The PC Builders Thread ("I Need a New PC") v2

ParityBit · Apr 14, 2019

So I have a question. Should I use these https://www.amazon.com/Prolimatech-Ultra-Vortex-Mounting-Pattern/dp/B00B1WQ4VA/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_3?crid=2236JGHD12A4P&keywords=case+fan+140mm+x+15mm&qid=1555285813&s=gateway&sprefix=case+fan+140,aps,133&sr=8-3-fkmrnull as the top month on my case. I can put them above the radiator in my case I think. Then attach the CPU below it. It is strange it is only 120mm mount though.

Or should I mount the two 120 MM in the case to cool my H115i? That currently uses 2 140mm thick case fans.

Edit: Screw it. I just got them anyways. I need something to get this working.

OverdriveOtaku · Apr 14, 2019

Gaming_Groove said:
I've used Macrium Reflect (which was free last I checked) for this in the past and it has always worked out really well. Just clone the drive in reflect and then extend the volume through Windows Disk Management to take advantage of the increased capacity.

Awesome, will check this out. Thanks!

Dave. · Apr 15, 2019

I'll second Macrium Reflect, I've used it fairly recently. Pretty useful feature of being able to image a running Windows C drive. Other than that I have used Clonezilla with success.

Syntsui · Apr 15, 2019

What are the absolute best options for monitors that offer at very least:
24''
1x USB port
144Hz
G-Sync

I've seen some apparently good Asus and Acer ones, but all of them have reviews of people saying they had problems after some time of use. I will be importing from Brazil so I want this to be as safe as possible as I won't have the option to send it back to the manufacturer to fix any problems.

The ones I was looking forward to get the most are these, but the lack of USB port is a huge bummer:
https://www.amazon.com/1080p-Gaming-LED-Lit-Monitor-VG278Q/dp/B074JLD4HZ/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=ASUS+-+VG278Q+27"+LCD&qid=1555303122&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

https://www.amazon.com/Acer-XFA240-...er+XF240H&qid=1555307072&s=electronics&sr=1-1

This one would be the alternative, even though it's way more expensive:
https://www.amazon.com/PG248Q-G-SYN...us+PG248Q&qid=1555302802&s=electronics&sr=1-1

If anyone could vouch for their everlasting quality I'd appreciate.

ParityBit · Apr 15, 2019

I have a question. Once I am done with my machine (taking forever!) I plan on giving my wife my old one. I want to wipe windows and start fresh on the whole thing. What do I need to do in order to do that? How is the key linked to the hardware? i.e. do I need to get the ID or something somehow? I was planning on just using the USB key I got for my new machine.

shaneo632 · Apr 15, 2019

What's the best way to play Steam games remotely?

Xiaomi · Apr 15, 2019

shaneo632 said:
What's the best way to play Steam games remotely?

Wired via Steam Link or two PCs on the same (wired) network. Wifi or streaming over a longer distance is usually more miss than hit.

Deaf Spacker · Apr 15, 2019

Can anyone advise on fan placement for a Corsair 400C?

I'm installing a H115 in the front, I then have two 140mm ML fans and one 120mm ML fan, I guess the 140's can go at the top and the 120 at the back? Any preference on whether they exhaust or pull in?

Also, where can I hide a Commander Pro?

AwakenedCloud · Apr 15, 2019

My PC has started powering off mid-game during Sekiro due to what the BIOS describes as: "Power supply surge detected during previous power on. ASUS Anti-Surge was triggered...".

From what I've read it could be the PSU, my surge protector, the MOBO, or the anti-surge software itself. Has anyone experienced this issue before?

I don't even hear the fans while I'm playing... I wouldn't expect Sekiro to be the game that would push my PC to its limits.

Edit: I guess it's worth noting that I also got Google Fiber installed recently, and the outlet box they put in is right next to the PC, so I'd assume it's drawing from the same power source.

Vulcano's Assistant · Apr 15, 2019

Deaf Spacker said:
Can anyone advise on fan placement for a Corsair 400C?

I'm installing a H115 in the front, I then have two 140mm ML fans and one 120mm ML fan, I guess the 140's can go at the top and the 120 at the back? Any preference on whether they exhaust or pull in?

Also, where can I hide a Commander Pro?

With your H115 pulling air from the front then I would have both fans on the back and top be the exhaust.

The commander pro you ideally will hide on the back. This is from an user build in pcpartpicker with the Corsair 400C

OverdriveOtaku · Apr 15, 2019

Dave. said:
I'll second Macrium Reflect, I've used it fairly recently. Pretty useful feature of being able to image a running Windows C drive. Other than that I have used Clonezilla with success.

Thanks for the second opinion, always a good feeling when more than one person recommends the same option. I'll make a note of Clonezilla just in case.

Nothing · Apr 15, 2019

Ryna said:
I have an i5 6500 right now and its bottlenecking me hardcore. Considering upgrading to a Ryzen 2600X with my tax returns, but that means I also gotta get a new mobo. Ryzen 7 2700X is $100 more but comes with The Division 2 and a RGB Cooler though...

Any CPU recommendations for a RX 580 OC user?

Keikaku said:
If you can, wait a couple months for Zen 2 aka second coming of Jesus.

I feel like every page in here we have to keep telling people to wait for Ryzen 2 in July.

Everyone comes into the thread but doesn't read any of the posts.

If you need to buy a Ryzen chip today I'd temporarily buy either the Ryzen 5 1600 for $79.99 or the Ryzen 5 2600 for $159.99 with a nice AM4 motherboard and plan on upgrading to the 3600x/3700x when they release. Then recoup whatever costs you can buy selling the used CPU. That's the best upgrade path right now. The Ryzen 3600x and 3700x are going to be very good and very nice value.

Arsene no Kiseki · Apr 15, 2019

Nothing said:
I feel like every page in here we have to keep telling people to wait for Ryzen 2 in July.

Everyone comes into the thread but doesn't read any of the posts.

If you need to buy a Ryzen chip today I'd temporarily buy either the Ryzen 5 1600 for $79.99 or the Ryzen 5 2600 for $159.99 with a nice AM4 motherboard and plan on upgrading to the 3600x/3700x when they release. Then recoup whatever costs you can buy selling the used CPU. That's the best upgrade path right now. The Ryzen 3600x and 3700x are going to be very good and very nice value.

Ive been following Ryzen 3, I stated below my initial comment that I wanted to upgrade before Yakuza in May so July is too far off a wait.

MMBosstones86 · Apr 15, 2019

Is it "possible" (or feasible) to build a non gaming PC just for desktop work? sub350ish budget?

I'm thinking 450W, 120g NVMe drive, MicroATX case and board. Have no idea about the CPU though.

R dott B · Apr 15, 2019

So it turns out the node 202 is a pain to work with so I'm back to the drawing board on a case.

Nothing · Apr 15, 2019

Ryna said:
Ive been following Ryzen 3, I stated below my initial comment that I wanted to upgrade before Yakuza in May so July is too far off a wait.

Right, you can't wait because you have to play some game today.

You're asking for build advice and I'm telling you with complete certainty that the 2600x and the 2700x are very poor value propositions right now. They are about to become instantly outclassed in just a few months. So it's up to you how much money you want to spend.

I'd suggest anyone thinking of starting a Ryzen build to read these speculative/leak articles from last month before purchasing anything:
https://www.eteknix.com/amd-ryzen-3000-pricing-leaks-look-great/
https://wccftech.com/amd-ryzen-3000-cpu-specs-prices-online-retailer-ryzen-9-3850x-leak/
https://www.techradar.com/news/amd-...pecs-and-prices-spill-out-after-a-retail-leak

If you have to play a game today then you have to play a game today. I guess... But that's a very shortsighted build approach. It's your prerogative if you want to get poor value for your investment. The Ryzen 3600x looks like it's going to be an incredible amount of value for your money in just a few months. If the question is "I need to buy a gaming CPU today" well then you should be buying an Intel 9600K or 9700K. Intel has significantly better singled threaded / IPC gaming performance than current Ryzens.

didamangi · Apr 15, 2019

This is not officially confirmed yet but looks like the 300 series motherboards won't be getting support for zen 2?

In a support e-mail to an X370 XPower Titanium owner, MSI confirmed that it will not extend Zen 2 support to AMD 300-series. Other motherboard vendors could follow MSI's suit as a representative of another motherboard vendor, on condition of anonymity, told TechPowerUp that "Zen 2" processors have steeper electrical requirements that 300-series motherboards don't meet.

https://www.techpowerup.com/254634/...-am4-longevity-promise-no-zen2-for-300-series
https://www.forbes.com/sites/antony...rk-with-300-series-motherboards/#20301a3c5764

Arsene no Kiseki · Apr 15, 2019

Nothing said:
Right, you can't wait because you have to play some game today.

You're asking for build advice and I'm telling you with complete certainty that the 2600x and the 2700x are very poor value propositions right now. They are about to become instantly outclassed in just a few months. So it's up to you how much money you want to spend.

I'd suggest anyone thinking of starting a Ryzen build to read these speculative/leak articles from last month before purchasing anything:
https://www.eteknix.com/amd-ryzen-3000-pricing-leaks-look-great/
https://wccftech.com/amd-ryzen-3000-cpu-specs-prices-online-retailer-ryzen-9-3850x-leak/
https://www.techradar.com/news/amd-...pecs-and-prices-spill-out-after-a-retail-leak

If you have to play a game today then you have to play a game today. I guess... But that's a very shortsighted build approach. It's your prerogative if you want to get poor value for your investment. The Ryzen 3600x looks like it's going to be an incredible amount of value for your money in just a few months. If the question is "I need to buy a gaming CPU today" well then you should be buying an Intel 9600K or 9700K. Intel has significantly better singled threaded / IPC gaming performance than current Ryzens.

Well the big issue here is I only have a mid-range PC. I have an RX 580 and don't plan on upgrading any time soon and the Ryzen 5 2600X seems like more than enough for what I need. Hell the only real reason I'm considering a 2600X instead of a basic 2600 is because its on sale at the moment. Worst case scenario if the Ryzen 3000's are THAT good I can just sell my 2600x and upgrade for cheap, or give it to my sister since shes also looking into building a PC. Yakuza Kiwami 2 is just the game that is really making me think about upgrading.

My 6500 is making a bunch of games impossible to play for me, and my motherboard is cheap and falling apart. I don't even know If I CAN wait for Ryzen 3000.

Also 9700k is definitely overkill, and the 9600k seems like too steep a price hike from the Ryzen for my liking, Especially since it doesn't include a cooler. But I dunno, I'll have to take a week to think about it all. There might be a sale between then who knows, PC parts in Canada feel like they change price every 3 days anyway.

Nothing · Apr 15, 2019

Ryna said:
Well the big issue here is I only have a mid-range PC. I have an RX 580 and don't plan on upgrading any time soon and the Ryzen 5 2600X seems like more than enough for what I need. Hell the only real reason I'm considering a 2600X instead of a basic 2600 is because its on sale at the moment. Worst case scenario if the Ryzen 3000's are THAT good I can just sell my 2600x and upgrade for cheap, or give it to my sister since shes also looking into building a PC. Yakuza Kiwami 2 is just the game that is really making me think about upgrading.

My 6500 is making a bunch of games impossible to play for me, and my motherboard is cheap and falling apart. I don't even know If I CAN wait for Ryzen 3000.

Also 9700k is definitely overkill, and the 9600k seems like too steep a price hike from the Ryzen for my liking, Especially since it doesn't include a cooler. But I dunno, I'll have to take a week to think about it all. There might be a sale between then who knows, PC parts in Canada feel like they change price every 3 days anyway.

I hear you. The 2600 might be a decent choice for someone that doesn't want to sink any additional money into their rig in the future. 9 months ago I was EXACTLY where you are today and was turned on by the value proposition of getting a 2600 for only about 150 bucks in order to get current. But then I did more reading and research and quickly found out that the 2600 doesn't have much better gaming performance than these older intel chips like yours. Many of us have been in your situation.

Take a look at this chart.

Your 6500 has a single-thread rating of 1947 and the 2600X is rated at 2143. That's only about a 10% gain for gaming performance in most games. It's not much of an upgrade at all, and that's not money well spent. Check out some of the other current processors on that list for comparisons sake.

Keikaku · Apr 15, 2019

Nothing said:
I feel like every page in here we have to keep telling people to wait for Ryzen 2 in July.

Everyone comes into the thread but doesn't read any of the posts.

If you need to buy a Ryzen chip today I'd temporarily buy either the Ryzen 5 1600 for $79.99 or the Ryzen 5 2600 for $159.99 with a nice AM4 motherboard and plan on upgrading to the 3600x/3700x when they release. Then recoup whatever costs you can buy selling the used CPU. That's the best upgrade path right now. The Ryzen 3600x and 3700x are going to be very good and very nice value.

For sure if you can't wait. 1600 is incredible value at the moment.

didamangi said:
This is not officially confirmed yet but looks like the 300 series motherboards won't be getting support for zen 2?

https://www.techpowerup.com/254634/...-am4-longevity-promise-no-zen2-for-300-series
https://www.forbes.com/sites/antony...rk-with-300-series-motherboards/#20301a3c5764

That's weird if true. Could Zen 2 draw so much power? Not all of them and I find it hard to believe that top of the line x370 boards couldn't handle Zen 2.

Nothing · Apr 15, 2019

If you're on a very limited budget, already have DDR4 RAM, and have to buy something now to fix your ailing motherboard then you gotta do what you gotta do and the 2600 is cheap. You can get a 2600 + mobo combo from Microcenter for $160 + ~$100-ish - $30 bundle offer = $230 + tax. But it's not going to be fast enough to run games like Battlefield 1 or many other AAA games in the future.

Arsene no Kiseki · Apr 15, 2019

Nothing said:
I hear you. The 2600 might be a decent choice for someone that doesn't want to sink any additional money into their rig in the future. 9 months ago I was EXACTLY where you are today and was turned on by the value proposition of getting a 2600 for only about 150 bucks in order to get current. But then I did more reading and research and quickly found out that the 2600 doesn't have much better gaming performance than these older intel chips like yours. Many of us have been in your situation.

Take a look at this chart.

Your 6500 has a single-thread rating of 1947 and the 2600X is rated at 2143. That's only about a 10% gain for gaming performance in most games. It's not much of an upgrade at all, and that's not money well spent. Check out some of the other current processors on that list for comparisons sake.

That's what I find odd. Games like Monster Hunter World, FFXV, Assassin's Creed Origins + Odyssey and Watch Dogs 2 have performance issues with the i5 6500 (and the 6600k too) but the Ryzen 5 cards run it completely fine. Unfortunately its an issue that's happening with more and more games every year. I assume the reasoning is because the i5 6500 only has 4 cores while the Ryzen 5 cards have 6.

Keikaku · Apr 15, 2019

Ryna said:
That's what I find odd. Games like Monster Hunter World, FFXV, Assassin's Creed Origins + Odyssey and Watch Dogs 2 have performance issues with the i5 6500 (and the 6600k too) but the Ryzen 5 cards run it completely fine. Unfortunately its an issue that's happening with more and more games every year. I assume the reasoning is because the i5 6500 only has 4 cores while the Ryzen 5 cards have 6.

I5 6500 has 4 cores and threads while Ryzen 5 has 6 cores and 12 threads, a massive difference.

Nothing · Apr 15, 2019

Ryna said:
That's what I find odd. Games like Monster Hunter World, FFXV, Assassin's Creed Origins + Odyssey and Watch Dogs 2 have performance issues with the i5 6500 (and the 6600k too) but the Ryzen 5 cards run it completely fine. Unfortunately its an issue that's happening with more and more games every year. I assume the reasoning is because the i5 6500 only has 4 cores while the Ryzen 5 cards have 6.

I know that MHW and FFXV make use of their extra cores and threads. But most games don't and are still developed with consoles as their leading platform.

Single-thread rating is still the most important. Yes, it will definitely be good to have additional cores and threads going forward. You picked a couple of the leading examples. But most games are not using them. Most games that fall under that umbrella are simply not optimized well. It will be interesting to see what kind of processors and graphics the PS5 and next Xbox will be running. Because they will kind of be the minimum recommended system specs going forward. Something like 6C/6T in the 9600K should be perfectly fine for several years from now.

Not that many games are rebuilt for optimization on PC. Publishers sell a fraction of games on PC than they do on console. Most PC games are also developed under the system specs that the most number of people can run. Like in the steam hardware survey. Think games like Overwatch and Fortnite.

EVA UNIT 01 · Apr 15, 2019

I have a non K i7 6700.
Im just wondering what the next logical upgrade would be?
Is an i7 8700 even an upgrade?
Should i be looking at a whole new mobo and cpu?
Keep in mind im not struggling at my settings this is just a luxury purchase i was fortunate enough to come into.

Heres the setup
I7 6700 non k
MSI 1080 gaming x
16gb
MSI Z170A gaming M5 MOBO

Ramathevoice · Apr 15, 2019

EVA UNIT 01 said:
I have a non K i7 6700.
Im just wondering what the next logical upgrade would be?
Is an i7 8700 even an upgrade?
Should i be looking at a whole new mobo and cpu?
Keep in mind im not struggling at my settings this is just a luxury purchase i was fortunate enough to come into.

Heres the setup
I7 6700 non k
MSI 1080 gaming x
16gb
MSI Z170A gaming M5 MOBO

Unfortunately the Z170 platform is a dead-end one. You could get a used 7-series CPU at the most, but that would be a complete waste of money. Your only option for a real CPU upgrade is to switch motherboards as well.

Nothing · Apr 15, 2019

Anyways... I want to get back to reiterating the main point here which is that when people post "Which new processor should I get for gaming?" on every single page, the answer is the i5-9600K or the i7-9700K. The i5-8400 is also recommended for a value purchase if you want to save some money.

The current gen Ryzen processors are more for multitasking (e.g. gaming + streaming) and workstation usage because of the higher core count and lower IPC ratings.

CrazyHal · Apr 15, 2019

After 6 years, I finally upgraded my cpu. I went from an old ass 4th gen core i5 to a Ryzen 5 2600 and the difference in performance in more cpu intensive games is night and day.

I_D · Apr 15, 2019

My brother has been tasked with building machines for his boss' new location. He's only built one computer in his entire life, and I picked out the parts for him for that one (that's IT, nowadays, folks).

They need multiple machines. Some of them can be worth $1400, and the others can be worth $800.

This is the reference they're going by, and I KNOW we can beat that:

Case-size doesn't really matter, but I went with small-ish anyway. They absolutely must have wifi-support, and they absolutely must beat those references in every category.
This is what I've come up with:

Anybody have any ideas on how to make them even better bangs-for-the-buck?

To save money, they can recycle ROm-drives and hard-drives, hence the blanks in the $800-option. They also have a 4tb 'hive drive' (shared storage????) to save their projects on, so HDD costs can be eliminated, but I insisted that on-site storage is a proper precaution.

Even though the 'reference' builds don't have relevant GPUs, I know they'll need them. They do graphic-design, and are planning on upgrading to a CAD station, so even a mildly-relevant GPU is a must.

EDIT: They don't actually need overclockable boards, but I know my brother will end up with those machines in five years, so overclocking is something I'd like to sneak in.

Deaf Spacker · Apr 16, 2019

Vulcano's Assistant said:
With your H115 pulling air from the front then I would have both fans on the back and top be the exhaust.

The commander pro you ideally will hide on the back. This is from an user build in pcpartpicker with the Corsair 400C

Thank you!

I have hit a slight problem though, we installed the H115 to the front fine and we installed the rear 120mm fan fine. The problem is with the top rear 140mm fan, it will not fit because the CPU power cable is routed through a hole in the top rear corner and the cable is not giving us the room to mount the fan, short of taking a dremel and shaving off a few milimetres of the case I'm not sure how to get the fan fitted.

Vulcano's Assistant · Apr 16, 2019

Immortal_Daemon said:
My brother has been tasked with building machines for his boss' new location. He's only built one computer in his entire life, and I picked out the parts for him for that one (that's IT, nowadays, folks).

They need multiple machines. Some of them can be worth $1400, and the others can be worth $800.

This is the reference they're going by, and I KNOW we can beat that:

Case-size doesn't really matter, but I went with small-ish anyway. They absolutely must have wifi-support, and they absolutely must beat those references in every category.
This is what I've come up with:

Anybody have any ideas on how to make them even better bangs-for-the-buck?

To save money, they can recycle ROm-drives and hard-drives, hence the blanks in the $800-option. They also have a 4tb 'hive drive' (shared storage????) to save their projects on, so HDD costs can be eliminated, but I insisted that on-site storage is a proper precaution.

Even though the 'reference' builds don't have relevant GPUs, I know they'll need them. They do graphic-design, and are planning on upgrading to a CAD station, so even a mildly-relevant GPU is a must.

EDIT: They don't actually need overclockable boards, but I know my brother will end up with those machines in five years, so overclocking is something I'd like to sneak in.

- Is there a 3.5" bay for the Rosewill RCR-IC001 on the Carbide 100r ? Since your mobo is m-ATX, you could save $20 with the Cooler Master N200. Or for the same price as the Corsair 100r , the Cooler Master - Silencio 352.

- Noctua NH-L9i strikes me as an odd choice to pair with a 9700K since the build is not Small form factor. Performance for the size is fantastic, but without that restriction you are not beating some decent budget coolers like the Arctic Freezer 33 or Hyper 212 Evo , which would edge the L9i thanks to size, and you save close to $10.

For graphic design the drives don't need to be premium endurance, they would for video editing, but in this situation I would save there if I can:
- Crucial MX500 or WD Blue instead of Samsung 860
- WD Blue HDD instead of WD Black

An well if you can fit the 9700k in the budget, that's great, but that's the first place I would cut if you need to put more in GPUs. 8700K is perfectly reasonable here.

Vulcano's Assistant · Apr 16, 2019

Deaf Spacker said:
Thank you!

I have hit a slight problem though, we installed the H115 to the front fine and we installed the rear 120mm fan fine. The problem is with the top rear 140mm fan, it will not fit because the CPU power cable is routed through a hole in the top rear corner and the cable is not giving us the room to mount the fan, short of taking a dremel and shaving off a few milimetres of the case I'm not sure how to get the fan fitted.

Is it because the cable is too thick or because of the plastic connector in the end? If it is the cable you could try using a sleeved extension cable that could be easier to flatten , but it is an extra expense, since they usually sell them as a pack with the 24 pin extension, pcie extension, etc.

I got that Idea because I saw this picture of someone using individually sleeved cables and fans galore. (however those are not extensions, but full cables that are more expensive and have to be compatible with your PSU). Extensions instead would be attached at the end of your current cables so there would be more cable to manage. For example here is someone using 3 extensions on the Corsair 400C

LordRuyn · Apr 16, 2019

Immortal_Daemon said:
My brother has been tasked with building machines for his boss' new location. He's only built one computer in his entire life, and I picked out the parts for him for that one (that's IT, nowadays, folks).

They need multiple machines. Some of them can be worth $1400, and the others can be worth $800.

This is the reference they're going by, and I KNOW we can beat that:

Case-size doesn't really matter, but I went with small-ish anyway. They absolutely must have wifi-support, and they absolutely must beat those references in every category.
This is what I've come up with:

Anybody have any ideas on how to make them even better bangs-for-the-buck?

To save money, they can recycle ROm-drives and hard-drives, hence the blanks in the $800-option. They also have a 4tb 'hive drive' (shared storage????) to save their projects on, so HDD costs can be eliminated, but I insisted that on-site storage is a proper precaution.

Even though the 'reference' builds don't have relevant GPUs, I know they'll need them. They do graphic-design, and are planning on upgrading to a CAD station, so even a mildly-relevant GPU is a must.

EDIT: They don't actually need overclockable boards, but I know my brother will end up with those machines in five years, so overclocking is something I'd like to sneak in.

In that case I'd suggest going with 3000 or 3200 Ram

Deaf Spacker · Apr 16, 2019

Vulcano's Assistant said:
Is it because the cable is too thick or because of the plastic connector in the end? If it is the cable you could try using a sleeved extension cable that could be easier to flatten , but it is an extra expense, since they usually sell them as a pack with the 24 pin extension, pcie extension, etc.

I got that Idea because I saw this picture of someone using individually sleeved cables and fans galore. (however those are not extensions, but full cables that are more expensive and have to be compatible with your PSU). Extensions instead would be attached at the end of your current cables so there would be more cable to manage. For example here is someone using 3 extensions on the Corsair 400C

It seems to be caused by the cable being slightly too thick, I've dabbled with braided cables for PSU's before and I did wonder if they would help by being thinner or more flexible?

I'm looking at https://www.scan.co.uk/products/cor...-type4-gen4-red-mesh-paracord-in-line-capacit

Does this contain everything? As I got burnt before and I had to order the motherboard power cable separately. My PSU is a Corsair RM650x.

Vulcano's Assistant · Apr 16, 2019

Deaf Spacker said:
It seems to be caused by the cable being slightly too thick, I've dabbled with braided cables for PSU's before and I did wonder if they would help by being thinner or more flexible?

I'm looking at https://www.scan.co.uk/products/cor...-type4-gen4-red-mesh-paracord-in-line-capacit

Does this contain everything? As I got burnt before and I had to order the motherboard power cable separately. My PSU is a Corsair RM650x.

Corsair's website says Type 4 cables should work with the RM650x. That kit does seem to have everything.
Two molex cables too, those most people don't use nowadays (or at least mostly left hidden in the back powering some fans or the pump of an open custom water loop).
If you don't need two sleeved molex cables there are also some Type 4 kits on Scan Computers that don't come with neither the Molex or SATA power, and only one single EPS12V/ATX12V (if you also don't need that one twice); and you can still individually add SATA power and end up paying less.

B1ggRandall · Apr 16, 2019

Ok I'm finally ready for this! I'm looking to get a $700-$800 desktop! I need this desktop because I make YouTube videos and stream console games. I'm just tried of my laptop over heating and giving me problems! This desktop can be a pre built computer IDC at this point.

I_D · Apr 16, 2019

Vulcano's Assistant said:
- Is there a 3.5" bay for the Rosewill RCR-IC001 on the Carbide 100r ? Since your mobo is m-ATX, you could save $20 with the Cooler Master N200. Or for the same price as the Corsair 100r , the Cooler Master - Silencio 352.

- Noctua NH-L9i strikes me as an odd choice to pair with a 9700K since the build is not Small form factor. Performance for the size is fantastic, but without that restriction you are not beating some decent budget coolers like the Arctic Freezer 33 or Hyper 212 Evo , which would edge the L9i thanks to size, and you save close to $10.

For graphic design the drives don't need to be premium endurance, they would for video editing, but in this situation I would save there if I can:
- Crucial MX500 or WD Blue instead of Samsung 860
- WD Blue HDD instead of WD Black

An well if you can fit the 9700k in the budget, that's great, but that's the first place I would cut if you need to put more in GPUs. 8700K is perfectly reasonable here.

The machines need to be able to fit into tiny cases in the future, so I had to go with low-profile cooler. The case I did choose was simply based on aesthetics and included fan-count. That component may change at the last second anyway if the boss doesn't like it.

I haven't purchased a ROM in like ten years, so I just went with whatever. I'll take a look at the other options.
I've never had a Crucial or Seagate drive last longer than two years, so I'm definitely sticking with WD, but I'll check out those cheaper options as well.

Thank you!

Deaf Spacker · Apr 16, 2019

Vulcano's Assistant said:
Corsair's website says Type 4 cables should work with the RM650x. That kit does seem to have everything.
Two molex cables too, those most people don't use nowadays (or at least mostly left hidden in the back powering some fans or the pump of an open custom water loop).
If you don't need two sleeved molex cables there are also some Type 4 kits on Scan Computers that don't come with neither the Molex or SATA power, and only one single EPS12V/ATX12V (if you also don't need that one twice); and you can still individually add SATA power and end up paying less.

Thank you, I ended up ordering the kit that I linked to, I'd rather have more than enough cables than not enough cables.

Hopefully they'll help and I can get the second 140 ML fan fitted, oh I tried hiding the Commander Pro round the side like you said but the panel wouldn't go on, back to the drawing board.

Ocean · Apr 16, 2019

So I know the general consensus is usually "build your own, you'll get better bang for your buck than going with a prebuilt". But a buddy of mine recently sent me this in a bid to get me into PC gaming.

https://www.microcenter.com/product/600162/x601-gaming-desktop-computer

It's a US$1400 desktop with:

9600K
Asus Strix Z390-E Gaming
16GB G.Skill Trident Z DDR4 3200
500GB Samsung 970 Evo
1070Ti
750w PSU
Lian Li Case
Liquid cooling (for CPU and GPU)

It looks like a super attractive price, specially for something that comes prebuilt looking way better than whatever monstrosity I'd put together with my shit cable management skills. The only con I can spot is that, for someone completely unexperienced with liquid cooling, any eventual upgrades I want to do in the future would be a major nerve-wrecking hassle.

Is there a giant red flag I'm missing here, or is this just a genuinely good deal? For what it's worth, all I see myself doing on a gaming PC is playing Destiny 2.

Deleted member 4246 · Apr 16, 2019

TheMink · Apr 16, 2019

Hey guys can you give me your input on this?:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/4HCxzY

Ocean · Apr 16, 2019

Chewie B said:
It is a really good value. Downsides are only having a 1070ti but that isn't a bad card by any means. I really really want that front distro block that EK makes in that build, but at present it is exclusive to this particular microcenter PC.

I would still do everything yourself though. Custom watercooling isn't bad, but not exactly something you would want to try if you haven't done a PC build yourself before and have anxiety about screwing stuff up. I should stress the latter point more as if you don't have much anxiety about DIY/tinkering around with stuff, then just jump in. The amount of anxiety built up about the "complexities" of computers and building them is imo absolute bullshit. If you can plug in an SNES cartridge, and have some 'experience' using a screwdriver + allen key at all in your life, then you can build a PC yourself no problem. Stuff is so standardized nowadays with tons of built in fail-safes that it's fairly difficult to really "screw up" a build.

Said build also has the downside of having all aluminum parts so you would not be able to combine that radiator/cpu block/gpu block with any other common copper components down the line if you decided to upgrade the loop. Copper and aluminum don't mix due to galvanic corrosion. There's nothing wrong with going with aluminum only parts, but a lot of watercooling companies only make stuff with copper so you would be very limited in your future part selections.

Thanks for the quick reply dude. I actually just noticed it's a Microcenter in-store pickup exclusive so regardless of anything else, it's not gonna be an option for me.

I built a ton of computers all throughout my teenage years, for myself and friends and family, it's certainly not something I'm intimidated by. It's just been a really long time. I think the last PC I built myself was based on the Athlon XP 2500+, which I overclocked to match a 3200+. I'm not 100% sure, but off the top of my head I think that was probably...15 years ago? More recently, I helped my dad out with a new PC he built, but he did most of it himself.

It's a shame this thing isn't available on Amazon or anything. I'm fairly confident I wouldn't get it to look that good if I built it myself since I have very little patience for the "tidying up" part of building, and the price seems awfully similar to straight up parting out an equivalent system yourself. Not that it makes any difference since I can't buy it anyways, but in an ideal world they'd sell this for a little more money but with a 2070, and it wouldn't be MC exclusive.

I Don't Like · Apr 16, 2019

TheMink said:
Hey guys can you give me your input on this?:

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/4HCxzY

Looks good. I would never personally spend more on a CPU than a GPU but I primarily use mine for gaming.

Ocean said:
So I know the general consensus is usually "build your own, you'll get better bang for your buck than going with a prebuilt". But a buddy of mine recently sent me this in a bid to get me into PC gaming.

https://www.microcenter.com/product/600162/x601-gaming-desktop-computer

It's a US$1400 desktop with:

9600K
Asus Strix Z390-E Gaming
16GB G.Skill Trident Z DDR4 3200
500GB Samsung 970 Evo
1070Ti
750w PSU
Lian Li Case
Liquid cooling (for CPU and GPU)

It looks like a super attractive price, specially for something that comes prebuilt looking way better than whatever monstrosity I'd put together with my shit cable management skills. The only con I can spot is that, for someone completely unexperienced with liquid cooling, any eventual upgrades I want to do in the future would be a major nerve-wrecking hassle.

Is there a giant red flag I'm missing here, or is this just a genuinely good deal? For what it's worth, all I see myself doing on a gaming PC is playing Destiny 2.

My buddy has the 9700k and 2080Ti version of this. Exact same thing from MicroCenter just beefier parts. I've seen it in person and it's actually really well built and like most custom loops almost entirely silent.

Storage is on the low side but you could add.

For $1400 I think it's a good deal and to be able to start out in PC gaming with a custom loop is something most people don't get to experience. As a custom loop owner it could help you learn about how it works and be more prepared to upgrade/build your own in the future. Realistically if you want to stick to PC gaming, there will be no reason to go back to air cooling ever again.

Deleted member 4246 · Apr 16, 2019

Gaming_Groove · Apr 16, 2019

Ocean said:
Thanks for the quick reply dude. I actually just noticed it's a Microcenter in-store pickup exclusive so regardless of anything else, it's not gonna be an option for me.

I built a ton of computers all throughout my teenage years, for myself and friends and family, it's certainly not something I'm intimidated by. It's just been a really long time. I think the last PC I built myself was based on the Athlon XP 2500+, which I overclocked to match a 3200+. I'm not 100% sure, but off the top of my head I think that was probably...15 years ago? More recently, I helped my dad out with a new PC he built, but he did most of it himself.

It's a shame this thing isn't available on Amazon or anything. I'm fairly confident I wouldn't get it to look that good if I built it myself since I have very little patience for the "tidying up" part of building, and the price seems awfully similar to straight up parting out an equivalent system yourself. Not that it makes any difference since I can't buy it anyways, but in an ideal world they'd sell this for a little more money but with a 2070, and it wouldn't be MC exclusive.

What an awesome chip that was for the price. I had a 2800+ that I did the same with. The board also had onboard GeForce4 MX graphics (essentially a GeForce2), which made it a pretty nice little budget gaming system. Crazy to think about how nvidia used to be on AMD boards lol. I eventually bought some AGP card to throw in (probably an AGP 4000 series Radeon part) a few years later, but that little system was great for what I was playing for a long time. Was sad to see that PC go.

B1ggRandall · Apr 16, 2019

B1ggRandall said:
Ok I'm finally ready for this! I'm looking to get a $700-$800 desktop! I need this desktop because I make YouTube videos and stream console games. I'm just tried of my laptop over heating and giving me problems! This desktop can be a pre built computer IDC at this point.

Anyone? I almost made bought this prebuilt computer from Best Buy but I didn't know if it was a good deal.

Vulcano's Assistant · Apr 16, 2019

B1ggRandall said:
Anyone? I almost made bought this prebuilt computer from Best Buy but I didn't know if it was a good deal.

Do you have a capture an external card or does that have to be added?

B1ggRandall · Apr 16, 2019

Vulcano's Assistant said:
Do you have a capture an external card or does that have to be added?

I have a capture card.

Nothing · Apr 16, 2019

To return to some of the discussion that was going on yesterday, some info about the PS5 has finally been revealed. It's going to have 8 cores. So you can think about 8 cores at the dev level as the standard going foward for next-gen games beginning in 2020.

https://twitter.com/Wario64/status/1118143286961680384

https://www.wired.com/story/exclusive-sony-next-gen-console/
- Backwards compatibility with PS4 games
- Supports 8K
- CPU based on AMD Ryzen, custom GPU based on AMD Radeon Navi, ray-tracing support
- SSD - Supports PSVR & physical media
- Won't release this year

Vulcano's Assistant · Apr 16, 2019

B1ggRandall said:
I have a capture card.

I'm thinking this:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 1700 3 GHz 8-Core Processor ($159.40 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - B450M GAMING PLUS Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team - Vulcan 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($85.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: ADATA - XPG SX8200 Pro 256 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($56.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Toshiba - P300 3 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire - Radeon RX 550 - 512 4 GB PULSE Video Card ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox Q300L MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($47.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Plus Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($50.98 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($99.39 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: ARCTIC - F14 Silent 46 CFM 140mm Fan ($7.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $773.48
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-04-16 13:49 EDT-0400

Choices that you may think differently:
- I chose a full modular power supply, since that Seasonic is on sale and the price is really good.
- I chose a fast nvme ssd of only 256GB, but you may not need this. You can go with non nvme SSDs like a Crucial - MX500 or Western Digital Blue for cheaper, or for 500GB close to the same price.
- I gave you extra Hard Drive storage, but I don't know if you need it, I assumed you could use it since you may be storing or editing video.
- I chose 16GB of RAM in case you were editing video, but I believe you can go with 8GB if you are only streaming.
- Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand the GPU is not very important for streaming so I gave you a cheap one, without it being trash.

But honestly, this refurb is a great price too: https://www.amazon.com/HP-HP3LA37AAR-690-0067C-Bluetooth-Refurbished/dp/B07JNZQ2ZK/ref=sr_1_17?crid=35HUEFO1TZ71S&keywords=ryzen+7+1700&qid=1555437761&s=gateway&sprefix=1700,aps,154&sr=8-17

Prices are lower going AMD. In a prebuild that's on sale what you want too look for in streaming is a Ryzen 7 processor even with a weaker video card like a Rx 550. The other prebuilds with Rx 580 and Ryzen 5 CPUs would be better gaming machines, but not as good for streaming.

The PC Builders Thread ("I Need a New PC") v2

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