Posts by Robert Rodriguez2

Jack Reed said:Here's what I'm running right now:
Kingmax 16GB Kit (2x8GB) DDR4 2133

Intel Core i5 with ASUS B150M motherboard

Intel Core i5 with ASUS B150M motherboard, LGA 1151

Seagate Barracuda 1TB, High Performance

EVGA 500W Power Supply

Zalman Z1 Midi Tower Case

XFX Radeon RX 470 RS 4GB

Two Adata 128GB SU800 SATA 3D NAND SSDs

Quick question: will adding another 8GB or 16GB of RAM actually help? A buddy of mine is offering me some free sticks, so if it makes a difference, I'll grab them. 🙂

If the RAM is free, there's zero downside. Take it.😬

Timothy Kim60 said:Yeah, no. You're generalizing again. What about the XFX GTR?

Exactly this. When the XFX GTR first dropped, it was cheaper than an MSI Gaming card, lasted three years easily, and had the exact same performance. People loved it.

1 x Intel Core i5-6400 (2.7GHz, 6MB,LGA1151) box
1 x Crucial DRAM 8GB DDR4 2133 MT/s (PC4-17000) CL15 SR
1 x MS Helios 3 Case, black, 1x12cm+1x8cm fan
1 x Fortron Hyper 500W, 80+ - 60mj.
1 x HDD Seagate Barracuda 1TB, 64MB, 7200rpm, High-Performance
1 x SSD AD 120GB SP550
1 x XFX AMD Radeon RX 470 GDDR5 4GB/256bit Single Fan
1 x ASRock H110M-DGS, s.1151, D4, S3, U3, mATX

Total: $1835

Best Buy

Larry Ortiz5 said:Prices are like this because PC sales tanked. Everyone’s pivoting to smartphones and handhelds now. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if in a few years we're all just carrying around a Samsung Galaxy s12 powered by an i5 processor. 🙂

It’s not like PC sales dropped overall. It’s just that people stopped buying pre-builts from big brands like HP or Lenovo.
I’d even go so far as to say component sales are picking up.

Eric Alvarez said:I currently have two fans in the front and one in the back. Since it's winter right now, it makes sense that the temperatures are staying low. I actually tried some overclocking with this subpar motherboard just to see how far I could push it. It’s "stable" at 4.1 GHz, but the voltage is way too high. The socket isn't exceeding 60°C and the CPU is sitting at 51°C, so you wouldn't think the cooling was an issue—not while the room is a chilly 68 degrees or so. We'll see what happens eventually; I'm just hoping summer doesn't completely wreck everything like it did with my old PC.

Yeah, case airflow won't save you if your CPU cooler is basically a trash can. Yours is slightly better than a stock cooler, but it’s nowhere near enough for overclocking, much like how that motherboard isn't anything special either.

I'm running a massive heavy-duty cooler on my CPU that I picked up two years ago.$110 ☕

Larry Ortiz5 said:Anyone got a link or some actual experience with EVGA graphics cards? I spotted a GTX 1070 for $1200.. while the big names like ASUS—which is my go-to—are asking anywhere from 4000-$1400..

I used an EVGA GTS 450 once.
Solid card. It even handled a decent overclock without sounding like a jet engine.

crimsonstag84 said:ASUS Prime B150M motherboard, s1151
Intel Core i7-6700 processor (8MB Cache, up to 4.00 GHz), s1151
EVGA RX 480 8G D5 OC Nitro+ graphics card, 11260-01-20G, 8 GB DDR5, 256-bit, 1342/8000 MHz
DDR4 8GB (1x8GB) PC3-17000 2133MHz CL15 Crucial, CT8G4DFS8213

$2.00 - ADM

sign me up for this 👍

I’d go with the AMD route. It's a more balanced build.

Build - AMD

Stronger CPU, slightly better cooler. If you want to play something heavy down the road, you just swap out the GPU. No need to mess with the processor.😁

John Booth said:wouldn't this be better:
1.
Intel i5 6400 3.3 GHZ LGA1151
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 3GB DDR5
8GB DDR4 2133 RAM
http://prnt.sc/daubbq
$2017, plus ram $166=$2184

for similar money??

either Konfa 2 or 5?
with that $50 difference, is it worth it?
meaning, is it a significant upgrade?
my goal is running The Witcher 3 on max settings.

I don't have experience building rigs.

it's not better, obviously... junk power supply, worse card, cheaper motherboard.

and there's no point building it yourself, at $667 almost every store offers free assembly and shipping

Timothy Kim60 said:Don't just buy some pre-built bundle without looking. Pick your own parts instead, like this:

1 x Intel Core i5-6402P (2.8GHz, 6MB, LGA1151) box
1 x MSI H110M PRO-D (S1151, DDR4, USB3.1, SATA III, DVI, Audio, LAN) mATX Retail
1 x Crucial DRAM 8GB DDR4 2133 MT/s (PC4-17000) CL15 SR
1 x SSD AD 256GB SU800 SATA 3D Nand
1 x Seagate Barracuda 1TB, 64MB, 7200rpm, High-Performance
1 x SAPPHIRE Radeon RX 480 NITRO+ OC GDDR5 8GB/256bit
1 x Fortron Hyper 600W, 80+ - 60mj.
1 x Zalman Z3, USB3.0 black, 3x120mm

Total: $2133 It’s more future-proof. Cheaper and you get everything you need. You could even bump up the motherboard (maybe an MSI B150 Bazooka or Mortar). That'll put you around $67 higher
than the first option.

Yeah, exactly. I'd probably swap in a better board and call it a day. Might even grab the xfx 480 GTR, but this setup is solid enough.

1 x Crucial DRAM 8GB DDR4 2133 MT/s (PC4-17000) CL15 SR
1 x XFX Video Card AMD Radeon RX 480 GTR GDDR5 8GB/256bit, 1338MHz/8000MHz, PCI-E 3.0 x16, HDMI, DVI, 3xDP, DD 2X cooler LED(Double Slot), Backplate, 3+2 Warranty, Retail
1 x SSD ADATA 240GB SP550
1 x Seagate Barracuda 1TB, 64MB, 7200rpm, High-Performance
1 x Zalman Z1, USB3.0 black, 2x120mm
1 x Intel Core i5-6402P (2.8GHz, 6MB, LGA1151) box
1 x MSI B150M Bazooka Plus, LGA1151, D4,S3,U3, HD
1 x Fortron Hyper 600W, 80+ - 60mj.

Total: $2225

Jamie Jones58 said:I know I'm being a pain 😁 But things changed on my end and I'm actually going with cash. So, if someone could put together a PC build for around $1833 at any shop in Chicago (whichever one's cheapest), either sticking to the current plan or maybe swapping in an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 instead.

1 x Intel Core i5-6402P (2.8GHz, 6MB, LGA1151) box
1 x Fortron Hyper 500W, 80+ - 60mj.
1 x Crucial DRAM 8GB DDR4 2133 MT/s (PC4-17000) CL15 SR
1 x Zalman Z1, USB3.0 black, 2x120mm
1 x HDD Seagate Barracuda 1TB, 64MB, 7200rpm, High-Performance
1 x Kingston UV400 120GB SSD, 2.5” 7mm, SATA 6 Gbit/s
1 x MSI H110M PRO-D (S1151, DDR4, USB3.1, SATA III, DVI, Audio, LAN) mATX Retail
1 x XFX Video Card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 4GB/256bit, 1226MHz/7000MHz, PCI-E 3.0 x16, HDMI, DVI, 3xDP, DD 2X cooler LED (Double Slot), Backplate , Retail

Total: $1844
futura
PC build - ADM

Slightly better motherboard 😁

Honestly, I think he needs to prioritize the CPU and GPU for now😁

Brian Campbell36 said:Yeah, I've seen the stories. When the GTX 1060 hits 2100 MHz like this MSI GTX 1060 6gb gaming x, then we can talk.

I'm also reading that the setup is a mess—it's like trying to mix oil and water. Using MSI Afterburner alongside the standard control software causes black screens for most people, and then you're dead in the water.

If their drivers actually worked, they wouldn't be dropping hotfixes every five days.

I expect Nvidia to drop a surprise too, but I doubt it'll be perfect.

Now you're just talking nonsense. You're comparing apples to oranges here—two completely different architectures. A GTX 1060 isn't going to hit 2100MHz, and honestly, few GTX cards can run that stable 24/7 either.
And that bit about the software compatibility? Doesn't hold water. I've tweaked my cards using both tools plenty of times without an issue.
But if you want my two cents, look at how AMD is pulling ahead of Nvidia lately. They actually try to fix problems immediately, whereas Nvidia just sits on them. Don't get me wrong, I'm not some AMD fanboy—I own an Nvidia card myself—but I see them breaking things in certain games with every new driver update. Over the last year, my performance has tanked by 10% just because of a driver, forcing me to roll back to the previous version. I haven't had to do that once with the AMD cards I've used since May. That's just how it is.

I don't care about fanboyism if it's based on facts, but being a fanboy just for the sake of it is pointless. You can't ignore the obvious reality that hardware reviewers are seeing too. Just watch the latest Hardware Canucks video; look at how much AMD closed the gap with the 1060 just through driver updates in a few short months. At this rate, that lead is going to vanish or flip entirely in favor of the red team.
And we're strictly talking about mid-range cards by American standards. It’s not all about raw hardware power; the software matters, and lately, AMD is putting in the work there, and the results show it.

You haven't even checked out the new benchmarks for the RX 480 yet, have you?
What about the pricing on those drivers and the software they come with?

Karen Cox89 said:Is this thing still running? Just looking for an update...

Don't hold your breath.👎

crimsonstag84 said:Aside from the power supply and the motherboard, the build is solid... I’m not sure what the final damage will be, but this looks like a better route:

1 x Asrock LGA1151 H110M-DGS
1 x MS Black Smith I Case, black, 1x120mm
1 x DDR4 Crucial 8GB DDR4 2400 MT/s CL17
1 x Fortron Hyper 500W, 80+ - 60mj.
1 x Intel Core i5-6402P (2.8GHz, 6MB, LGA1151) box
1 x GIGABYTE GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GDDR5 4GB/128bit
1 x SSD AD 240GB SP550

Total: $1571 Best Buy (free shipping and assembly)

A slightly beefier processor, a stronger GPU, a newer platform (DDR4), and a more reliable power supply with a 5-year warranty.

👍

analogtiger19 said:Why? $33 Buying a motherboard? There's gotta be a reason for that, or you just clicked the wrong link. 🤔

Four RAM slots, a better chipset... basically just a superior board, if that's even true. $33 Differences. Is it worth it? 😁 🙂

Thomas Wells5 said:Hey guys, I need some advice on picking up a GPU for a buddy. He's running a GTX 660 with 2GB right now
paired with an i5 (not sure which one) and 8GB of RAM. The main issue is he can't run the latest Call of Duty; even though the minimum specs say his current card should handle it, it just chokes.
So, what would you recommend for a budget of about $500? Personally, I was looking at an RX 470 with 4GB, but since it's only 128-bit, I'm not sure if that's a smart move.
We're also planning to upgrade the RAM. Since I'm buying through my company from Best Buy, the price is flexible, so I really just need to know which specific GPU models are worth chasing.

Either go with a GTX 1050 Ti for $433 and save the rest for RAM, or just grab the RX 470.

crimsonstag84 said:I'm leaning toward the XFX GTR model.

signature 😉

Kimberly Gomez34 said:It shouldn't be necessary. That stock CPU cooler is more than enough, especially since the case already has dedicated intake and exhaust ports.

The build looks solid, but if you're looking to tweak things, here are some potential modifications:

- Swap in a more budget-friendly motherboard (like an ASUS H110M), then put that extra cash toward a 240GB SSD. There's also $33 a cheaper 480GB option available from XFX RS
- Ditch the smaller SSD entirely and just go for a 480GB or 8GB drive instead.

If I were in your shoes, I'd definitely prioritize a larger SSD.

I read those RS cards run pretty hot, which is why I went with Sapphire.