Posts by Dennis Carter3

William Smith10 said:I was searching for something specific while typing this out—though, to be perfectly honest, I’m not entirely certain I actually found what I was looking for.🙂 All I can make of this is... an AM3 Phenom II HT 3.0 FSB 2.6 GHz 140W DDR3 dual channel 140W CPU. Honestly, I’m completely out of my depth here—I don't understand a lick of this.🙂

Go ahead and pop the case open—you’ll need to take a look at the power supply itself to see exactly what we're working with. Just look for that little box; depending on how old your rig is, it'll be tucked away either at the very top or sitting right at the bottom of the chassis. Once you find it, let me know the specific brand and model number, and most importantly, tell me the wattage.

William Smith10 said:I’ve got a new opportunity—being able to pay in installments without needing a credit card.🙂 This means my appetite has grown quite a bit, and I'm looking at spending up to $2,000 on a motherboard, processor, and cooler. Of course, this assumes I can get a better processor for that specific motherboard, and ideally, my current graphics card can hang around for a while longer? If you wouldn't mind helping me pick out the right parts, I’d appreciate it.🙂

The AMD route:

1 x AMD FX-Series X8 8320 Processor, 3.5GHz, 16MB, 125W, AM3+, FD8320FRHK

1 x ASUS M5A97 EVO R2.0, AM3+, AMD 970/SB950, DDR3, 4 Slots

1 x Zalman CNPS10X OPTIMA, CPU cooler. FAN: 120mm, fan speed: 1000rpm

$696 Since it's from Best Buy, shipping is free (on orders over $667), which is why I went slightly over budget!
Now, everything really hinges on what kind of power supply you're running; if you've got something low-quality or just too weak, you might need to swap that out for something like this: http://www.bestbuy.com/product_info.php?c...oducts_id=9848

The Intel route:

1 x Intel Core i5-4460 Processor (3.20GHz, 1MB, 6MB, 84 W, 1150) Box

1 x ASRock Z97-PRO3, s1150, Intel ® Z97

$698 From Best Buy, with free shipping!
For this setup, the stock cooler that comes with the processor should be plenty, and you probably won't even need to buy a new power supply unless your current one is absolute junk. I chose a motherboard that supports decent overclocking and will also accommodate Broadwell processors when they drop next year—should you decide you want a beefier "K" series chip once this one starts feeling sluggish. It gives you a much better path for future upgrades!

Zachary Brown5 said:This isn't actually for me—I'm putting this together for a colleague.
Essentially, I'm looking for a gaming build within the stated budget. We just need the tower itself; aesthetics and noise levels aren't high priorities here.
The main constraints are that the buyer is an American purchasing via an installment plan, and we want to stick specifically to Best Buy for the purchase.
I am fully aware there are other retailers out there, and that one could likely squeeze more value out of a custom assembly or a different shop, but sometimes it's just easier to explain things to people if you keep it simple—so please, let's try to build this using parts available at Best Buy.

Thanks!

-Graphics Card: PCI-E XFX AMD RADEON R9 270 x, 2GB DDR5, DualDVI, HDMI, 2x miniDP

-Processor: AMD FX X8 8320 box, socket AM3+, 3.5GHz, 16MB cache, Eight Core

-Motherboard: ASROCK 970 PRO3, AMD 970/SB950, DDR3, audio, SATA, G-LAN, RAID, PCI-E, CrossFireX, USB 3.0, ATX, socket AM3 / AM3+

-Cooler: LC POWER LC-CC-120, compatible with socket 775/1150/1155/1156/1366/2011/FM1/FM2/AM2/AM3

-Power Supply: 550W, XFX Core edition P1-550S-XXB9, ATX, 120mm fan, PFC

-Memory: PC-12800, 8 GB, KINGSTON, KVR16N11/8, DDR3 1600MHz

-Hard Drive: 1000.0 GB WESTERN DIGITAL Blue, WD10EZEX, SATA3, 64MB cache, 7200rpm, desktop grade

-DVD±RW: LG GH24NSB0, 24x, SATA, Dual layer, black, bulk

-Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite, USB 3.0, black, without PSU

Total:$1998 BestBuy.com
Your configuration is quite well-balanced—everything is housed in a case with decent airflow, paired with a solid cooler and a reliable power supply, so you shouldn't have any major concerns. I'd suggest calling ahead a few days before heading down to the local Best Buy to confirm they have all these specific components in stock; since you didn't mention your location, I can't be sure what's available near you. If they don't have them on hand, they can usually ship items from another branch, though you might have to wait a couple of days for delivery.

James Fisher11 said:Alright, I’ve finally pulled the trigger on the Strix 970; most retailers should have them back in stock later this week. Now I’m just stuck in this endless loop of indecision regarding which case to pick. After digging through a bunch of specs, I’ve narrowed it down to the Arc XL and the Phanteks Enthoo Pro. They’re priced pretty much the same. The Arc XL comes with a built-in fan controller, which is nice, but apparently, the Phanteks has superior cooling—especially for the GPU if you ditch the HDD cages. Then again, I'm not even sure if I'll need those cages for hard drives, since SSDs can go on the back panel, though I've heard they run hotter back there. Also, word on the street is the stock fans on the Phanteks are surprisingly loud. I’ve read countless reviews, yet here I am, still unable to make a call. If anyone has a recommendation or some solid advice to help me tip the scales one way or the other, I’d appreciate it. I’m hoping to get everything wrapped up by the end of the week.

Sent from my iPhone using Reddit

If I were in the market for a high-end chassis right now, this would easily be my top pick: https://www.amazon.com/Corsair-PCMI4000D-Tempered-Glass-Mid-Tower/dp/B08C7V6S6M

-AMD Radeon R9 280 3GB DDR5, XFX-R9-280A-TDFD

-Intel Core i5-4460

-ASUS H81M-E

-Kingston HyperX Fury DDR3, 1866MHz, 8GB HyperX Fury DDR3

-EVGA 500W, 80+ GOLD

-Western Digital Blue 1TB SATA 3

-Samsung DVD Writer

-Zalman mid tower case, black, ZAL-ZM-Z1

Total price:$1732 Best Buy, free assembly included!

urbancyclist66 said:Without the processor. $1000So, to clarify—I just need the graphics card, the power supply (EVGA), and the motherboard (Intel LGA 1150). Thanks.

Better brace yourself—you’re about to pick up an absolute beast of a graphics card.

The NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980—specifically the Direct-to-Consumer version. I've been looking over the specs for this particular component—it's essentially a standard part you'd find at any local Best Buy or Micro Center—but I wanted to share the details here for anyone considering an upgrade. It's a straightforward piece of hardware, nothing too flashy, but it serves its purpose within a standard build. If you're planning to integrate this into a system, just make sure your current setup can accommodate the specific requirements listed. It’s one of those things where you don't realize how much the small details matter until you're halfway through a build and realize something doesn't quite line up.

Gigabyte H81M motherboard I happened upon this listing for the Gigabyte H81M—it’s a fairly standard little board—and I couldn't help but notice some of the technical specifics listed there. It seems to be one of those straightforward, no-frills options for anyone looking to build a budget-friendly machine around an Intel LGA 1150 setup. Nothing groundbreaking, really, just a reliable workhorse if you aren't planning on pushing any extreme overclocking limits.

EVGA Series 600 Watt, 80+ Bronze, ATX, EPS12V, PS/2, USA Version

The total comes to $3,340.29 via Amazon—I'd suggest pulling the trigger on this immediately, as that graphics card isn't going to stay in stock for long.