I'm looking to build my first PC in a long time. Current PC was built in early 2009... so anything is going to be an upgrade. I've been playing around with pcpartpicker and logical increments and have settled on something like this: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/6mBFNc
Currently I'm not playing a whole lot of games on the PC, mostly just Civ 6, kid plays minecraft, stuff like that. I would like to have the option to play modern games at a decent ratio of image quality to performance, probably targeting 1440. Not really concerned with Ray tracing at this time.
The initial build guides I referenced had an i5 12600k vs the i7 12700k I have selected here. Would the 12700k be worth the cost?
The rx 6800 seems to have a cool cost/performance ratio as long as ray tracing isn't involved. It looks like the next worthwhile increment would be a 3070 ti. Is that a worthwhile path to take?
I've been out of the PC game for so long, even after spending a lot of time watching LTT and others I don't feel super solid on what to go with.
Courtesy remind from a fellow "oak aged" PC builder--
Nobody uses CD ROMs anymore. Get a thumb drive for your new build to install Windows. Also make sure to check your case dimensions when you're looking at GPUs and CPU coolers, both have gotten significantly larger over the last decade and physical case dimensions are something you need to keep in mind for your build.
Just modify them as you believe appropriate for your budget and tastes.
If you're looking for maximum dollar to performance ratio, you're probably going to go with a previous gen AMD CPU and a previous gen AMD GPU, the older generations of both are selling at incredibly low prices and will handle modern games at 1440p just fine so long as you don't care about ray tracing. From there it really depends on your budget and priorities, the cost/performance targets for a $600 build are going to be very different than a $2,000 build. Intel and NVidia both have plenty of attractive options but for sub $1,000 builds AMD just has some ridiculously great deals on old hardware that can be difficult to pass up, *especially* on the GPU front.
Yeah I just keep a usb DVD drive in a drawer now for the ocassional use I have for it, mostly ripping audio CDs to mp3s.
BahamutZERO on
+2
syndalisGetting ClassyOn the WallRegistered User, Loves Apple Productsregular
When I got my Mini ITX motherboard for the office machine, I was super surprised to see a CD-ROM in the box with the drivers.
Especially with a mini-itx; like, c'mon buddy. Either include the base drivers in flash on the mobo itself, or barring that just a piece of paper with the address to go download the stuff from.
SW-4158-3990-6116
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
Microsoft has never paid to license DTS/DDL encoding, which is needed to push 5.1 over optical. That's entirely on your sound card provider or whatever other black magic you can conjure.
The three main formats now are HDMI, DP, and usb-c (using DisplayPort as the protocol).
I haven't even seen a USB-C outside of laptops. I know the special edition of my video card had one, but I got the regular edition and they took it off that.
The three main formats now are HDMI, DP, and usb-c (using DisplayPort as the protocol).
I haven't even seen a USB-C outside of laptops. I know the special edition of my video card had one, but I got the regular edition and they took it off that.
Quite a few monitors are adopting it now because it allows them to build the docking station / hub right into it.
So yeah, it is largely a laptop tech, but having that single cable carry displayport 1.4, usb, ethernet, and power delivery is fkn sweet.
SW-4158-3990-6116
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
+3
jungleroomxIt's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovelsRegistered Userregular
Microsoft has never paid to license DTS/DDL encoding, which is needed to push 5.1 over optical. That's entirely on your sound card provider or whatever other black magic you can conjure.
I guess this particular sound card (on mobo) doesn't support it then. I can't even pay for anything to make it work.
This is unfortunate as I don't have another PCI slot that is usable. I've got a 10gb/s NIC card in one and the GPU covers the other.
Don't know about your monitor setup but you might have better luck connecting HDMI from your video card to receiver and setting it to mirror/duplicate your main display. Then you can just send 7.1 PCM over HDMI. With optical being practically deprecated some variant on HDMI is pretty much the way to do multi-channel audio these days.
So upon looking into things more regarding video connection standards...my (hand-me-down) monitor is 16 years old. It still has S-Video, Component and Composite inputs.
Using a C2 tv but no luck. I tried that first actually.
Desktop HDMI > TV optical > soundreceiver.
It just doesn’t give an option for anything beyond 2.1.
This has been my experience as well. If your mobo doesn't support 5.1 or 7.1 itself you tend to be shit out of luck. You run into issues with bandwidth or supported formats for the tv and it's a big ol hassle. For the most part I just leave it to stereo and let the receiver do its best to dolby digital it into a fake 5.1.
Microsoft has never paid to license DTS/DDL encoding, which is needed to push 5.1 over optical. That's entirely on your sound card provider or whatever other black magic you can conjure.
I guess this particular sound card (on mobo) doesn't support it then. I can't even pay for anything to make it work.
This is unfortunate as I don't have another PCI slot that is usable. I've got a 10gb/s NIC card in one and the GPU covers the other.
You can probably find a USB surround sound box that will at least get you 5.1 out over optical. I think Creative of SoundBlaster fame still makes them.
Using the optical on the mobo or optical on my tv (TV getting audio over HDMI) to my sound system. I could not get it do push anything other then 2.1.
I even downloaded some extra DTS app from the windows store.
I eventually used some modded driver to trick it into thinking it’s Creative Labs device or something and it worked.
The only downside now is some of those anti-cheat engines think it’s some suspect file and I can’t launch some games.
It’s so bizarre as I know it worked in Windows 11.
Has anyone else ever had issue with this?
If you plug your TV in via HDMI, and then go to System>Sound and "More Sound Settings" and find the TV in the list below and select Configure, what options are available?
But yes, otherwise, it looks like the only option might be patched/modded drivers, or a usb sound card that supports 5.1 over optical.
Talking about running soundbars through HDMI. Whenever I bring my computer back from sleep with the monitor(TV) off, it resets my sound settings to use 2.1, but if I make sure the monitor is on first, it retains them. Anyone have any ideas how to fix that? It's probably some sort of handshake thing
Using a C2 tv but no luck. I tried that first actually.
Desktop HDMI > TV optical > soundreceiver.
It just doesn’t give an option for anything beyond 2.1.
Ideally you want to use an ARC/EARC HDMI connection between receiver and TV to send audio from TV to receiver. But you need a recent enough receiver for that.
I'm still using optical myself from time to time but it is basically dead for surround anymore, especially with computers that need on-the-fly encoding.
I am reminded how PC gaming can get expensive sometimes. I have a UPS for my PC, have for years. I learned/remembered that it was a 600W unit when I accidentally overloaded it today while gaming. My 6950 XT draws more power then the 580 did. Combine that with a new monitor, and a couple other small things plugged in and oops got to 600W.
So I guess I get to shop for a new UPS rated at 900 or 1000W. I know what I'm looking for, but that'll have to wait a paycheck or two.
I'm debating "upgrading" from my 1TB Gen 3 NVMe drive to a 2TB Gen 4. I'm not going to notice any real difference am I other than games or programs opening a second or two faster right? I could save $100 and just get a 1TB drive Gen 4 drive since I only have a couple of games installed at any one time (I'm usually around 60% used space), and use my current 1TB Gen 3 as a Games Pass drive since I've heard it never really fully uninstalls games.
I'm debating "upgrading" from my 1TB Gen 3 NVMe drive to a 2TB Gen 4. I'm not going to notice any real difference am I other than games or programs opening a second or two faster right? I could save $100 and just get a 1TB drive Gen 4 drive since I only have a couple of games installed at any one time (I'm usually around 60% used space), and use my current 1TB Gen 3 as a Games Pass drive since I've heard it never really fully uninstalls games.
For gaming purposes, there will be very little, if any, tangible difference between gen3 and gen 4. The one caveat is that the new Direct Storage technology may actually have a benefit on a faster drive, but at this moment there is exactly one game that supports it, so the medium term outlook on that is unknown.
Welp, there are rumors of a new 4000 series Titan. Guess I have to throw my 4090 in the trash, now.
Surely this will make games fun like they were when you were 22
Let me check. @durandal4532, will buying a new GPU make games fun like when we were playing Battlefield 2 on the PA Server?
I remember those days. Good times. When did we get old That Guy?
I feels kind of unreal that I've been coming here for nearly 25 years, now. I remember finding a Penny Arcade comic in an issue of Gamespot (or maybe it was EGM, or PCgamer?) back in 1999. I was in high school, had a weekend job for spending money, and was finally getting able to afford to buy my own games. If I recall correctly the comic had a fortune teller. I laughed, I eventually found the PA website and eventually the forums. I lurked for years before I ever made an account. I was stuck on dial-up until I started working at Radio Shack after school and could afford to get us DSL. I was overjoyed because I could finally join the PA UT2k4 and BF2 servers. Thinking back, I remember seeing you around too. I was super into Marathon when I was young so Durandal always stuck out in my mind. I certainly remember many fond years of playing Team Fortress 2 with you and the guys/gals. That group defined my 20s.
Posts
Courtesy remind from a fellow "oak aged" PC builder--
Nobody uses CD ROMs anymore. Get a thumb drive for your new build to install Windows. Also make sure to check your case dimensions when you're looking at GPUs and CPU coolers, both have gotten significantly larger over the last decade and physical case dimensions are something you need to keep in mind for your build.
As for builds, I've been a big fan of Tom's general PC building guides
https://www.tomshardware.com/best-picks/best-pc-builds-gaming
Just modify them as you believe appropriate for your budget and tastes.
If you're looking for maximum dollar to performance ratio, you're probably going to go with a previous gen AMD CPU and a previous gen AMD GPU, the older generations of both are selling at incredibly low prices and will handle modern games at 1440p just fine so long as you don't care about ray tracing. From there it really depends on your budget and priorities, the cost/performance targets for a $600 build are going to be very different than a $2,000 build. Intel and NVidia both have plenty of attractive options but for sub $1,000 builds AMD just has some ridiculously great deals on old hardware that can be difficult to pass up, *especially* on the GPU front.
Especially with a mini-itx; like, c'mon buddy. Either include the base drivers in flash on the mobo itself, or barring that just a piece of paper with the address to go download the stuff from.
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
I have a Realtek audio device on my x570 TUF
Using the optical on the mobo or optical on my tv (TV getting audio over HDMI) to my sound system. I could not get it do push anything other then 2.1.
I even downloaded some extra DTS app from the windows store.
I eventually used some modded driver to trick it into thinking it’s Creative Labs device or something and it worked.
The only downside now is some of those anti-cheat engines think it’s some suspect file and I can’t launch some games.
It’s so bizarre as I know it worked in Windows 11.
Has anyone else ever had issue with this?
Steam ID: Good Life
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
Steam ID: Good Life
Mostly displayport and one (maybe 2) HDMI. I think manufacturers have to pay a licensing fee for each HDMI.
I haven't even seen a USB-C outside of laptops. I know the special edition of my video card had one, but I got the regular edition and they took it off that.
I am so behind the adoption/upgrade/knowledge curve.
Steam, Warframe: Megajoule
Quite a few monitors are adopting it now because it allows them to build the docking station / hub right into it.
So yeah, it is largely a laptop tech, but having that single cable carry displayport 1.4, usb, ethernet, and power delivery is fkn sweet.
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
They are but they don’t always work unless you purchase an active one. Some monitors will not recognize it.
Source: The two touchecreen monitors I work with at work required $50 Startech adapters each, the passive cables weren’t doing the job
I guess this particular sound card (on mobo) doesn't support it then. I can't even pay for anything to make it work.
This is unfortunate as I don't have another PCI slot that is usable. I've got a 10gb/s NIC card in one and the GPU covers the other.
Desktop HDMI > TV optical > soundreceiver.
It just doesn’t give an option for anything beyond 2.1.
Steam ID: Good Life
This has been my experience as well. If your mobo doesn't support 5.1 or 7.1 itself you tend to be shit out of luck. You run into issues with bandwidth or supported formats for the tv and it's a big ol hassle. For the most part I just leave it to stereo and let the receiver do its best to dolby digital it into a fake 5.1.
You can probably find a USB surround sound box that will at least get you 5.1 out over optical. I think Creative of SoundBlaster fame still makes them.
If you plug your TV in via HDMI, and then go to System>Sound and "More Sound Settings" and find the TV in the list below and select Configure, what options are available?
But yes, otherwise, it looks like the only option might be patched/modded drivers, or a usb sound card that supports 5.1 over optical.
Ideally you want to use an ARC/EARC HDMI connection between receiver and TV to send audio from TV to receiver. But you need a recent enough receiver for that.
I'm still using optical myself from time to time but it is basically dead for surround anymore, especially with computers that need on-the-fly encoding.
So I guess I get to shop for a new UPS rated at 900 or 1000W. I know what I'm looking for, but that'll have to wait a paycheck or two.
Give it to me, I will dispose of it for you.
Looking at the rumors, this card will have a max 800w draw.
So.... hm.
One of their new 600w 16 pin things, a standard PCIe for 150, and then the board power to round it off?
Or will they go mad with power and require two of their new cables?
Let's play Mario Kart or something...
I did this a few years ago, so I guess I'm all set!
Along with the money.
One 1500 watt circuit for the GPU
one for the CPU
Surely this will make games fun like they were when you were 22
Let me check. @durandal4532, will buying a new GPU make games fun like when we were playing Battlefield 2 on the PA Server?
I remember those days. Good times. When did we get old That Guy?
For gaming purposes, there will be very little, if any, tangible difference between gen3 and gen 4. The one caveat is that the new Direct Storage technology may actually have a benefit on a faster drive, but at this moment there is exactly one game that supports it, so the medium term outlook on that is unknown.
I feels kind of unreal that I've been coming here for nearly 25 years, now. I remember finding a Penny Arcade comic in an issue of Gamespot (or maybe it was EGM, or PCgamer?) back in 1999. I was in high school, had a weekend job for spending money, and was finally getting able to afford to buy my own games. If I recall correctly the comic had a fortune teller. I laughed, I eventually found the PA website and eventually the forums. I lurked for years before I ever made an account. I was stuck on dial-up until I started working at Radio Shack after school and could afford to get us DSL. I was overjoyed because I could finally join the PA UT2k4 and BF2 servers. Thinking back, I remember seeing you around too. I was super into Marathon when I was young so Durandal always stuck out in my mind. I certainly remember many fond years of playing Team Fortress 2 with you and the guys/gals. That group defined my 20s.