New Build need help before i buy on bf/cm

[Deleted]

how likely is it for those water cooling units to just start leaking out of the blue?

Nothing is 100% of course but it's not very likely but that's why I mentioned the recalled Corsair units.

Is the windows 8.1 OEM version a full version of windows or just an upgrade?

Not an upgrade.

Also do you think a 250gb SSD is overkill for my needs, should I get a 120gb one?

Either you have enough space or you don't but I would recommend 250GB just so you don't have to micromanage all the time and worry about what you put on it. 120GB is however enough for the OS+programs+WoW and a few other games depending on the size.

My only concern with the GTX 770 is about the 2GB of VRAM vs 3GB on the AMD card. Some people say that the 2GB vram gets used up fast in games like BF4 and skyrim? Whats your opinion? I might switch to the i5 4670k, if i can't get on of the 4770k's tiger direct is advertising on black friday up here for $279.

Buy the CPU you want, you know the benefits now and if you're willing to pay for it then go for it. Either gPU is fine really, I just mentioned it because of streaming and recording, they're about the same performance anyway and you're right the extra vRAM could come in handy in a few scenarios with high resolution textures.

The reason for choosing the Hero board was because of the onboard sound coupled with Gamefirst feature. Also I prefer an ASUS board as they seem more reliable, and its the cheapest one that fit the bill of the color scheme.

I like Asus motherboard too but honestly the MSI gaming is good and got a lot of positive feedback this generation. Kind of a waste of money paying so much but your choice. If you're worried about sound buy a sound card, Asus Xonar DGX is ~$32. The onboard sound on the MSI is isn't bad at all.

That looks like a great monitor, does in come in 24' version?

Not in 16:9 (1920x1080) and I wouldn't recommend 8:5/16:10 (1920x1200) and also they're $100+ extra. the one inch is really not a big deal.

If you're going to get something bigger start looking at 27"@1440p but those are $500-600

Acer B276HULymiidprz $500
Asus PB278Q $630

or you could go through Ebay and look into a Korean 1440p IPS, they're cheaper.

Amazon sells them as well, not sure if they deliver to Canada?

QNIX QX2710 Evolution II 27" 1440p (PLS) $340

A few examples on Ebay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/QNIX-QX2710-...item19dcc63b9c
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Perfect-Pixe...item4acb6177b4

There are more worth looking into if you're interested.

[ljigga]

Oh ok they were recalled because they were leaking? If so i would rather stick with one of your air cooling options. In terms of performance which of the air coolers would allow for lower temps on a higher over clock the Phanteks or Dark Rock?

I'll stick with the 250gb SSD then.

If you don't mind me asking, what made you go with a Sabertooth MoBo for your personal build?

Anyway I ended up going into NCIX today and picking up the PB238Q and Windows 8.1 on their sale prices.

[Deleted]

In terms of performance which of the air coolers would allow for lower temps on a higher over clock the Phanteks or Dark Rock?

They're both good, Dark Rock is quieter but the Phanteks isn't loud by any means. I'd just pick whichever you think is best to fit your needs, aesthetics etc.

If you don't mind me asking, what made you go with a Sabertooth MoBo for your personal build?

It fit my needs at the time, used Asus before which i was happy with and prefered their fan controls. I loved the aesthetics and I got it at a reasonable price when I purchased it with my CPU at Microcenter.

Anyway I ended up going into NCIX today and picking up the PB238Q and Windows 8.1 on their sale prices.

Awesome, let us know what you think when you get it all setup

[ljigga]

Awesome, let us know what you think when you get it all setup

Definitely will do once I get all my parts and everything assembled.

Thanks for all your help again!!

[ljigga]

Can anyone suggest me a good headset for listening to music while doing work on my computer, and for gaming (being able to hear footsteps and where they are coming from). Budget is $250 or whatever it cost for a good enough headset, dont need anything over the top.

Update: Finally received all my parts and am looking forward to put it all together soon this weekend, for now I get to rewatch all those new egg videos!

[Deleted]

Just know that can get better quality for less money by buying headphones and standalone mic but if it must be a headset I'd go with either of these, depending on if you want open or closed design.

Sennheiser PC 350 Special Edition $182 (Closed design)
Sennheiser PC 360 $167 (Open design)

[ljigga]

Just know that can get better quality for less money by buying headphones and standalone mic but if it must be a headset I'd go with either of these, depending on if you want open or closed design.

Sennheiser PC 350 Special Edition $182 (Closed design)
Sennheiser PC 360 $167 (Open design)

Can you recommend a good pair of headphones and a mic that would fit the bill? I'd rather go that route then.

[Deleted]

Try these from Sennheiser or these from Steelseries. The Sennheiser are cheaper, coming in at ~$145 plus shipping, whilst the Steelseries are $160+S&H.

[ljigga]

Try these from Sennheiser or these from Steelseries. The Sennheiser are cheaper, coming in at ~$145 plus shipping, whilst the Steelseries are $160+S&H.

What about a standalone pair of headphones and a mic? Any suggestions?

[Deleted]

Audio-Technica ATH-M50 $110
Sennheiser HD 598 $188
AKG Q 701 $220
Sony MDRMA900 $202

To name a few, these two guides are worth checking out:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-...ny-ma900-added
http://www.head-fi.org/a/headphone-buying-guide

I'd recommend a standalone sound card like this, with any of the headphones:

Asus Xonar DGX $29

There are a few options for mics, depending on how much you wanna pay and much end up spending on the headphones:

Zalman Zm-Mic1 $10
Mini clip-on mic $1 +shipping (I like these over the Zlaman because of the filter. I just buy a few in case one breaks)

You can buy them from this place as well with free shipping but can take liek 10 days:

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/1pc-F...920901406.html

Samson Go Mic Compact USB Microphone $40

"Blue mic Snowball" $40-60

[ljigga]

Thanks everyone. Ended up going with the ATH-M50's.