Author Topic: need help building pc.  (Read 19204 times)

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Offline demik

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Re: need help building pc.
« Reply #100 on: Sat, 05 April 2014, 09:18:42 »
Well I had my haf932 for 3-4 years now. I am in it for the long run.
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Offline ferociousfingerings

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Re: need help building pc.
« Reply #101 on: Sat, 05 April 2014, 10:00:49 »
just a thought: have you considered an AMD APU?

I didn't see you mention which or what types of games you're aiming for. An APU would be "enough" for quite a lot of things... but i certainly wouldn't build an APU box for bf4. :P

That said; if you aren't aiming at anything highly resource intensive (like bf4), a little APU box might be a perfect mid-grade solution, while awaiting the shiny new whizbangs on the horizon, mentioned by ivan (and a good point that was). I wouldn't want to invest in a new rig with all that new tech on the horizon.

I also second the seasonic recommendations; they're almost always solid and reliable. Check this out (PSU manufacturers list). A lot of other PSU are based on either Delta or Seasonic designs, and many are actually made by either, rebranded, or use all the same parts but are assembled elsewhere.

As for cases... until i read in this thread that corsair has been using proprietary configuration tactics (reduce/eliminate compatibility with other brands' accessories!?), i would have given them my vote for best mass produced cases. I like their designs and looks (specifically the carbide 300R and the obsidian 900D), but i always prefer modular/moddability over being locked into any certain company's parts. Shame. I have a hard time finding cases i actually like, that aren't huge or expensive (or look like a plastic robot), which lead me to investigate what would be required to build my own... which probably won't happen anytime soon, if ever. I simply cannot seem to find a reasonable replacement/upgrade for my Lian-Li PC60b (aluminum, "plain," slide-out mobo tray, mid tower). Everything cheap is worse, everything better is too much.
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Offline Badwrench

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Re: need help building pc.
« Reply #102 on: Sat, 05 April 2014, 10:05:50 »
Well I had my haf932 for 3-4 years now. I am in it for the long run.

Anything is going to feel smaller than that.

As to the other cases versus the 250D, I looked at all of them before my build, but I never wanted to go CLC.  I have always liked air cooling and the 250D gave me the most options for that route.  I have built several Lian Li cases over the years and they were honestly my first choice, but I just couldn't find an ITX option that fit my needs.  Most of their cases go the psu directly above the mobo route.  The SG05 is a great case but forces you to use a SFX psu.  I was looking at that new Aerocool ITX case, but after seeing one in person, would not recommend that POS to anyone.  build quality reminds me of a mid eighties Chrystler. 

wut. i'd buy a ****ty IBM board for that green V2

Offline SeeThruHead

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Re: need help building pc.
« Reply #103 on: Sat, 05 April 2014, 11:46:47 »
There's also the cubitek mini cube to consider.
    

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Offline Sniping

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Re: need help building pc.
« Reply #104 on: Sat, 05 April 2014, 13:03:26 »
BTW if you go with Badwrench's build I recommend spending extra to get an R9 290. It's cheaper than a GTX 780 but is also faster than it, the MSI one is a solid choice.

Offline SeeThruHead

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Re: need help building pc.
« Reply #105 on: Sat, 05 April 2014, 13:27:59 »
Spending the extra in a g-sync monitor would offer better experience for the money.
    

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Offline Sniping

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Re: need help building pc.
« Reply #106 on: Sat, 05 April 2014, 14:15:49 »
Qnix, that is all.

But yeah, I've tried a G sync monitor before. eh. cool technology and numbers on paper but the qnix is a keeper :p

Offline lightsout714

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Re: need help building pc.
« Reply #107 on: Sat, 05 April 2014, 14:49:44 »
Might consider the tj08 as well. Opens up your options a bit with micro atx.

Offline SeeThruHead

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Re: need help building pc.
« Reply #108 on: Sat, 05 April 2014, 16:28:46 »
Qnix, that is all.

But yeah, I've tried a G sync monitor before. eh. cool technology and numbers on paper but the qnix is a keeper :p

Gsync is going to bring a lot more to the table in a pc of this budget. A 770 and a 1080p gsync panel will be godly. I own a crossover korean 1440p and will be replacing it with a gsync monitor as soon as they are available. Nothing else is worth value/cost that gsync provides. It's literally a game changer.

Also to the op, the sg10 is very hard to work in, but I feel like it would have gone better for me if I had of used a closed loop cooler rather than the largest heatsink known to man (I put an nhd14 in it and dual gpus...didn't work out quite that well.)

Tj08 is a solid choice but I feel like it might not be small enough for what the OP is going for.
    

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Offline nubbinator

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Re: need help building pc.
« Reply #109 on: Sat, 05 April 2014, 16:35:22 »
Eh, it makes no sense to me to get a Gsync monitor when there's a free open standard that will be replacing it and may also be compatible with current monitors that use Displayport.  I'd rather get 1440p and wait for Freesync.

Offline lightsout714

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Re: need help building pc.
« Reply #110 on: Sat, 05 April 2014, 16:51:52 »
Yeah I'd take 1440p IPS over a 1080p tn any day. Especially when the qnix does 120hz fairly easily.

Offline SeeThruHead

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Re: need help building pc.
« Reply #111 on: Sat, 05 April 2014, 16:58:06 »
Freesync isn't actually a real thing. They demo'd a few laptop screens that supported variable vblank. Whereas with g-sync there are actual monitors soon to be released into the wild. Also, 1000 dollars isn't really good enough for 1440p. I've used a 770 at 1440p and the result was usable but i upgraded to a 780 within a month. Also the difference between an overclocked korean monitor and a native 120hz panel is like night an day when it comes to motion blur.

Anyway, for this budget, I would stick to 1080p.
I would invest in G-Sync because it is likely to be the only thing that will provide a significant increase in you gaming enjoyment at this price range.

Anyway this is purely my opinion, having made many systems with both vendors graphics cards both in the mid range and high end and having seen g-sync and overclocked korean panels. And also owning a korean panel. There's no need to devolve the thread into amd vs nvidia.

« Last Edit: Sat, 05 April 2014, 17:05:42 by SeeThruHead »
    

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Offline nubbinator

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Re: need help building pc.
« Reply #112 on: Sat, 05 April 2014, 17:06:04 »

Offline SeeThruHead

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Re: need help building pc.
« Reply #113 on: Sat, 05 April 2014, 17:13:00 »
That's actually interesting. Though it doesn't change my G-Sync recommendation.
    

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Offline lightsout714

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Re: need help building pc.
« Reply #114 on: Sat, 05 April 2014, 17:35:53 »
A gsync monitor is still really expensive anyways right? I agree 1080p is where it's at for this budget.

Idk though my Korean monitor looks dang good at 120hz. I think the motion blur thing is bs. That's not really related to this build. Just my .02

Offline demik

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Re: need help building pc.
« Reply #115 on: Sat, 05 April 2014, 18:15:33 »
i could go slightly over budget (say, 1200) if need be, and peripherals are a different budget. again, i'm not looking to buy anything tomorrow or next week so budget could increase.
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Offline cultofjosh

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Re: need help building pc.
« Reply #116 on: Sat, 05 April 2014, 18:34:28 »

As for cases... until i read in this thread that corsair has been using proprietary configuration tactics (reduce/eliminate compatibility with other brands' accessories!?), i would have given them my vote for best mass produced cases. I like their designs and looks (specifically the carbide 300R and the obsidian 900D), but i always prefer modular/moddability over being locked into any certain company's parts. Shame. I have a hard time finding cases i actually like, that aren't huge or expensive (or look like a plastic robot), which lead me to investigate what would be required to build my own... which probably won't happen anytime soon, if ever. I simply cannot seem to find a reasonable replacement/upgrade for my Lian-Li PC60b (aluminum, "plain," slide-out mobo tray, mid tower). Everything cheap is worse, everything better is too much.

Lian-Li PC60b is another great example of lian li cases lasting forever. I built my friend a system in one of those maybe about 12 years ago. When he got rid of it I took it and used it for my parents last system build. He put a few scratches on the side panels, but other than that it was in fantastic shape.

I mentioned this brand earlier in the thread, but have you (demik, ferociousfingerings, BadWrench) checked out caselabs? I believe you can completely disassemble them. I don't think there are any rivets in those things at all.

http://www.caselabs-store.com/mercury-s3-case/

That's their mini itx case. It looks bigger than most, but I think that's because they have room for a radiator? They're expensive though. It starts at $200 for the base case. If you're into big windows there's a stealth plate to mount an SSD out of sight. You have someone take it apart and powder coat it for you, and you'll end up with an $800 case with a $200 computer inside :)

I think the 250D is probably still the best bet for mini-itx unless

1) You want to spend a small fortune (caselabs)
2) You're fine with only having a stock or other small CPU cooler (lian li - PSU over mobo)

While there are a couple of silverstone cases I like, I've always been pretty meh about their cases in general.




Offline demik

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Re: need help building pc.
« Reply #117 on: Sat, 05 April 2014, 18:36:21 »
yeah, i love the look of that caselabs case but man, 200 bucks for case i won't fully utilize (since it's made for custom loops.. something i have zero knowledge of)
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Offline IPT

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Re: need help building pc.
« Reply #118 on: Sun, 06 April 2014, 16:41:34 »
or just use a single rad all in one
" You can also easily mount any (thick or thin) 120mm / 140mm an all-in-one, self contained water cooling unit in the fan mounting location in the front of the chassis. There is enough room for dual and single fan configurations with plenty of room left over for your power supply cables."

my H80 performs the same as when i had an H100 with my GT-AP15

Then you did something wrong, your H100 was a POS, or you were running at stock.  Every reputable site and user on sites like OCN have the H80 pretty handily losing to the H100 and other better CLCs.

I just refuse to support companies that make it difficult if not impossible to use competing products with theirs.  Corsair makes all their RAM with obscenely tall heat spreaders to try and get you to use a CLC, they make cases like the 250D that will not fit better CLCs like the Water 2.0 or 3.0 Extreme or Glacer 240L or even a custom loop, they make keyboards with non-standard cap sizes, and so on.  I refuse to recommend something that is designed deliberately so that you have to buy their products.

And that's not even mentioning that Link was basically Alpha software when released and Corsair insists that the software has no issues at all.

you know, the FT03 was the case that got me interested in small builds.

Do it.  Silverstone has some god-tier cases.  Lian Li also has some amazing mITX cases.

when i said similar i mean like 2 degrees difference.
with my H100 i was running push/pull with 4 GT AP-15s, with my H80 i'm running 2 push/pull

maybe it was the 600T I was using b4 that didn't let me put the pull fans right on the radiator and had to mount it above the mount grill.
Either way I went with the H80 because its just easier for positioning without having to worry about space compatibility for push/pull as much.

Offline SeeThruHead

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Re: need help building pc.
« Reply #119 on: Sun, 06 April 2014, 17:00:09 »
I've got an antec khuler 620. Which was probably the cheapest AIO liquid cooler you could buy, and it handles my 2500k at 4ghz inside the sugo sg05. Since you aren't overclocking you really don't need a crazy cooler. You could easily use the stock cooler for a while in order to save cash.
    

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Offline Zombly

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Re: need help building pc.
« Reply #120 on: Tue, 08 April 2014, 14:54:42 »
Evga Hadron ftw.

My favourite mitx case, and the it's the one I use for my build.
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