Posts by Dennis Carter3

Adam Moore3 said:Whatever—honestly, at this point, even an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 would be overkill.$67 🤣 Even if he messes up ten times—and let’s face it, there’s a decent chance he will—if he finally nails it on the eleventh attempt, the payoff would still be more than worth the headache. 🎉

If I were absolutely certain that the price difference was truly that negligible—just pennies on the dollar—I wouldn’t even be sitting here typing this. I’d be tossing my rig and monitor into the car right now, driving across town first thing in the morning to meet up with the guy selling the GPU, and we'd head straight to the nearest pub to plug everything in and run some tests over a cold beer. 😁 🤣

Roger Mitchell4 said:thanks for the help,
I was actually planning on grabbing 8 GB of RAM, but this setup only has 4 GB!
Is there any way to cut costs elsewhere so I can afford more memory?

To be perfectly honest, there isn't much room to shave off costs on the RAM—it’s such an easy upgrade once you’ve saved up a little extra cash. It's not exactly rocket science.$92 You could grab something like this and just pop it right into the slot; it’s that simple. Honestly, even with 4 GB, your games should run just fine, so don't lose too much sleep over it.
Also, instead of using that Corsair Rhea 92mm CPU Cooler, you could swap in this one and that would pretty much wrap things up. That leaves you with $1037

I’d personally lean toward the Asus—it just makes more sense. Plus, if you decide to offload it in two or two and a half years, you'll find it much easier to sell since you'll still have a year of warranty left to sweeten the deal.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:Look, that’s really not the point—not even close. The actual point is that a person simply has... $1000Look, my take is simple—if you have $3,000 to work with, you should aim to squeeze every ounce of value out of that specific amount. It isn't about blowing past the limit just to say you did; it’s about optimization. You want to pack in the absolute best components possible within that $3,000 ceiling, rather than just overspending blindly. $67 ...

Where on earth are these coming from? $67 The budget has been blown—all over. $37 If you're looking at the Kepler setup—assuming we end up going with the Contact 16—then the situation becomes... well, let's just say things change. $47It’s really not that much of a difference compared to what you get with the FX—honestly, if we're talking about the total cost involved—so I don't think pulling that kind of cash together should be much of an issue at all.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:then just give him those $83 so he can upgrade to 👍

Look, if we don't go with the FX 83 xx route, any future upgrades would force them into buying a whole new motherboard—which, let's be honest, will likely end up being way more expensive than just moving to a new case and processor in my specific situation. Besides, the budget is still pretty tight $47. Going with the Kepler option would be $37, plus you get a processor with two extra cores that’s significantly beefier, which should yield much better results in gaming.

graniteharbor85 said:Dennis Carter3

That case is absolute garbage—Microsoft is leagues ahead of it. You can forget about running an FX 83 xx in there unless you swap out either the chassis or the cooler (even a Kepler barely manages to keep an FX 6300 from melting without going full turbo in that enclosure, let alone an FX 8320).

And why are you spreading misinformation? The FM2+ socket is definitely upgradeable.

I didn't actually use a Kepler; I went with the ThermalTake Contact 16. It was The New Guy who mentioned the Kepler earlier. As for the case, that's the least of my worries—I'll just swap it out later when I do a proper upgrade, and there are plenty of $83 great options out there. The priority right now is securing the foundation; everything else is just minor details.

I managed to snag a G1 Gaming 970 for $0.97 over at Best Buy—and yes, the logo actually lights up. I’ve been spending some time scrolling through various forums and watching video reviews to confirm everything

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.n...934e89ca81994f

The standard Gigabyte model is also seeing a pretty decent discount right now $0.89

If you look elsewhere—like at Micro Center or similar shops—they’re charging about $150$67 more than this
By the way, this G1 Gaming version handles overclocking like an absolute beast—assuming that’s even something you’re planning to mess with

Larry Ortiz5 said:Guys—I might actually head out to pick up a new GPU in the next few days, and I'm currently torn between the ASUS ROG series and the Phantom version of the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970. Honestly, neither one specifically "wows" me; even the warranty isn't a huge dealbreaker, as long as I get that standard 24-month coverage.

So, if you were in my shoes, what would be your move? Looking at Newegg, the Phantom seems a bit more compact, which appeals to me—plus, those two "hidden" vents and the sleek all-black aesthetic are pretty nice. As for the ASUS builds in general, I’ve always been a fan of their design language. From what I can gather, the temperatures between these two specific cards are practically identical...

Personally, I’d go with the ASUS option—it comes with a 3-year warranty, and let's face it, you won't really see much of the card anyway once it's installed. If aesthetics are your main driver, I think those Gigabyte G1 Gaming NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 models have a blue LED logo that catches the eye if you happen to have a tempered glass side panel on your case.

crimsonstag84 said:Rhea really should stick to Intel...

At that point, you might as well just swap out the cooler—it’s basically the same price anyway http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-212-Evolution/dp/B001I8T5S6

Roger Mitchell4 said:I need everything—so if you guys could suggest a power supply, an HDD, etc.
But I need to keep the total around $300.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti OC, 1GB GDDR5, VGA, DVI, HDMI

Intel Core i5-3570K

ASUS M5A97 motherboard, LGA 1155, A970, D3, S3, USB 3.0, A

Raijintek CPU Cooler Rhea - 92mm P/N: CPRT-008

Patriot Signature DDR3 1600Mhz, 4GB, Cooler Master

EVGA 400 W power supply, 80+, active, 12 cm

Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5''

MIDI ATX Case Akyga AKY921BL without PSU

Total:$1046 Best Buy
I'm going to be blunt here—it’s probably better to aim for a six-core Intel Core i5 instead. You'd actually have a decent foundation for future upgrades, like stepping up to those beefier eight-core processors later on. With this specific processor you've listed, you really don't have much room to grow; you'll hit a ceiling almost immediately.

I have two i7 2600k processors available, along with two Asus P8Z77-V LX motherboards—feel free to look into the boards yourself if you need more specifics. Just a heads-up regarding the coverage: the motherboards don't come with a warranty, and as for the CPUs, one carries a three-month guarantee through late 2015, while the other is good until about October 2015.

Brian Campbell36 said:Exactly—I'm not particularly thrilled with my current setup, so I'd rather just jump to a single card with at least 2 GB of VRAM (though 3 GB would be the sweet spot) just to have some peace of mind for the next few years.🍿

The HD 7770s in CrossFire haven't really impressed me lately when it comes to newer titles like Far Cry 4, the latest Call of Duty, or other modern releases.

If I were in your shoes, I’d actually hold off a bit longer $77 and just grab an R9 290; that way, you're properly set for a while.
https://www.newegg.com/a/amd-ati-gpu/1...on-r9-290.html
The price is $767, but if you sign up for their forum, you can snag a 3% discount, which brings the total down to $743. They are a pretty reliable and high-quality retailer, by the way.

Sapphire Radeon R7 260x OC, 1GB GDDR5, DVI, DP, HDMI

Intel Box Processor Intel Pentium G3258

Asrock H81M-HDS - Intel Socket 1150 H81M-HDS

Patriot Sig. DDR3 1600Mhz, 4GB, HS

Fortron Hexa Plus 400W, 80+, active, 12 cm

Seagate ST1000DM003, 1TB, 7200 rpm, 64MB, SATA 6Gb/s, Seagate Barracuda

Zalman ZM-T1 Plus micro tower case

Total: Price:$1017 Diskont24
Personally, I’d go this route—the CPU handles overclocking quite well, and more importantly, it leaves the door wide open for a much more substantial upgrade path toward i5 or i7 processors later on. It also allows for pairing with a significantly beefier graphics card; compared to an i3 setup, which honestly feels like a bit of a dead end, this offers much better long-term value.

David Sanders4 said:well, there’s a GTX 660 (Gigabyte's OC version) available right now for $267—it's basically identical to mine... honestly, I'd struggle to get more than $300 for it, and for $567, there aren't really any decent NVIDIA alternatives left; I saw a few used GTX 770s going for $500, but they're gone now... besides, from what I can tell, a GTX 660 SLI setup actually outperforms the GTX 770 anyway.

If you're looking at $267, personally, I'd rather put that money toward a used i5 than sink it into yet another GTX 660.

Daniel Green92 said:Corsair Aurum PRO 850, 80 PLUS Gold modular. Will it hold up an i5 4690k overclocked to 4.5 plus a GTX 970 sli setup?

It would handle that just fine—honestly, even a 650W 80 PLUS Gold unit would do the job, and frankly, a 550W Gold would suffice too. This 850W unit is complete overkill for that build.

David Sanders4 said:Well, you've gone and swapped in a weaker CPU that runs hotter—plus, if you buy from a major retailer like Best Buy where you get that full 24-month warranty, you're covered. Besides, the motherboard pictured is actually inferior; it has significantly fewer power phases compared to the Z97 Extreme 3, and the lane configuration is much worse at 16/x4 versus the x8/x8 setup...
It really depends on where you pick it up—if it's from a secondary seller or an auction site, the value drops, though I'd say a fair price would be around $2200--$767

Look, all I'm saying is that "new" means "new." You have to consider what you're actually running on, and if you're truly that focused on getting a processor for $567 an i5-4690k from Best Buy

and this motherboard

$67 they might cost more, but they're brand new from a reputable retailer, so you aren't taking any unnecessary risks.

David Sanders4 said:It seems like a solid deal to me—what do you guys think??
Intel Core i5 4690k and an ASRock Fatal1ty Motherboard

You could probably pick up something brand new from a retail store for that kind of money.

https://www.bestbuy.com/intel-processor-i5-4670k.html

http://www.microcenter.com/motherboard-sale/0201727

The offer itself is decent enough, I suppose—but personally, I’d much rather just go to a shop and buy something brand new.

Adam Moore3 said:I actually went with the Fortron Hyper myself back in the day—it was the sensible choice when Zalman was also an option without breaking the bank—but let's be honest, neither the FX-Series X8 8320 nor the R9 280 are exactly known for being power-sippers. I suspect the Hyper will hold up, but one can't be too careful...

If an XFX 550 w Easy rail Bronze can reliably handle an FX 83 xx & R9 290 combo—which pulls significantly more juice than an R9 280—then I don't see any reason to be skeptical here. This Hyper 500w should manage just fine; if anything, there'll probably be some headroom left over.

It could work with a Zalman cooler too.

1 x XFX R9-280A-TDFD, double Dissipation edition Radeon R9 280 933M
1 x AMD FX-Series X8 8320 3.5GHz, 16MB, 125W, AM3+, FD8320FRHK
1 x Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3P, AM3+, AMD 970 SB950, 4x DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866
1 x Spire Kepler Rev.2, cooler, 1156/775/FM1, 96.5×51×125 mm, 92mm
2 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11
1 x Fortron Hyper 500W, PPA5005003, 12cm fan
1 x Intel 520 2.5, 120GB, SATA III-600, R/W:550/520MB/s
1 x Toshiba DT01ACA100, 1TB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB
1 x Zalman Z1 mid tower case. 199(W)x432(H)x457(D)mm. ATX standard

Total:$1821 Best Buy, includes free assembly and shipping!
Now you've actually got a decent chassis to work with.

Honestly, you’re better off grabbing a cheaper monitor—that way, you can jump straight into a Crossfire R9 290 setup right away.

1xDell Monitor

2xAsus R9 290 DirectCU II OC 4GB

1xIntel Core i5-4670K

1xASRock Z97 Pro4

1xCooler Master Hyper 412S

1xCooler Master G750M

2xCorsair Value Select 8 gb, 1600 MHz, 2x4 gb

1xIntel 120GB 530 Series

1xSamsung SH-224DB

Total: $11$45 Free assembly and shipping from Best Buy!
If you sign up for their forum, you can actually snag an extra 3% discount, which would bring the total down to 10.$267