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Erkki

Damn it, but computers have become really complicated

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Yeah I figured that out. :D

 

Fan's been working fine since yesterday's post. I even left it on overnight because I was feeling adventurous, and we're still golden! Computers are weird.

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Meanwhile, my laptop is broken. That is, the hinge just kind of SNAPPED the other day, so much so that I'm afraid to use it for fear of making it worse. It's been really loose for a while now, but out of sheer laziness, I did nothing about it. So tomorrow I'm going to do this.

 

 

Oh boy!

 

As a nice bonus, I'm also going to clean the inside of the screen, which has an abundance of dust at this point. I can't believe how many portable devices I have a dust problem with. Hasn't anyone figured this shit out, yet? Well, I guess I don't have that problem with phones, so clearly they have. Laptop makers, get on that.

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So back when Calgary flooded, my computer died. I've been on laptop only gaming for the past 4 months as a result, but the fact that I'm now employed in a grown-up job rather than being a starving student means that I can finally afford a new desktop. The desktop I'd been running up until it died was top of the line when I built in in 2008, but that's the last time I put together a PC. I'm looking to get something right at that line where the performance increase/cost increase ratio starts to get shitty. Between $1000 and $1400 (Canadian). Probably around $1200. It's been so damn long since I've even looked at PC hardware though, I have no idea what I'd be doing. Whenever I see this kind of question posed on IT, it seems to get answered pretty completely pretty fast. I get my second grown-up paycheque tomorrow. The first one went to fixing up my car, and the second has been earmarked for forever as my computer replacin' cheque. The time is now, thumbs! What do I build?

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These days, I don't think you really need an expensive build to run games well.

 

A midrange i5 or i7 processor in the 4000 series should do you (i7 4770 seems to be a popular hit on Amazon.) Start with 8gb of RAM but make sure you leave some open slots to expand. I perfer Nvidia video cards, 760 or 770 are both nice, depending on how each fits with the price of the rest of your build.

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All prices quoted from Newegg.ca -

 

Core-i5 4670k - $249.99

Asus Z87 mobo - $139.99

8GB Corsair 1600mhz RAM - $84.99

Windows 8 Pro - $101.99

GTX 760 4GB - $319.99

NZXT 210 Elite Case - $49.99

Corsair 650W 80 Plus Gold Modular PSU - $129.99

 

Total = $1076.93, $1169.16 with shipping (plugged in a random Calgary postal code, so don't hold me to this) + there's a $10 rebate on that PSU and you get free copies of Assassin's Creed 4 and Splinter Cell Blacklist with that video card

 

P.S. Canadian postal codes are goddamn bananas.

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P.S. Canadian postal codes are goddamn bananas.

...what about them is so bananas? I'm completely used to them so I don't know whats so weird.

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P.S. Canadian postal codes are goddamn bananas.

 

Can't be worse than Ireland

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I'm sure it makes sense, but 6 alphanumeric in two three-part groups is really confusing to someone with no familiarity. American zip codes are just five numerals.

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Damn, thanks Jon.

 

That actually looks about right with my price range and needs. Skipped the HDD, which is a thing for me because that was part of what got lost in the flood, but otherwise hell yeah. I may need to wait a little bit longer before I pull the trigger, having seen my cheque and then the credit card bill I racked up living for a month (this one paycheque a month thing is going to take some getting used to, life-wise) but I think that (or something very similar) is what I'm going to go for fairly soon. Looking forward to being able to play things for reals. Any dissenting opinions or other tips?

 

 

Also, it's always (letter designating province [unless you're in Ontario, because that's populated enough to have 4 letters]) (number and letter designating forwarding station)  SPACE  (number, then letter, then number which as a group designate delivery unit). I have no idea if your crazy five number system breaks down into anything sensible, but I do know that everyone I know in Northeast Calgary lives at T2E number letter number, and everyone in Northwest lives at T2N number letter number. Makes perfect sense to me.

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Ah, yeah sorry about that:

 

1 TB WD Blue 7200RPM Internal Drive - $64.99 + 6.99 shipping

 

If you need wiggle room downwards, the components to consider going budget on are:

  • processor - a Core i5-4430 would be fine, still quad-core just downclocked
  • chipset - you might find savings if you went to Ivy Bridge components, Core i5/i7 in the 3000 series and appropriately matching motherboards
  • hard drive - obviously you could get a lower capacity HDD than 1TB, minimal savings however
  • PSU - 80 Plus Gold + modular is nice but non-modular and 80 Plus Bronze can give some savings; if you do wiggle here, stick to quality brands like Seasonic, Corsair, and Antec (the latter two are supplied by the former, actually) because the efficiency pays off in the long run and cheaper brands/models tend to be louder and run hotter

I still wouldn't say you should cheap out on the PSU, and you definitely shouldn't cheap out by getting less than 8GB RAM or a video card with less than 4GB of VRAM unless your budget absolutely makes it impossible to afford them.

 

If you want to spend more, I'd do it on the processor, PSU, and perhaps a solid-state drive. A Core i7 is generally overkill for 1080p gaming, but it'd get you more futureproof-ish longevity than a more expensive video card. I'm not super hot on SSDs, personally, because they're just too expensive for the relatively limited benefits they grant. I'd much rather spend that money on more capacity or maybe some nice new accessories like a 1440p display or a mechanical keyboard, but that's just my preference and I know some people love SSDs.

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Ah, yeah sorry about that:

 

1 TB WD Blue 7200RPM Internal Drive - $64.99 + 6.99 shipping

 

If you need wiggle room downwards, the components to consider going budget on are:

  • processor - a Core i5-4430 would be fine, still quad-core just downclocked
  • chipset - you might find savings if you went to Ivy Bridge components, Core i5/i7 in the 3000 series and appropriately matching motherboards
  • hard drive - obviously you could get a lower capacity HDD than 1TB, minimal savings however
  • PSU - 80 Plus Gold + modular is nice but non-modular and 80 Plus Bronze can give some savings; if you do wiggle here, stick to quality brands like Seasonic, Corsair, and Antec (the latter two are supplied by the former, actually) because the efficiency pays off in the long run and cheaper brands/models tend to be louder and run hotter

I still wouldn't say you should cheap out on the PSU, and you definitely shouldn't cheap out by getting less than 8GB RAM or a video card with less than 4GB of VRAM unless your budget absolutely makes it impossible to afford them.

 

If you want to spend more, I'd do it on the processor, PSU, and perhaps a solid-state drive. A Core i7 is generally overkill for 1080p gaming, but it'd get you more futureproof-ish longevity than a more expensive video card. I'm not super hot on SSDs, personally, because they're just too expensive for the relatively limited benefits they grant. I'd much rather spend that money on more capacity or maybe some nice new accessories like a 1440p display or a mechanical keyboard, but that's just my preference and I know some people love SSDs.

 

A modular power supply makes building a computer about a hundred times easier. No one ever regrets spending twenty-five bucks extra on something that affects the quality and longevity of every other component in your case. I'd also spring for a slightly nicer case, something like the NZXT H2, since cases stick around forever and the frills they either have or don't are often non-marginal. My friend sprang for a Corsair 600T recently when building his box, and that thing runs so cool and quiet that the aftermarket heatsink is almost just gravy.

 

I really don't see the point of an i7, not ever. With the unlocked multiplier of a K series like the i5-4670k, the only differences between it and an i7 are 2MB of cache and hyperthreading, both of which are good but not $300 extra good. Better to spend that money on a well-regarded lower-capacity SSD, a better cooling solution, or something that actually pays off for you.

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On the topic of cases, anyone have experience with noise reducing cases? I built a PC with some spare parts I had lying around and I'd like to use it as a HTPC-type thing, only thing is it's loud as sin. I'm trying to make this a budget-friendly build, since as I said I made it from spare parts and can't afford outlay for a whole new machine. I'm really looking to spend less than $100, ideally around $50, for a case that dampens the horrible loudness of these older parts. I'm looking at the Fractal Design R4 and the Azza Silentium 920B, both of which scrape the top-end of my budget. Any cheaper suggestions/thoughts?

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Have you considered fixing or replacing parts that are actually causing noises? Vibration dampening mounts, aftermarket CPU cooler, larger lower-rpm case fans etc? If it's coil whine from GPU or power supply or something that might cost more to replace than getting a brand new case, then I guess you're probably better off with a silent case (although silent cases can only do so much when the components are excessively loud). I haven't used Fractal's Define R4 myself, but I know it has a very very good reputation.

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The Fractal's a good case and I think a hundred to one-fifty is a good sum to spend on a case, but Jayel's right, it might be cheaper just to buy some new fans with newer bearings. Most older cases don't have mounts for them, but 200 rpm fans make literally no noise. It's uncanny.

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Ah, yeah sorry about that:

 

1 TB WD Blue 7200RPM Internal Drive - $64.99 + 6.99 shipping

 

If you need wiggle room downwards, the components to consider going budget on are:

  • processor - a Core i5-4430 would be fine, still quad-core just downclocked
  • chipset - you might find savings if you went to Ivy Bridge components, Core i5/i7 in the 3000 series and appropriately matching motherboards
  • hard drive - obviously you could get a lower capacity HDD than 1TB, minimal savings however
  • PSU - 80 Plus Gold + modular is nice but non-modular and 80 Plus Bronze can give some savings; if you do wiggle here, stick to quality brands like Seasonic, Corsair, and Antec (the latter two are supplied by the former, actually) because the efficiency pays off in the long run and cheaper brands/models tend to be louder and run hotter

I still wouldn't say you should cheap out on the PSU, and you definitely shouldn't cheap out by getting less than 8GB RAM or a video card with less than 4GB of VRAM unless your budget absolutely makes it impossible to afford them.

 

If you want to spend more, I'd do it on the processor, PSU, and perhaps a solid-state drive. A Core i7 is generally overkill for 1080p gaming, but it'd get you more futureproof-ish longevity than a more expensive video card. I'm not super hot on SSDs, personally, because they're just too expensive for the relatively limited benefits they grant. I'd much rather spend that money on more capacity or maybe some nice new accessories like a 1440p display or a mechanical keyboard, but that's just my preference and I know some people love SSDs.

 

We've had a lot of luck with Hybrid drives here at my work. Small SSD for caching built onto a regular spindle drive. I have no knowledge of this specific drive, but something like this: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822178381

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I got my new video card, but it doesn't work.

 

It sits at the BIOS screen, which is uninteractable, and beeps periodically every ten seconds or so (haven't bothered to time it). Old video card still works (except for the whole fan not spinning thing), which would seem to indicate that my new card is just busted. Except if it was, I wouldn't expect it to show the BIOS screen at all. I'd expect it to fail outright.

 

So I did some Googling, and found suggestions to reset the CMOS. Which I did, both in the BIOS menu (using my old card) and physically connecting the two pins with a metal screwdriver (as instructed in my motherboard manual). No change. Old video card still works, new one doesn't.

 

So then I read a single post that suggested updating the BIOS for a different, but maybe similar problem. Except I don't really know how to do that, since I've never bothered before.

 

Basically: help? Is my video card actually fried, or am I just stupid?

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Nevermiiiiind, updated BIOS and now I'm in Windows!

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Just updated my card's drivers. Updater reset the computer without warning when it was done. Very aggravating.

 

Ok, there probably was a warning.

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Have you considered fixing or replacing parts that are actually causing noises? Vibration dampening mounts, aftermarket CPU cooler, larger lower-rpm case fans etc? If it's coil whine from GPU or power supply or something that might cost more to replace than getting a brand new case, then I guess you're probably better off with a silent case (although silent cases can only do so much when the components are excessively loud). I haven't used Fractal's Define R4 myself, but I know it has a very very good reputation.

 

I've considered this, but the case I have really is complete garbage so replacing it was a top priority anyways. I'd like the final product of this to be an HTPC that I use as a OTA PVR and light gaming device, only problem is my budget is practically nil. Eventually I'll be replacing every part, but it really has to be one thing at a time so I figured a sound-dampening, high quality case would be a good first step to mitigate some of those shitty parts I can't afford to replace for months.

 

My long term plan is to replace the case, then the PSU, then the hard drive, and finally upgrade the motherboard/CPU/RAM. Even when I'm done, it'll be a pretty cheap machine that has a very specific purpose.

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Reevaluated some things and have a revised HTPC build in the works. It's kind of a bastardized version of a real HTPC, since it has some gaming prowess, but the processor and GPU should both have pretty low idle and the GPU shouldn't really spin up to a high-power use state unless I'm doing some gaming.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor (Purchased For $56.99)
Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (Purchased For $27.99)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($72.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.67 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card (Purchased For $114.59)
Case: Antec GX700 ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $60.46)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $452.68
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-02 11:52 EDT-0400)

 

The thing I've learned is that if you're willing to be a little patient and buy things as they go on sale, you can get a pretty cheap, pretty solid PC. Just don't wait too long, as you might miss your window to RMA in the event of a DOA component. That processor I already purchased normally retails for $79, but I caught it at $57. The mobo typically goes at twice the price and the GPU is about $70 off normal price, by the same token. I'm hoping the other components will go on sale or similar components will be cheap in the next couple weeks and I might slide this build under $400 (granted I already have a Windows license, so in reality it'd be right on the $500 price point).

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