GPU Buying Guide - (Read first post)
in Desktops ·
It’s lower than the AMD 270 here
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Which PSU should I buy?
in Desktops ·
TX was a solid series. I’ve got a TX750 from around that same era, and it’s still kicking today. Honestly, with power supplies built at this level of quality, you shouldn't run into issues—my voltages have stayed rock steady since back in 2008.
Btw, not sure which specific build is recommended, but you probably won't need more than 500W of high-quality juice, so you'll have plenty of headroom.
Btw, not sure which specific build is recommended, but you probably won't need more than 500W of high-quality juice, so you'll have plenty of headroom.
Which PSU should I buy?
in Desktops ·
That should run smoothly too
http://www.techpowerup.com/super-flower-fx...-nesf-040.aspx
29A on the 12V rail
http://www.techpowerup.com/super-flower-fx...-nesf-040.aspx
29A on the 12V rail
Which PSU should I buy?
in Desktops ·
Honestly, you don't need anything better than this
It's semi-modular, plus it comes with a 5-year warranty
Five years on that one too
BTW, you could've just posted this in the "which power supply should I buy" thread
It's semi-modular, plus it comes with a 5-year warranty
Five years on that one too
BTW, you could've just posted this in the "which power supply should I buy" thread
Buying a Macbook Pro from overseas
in Laptops ·
Amazon just handles the sales tax based on where it's being shipped, so there aren't any extra headaches involved.
The Windows 10 start menu is constantly glitching out—happens to me on two out of three machines I work on.
You could try what wiredotter14 suggested.
Also, if you can back up your files, I’d suggest just doing a full factory reset.
Windows 10 has that option right in the settings; you can choose to wipe everything (it claims it'll save your files, but honestly, just make a manual backup first).
My laptop was acting up too, and this fixed it.
Just google Windows 10 Factory reset.
PS,
Even if you end up taking it to a repair shop, you should be backing up your data anyway, so there's really no harm in trying this first.
You could try what wiredotter14 suggested.
Also, if you can back up your files, I’d suggest just doing a full factory reset.
Windows 10 has that option right in the settings; you can choose to wipe everything (it claims it'll save your files, but honestly, just make a manual backup first).
My laptop was acting up too, and this fixed it.
Just google Windows 10 Factory reset.
PS,
Even if you end up taking it to a repair shop, you should be backing up your data anyway, so there's really no harm in trying this first.
Issues with my Dell Inspiron 15
in Hardware ·
maybe try grabbing the Windows 7 installer and using its setup to wipe the drive
PC build for $900
in Desktops ·
Just saying, if you're leaning toward AMD, Overclocking is basically mandatory for that choice to actually make sense. It'd be good if the author clarified whether they plan on Overclocking the CPU or not.
Stock Intel i7 with the Corsair CC 95 isn't bad, but for gaming, a stock i5 is probably the better bet.
Personally, I still think that first option from crimsonstag84 plus the SSD is the way to go.
Stock Intel i7 with the Corsair CC 95 isn't bad, but for gaming, a stock i5 is probably the better bet.
Personally, I still think that first option from crimsonstag84 plus the SSD is the way to go.
Deals, Discounts, and Best PC Component Buys & Builds
in Desktops ·
https://www.amazon.com/AMD-Radeon-Graphics-Video-Card/dp/B00X/
10% off on this
Not exactly a steal, but maybe an R9 380 is worth grabbing?
10% off on this
Not exactly a steal, but maybe an R9 380 is worth grabbing?
Best office PC build under $450?
in Desktops ·
crimsonstag84 said:Just stay away from that Kingston SSD if you can grab a Crucial BX500 instead; it's only $6.75 a little more expensive, but you get a 5-year warranty
👍
I haven't seen any drive with a 5-year warranty at that price point
Best office PC build under $450?
in Desktops ·
New build, went with an i3 per the request.
Also, threw in a nice Cooler Master case.
Personally, I think the i3 is a solid call for an office PC if you've already factored in an SSD. It’s not strictly necessary, though—you could easily swap it for an Intel Core i3-6100 for $157 at the same shop.
The savings are decent, and while you won't feel a massive difference, the i3 actually holds its own when you're multitasking or doing slightly heavier work.
There's still enough room in the budget to squeeze in a hard drive. Honestly, for basic office tasks, grabbing a 240GB SSD feels like a waste; those extra 120GB fill up fast if you're using it for storage. Better off just getting an HDD.
PS, they offer free assembly.
Also, threw in a nice Cooler Master case.
Personally, I think the i3 is a solid call for an office PC if you've already factored in an SSD. It’s not strictly necessary, though—you could easily swap it for an Intel Core i3-6100 for $157 at the same shop.
The savings are decent, and while you won't feel a massive difference, the i3 actually holds its own when you're multitasking or doing slightly heavier work.
There's still enough room in the budget to squeeze in a hard drive. Honestly, for basic office tasks, grabbing a 240GB SSD feels like a waste; those extra 120GB fill up fast if you're using it for storage. Better off just getting an HDD.
PS, they offer free assembly.
Budget PC build under $600
in Desktops ·
Only 260W instead of 360!!!! Same price, better card.
Budget PC build under $600
in Desktops ·
Sure, true, which is why I keep saying it all depends on when and if he actually plans on buying the tower. An APU is a Winner for anyone on a budget who just wants to slap an SSD in there and call it a day.
I wouldn't normally suggest an i3 as a "great value" gaming pick, but paired with AT&T and decent single-core performance, it’s solid for what he listed—it definitely handles multitasking way better than a Celeron or Pentium.
Using his existing 4GB of RAM might save him almost $67, but if he goes the APU route or uses integrated graphics, that money is better spent on faster RAM.
I wouldn't normally suggest an i3 as a "great value" gaming pick, but paired with AT&T and decent single-core performance, it’s solid for what he listed—it definitely handles multitasking way better than a Celeron or Pentium.
Using his existing 4GB of RAM might save him almost $67, but if he goes the APU route or uses integrated graphics, that money is better spent on faster RAM.
Budget PC build under $600
in Desktops ·
@CNN
That logic only works if they’re trying to save that $800$300 right now while simultaneously planning to start gaming.
Honestly, I'd rather just go with an i3 plus a dedicated GPU if we can make the math work. It all depends on their buying strategy, but let's be real: buying an APU now just to slap a card on it later is a compromise. You're settling for a weaker processor today just to play games, which feels pretty pointless if a GPU is already in the cards.
Plus, an APU carries a premium over a standard CPU. If they grab a regular processor instead, they can just repurpose those 4GB of DDR3 they've already got. They won't be forced into buying high-speed RAM—which, in my opinion, makes an APU almost useless anyway.
If we're looking for a "set it and forget it" solution that won't need an upgrade anytime soon, I'm leaning toward the APU + SSD combo. That should actually fit within the budget.
That logic only works if they’re trying to save that $800$300 right now while simultaneously planning to start gaming.
Honestly, I'd rather just go with an i3 plus a dedicated GPU if we can make the math work. It all depends on their buying strategy, but let's be real: buying an APU now just to slap a card on it later is a compromise. You're settling for a weaker processor today just to play games, which feels pretty pointless if a GPU is already in the cards.
Plus, an APU carries a premium over a standard CPU. If they grab a regular processor instead, they can just repurpose those 4GB of DDR3 they've already got. They won't be forced into buying high-speed RAM—which, in my opinion, makes an APU almost useless anyway.
If we're looking for a "set it and forget it" solution that won't need an upgrade anytime soon, I'm leaning toward the APU + SSD combo. That should actually fit within the budget.
Budget PC build under $600
in Desktops ·
An APU is fine if you're never planning to touch the CPU or buy a dedicated GPU.
Buying an APU just to "swap out graphics cards" later like you said is insane. The whole point of an APU is to skip the GPU entirely. If you go the APU route, you should probably grab an SSD too, given the price
Look, an i3 plus a GPU >>> an APU plus a GPU. That’s a total no-brainer.
DDR3 is perfectly fine here; compared to DDR4, there's barely any difference in this context.
If someone chooses an APU, they have to accept the limitations of that chip and realize they've wasted money if they end up buying a GPU later anyway.
The i3 or an Athlon are solid choices, but I’d lean toward the i3. You don't need quad-core for gaming, and you can always pick up a used i5 down the road (or just grab a used i3 or i5 right now).
Bottom line: an APU is the most budget-friendly way to go, but it's essentially a "dead-end" solution.
The Haswell platform is still decent and offers an upgrade path. I wouldn't sweat a cheap motherboard; everything will run at stock frequencies regardless.
Having a GeForce GTX 260X (exactly like I suggested in my screenshot!!!) will ensure smooth gameplay, and an i3 is more than enough—hell, even a Pentium could pull it off, but for decent multitasking, an i3 is the way to go, trust me.
Also, an i3 can run without a dedicated card if they decide to buy one later, unlike the Athlon.
Edit: also about $47 in savings because having DDR3 on hand isn't a bad thing.
Buying an APU just to "swap out graphics cards" later like you said is insane. The whole point of an APU is to skip the GPU entirely. If you go the APU route, you should probably grab an SSD too, given the price
Look, an i3 plus a GPU >>> an APU plus a GPU. That’s a total no-brainer.
DDR3 is perfectly fine here; compared to DDR4, there's barely any difference in this context.
If someone chooses an APU, they have to accept the limitations of that chip and realize they've wasted money if they end up buying a GPU later anyway.
The i3 or an Athlon are solid choices, but I’d lean toward the i3. You don't need quad-core for gaming, and you can always pick up a used i5 down the road (or just grab a used i3 or i5 right now).
Bottom line: an APU is the most budget-friendly way to go, but it's essentially a "dead-end" solution.
The Haswell platform is still decent and offers an upgrade path. I wouldn't sweat a cheap motherboard; everything will run at stock frequencies regardless.
Having a GeForce GTX 260X (exactly like I suggested in my screenshot!!!) will ensure smooth gameplay, and an i3 is more than enough—hell, even a Pentium could pull it off, but for decent multitasking, an i3 is the way to go, trust me.
Also, an i3 can run without a dedicated card if they decide to buy one later, unlike the Athlon.
Edit: also about $47 in savings because having DDR3 on hand isn't a bad thing.
Budget PC build under $600
in Desktops ·
He’s looking for something for casual gaming and Microsoft Office/multimedia stuff.
A Haswell platform is definitely the better move if he wants an upgrade path later. Honestly, there's zero reason to go with a Quad-core AMD for what he needs—people only look at those as an alternative to an Intel Core i3 because of the extra cores.
An APU is just a dead end anyway; it won't come anywhere near the performance of a GeForce GTX 260X or even an Intel Core i3. (Though, I guess it would be slightly cheaper overall.)
Buying a used GPU, or even a used CPU, is always a solid option to keep in mind.
A Haswell platform is definitely the better move if he wants an upgrade path later. Honestly, there's zero reason to go with a Quad-core AMD for what he needs—people only look at those as an alternative to an Intel Core i3 because of the extra cores.
An APU is just a dead end anyway; it won't come anywhere near the performance of a GeForce GTX 260X or even an Intel Core i3. (Though, I guess it would be slightly cheaper overall.)
Buying a used GPU, or even a used CPU, is always a solid option to keep in mind.
Budget PC build under $600
in Desktops ·
Look, this might look like a budget gaming PC to some, but honestly, an Intel Core i3 is more than enough for everything he listed—multimedia, Microsoft Office, whatever.
With HT, the i3 handles those tasks just fine, though you wouldn't pick it up for serious gaming if you're looking at price-to-core ratios.
That GPU definitely won't be bottlenecked, and he’ll be able to play way more than what he actually asked for.
I’m running an Intel Core i3 on one of my PCs, and for the stuff he described, there’s barely any difference compared to an Intel Core i5. Yeah, the i3 shows higher CPU usage on the same tasks, but HT handles it well enough that multitasking isn't an issue. Bottom line: no need for an i5. It's total overkill for this budget.
The suggestion includes 4GB of RAM, which he already has, and there isn't much of a difference if he just grabs another identical stick.
He doesn't need a motherboard with 4 slots. I have no idea why anyone would even plan for 16GB of RAM on a budget like this (though he could grab an 8GB stick if he's obsessed with being upgradeable).
There. This should satisfy everything he asked for and then some, unlike using integrated graphics. With this setup, he can actually crank the settings to max.
edit: wrong link.
ps
Just realized crimsonstag84 suggested that other interesting, cheap new i3 in her post. So this is basically the same thing, just trading an SSDA and a newer platform for better graphics.
@crimstag84, I think that's too much money just to try and force integrated graphics to perform better (MB + RAM), especially when he wants decent gaming performance anyway.
With HT, the i3 handles those tasks just fine, though you wouldn't pick it up for serious gaming if you're looking at price-to-core ratios.
That GPU definitely won't be bottlenecked, and he’ll be able to play way more than what he actually asked for.
I’m running an Intel Core i3 on one of my PCs, and for the stuff he described, there’s barely any difference compared to an Intel Core i5. Yeah, the i3 shows higher CPU usage on the same tasks, but HT handles it well enough that multitasking isn't an issue. Bottom line: no need for an i5. It's total overkill for this budget.
The suggestion includes 4GB of RAM, which he already has, and there isn't much of a difference if he just grabs another identical stick.
He doesn't need a motherboard with 4 slots. I have no idea why anyone would even plan for 16GB of RAM on a budget like this (though he could grab an 8GB stick if he's obsessed with being upgradeable).
There. This should satisfy everything he asked for and then some, unlike using integrated graphics. With this setup, he can actually crank the settings to max.
edit: wrong link.
ps
Just realized crimsonstag84 suggested that other interesting, cheap new i3 in her post. So this is basically the same thing, just trading an SSDA and a newer platform for better graphics.
@crimstag84, I think that's too much money just to try and force integrated graphics to perform better (MB + RAM), especially when he wants decent gaming performance anyway.
My first gaming PC
in Desktops ·
Noah Carter48 said:So you're saying an i7 6700K would be the better call?
More like a 6600K, but honestly, why bother debating this now if you aren't buying for another 3-6 months? By then, AMD Zen might actually be out. Plus, we'll probably know way more about the next generation of GPUs by summer. Might be better to just wait and go for the ultimate solution then.
My first gaming PC
in Desktops ·
At this budget, you might as well go for Skylake K or wait for AMD Zen.
Regarding the power supply: the odds of needing more juice because of a future GPU upgrade are about the same as the odds of Canada joining the European Union in the same timeframe.
New top-end cards on 14/16 nm will pull the same wattage, if not less, than a GTX 980.
It makes way more sense to plan your PSU (before any upgrades) based on your processor—whether you're overclocking or not.
Regarding the power supply: the odds of needing more juice because of a future GPU upgrade are about the same as the odds of Canada joining the European Union in the same timeframe.
New top-end cards on 14/16 nm will pull the same wattage, if not less, than a GTX 980.
It makes way more sense to plan your PSU (before any upgrades) based on your processor—whether you're overclocking or not.
Monitor shopping - where do I even start?
in Computer Peripherals ·
If you're mostly using this for work, my advice is to hang onto your old monitor alongside the new one. Depending on your workflow, it might not be overkill. By modern standards, the Conrad setup isn't anything special, but it gets the job done for most tasks. You could grab a decent new 22" IPS or VA panel for about $333, or hunt for something used if you're craving more screen real estate. Personally, I’d rather pick up a fresh 22" and just keep the old monitor running—it makes multitasking with multiple windows way easier.