technology The Glorious PC master race thread

[Celli 4,332]

Why not the unlocked i5-4690K for only $15 more?

Because it's my first build and I have no experience with gaming rigs. Unless I'm missing something and it's a lot simpler than I think?

[Azure Envy 1,092]

Because it's my first build and I have no experience with gaming rigs. Unless I'm missing something and it's a lot simpler than I think?

 

i5-4690K is unlocked and would drop right in, same LGA1150 socket. That ASUS ROG board you picked out is pretty high-end and would be great for OC but you may need to update the UEFI and that requires a Haswell (4670) chip to do it with. Might want to pick out another one like the Maximus VII Hero with a Z97 chipset so you'll be good to go.

[Celli 4,332]

i5-4690K is unlocked and would drop right in, same LGA1150 socket. That ASUS ROG board you picked out is pretty high-end and would be great for OC but you may need to update the UEFI and that requires a Haswell (4670) chip to do it with. Might want to pick out another one like the Maximus VII Hero with a Z97 chipset so you'll be good to go.

I know where what goes, it's just that I'm kind of afraid I'll overwork the CPU, unless it doesn't go higher or it stops overclocking at a certain point.

[Azure Envy 1,092]

I know where what goes, it's just that I'm kind of afraid I'll overwork the CPU, unless it doesn't go higher or it stops overclocking at a certain point.

 

I don't want to oversimplify it, but overclocking a K-series CPU is pretty cake. I literally went into the UEFI and changed my multi from 34 to 41 and now I'm running at 4.1GHz on my 3570K on stock voltage. It's when you desire to push it further (and you will) and start putting volts into it, that's where you can do some damage. But so long as you keep away from messing with voltage and you're OK and really the worst thing that could happen is that you BSOD testing it. Might want to set aside a clean install if you're going to be getting into that.

 

There's a much more comprehensive guide here if you're interested: http://www.overclock.net/t/1411077/haswell-overclocking-guide-with-statistics

 

So yeah, just keep tabs on your temps. If you don't want to OC, you could run it stock all day and still wipe the floor with pretty much any game out today. If anything your 750 Ti is holding you back.

[Celli 4,332]

I don't want to oversimplify it, but overclocking a K-series CPU is pretty cake. I literally went into the UEFI and changed my multi from 34 to 41 and now I'm running at 4.1GHz on my 3570K on stock voltage. It's when you desire to push it further (and you will) and start putting volts into it, that's where you can do some damage. But so long as you keep away from messing with voltage and you're OK and really the worst thing that could happen is that you BSOD testing it. Might want to set aside a clean install if you're going to be getting into that.

 

There's a much more comprehensive guide here if you're interested: http://www.overclock.net/t/1411077/haswell-overclocking-guide-with-statistics

 

So yeah, just keep tabs on your temps. If you don't want to OC, you could run it stock all day and still wipe the floor with pretty much any game out today. If anything your 750 Ti is holding you back.

I think I'll get the 4690k. What type of cooler would you recommend? Also, you think the 750ti would cause a bottleneck?

[Azure Envy 1,092]

I think I'll get the 4690k. What type of cooler would you recommend? Also, you think the 750ti would cause a bottleneck?

 

The Hyper 212 EVO comes highly recommended and is only $35. I use the older Hyper 212+ and it keeps mine well under 60C during gaming. If you are interested in an AIO water cooling solution, Corsair kits are fairly popular but quite a bit more expensive and require you to find someplace to mount a radiator, so keep that in mind with your case selection.

 

750 Ti is a great card for the money but if you plan on maxing games at 1080p or better, it'll hold you back. If you can swing $330-350 for a GPU, the recently released GTX 970 is an amazing card for the money, trading blows with the 780 Ti (which is a $650 card) but with more VRAM and significantly lower power consumption.

[Flutter's lover <3 8,204]

I think I'll get the 4690k. What type of cooler would you recommend? Also, you think the 750ti would cause a bottleneck?

 

I'd recommend the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO. I have it and it's been an awesome CPU cooler. comes with all the hardware needed for any current socket type. It's pretty damn quiet too. Even while playing games like Skyrim or Fallout or even Far Cry 3 on Ultra settings.I love my 212 EVO.Depending on your case though, you might have fitment issues, as it's a tall bugger.

Edited October 2, 2014 by :Flutterdash:

[Celli 4,332]

I'm not looking to max out games as it's my first build. If I can play something like Battlefield 4 at medium settings on 1080p over 30fps, I'm happy. I'll upgrade to something better down the road. Like I said, I'm a PC noob. I've got a laptop that can run Bioshock Infinite at medium settings over 30fps.

I'd recommend the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO. I have it and it's been an awesome CPU cooler. comes with all the hardware needed for any current socket type. It's pretty damn quiet too. Even while playing games like Skyrim or Fallout or even Far Cry 3 on Ultra settings.I love my 212 EVO.Depending on your case though, you might have fitment issues, as it's a tall bugger.

Should I get a smaller case?

[Azure Envy 1,092]

I'm not looking to max out games as it's my first build. If I can play something like Battlefield 4 at medium settings on 1080p over 30fps, I'm happy. I'll upgrade to something better down the road. Like I said, I'm a PC noob. I've got a laptop that can run Bioshock Infinite at medium settings over 30fps.

 

Should I get a smaller case?

 

If you're only targeting 30fps, the 750Ti should let you run Ultra settings in BF4. The 4690K will be more than enough power for a long while, so you can definitely drop in a more powerful GPU down the road.

 

The R4 seems like a pretty nice case. The only reason I would get a bigger case is if I wanted to pack more hard drives into it or have it work with a huge radiator or something. Otherwise having a more compact case is nice, if you need to move it around or keep it on a desk somewhere. A lot of personal preference here, though.

 

The R4 allows for air coolers up to 170mm tall without a side panel fan, EVO is 159mm so it should work.

[Celli 4,332]

I'm also trying to stay in the $1000 range with this build.

If you're only targeting 30fps, the 750Ti should let you run Ultra settings in BF4. The 4690K will be more than enough power for a long while, so you can definitely drop in a more powerful GPU down the road.

 

The R4 seems like a pretty nice case. The only reason I would get a bigger case is if I wanted to pack more hard drives into it or have it work with a huge radiator or something. Otherwise having a more compact case is nice, if you need to move it around or keep it on a desk somewhere. A lot of personal preference here, though.

I mean for newer games, if I have to lower the graphics to say, medium to keep a steady 60fps, then I'm ok with that. 

[Azure Envy 1,092]

I'm also trying to stay in the $1000 range with this build.

 

I mean for newer games, if I have to lower the graphics to say, medium to keep a steady 60fps, then I'm ok with that. 

 

The 750Ti is great value in its price range, perhaps eclipsed in performance only by the similarly priced Radeon R7 265. Some people prefer one brand over another, but speaking from purely a performance perspective, the 265 should be a little faster in 1080p gaming now and into the future.

[Celli 4,332]

The 750Ti is great value in its price range, perhaps eclipsed in performance only by the similarly priced Radeon R7 265. Some people prefer one brand over another, but speaking from purely a performance perspective, the 265 should be a little faster in 1080p gaming now and into the future.

I'm going with nvidia, because I want to record and possibly do other stuff like adobe flash and after effects. And from what I've heard gtx are better with that kind of thing. Same with intel's core series.

[boiteporte 591]

PC gaming doesn't have to be expensive. Here's an example budget build  . Now then, why am I recommending a budget build, won't it not deliver the best graphics and all the fancy bells and whistles? Yes, but guess what? PC gaming isn't about that, nor is it about having the best hardware. It's about having the best experience, and that PC right there will deliver a better experience than any console can. Why? Because it's an open platform, there is no controlling body governing what can and can't go on it (aside from the community, which is very vocal towards issues going on in gaming because we legitimately care about gaming.)   I'm a PC gamer not because I want the best hardware or graphics, I'm a PC gamer because I want the best experience. I don't want to deal with shitty devs telling me "Oh you can't tell the difference between X and Y" or that 30FPS provides a "cinematic experience", or that all the microtransactions in a game are a good thing, or push pre-orders, or a middle-man charging me for something that isn't a premium anymore (multiplayer) and try to tempt me to shell out my money with the promise of "free" games, or trying to look for new ways to screw me over. I care about gaming. I really do. And consoles are destroying what gaming is about. Rather than pushing things forward, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo took the finish line back a few years and stick to where they're lazily sitting, spitting on the hard work of companies that achieved greatness before them. And yeah, I'm a Nintendo fan, but I will admit that they are not without faults. I am not some blind fool.

 

Now, I might sound a bit, well, you know....

 

But I disagree with this. For me, the best experience for PC gaming comes directly from the best graphics. After all, the games are mostly the same on each platform (excluding the exclusives). The only difference comes from the graphics and (possibly) the 3D.

 

Speaking of which , I really regret buying a 3D screen. I am going to change my graphics card soon and I should have invested in a 4K instead. I hope my screen is going to break soon so I can change it. Unfortunately, it is a high quality screen.

 

I am so annoyed...... 

 

EDIT : On the build suggested, the Intel Pentium is going to be a limiting factor in performance.

Edited October 2, 2014 by boiteporte

[Revy ~ Two Hands 862]

PC gaming to me is about 1080p or above 60fps+ ultrra settings smooth gameplay. If you can't get that may as well be on console imo. Although I am 80% a console gamer these days because of JRPGs.

[EllieTheFuzzy 23]

Okay so , i will say, i don't believe in master race's and it's mentality it's pretty effed up unless it's for giggles, we're all equal ponies here.

 

I shall list my build

 

Spooky

 

• Intel Core i7 4820K
• GIGABYTE X79-UD3
• Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 7970GHz 6GB Toxic / Point Of View Nvidia Geforce GTX 590
• ASUS Xonar DS 7.1 Sound Card
• 32GB Hynix PC-10500 DDR3 1333Mhz - 4x8GB - In Quad Channel
• Zalman Z11 Case
• 2X Hitachi Ultrastar 1TB - Storage + 1X Westerndigital Caviar Blue 250GB - OS Drive, it's amazingly quick O_O
• EVGA Supernova G2 850W
• Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO

 

That's my Main Build :], I Have a Lenovo X220T Tablet Laptop with 8GB RAM And i5 2520M for going out and about.

 

I don't want to clutter up too much cause i have 2 other builds just laying around.

Edited October 2, 2014 by EllieTheFuzzy

[Envy 6,000]

Okay, let me get one thing straight.

 

PC gaming doesn't have to be expensive. Here's an example budget build. Now then, why am I recommending a budget build, won't it not deliver the best graphics and all the fancy bells and whistles? Yes, but guess what? PC gaming isn't about that, nor is it about having the best hardware. It's about having the best experience, and that PC right there will deliver a better experience than any console can. Why? Because it's an open platform, there is no controlling body governing what can and can't go on it (aside from the community, which is very vocal towards issues going on in gaming because we legitimately care about gaming.)

 

I'm a PC gamer not because I want the best hardware or graphics, I'm a PC gamer because I want the best experience. I don't want to deal with shitty devs telling me "Oh you can't tell the difference between X and Y" or that 30FPS provides a "cinematic experience", or that all the microtransactions in a game are a good thing, or push pre-orders, or a middle-man charging me for something that isn't a premium anymore (multiplayer) and try to tempt me to shell out my money with the promise of "free" games, or trying to look for new ways to screw me over. I care about gaming. I really do. And consoles are destroying what gaming is about. Rather than pushing things forward, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo took the finish line back a few years and stick to where they're lazily sitting, spitting on the hard work of companies that achieved greatness before them. And yeah, I'm a Nintendo fan, but I will admit that they are not without faults. I am not some blind fool.

 

That build still costs like twice as much as a console, and you're very lucky to find everything at such low prices.

 

But you know, having grown up with consoles, I got used to expecting games to run just fine... Sure, some games have issues, but that doesn't usually happen for me as I stick to games done by big companies. It was very jarring for me coming into PC gaming, not really because I couldn't run games at maximum graphics and FPS (FPS is meaningless to my enjoyment unless it causes lag), but because they had incredibly long loading screens (and I couldn't just get on the internet until they load, as the games lag my PC overall so horribly), and the gameplay and moving around the camera was very laggy.

 

My current PC apparently meets the minimum specs for The Sims 3, but there is little fun when playing it because of all of that lag. It is very hard to enjoy that "gameplay" when a PC can't run it properly (and it's PRICEY to do so).

 

So it is NOT getting the highest graphic settings that inspired me to want a new PC, it is getting The Sims 3 to the point of being playable. But then I thought "The Sims 3 is now outdated... And it wasn't ever a high-specs game anyway, right?" And so I thought now that the base-game was released a little over five years ago, and it is outdated/low-specs, buying a PC that will run it perfectly should be as easy to find as possible by now.

 

After how horribly it has run on my current PC, I desperately want to actually play it at full settings with little to no lag as it should be. So I wasn't going to cut any corners with the PC to do so. And it came out to be much more pricey than I initially expected.

 

Oh well... Just glad it's over and in the future I won't have to worry about gaming on PCs anymore. =)

Edited October 2, 2014 by Envy

[Revy ~ Two Hands 862]

That build still costs like twice as much as a console, and you're very lucky to find everything at such low prices.

 

That's cheap for a gaming PC that is what we're talking about here.

 

My current PC apparently meets the minimum specs for The Sims 3, but there is little fun when playing it because of all of that lag. It is very hard to enjoy that "gameplay" when a PC can't run it properly (and it's PRICEY to do so).

 

This is where the minimum 30fps comes in. If it dips below that, then you have lag because you're hardware is too weak.

 

Oh well... Just glad it's over and in the future I won't have to worry about gaming on PCs anymore. =)

PC gaming is meant to be about optimisation otherwise you may as well use a console since you're not getter a better experience. That and exclusives, I care about optimisation but there is max 2 exclusives a year on PC which is why even though I have the hardware I don't game on computer much.

[long gone 8,929]

EDIT : On the build suggested, the Intel Pentium is going to be a limiting factor in performance.

 It has an unlocked multiplier. If you need more performance then get a budget-priced Z97 board and overclock it a bit.

 

@@Envy, why not try out another game, like Civilization V? Looking at the system requirements for that game, it requires a PC from 2009. That's nothing.

 

 

 

max 2 exclusives a year on PC

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_PC_exclusive_video_games

[Yourmomsponies 444]

I know where what goes, it's just that I'm kind of afraid I'll overwork the CPU, unless it doesn't go higher or it stops overclocking at a certain point.

Dont worry about that. The 4th gen i5/ i7 is so stable that you can easily OC it to 4.2-4.3 ghz without needing to touch the cpu voltage. Even if you don't want to overclock now It's better to get the K part because you might want to overclock in the future.

[NightOwl 911]

OP we have the same case!

 

Anyways here's my PC: 

 

 

Specs: 

Mobo: Asus rampage IV extreme LGA 2011 

CPU/Cooling: Intel 3960x i7 and a Noctua NHd14 cooler

RAM: 32 GB of mushkin silverline 1600mhz ram 

HDD's: 2 WD Caviar Blacks, 1 Samsung EVO 250 GB SSD

Sound Card: Creative ZXR 

GPU's GTX 680 4GB SLI 

Case: CM Storm Stryker

OS: Windows 8.1 x64

 

The main games I play on this PC at the moment would be Battlefield 4 and Starcraft 2. 

 

 

 

[Yourmomsponies 444]

OP we have the same case!

 

Anyways here's my PC: 

 

 

Specs: 

Mobo: Asus rampage IV extreme LGA 2011 

CPU/Cooling: Intel 3960x i7 and a Noctua NHd14 cooler

RAM: 32 GB of mushkin silverline 1600mhz ram 

HDD's: 2 WD Caviar Blacks, 1 Samsung EVO 250 GB SSD

Sound Card: Creative ZXR 

GPU's GTX 680 4GB SLI 

Case: CM Storm Stryker

OS: Windows 8.1 x64

 

The main games I play on this PC at the moment would be Battlefield 4 and Starcraft 2. 

We are kindred spirits you and I. though we share our differences we have the same case ssd and soundcard

[Azure Envy 1,092]

OP we have the same case!

 

Anyways here's my PC:

 

Specs:

Mobo: Asus rampage IV extreme LGA 2011

CPU/Cooling: Intel 3960x i7 and a Noctua NHd14 cooler

RAM: 32 GB of mushkin silverline 1600mhz ram

HDD's: 2 WD Caviar Blacks, 1 Samsung EVO 250 GB SSD

Sound Card: Creative ZXR

GPU's GTX 680 4GB SLI

Case: CM Storm Stryker

OS: Windows 8.1 x64

 

The main games I play on this PC at the moment would be Battlefield 4 and Starcraft 2.

Here come the LGA2011 brigade...

[FoxyCryptid 4,327]

 

C Combined with the insane prices to acquire a PC that can run such games at high settings and with little or no lag/problems.

 

That build I posted is well under $600 and can run Ghosts(which is notoriously poorly optimized) at around medium-high settings at very playable FPS according to videos I found of a comparable(in fact, slightly slower) system running it.

 

PC gaming isn't that expensive anymore because of the rapid improvements to the more budget-friendly tier hardware in the last few years.

[Dashie23 103]

I've been interested in joining the master race, but I don't have a lot of money (not even enough for parts, I don't have a job yet) and my laptop is a Toshiba Satellite. If it breaks, I'll ask for a more gaming suited desktop (Alienware or Asus, maybe?) My laptop has such bad lag, I only have FNAF demo, Amnesia Demo, and Slender, and they play on my laptop like Internet Explorer loads: Not well. I just booted up FNAF demo, and I was sitting there for a good minute with nothing happening while it tried to load.

 

[Zhortac 1,473]

As of now, here are the specs for my PC that I've had for about 7-8 years:

AMD Athlon 64 x2 dual-core 5600+

4 gb ddr2 ram (originally 3 gb ddr, but I had to replace three sticks)

500gb HD...with like 90 something left lol

Nvidia GeForce GT 430

Nvidia HD Audio

ACPi X86 mother board

Win 8.1 pro 32 bit

 

I plan on getting one from Newegg for around $350, that is a DIY bundle, that pretty much decimate my rig lol.