PC Building Guide and Discussion #11 (everything is expensive...)

[Kestrel]

should i consider changing my PS aswell?

And maybe getting a better cooler since i will probably need to overclock the i5

If your power supply is in good shape, it has more than adequate power. If you have any reason to be suspicious of the power supply, there are decent ones out there that don't cost a fortune.

 

[kr580]

A quick look on NewEgg showed 3GB 1060's for $259 plus shipping - if you wanted to squeeze that much out of your wallet, that'd be the best. I like the 580's... but yeah - they're still stupidly priced for the most part. Otherwise, if 250 is your hard cap, go for the 1050ti.

EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 SC GAMING Graphics Card 03G-P4-6162-KR B&H

This guy? Can get for $249 shipped. Tempting...

 

[SniperHF]

Also, who else here is still using the same power supply from years ago?

HX750 from 2012 or so.

And maybe getting a better cooler since i will probably need to overclock the i5

I OC my 2500k on a 212 evo and it does alright. I'd certainly try it as is first. You won't set any records but a 400-500mhz bump you could probably pull off and stay reasonably cool.

Whether the OC will help in games depends a lot on the game. It would help in say Civilization IV or Battlefield 1. In Far Cry 5? not as much.

2 : if i want to upgrade, will just adding a new GFX card do the trick? Maybe oc'ing my i5 would help?

Like the others said, I'd just toss a video card in it. Cards are coming down a little in price. Still inflated but not as stupid as it was a month ago.

RX 570, 1060 3gb, or better would be a good upgrade on a 660 ti. 1050 ti would be an upgrade too but not as much of one.

If you want though I can put a little effort into figuring out a sell price.

This guy? Can get for $249 shipped. Tempting...

Closer to 4 and a half times faster than your current card.

 

[542365]

How substantial is the upgrade from an RX480 to a GTX1080? Will I notice a massive difference on a 1080P 60HZ monitor or would I need a better monitor to really get the increased experience? I'm looking to upgrade my PC as I'm dropping frames and being forced to run at medium settings on a lot of the newer titles and it's starting to frustrate me. I don't want to have to upgrade it again any time in the near future so I'm just thinking of going with a GTX1080. Worth it if I don't plan on playing in 4K any time soon?

 

[SniperHF]

How substantial is the upgrade from an RX480 to a GTX1080?

Very.

Also you can sell your RX 480 to make up some of the money. They still go for good $$$.

Will I notice a massive difference on a 1080P 60HZ monitor or would I need a better monitor to really get the increased experience? I'm looking to upgrade my PC as I'm dropping frames and being forced to run at medium settings on a lot of the newer titles and it's starting to frustrate me. I don't want to have to upgrade it again any time in the near future so I'm just thinking of going with a GTX1080. Worth it if I don't plan on playing in 4K any time soon?

I'd say it's probably worth it performance wise even on a 1080p monitor, but a 1070 ti might do the job better. Looks like the cheapest 1070 ti on newegg right now is $529 and the cheapest 1080 is $630.

Personally I wouldn't pay those prices unless I absolutely had to have more performance now. If that's you then go nuts
I'd save the $100 and go with the 1070 ti though. You won't miss those 3 frames at 1080P and you should stay above 60 FPS for at least a few years.

 

[542365]

Very.

Also you can sell your RX 480 to make up some of the money. They still go for good $$$.



I'd say it's probably worth it performance wise even on a 1080p monitor, but a 1070 ti might do the job better. Looks like the cheapest 1070 ti on newegg right now is $529 and the cheapest 1080 is $630.

Personally I wouldn't pay those prices unless I absolutely had to have more performance now. If that's you then go nuts
I'd save the $100 and go with the 1070 ti though. You won't miss those 3 frames at 1080P and you should stay above 60 FPS for at least a few years.

Awesome! Thanks.

 

[SeidoN]

indeed, 1070ti is better value. I have a RX480 at the moment and im looking to get a 1070ti next time I have the cash

EDIT: also im still on my 6 year strong 2500k B)

I still see no CPU out there thats good enough in gaming to be worth a new mobo+cpu+ram

 

[kr580]

EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 SC GAMING Graphics Card 03G-P4-6162-KR B&H

This guy? Can get for $249 shipped. Tempting...

Ordered! Oh boy, I'll get 400 FPS in Minecraft!

 

[Kestrel]

Ordered! Oh boy, I'll get 400 FPS in Minecraft!

Better get MOAR monitors, and multiscreen it!

 

[kr580]

Better get MOAR monitors, and multiscreen it!

Oh, I have two already and two more laying around. I'll put up a 2x2 grid.

 

[Kestrel]

Oh, I have two already and two more laying around. I'll put up a 2x2 grid.

Minecrafting at the next level!

 

[Individual 1]

EDIT: also im still on my 6 year strong 2500k B)

I still see no CPU out there thats good enough in gaming to be worth a new mobo+cpu+ram

I have a I5 4690k and I figure I will be waiting until DDR5 is mainstream

 

[expatriatedtexan]

I have a I5 4690k and I figure I will be waiting until DDR5 is mainstream

Biggest problem I have with my "older" cpu (i74790k) is that I want to build in a much smaller case and can't find a mini-itx motherboard for it.

 

[Kestrel]

Biggest problem I have with my "older" cpu (i74790k) is that I want to build in a much smaller case and can't find a mini-itx motherboard for it.

A quick search turned up these - I don't know if either is a good option for you:

Mini ITX, LGA 1150, Intel Motherboards, Motherboards, Components - Newegg.com

 

[expatriatedtexan]

A quick search turned up these - I don't know if either is a good option for you:

Mini ITX, LGA 1150, Intel Motherboards, Motherboards, Components - Newegg.com

But wouldn't those require a bios flash using an older CPU and prohibit overclocking? I thought I needed a z97 board.

 

[Kestrel]

But wouldn't those require a bios flash using an older CPU and prohibit overclocking? I thought I needed a z97 board.

That might be the case, I don't know.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

That might be the case, I don't know.

I have checked on and off over the last year for compatible itx boards at PCpartpicker and have seen those as well as as few others that might fit the bill but always found a flag saying it would require an older CPU (which I don't have) to flash the bios to make it compatible with the 4790K...and have "heard" from others that it had to be a z97 mobo to overclock. I can sometimes find a z97 mobo on ebay but for the price, I'd be better off getting a new cpu/mobo combo.

 

[SniperHF]

You'd definitely need z97 to OC via the multiplier.

Far as compatibility....I guess that would depend entirely on if they updated the boards or not from the factory. The reason you might need the newer bios is that the Devil's Canyon CPUs weren't part of the original Haswell release.

Some boards are smart enough to flash without a CPU. A cheapo mini itx Asrock probably isn't though.

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...e=z370_motehrboard_itx-_-13-157-795-_-Product
And if it's not an active system and you only have the 4790k. Sell that puppy now while it's still worth some money. Used 4790k's are going for $220 or so. Fees for selling + shipping are probably around $30-35 of that. So ~$180 you can put toward your mini project.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

You'd definitely need z97 to OC via the multiplier.

Far as compatibility....I guess that would depend entirely on if they updated the boards or not from the factory. The reason you might need the newer bios is that the Devil's Canyon CPUs weren't part of the original Haswell release.

Some boards are smart enough to flash without a CPU. A cheapo mini itx Asrock probably isn't though.

And if it's not an active system and you only have the 4790k. Sell that puppy now while it's still worth some money. Used 4790k's are going for $220 or so. Fees for selling + shipping are probably around $30-35 of that. So ~$180 you can put toward your mini project.

Thanks y'all. Still absolutely love that I can come to one place and talk hockey and get some IT help in the process. Y'all are the best.

 

[SniperHF]

Network is finally set up:

View attachment 105129

Now with more topo diagram
I bought a serial interface card so I could connect my crust old 2507 router to the network. I think my network now spans the mid 90's to 2012 or so .

 

[Kestrel]

Now with more topo diagram
I bought a serial interface card so I could connect my crust old 2507 router to the network. I think my network now spans the mid 90's to 2012 or so .

View attachment 115071

Looks like you've been having some fun... haha, and I was feeling like I have a more complex than necessary network just because I have 3 routers for 7 computers and whatever mobile devices.

 

[SniperHF]

and I was feeling like I have a more complex than necessary network just because I have 3 routers for 7 computers and whatever mobile devices.

Well the actual functional bits of my network are all between the Netgear switch and the ISP Router

All the other stuff works its mostly just to mess around/study on. It's pretty amusing to take my laptop and plug it into the 2507 which is connected via a 4 mbps serial line. Very slow. One end supports 8mbps but the other won't go past 4 #bottlenecks.

 

[Kestrel]

Well the actual functional bits of my network are all between the Netgear switch and the ISP Router

All the other stuff works its mostly just to mess around/study on. It's pretty amusing to take my laptop and plug it into the 2507 which is connected via a 4 mbps serial line. Very slow. One end supports 8mbps but the other won't go past 4 #bottlenecks.

Haha... I think I would die if any functional part of my network were restricted to your play/study section. Way too many file transfers happening on my network! I can definitely see how it would be fun to play with legacy equipment though!

 

[SniperHF]

Way too many file transfers happening on my network! I can definitely see how it would be fun to play with legacy equipment though!

If I can find a module to go on the other end that's not stupid expensive, I have dual 10 gigabit fiber connections on the 3750x switch. That would speed up the file transfers

 

[Kestrel]

If I can find a module to go on the other end that's not stupid expensive, I have dual 10 gigabit fiber connections on the 3750x switch. That would speed up the file transfers

Haha... I almost opted for a different motherboard on my Threadripper - one that came with a 10 gigabit connector. BUT... I don't have a router to handle that, nor does the other computer I run transfers to have a 10 gig card, so I would have been spending I think it was about $150-$200 more to have a network connector that I would STILL need to spend substantially more money to be able to use.