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[Computer Build Thread] - Bemoan the passing of the old thread, but celebrate the new!

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    minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    SSDs frickin' love velcro.

    It's a fact.

    Ah, it stinks, it sucks, it's anthropologically unjust
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    PiptheFairPiptheFair Frequently not in boats. Registered User regular
    edited November 2012
    hey, let's build pip a new pc!

    since newegg is doing their black friday thing all of november I figure now is pretty much the best time to do this
    What kind of computer do you need? Maybe it's a standard gaming PC, or maybe you need an HTPC, or a Server, or even a serious Workstation.
    gaming pc
    What's your budget for this project?
    let's say $800 usd, but if a significant improvement in performance can be achieved for 100 or so more then sock it to me
    What needs to be included in that budget? Do you need a monitor, keyboard and mouse to go with it? Are there components that don't need to be included because you're carrying something over from a previous PC?
    I have a monitor, mouse, hard drive and OS: I will need everything else to make my expensive pieces of plastic and metal create images on my witchcraft screen
    I would like a decent headset for recording LPs, but nothing too fancy
    What are your performance needs? For games, what resolution do you game at, and what kind of performance do you want to see there? For professional tasks, what are you doing and what kind of numbers would you like to see?
    my monitor can do 1920x1080 in 1080p so a videocard that will make me ejaculate on my previous stated budget would be preferred
    Do you have any partiality towards specific manufacturers, like Intel/AMD, AMD/NVIDIA, or perhaps specific vendors?
    newegg is nice, but I am looking for the most bang for my buck so I'm not picky
    Do you have any specific needs? That is, are you looking for quiet operation, small form factor, significant upgrade-ability, or other specific features?
    it must make me a god

    PiptheFair on
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    AlectharAlecthar Alan Shore We're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered User regular
    edited November 2012
    Ah yes, the Intel Yahweh series procs. A good choice.

    If you'd like to overclock, you'll basically need to spend at the top end of your budget, perhaps even jumping into that extra $100 for the headset. With the right combination of sale pricing and component choice, you could probably do a 2500K/3570K build for a bit over $800, leaving you the extra amount to buy a nice headset.

    If you don't want to overclock in the future, you can go with one of the cheaper, non-K Ivy Bridge quad core procs (basically any i5 that isn't the 3570K or the 3570) and save some money on the processor and the motherboard, you can get pretty nice H77 Micro-ATX boards for around $100. At that point you can go hog wild on a really nice PSU (Silverstone 500W Strider Plus, for example, or a semi-modular 520W unit from Seasonic) and case (Silverstone TJ08-E) and end up touching $800 (with the possibility of getting under that significantly if you find sales on Amazon/Newegg/other stores) or you can spend more modestly on the case in particular and end up under the $800.

    My recommendation would probably be the latter option. The Sandy/Ivy Bridge quad cores are no slouch even at lower, stock clocks, and outside of the CPU/Motherboard, you can afford some nicer kit in general. Either way, look to spend around $200 on the graphics card. On the AMD side, nothing lower than a 7850, and on the NVIDIA side you'd want a standard (not Ti) GTX 660. I'd probably end up with a 1GB or 2GB 7850, if I were you. I also assumed around $100 for an SSD. If you don't feel the need for one, that's $100 you can save or spend elsewhere.

    Alecthar on
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    VeganVegan Registered User regular
    SSDs frickin' love velcro.

    It's a fact.

    They really should just come with velcro.

    steam_sig.png
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    Big ClassyBig Classy Registered User regular
    Ethea wrote: »
    I built my mini-itx machine:

    Album: http://imgur.com/a/W5Il4

    This is beautiful! I need details of parts, I wanna make one now!

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    xraydogxraydog Registered User regular
    Hey guys,

    I have a problem I need help with.

    Just got back power after thirteen days in the dark because of Hurricane Sandy. My desktop PC won't boot, it won't even POST. The power comes on and the fans spin but nothing happens.

    Here's what I'm thinking...
    • The video card might be fried but I plugged the monitor into the onboard video and still nothing.
    • Because it isn't POSTing I suspect it isn't even getting into the CMOS (although I'm not sure about that). So maybe the battery on the motherboard is dead?
    • The power supply could also be dead but then why would the fans spin?

    I appreciate any help you guys might have in terms of troubleshooting.

    Thanks.

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    HounHoun Registered User regular
    Did you pop out the video card when you plugged the monitor to the onboard? Even if it's dead, the system may still be detecting it's presence and attempting to signal out through it.

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    xraydogxraydog Registered User regular
    Houn wrote: »
    Did you pop out the video card when you plugged the monitor to the onboard? Even if it's dead, the system may still be detecting it's presence and attempting to signal out through it.

    Just tried that. Still nothing.

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    Banzai5150Banzai5150 Registered User regular
    You can always pop everything but the CPU out and see if you get the right beep codes.

    50433.png?1708759015
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    xraydogxraydog Registered User regular
    xraydog wrote: »
    Hey guys,

    I have a problem I need help with.

    Just got back power after thirteen days in the dark because of Hurricane Sandy. My desktop PC won't boot, it won't even POST. The power comes on and the fans spin but nothing happens.

    Here's what I'm thinking...
    • The video card might be fried but I plugged the monitor into the onboard video and still nothing.
    • Because it isn't POSTing I suspect it isn't even getting into the CMOS (although I'm not sure about that). So maybe the battery on the motherboard is dead?
    • The power supply could also be dead but then why would the fans spin?

    I appreciate any help you guys might have in terms of troubleshooting.

    Thanks.

    I solved this. It was the CMOS battery. I had no idea those things die that quickly. Thanks anyway guys.

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    SeidkonaSeidkona Had an upgrade Registered User regular
    edited November 2012
    Ok. I took some shots that actually came out.

    I made it an album instead of inlining: http://imgur.com/a/E8M4z

    Seidkona on
    Mostly just huntin' monsters.
    XBL:Phenyhelm - 3DS:Phenyhelm
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    EtheaEthea Registered User regular
    Big Isy wrote: »
    Ethea wrote: »
    I built my mini-itx machine:

    Album: http://imgur.com/a/W5Il4

    This is beautiful! I need details of parts, I wanna make one now!



    Video Card EVGA GTX 660 FTW
    CPU Intel Core i3-3225 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz
    Memory 8GB 1600MHz HyperX Blu
    Motherboard ASUS P8H77-I LGA
    Hard Drive Western Digital WD Blue 500GB
    SSD Drive Kingston SSD V+200 120GB
    Case + PSU Silverstone Tek SG05

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    minirhyderminirhyder BerlinRegistered User regular
    Entaru wrote: »
    Ok. I took some shots that actually came out.

    I made it an album instead of inlining: http://imgur.com/a/E8M4z

    That's a Rosewill Challenger, right?
    It has pretty OK cable management, I thought.
    img2012070400159.jpg

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    SeidkonaSeidkona Had an upgrade Registered User regular
    minirhyder wrote: »
    Entaru wrote: »
    Ok. I took some shots that actually came out.

    I made it an album instead of inlining: http://imgur.com/a/E8M4z

    That's a Rosewill Challenger, right?
    It has pretty OK cable management, I thought.
    img2012070400159.jpg

    Yep, it's a challenger. I like how it turned out.

    I guess maybe it wasn't so bad. I ran a lot of the cabling through the back.

    Mostly just huntin' monsters.
    XBL:Phenyhelm - 3DS:Phenyhelm
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    FremFrem Registered User regular
    Hello thread!

    I'm building a gaming desktop for the first time. I don't have a lot of space in my bedroom/office, so I was thinking of using one of these 1/3rd normal size cases. Since I have to sleep a few feet away from the thing, it'd be nice if it was silent. Something that didn't consume much power when idle would also be super nice, although I know it's inevitably going to use more juice than my laptop.

    But I hear that heat is a problem in tiny cases, so would the fans be running more often (producing sound, increasing power consumption) than if I had a full sized case? Is this a "here are three desirable options, pick two" type of situation?

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    Monkey Ball WarriorMonkey Ball Warrior A collection of mediocre hats Seattle, WARegistered User regular
    edited November 2012
    I mounted my new power supply upside down to draw in air from outside and to keep the airflow in the case going back and up. Is that weird? Wtf kind of PSU has the fan on the top anyway?

    Monkey Ball Warrior on
    "I resent the entire notion of a body as an ante and then raise you a generalized dissatisfaction with physicality itself" -- Tycho
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    tsmvengytsmvengy Registered User regular
    edited November 2012
    Frem wrote: »
    Hello thread!

    I'm building a gaming desktop for the first time. I don't have a lot of space in my bedroom/office, so I was thinking of using one of these 1/3rd normal size cases. Since I have to sleep a few feet away from the thing, it'd be nice if it was silent. Something that didn't consume much power when idle would also be super nice, although I know it's inevitably going to use more juice than my laptop.

    But I hear that heat is a problem in tiny cases, so would the fans be running more often (producing sound, increasing power consumption) than if I had a full sized case? Is this a "here are three desirable options, pick two" type of situation?

    Tiny cases and silent don't usually go together.

    This is small and a good case: http://www.amazon.com/Silverstone-Micro-ATX-Mini-DTX-Mini-ITX-TJ08B-E/dp/B005DDCDH2/ you can also get a piece of hardware that will let you hang it below your desk up off the floor. Like this: http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30090438/

    As for silence while you sleep, why not just turn it off? Bonus: lower electric bill.

    tsmvengy on
    steam_sig.png
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    übergeekübergeek Sector 2814Registered User regular
    I mounted my new power supply upside down to draw in air from outside and to keep the airflow in the case going back and up. Is that weird? Wtf kind of PSU has the fan on the top anyway?

    I was just reading an article at Tom's Hardware written last year. Basically it said if you have venting cut into the bottom of your case (preferably with a filter) that pointing the fan down to draw in cool air is the way to go.

    camo_sig.png
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    Big ClassyBig Classy Registered User regular
    Ethea wrote: »
    Big Isy wrote: »
    Ethea wrote: »
    I built my mini-itx machine:

    Album: http://imgur.com/a/W5Il4

    This is beautiful! I need details of parts, I wanna make one now!



    Video Card EVGA GTX 660 FTW
    CPU Intel Core i3-3225 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz
    Memory 8GB 1600MHz HyperX Blu
    Motherboard ASUS P8H77-I LGA
    Hard Drive Western Digital WD Blue 500GB
    SSD Drive Kingston SSD V+200 120GB
    Case + PSU Silverstone Tek SG05

    Hows it running for you? Makes for a decent gaming rig in the living room? On paper it seems to be kickass!

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    EtheaEthea Registered User regular
    Big Isy wrote: »
    Ethea wrote: »
    Big Isy wrote: »
    Ethea wrote: »
    I built my mini-itx machine:

    Album: http://imgur.com/a/W5Il4

    This is beautiful! I need details of parts, I wanna make one now!



    Video Card EVGA GTX 660 FTW
    CPU Intel Core i3-3225 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz
    Memory 8GB 1600MHz HyperX Blu
    Motherboard ASUS P8H77-I LGA
    Hard Drive Western Digital WD Blue 500GB
    SSD Drive Kingston SSD V+200 120GB
    Case + PSU Silverstone Tek SG05

    Hows it running for you? Makes for a decent gaming rig in the living room? On paper it seems to be kickass!

    I built it and had to leave for business, so I will report back at the end of the week.

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    HamurabiHamurabi MiamiRegistered User regular
    1. How bad is the Hyper212 Evo about blocking RAM slots?

    2. How much better cooling might I expect going with a second 120mm fan for a push-pull? It'd be a totally negligible price difference (120mm fans don't exactly break the bank), so I'll get it anyway, but I'm just kinda wondering from a numbers perspective.

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    Day of the BearDay of the Bear The Qun demandsRegistered User regular
    a couple degrees C prolly

    i haven't seen exact data for the 212 evo but that's a decent ballpark based off similar coolers

    m6eoUgQ.jpg
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    harvestharvest By birthright, a stupendous badass.Registered User regular
    Hey thread. I bought a bunch of parts and I wanted to know what you people thought about it:

    http://pcpartpicker.com/p/n9jI

    B6yM5w2.gif
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    SeidkonaSeidkona Had an upgrade Registered User regular
    The 212 Evo does block slots in the configuration I have it in.

    I did not try the other direction to see if it would.

    Mostly just huntin' monsters.
    XBL:Phenyhelm - 3DS:Phenyhelm
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    Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    harvest wrote: »
    Hey thread. I bought a bunch of parts and I wanted to know what you people thought about it:

    http://pcpartpicker.com/p/n9jI

    I like. I wonder if your budget could stretch another $100 or so for a 120GB SSD...

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    SeidkonaSeidkona Had an upgrade Registered User regular
    edited November 2012
    Quick question. My new build works great in every area except one. When I boot up for some reason it stops at the bios screen and will not continue until I hit a key.

    Once I do it boots fine and runs like a champ. I'm pretty sure it's something to do with UEFI vs. Legacy booting but I am unfamiliar with UEFI still.

    Any ideas? I mean it's not a big deal even if I don't figure it out. I only have to hit an extra key for the computer to work like normal.

    Seidkona on
    Mostly just huntin' monsters.
    XBL:Phenyhelm - 3DS:Phenyhelm
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    cardboard delusionscardboard delusions USAgent PSN: USAgent31Registered User regular
    So my rig is almost a year old. Wondering if I should cool my OC'd CPU with one of those Corsair Hydro Series things. I have a Hyper 212+, rig is mostly quiet, just don't know what else to do. I've maxed out slots with SSDs (128 OS and 2x256 running games) and I'm just looking for something to do with it. Graphics card is a GTX 670, not really sure what else to do for gains with this thing anymore, just have the itch to do something...

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    Day of the BearDay of the Bear The Qun demandsRegistered User regular
    Get ye custom water

    m6eoUgQ.jpg
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    harvestharvest By birthright, a stupendous badass.Registered User regular
    harvest wrote: »
    Hey thread. I bought a bunch of parts and I wanted to know what you people thought about it:

    http://pcpartpicker.com/p/n9jI

    I like. I wonder if your budget could stretch another $100 or so for a 120GB SSD...

    I already have an Intel X25-M 160GB SSD I will be putting in there, so no worries.

    B6yM5w2.gif
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    cardboard delusionscardboard delusions USAgent PSN: USAgent31Registered User regular
    Get ye custom water

    That's your answer for everything bear. Water scares me but I'm ready to take the plunge if I can get some guidance.

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    minirhyderminirhyder BerlinRegistered User regular
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    Day of the BearDay of the Bear The Qun demandsRegistered User regular
    Get ye custom water

    That's your answer for everything bear. Water scares me but I'm ready to take the plunge if I can get some guidance.

    Mwahahahahaha

    m6eoUgQ.jpg
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    übergeekübergeek Sector 2814Registered User regular
    I'm thinking of skipping an SSD. Since I can't budget in a 256, and after reading up on longevity, I'm not entirely sure I want to bother if I'm only going to put the system on it. I usually have good luck with my drives, getting them to last between 6-10 years. The SSD's aren't going to last that long it seems, and it will be a pain to lose the OS if the the drive goes down. I also read about it being a bad idea to not place the swapfile on the SSD, which entirely makes sense, but then that means I'm wasting a bit of space on the HDD.

    camo_sig.png
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    FoomyFoomy Registered User regular
    How old are those articles on longevity you read? The newer ssd's are getting really good on lifespan,in mosts extreme tests, they don't even get into any sectors dying doing constant writes 24/7 for months. And things like the newest Intel drives are rated for 10 full disk writes a day for 5 years, now those are more server oriented, but that sort of tech has trickled down into the regular drives.

    Steam Profile: FoomyFooms
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    Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    übergeek wrote: »
    I'm thinking of skipping an SSD. Since I can't budget in a 256, and after reading up on longevity, I'm not entirely sure I want to bother if I'm only going to put the system on it. I usually have good luck with my drives, getting them to last between 6-10 years. The SSD's aren't going to last that long it seems, and it will be a pain to lose the OS if the the drive goes down. I also read about it being a bad idea to not place the swapfile on the SSD, which entirely makes sense, but then that means I'm wasting a bit of space on the HDD.

    I've got a 256. So far I just have W8, Chrome, Malwarebytes, Steam and New Vegas on it, and I have 202 GB left.

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    SeidkonaSeidkona Had an upgrade Registered User regular
    I have a 128 Gig. I have W7, Chrome, Security essentials, steam, lotro, and Guild Wars 2 on it. That's pretty much all I plan on keeping on it.

    I have 50 gigs left. I was leery of it at first too but I have to say it's probably the biggest upgrade, in terms of computer responsiveness, I have ever made.

    Mostly just huntin' monsters.
    XBL:Phenyhelm - 3DS:Phenyhelm
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    XeddicusXeddicus Registered User regular
    edited November 2012
    Entaru wrote: »
    Quick question. My new build works great in every area except one. When I boot up for some reason it stops at the bios screen and will not continue until I hit a key.

    Once I do it boots fine and runs like a champ. I'm pretty sure it's something to do with UEFI vs. Legacy booting but I am unfamiliar with UEFI still.

    Any ideas? I mean it's not a big deal even if I don't figure it out. I only have to hit an extra key for the computer to work like normal.

    Google shows me a guy had a stuck key causing that. Unstuck the key and problem solved. Check that, I guess?

    Xeddicus on
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    HamurabiHamurabi MiamiRegistered User regular
    Entaru wrote: »
    The 212 Evo does block slots in the configuration I have it in.

    I did not try the other direction to see if it would.

    Do you have it facing the back of the case, or the top?

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    SporkAndrewSporkAndrew Registered User, ClubPA regular
    Xeddicus wrote: »
    Entaru wrote: »
    Quick question. My new build works great in every area except one. When I boot up for some reason it stops at the bios screen and will not continue until I hit a key.

    Once I do it boots fine and runs like a champ. I'm pretty sure it's something to do with UEFI vs. Legacy booting but I am unfamiliar with UEFI still.

    Any ideas? I mean it's not a big deal even if I don't figure it out. I only have to hit an extra key for the computer to work like normal.

    Google shows me a guy had a stuck key causing that. Unstuck the key and problem solved. Check that, I guess?

    This happened on my old motherboard. Somehow it had turned on 'halt on error' and was making me press a button every time before it would boot.

    Turned out that the error it was halting on was 'no floppy drive present' when that PC hadn't ever had a floppy drive installed, and the last floppy drive I had installed was in the late 90s.

    The one about the fucking space hairdresser and the cowboy. He's got a tinfoil pal and a pedal bin
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    HamurabiHamurabi MiamiRegistered User regular
    Any suggestions for external HDD/SSD enclosures btw? Planning to copy my OSX HDD over to a 128GB SSD once I get back home. I'd like something USB3.0+Thunderbolt compatible, but that combination seems hard to find.

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