Posts by Robert Rodriguez2

You're gonna hit a bottleneck because of the CPU... regardless of hyperthreading, you're still stuck with a dual-core chip. Personally, I wouldn't bother going higher than an R9 270 or R9 270 X... maybe a GTX 760 at most. Anything beyond that is just overkill.

Adam Moore3 said:It's a massive jump, you can see it yourself, especially with the GPUs. That 750Ti is pretty weak compared to an RX 580 when paired with Intel, and even WORSE if you go the AMD route with the RX 580 + Ryzen 5 3600 combo. You get way more raw graphics power there, but the CPU is significantly weaker. Personally, I'd lean toward the Intel + RX 580 setup; it's better balanced, and you can always slap a beastlier card in later if you feel like it. Either way, you won't mess up, and you'll come out WAY ahead compared to buying from Newegg. 🙂

it’s not even that much of a downgrade 🙂 no worries, just overclock that Ryzen 5 3600 to 4.2-4.3 GHz and you've basically got a machine in the i5-12400 tier :P

gentlesailor43 said:Hey everyone, looking to pick up a new rig. My budget is $1667 (not a penny more).😁

Since there aren't any local IT shops in my area, I'm stuck choosing between Links and HGspot.
Here’s what I put together using HGspot.

-CPU Intel Core i5-4590, Haswell, 3300 MHz, LGA 1150

$566

-GPU GIGABYTE Nvidia GeForce GTX 750 Ti OC, 2 GB DDR5, GV-N75TOC-2GI

$433

-Motherboard GIGABYTE GA-B85M-DS3H, LGA 1150

$181

-Hard Drive 1 TB, WESTERN DIGITAL Caviar Blue WD10EZEX, 3.5" , 7200 rpm, SATA III

$168

-Memory KINGSTON 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR3, 1600 MHz HyperX Fury, DIMM

$224

-Power Supply AQPROX APP500PS, 500W

$50

So, all in all, it comes to $1623.

Thoughts? Recommendations?🤔

Bad build, and you're limiting yourself just because you're shopping online.

If you need to return anything, shipping costs you $13... if you want to fight them over it, it'll be a total nightmare 😁
.
I've had terrible experiences with HGspot in general—won't even buy a blank CD from them. And Links is usually overpriced; their deals have been trash lately.
1 x Gigabyte 970A-DS3P, AM3+, AMD 970 SB950, 4x DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866
1 x CPU AMD FX-Series X6 6300 3.5GHz,14MB,95W,AM3+, FD6300WMHK
2 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11
1 x HDD WD 1TB, Caviar Blue 10EZEX, 1000 GB, SATA3,64 MB, 3,5", 24mj
1 x Power Supply Fortron 500W, Hyper, PPA5005003, 12cm fan
1 x ZALMAN CNPS 5X Performa, socket 775/1155/1156/AM2/AM2/AM3
1 x Gigabyte R9 280 3GB WF3 OC, 3GB GDDR5 384bit, GV-R928WF3OC-3GD
1 x Thermaltake Versa II, Midi tower, ATX,mATX, 5.25" external bay

$1687
AMD option

2 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11
1 x HDD WD 1TB, Caviar Blue 10EZEX, 1000 GB, SATA3,64 MB, 3,5", 24mj
1 x Power Supply Fortron 500W, Hyper, PPA5005003, 12cm fan
1 x Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H, Socket : 1150, Intel B85
1 x CPU Intel Core i5-4460 (3.20GHz,1MB,6MB,84 W,1150) Box
1 x Sapphire R9 270 2GB, OC Boost, 2GB GDDR5 256bit
1 x Zalman T5 mini tower case. 170(W) x 427(H) x 348(D)mm.

$1665

intel

Intel

Thomas Wood21 said:which one should I grab?

Samsung is faster, but Intel offers a better warranty.

Just depends on what you care about more.😁

Larry Murphy83 said:guys I need help. I know this isn't the right place for troubleshooting but I'm desperate here.
So I built a whole new PC late last August, but now I'm getting these weird green lines on my screen. They flicker in and out, then my resolution just tanks. A restart fixes it temporarily, but then the image starts stuttering and leaves those white artifacts from whatever program was running.
Is there any chance my GPU is dying?

Thanks a lot. Sorry for posting this in the wrong thread.

Stop spamming every single thread. Just borrow a card from a buddy and see if the problem follows.
If yours is toasted, let us know.

Definitely not worth it at that price point, they're basically just $500 :/

Thomas Wood21 said:Look for a PSU under $167 if you want something quiet and reliable. Your build is basically

CPU: Phenom ii x4 965 box Black edition, 3.4GHz
MBO: ASrock 970 Extreme
RAM: Corsair DDR3 1600MHz 4GB
HDD: 2TB WD Caviar Green SATA III
VGA: Radeon 3870

http://www.newegg.com/product/details/15157

or

http://www.newegg.com/product/details/14991

1 x ASUS Prime B85M-K, Socket : 1150, Intel ® B85
1 x Intel Core i5-4460 (3.20GHz,1MB,6MB,84 W,1150) Box
1 x Gigabyte R9 280 3GB WF3 OC, 3GB GDDR5 384bit, GV-R928WF3OC-3GD
1 x HDD Seagate 1TB, Serial ATA III, 7200 rpm, ST1000DM003
1 x Fortron 500W Power Supply, Hyper, PPA5005003, 12cm fan
1 x LG GH24NS DVD burner, DVD±RW, 24x DVD±R ,8x DL , 40x CD-R
1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Kingston, Kingston Fury, 1866MHz, CL10
1 x Zalman R1 mid tower case. 192(W) x 465(H) x 450(D)mm.

$1866
www.newegg.com

$100 cheaper build and it isn't even worse than yours 😁

Sean Garcia3 said:If we were actual friends, I might care. But since we aren't...
I don't get why people are getting so worked up. Like I said, just read my last sentence. If anyone from here on out finds something unclear and feels the urge to comment, just go back and read it.
For me, $133 isn't a lot. I get that for some people it is, but you can't tell what's "too much" for someone else. I gave an approximate example and explained it; if you can't wrap your head around that, that's on you.

Stop giving "approximate" examples. You have a set budget. And even if you said it could swing by $100—$67...

Do you actually agree with the amount you "have" to work with?

If that's "extra" to you, then fine, just give the guy more so he can build the PC YOU want...

Nobody knows ahead of time. People provide the budget they can actually afford. Every topic has a price range you stick to based on reality, not based on whether you feel like throwing in another $100 or $167 more.

Sean Garcia3 said:It's fine. No need to push back. Just read my last sentence. 😉

The point is, every build you agree with blows past the budget—whether it's an extra $100 or $500. You're picking what you want, not what the OP actually asked for.

We're building rigs based on the request, not based on what I, you, or some random tenth person wants. You can always go over budget if you want; that's the easy part.

Timothy Kim60 said:That’s not a motherboard limit. You probably haven't even disabled all the BIOS settings needed for OC (clearly including Thermal throttling) — during a stress test, your clock speed should stay pegged at the max. That might be why your voltage is jumping around; it drops when thermal throttling kicks in and drags the clock down. This isn't your typical overvolting or voltage drop—it's way too much

You can't do things halfway. Honestly, with that cooler and board combo, that CPU could perform pretty damn well without even breaking 140F during a few hours of heavy stress testing.

Bet he didn't even peel the plastic off the cooler jacket😁

1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.80GHz 4cores, Intel LGA 1155
1 x EVGA Power Supply 400W, ATX12V V2.31, active PFC
1 x Spire Kepler Rev.2 ,hladnjak, 1156/775/FM1, 96.5×51×125 mm ,92mm
1 x Kingston SSD 120GB Corsair Vengeance, 2.5", SATA 3 6G
1 x Asrock Intel LGA 1155 Socket A78 Chipset MB

$872
www.accenture.com

You’ve got a quad-core, 8 gigs of RAM, and integrated graphics that'll handle GIMP just fine—even some light gaming. Plus an SSD so macOS 🙂 and other apps 🙂
boot fast.
Just reuse the hard drive and case from the old rig.

If you think an SSD is overkill, go this route:
1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.80GHz 4cores, Intel LGA 1155
1 x EVGA Power Supply 400W, ATX12V V2.31, active PFC
1 x Spire Kepler Rev.2 ,hladnjak, 1156/775/FM1, 96.5×51×125 mm ,92mm
1 x Asrock Intel LGA 1155 Socket A78 Chipset MB
1 x HDD WD 500GB, 5000AAKX, SATA 3, Buffer 16MB, 7.200 rpm , 8,9 ms

$836
And just stick with the old case. 🙂

Larry Ortiz5 said:haha, I’d probably do the exact same thing 😈😈

Nah, you'd just sell your GPU and blow all your cash on a roulette table😬 🤣

I don't even know where people find this kind of nonsense... honestly, sometimes I wonder where they get these ridiculous takes...

It seems like everyone thinks they’re a hardware expert these days...

mellowtiger83 said:Go with the Fractal Design. It’s a killer case. Honestly, that Corsair P-series was practically built for you.🙂Usually, if a case has the Silent Prefix, you can count on it being solid.

Cut the nonsense. That doesn't necessarily mean anything.
Anyone remember those old Cooler Master Silencio 450 and 550 cases? They were legendary for being dead silent, even if they cost a fortune—like $400 or more back in the day. $183They were loud, just like Goldman Sachs.

Brian Campbell36 said:So you're telling me these two Intel Core i7s are garbage...

Yeah, they are. But that doesn't mean you need to run out and buy a new GPU right this second if what you've got works fine enough for you.😁

Brian Campbell36 said:A coworker lost the mounting bracket for his motherboard, so I gave him a piece of my mind. 😒

I was forced to pick out a CPU cooler for him, and this is what he landed on.

http://www.amazon.com/cooler-cpu-example

Is this thing going to crush the Asrockic? Worried the board might actually bend under the pressure.🍿

Man, you're being paranoid. It's not like the PCB is made of tissue paper. I have a heavier cooler than that and my board doesn't even flex, let alone with this tiny thing.

You spent all that time lecturing us about Crossfire support, and now you're moving to a single GPU? Total pivot.😵

Sean Garcia3 said:Your build is a mess!
First off, that motherboard isn't up to the task for that CPU. You’ll need a higher-end ASUS board $500 just to get any decent performance out of it, plus some premium thermal paste.
That processor itself is junk—it pulls 220W but performs on par with an overclocked Intel Core i7-3770, which is way more stable, cheaper, and doesn't require a massive motherboard.

You don't need 12GB of RAM for gaming. 8GB is plenty, honestly overkill for most titles.

Skip the Samsung EVO; it's overpriced, runs hot, and is loud for no reason. It isn't significantly faster than a cheap Western Digital Blue or a Western Digital drive. Besides, since you already have an SSD for your OS and programs, you can just grab a Western Digital for bulk storage.

That case is total garbage. You're going to run into serious thermal issues, and besides, a Cooler Master Nemesis won't even fit in there.

The GPU isn't a good deal either. For a little more, you could get a killer EVGA GeForce GTX 970 that's actually stronger and uses half the power.

And for this specific setup, you'd realistically need at least an 850W power supply—maybe more—assuming everything is assembled correctly.

If you want a great build within your budget, try this instead:

1x EVGA GeForce GTX 970 FTW, 4GB GDDR5, DVI, DP

1x Intel Core i5-4690K

1x ASUS Z97 Gaming Motherboard, Intel Z97, D3, S3, USB 3.0, DVI, A

1x Cooler Master Nemesis CPU Cooler - 2x 140mm P/N: CPRT-005

1x Kingston Fury DDR3, 1866MHz, 8GB(2x4GB) Black
HX318C10FBK2/8

1x EVGA SuperFlower Gold PSU - 550 Watt / SF-550P14XE (HX) P/N: NESF-020

1x Intel® SSD 530 Series (120GB, 2.5in SATA 6Gb/s, 20nm, MLC) 7mm, SSDSC2BW120A401

1x Western Digital DT01ACA100 1TB 3.5''

1x Zalman Z3 PLUS mid tower case black, USB 3.0, no PSU, ZAL-Z3 PLUS

Total:$3042 Free assembly at the shop!
If you aren't set on Intel, you could look at the Intel Core i7-3770 http://www.example.com/details/amd-fx-series-box.aspx and this motherboard http://www.example.com/details/motherboard-u3-fw-a.aspx
The price would be $2737.

The only smart thing you said was that the motherboard is inadequate for the CPU, and that the R9 290 draws more juice than the 970...

a) That GPU (the R9 290 mentioned) is actually quite solid despite the power draw; in many games, it beats the 970 (and it's much cheaper, too, specifically $200)

b) I agree, if we're talking AMD, the Intel Core i7-3770 would be the better choice.

c) No, he doesn't need an 850W unit to run that CPU and GPU combo... a quality 650W PSU handles that easily.

d) He might have picked the Samsung EVO because of the warranty. Some people don't care about noise, and the drive isn't even that loud... anyway, a 5-year warranty is better than the 2 years you get from Western Digital or the 3 years from Western Digital Blue.

e) The only change I'd make to your list is maybe grabbing a cheaper motherboard or cheaper RAM to afford a larger SSD if the budget allows.
1 x ASUS Z97-K, 1150, Intel Z97, DDR3, DDR3, 4 slots
1 x Intel Core i5-4690K (3.50GHz, 1MB, 6MB, 88 W, 1150) Box
2 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL11, Value
1 x Samsung 870 EVO 240GB, 2.5", SATA 3
1 x Western Digital Blue 1TB HDD, 1000 GB, SATA3, 64 MB, 3.5", 24mj
1 x Fractal Design Case mid tower. 192(W)x465(H)x430(D)mm. Standard MB size
1 x Sapphire TRI-X R9 290 4GB GDDR5 512bit, 28nm, 2xDVI + HDMI + DP
1 x Fortron 650W Raider, RA650, 12cm fan, Active PFC
1 x Cooler Master Nemesis Hyper 412S, socket 1366 / 1156 / 1155 / 775 / FM1

$2799
Here’s a rough idea for an Intel build

2 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL11, Value
1 x Samsung 870 EVO 240GB, 2.5", SATA 3
1 x Western Digital Blue 1TB HDD, 1000 GB, SATA3, 64 MB, 3.5", 24mj
1 x Fractal Design Case mid tower. 192(W)x465(H)x430(D)mm. Standard MB size
1 x Sapphire TRI-X R9 290 4GB GDDR5 512bit, 28nm, 2xDVI + HDMI + DP
1 x Fortron 650W Raider, RA650, 12cm fan, Active PFC
1 x Cooler Master Nemesis Hyper 412S, socket 1366 / 1156 / 1155 / 775 / FM1
1 x AMD FX-Series X8 AMD FX-8370 3.5GHz, 16MB, 125W, AM3+, FD8320FRHK
1 x ASUS M5A97 EVO R2.0, AM3+, AMD 970/SB950, DDR3, 4 slots

$2517

An AMD build

silentpilot2 said:The guy finally caved and pulled the trigger on the build we suggested.

Thanks for the assist.

👍

Brian Campbell36 said:Picked up a Samsung SSD, but the heatsink and screws were missing from the box. 🤔

Went back to Best Buy—heard they were supposed to throw in the tray and screws—but they wouldn't hear a word about it.

Just slap some electrical tape on the case. It won't matter. There aren't any moving parts to worry about anyway.