PC Hardware Talk Megathread

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by 110%

Put your 500-700 bucks in the bank and save it for a year or two. That PC is totally fine still. If you are dying to spend the money then get a gtx1070 or gtx1080 because you can at least bring that over to your next build. A 960 is a very minor upgrade and not worth the money for the slight performance increase you are going to get.

From what I've read a GTX 960 is about the same as a GTX 770. A GTX 1060 should also be a decent upgrade.

http://www.videocardbenchmark.net/high_end_gpus.html

[accord1999]

Originally Posted by DoubleK

I mispoke last night. I have a 750 Ti in my machine right now.

The soon to be launched GTX 1050 series might be a good option for you, similar power usage with performance 50-80% higher.

Does your XPS have the 475W power supply; I'd think that would be perfectly adequate for a video card in the range of the Nvidia GTX 1060/AMD Radeon RX 470 even.

[cDnStealth]

I've been wanting to upgrade for the past couple of years but I've had to hold off. Thinking about pulling the trigger now though.

Current build:
i7 860 @ 2.8 GHz
GTX 670
8 GB DDR 3
Samsung 840 250 GB SSD
1 TB WD Black
850W PSU
Win 10

Ideally I'd want to keep this around $1000. I assume that my CPU is so ancient at this point that it has to be upgraded. My first thought is going with an i5 6600k, 16 GB of DDR4 and a GTX 1060. Any thoughts? I'll still be gaming at 1080p since that is all my monitors are capable of.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by cDnStealth

I've been wanting to upgrade for the past couple of years but I've had to hold off. Thinking about pulling the trigger now though.

Current build:
i7 860 @ 2.8 GHz
GTX 670
8 GB DDR 3
Samsung 840 250 GB SSD
1 TB WD Black
850W PSU
Win 10

Ideally I'd want to keep this around $1000. I assume that my CPU is so ancient at this point that it has to be upgraded. My first thought is going with an i5 6600k, 16 GB of DDR4 and a GTX 1060. Any thoughts? I'll still be gaming at 1080p since that is all my monitors are capable of.

I think you are on the right track, though I'm hearing rumbles from some areas that more games this year/next year are leaning more heavily on i7/hyper-threaded processors, so it might not be the worst idea to kick up to a 6700k for the extra 120 bucks. DirectX 12 games in specific.

Particularly, I've chatted with a bunch of players complaining about micro-stutter and lag issues in Battlefield 1, and they were all using i5s or i3s. Mostly I'd recommend to them to turn DX12 off, even if they were running a 9xx or 10xx series card.

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX58496 - $450 CPU
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX61202 - $165 Mobo (after rebate)
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX61805 - $125 RAM (16 GB)
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX63927 - $360 GTX 1060 (6 GB VRAM)

= $1100

Generally the minimum I would recommend, but then again I'm a hyper sperg.

[cDnStealth]

Would the Hyper 212 EVO be a decent CPU cooler?

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by cDnStealth

Would the Hyper 212 EVO be a decent CPU cooler?

The Hyper 212 EVO is the best bang for your buck cooler on the planet 5 years running. It's pretty impressive for 40 bucks.

[Wood]

I have one and it seems to work great

[Flash Walken]

I use one as well, just got it a few weeks ago in fact for an HTPC build.

Works well, nice and quiet. It's a little bit tall so if you're using a microatx case you may want to check and see if someone else has made it fit.

[RinkRat]

I've been running my x58 intel 990x build for almost 5 years now. The itch to build is terrible. The secret is to tell yourself you want to wait for *insert random improvement* to come out over and over.

Skylake X is what I'm waiting for.

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

[accord1999]

Originally Posted by cDnStealth

Ideally I'd want to keep this around $1000. I assume that my CPU is so ancient at this point that it has to be upgraded. My first thought is going with an i5 6600k, 16 GB of DDR4 and a GTX 1060. Any thoughts? I'll still be gaming at 1080p since that is all my monitors are capable of.

There's a good deal on an AMD Fury at Newegg today. Generally it compares favorably with the 1060 in current games and is pretty close to a GTX 1070 in DX12. It's drawback is the much higher power consumption.

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/neweg...pping-2049793/

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by RinkRat

I've been running my x58 intel 990x build for almost 5 years now. The itch to build is terrible. The secret is to tell yourself you want to wait for *insert random improvement* to come out over and over.

Skylake X is what I'm waiting for.

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

Yeah I hear you. I'm at the point in my life where I'm all "$1,000 for a CPU doesn't seem too out there". I think it's the $700 motherboard that kills me however.

We'll see what the heat is like in Q3 2017 I guess. This amazing/dumb case I bought isn't built to flush heat that a 10 core/20 thread monster would (probably) push out, even on a 240mm RAD with 4x120s @ 72 CFM in a push/pull.

[Wormius]

I have an older Brother DCP7020 multifunction laser printer. Wondering if there are any reliable USB print servers that are recommended. I haven't found any that have stellar reviews, and the ones that do aren't compatible, apparently.

[RinkRat]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

Yeah I hear you. I'm at the point in my life where I'm all "$1,000 for a CPU doesn't seem too out there". I think it's the $700 motherboard that kills me however.

We'll see what the heat is like in Q3 2017 I guess. This amazing/dumb case I bought isn't built to flush heat that a 10 core/20 thread monster would (probably) push out, even on a 240mm RAD with 4x120s @ 72 CFM in a push/pull.

That's good to know as the infinity is one of the cases I'm considering. Along with the s340 elite and corsairs new crystal one.

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by RinkRat

That's good to know as the infinity is one of the cases I'm considering. Along with the s340 elite and corsairs new crystal one.

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Tapatalk

Yeah it's a stellar (looking) case, but the cooling is always going to be it's biggest flaw. Currently, I'm running a 6700k @ 4.6. The Prime95 max heat test put it up to ~80c when running a H100i (2nd gen, older model) closed-loop in a push/pull with 2xGentle Typhoon 1450s (push) and 2xCorsair Mag-Lev 120s (pull). X chips tend to be a lot hotter than even an OCd top-end CPU, so I'd be a bit wary. At minimum, I'd upgrade my cooler to a H115i (280mm) which apparently fits just fine in the 805i as well.

A Thermaltake Pacific Reef 240 would probably work excellent and look super cool in a 805i however. I would almost want to grab one of those ($600) babies just because.

[CroFlames]

psycnet, how often do you upgrade your rig and/or get a new one? I built mine in late 2014 and I still feel like it's OK. I played Witcher II on max settings.

[PsYcNeT]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

psycnet, how often do you upgrade your rig and/or get a new one? I built mine in late 2014 and I still feel like it's OK. I played Witcher II on max settings.

Generally? Every three paycheque month (so, every 4 months) I like to throw in a new part or grab a new peripheral, since I don't really spend my disposable money on much else since I stopped playing in bands (and my musical setup is pretty top notch). I spent a bunch on a new TV awhile ago, but that was the exception.

Usually my time cycles are about so:
CPU/Motherboard/RAM - Every 2-3 years depending on technology/death of current pieces
GPU - Once a year I add a card, typically goes Single Flagship > SLI Flagships > Sell one, put the other in my wife's PC > Repeat
PSU - When it dies (3-4 years)
Case - Every 3-4 years or when something tickles my fancy
Monitor(s) - Rarely. GSync was the only real catalyst recently (~20 months ago) otherwise it's every 4-5 years
Mouse - When it dies (4-5 years)
Keyboard - When it dies (4-5 years)
Headset - When it dies (4-5 years)
Fans/CPU Cooler - When quieter, high CFM models come out, I'll usually pick them up and replace my fans. CPU coolers get replaced every 3 years (I'm due, might go hard-pipe water cooling next 3-paycheque, haven't decided)
Storage - When I run out of space. I'm bad for having 5x SSDs that are half a Terabyte or less. Will grab an m2 next time I decide to reformat
Speakers - Been running the same Logitech Z-5 USBs out of convenience for 10+ years. Work well for non-headset or HT gaming or just general music listening
Random Peripherals - Buy them when needed (external cards, drives, sound processors, mouse pads, etc.)

When I cycle out old parts (that aren't dead) I usually put them in my wife's PC.

Her setup currently:
i5-3570k @ 4.6 + Corsair H60i
EVGA Classified GTX 980
ASUS Z68-V Pro
16GB DDR3 G.Skill 2133
Couple 1080p monitors
Ghetto Logitech keyboard/speakers
Some steelseries mouse
Some old HDDs and 2 newer cheap (like, SSDNow V400s) SSDs

I'm usually on the up-and-up for newer tech and variety of build styles because I build as a hobby for friends and family, generally (outside of the PCs I maintain at home) I build about 5-8 PCs in any given year for people I know, usually gaming PCs in the $1300-$2500 (tower cost) range.

[Meelapo]

Here's what the internet has been waiting for (the arm is my wife's and not mine).

http://imgur.com/AjLWKJo

And a question...

At our house we use this application called emby. It's a media streamer that is very similar to Plex. At this time we have to 4TB drives that store our media. Everything was fine when these drives were in my old computer because the computer was hidden away. Now that I have a fancy looking case we've decided to put the case on the desk. We've also put the hard drives in the new case. The problem is that it's close to our heads and the drives are very noisy. Is there some sort of device I can purchase that will allow me to remove the drives from the case but still allow the server software to connect to the drives via the network?

I know there are NAS devices but they seem very expensive for what I need. I don't need anything to be backed up or to be transcoded from the device itself as the software on my PC will do that. I just need an external standalone...thing...that the server software can connect to and then stream to the devices in the house.

[PsYcNeT]

Basically a NAS enclosure is your best bet. They are pricey because they are essentially a cheap tiny PC.

You could buy a USB enclosure and attach it to your router (most routers have at least 1 USB connector) as a network slave, but that only will handle a single drive.

EDIT:

This WD MyCloud 2x drive is on sale for 210 right now:

http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/MX61395

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by PsYcNeT

Generally? Every three paycheque month (so, every 4 months) I like to throw in a new part or grab a new peripheral, since I don't really spend my disposable money on much else since I stopped playing in bands (and my musical setup is pretty top notch). I spent a bunch on a new TV awhile ago, but that was the exception.

Usually my time cycles are about so:
CPU/Motherboard/RAM - Every 2-3 years depending on technology/death of current pieces
GPU - Once a year I add a card, typically goes Single Flagship > SLI Flagships > Sell one, put the other in my wife's PC > Repeat
PSU - When it dies (3-4 years)
Case - Every 3-4 years or when something tickles my fancy
Monitor(s) - Rarely. GSync was the only real catalyst recently (~20 months ago) otherwise it's every 4-5 years
Mouse - When it dies (4-5 years)
Keyboard - When it dies (4-5 years)
Headset - When it dies (4-5 years)
Fans/CPU Cooler - When quieter, high CFM models come out, I'll usually pick them up and replace my fans. CPU coolers get replaced every 3 years (I'm due, might go hard-pipe water cooling next 3-paycheque, haven't decided)
Storage - When I run out of space. I'm bad for having 5x SSDs that are half a Terabyte or less. Will grab an m2 next time I decide to reformat
Speakers - Been running the same Logitech Z-5 USBs out of convenience for 10+ years. Work well for non-headset or HT gaming or just general music listening
Random Peripherals - Buy them when needed (external cards, drives, sound processors, mouse pads, etc.)

When I cycle out old parts (that aren't dead) I usually put them in my wife's PC.

Her setup currently:
i5-3570k @ 4.6 + Corsair H60i
EVGA Classified GTX 980
ASUS Z68-V Pro
16GB DDR3 G.Skill 2133
Couple 1080p monitors
Ghetto Logitech keyboard/speakers
Some steelseries mouse
Some old HDDs and 2 newer cheap (like, SSDNow V400s) SSDs

I'm usually on the up-and-up for newer tech and variety of build styles because I build as a hobby for friends and family, generally (outside of the PCs I maintain at home) I build about 5-8 PCs in any given year for people I know, usually gaming PCs in the $1300-$2500 (tower cost) range.

Am I your friend?

[oilyfan]

Originally Posted by Meelapo

Here's what the internet has been waiting for (the arm is my wife's and not mine).

http://imgur.com/AjLWKJo

And a question...

At our house we use this application called emby. It's a media streamer that is very similar to Plex. At this time we have to 4TB drives that store our media. Everything was fine when these drives were in my old computer because the computer was hidden away. Now that I have a fancy looking case we've decided to put the case on the desk. We've also put the hard drives in the new case. The problem is that it's close to our heads and the drives are very noisy. Is there some sort of device I can purchase that will allow me to remove the drives from the case but still allow the server software to connect to the drives via the network?

I know there are NAS devices but they seem very expensive for what I need. I don't need anything to be backed up or to be transcoded from the device itself as the software on my PC will do that. I just need an external standalone...thing...that the server software can connect to and then stream to the devices in the house.

You need a dual HDD Enclosure. Many options for around $50-60. https://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_no...enclosure+dual