GPU. But we're looking at, at LEAST 9 months for that probably more....(March if following the Titan X roadmap) maybe I should just go for it and pull the trigger on a Titan X. How do you like yours?

Also are you running SLI X's on the 750w PSU?

kris2341
04-11-2015, 11:21 PM
i have run dual GPUs on a 750w PSU but atm i am using a 1200w one.

i feel like the twin titan Xs can be run on a 750w as long as you dont overclock them, they dont use THAT much power.

but you really are pushing the PSU to the limit in that scenario

a titan X nicely matches the power of dual GTX 970s, overclock it and it can potentially match 980s in 4k.

its up to you, i dont think its that good a value, but it is the best.

Discus-n00b
04-12-2015, 01:31 AM
Just curious about the PSU. I think for this build I'm going with a 750, maybe 850 as the price difference is minimal, for a single card setup. I feel like PSU prices aren't back breakers should I need to upgrade by going SLI in the future. I just see no reason for me to buy a 1000w+ PSU right now too.

I can't help but see that 12 VRAM as useful for the future. A bit overkill right now but surely it could last a while. And if DX12 really combines VRAM an SLI setup on these would be pretty insane especially if the price drops eventually to pickup a second one (Or buy one from the guys dumping them to go to Pascal). I'm leaning towards the Titan X right now, enjoy it for a year plus and not be an early adopter tax payer for Pascal but rather wait on the higher end Pascal cards that are geared more towards consumer gaming markets that I suspect will drop later in 2016. A single GTX 980 may work for me and would be cheaper, but questioning if it could handle 3440x1440 well enough though. Hmmm

kris2341
04-12-2015, 02:34 AM
my PSU is the Corsair AX1200i, i got it as an RMA of an old AX1200 that i had from a few years back that broke down on me.

just go 850w, I personally recommend the Corsair RM series of power supplies, nicely featured units.

the VRAM is what i thought too, many games are already busting out of 4GB in 4k gaming so having more than 6GB, around 8GB or more is best. With the titan X at 12GB, i think i am solid for awhile. the thing with DX12 combining VRAM and the like is that by the time we see DX12 games, this generation of hardware will be irrelevant so i wouldnt consider any pros of DX12 to be a major buying decision.

Discus-n00b
04-12-2015, 02:15 PM
True about DX12 games. I was thinking about it coming out this summer rather than it actually being used when it does come out.

I looked at Corsair, thats what I've always used but think I will go EVGA this time. They are cheaper and get just as much if not more praise from what I can see, and have great customer support. Plus I read this http://www.overclock.net/t/1455892/why-you-might-not-want-to-buy-a-corsair-rm-psu lol. Looked at Seasonic but its the little things, they don't offer different colored sleeved cables and I don't want to do it myself lol EVGA and Corsair both do. Just going to go EVGA 850 G2.

kris2341
04-12-2015, 02:21 PM
built a few systems using EVGA, not a single problem.

Discus-n00b
04-12-2015, 10:34 PM
Literally just caught myself scrounging for stuff to sell so that I can afford the 1440p monitor from the get go LOL oh jeez. Anyone want to buy a brand new Penn offshore fishing reel....? ;) I'd actually sell some of my old parts but I just looked a lot of them up and it almost made me cry. Saw someone selling an I7 920 for like $30-40....that won't do me much good. It is a used Bloomfield stuck a few generations behind after all. x58 Mobo isn't much better. That's how technology goes I guess.

Think I'm ready to pull the trigger though, at least on a few parts to get the ball rolling. Might as well take advantage of a few deals while they are there. I'm one of those people who put everything in the shopping cart and keep it there for days on end to make sure I really want it. I really want this....going to hurt the bank account for a while but I think it will be worth it in the end. This is what I'm looking at parts wise of what I need:

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Corsair H105 73.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: Kingston Fury White Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX Titan X 12GB Video Card
Case: Corsair Air 240 MicroATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition (2-Pack) 62.7 CFM 120mm Fans
Case Fan: Corsair Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition (2-Pack) 62.7 CFM 120mm Fans
Other: Custom PSU sleeved cables

What's the problem with making a plain white or plain black motherboard? Is it that difficult? Ugh that's my only complaint, can't find just a plain motherboard.

kris2341
04-13-2015, 01:36 AM
looks like a solid build, i personally prefer going with asus over gigabyte nowadays because i like how they have their UEFI setup better. I also have had more odd problems with otherwise perfectly working gigabyte boards like having to replug my mouse everytime i restarted the computer.

oh and just thought id share, I got one of those new Kingston HyperX Predator PCI-E/M.2 SSDs in my system, and it is just amazing... might be something worth looking into but its considerably more pricey than a typical samsung drive.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00V01C6M8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

also... am i the only person alive that actually prefers tower coolers to AIO liquid coolers? lol

zergling
04-13-2015, 03:55 AM
am i the only person alive that actually prefers tower coolers to AIO liquid coolers? lol

I think just us two LOL! Someday they'll make liquid coolers with pumps that can get as quiet as air coolers in minimum fan rpm...

Discus-n00b
04-13-2015, 08:19 AM
You aren't, but most of the good air coolers will not fit in the Corsair Air 240 case because they are all massive and wouldn't allow the side window to close. Its an mATX build remember haha. Not to mention most are fairly ugly as far as aesthetics go LOL. Whats the point of a color scheme or cool ram sticks and what not if all you see is plastic fans strapped onto a large chunk of metal in the middle of the window? ;) Since I won't be going OC crazy or anything the AIO cooler should be a fine setup in push pull. I have an old Corsair AIO now, forget the model, but I've never had a problem with noise. I guess I'm one of the few who don't mind hearing a computer, heck I already have pumps, skimmers, etc all going on with the aquariums in the same room what is a small amount of computer fan noise?

The only reason I chose Gigabyte mobo was price, originally had an Asus Gryphon in there.....and still might put it back as that's probably what I prefer. The Gigabyte option would just save me a bit of money. I guess in the grand scheme at this level it would be like counting pennies though.

Those Kingstons are pretty cool, a bit out of budget at the moment though.

rickztahone
04-13-2015, 12:17 PM
hmmm, this is how people feel when we talk photography Matt?

Discus-n00b
04-13-2015, 02:50 PM
LOL yes Ricardo I guess so!

Its really quite simple after reading a bit, IMO at least. Like Photography the talk includes a lot of acronyms! I've never taken a class on this stuff, just by doing my own research and reading have picked it all up. Still a lot I don't know about it but its fairly simple as you get into it.

rickztahone
04-13-2015, 03:17 PM
LOL yes Ricardo I guess so!

Its really quite simple after reading a bit, IMO at least. Like Photography the talk includes a lot of acronyms! I've never taken a class on this stuff, just by doing my own research and reading have picked it all up. Still a lot I don't know about it but its fairly simple as you get into it.

I suppose it is like anything else you need to read up on. My concern has always been, if I build a computer, how do you program it?!? That alone throws me off from ever wanting to do anything with computers, lol.

Discus-n00b
04-13-2015, 03:54 PM
An even trickier situation is not having an Optical Drive anymore. CDs and DVDs are ancient technology now and computers are increasingly going away from them. I won't be using one in my new build. If you do have one, insert the disk in the drive and then when you start the computer it should give you an option to go into your BIOS, which is menus coming from the motherboard. In the BIOS you assign a drive to boot from, set it to boot from the optical drive and restart and it should boot into Windows setup. You can then go back and change your boot drive after. If you don't have an optical drive you could do something like a USB with the program/setup on it. I don't know why they don't do this standard, when I buy a new copy of windows, ship me a USB drive with it on there.....why haven't they gone to this yet?

Since I don't think I can buy Windows 7 from Microsoft anymore and just download it to a USB drive I think I'm going to just purchase a disc and use my optical drive from my current computer and just plug it up to the new one just for this one purpose. Install then unplug the optical drive and curse it forever to let it die its ancient death. Once you install windows its all simple after that, installing your programs and browsers and such.

Any other type of programming can be a bit more complex, like overclocking messing with voltage and stuff in BIOS. Generally not something the usual consumer will be doing anyway.

Discus-n00b
08-13-2015, 04:12 PM
So, a 4 month (to the day of last post!) bump. I'm FINALLY ordering parts for my new PC. I ordered everything but the CPU, Motherboard, and RAM (and graphics card but it's not in stock currently). These parts apart from the graphics card are still up in the air. I waited until Intel dropped their new Skylake processors to see how they would perform. Trying decide between the new Skylake 6700k or a x99 platform 5820k. Was leaning Skylake for the longest time, now I'm not so sure....hmmm. I will keep diving into my nerd forums for an answer I guess!

Discus-n00b
10-29-2015, 12:32 AM
So since switching computers and such I hadn't put Photoshop and all my tools on until tonight. So I finally uploaded some pictures. I can get more of the build but here are one of the case and my desk setup currently. I usually have the white LEDs turned off, I think I need to half the number I have in there if anything. It's to bright, the Geforce GTX doesn't pop enough. Eventually I'd like to go with water cooling, though I'm pushing 4.7ghz out of this processor on air which is excellent, and change my wiring to white.

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5751/22375992299_a95e23dc09_b.jpg
https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5640/22536818856_f5c5a1af89_b.jpg

Second Hand Pat
10-29-2015, 08:42 AM
Awesome Matt. You would laugh at my little setup. Laptop driving a 24 inch (note, only one monitor LOL) with wireless keyboard and mouse on a small drop-down desk. Suits my needs for now. :D
Pat

rickztahone
10-29-2015, 06:23 PM
Nice Matt! The light from that monster would annoy the crap out of me during editing though, lol.

Seattle_Aquarist
01-25-2022, 01:33 AM
#nerdhat

Anyone into building computers? I can't say I'm mega experienced or can fully speak the lingo but I know enough to be dangerous and I've been doing it for myself for years now everytime I need a new one. Figured I'd ask because I enjoy it and I know its another niche type hobby out there. I'm not brave enough yet to dive into the whole overclocking thing and start screwing with the BIOS, usually just run stock everything but I always seem drawn to the parts that allow me to OC if I wanted to. I probably should attempt it at some point.

I don't know, been pricing out a new build recently and figured I'd ask! Tell you what though...they are as expensive as a new DSLR camera setup! Crazy. And technology is flying. Especially in my case because I'm a couple years behind now and still working on a 1080p setup. Want to move to a 1440p or 4k setup (more than likely a 1440). Especially DDR4, stuff is selling for the price of a top end Video card or processor. Wouldn't really be able to use anything off of my current computer for the rebuild save for the case, but in reality thats one of the cheapest parts to buy. Guess this is one of those things i'll be forced to sell the old, but good, parts to make up the cost of the new one.

Hey Matt,

I've built two computers in the last 10 years. In between builds I do upgrades until the technology and equipment prices come in line with what I need. It isn't physically difficult to build a computer but attention I have to work had on the details and compatibility of components. My latest build in 2017 so it's almost time to do a new build! The best part of building my own computers is I know how to repair something if it fails or can add components I need as my requirements change.

Aquaman218
01-25-2022, 07:38 AM
I built my latest computer early last year. I do a lot of design work and wanted something powerful enough to do CAD work, as well as electronics design. I started from a new case, and worked from there. I managed to score an NVIDIA 3090 when they first hit the market, just before they became unobtanium.

Morat
05-30-2022, 06:52 PM
Didn’t build them but used to repair them for a living and I did ok money wise - not a millionaire but I was earning enough to pay the bills and have a bit left over,

Problem was when I first started business was a bit slow and so when a few people asked I repaired a few iPhones and then all of a sudden 50% of my time was spent with iPhones and back then there were a lot more fiddly and it did my nut in - plus there’s very little money in that for the amount of work but at the same time I didn’t want to be turning away work

I did do a few upgrades as well but never anything that exciting tbh!

Eventually I moved onto other things but I still do the odd repair for friends and family - this year I’ve built a new computer for one of my kids and another one for my brother in law as xmas pressies