PC Building Guide and Discussion #12

[SniperHF]

Amazon has the slightly older R5 1600 + a motherboard for $219:

Add RAM to taste.

The 2600 is better but I'm not sure it's ~$50 better if the budget is tight.

 

[Oogie Boogie]

Amazon has the slightly older R5 1600 + a motherboard for $219:

Add RAM to taste.

The 2600 is better but I'm not sure it's ~$50 better if the budget is tight.

I actually just saw the 2600 bundle which was like 276.99.
I'm going to have to check out what I can really afford to do tomorrow and try to get something ordered. If I can I may try for the 2600 anyways especially if it's going to last me for a while.

I think my GPU is solid, it's the RX 480 4GB if I'm thinking correctly. That could probably last me for a while still yeah? I mean I don't have the budget to include a new GPU right now anyways (maybe come tax time)

 

[Kestrel]

I actually just saw the 2600 bundle which was like 276.99.
I'm going to have to check out what I can really afford to do tomorrow and try to get something ordered. If I can I may try for the 2600 anyways especially if it's going to last me for a while.

I think my GPU is solid, it's the RX 480 4GB if I'm thinking correctly. That could probably last me for a while still yeah? I mean I don't have the budget to include a new GPU right now anyways (maybe come tax time)

It's not a world beater, but it's definitely a respectable GPU. If you don't have to have everything maxed out and running 144fps, you'll do fine with it.

 

[John Price]

hmm apparently ddr4 is the big rage these days @Hammettf2b

i'm here doing some research on the new mobo which will run BFV on ultra.

 

[Oogie Boogie]

It's not a world beater, but it's definitely a respectable GPU. If you don't have to have everything maxed out and running 144fps, you'll do fine with it.

Thanks I was hoping as much. As long a game can run on high settings and I get good fps in general I'm good.

Amazon has the slightly older R5 1600 + a motherboard for $219:

Add RAM to taste.

The 2600 is better but I'm not sure it's ~$50 better if the budget is tight.

I went ahead and did the 2600 + mobo bundle. I'll be getting some money back from something I paid for the other day anyways, so I said to hell with it.

 

[Hammettf2b]

hmm apparently ddr4 is the big rage these days @Hammettf2b

i'm here doing some research on the new mobo which will run BFV on ultra.

Get upgraded already!!!

 

[John Price]

Get upgraded already!!!

I have to wait for Black Friday deals

I was sitting in a public venue minding my own business when people starts talking about DDR4 and insane speeds and I thought Hey I am also looking into that because of what @Hammettf2b told me

 

[Osprey]

The reason I would generally be against what Osprey suggested in terms of trying to replace your old components with matching parts is you can't be sure your CPU and or RAM isn't damaged. It's quite likely the CPU is fine, CPUs are pretty hard to kill. RAM is also probably fine but there's just no way to verify it unless you have a test system.

That consideration crossed my mind. I just determined that it's pretty unlikely. I've been assembling and upgrading computers for 25 years and I'm pretty sure that I've never had a CPU or stick of RAM get destroyed by an issue with another component. That said, I can appreciate if someone under time and/or money constraints doesn't want to take the chance.

 

[Commander Clueless]

Dumb question, but are there any good looking mid tower cases that have front RGB lighting built in, but no tempered glass?

I'm in a weird mood.

 

[SniperHF]

That consideration crossed my mind. I just determined that it's pretty unlikely. I've been assembling and upgrading computers for 25 years and I'm pretty sure that I've never had a CPU or stick of RAM get destroyed by an issue with another component. That said, I can appreciate if someone under time and/or money constraints doesn't want to take the chance.

I've never had it happen to myself on a desktop but have seen it in rack servers.
Once I had a power surge take out my dual PIII home server's motherboard but the rest was fine.

I think that the motherboard displayed visible sparks increases the chances something else got wacked in the process.
But I've also had boards do that and keep working

I'm in a weird mood.

TURN BACK!

 

[Commander Clueless]

TURN BACK!

Look, I'm sick of tempered glass, but I won't turn down a little accent lighting every now and again.

 

[Osprey]

Once I had a power surge take out my dual PIII home server's motherboard but the rest was fine.

I think that the motherboard displayed visible sparks increases the chances something else got wacked in the process.
But I've also had boards do that and keep working

Once, I was building a computer for a friend and couldn't understand why it wasn't powering on. I then accidentally dropped a screwdriver on it while it was switched on and there was a bright spark and a *snap* sound. The computer powered on fine after that. I eventually gave it to my friend, didn't mention that little detail and he enjoyed it for years after that .

Come to think of it, I had a similar experience with a malfunctioning laptop that I opened up. The next time that you seem to have a dead motherboard and nothing more to lose, switch it on, drop a piece of metal onto it and stand back. You never know

 

[abo9]

I don't know if I should post here or create a thread, let me know which is more appropriate! I am looking for some advice regarding new laptops/tablets/ 2 in 1.

I don't follow the tech market much, so I'm a bit overwhelmed right now but I have a high interest in either a 2 in 1 laptop or buying a combination of a tablet and laptop for note taking. I would like to be able to go to class and take notes on the tablet part directly so I can organize my notes better (I am in math I do not like writing out the notes linearly with a keyboard, right now I am note-taking by hand but i end up with crazy amount of papers). I also need something able to compute lots of data in excel quickly, run SQL, maybe Python and stuff like that (which is nothing too crazy right?)

I have been leaning towards either the Lenovo Yoga 720/730 or the Microsoft Surface Go, maybe Pro. I hope to get a deal on Black Friday. I want to pay around $1000 CAD (around 700-800 USD).

Thing is, I really need the 2 in 1 part only for note-takings and working through problems, so I feel it could be an overkill to get the laptop part with it. Do cheap (like 200-300 CAD) tablets exist, that have good build and good stylus/writing capabilities that I could take to class, and I'd buy a decent laptop with the 700-800 CAD I have left?

My question is geared more towards the Tablet part than the Laptop part bc I never owned one. I am thinking some tablet with poor specs that was made with the intent of taking notes and organize them neatly ? What I can find online is people suggesting the Surface Pro line fo the writing capabilities but its pretty expensive and you can use it for much more than that.

Thanks!

 

[Osprey]

If you buy a cheap tablet and a laptop, you'll have two devices to juggle. Also, the tablet will likely have Android OS, so you might encounter issues reading your notes and syncing them. It'll be easier and safer to stick to one ecosystem (i.e. Windows) and simpler to get a 2-in-1 instead of two separate devices. Normally, I might recommend a higher-end Surface Go or lower-end Pro in your budget range, but it sounds like you do lots of typing, so you might not like the flimsy, cramped keyboards of those. You might be able to find a lower-end Surface Laptop (which has a real keyboard) in your budget range on Black Friday; otherwise, the Yoga might be up your alley.

 

[abo9]

If you buy a cheap tablet and a laptop, you'll have two devices to juggle. Also, the tablet will likely have Android OS, so you might encounter issues reading your notes and syncing them. It'll be easier and safer to stick to one ecosystem (i.e. Windows) and simpler to get a 2-in-1 instead of two separate devices. Normally, I might recommend a higher-end Surface Go or lower-end Pro in your budget range, but it sounds like you do lots of typing, so you might not like the felt keyboards of those. You might be able to find a lower-end Surface Laptop (which has a real keyboard) in your budget range on Black Friday; otherwise, the Yoga might be up your alley.

Thanks! I've spent some times looking around and for the tablet/laptop combo you are 100% right, and in addition it seems like the minimum recommended would be the Galaxy Tab A 10.1 which in Canada (Around 500 CAD) do not leave a big budget for a laptop.

The Pro seems to be a great fit, there seem to be a good deal on Costco for it too. I saw them at Best Buy earlier today while leaning towards the Go but definitively the Keyboard felt too small, the Pro seemed ok though.

What scares me with Lenovo is after doing some research they seem to be giving up on their product quite fast (The Lenovo Yoga Book for example), but I am not very aware of the supports and brandings of the computer world (my Acer is now 5 years old and I never had a problem with it)

 

[stopclickbait]

With Black Friday coming up I think its finally time to put money into an actual computer instead of getting by with my laptop now that I saved money over the past 5+ years any suggestions I really want to have a 3 monitor set up for gaming on steam and all my daily research on sports and who knows maybe i'll stream 1 day lol.

I'm kind of a big newby to this whole thing any suggestions for a Canadian near Ottawa that come all prebuilt? I guess I would say my budget is around 2,000CAD, but I do love deals haha. I have no problems going to store or ordering off Amazon. Thanks all you are the best on HFboards!

Edit: 1 monitor for gaming the other 2 for more space for news/stats on 1 and stream on the other etc.

 

[SniperHF]

With Black Friday coming up I think its finally time to put money into an actual computer instead of getting by with my laptop now that I saved money over the past 5+ years any suggestions I really want to have a 3 monitor set up for gaming on steam and all my daily research on sports and who knows maybe i'll stream 1 day lol.

I'm kind of a big newby to this whole thing any suggestions for a Canadian near Ottawa that come all prebuilt? I guess I would say my budget is around 2,000CAD, but I do love deals haha. I have no problems going to store or ordering off Amazon. Thanks all you are the best on HFboards!

Are you looking at gaming with 3 monitors as in Eyefinity/3d surround?

Or do you just want 3 monitors for screen space at the desktop?

3 quality monitors on a 2000 CA budget and a system to drive them would be a little tough if you're doing eyefinity gaming.

 

[stopclickbait]

Are you looking at gaming with 3 monitors as in Eyefinity/3d surround?

Or do you just want 3 monitors for screen space at the desktop?

3 quality monitors on a 2000 CA budget and a system to drive them would be a little tough if you're doing eyefinity gaming.

Just 1 monitor for gaming the other 2 more having documents/news/streams up.

 

[SniperHF]

Just 1 monitor for gaming the other 2 more having documents/news/streams up.

Certainly a bit easier.

I dunno about sales and such, but if you find some you can post them in here and I or someone else can look it over to make sure the parts are up to the task.

Just as sort of a baseline of what you'd be looking at for $2000. You're looking at 1080p gaming in that range mostly. You can push 2k but probably not for the budget since that raises the monitor cost substantially.

ABS Fort Gaming Desktop PC NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB AMD Ryzen 7 1700X (3.40 GHz) 8-Core 16 GB DDR4 240 GB SSD 1 TB HDD Windows 10 Home 64-Bit ALA099 - Newegg.ca
Ryzen 1700x, GTX 1060 6GB, SSD + HDD, 16GB RAM.

That's a pretty solid 1080p system.

Then throw in say 3 of these:
ViewSonic VX2476-SMHD 24" 1080P Full HD Ultra-Slim IPS Monitor, 1920 x 1080, 250 cd/m2, 1000:1, HDMI&VGA&USB Display Port, Built-in Speaker - Newegg.ca
They have a thin bezel so they'd probably look good in triplicate.
There are a TON of monitors to choose from though. Bigger, smaller, better contrast, faster refresh rate.

Also you'll probably have to figure out your cable situation after the purchase. I'd probably try and use all display port connections, but if you don't want to buy extra cables you can use the included HDMI's and then just get a single DP cable or something along those lines. Even video cards of the same model have different port counts. All of the mid range ones like a 1060 will drive 3 monitors, but which cable type is up in the air unless you know exactly how many ports you have.

Those 3 monitors + desktop is $1,769. That saves some money for tax/shipping and such. Plus a little for a KB/Mouse/Speakers etc.

I can't say this is the best deal out there or anything but just from a quick search that's about the type of system you're looking at for $2000 CA.

 

[aleshemsky83]

Anybody know a good deal on a laptop with the newer i5s and a real good display? No graphics necessary. I feel like I have to pay a serious premium to for a screen without ridiculous light bleed.

 

[God King Fudge]

Was looking to pick up a 1070TI soon, but recently came into some extra cash that may convince me to stretch the budget.

Assuming I'm looking at 1080P gaming on a 60hz monitor is there any reason to go for a 1080 or even a 2070 over a 1070TI (was looking at the TI FTW 2)?

Secondary question: I always see people talking down on blower style cards. Are they as bad as the folks on Reddit make them out to be or is it just hyperbole?

 

[Commander Clueless]

Was looking to pick up a 1070TI soon, but recently came into some extra cash that may convince me to stretch the budget.

Assuming I'm looking at 1080P gaming on a 60hz monitor is there any reason to go for a 1080 or even a 2070 over a 1070TI (was looking at the TI FTW 2)?

Honestly no, not really. 1070 Ti might even be a little overkill for that, but who doesn't love overkill? You shouldn't have to worry about gaming at 1080p/60 on a 1070 Ti for a long time.

The only advantage might be a 2070 if you wanted to try out the new RTX tech, although it looks like the only implementation thus far (Battlefield V) chugs pretty hard with RTX on.

Secondary question: I always see people talking down on blower style cards. Are they as bad as the folks on Reddit make them out to be or is it just hyperbole?

There's a bit of hyperbole, but it doesn't make it wrong.

The blower style cards run hotter and louder, but are useful in tight cases where you don't want to expel hot air inside the case.

I run a blower style (had plans to use a custom aftermarket cooler that haven't materialized yet). It's certainly not bad, but not what I'd call ideal either. Unless you are running a small form factor case with little ventilation, I'd say go for the better coolers.

 

[God King Fudge]

Just did it. Bit the bullet on a 1070 TI Amp Extreme.

 

[SniperHF]

Blower coolers suck.

Another question:

I was looking at picking up the FTW 2, but there's a Zotac 1070 ti (ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1070 Ti AMP EDITION 8GB GDDR5 256-bit Gaming Graphics Card IceStorm Cooling, Metal Backplate, Spectra Lighting, PowerBoost ZT-P10710C-10P ) for only $370 and I can get 5 payments on it instead of paying the whole thing up front.

How big is the difference from one version of the card to the next? Looking through some sites it seems like there's variation between cards, but only a couple FPS on average. Given the 1080/60 thing, any specific reason to still shoot for the FTW 2 over something like this or similar?

How is Zotac as a brand? I have a GeForce 1060 now and it's been nice but I seem to only find really positive stuff about ASUS and EVGA as manufacturers.

Well most any FPS variation can be explained by the clock rate (which you can see on the specs page) or the cooler.
The better cards usually have a better cooler which in turn will stop your card from throttling and get you higher boost frequencies.
The EVGA looks like it has a nicer back plate which can be slightly better for heat efficiency and looks.

If the price is a big deal I'd just get the one that fits the budget. They aren't different enough in most cases for me to sweat it too much.

Zotacs are fine they just aren't one of the higher end brands.

 

[Commander Clueless]

Just did it. Bit the bullet on a 1070 TI Amp Extreme.

I don't have any experience with the newer AMP Extreme coolers, but the Extreme versions of the 1070 and 1080 were pretty beastly. My friend has a 1070 version, and that thing is a boss while making very little noise.