Deals, Discounts, and Best PC Component Buys & Builds

Robert Rodriguez2 said:Your Phenom is going to die first because it’s running at temperatures way beyond what the manufacturer intended without adequate cooling, rather than some overclocked processor that’s actually being cooled properly regardless of how much voltage you've cranked up.

Not necessarily; aside from the obvious heat issues, degradation can also be triggered by electromigration, which will eventually tear apart those internal interconnections if you push the voltage too high.

rowdybadger18 said:I’ve honestly never heard a saga quite like this one regarding the FX8320. Thanks for the heads-up. 😉

You'll find the exact same pattern when dealing with AMD and their voltage specs (even back with the Phenom line) click

They actually released a much more detailed deep dive covering all the Phenom chips, but I can't seem to track down the link anymore.

That’s my final word on the matter. 😬

rowdybadger18 said:I hate being painted as some idiot who thinks a CPU runs on 230 volts just because someone lacks basic reading comprehension. Actually, I don't hate it—it’s kind of funny—but people like you flock together, so public opinion ends up deciding I'm the dumb one. 😁

P.S. It's voltage, not voltage levels!

You don't look stupid because of what we read or how we interpret it. You look stupid because of the "facts" and comments you throw out when you clearly have no clue what you're talking about.
The more people provide actual evidence from multiple sources while you just keep arguing for the sake of arguing and talking trash... that's the issue. It's not even about us who know better; it's about the person who comes along, reads your "wisdom," and then goes out and breaks something because they believed you.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:It’s not about how we interpret what we read that makes you look foolish; it’s the comments and "facts" you throw out when you clearly have no clue what you're talking about.
Especially when people are providing evidence from multiple sources and you just keep arguing for the sake of arguing, just spewing nonsense... It’s not even an issue for those of us who know better; the problem is that someone clueless might come along, read your "wisdom," and end up breaking their gear.

Just stay calm, Robert Rodriguez2. 😬 It’s incredibly easy to mess this stuff up. By any standard logic, increasing the voltage on any component beyond what the manufacturer specified should ALWAYS be a bad move. However, in practice, things work differently; an inexperienced person can easily screw up because, well, common sense doesn't always apply in the world of hardware. 🍿 rowdybadger18, a bit of friendly advice: if you want to avoid getting chewed out by the veterans here, try reading up on a reliable site and actually citing your sources instead of making assumptions that more experienced users are telling you are wrong. 🙂

I’m going to use this thread to ask a quick question about motherboards.

I don't really follow hardware news that closely—I'm not entirely sure how Intel chipsets are ranked or what all their designations actually mean. I was looking at some older s1150 boards and stumbled upon the ECS Z87H3-A2X EXTREME on an online retailer. It seems pretty hard to find outside of one specific spot, but the thing that caught my eye was that it comes with built-in Bluetooth and a WiFi card (I assume it includes an external antenna) for a pretty reasonable price ($226).

My question is: do other manufacturers make motherboards in this price range that offer WiFi, Bluetooth, or both? Also, does anyone have experience with these types of boards—specifically, do the WiFi and Bluetooth modules tend to work without any major issues?

They don't. Opinions on Dell tend to fluctuate, but when you weigh the feature sets against the price point and the warranty coverage—it’s definitely a smart buy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliteg...mputer_Systems

They used to be go-to motherboard brands back in the day, but lately, they haven't really made much of a splash here in the Americas. They have different markets to focus on, but if you happen to stumble upon a solid deal like the one in this link, don't sweat the quality too much. 👍

by the way, HP offers similar solutions, though they come with a higher price tag, and I think ASUS has something along those lines as well...

I have to admit, I’ve been wondering for a while now why integrated wireless isn't just standard on budget motherboards (the ones sitting around $400-$$167) when they already include 1 Gbps Ethernet as a given.

From what I can see, motherboard manufacturers follow a logic pretty similar to car dealerships. My uncle once tried to get a basic car with power mirrors—sure, fine—but then it turned out to be the most expensive trim level available, packed with five other features he didn't even want. It feels like the same thing here; if you want integrated Wi-Fi, okay, sure, but you’re going to have to jump to a much higher price bracket.

Don't get me wrong, you can always just pick up a separate wireless card and call it a day—then you can buy whichever board you actually like—but I personally feel like Wi-Fi has become just as essential as LAN at this point, given how much everyone uses it.

That is precisely why they do it—to maximize their profit margins.

In my view, any motherboard priced around $333 really ought to come with wireless connectivity enabled by default, even if you don't end up using it yourself.

That’s exactly my point. Honestly, nobody—not even someone planning some insane overclocking session—actually needs a motherboard that costs more than $1,000$400. So, what's the actual benefit of paying a massive premium for these high-end boards?

It’s not some holy grail of info or a Best Buy deal, but if it helps anyone...

I stumbled upon a decent schematic (honestly, I've never had the patience for drawing stuff myself 😬), so if you're looking for an easy way to quiet down those loud case fans by dropping the voltage to 7V or 5V, here you go:

Allow me to add some useful links alongside Best Buy, along with a few helpful screenshots from those sites 😁

On another note, RAM prices just keep on sliding:

http://www.newegg.com/p/product&product_id=49255

by the way, that shop is basically a retail outlet for Micro Center

Timothy Kim60 said:Fine by me. This thread already has useful links alongside Best Buy, so I might as well drop some helpful images from those sites too. 😁

Anyway, RAM prices are still dropping:

by the way, that shop is just a retail outlet for Micro Center.

4GB 1866 mhz RAM

We might actually see prices drop back down to those 2012/13 levels, when you could snag 8GB for just a few bucks less than today$100

Timothy Kim60 said:Whatever, this thread already has useful links alongside Best Buy, so why not throw in some useful screenshots from those sites too? 😁

Anyway, RAM prices just keep sliding:

http://www.newegg.com/p/product&product_id=49255

by the way, that shop is just a retail arm for Micro Center.

Does "m san" have any retail shops they recommend? 😬

I really think it would be only fair for those of you here who "build" rigs using Intel chips to give a heads-up to anyone hunting for new parts. There’s a new Intel generation on the horizon, complete with the 1151 socket, so it might actually be worth holding off on pulling the trigger for a month or two...

Should I just hold out for the new socket—or are there actual new solutions coming that will hit every price point?

George Sanders37 said:Should I just hold out for the sake of a new socket, or are there actual specific innovations coming down the pipeline that will actually trickle down to the budget tiers?

We're looking at entirely new processors, new chipsets (Z170, H110, H150), new GPUs... everything changes.
That Dell board you linked? That Intel H87 is basically ancient history at this point, even if it's sitting on a shelf in a Best Buy somewhere right now..

To be honest, I've got a Dell motherboard myself and I cannot stand it. It’s been nothing but headaches since day one. The build quality is honestly pathetic; try plugging in any decent speakers and you get constant electrical interference and buzzing. Then there are the USB ports—sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. And the worst part? The damn thing just restarts itself randomly, even when it's just sitting there idling. Just total instability..
But here's the kicker: the board technically "works," so getting a warranty claim approved is a nightmare. Most service centers won't even look at it unless the component is completely dead. If it's just being temperamental, they'll tell you to get lost..
I am never buying Dell again..

I only mentioned Dell as an example of a board that’s cheaper than usual while still having built-in WiFi and Bluetooth. I haven't really messed with that brand before, so thanks for sharing your experience. 👍

I get that a new socket means new chipsets and new features—that part makes sense—but I was specifically wondering what those actual new features would be.

I'll just Google it, obviously.

Edit: from what I can see, the only tangible change might be the move to DDR4, but I feel like it's probably too early for that.

It’s definitely not too early to consider it; DDR4 has been on the market for ages now, and lately, the prices have become incredibly budget-friendly.

As far as features go—nothing new as far as I can tell.