Posts by Adam Moore3

That Centro is an absolute steal. Definitely the smarter move; the 950 is miles ahead of the 265, and you can get it for barely more than a weaker processor. 👍

It's a bit over budget. You could always hold off on the cooler for now and pick it up later when you have more cash. It'll survive on the stock cooler, though it’s going to be pretty loud.

1 x Gigabyte GA-F2A68HM-S1, AMD A68H, 2 x 1.5V DDR3 DIMM
1 x AMD Athlon ii x4 860 Processor 3.70GHz 4cores,cache : 4MB
1 x 8GB DDR3 Kingston, Value, 1600MHz, CL11, KVR16N11/8
1 x Toshiba P300 1TB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA100
1 x Fortron 400W, Hexa plus 400 w Kingston DDR3 HyperX Fury, 12cm fan
1 x MS KNIGHT midi tower case without PSU
1 x XFX R7-265A-CNF4, Core Radeon R7 265 925M Boost 2GB DDR5
1 x LC Power Cosmo Cool, 92 mm, Hydraulic bearing, 800-2200 rpm,

$1142 admin.us

Wait a second, why wouldn't we just go with Skylake like we put together for my buddy a while back? In the end, we were looking at roughly $7,300 either way. You get a newer platform and it's practically the same price for a bit more speed.

I’d definitely go with the Corsair here too; that HBM is going to be a massive help when he moves up to higher resolutions.

crimsoncanyon8 said:Sorry for bumping my old thread.
I wanted to give a quick thanks to the guys who helped me pick out my parts.
So, here is what I ended up getting:
MSI H81-P33
G1840
8GB Crucial (single stick)

If I remember correctly, it cost me about $331 in Phoenix.

I'm running my old Sapphire HD 6570 2GB DDR3 on this build.

For anyone worried about whether their rig can handle Grand Theft Auto V—mine runs it just fine on medium settings at 1080p resolution. It actually ran just as well on my old Athlon X2 2.7GHz with 4GB of RAM. If you aren't a hardcore gamer, you don't need anything more than this.

Thanks again, everyone.

If you're pulling 10-15 FPS, maybe. But if you think you can run Grand Theft Auto V on medium at 1080p using a dual-core Pentium and a DDR3 graphics card? No way. Just no. 🙂

Here IS a solid build configuration—check out the second post to see what Smartic put together. Just swap out that SSD for an OCZ Arc 100, which is my top pick. Also, go with the MSI version of the 390 graphics card.

Timothy Kim60 said:Yeah, an Arc card could work. Though honestly, plenty of games benefit from an SSD these days—it’s not just about loading times anymore. You get fewer FPS drops, and some people even claim better minimum FPS in things like MMORPGs.

I'll have to see if he's actually willing to shell out the extra cash or not. Either way, knowing that an Arc is a viable option is the main thing for me. 👍

Timothy Kim60 said:In my opinion, an Arc 100 240GB is worth it if you catch it at a discount—say, under $100$247. Otherwise, it’s way too close in price to a Samsung 850 250GB, which comes with a solid 5-year warranty.

Actually, I already suggested a 240 GB drive since prices dropped, but he told me he doesn't really need it. He just wants to run his OS on an HDD, and he honestly doesn't care if games take an extra 10 seconds to load. He isn't looking for anything bigger than 120 GB. In that case, is the Arc still the move?

Timothy Kim60 said:In my opinion, the 390X isn't worth it. The cooler is subpar. It’s basically the same deal as the 290 versus the 290X click—you end up just bumping the core clock by an extra 50MHz to make up for the difference in stream processors, and honestly, the standard 290s always had better overclocking headroom than the 290X anyway click

If you actually overclocked a 390 to match the 390X, it would outperform a gtx 980 in most games (at least at 1440p) link

Plus, if you check out the DX12 benchmarks, the 390X (which is really just an overclocked 390) routinely beats the gtx 980.

Right, well, the guys already mentioned that, but I'm still overthinking it. 😁 I'll definitely be going with the Skylake + R9 390 setup. But should I prioritize an SSD, an Arc 100, or is there something smarter I should be looking at?

So, apparently they intentionally sacrificed airflow—meaning higher temps—just to keep things quiet. Honestly, if the temperatures stay within a reasonable range and don't hit levels that could actually damage the card over time, I'm fine with it. The only thing bothering me is THIS. $133 Besides, if someone is buying a serious high-end gaming PC and doesn't plan on upgrading their GPU anytime soon, the price difference isn't even that huge. Maybe it's worth the extra cash after all? Hard to say...

So, the MSI version is definitely the best value here. Wow, I always figured the Strix versions were pretty much the gold standard for these cards, so I didn't realize they missed the mark this time. It looks like MSI wins out because of that 3-year warranty compared to Nitar's 2-year one? Even if the Nitro has better cooling, I think the warranty is the deciding factor for me. Arc 100 should be fine, right? They have two different versions listed—one at 470 and another at $180—is that just a typo or is there actually some difference between them?

Ryan Hayes82 said:The internet is flooded with Google 390 vs 970 comparisons, but they almost always land on the 970 being the winner. Honestly, there isn't much difference in actual FPS, but Nvidia has a massive edge because it draws less power—which translates directly to lower temps and less noise. Plus, the VRAM on the 970 is plenty for 1080p or 1440p gaming.
Asus really messed up the cooling on those 390/390x versions, so I'd steer clear. If you're set on getting a 390, the Sapphire nitro has way better thermal management.
Swap out that Blaze SSD for something else; it just doesn't feel right in this build...

Well, it depends on which site you read; one recommends one thing, another recommends something else. From what I've seen, though, most recent posts lean toward the 390, mostly due to the drivers. CLICK It's technically more powerful in about 80% of cases by a few FPS, sometimes even up to 10, but that’s rare. In 10% of cases they're equal, and in 10% it's weaker. For me, the choice is pretty simple. It honestly just irritates me—it's not even that 3.5 GB is insufficient for 1080p, it's that it feels borderline false advertising. They market it as 4 GB when it's actually 3.5 + 0.5 GB. I'm not some hardcore fanboy or anything, but it's a matter of principle. Besides, the performance speaks for itself, even if it's only a 5 FPS difference. 🙂

Regarding the SSD, I think I'll throw in an OCZ Arc 100. It's not much more expensive and seems noticeably faster.

crimsonstag84 said:

I actually just checked that out, looks good, I'm a fan. 👍 Thanks everyone for the suggestions! 🙂

Ryan Hayes82 said:In my opinion, the 970 is the more complete card. Even if the 390 pulls higher FPS, you probably won't notice since they're in the same tier anyway. The 970 is way better regarding temps, power draw, and noise, plus it has some nice features.
Skylake, sure, but I think that's just throwing money away. I'd rather invest that budget into better peripherals, an SSD (an 850 EVO should definitely be part of this budget), or something else.

That’s exactly what I was thinking. I'm talking about the past. When the 390 first dropped, there wasn't really a reason to pick it over the 970. But now, after that whole VRAM scandal (I know it's not a massive deal, but if you're dropping $400, you want exactly what you paid for, not 90% of it), and following the release of new drivers from AMD along with their performance improvements, things have shifted for me. All those shiny features Nvidia offers rarely matter to the average gamer. Honestly, the only real reason I'd consider the 970 over the 390 right now is power consumption. And that doesn't even matter much to me because I'm not using some cheap junk power supply, so I don't need to stress about it. Noise too—how much louder is the Strix than the 970? Nothing crazy. In exchange, I get undeniably better performance—not a huge leap, but still better—and double the VRAM, or at least, the amount actually listed on the box. 🙂

EDIT: It's officially confirmed; she's definitely going to the computer. She gave him the go-ahead with a healthy dose of skepticism 😬 Ordering in the next few days, and 99% chance it's going into crimsonstag84's rig. Really nicely put together 👍 The only thing catching my eye is the power supply. Can we squeeze in at least a Silver unit? Even if it's $33 more expensive, it's worth it.

Wow, seriously, I'm looking at the benchmarks right now, and the 390 is actually faster than the 970. I didn't see that coming; I always just assumed the 970 was the best buy. At least it used to be. Luckily, I joined the discussion before making a final call 😬 definitivno CE Skylake will be the move regarding the platform, but I'm wondering if it's worth stretching the budget for the 390X? I know there wasn't much point in choosing the 290X over the 290, but is this situation any different?

crimsonstag84 said:I wouldn't go with an FX, honestly, but the 1151 platform is a solid choice if the budget allows for it. As for the R9 390, it's been outperforming the GTX 970 lately, and you won't have to worry about VRAM issues. Then again, if they care about specific Nvidia software features, sticking with the GTX 970 might make sense.

MSI Main board desktop B150_PRO-DH Intel Core i5-6500 2 x Crucial
INTEL Core i5-6500
2x Crucial RAM 4GB DDR4 2133 MT/s (PC4-17000) CL15
Patriot SSD Blaze R545/W430, 120GB, 7mm, 2.5" PB120GS25SSDR
Zalman mid tower case black, ZAL-R1
ZAL-R1 GIGABYTE video card AMD Radeon R9 390 gaming GDDR5 8GB/512bit
SEAGATE HDD desktop Barracud 7200 ST1000DM003 super Flower FX 550 w - 80 plus Bronze Power supply
Super Flower FX 550W - 80 Plus Bronze power supply

Total: $2415 Centro

In the USA, this setup will run you about $2500.

Look, I didn't even think about Skylake. What's the actual difference besides the TDP and the 14nm architecture? Is it noticeably faster? I haven't read anything about it. And regarding the 390, is it really beating the 970 lately with those recent drivers? It seems like most builds people put together use the 970 if the price is right. Also, what about a monitor? Should I just grab a standard AOC or LG with an IPS panel for around $333 or is it worth stretching the budget for a PLX? The main goal here is gaming, nothing else—not sure if a fancier monitor actually makes much of a difference over a cheap IPS one.

A buddy of mine is looking to pick up a gaming PC. He was originally leaning toward a laptop; we actually found an incredible deal on an Alienware with a 970M graphics card for about $3167 ( CLICK ), which would have been insane. But now, the cheapest option for a machine like that is $4000, and he’s lost all patience waiting, so he’s 99% likely to just go with a desktop.

I’ve put together a few parts, and this is where we landed:

1 x Asrock B85 Pro4 -Intel Socket 1150
1 x Intel Core i5-4460 (3.20GHz,1MB,6MB,84 W,1150) Box
1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Kingston, HyperX Fury, 1866MHz, CL10
1 x Gigabyte GF GTX970 G1 GAMING, 4GB GDDR5, DVI, DP, GVN970G14GD-00
1 x SEAGATE HDD desktop Barracud 7200 ST1000DM003
1 x OCZ Arc 100 120GB, Kontroler OCZ Barefoot 3 M10
1 x FORTRON 550W Raider, RA550, 12cm ventilator
1 x Zalman R1 mid tower case. 192(W) x 465(H) x 450(D)mm.

$2408USA

That's just the tower, so he'll need a full setup with peripherals.
The budget isn't set in stone. We could push it a bit past $3000 (including everything) if it makes a massive difference, but I'm not sure it's worth it. Forcing a GTX 980 seems overkill, and I'm torn on whether switching to AMD's side for the GPU makes sense right now. I'm also debating whether to stick with the i5 or look into some AMD FX options. There are so many directions we could take, and since it's a decent amount of money, I don't want to suggest anything without getting a few more second, third, or even twenty-first opinions 🙂 So, any advice or recommendations are welcome. 🙂

Timothy Kim60 said:crimsonstag84, it doesn't exactly burn through power like crazy—it uses about 60% more than its predecessors, the 750 and 750Ti (though it's significantly more powerful), and it actually pulls slightly more juice than an R9 270 or 270X depending on which specific model you get.

http://www.pcekspert.com/clanak/giga...-oc-test/?pg=5

Wait, it draws more power than a GTX 960? Is that even possible? 😲

Man, the HyperX is actually cheaper than the Hextech in the admin shop, and the power supply is way better. You get a longer warranty and higher amperage too.

Yeah, I was actually pretty surprised myself. I definitely wasn't expecting such a massive difference.