**Official PC rig Pics/Specs/mods thread PART 2** Show us what you got brahs

[BennyJr169]

I'm tired of not being able to update Windows, so I'm going to break down and finally buy a license. What's better for gaming - Win7 or 8.1? Found a way to buy either for $10 with a teacher discount.

8.1 has been known to get more fps. I'm using 8.1 and I like it. Not building a new $1500 comp and putting an old OS on it.

[KramericaInd]

Their 240 gig one is $90 on SD today, still don't think I'd go with the brand though.

Same. Honestly a 1tb hdd will suffice for me. Maybe score an intel ssd in november

[KilaByte]

I'm tired of not being able to update Windows, so I'm going to break down and finally buy a license. What's better for gaming - Win7 or 8.1? Found a way to buy either for $10 with a teacher discount.

Check your PM.

[Domina8r]

decided to bite the bullet and upgrade.

going from an i7 920 to a i5 4670k has been massive, and the samsung evo SSD is a massive upgrade to.

build is now.

i5 4670k
MSI GD65 gaming motherboard
Sasmung EVO 250gb SSD
3TB WD hard-drive
8GB g.skill ram
R9 280x + 7970ghz
850watt power
Xonar stx sound card

watched 20 min of youtube and installed it all myself haha....feelsgood saving money on installation man.

[SuperSpiderBat]

lol my almost 5 year old gaming laptop died and I'm thinking of building a desktop instead of getting another laptop. I reckon an i5-4670 and a GTX 770 is a good combo, or should I go with and AMD GPU? Keep in mind I don't care for anything higher than 1080p. It's possible I may wait until fall and wait til I go back to school to build my PC, any good chit coming out by then?

[anonymous]

Back again lol. I decided against the sound card for now and 1440 monitors maybe down the road, if nothing major sticks out, I'll make the purchase. Thanks everyone who gave input.

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($222.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD4H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($159.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($139.99 @ Best Buy)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($489.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($100.25 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G-750 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($120.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($157.00 @ Amazon)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($40.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($36.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1728.08

[Domina8r]

Back again lol. I decided against the sound card for now and 1440 monitors maybe down the road, if nothing major sticks out, I'll make the purchase. Thanks everyone who gave input.

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($222.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD4H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($159.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($139.99 @ Best Buy)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($489.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($100.25 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G-750 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($120.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($157.00 @ Amazon)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($40.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($36.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1728.08

only things I would change is.....and maybe reconsider going 1440p.....if you casual play games or hardcore, its an amazing expereince.....and you don't need to run MSAA or antialiasing so you might get away with one single 780 gtx
motherboard: http://www.amazon.com/MSI-Motherboar...words=z87+GD65

[anonymous]

only things I would change is.....and maybe reconsider going 1440p.....if you casual play games or hardcore, its an amazing expereince.....and you don't need to run MSAA or antialiasing so you might get away with one single 780 gtx
motherboard: http://www.amazon.com/MSI-Motherboar...words=z87+GD65

Coming from a console, full 1080p will already be an upgrade plus this build keeps getting more expensive, I have to draw the line somewhere. What about that mobo you prefer to the one I've chosen?

[Domina8r]

Coming from a console, full 1080p will already be an upgrade plus this build keeps getting more expensive, I have to draw the line somewhere. What about that mobo you prefer to the one I've chosen?

ohh k yeh 1080p maxed out @ 60fps + will blow you away.

I just installed that mobo and everything was just so hassle free with it, the bios is very easy to navigate and looks great as well, and its aimed towards gaming. I came from Asus, so cant speak for gigabyte, I just highly recommend the GD65 for a gaming build.

[PrimoVictoria]

lol my almost 5 year old gaming laptop died and I'm thinking of building a desktop instead of getting another laptop. I reckon an i5-4670 and a GTX 770 is a good combo, or should I go with and AMD GPU? Keep in mind I don't care for anything higher than 1080p. It's possible I may wait until fall and wait til I go back to school to build my PC, any good chit coming out by then?

Intel > AMD if the price difference doesn't bother you.

Coming from a console, full 1080p will already be an upgrade plus this build keeps getting more expensive, I have to draw the line somewhere. What about that mobo you prefer to the one I've chosen?

Not just the graphics but also better communication, modding, able to do lots of stuff with it etc. I almost have the same build, you're going to like it. Especially the SSD if you haven't had one before. I also chose an MSI mobo > Gigabyte mobo but was just personal preference. Haven't had any problems with mine, neither has a buddy who has the same one.

I'm tired of not being able to update Windows, so I'm going to break down and finally buy a license. What's better for gaming - Win7 or 8.1? Found a way to buy either for $10 with a teacher discount.

People have indeed said that they noticed an fps difference in 8.1 but I don't really care and I would take 7 over 8.1 any day. It mostly comes down to preference and I think 8.1 is annoying as hell.

[Treeling]

Coming from a console, full 1080p will already be an upgrade plus this build keeps getting more expensive, I have to draw the line somewhere. What about that mobo you prefer to the one I've chosen?

Also don't waste money on full price Windows 7/8.
You can find a cheap one here
http://www.reddit.com/r/softwareswap/

[enfieldvball]

Looking to make the change from AMD to Intel sometime soon, currently have an AMD Athlon II X4 630 2.8ghz, looking to pick up an Intel i5 3570k, Amazon and eBay both show around $200, what's a good price for that CPU, I know it's like 2 years old too

[TriggerWarning]

Also don't waste money on full price Windows 7/8.
You can find a cheap one here
http://www.reddit.com/r/softwareswap/

you should keep an eye on this "thread'? or page or whatever they call them over at reddit
http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcsales

[Purostaff]

Finally finished my first WC build.

Full gallery with details here: http://imgur.com/a/QpfQl









About to overclock her. Still looking around for a sound card and new monitor(s).

Did I make the misc proud?

[eXistenceLies]

Finally finished my first WC build.

Full gallery with details here: http://imgur.com/a/QpfQl









About to overclock her. Still looking around for a sound card and new monitor(s).

Did I make the misc proud?

Damn that is sesssy!!

[everblue]

Back again lol. I decided against the sound card for now and 1440 monitors maybe down the road, if nothing major sticks out, I'll make the purchase. Thanks everyone who gave input.

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($222.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD4H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($159.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($139.99 @ Best Buy)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Video Card ($489.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Phantom (White) ATX Full Tower Case ($100.25 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic G-750 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($120.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.98 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus VS247H-P 23.6" Monitor ($157.00 @ Amazon)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($40.99 @ Newegg)
Keyboard: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Gaming Bundle Wired Gaming Keyboard w/Optical Mouse ($36.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $1728.08

Go with this PSU. it's $10 cheaper, 100 more watts, and fully modular. Also it's made by Seasonic

http://www.ncixus.com/products/?usaf...X&promoid=1018

You could save $30 by getting a different motherboard like an MSI G45 gaming or AsRock Fatality motherboard, unless you were planning to do a mackintosh in which case a Gigabyte motherboard is definitely a better choice.

I would suggest dropping the cpu cooler and the optical drive. Those aren't really necessary. a 4670K doesn't need to be OC'd at this point in time to perform well in gaming lol. Eventually when you want to OC definitely go with a cpu cooler, but until then there's really no point.

You could drop the GTX 780 and go with this open box 280X
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16814202088R

Save almost another $200 just from that alone. I'll admit, the 700 series is superior in terms of OCing potential (at least relative to 290x vs 780 ti) but it's not worth the extra $200

Don't let anyone bull**** you about the drivers. Graphics drivers are 100% YMMV

You could take that money you saved and put it toward something useful like a 1440p monitor and/or a sound card

[toneekay]

Finally finished my first WC build.
Full gallery with details here: http://imgur.com/a/QpfQl
[IMG]http://www.overclock.net/content/type/61/id/1974691/[/IG]
[IMG]http://www.overclock.net/content/type/61/id/1974692/[/IG]
[IMG]http://www.overclock.net/content/type/61/id/1974693/[/IG]
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/BU1yVFd.jpg[/IG]

About to overclock her. Still looking around for a sound card and new monitor(s).
Did I make the misc proud?

Proud MISC is proud.


Any reason why you chose the VisionTek card? I haven't had any experience with them, but they use the reference design right? Plans to OC this the GPU as well?

Let us know how the final overclocks look!

[SOJA]

I've never had luck with NCIX's US outlet. They always manage to run out of supplies by the time my order goes to processing. Much prefer Amazon because of their return policy and missing orders. They also price match if you contact support post ordering and they'll just refund the difference.

[KramericaInd]

Anyone know where I could burn a cd to reinstall Win 8.1? Not asking for a fake key, I'll buy it legitimately at a cheaper price but It wouldn't bring the cd.

[niktak11]

Anyone know where I could burn a cd to reinstall Win 8.1? Not asking for a fake key, I'll buy it legitimately at a cheaper price but It wouldn't bring the cd.

Why not use a flash drive?

[KramericaInd]

Why not use a flash drive?

That would be a better choice as I would have to connect my old OD to my rig. Would it work though? When I turn on the computer it doesn't even let me go into the bios.

[anonymous]

Go with this PSU. it's $10 cheaper, 100 more watts, and fully modular. Also it's made by Seasonic

http://www.ncixus.com/products/?usaf...X&promoid=1018

You could save $30 by getting a different motherboard like an MSI G45 gaming or AsRock Fatality motherboard, unless you were planning to do a mackintosh in which case a Gigabyte motherboard is definitely a better choice.

I would suggest dropping the cpu cooler and the optical drive. Those aren't really necessary. a 4670K doesn't need to be OC'd at this point in time to perform well in gaming lol. Eventually when you want to OC definitely go with a cpu cooler, but until then there's really no point.

You could drop the GTX 780 and go with this open box 280X
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...2E16814202088R

Save almost another $200 just from that alone. I'll admit, the 700 series is superior in terms of OCing potential (at least relative to 290x vs 780 ti) but it's not worth the extra $200

Don't let anyone bull**** you about the drivers. Graphics drivers are 100% YMMV

You could take that money you saved and put it toward something useful like a 1440p monitor and/or a sound card

The price is good on that psu but as SOJA said, they haven't had luck with that etailer plus they are out of stock right now. Everywhere else, the current one I have is less expensive. Heck, some were telling me to drop down to a 650w, too many voices lol. I do like the mobo suggestions though and think I'll split the difference and add the GD65 gaming.

On OC'ing, pretty much everyone suggests that CPU, wouldn't getting a non-K chip as well as forgoing the cooler be biting myself later on? I'm a total noob on building and it isn't something I would want to do often, so trying to take care of the build for at least a few years is enough for me. Like I said, coming from a console, this alone is a huge step-up, so as long as I'm able to handle better than PS4/Xbone for a few years I'll be happy. The 1440 monitor would be a definite luxury and one I might do down the line but probably not now. The sound card is divisive though, some say its needed, others say don't waste the money.

Edit: Regarding monitors, does it make much noticeable difference whether the refresh rate is 60hz vs 144? The 144's are quite a bit more expensive and if it isn't needed (I'm not a pro-gamer so money doesn't ride on being precise to obscene levels) for the layman than I'll stick with a 60hz, 2ms response time. Oh, and is IPS necessary?

[SynapticCleft]

Finally finished my first WC build.

Full gallery with details here: http://imgur.com/a/QpfQl

[IMG]http://www.overclock.net/content/type/61/id/1974691/[IMG]

[IMG]http://www.overclock.net/content/type/61/id/1974692/[IMG]

[IMG]http://www.overclock.net/content/type/61/id/1974693/[IMG]

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/BU1yVFd.jpg[IMG]

About to overclock her. Still looking around for a sound card and new monitor(s).

Did I make the misc proud?

Very nice looking loop brah. How many rads did you stick in there?

The price is good on that psu but as SOJA said, they haven't had luck with that etailer plus they are out of stock right now. Everywhere else, the current one I have is less expensive. Heck, some were telling me to drop down to a 650w, too many voices lol. I do like the mobo suggestions though and think I'll split the difference and add the GD65 gaming.

On OC'ing, pretty much everyone suggests that CPU, wouldn't getting a non-K chip as well as forgoing the cooler be biting myself later on? I'm a total noob on building and it isn't something I would want to do often, so trying to take care of the build for at least a few years is enough for me. Like I said, coming from a console, this alone is a huge step-up, so as long as I'm able to handle better than PS4/Xbone for a few years I'll be happy. The 1440 monitor would be a definite luxury and one I might do down the line but probably not now. The sound card is divisive though, some say its needed, others say don't waste the money.

Edit: Regarding monitors, does it make much noticeable difference whether the refresh rate is 60hz vs 144? The 144's are quite a bit more expensive and if it isn't needed (I'm not a pro-gamer so money doesn't ride on being precise to obscene levels) for the layman than I'll stick with a 60hz, 2ms response time. Oh, and is IPS necessary?

I'd get the CPU cooler now since you're most likely going to research and OC your cpu after a few weeks or so. It's true the 4670k doesn't need to be OC'd at this time, but what's the point of buying a K-model if you're not going to OC it out of the box.You can drop to 650W psu, my bro runs an OC'd 3570k and 780 just fine on 650W.

Sound cards are completely your call, everyone has very different audio equipment. I myself game just fine on BF4 using cheap cans from Best Buy plugged to my front audio jack. On my old build I used to have a Asus Xonar, I barely heard the difference. Maybe my ears suck. But if you own great audio equipment I'd buy a sound card.

What everblue listed about the motherboards is spot on, I'd go for the MSI G45 as well. I just wanted to add most of the deals have a rebate so granting you do everything correctly you will get the awesome price for the mobo.

It's only noticeable if your graphics can output high framerates. The high refresh rate will provide a smoother movement with less screen tearing. IPS is not necessary unless you're trying to achieve perfect color representation. So if you don't do alot of graphic design work it's really not needed. However if you like a large range of colors the IPS is great. I play games on one of the Korean IPS monitors and it has never bothered me when I set the refresh rate to 60-100+ hz.

[Django]

i7 3770k Delided & direct die mounted
AMD R80x
Moded corsair C70 case
Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UP4 TH
CORSAIR Dominator Platinum 16GB
kingston SSD
XFX 850W
EKWB water blocks
Lamptron FC10
x5 gentle typhoon fans
2x xspc 240mm radiators & 120mm

Had a lot of fun building this PC, but I've come to a point in my life where I don't need or want it. Anyone ever sold their personal rig before? I'm having s*** luck with it.

Posted my rig on ebay. The price I'm asking is pretty reasonable, right? http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Nixie-Tube-Cu...369d0c5&_uhb=1

[BennyJr169]

Posted my rig on ebay. The price I'm asking is pretty reasonable, right? http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Nixie-Tube-Cu...369d0c5&_uhb=1

How much did you spend on it?

[Django]

How much did you spend on it?

More then I care to admit. It's been constantly evolving, but the current hardware, cost of all the water cooling and everything easily puts it at $4000.

I actually had someone offer me $4200 for it locally, but I wasn't ready to sell and missed that opportunity. Really kicking myself for that. It's proving really difficult to sell.

[SOJA]

The price is good on that psu but as SOJA said, they haven't had luck with that etailer plus they are out of stock right now. Everywhere else, the current one I have is less expensive. Heck, some were telling me to drop down to a 650w, too many voices lol. I do like the mobo suggestions though and think I'll split the difference and add the GD65 gaming.

Honestly, if you can bother ordering from Amazon, I'd suggest it.

[TriggerWarning]

It's only noticeable if your graphics can output high framerates. The high refresh rate will provide a smoother movement with less screen tearing. IPS is not necessary unless you're trying to achieve perfect color representation. So if you don't do alot of graphic design work it's really not needed. However if you like a large range of colors the IPS is great. I play games on one of the Korean IPS monitors and it has never bothered me when I set the refresh rate to 60-100+ hz.

Eeveryone keeps saying this yet how many people have used a 100hz + display? i can tell the difference between 60hz and 120hz on desktop or surfing the web, 60hz strains your eyes, you definitely don't need to be pushing 120fps to take advantage of 120hz.

[everblue]

Very nice looking loop brah. How many rads did you stick in there?


I'd get the CPU cooler now since you're most likely going to research and OC your cpu after a few weeks or so. It's true the 4670k doesn't need to be OC'd at this time, but what's the point of buying a K-model if you're not going to OC it out of the box.You can drop to 650W psu, my bro runs an OC'd 3570k and 780 just fine on 650W.

Sound cards are completely your call, everyone has very different audio equipment. I myself game just fine on BF4 using cheap cans from Best Buy plugged to my front audio jack. On my old build I used to have a Asus Xonar, I barely heard the difference. Maybe my ears suck. But if you own great audio equipment I'd buy a sound card.

What everblue listed about the motherboards is spot on, I'd go for the MSI G45 as well. I just wanted to add most of the deals have a rebate so granting you do everything correctly you will get the awesome price for the mobo.

It's only noticeable if your graphics can output high framerates. The high refresh rate will provide a smoother movement with less screen tearing. IPS is not necessary unless you're trying to achieve perfect color representation. So if you don't do alot of graphic design work it's really not needed. However if you like a large range of colors the IPS is great. I play games on one of the Korean IPS monitors and it has never bothered me when I set the refresh rate to 60-100+ hz.

dolby (what the asus sound cards use) is only good for music. It makes everything sound like it's in an amphitheatre. I prefer SBX from the sound blaster Z card. Also, if you don't have a good set of cans then you probably will not notice much of a difference. I can turn the volume all the way up and my A900X will blast without any degradation in the quality of sound.

[KramericaInd]

Hey, noob here.

So in my attempt to install win vista (until I get 8.1) for my new rig, I realized my mobo might not pick up ide devices. My optical drive is old school that needs a sata adapter. so I plug everything in, CD in, turn pc on it but doesn't read it, doesn't even show on the motherboard settings. Tried connecting a ide hard drive and it didn't pick that up either.

Defective component? I'm with no computer until I figure how to install the OS









So