How powerful is this month's Unicorn? Is there a more cost-efficient build?

[mrgreenthump]

For OC on the 6600k, 4.5-4.6 GHz should be expected with little voltage increase.. Beyond that it will probably produce too much heat for your heatsink to handle.

[DeltrusDisc]

Any cheaper options? Hoping for around $50 at absolute max.

Saw a few $10 options using a USB dongle, but I plan to use the computer for Netflix/Hulu streaming so... I doubt it'd be able to handle that.



That's not too much? Alright...



My old desk in my previous two homes (~6 months ago-~5 years ago) had a printer stand taking up like a third of the desk. The second monitor was a good ~half a monitor taller than the main one. I don't think I'll be too annoyed...



So stick with 1920x1080? I saw a few monitors for only $99 a pop in that resolution on Amazon which is oh-so-nice. I'm already going way over-budget with the 1070 (though thankfully a family member was nice enough to chip in a few hundred).



I'm assuming you're talking about 3D, and no, the second monitor is like exclusively for YouTube/Netflix/Hulu/Pandora as I'm doing stuff on my main monitor (e.g., watching YouTube while checking my 5 WoW garrisons like I'm doing at this very moment). Occasionally, I'll play two not-GPU-intensive games simultaneously, such as a combination of WoW, Hearthstone, and Darkest Dungeon (my most played top 3 in recent times), and I'll put like Hearthstone on my second monitor with WoW on the main one, or DD on my main monitor while waiting for queues in WoW on my second monitor.

AAA games, or games like Overwatch where I'd go actual full screen, no, nothing is really on my second monitor ever, but I don't know if having a second, idle, 1080p monitor would affect things (again, total noob here!), which is why I just wanted to make sure

Probably more than good enough: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-293-_-Product

I wonder if we both had the same old desk... I ended up taking off the printer thingy at one point, here's a pic...



And then I took it out and had it like this for a while.



That desk had decent build quality, but just was not meant for guys that were 6'2" tall and playing video games. XD That's an old people desk. hehe

Don't just buy a monitor because it's cheap, I used to and fully regret it - but I learned from it. Getting a NICE monitor makes such a huge difference on the experience of gaming. Bigger than any graphics card purchase, pretty much, so long as you have a graphics card, that is.

Not 3D, I mean just playing a game and having it cover the monitors, but okay, if you're just playing on one monitor there shouldn't be any issues. A second monitor of only 1920x1080 won't be enough stress for a GTX 1070 to start buckling, I promise you.

[Evildeffy]

The questions you've asked have been answered before I could so you're gucci.

When it comes to WiFi though: This should do perfectly fine.

As for monitors ... well as much as Widescreen can be fun ... I would personally prefer a 2560x1440 120-144Hz screen with a 1070.
Others would prefer something else but the question is mostly to yourself...

Do you want a 16:9 resolution as your current 1920x1080 is or do you want ultrawide that is 21:9?
Both have their benefits but to be entirely honest you will have more games supporting 16:9 than you will 21:9 even though that is starting to trickle in.

But... be aware that 2560x1080 ultrawide is absolutely atrocious so if you go that then take the 3440x1440 screen... but it'll cost you.

[DeltrusDisc]

Yes, avoid 2560x1080 like the plague. XD

[Polarthief]

So the standard "1080p" is usually 1920x1080p, alright then, easy enough! Not trying to get anything fancy, just want to update these ~8-10 year old monitors.

... yes, I said 10 years, they're older than my build because they came with pre-built comps my family bought ages ago when I was an even worse tech scrub!



Edit: Would something like this work for my main/gaming monitor? (also, do the refresh rates of the monitors need to be the same?)

[DeltrusDisc]

To be fair, sometimes older monitors are some of the nicest out there!

CRT displays many people still love.

I also personally love my old Gateway HD2201 22" display. Glass cover on the picture and it just looks gorgeous.

[Evildeffy]

So the standard "1080p" is usually 1920x1080p, alright then, easy enough! Not trying to get anything fancy, just want to update these ~8-10 year old monitors.

... yes, I said 10 years, they're older than my build because they came with pre-built comps my family bought ages ago when I was an even worse tech scrub!

Edit: Would something like this work for my main/gaming monitor? (also, do the refresh rates of the monitors need to be the same?)

Yeah that'd work ... though I'm not a fan of Acer build quality in general.
Nor the stands employed by them... I would recommend a different brand like Iiyama but that's almost impossible to get in the US.

So BenQ would be an option I'd guess.

[Polarthief]

Alright so major update, apparently all my remaining parts got pushed to deliver today, huzzah! Currently building it in the dining room near the front door excitedly awaiting for the CPU and heatsink. I'll try to give updates but I'll be on my phone from here on out unless I need to respond. Wish me luck!

[DeltrusDisc]

Post pictures or at least take pictures of the process and post later! ^_^ Grats!

[Polarthief]

Post pictures or at least take pictures of the process and post later! ^_^ Grats!

All thanks to you guys, especially you and Evil He's also been helping me via PMs because I went a little derp with the fan. Didn't know if it should be reverse or same as the fan above it XD

MoBo will be done last though because I don't yet have the CPU/Heatsink. Still waiting for it... >.>

Update: Literally getting everything else done since CPU and Heatsink still haven't arrived. Gonna be soooooooo upset if they're like "oh sorry we couldn't deliver it today, eat a dick lolololol". (Edit: Just got an update and the Heatsink isn't coming til Monday... bluh. At least the CPU will be here, not like I'm gonna be using this computer today anyways since I have no GPU and I have a feeling there's no slot for a monitor on this thing)

[DeltrusDisc]

Ugh. The CPUs don't come with heatsinks anymore, even Skylake... right? =/

[Polarthief]

Ugh. The CPUs don't come with heatsinks anymore, even Skylake... right? =/

I don't believe the 6600k does. My 2500k in my current rig is using the stock intel fan though, and it's been running just fine (not OC'd though).

So now I'm just flipping through the pages of the R5 instructions as I wait for my package to arrive... Probs gonna go give a commendation to Fractal for how helpful the instructions were, despite being ridiculously simple

[Evildeffy]

Ugh. The CPUs don't come with heatsinks anymore, even Skylake... right? =/

Only the K-series do not get a heatsink anymore, the rest does get the piss poor excuse of a heatsink that Intel gives with it.

[DeltrusDisc]

Only the K-series do not get a heatsink anymore, the rest does get the piss poor excuse of a heatsink that Intel gives with it.

While yes, it's nothing special.

I think it's good for situations like this. It works for very light OC to no OC scenarios. It can be a good stand-in, either way.

Now OP has to wait two days just for this one little reason. That's dumb.

[Evildeffy]

While yes, it's nothing special.

I think it's good for situations like this. It works for very light OC to no OC scenarios. It can be a good stand-in, either way.

Now OP has to wait two days just for this one little reason. That's dumb.

Nope, not just the heatsink... he has to wait for the actual CPU as well so it makes 0 difference to him.

[Polarthief]

Nope, not just the heatsink... he has to wait for the actual CPU as well so it makes 0 difference to him.

CPU just got here, but I still don't have a heatsink. I can finish up my build at the very least though

[Evildeffy]

CPU just got here, but I still don't have a heatsink. I can finish up my build at the very least though

You can temporarily use the heatsink from your 2500K.
The stock heatsinks are all the same, as long as you clean off and re-apply thermal paste properly.

The socket size for coolers are identical all across the LGA 115X line.

[Polarthief]

Update: CPU hatch thingy won't close... :\

The stock heatsinks are all the same, as long as you clean off and re-apply thermal paste properly.

The socket size for coolers are identical all across the LGA 115X line.

I never used thermal paste for 2500k actually. Don't think it necessarily needed it. It definitely didn't come with any either.

I'm just going to wait for the heatsink to arrive anyways. I just wanted to finish building it for now and close it up, but the CPU thing just won't close x.x

[Evildeffy]

Update: CPU hatch thingy won't close... :\


I never used thermal paste for 2500k actually. Don't think it necessarily needed it. It definitely didn't come with any either.

I'm just going to wait for the heatsink to arrive anyways. I just wanted to finish building it for now and close it up, but the CPU thing just won't close x.x

Ah but you did use thermal paste for the 2500K ... it came pre-applied on the heatsink.
So if you do not have any spare thermal paste you're going to have to wait regardless.

Also define "CPU hatch will not close".

[Polarthief]

Also define "CPU hatch will not close".

The thing where you close the CPU won't close. That black shell thing that's lifted up.

I also took this pic originally because I wasn't sure which way the damn thing went, then I stopped being an idiot

Edit: Rotated the image



- - - Updated - - -

... Oh so you remove the black plastic thing, deeeerp... but it still won't close :\

- - - Updated - - -

....... Or it just requires a lot of force that I really don't remember on the other two computers I've put together. Wow, I really thought that would break it but I guess not :X

Sorry Evil, I'm such a derp