Need a new PC!

[Deleted]

I'm not 100% sure which GPU you settled on but I made some changes:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU Cooler: NZXT HAVIK 140 90.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($60.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($110.97 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card ($391.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $828.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

GPU - 280X from Asus is definitely still good and spot on for price/performance. There is room in your budget for something a little beefier without paying a lot extra like with the GTX 780. Again swap to the 280X to save a bit bit of money and if you don't need that extra oomph with the 290.

Case and CPU heatsink - I just liked the previous 450D with H75 combo/aesthetics and compatibility was a non-issue. Sure you pay a little extra but you could afford it easily. The 450D with taller heatsinks should work but it hard to find a clear cut answer and partpicker shows incompatibility and even though I believe it would be fine I'd rather be 100% sure. Hence why I switched the case. The NZXT Havik 140 ever so slightly behind the NH-D14 and other more expensive high end stuff but really only when overclocks are pushed to its limits. I also think it looks pretty good.

NZXT Havik 140 Review

Video review of the Fractal case:



You might have to move the one drive cage to fit the AMD 290 form XFX but as you can see in the video that's a non-issue.

Let me know what you think.

[Eroginous]

Not a big fan of the Asus GPUs. Anything decent Nvidia wise? Something like a 770 or something similar that will run games on Ultra. I honestly don't think i want to keep the PSU. It's a Seasonic M12 Bronze 620W ATX12V. Will it be fine for one of these GPUs? I also plan on replacing the Ram/HDD as well. Want it to run smoothly. Mine is currently a bit slow even if i delete stuff. Whenever i log into my computer from Windows it takes a good 2-3 minutes until i actually get to my desktop screen.

Nvidia is the company who makes the graphics chips and the reference cards that use them. ASUS is a 3rd party hardware developer who makes ASUS branded video cards with Nvidia chips and reference designs. ASUS also does the same thing for AMD cards.

You basically just said 'I don't like the 3rd party cards, can I get a reference card instead.' Yes, you can get a Nvidia reference card, but you will be stuck with the stock cooler which tends to be louder and do a worse job cooling the card. 3rd party developers tend to do a much better job maximizing the features, performance, and cooling of video cards, often times adding their own tech and improving on the reference design. ASUS cards offer the DirectCU line of coolers that feature direct contact copper pipes to dissipate the heat generated by the CPU and RAM chips on the card. They also offer above average quality capacitors and direct power to ensure longer lifespan and cooler operation.

I wouldn't dismiss ASUS graphics cards, they are one of the best 3rd party developers out there.

[Deleted]

I think he corrected himself earlier as he meant to say "AMD cards" and not "Asus cards".

[BarelyLegalBear]

I'm not 100% sure which GPU you settled on but I made some changes:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU Cooler: NZXT HAVIK 140 90.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($60.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($110.97 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card ($391.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $828.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

GPU - 280X from Asus is definitely still good and spot on for price/performance. There is room in your budget for something a little beefier without paying a lot extra like with the GTX 780. Again swap to the 280X to save a bit bit of money and if you don't need that extra oomph with the 290.

Case and CPU heatsink - I just liked the previous 450D with H75 combo/aesthetics and compatibility was a non-issue. Sure you pay a little extra but you could afford it easily. The 450D with taller heatsinks should work but it hard to find a clear cut answer and partpicker shows incompatibility and even though I believe it would be fine I'd rather be 100% sure. Hence why I switched the case. The NZXT Havik 140 ever so slightly behind the NH-D14 and other more expensive high end stuff but really only when overclocks are pushed to its limits. I also think it looks pretty good.

NZXT Havik 140 Review

Video review of the Fractal case:



You might have to move the one drive cage to fit the AMD 290 form XFX but as you can see in the video that's a non-issue.

Let me know what you think.

Yeah i thought about it and have come to the conclusion that i'll stick with the 280X from Asus. Its cheaper and i feel like it'll do the job.

[chazus]

Out of curiousity, I know this thread is several days old...

If the MoBo has bad ports... It's under warranty. Why not replace it for free? It sounds like you're just replacing a lot of stuff for no reason.

[Gouca]

I have this guy (Gouca) on ignore from the past, for good reasons but I'm guessing he had something negative to say based on your comment Kastattoo.

H75 reviews:

http://www.kitguru.net/components/co...oler-review/8/
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages...review,13.html

It's probably because you fail to stand behind your words and provide sources for your statements and some of us take you as the cancer of this forum.

<Something Wicked> - #133 US, #384 World

God, this explains a lot.

I wouldn't call it low quality but w/e. If you are going to spend 65-70bucks on air tho at least get a Noctua/Be Quiet! one, all the rest loose out compared to those.

Phanteks beats Noctua and Be Quiet! hands down. There are reasons why the Phanteks coolers have a 5-year-warranty and the rest do not.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/P...-TC14PE/6.html
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/coo...c14pe-review/2



Infracted for flaming.

[Remilia]

It's probably because you fail to stand behind your words and provide sources for your statements and some of us take you as the cancer of this forum.
God, this explains a lot.

Why are you bringing up a 4 year old guild recruitment post and unnecessary hostile post.

Phanteks beats Noctua and Be Quiet! hands down. There are reasons why the Phanteks coolers have a 5-year-warranty and the rest do not.

Unless something has changed within the last second.
Noctua's
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835608020
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835608018
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835608041
Has 5 and even 6 years warranty and if we're bragging about warranty number 6 years is indeed better.
BeQuiet only has 3 years(?) though, it's EU only it seems.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/P...-TC14PE/6.html
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/coo...c14pe-review/2

Doesn't include noise level for one part. Though NZXT has always been nice in this terms too. Havik would probably be one I'd get at some point.
http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/445...ew/index9.html
Your 1st review comparing against 2 low profile Noctua coolers, made for things like a Mini ITX build.

[Vermicious]

all this for a noisy CPU cooler fan, that could be replaced for under $25? yikes!

[Gouca]

I have this guy (Gouca) on ignore from the past, for good reasons but I'm guessing he had something negative to say based on your comment Kastattoo.

And you don't find this completely irrelevant, hostile reply worth of infraction? Hilarious

[Deleted]

I like The Phanteks cooler as well, I picked one for my own build. You can't really go wrong with either higher end heatsinks from Phanteks, Noctua, NZXT, Be Quiet! it just comes down to what you prefer aesthetic, performance, nosie, price wise. Each has a small lead in it's own way. Just look at the different heatsinks as options.

A long warranty usually means they don't expect it to break, have a lot of confidence in their product and not it's necessarily quieter, better performing etc. The Havik is just a solid purchase at this price.

Yeah i thought about it and have come to the conclusion that i'll stick with the 280X from Asus. Its cheaper and i feel like it'll do the job.

Pretty much, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Off-topic, looks like Something Wicked is still raiding. It was good times but I quit WoW quite some time ago

[BarelyLegalBear]

Out of curiousity, I know this thread is several days old...

If the MoBo has bad ports... It's under warranty. Why not replace it for free? It sounds like you're just replacing a lot of stuff for no reason.

Don't think it's under warranty anymore. Ports were fine when i first got but eventually they started to act weird and not work for my mouse and keyboard. Moved them to another one and they work fine now. I also just want a new computer to be completely honest. The one i currently have is an IBUYPOWER pre-built machine but everything in it is mostly from 2012-2013. However i've had the PC for quite a bit of time now.

[Deleted]

Don't think it's under warranty anymore. Ports were fine when i first got but eventually they started to act weird and not work for my mouse and keyboard. Moved them to another one and they work fine now. I also just want a new computer to be completely honest. The one i currently have is an IBUYPOWER pre-built machine but everything in it is mostly from 2012-2013. However i've had the PC for quite a bit of time now.

You got some money you wanna burn?

I would really get an Nvidia GTX 780, something for enthusiasts! Maybe even run it on SLI at a later date when you feel you need more juice. With those beasts flexing inside your PC you will feel like the king of the world.

I personally do not like AMD cards either, the same reason I prefer Intel over AMD processors as well. Intel and Nvidia ftw, never any problems with drivers, more stable and more power. You pay a bit more but it's worth it.

This is of course my own ignorant opinion so I guess the other "geeks" can correct me if they want to. I've just personally had a much more pleasant experience with Intel and Nvidia as opposed to AMD.

Good luck with your purchase!

[Deleted]

Intel and Nvidia ftw, never any problems with drivers, more stable and more power. You pay a bit more but it's worth it.

Take off those rose colored glasses both camp have their issues and non-issues.

[Deleted]

Take off those rose colored glasses both camp have their issues and non-issues.

No it's true I've never had trouble with drivers or anything software related using intel/nvidia.

Was a nightmare sorting out the problems I had when I was using crossfire AMD cards back in the day. :P Maybe they have improved their drivers now, but my friend has a pretty new crossfire setup and he still have issues.

[Deleted]

Yeah true, CF had its issues but is much better now. I can't remember the last time I've had a driver issue with AMD either.

[Eroginous]

all this for a noisy CPU cooler fan, that could be replaced for under $25? yikes!

The funny part is that depending on how old the cooler is, he could probably get a free replacement fan for it from Cooler Master.

Otherwise, you can buy them for ~$10.

[Deleted]

We've already pointed out many of these new things are not really worth it (money wise) but at the end of the day we have to respect OPs choice and then at least offer some advise on the upgrade path. Moving from a pre-built, upgrading the GPU, add an SSD, get a nice higher end cooler etc. is not completely bonkers especially if you're not in a tight spot budget wise.

[Eroginous]

No it's true I've never had trouble with drivers or anything software related using intel/nvidia.

Was a nightmare sorting out the problems I had when I was using crossfire AMD cards back in the day. :P Maybe they have improved their drivers now, but my friend has a pretty new crossfire setup and he still have issues.

My new Nvidia card just got here today, and I didn't even have to install drivers. The utility installed them automatically as soon as I booted into Windows.

[Deleted]

You always wanna do a clean install of drivers, doesn't matter if it's AMD or Nvidia.

[Eroginous]

Nvidia installer does a clean install if you check the box.