|OT| The PC Hardware Thread -- Buy/Upgrade/Ask/Answer

NarohDethan

There was a fish in the percolator!
Apr 6, 2019
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You're paying $135 for RGB fans. Just get one for the beginning, and invest the now free $108 into a better GPU.


In my opinion RGB should come last and if I'd have to choose between a better, 7% faster GPU and cool fans. I'd go for the better GPU, without hesitation.

Just get those fans down the road. They're just $26, you can get them one by one and end up with a much better PC in 2-3 months. Yes your total price will go up by $100, but that's just ~5.8% of your $1720 budget and you're getting 7% more performance.
Always look at total amount spent and the performance you are getting, not just the GPU price / vs performance when building new.
I admit i'm a sucker for rgb shit
 
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teezzy

formerly 'deftones r cool'
Apr 19, 2019
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Getting a used Acer b270hu for $200 off a longtime internet friend next week.



I can't even describe to you guys how excited I am to not be watching movie... playing games on a 720p tv for much longer.

27", 1440p, 144hz, G-Sync, IPS panel... sounds almost too good to be true.
 

EdwardTivrusky

Good Morning, Weather Hackers!
Dec 8, 2018
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Yeah, i really, really want a newer model Fractal Design case to replace my old, cramped, current case but the white models have black panels on the front... yeah it's a petty thing to get hung up on i know.
 
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PC-Patriot

Press Any key, where the hell is it ?
Aug 5, 2019
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psst guys I think lashman is following me .... he keeps sending me to all these cool topics (yes I am new here). But on topic I think I am way way overdue for an upgrade. My current PC is ....... well this is embarrassing it's ... well it's an i5 - 2500k ... don't judge me too harshly.

I have always been an intel man from the pentium 75 days. Dabbled in AMD with the Athlon till that erm well it sorta melted (I aint kidding ya I saw flames belching out through the perspex side) and never thought I would be thinking about going AMD ever again. However since Intel started to have all these security holes in their chips I am coming around to maybe giving AMD another shot. Probably gonna hold off till cyberpunk 2077 is launched before I pull the trigger on buying stuff. But from what I have seen of this topic so far I am gonna be making a lot of use of it.
 

ISee

Oh_no!
Mar 1, 2019
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Zen 2 is a good value proposition, but it is also the most exciting CPU launch since the core-i series came to life.
I know, I'm repeating myself but the 7700k was released ~ 2.5 years ago and we will soon be getting 16c/32t mainstream CPU parts. It's of course an expansive, mainstream part and overkill for gaming. I'm not recommending it, but it's still an interesting development.
I'm maybe blinded by core count and putting too much value into them, but if money isn't a problem (or a huge concern): The 3900x and 3950x are the way to go imo. And if budget is a concern: 3600 and 3700x are very good too.

I just wish there were cheaper x-570 boards or maybe even "b-550" so people on a budget wouldn't need to use b-450.

Zen 2 is putting preassure on Intel (both DIY and server). Navi seems to be promising, Intel will enter the GPU market next year, Nvidia will go 7nm too (maybe 2020?), AMD will start with Ray Tracing, Nvidia supports FreeSync and FreeSync Display prices are falling...

Honestly: Good DIY times are ahead of us! A lot of movement!
 

ISee

Oh_no!
Mar 1, 2019
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It arrived, out of nowhere.
I did not even noticed the notification email yesterday.
I'm not gonna lie, that's one hell of a surprise.



You excuse me, I need to go offline now.
 

ISee

Oh_no!
Mar 1, 2019
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Let's say I had 1000€, would it be possible to build a gaming pc that is very small, has intel and GeForce RTX and an IPS screen?

Do you need an IPS panel for professional needs? Because all those new, 1080p, freesync displays seem to be VA panels and I'd actually recommend going for one of them instead of concentrating on IPS. 225€ for 1080p, 144Hz and FreeSync is a nice offering imo. Those newer VA panels are nice and variable refresh rates are a godsend, especially on "lower" end builds.

For the rest: You have to go as cheap as possible. A RTX 2060 costs 330€ (cheapest model btw) the monitor is 225€, together that's 55% of your total budget.
I don't like the mainboard, mostly because I'm not sure if they were updated to support gen 9 down the road. They definitely can, the question is: Are they coming with the newest bios?
CPU is just 4cores/4threads. If you can, take the i5 9400F instead, but it's 65€ more expansive and over the budget.
 

Le Pertti

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Do you need an IPS panel for professional needs? Because all those new, 1080p, freesync displays seem to be VA panels and I'd actually recommend going for one of them instead of concentrating on IPS. 225€ for 1080p, 144Hz and FreeSync is a nice offering imo. Those newer VA panels are nice and variable refresh rates are a godsend, especially on "lower" end builds.

For the rest: You have to go as cheap as possible. A RTX 2060 costs 330€ (cheapest model btw) the monitor is 225€, together that's 55% of your total budget.
I don't like the mainboard, mostly because I'm not sure if they were updated to support gen 9 down the road. They definitely can, the question is: Are they coming with the newest bios?
CPU is just 4cores/4threads. If you can, take the i5 9400F instead, but it's 65€ more expansive and over the budget.
Thanks for looking into it! And yeah as a photographer IPS is kind of minimum. Sure I still have my MacBook Pro which I would probably do most of my work with.

But at least I know it's possible to build a computer that is capable for around 1000€! I still don't have an own place so have to wait for that first but have a upcoming gig and thought I would save what I make there to build a computer.
 
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ISee

Oh_no!
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My DDR4 is running at 3800C16 in 4x8GB configuration. I'm not done playing around, so maybe it's not 100% stable or maybe it could go even higher. But that's already a huge step up over Zen+. 3200c14 was the maximum there.

3800c16: 13.060 CPU score in Time Spy.
3600c16: 12.700 CPU score in Time Spy.

Those are very important 2.7%!

/joking, but memory support really seems to be a lot better.

But if somebody is actually interested in some numbers:

Cinebench R20 (+75%)
TimeSpy CPU (+38%)
AC:Odyssey (+20%, but please take a look at the CPU and GPU frametimes. They're a lot smoother now)
Division 2 DX12 (+5.6%)
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (+5% and that's surprising because the game is running maxed out with RTX! I expected the game to be heavily GPU bound and to see no difference)
Far Cry New Dawn (+9%, but if you take a look at the graph (mid section): There are less drops there. It is way more stable)

You can expect similar gaming improvements on a 3700x btw. AC:Odysse isn't touching more than 16t for example.

3900x is on auto settings, XMP/DOCP is active. But RAM is running at 3800 instead of 3600. FCLK is running at 1900, so at 1:1.
2700x was running with a negative -0.0750V offset which helped a lot. Memory was at 3200c14

All the rest didn't change between the 2700x and 3900x.

Thanks for looking into it!
Always glad to help, even if it's not much.
 

ISee

Oh_no!
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yeah as a photographer IPS is kind of minimum
Better 6c/6t Intel CPU, 16 instead of 8gb of ram, fullHD 27" IPS display, 75Hz and Freesync.
It's slightly over budget but the better CPU and extra ram are worth it. Unluckily the MB can't run 3000MHz ram, you'd have to pull it back to 2666
I'm not sure if the Display quality is good enough for your job though.

And the AMD equivalent. Maybe 6c/12t are better for your workflow. Clock speeds are similar on both CPUs btw. and this CPU and MB combo will work out of the box, guaranteed.
 

Le Pertti

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ISee that screen looks pretty slick! How well does freesynch on GeForce?

While I know AMD is the smarter choice for CPU but I am so much a intel+GeForce kind of guy.XD

Is there anything happening on the horizon, any rumors that indicates that one should wait to build?
 

ISee

Oh_no!
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ISee that screen looks pretty slick! How well does freesynch on GeForce?

While I know AMD is the smarter choice for CPU but I am so much a intel+GeForce kind of guy.XD

Is there anything happening on the horizon, any rumors that indicates that one should wait to build?
It works just as well on GeForce as on Radeon. BUT freesync is an open standard and some freesync iterations are great, some are good and some are bad or a bit lackluster. This one only seem to work between 48 - 76 Hz, but other than that it's probably fine.

I'm not sure if Intel is going to bring out an answer to ryzen 3000 this year. But I doubt it, especially in the low end ~140€ range.
For GPUs, especially low-mid range: that was it for 2019. No doubt.

Before you pull the trigger, read about the monitor, the case, the gpu watch a yt video or two. Recheck dimensions and if everything is going to fit (four eyes > two).

AND sorry for repeating, but this is an important point. I have no idea if the MB is going to work with the i5 out of the box.
 

Le Pertti

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It works just as well on GeForce as on Radeon. BUT freesync is an open standard and some freesync iterations are great, some are good and some are bad or a bit lackluster. This one only seem to work between 48 - 76 Hz, but other than that it's probably fine.

I'm not sure if Intel is going to bring out an answer to ryzen 3000 this year. But I doubt it, especially in the low end ~140€ range.
For GPUs, especially low-mid range: that was it for 2019. No doubt.

Before you pull the trigger, read about the monitor, the case, the gpu watch a yt video or two. Recheck dimensions and if everything is going to fit (four eyes > two).

AND sorry for repeating, but this is an important point. I have no idea if the MB is going to work with the i5 out of the box.
Yeah once I start to settle on parts I will check that everything is just right! Man I love getting overly informed about pc parts when I'm about to buy stuff.:D Not sure how long I will have to wait until I'm sure even have the possibility to get a computer but never too early to start planning a build.:)

Thanks again!
 
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teezzy

formerly 'deftones r cool'
Apr 19, 2019
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I'm buying a buddy's old rig for $200 + shipping and am p excited. The cpu alone makes it more than worth it. Such a weird combo:

i7-4790k
Hyper 212 evo
Asrock z97 extreme3 mobo
16gb DDR 3
R7 250 2gb
CX750M 750W PSU
Rosewill Blackhawk blue case



Gonna make a neat lil htpc out of it and utilize it to play my Steam controller titles

Should run Tekken 7 i hope =)

I'll put that 750 watts to the test XDD
 

NarohDethan

There was a fish in the percolator!
Apr 6, 2019
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Did a price comparison, it seems that on my country is $1 cheaper to build a 9900k rig than a Ryzen 7 3700x .-.
 

ISee

Oh_no!
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Did a price comparison, it seems that on my country is $1 cheaper to build a 9900k rig than a Ryzen 7 3700x .-.
At the same price the 9900k is clearly the logical option.
Doesn't help people wanting to build a more budget oriented system though...
 

NarohDethan

There was a fish in the percolator!
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At the same price the 9900k is clearly the logical option.
Doesn't help people wanting to build a more budget oriented system though...
The thing is that x570 boards are insanely priced
 

ISee

Oh_no!
Mar 1, 2019
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The thing is that x570 boards are insanely priced
You don't necessarily need a x570 board though. A x470, b450 with bios flashback is enough, if you don't care about PCI-E 4.0 of course.
If you're unsure what boards can be flashed without a CPU this list is very helpful.
And I assume you don't care about PCI-E 4.0, because z390 wouldn't be an option otherwise.

The thing is, being able to safe 150€ on one part often allows people to get a better GPU and a 3700x/b450/2070s combo should be better than a 9900k/z390/2060s combo (for example). Despite the 9900k being the better CPU, no doubts.
 
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NarohDethan

There was a fish in the percolator!
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You don't necessarily need a x570 board though. A x470, b450 with bios flashback is enough, if you don't care about PCI-E 4.0 of course.
If you're unsure what boards can be flashed without a CPU this list is very helpful.
And I assume you don't care about PCI-E 4.0, because z390 wouldn't be an option otherwise.

The thing is, being able to safe 150€ on one part often allows people to get a better GPU and a 3700x/b450/2070s combo should be better than a 9900k/z390/2060s combo (for example). Despite the 9900k being the better CPU, no doubts.
Flashing the BIOS is too much for me, my nerves can barely hand installing the CPU.
 

NarohDethan

There was a fish in the percolator!
Apr 6, 2019
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Is MSI a reliable brand?

Also, this is my current setup, but with a 1060 6GB instead of the super, does it makes sense to just upgrade the GPU?

 
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ISee

Oh_no!
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Is MSI a reliable brand?

Also, this is my current setup, but with a 1060 6GB instead of the super, does it makes sense to just upgrade the GPU?

MSI is fine.


Intel Build


-Both the i5 8500 and i5 9600KF are just 6 core, 6 thread CPUs. But the 8500 is running at 4000MHz and that can't be changed because it's not an unlocked K CPU. The 9600KF is running at 4600MHz, out of the box and if you want to you should be able to make it run at around 5000 MHz.

- Faster DDR4, which is supported by both the 9600KF and the z370 board. Faster RAM is a good idea, both on Intel and AMD.

-z390 MB

-Different Drive Setup. Those Crucial drives are good and cheap. No sense taking anything else, even for mass 1TB storage imo.

AMD Build


- X570 board.

- 3600 CPU

- 2TB of SSD storage



6c/12t running at 4200-4300MHz vs 6c/6t running at 4600MHz.
 
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teezzy

formerly 'deftones r cool'
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Got this neat little Logitech K830 for my living room setup.

Absolutely life changing. Soooo nice not having to walk across the room to use my laptop's keyboard or Steam controller for everything.

Now it's just time to build a solid rig in place of this laptop.



I'm already contemplating how cool the little touchpad on the right will be in terms of DS emulation.

Hmmm...
 
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ISee

Oh_no!
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Where would one be able to find super cheap Windows 10? Googled a bit and the only place I recognize is G2A and would rather not support them,XD
Maybe here?

I've used mmoga.(de and co.uk) in the past. Just never to buy a win10 key.
 
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Le Pertti

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Maybe here?

I've used mmoga.(de and co.uk) in the past. Just never to buy a win10 key.
Got recommended another place but this place is cheaper and if you've used them so it's should be legit. Thanks!:)
 

C-Dub

Makoto Niijima Fan Club President
Dec 23, 2018
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So over the next six months I’m going to be grabbing two upgrades for my PC: an Oculus Rift S and a RTX 2070 Super. I’ll buy one in October, once I get paid, then another during the Christmas period.

My current GPU is a GTX 1070, and I wasn’t planning on upgrading, but I want that sweet ray tracing. Alas, having enjoyed PSVR but being increasingly disappointed by the poor single camera-based tracking of that system, not to mention the lack of proper VR controllers, and I’ve decided that I want to get rid of it and get a Rift S instead to play some of the PCVR titles I have like No Man’s Sky and Skyrim VR.

The thing is, which do I get first?
 
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ISee

Oh_no!
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So over the next six months I’m going to be grabbing two upgrades for my PC: an Oculus Rift S and a RTX 2070 Super. I’ll buy one in October, once I get paid, then another during the Christmas period.

My current GPU is a GTX 1070, and I wasn’t planning on upgrading, but I want that sweet ray tracing. Alas, having enjoyed PSVR but being increasingly disappointed by the poor single camera-based tracking of that system, not to mention the lack of proper VR controllers, and I’ve decided that I want to get rid of it and get a Rift S instead to play some of the PCVR titles I have like No Man’s Sky and Skyrim VR.

The thing is, which do I get first?
Well, I'd make sure to have the proper hardware first to run the higher resolution Rift S displays.
You can also take advantage of the 2070s in all your games (higher framerate, highers settings), while the Rift S is only for specific use cases.

But the Rift S is a very cool, exciting and unique toy. So...
 

madjoki

👀 I see you
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So with last parts (I hope, I din't forgot anything) ordered, final tally

Fractal Design Define R6 USB-C - Gunmetal - Tempered Glass - 109€
X570 Taichi - 329,27€
Ryzen 3900X - 542,90€
Ballistix Sport LT 3200Mhz CL16 - 159,41€
Kingston 1TB SSDNOW A2000 M.2 2280 NVMe - 119,90€
Fractal Design 760W Ion+ Platinum - 137,90€
Noctua NH-D15 - 84,90€

so total 1484€ ish. now I'm poor. (well, technically not yet since they're not all are delivered/billed/charged yet)

I'll just get GPU later...
then I also want new HDDs (before olds break), new keyboard, new headset and new monitor.... ugh.

Now wait for parts begins. Should be pretty damn good PC.

(500GB+240GB sata SSD, 5x3TB HDD coming from this PC)

then hopefully I can find someone to buy and pick up rest of old PC.
 

NarohDethan

There was a fish in the percolator!
Apr 6, 2019
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So with last parts (I hope, I din't forgot anything) ordered, final tally

Fractal Design Define R6 USB-C - Gunmetal - Tempered Glass - 109€
X570 Taichi - 329,27€
Ryzen 3900X - 542,90€
Ballistix Sport LT 3200Mhz CL16 - 159,41€
Kingston 1TB SSDNOW A2000 M.2 2280 NVMe - 119,90€
Fractal Design 760W Ion+ Platinum - 137,90€
Noctua NH-D15 - 84,90€

so total 1484€ ish. now I'm poor. (well, technically not yet since they're not all are delivered/billed/charged yet)

I'll just get GPU later...
then I also want new HDDs (before olds break), new keyboard, new headset and new monitor.... ugh.

Now wait for parts begins. Should be pretty damn good PC.

(500GB+240GB sata SSD, 5x3TB HDD coming from this PC)

then hopefully I can find someone to buy and pick up rest of old PC.
 

Parsnip

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Sep 11, 2018
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It's dangerous to start looking at prices and stuff on pcpartpicker and such, almost convinced myself that I should buy a new cpu right now even though I really really don't have enough wiggleroom in my budget at the moment. DANGER DANGER