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Buzz Lightyear

Commander
Feb 16, 2016
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Buzz-Light-Year
Hey guys,

I'm planning on building my first PC (primarily for Star Citizen) and I want to have a great build but have it be cost effective.

Here's a link to the parts for those who are interested in assisting me on my path to join the PC Master Race.

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/bbGY4D

I pretty much just tried to put together a high-end build with no sacrifices for lowest cost.

A few questions -

Would I need more fans than the 2 that come with the case and the 1 on the CPU cooler?

Are there any changes or recommendations you guys would suggest?
 
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Grimbli

Space Marshal
Jan 27, 2016
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Grimbli
I'm actually building a system for my sister, unrelated to SC, and would like some advice.

I live in the US, probably buy everything off Newegg or Amazon. She'll be using it for her photography startup business. The budget is around $1000. She'll also need a monitor, OS, and keyboard/mouse.

From what I understand, photoediting should need an i7. But after that I'm a little stumped at what I should aim for.

Side note: I've already built my gaming pc, so I know how things are put together. Also, I replaced my gpu card so I have an extra 780ti sitting around, should I put it in her computer?

Would appreciate any help.
 
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glockjs

Space Marshal
Feb 26, 2015
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glockjs
i'd like to point out that holding out til the end of this year might be a good idea if you're thinking about building a new rig. the new gpu's should have been out for a few months and amd zen is gonna drop. this years black friday is going to be a great time to piece together a rig!
 
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Lexicon

Captain
Aug 1, 2016
162
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Lexicon
I dunno if this thread is still going strong, but I gots questions!

A buddy of mine is going off to university and his parents have gifted him $700 to build a PC with. He wants to play Star Citizen primarily, though other titles (mainly AAA games) may catch his fancy as time goes on. His criteria are as follows:

- Must be all new parts, no used
- ITX build
- Wifi required
- Already has Windows 10 (through school), monitor (one of my old 1080p@60hz TN panels), keyboard/mouse (also gifts from me), 1TB storage drive (WD Blue from old desktop), and joystikk (Saitek x45 off eBay).

Now, I can build computers all day... but I've never actually had to work under a budget for a Star Citizen rig before. Hence why I'm turning to youse for help. I know SC cares a lot more about CPU than most modern titles, but my girlfriend has the PU client running on an i5 4690 and GTX 970, and she claims it's "perfectly playable," which is the only real-person benchmark I have right now.

Keeping that in mind, I'm tentatively recommending this build to him:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6400 2.7GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: *ASRock H110M-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($67.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: *G.Skill Ripjaws 4 series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($64.18 @ Newegg)
Storage: *Sandisk SSD PLUS 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($67.39 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB GAMING Video Card ($249.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 130 Mini ITX Tower Case ($42.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: *EVGA 450W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($37.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $710.52
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-08 10:20 EDT-0400


Do you guys think this will play SC passably?
 

glockjs

Space Marshal
Feb 26, 2015
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glockjs
I dunno if this thread is still going strong, but I gots questions!

A buddy of mine is.....

Do you guys think this will play SC passably?
does he have to have it now? you wanna ball on a budget at least wait for black friday imo. sadly zen has been delayed to early next year BUT it looks very very very promising. if it were me wanting the most badass rig for the budget i would buy the mem, ssd, gpu, case and psu on black friday then get the zen cpu+mobo when they release. that's gonna be the most bang for the buck. SC release is still a lil ways out so building a rig specifically for it is kinda hard :)
 
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CrudeSasquatch

Space Marshal
Jan 1, 2016
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CrudeSasquatch
I want to build a super duper computer next year, or buy one off of DELL.... Whichever is more complicated and frustrating. These people in DISCORD said a lot of neat things like "Titanium!" and "THOUSAND EIGHTY!" and "Wait until next year!" and "There's a whole world of cool things coming out!" and "There's a new type of Minotaur that shoots out pixels and melts eyeballs" and then someone else said "It's called a Monitor!"
anyways...
If you were me, and next year you were going to buy a computer, and you know how to slap together ZIF sockets and such, what components would you buy next year?
Maybe I should ask this question next year.
 
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BUTUZ

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Apr 8, 2016
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BUTUZ
Ask it next year and we'll let you know!
 

Kirk B

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Apr 19, 2016
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Kirk B
I want to build a super duper computer next year, or buy one off of DELL.... Whichever is more complicated and frustrating. These people in DISCORD said a lot of neat things like "Titanium!" and "THOUSAND EIGHTY!" and "Wait until next year!" and "There's a whole world of cool things coming out!" and "There's a new type of Minotaur that shoots out pixels and melts eyeballs" and then someone else said "It's called a Monitor!"
anyways...
If you were me, and next year you were going to buy a computer, and you know how to slap together ZIF sockets and such, what components would you buy next year?
Maybe I should ask this question next year.
From what I can tell, if it were me I'd say an intel kaby lake core i5, and a gtx 1080ti, if you're looking at a higher end (1200-1600$) 2k or 4k build For 1080p, a 1070, rx480, or similar, with a skylake i5 (sub 1000$)
For ridiculousness, a 10 core intel skylake cpu (should come out next year), and 2 Titan x pascals in sli. That'll put you close to being able to run in 4k surround.
 
Last edited:

vernes

Vice Admiral
Jul 20, 2014
46
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vernes
I'm almost ready to order my pc-parts for my next computer.
I've already went through some changes the last 3 month.
I've picked the EVGA because I noticed people being pretty happy with their nvidia cards.
I picked the gfx 1070 over the 1080 because the extra performance doesn't feel that much if you look at the price increase.
I had to pick a 3466mhz DDR4 despite the mobo/cpu only supporting 3400mhz because this was the only LOW-PROFILE (smaller heatsink) DDR4 available that comes close to 3400mhz. If you know a low-profile DDR4 3400mhz model, I would really like to know.
DDR4 modules can adjust their speed to match the speed supported, so as far as I know the 3466 will adjust themselves to 3400.
Because all the cpu-coolers I found are in some way blocking the memory-slots, I chose the highest performing air-cooler so it still performs well even after displacing the ventilator upwards to make room for the DDR4 module.
I'm still not comfortable using water-cooling even though it's been around for quite some time.

I think I made no mistakes.
If you have better options, I'd like to know why it's better.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core OEM/Tray Processor (€330.43 @ Mindfactory)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler (€87.99 @ Aquatuning)
Motherboard: Asus Z170 PRO GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (€147.95 @ Mindfactory)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3466 Memory (€121.84 @ Mindfactory)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 1TB 2.5" Solid State Drive (€300.38 @ Mindfactory)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card (€453.87 @ Mindfactory)
Case: Fractal Design Define S w/Window ATX Mid Tower Case (€83.49 @ Mindfactory)
Power Supply: Corsair RMx 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit
Total: €1525.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-12 12:48 CEST+0200
 
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AstroSam

Barrista
Mar 8, 2016
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AstroSam
I want to build a super duper computer next year, or buy one off of DELL.... Whichever is more complicated and frustrating. These people in DISCORD said a lot of neat things like "Titanium!" and "THOUSAND EIGHTY!" and "Wait until next year!" and "There's a whole world of cool things coming out!" and "There's a new type of Minotaur that shoots out pixels and melts eyeballs" and then someone else said "It's called a Monitor!"
anyways...
If you were me, and next year you were going to buy a computer, and you know how to slap together ZIF sockets and such, what components would you buy next year?
Maybe I should ask this question next year.
Well, some of those people are quite right. You want to buy a computer next year? Then wait until next year. Have a few beer until the time has come.

Besides, it always makes sense a) to build a computer by yourself (exception: you don't know the difference between CPU and GPU and naming two left hands as your own ;) ) and b) not to buy the latest-state-of-the-art. Its not worth the money, trust me.
 

XeoWolf

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Sep 5, 2016
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XeoWolf_TEST
b) not to buy the latest-state-of-the-art. Its not worth the money, trust me.
Sam is right! (We Sam's do that a lot!)

I built my current system a year ago and I put $1,600.00 into it. To build the same thing now would be nearly half that. So if you Don't need it now, don't buy it now. Especially the core components like the CPU. GPU, and even the motherboard. You could however pick out a nice case, power supply, and stuff like that. Look for deals and if you have questions bring them back here. :D
 

Grimbli

Space Marshal
Jan 27, 2016
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Grimbli
Laptops...whatcha think?

I was considering the Origins EON17-X 10 Series, but it's pretty pricy. Although it would be beefier than my desktop!

I'm on the road a LOT and would be cool to play SC and other awesome titles (possibly VR) while mobile.

Plus I could take it with me to family events and bless them with my presence while remaining anti-social!
 
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AstroSam

Barrista
Mar 8, 2016
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No, laptop = badtop. Double the price of a desktop PC, unable to upgrade, nearly impossible to repair components. Bad choice unless you don't need it otherwise for daily work or mobile based hobbies.

If you have to spare space, look for mini-ITX gaming PCs.
 

Grimbli

Space Marshal
Jan 27, 2016
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Grimbli
No, laptop = badtop. Double the price of a desktop PC, unable to upgrade, nearly impossible to repair components. Bad choice unless you don't need it otherwise for daily work or mobile based hobbies.

If you have to spare space, look for mini-ITX gaming PCs.
Not really an option as my truck won't run a pc. I know they're inefficient, but my only option for mobile gaming.
 
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AstroSam

Barrista
Mar 8, 2016
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AstroSam
This is why I mentioned - inter alia - "daily work" and/or "mobile hobbies". So, you need it for your mobile works hobby time or the like ;)
 

Lexicon

Captain
Aug 1, 2016
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Lexicon
Laptops...whatcha think?

I was considering the Origins EON17-X 10 Series, but it's pretty pricy. Although it would be beefier than my desktop!

I'm on the road a LOT and would be cool to play SC and other awesome titles (possibly VR) while mobile.

Plus I could take it with me to family events and bless them with my presence while remaining anti-social!
How much money are you willing to spend on it? There are laptops that are basically desktops.
 
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Varku

Space Marshal
Apr 21, 2016
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Varku
An other thing to mention:
Do not buy from suspicius shops in the Internet, you might find out, that when your Product is damaged the Shop is gone, and so is your warrant.
Buy from big vendors or from local IT guys.

I had made this misstake in the Past, and when my graphic card went out of order, my Vendor was gone, he had become insolvent, and i was left with two options: send my graphic card in and risk to not get it back (obviusly not an option)
or
i could spent hours and days with the technical support of NVIDIA and hope to find the error. Luckily i was able to track down the error (the Fan control of my graphic card was broken) and figure out a workaround. (i run MSI-Afterburner to control the Speed of my GPU-fan).

So considering all this trouble, do you really want to save these ~20$ and buy at this fishy shop, where you don't know if it's still around when you need them?
Since this day i always buy from my local IT guy, i tell him what parts i want, he orders them and if the Hardware is ever damaged i know exactly where i can find the guy who has to fix it.
 
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Grimbli

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Jan 27, 2016
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Grimbli
How much money are you willing to spend on it? There are laptops that are basically desktops.
Price isn't too huge of a deal. I'd like to get something that'll err on the side of too powerful than not enough. I've spent quite a lot on laptops in the past and been disappointed. With the low upgradability I've been stuck with those I'm unhappy using.
 

Lexicon

Captain
Aug 1, 2016
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Lexicon
The one I linked in my post runs a desktop i7 and dual desktop GTX 1080s in SLI. You're not going to err any further on the side of too powerful - I don't think they make a stronger laptop, period.
 
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Lienna

Space Marshal
Feb 27, 2014
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Lienna
Hi all, I've just started my new job and I'm looking to treat myself come payday. I bought my current PC 4 years ago (exact list below) and all I've added since is a sad and an x52 +pedals. And a 4k monitor, though I only hope to go 2k for gaming... I'm considering buying a 1070, will that be able to swap out for the 660 in the rig below? Are there any other bits I need to swap out? From my research the 1070 has basically the same power draw as a 660 so that should be fine right?

MSI GeForce GTX 660 OC Twin Frozr 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card
Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail
Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard
Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003)
Corsair Enthusiast Series TX550M High Performance 550W '80 Plus Bronze' Modular Power Supply (CP-9020001-UK)
Zalman Z9 Plus Tower Case with Fan Controller - Black
Cooler Master Hyper 612S CPU Cooler (Socket LGA1366/1156/1155/775/AM3/AM2+/AM2)
Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX)
LG GH24NS90 24x DVDąRW SATA ReWriter (Black) - OEM

Apologies for any bad formatting/spelling. Did this on my phone while at the start of a visual migraine so I'm half blind!

Oh BTW I'm in the UK if that matters...
 
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