Posts by Keith Wright2

crimsonstag84 said:Why pair an R9 280X with an mATX case and a pricey H81 motherboard?

If you're grabbing an XFX R9 280 Black Edition specifically because it can be overclocked to reach R9 280X performance levels—which means $200—then why stop there? You should pick up a decent case, maybe spend a few extra bucks on a B85 motherboard, get a power supply with significantly better voltage regulation and lower ripple, and perhaps even toss in an SSD (bringing the total to roughly $1750).

That all makes sense, but I highly doubt he actually knows how to overclock a GPU. If he does, then sure, he might as well just go straight for the R9 280X.

wanderingwolf12 said:Since I am a total beginner at all of this, I would kindly ask that you do not hate on me; instead, please explain if anything is incompatible or similar... 🙂 Since I have some extra time on my hands, I want to put together a gaming rig for under $1833, so here is my proposal...

Graphics card Intel Core i5-4440

Processor AMD A8 X4 6600K 3.9GHz, LGA 1151, box, Black Edition

Motherboard MSI A85-P33 or Motherboard Gigabyte GA-A88X-USB3

Hard drive Western Digital Blue 1TB, 64MB, ST1000DM003

SANDISK X110 64GB SSD, 2.5" 7mm, SATA 6Gbps, Seq Read/Write: 505 MBps / 445 MB/s, IOPS max: 81000, MLC, Retail

Crucial RAM DDR3 SDRAM Non-ECC 8GB, 1600MHz, KVR16N11/8

Power supply Silverstone Strider Essential ST70F-ES AC 90-264V, 47/63Hz, DC 3.3/5/±12V, 700W, Retail, Active PFC, 1x120, Efficiency 80%

CPU cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212

Case Corsair Airflow Case mid tower

Sound card Creative Sound Blaster

+some basic optical drive

What you have assembled here is honestly painful to look at; take this instead and you will be playing everything on ultra settings for a long time

-Intel CPU Desktop Core i5-4440 (3.1GHz, 6MB,LGA1150) box
-Motherboard Gigabyte H81M-S2H
-Graphics card EVGA GeForce GTX 970 3G GDDR5 PCI-E DVI-I / DVI-D / HDMI / DP DUAL-X OC VERSION (UEFI), 11221-00-20G
-Desktop Memory Device Crucial RAM DDR3 SDRAM Non-ECC (8GB,1600MHz(PC3-12800),Unbuffered) CL11, KVR16N11/8
-MSI Gaming Series 80 550W PSU, EVGA 550W PSU
-Hard Drive Western Digital Blue 1TB SATA 3 WD10EZEX
-Optical drive Western Digital Blue HDD SATA Bulk Black
-Zalman micro tower case black, Cooler Master T2

Total:$1870 CNN.com free assembly
The price is for cash; using a card will cost more. If you are in New York City or nearby, come to the store in person to get it, otherwise, if you need shipping, it is $27.

Ryan Hayes82 said:Go with an IPS monitor. Honestly, with a budget like this, it would be a total mistake to settle for a TN panel. Also, just a heads up, that R9 290 isn't going to fit inside a Zalman Z9 case.

I knew from the jump that wouldn't work. He explicitly said he wants that specific GPU and case because he likes the look of them, so whatever. Let those guys in the city center try to pull a magic trick and make it fit if they think they know better.🤷div>

briskmason6 said:Since I'm coming from a small town, the distance is about what you mentioned. I'll be at college that day, so I'll just grab it with my old man—that part isn't an issue. The main thing is heading downtown since it's slightly cheaper there.

Make sure to check back in here on the forum once you've picked everything up! Post some photos when you have the whole setup running—the PC, mouse, keyboard, monitor, and speakers. We want to see how the whole rig looks and how much it glows in the dark!😁

shadoweagle36 said:I'm thinking about buying a complete PC build for $1700. I know the timing isn't exactly ideal

If you ask me, this is the way to go. With this setup, you'll be running just about any game on ultra settings. You get a powerful processor that stays cool and draws very little power, a beast of a graphics card, 8GB of RAM, and a 1TB hard drive...

-Intel Core i5-4440 (3.1GHz, 6MB, LGA1150) box
-Asus H81M-PLUS motherboard
-Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3G GDDR5 PCI-E DVI-I / DVI-D / HDMI / DP DUAL-X OC VERSION (UEFI), 11221-00-20G
-KINGSTON ValueRAM DDR3 SDRAM Non-ECC (8GB, 1600MHz(PC3-12800), Unbuffered) CL11, KVR16N11/8 memory
-SILVERSTONE Strider ST50F-230 AC 180-264V, 50/60Hz, DC 3.3/5/±12V, 500W, Retail, Active power supply
-WD Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 3 WD10EZEX hard drive
-Zalman micro tower case black, ZAL-ZM-T2

Total cost:$1773 Free assembly via Centro.hr
This price is for cash payments. Go ahead and stretch those extra $67 because the performance boost you get is massive!

briskmason6 said:Hmm, I'm not entirely sure. Honestly, I think it might actually be cheaper if you just head downtown. I can't check right this second—I'll probably just drive over later anyway—but does Futura really offer free delivery across the entire NYC metro area?

You hit the nail on the head. If you're living right in New York City, just go grab it yourself. But if you're about 30 miles25 miles outside of the city, driving there is still going to be more cost-effective than paying for delivery through Futura. I'm guessing you're somewhere near a Suburban town?

briskmason6 said:Right in the middle... that's it... it feels perfect to me, and I won't bother pasting the full list here just yet. So, does everyone agree this configuration beats my initial AMD setup? It seems Intel is proven to be better for gaming, draws less power, runs cooler + we have that Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 which absolutely crushes everything, just like mellowtiger83 said, haha... I don't think I'll die because there isn't an SSD; people say this hybrid SSHD is the golden ratio of speed, price, and capacity. My only doubt is these 1333 MHz RAM sticks... isn't 1600 MHz the standard, or does that frequency really not matter much? Thanks again to everyone for your time; for now, I'm sticking with this build. 😁

There is absolutely no difference between 1333MHz and 2400MHz, let alone between 1333 and 1600MHz. RAM speed only becomes a significant factor if you are relying on integrated graphics, but that certainly isn't the case for you. Here is a video so you can see for yourself that there is no real difference.
If that is really eating away at your brain, then just swap out the ones I listed for these and consider the problem solved. http://www.cnn.com/details_product...vr16n11-8.aspx

Here you go—it’s the R9 290, the i5, and the exact case, keyboard, and mouse you picked out!

-AOC LED 23.6" E2461FWH, VGA, HDMI
-Genius X-G500 gaming mouse, macro support, 2000dpi
-Zalman K400G keyboard, black, ZAL-ZM-K400G
-S120 black OEM speakers

-Gigabyte Radeon R9 290 graphics card, 4GB GDDR5, HDMI, DVI
-Intel Core i5-4440 (3.1GHz, 6MB, LGA1150) box
-Asus H81-PLUS motherboard
-XFX Pro Series CoreEdition 80 550W PSU, XFX-P1-550S-XXB9
-Patriot Signature, 1333Mhz, 8GB (1x8GB) PSD38G13332H
-SEAGATE HDD DESKTOP SSHD 3.5" / 1TB / 64m/ SATA/ 7200rpm ST1000DX001
-Asus DRW-24F1ST/BLK/B/AS optical drive
-Zalman mid tower case black, ZAL-Z9 U3

Total:$2881 CNN offers free assembly
(price for the cards)!

mellowtiger83 said:You definitely need an SSD, and if you have enough room in your budget to add an HDD separately, go for it; getting a hybrid drive is always more expensive.

If you’re looking at something like an i5-4560 or an i5-4440, there really isn't any reason to blow your money on a high-end B85 motherboard. An H81 board will do just fine. You still get your USB 3.0 and SATA 3.0 speeds, so the performance remains identical. You want that i5 specifically for the clock speed, but you also need a solid cooler. Honestly? Stick with a standard i5 and put that extra cash toward a better graphics card instead.

As for cases, most of them are just stuffing low-quality junk from Sony—like their Z3 or ZM Mini series—into their builds. Those cases are honestly terrible quality and quite ugly, too. I owned a Z1 once and I am never touching one again.

Whatever you do, stay away from AMD's FX series. An i5 will absolutely eat it for breakfast, and an i3 would give it a run for its money. Besides, that entire platform is basically end-of-life and has been hitting its limits for ages.

By the way, if you assemble this carefully, you could even fit an R9 290 GPU inside a nice case.

Here is a quick build suggestion from Accenture, where they happen to offer financing and credit plans on pretty much everything they sell.

i5 4440 Quad Core LGA 1150, 3.1GHz
Asrock B85M
8GB DDR3 1600MHz Crucial (1x8GB)
Gigabyte Radeon R9 290
SanDisk 120GB SSD
Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB HDD
Corsair VS 650W
Corsair Spec-01 Case

Acer 23" LED Full HD Monitor

And you'll still have $167 left over for peripherals.

You're talking nonsense; he's going to regret this build once he gets past $3000 because at Accenture, they don't even stock GPUs more powerful than an R9 270X or a GTX 760.

redpilot29 said:Alright, I just pulled these from my BIOS:

CPU - 51°C
Motherboard - 47°C
CPU Fan - 3125 RPM

Are these temperatures way too high for these parts?

If you ask me, those temps look perfectly fine.

shadoweagle36 said:I’d personally just go with something brand new if I were looking at the long term. I’m not exactly a hardcore gamer, so my main priority would be having a build that allows for easy upgrades once some big new titles drop in the near future.

What kind of budget are we working with if you're planning to buy a whole system? And are you paying cash or using a credit card? Or do you already have this setup sitting at home and you're just hunting for a new graphics card right now?

hiddenmason33 said:Hey everyone!

I'm running into an issue with some new speakers. Every time I plug them into my desktop, they start making this faint whistling and background static—kind of like that interference you get when someone calls your cell phone while it's sitting right next to a speaker.

Since these are just some budget MS Industrial speakers, I figured the fault was with them, but when I test them on my laptop or my phone, they work perfectly fine without any buzzing or noise...

It’s worth noting that the whistling happens whether I use the front panel jack or the rear port. This is a brand-new PC build using an ASUS FM2A75-HD motherboard with integrated audio.

Does anyone have any idea what might be causing this?

I'm not entirely sure what the exact cause is, but I can suggest trying to move them away from your monitor if they're sitting too close. You could also try dipping a cotton swab in a little bit of rubbing alcohol and cleaning the speaker jack (the plug you insert into the PC).

Robert Rodriguez2 said:aside from the fact that this build $167 is cheaper than yours
, an SSD won't change much for gaming; it won't boost his FPS at all, nor will it provide any actual benefit during gameplay other than faster loading times...

If he really needs that extra speed, he can just grab an SSHD like I mentioned earlier in my post. He doesn't need anything more than that.

But look, if he actually has $2833 available, I don't see any reason to settle for a budget build, or why we shouldn't just put in a decent SSD 🤷though, honestly, does he even know how to overclock? It makes me wonder if your configuration is even worth it at this point...

Larry Ortiz5 said:It’s way better than what Robert Rodriguez2 has. Plus, he even added speakers 😁

I mean, based on what? He hasn't even given me a reason why it's better... honestly, I'd love to see the cuts. He didn't even include an SSD, by the way. And for the record, I put speakers in mine too.

Roger Gray8 said:I mean, what kind of i5 are we talking about in a build priced at $1,300? It has to be an i7.
and you even paired it with integrated graphics? 🤦

First off, spending extra on an i7 for gaming is basically just throwing money down the drain. And regarding the i5, almost all of them come with integrated graphics anyway. Honestly, stop commenting because you clearly have no idea what you're talking about. You’d be better off heading over to some casual gaming forums to post your opinions—that seems to be the only thing you're actually capable of!

briskmason6 said:Hey there!
So, I'm thinking about picking up a computer from Best Buy for around $1,300, and this is the build they suggested:

-processor : FX 8320
-CPU cooler : Zalman CNPS10X OPTIMA
-motherboard : ASUS M5A97 R2.0
-RAM: KINGSTON H-X 2X4 GB 1600 MHZ
-SSHD: SEAGATE 3.5 1TB SATA 3 SSHD
-graphics card: VTX R9 280X 3GB UEFI V2
-optical drive: LITE ON DVD-RW SATA
-psu: FORTRON FSP RAIDER 650W 80+ SILVER
-case: Zalman Z9 U3 Midi tower, black
-monitor : Acer 23" IPS FHD
-keyboard: Zalman keyboard K400G, black
-mouse: Genius X-G500 gaming mouse, macro, 2000dpi
-speakers : Logitech Z313 2.1 system

This comes out to roughly $2833 if I use a credit card at Best Buy... the PC will mainly be for gaming, movies, schoolwork, and other basic stuff... if anyone knows where I can get something cheaper or better for the same money, please let me know... I mean, this Best Buy might be a bit far, but if the quality of the shop is good, why not? And yeah, I need to use a card since I don't have the cash on hand. Thanks!! 😍

Check out this option instead—it features a powerful i5 processor, a solid graphics card, and a fast SSD for snappy performance in Windows and various apps, plus quick game loading times!

-Monitor 23'' LED PHILIPS 233V5LSB, 5ms, 250 cd/m2, 10.000.000:1, D-SUB, DVI, black
-Keyboard + mouse COOLERMASTER Devastator, US layout, USB
-Speakers LOGITECH S120, 2.0, black, OEM

-Graphics card PCI-E XFX NVIDIA RADEON R9 280 x, 3GB DDR5, DualDVI, HDMI, 2x miniDP
-Processor INTEL Core i5 4460 BOX, s. 1150, 3.2GHz, 6MB cache, GPU, quad Core
-Motherboard ASUS H97 Pro4, Intel H97, DDR3, sound, G-LAN, S-ATA, PCI-E 3.0, USB 3.0, D-SUB, DVI, HDMI, ATX, s. 1150
-Power supply 550W, XFX Core edition P1-550S-XXB9, ATX, 120mm vent, PFC
-Memory PC-10666, 8 GB, G.SKILL Ripjaws X series, F3-10666CL9D-8GBXL, DDR3 1333MHz, kit 2x4GB
-SSD 120.0 GB Samsung 840 evo Basic, MZ-7TE120BW, SATA, 540/410 MB/s
-Hard drive 1000.0 GB SEAGATE ST1000DM003, SATA3, 64MB cache, 7200 rpm, for desktop
-DVD±RW LG GH24NSB0, 24x, SATA, Dual layer, black, bulk
-Case CHIEFTEC Libra Series LG-01B, MIDI, black, no PSU

total:$2871 BestBuy.com
Everything is available right now in Washington, D.C., and the price is the same whether you pay by card or cash!

Peter Johnson42 said:I don't exactly have a powerhouse 🙄 but I wanted to ask which graphics card you all might suggest.
My specs:
motherboard - ASUS Motherboard
processor - Intel Celeron RAM
RAM - 4 GB
graphics card - Intel Graphics
Just to be clear, I don't need a beastly rig; I just can't even play Call of Duty 2 properly with this setup.... 😢
My budget for the card is up to $167

Honestly? Just sell $500 your current RAM, graphics card, motherboard, and processor, then grab this instead:

1xIntel Core i3 Processor
1xASUS Motherboard
1xSpire Kepler Rev.2 cooler 1156/775/FM1
1xPatriot Sig. DDR3 1600Mhz, 4GB PSD34G160081

Total price:$506 Best Buy

This processor features 4 cores and offers plenty of punch, giving you a solid foundation for a better graphics card down the road. It also has decent integrated graphics, so you'll actually be able to run some newer games reasonably well. Later on, once you've saved up some more cash, you can just pick up a new power supply and a proper graphics card, such as $500 this example:

Graphics Card:
http://www.bestbuy.com/details_product...32-00-20g.aspx

Power Supply:
http://www.bestbuy.com/details_product...0w-retail.aspx

You can just keep your existing case, hard drive, and burner!

Zachary Smith2 said:My rig is actually pretty powerful; it's definitely on the high-end side. Here are my specs:
MS Case
8GB RAM 1333mhz
HD 6670 2GB DDR3
500GB HDD
AMD Athlon II X4
ASUS Prime Motherboard
MS Platinum 400W PSU

I'm honestly a little nervous about heading down to the computer shop. What if I pick a cooler and it ends up being just as loud as my old one, or worse, it doesn't even fit? All I want is a cooler that can actually bring my CPU temps down from those highs to something manageable, especially since my system shut down on me once before. What should I tell the clerk when I get there? I don't want some salesperson to push some junk on me only for me to be stuck listening to a jet engine every time I play Battlefield 3 or MW3.

Just grab this cooler $67 including shipping it'll be $13. Give them a call tomorrow at 555-0199 to place an order, or if you happen to be in Chicago, you can just swing by the shop yourself. Here's the info: Centro.com, 156 Main Street, Chicago, IL, USA

http://www.centro.com/details/product...-cprt-002.aspx

Timothy Kim60 said:NESHO95 totally missed the mark here 😬 Some other guy is asking about 24 monthly installments, not this one

Does this mean even Tron is having some serious trouble focusing? 😁

fadedorca66 said:Money isn't even the main issue here. When it's not coming out of your own pocket, who 😁

Give it five minutes, buddy. 🙂