Building a gaming PC

[GuyNwah]

HDMI at 4k 60Hz does 4:2:0 subsampling. This may give unsatisfactory results, except for live action video, But at least it's stable.

DP 1.2 can do 4K 60 Hz without subsampling. But, as you've found out, DP is quite a bit short of mature, with serious bugs and incompatibilities.

 

[eskiMoe]

Hmm. I guess using mDP might be the best option then. I can always use my TV to access BIOS if need be. And the font "issue" is only a small annoyance really. Hopefully this is something that Nvidia can fix with their drivers though.

Thanks.

 

[Manpants]

Hey everyone! I am looking for a motherboard for about 80-100 euro's that can be used in combination with i5 4460(i5 4690k is MASSIVELY overpriced here so im forced to get the next best thing) and Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 Gaming.I would also appreciate if u could recommend a solid PSU aswell.

 

[sidspyker]

There's probably plenty of H97 mobos within that range. ASRock is generally cheap and works alright from what I've heard.
As for PSU, go with anything SeaSonic.

DP 1.2 can do 4K 60 Hz without subsampling. But, as you've found out, DP is quite a bit short of mature, with serious bugs and incompatibilities.

And they want to add Display Stream Compression.
:mean:

 

[volsung]

What's a good alternative to the Asus Z97-A? Something from Gigabyte or ASRock maybe?

I'm looking for at least one fast PCIe, support for OC and tolerable audio.

 

[GuyNwah]

What's a good alternative to the Asus Z97-A? Something from Gigabyte or ASRock maybe?

I'm looking for at least one fast PCIe, support for OC and tolerable audio.

ASRock: Z97 Pro 3, Pro 4, Extreme 3, Extreme 4, Extreme 6. Depends on the bells and whistles you want. Extreme 4 has upgraded audio (RLC 1150, noticeable improvement over the common RLC 892). I have the Extreme 4 on my work machine, which runs compilers on an overclocked G3258.

Gigabyte: Z97X-UD3H and Z97X-UD5H are competitive with the ASRock Extreme 4 and 6, respectively. Avoid the "Gaming" models unless you actually like Atheros NICs.

In H97 (no SLI, no OC) motherboards, consider a Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H. Most other boards in the same price range have inferior audio or NICs.

 

[DSledge]

Help Wanted: Building a new PC for Witcher 3

I'm building a new PC pretty only for the Witcher 3. At least, I want to have it by the time the Witcher 3 is out.

Now, the last time I built a pc, I'm pretty sure around the time the Witcher 2 was coming out, and I haven't kept up on any of the new tech since. So what I need help with is knowing what parts I should by. My budget is about $800, and that's kind of the absolute max I want to spend. A few dollars more is ok, but only if it's REALLY worth it. I'm starting to save my cash now, since I've got almost 2 months until the game is out, but given my real life responsibilities, 800 might be the most I can conceivably save by then.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. The Witcher is seriously my favorite series in games currently, I absolutely loved 1 and 2, and I wanna play 3 with the highest possible settings within my budget.

 

[volsung]

There was a big overlap between this thread and the picture thread so I will move my questions here.

Thanks @Aaden and @M4xw0lf for your help. I'm curious about why you both dislike Amazon.de. I'm used to the US site and I love their prices. But yes, stores like mindfactory are cheaper.

So my next question is: is it even worth buying parts online? Or are regular "brick and mortar" stores better?

What I've always done is buy parts online and bring them somewhere for assembly because I think that's tedious.

I'm going to Germany and one of my main concerns is my computer. I'm such a nerd.

 

[M4xw0lf]

I buy lots of stuff at Amazon, only for hardware there are many better options
Local stores are also most likely not competitive price-wise (having personnel and space is costly...), it's kind of a ethical decision if you shop there
But there are in fact even online shops which offer assembly of your components.
(For example hardwareversand.de; there's an online configuration tool where you can pick the components and then you can choose to let them build it for you, too. That's ~30€ on top.)

 

[Medy89]

There was a big overlap between this thread and the picture thread so I will move my questions here.

Thanks @Aaden and @M4xw0lf for your help. I'm curious about why you both dislike Amazon.de. I'm used to the US site and I love their prices. But yes, stores like mindfactory are cheaper.

So my next question is: is it even worth buying parts online? Or are regular "brick and mortar" stores better?

What I've always done is buy parts online and bring them somewhere for assembly because I think that's tedious.

I'm going to Germany and one of my main concerns is my computer. I'm such a nerd.

I just built a mini itx pc ... searched for all the parts I wanted to have ( on mindfactory ) / amazon / Alternate ... I was a bit picky about the combination of parts since I wanted great performance without overclocking.... it saved me alot of money ... bringing your parts somewhere to assemble is a great idea !!! ... I really hated applying the fan and all those tiny screws ... It was an experience. ... I looked long and hard for complete systems fitting my taste ... but it was either not the right parts or 500-600 euro more expensive than building it myself... there are however some decent atx ( tower) setups with the right specs (amazon-shinobi) for a good price... but as I said in my case I wanted to go for a mini itx system & handpick my stuff.... I didnt trust what most shops put inside of their systems...... so now im sure I have quality parts & for a great price too

 

[dixxn]

Hello all, I currently plan to build a new pc just to play TW3. Here's what I got in mind :

- i5 4690K / i7 4790K
- Gigabyte G1.Sniper B5 mainboard
- 1TB WD (+1TB WD and 500GB Seagate HDD)
- 4x4gb / 2x4gb RAM (Corsair / Kingston)
- Corsair Carbide 300R case
- Corsair CS650M psu
- Zotac GTX 970

If this one goes well, then this will be my first experience on building a totally new PC. I gotta admit that I'm stupid when it comes to computers, and still need much to learn. So I have a few questions regarding my build. And just as a side information, I'm going to buy one part at a time, since I won't have enough money to spend all at once.

1. My first question is, when we're talking about TW3, will an i7 4790K gives a significant performance compared to an i5 4690K? I read everywhere and people said thing about multi thread or something like that that currently there aren't many games make use of. It's $100 more than an i5 4690K, is it going to worth that much?

2. Will the PSU of my choice suffice for my build? Do you have any other advice which is more budget friendly regarding the PSU?

3. What do you think I should get first, if I were to buy the parts one or two at a time? With my current mainboard, the high end cpus are all gone, and there're only used ones floating around in the market, and the price aren't that much different, so I just don't think that they are worth it.

4. What do you guys advice regarding buying used computer parts?

5. Or do you have any other advice or suggestions for the build that I described before?

If everything goes as planned, maybe I could complete this build in about 6 months - 1 year the longest. The hardest thing to get is the GPU. The price are still crazy and is too punishing for my wallet. Until then, I think I won't touch the game even though I already pre-ordered it. Thank you in advance for your advices

 

[GuyNwah]

A bill of materials with a motherboard labeled "Gaming", "Sniper", "Fatal1ty", "Maximus", etc. Is an automatic red flag for me. Choose a motherboard according to whether it has the features you need in your specific application. Puffery intended to mislead you into believing that these are better for gaming is a way of separating you from more of your money. Buy motherboards by specification and features. In general, for a 4th-gen Haswell, you need a motherboard with an H97 or Z97 chipset. Start from there.

We really do not know whether the Core i7 will outperform the Core i5 at the same clocks. More thread contexts than an application needs, will just sit there and waste your money.

Do not buy modern computer parts in the gray market, or as surplus or used. There are no bargains and many ways to find out that you have defective goods and no recourse. Use these sources for replacement and upgrade parts for obsolescent computers.

Corsair CS power supplies are good, a little spendy, and there are better for the same price. You don't need 650 watts for that; if a CS550M is less, go for that. Or better, Seasonic or XFX in the same power range (520 watts and up).

I do like the Corsair Carbide cases. Easy to rout wires. Many power supplies will need an extension for the P4 (auxiliary CPU power) connection.

 

[Medy89]

So I finished building my Witcher 3 gaming rig & made a little video of the process ...

 

[volsung]

I think I'll do that. Parts online, mindfactory or similar, and bring over to the local computer shop for assembly and case.

What's a good looking case with good airflow that is not extremely expensive? I love the Fractal Design R4/R5 but that seems like a lot of money. I currently have an Antec 902 v3, which I like, but cannot possibly bring with me.

Also I bought a Seasonic PSU (SSR-650RM) in the States, which I intend to bring over. That's not a problem right? I just need the German power cord... right? It's suppose to take in up to 240v.

Edit: wow, the R4 is much cheaper on mindfactory. Nice.

 

[Sana_mia]

I think I'll do that. Parts online, mindfactory or similar, and bring over to the local computer shop for assembly and case.

If you are talking about the online PC parts store mindfactory that has a seat in Germany....

I give this single warning to anyone who stumbles my way.

STAY AWAY FROM mindfactory! The most incompetent, crappy douchebags in all of Germany.

Waiting 3 weeks on parts that are "in storage" is normal with them.
Delivery dates ARE ALWAYS a lie!
Complaints that fall within the normal legal 2 year warranty are a horror to get through.
The pricing might seem nice until you count in the delivery costs... Sure they offer a free of charge delivery after 12PM but the bastards like to raise the components price before it's 12PM.
Did I mention their delivery times are crap? I've waited as much as 6 weeks on a single ssd, after 5 weeks they offered to sell me a much more expensive SSD Only would have required to send them even more money and take at least another 4 workdays to process...
AND worst is their pricing lags behind, so if prices drop they might take weeks to start lowering theirs. Sure if prices rise they are cheap.. Just you'll wait forever to get it.

I order a lot of PC parts online, like 50-60 orders a year and Mindfactory never ceased to disappoint me in the dozens of times I tried to give them a chance over the years.
If it's stuff like a PC case might I recommend alternate.de though a bit more pricey. Their service is excellent, the returns are fast even after a year. AND the best thing is the outlet store Especially if you want a PC case, a lot are cheap and only have a slightly dented box while they still have good warranties.

And If it's assembly of a PC/basic installations and you're somewhere near Frankfurt then hit me with a PM... I'll make a special deal involving beer, pizza and witcher talks.

 

[GuyNwah]

I think I'll do that. Parts online, mindfactory or similar, and bring over to the local computer shop for assembly and case.

What's a good looking case with good airflow that is not extremely expensive? I love the Fractal Design R4/R5 but that seems like a lot of money. I currently have an Antec 902 v3, which I like, but cannot possibly bring with me.

Also I bought a Seasonic PSU (SSR-650RM) in the States, which I intend to bring over. That's not a problem right? I just need the German power cord... right? It's suppose to take in up to 240v.

Edit: wow, the R4 is much cheaper on mindfactory. Nice.

Yeah, just get a compatible power cord or an adapter with ground. The German socket style is called "Schuko" and is widely used. Adapter looks like this: http://www.amazon.com/SF-Cable-Adapter-Receptacle-European/dp/B004OH3S90

Corsair Carbide series cases are about as black as the monolith from 2001 but inexpensive and easy to work with.

 

[eskiMoe]

Regarding German online stores, I can recommend hardwareversand and computeruniverse. Although the former could improve their customer service a bit.

E.g. when I had to return my faulty GPU to them, their service was super quick and I got a replacement in no time, but they never replied my e-mails regarding the delivery times.

A bit strange to be honest.

 

[Medy89]

Mindfactory got the better pricing compared to hardwareversand... I ordered most of my parts from mindfactory ... & checked the availability beforehand ... parts arrived 2 days ... for me it went smooth .. just saying ...

 

[eskiMoe]

So I finished building my Witcher 3 gaming rig & made a little video of the process ...

Nice. What's your TV? It looks very familiar.

 

[Medy89]

nice. What's your tv? It looks very familiar.

samsung ue55h6270