PC Building Guide and Discussion #13

[Kairi Zaide]

I'd get the Zotac. Zotacs are fine, people are just snobs. It's a budget card, little cheaper, some frills are sacrificed (no USB type C, no HDMI 2.0, both could be a factor for VR but there are adapters) The actual graphics processor is made by Nvidia.

It probably will run a little hotter than the EVGA but I wouldn't worry about it.

But if you wanna spend the $200 go nuts
MSI makes a good card, probably my 2nd favorite.

Well tbh, it would still fit within my budget with the 2080, and it would be a 2080. My main concern would be about durability, as I'd like it to last about 4-5 years at least, and budget cards scream to me as having lesser durability. Could eventually play at 4K too with it, which is more of a bonus than anything. I think I'll go with the MSI mostly due to reputation (and you seem to confirm what I've been reading by saying it's your 2nd favorite brand). Would I need to upgrade to a 750W PSU though?

I wanted to add a 2nd 4tb HDD, but I don't think that's a necessity considering I also have a 4tb external one.

Seems the cooling unit I initially had isn't available either anymore, but the reviews for the NZXT Kraken coolers seem average (between 3 and 4 out of 5), while the air cooler proposed has a 5 stars review (12 reviews) on newegg. Would be noticeably cheaper than the water coolers. These are the options : http://puu.sh/EJKY0/8c4ba4afe0.png
Also I noticed that there's a tab for "case fans" and there's nothing picked there. Should I add one? http://puu.sh/EJKYi/952bc0ee62.png

 

[SniperHF]

My main concern would be about durability, as I'd like it to last about 4-5 years at least, and budget cards scream to me as having lesser durability. Could eventually play at 4K too with it, which is more of a bonus than anything

Well by the time eventually comes around you'd probably need a new card anyway

I wouldn't worry about durability really, but it's not like I have a list of manufacturers and fail rates on me. They don't publish that stuff anyway for good reason.
I've owned many a budget card and have only had one croak out, and it did so like 8 years later

Would I need to upgrade to a 750W PSU though?

No.

but the reviews for the NZXT Kraken coolers seem average (between 3 and 4 out of 5), while the air cooler proposed has a 5

Well I'm already on record as saying get whatevers cheapest, since you aren't overclocking.

But I'd say for the NZXT AIO coolers, NZXT is a major brand but is probably more famous for their cases than water coolers. I'm not a huge fan of going by star ratings either for that matter.

The Deepcool is well reviewed because it's a simple hunk of metal that sits on top of your CPU and it includes RGB fans for a very low price point. It's a good cheap cooler that beats the sort of famous budget cooler the Hyper 212 in a lot of tests. With the NZXT water coolers people are looking for higher end stuff and more likely to review with a critical eye.

Unfortunately finding quality professional reviews of coolers is pretty hard these days. From looking around the NZXT coolers seem to be well reviewed but also seem a tad overpriced and aren't quite as effective as the Corsair coolers (which are generally the standard AIO choice). But in your case you don't have that as an option.

Me? I'd get an air cooler. And I'd roll the dice on shipping it that way but I'm just that way. The things are held in with 4 screws and nuts. If properly installed they don't really move. Some of them are trully massive but the GAMMAXX isn't that big. It's a normal sized tower cooler.

Also I noticed that there's a tab for "case fans" and there's nothing picked there. Should I add one? http://puu.sh/EJKYi/952bc0ee62.png

I assume it has at least 1 case fan already? Is there a way to tell? You don't really need more than a single exhaust case fan generally speaking. But they can help. I'd probably just go with it as is, adding another case fan later is easy.

 

[Caeldan]

Top keyboard picks for under 160 CAD? Gaming PC, but I do a fair amount of typing and generally have only used Logitech/Dell/MS keyboards out of Costco or from the office at work. I like clicky keyboards but the PC is going to end up somewhere where I might want them to not be super loud.
So looking it up it seems MX Brown type switches are ideal? But I can't seem to find any of the keyboards I want with that.
Things that end up on the nice to have list: USB Passthrough, Macros, Dedicated media buttons.
Ones I'm currently considering (though outside of price they don't necessarily hit all of the above boxes):

https://www.amazon.ca/Corsair-MK-2-...rds=corsair+70+keyboard&qid=1574985565&sr=8-4
https://www.amazon.ca/Logitech-Mech...EQB&sprefix=logitech+g513,aps,196&sr=8-5&th=1
Tournament-Grade Mechanical Keyboard - Razer BlackWidow Elite (orange switch?)
Logitech G910 Orion Spark RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard - Newegg.ca

 

[Caeldan]

Also, finally pulled the trigger on my PC build:
Ryzen 9 3900x
Asus Rog Strix X570-E mobo
32 GB (2x16) G.Skill Trident Z Neo DDR4-3600 CL16
1TB Adata XPG SX8200 Pro M.2 (OS Drive)
2TB Samsung EVO Plus M.2 (Gaming Drive)
Corsair RM850W PSU
LG 32" QHD VA Monitor
Thermaltake MT20 ARGB Case, plus a couple extra fans (140mm for the top, and a few other 120mm to add in on the bottom or side)

Debating on whether I want to add a second monitor still or not (been a 2 monitor person forever, but don't have any real need other than for the sake of putting netflix on one screen while I do stuff on the other for occasionally). Probably would just go with a 27" TN for that, like this one: ASUS TUF 27" WQHD 155Hz TN LED Gaming Monitor (VG27BQ) | Best Buy Canada

 

[Starry Knight]

Also, finally pulled the trigger on my PC build:
Ryzen 9 3900x
Asus Rog Strix X570-E mobo
32 GB (2x16) G.Skill Trident Z Neo DDR4-3600 CL16
1TB Adata XPG SX8200 Pro M.2 (OS Drive)
2TB Samsung EVO Plus M.2 (Gaming Drive)
Corsair RM850W PSU
LG 32" QHD VA Monitor
Thermaltake MT20 ARGB Case, plus a couple extra fans (140mm for the top, and a few other 120mm to add in on the bottom or side)

Debating on whether I want to add a second monitor still or not (been a 2 monitor person forever, but don't have any real need other than for the sake of putting netflix on one screen while I do stuff on the other for occasionally). Probably would just go with a 27" TN for that, like this one: ASUS TUF 27" WQHD 155Hz TN LED Gaming Monitor (VG27BQ) | Best Buy Canada

I've always been a two monitor person, but once I got a 28" 4k monitor for work, I barely touch my other monitor and typically just have emails/Discord up on there.

32" is a lot of real estate to work with, so I'd see how you feel after using the one monitor for a while.

 

[Caeldan]

I've always been a two monitor person, but once I got a 28" 4k monitor for work, I barely touch my other monitor and typically just have emails/Discord up on there.

32" is a lot of real estate to work with, so I'd see how you feel after using the one monitor for a while.

Yeah, after I saw one in a store I was like... maybe two monitors won't be necessary. Just looking at numbers online you don't get a sense of the size really.

Another item I'm sitting on is whether to pick up a Xonar AE as a dedicated sound card or use the on-board sound from the motherboard.

 

[SniperHF]

Another item I'm sitting on is whether to pick up a Xonar AE as a dedicated sound card or use the on-board sound from the motherboard.

Onboard is fine I wouldn't worry about it for most cases.
Not like it's hard to add a card later anyway.

 

[Caeldan]

Onboard is fine I wouldn't worry about it for most cases.
Not like it's hard to add a card later anyway.

Any thoughts on keyboards? Got one or two you're personally a fan of lately?

 

[SniperHF]

Any thoughts on keyboards? Got one or two you're personally a fan of lately?

I haven't bought a keyboard since 2012 and have consequently done no research into them

I do like brown switches though, which are in my current keyboard. They aren't really quiet though. Less noisy than something like greens or blues but you can still easily hear them in the next room. This is true of some membrane keyboards too though.

My keyboard rules are:
1. Do not sacrifice the proper layout. No large return key, must have 10 key, must have context menu key.
2. If it has lights it must be possible to disable them.
3. It must be possible to shut off on the fly macro programing so you don't accidentally do it.
4. None of that try-hard crap with blank keys.

 

[Kairi Zaide]

Voilà. Purchase done. Thanks for the help guys. Went with the air cooler for now and upgraded the MB to have bluetooth and wifi with the savings from the cooler. Will post the inside once I get it (I assume around next week) to know if everything seems fine. Besides the RAM being properly seated, is there anything else I should check on delivery?

 

[SniperHF]

Besides the RAM being properly seated, is there anything else I should check on delivery?

You might give the video card a little push downward toward the motherboard. (which one did you get btw?)

 

[Kairi Zaide]

You might give the video card a little push downward toward the motherboard. (which one did you get btw?)

2080 for the flex

zotac just screams "chinese knockoff" too much to me, as a company name

 

[CanadienDude]

Looking for a few opinions.
We're getting a new desktop for the MIL for christmas(won't be gaming), and wanted a suggestion or two on this build before I bite the bullet.
System Builder
Comes to $585 CAD with taxes and shipping.
Havent really seen any decent prebuilts for a decent price, but if anyone has seen anything for black friday I wouldnt be against it

 

[aleshemsky83]

Looking for a few opinions.
We're getting a new desktop for the MIL for christmas(won't be gaming), and wanted a suggestion or two on this build before I bite the bullet.
System Builder
Comes to $585 CAD with taxes and shipping.
Havent really seen any decent prebuilts for a decent price, but if anyone has seen anything for black friday I wouldnt be against it

Its a good build but i would get a more closed case. Seems targeted to dudes who like flashy lights and at that price, with a open front and windowed side panel (and non pwm fans), might not be ideal for noise.

Not that noise will be huge concern with a 65w cpu and no gpu, but I would still get a more straightforward low profile case.

 

[WarriorOfGandhi]

I have a possibly stupid question because I don't know much about computers. I picked up an oldish Dell OptiPlex 790 desktop for a song, but when I try to turn it on it says "No boot device found." I've tried booting it from the hard drive but it doesn't want to, so I figure I need a way to boot it from a CD or thumb drive. Should I buy a Windows boot disc like this or is there a better way to do it?

 

[SniperHF]

I have a possibly stupid question because I don't know much about computers. I picked up an oldish Dell OptiPlex 790 desktop for a song, but when I try to turn it on it says "No boot device found." I've tried booting it from the hard drive but it doesn't want to, so I figure I need a way to boot it from a CD or thumb drive. Should I buy a Windows boot disc like this or is there a better way to do it?

You can make a WIN 10 install drive/cd with the media creation tool:
Download Windows 10

That wont give you a windows license or whatever.

But there are some other factors here. It's entirely possible your boot drive is broken/damaged/not working since it's not being detected. Or it got wiped before they sold it to you so it no longer has an OS on it.

I would open the side of hte case, make sure the HDD cable and power cable is seated firmly.

Then I would boot it up and see if the BIOS is detecting the hard drive (if it even has one, maybe htey outirght removed it instead of wiped it)

To get into the BIOS it's usually F2, Delete, or F12 immediately after you power it on.

 

[aleshemsky83]

I have a possibly stupid question because I don't know much about computers. I picked up an oldish Dell OptiPlex 790 desktop for a song, but when I try to turn it on it says "No boot device found." I've tried booting it from the hard drive but it doesn't want to, so I figure I need a way to boot it from a CD or thumb drive. Should I buy a Windows boot disc like this or is there a better way to do it?

In all likelihood there is literally no hard drive in it. Office computers usually have the hard drives destroyed before being sold. Open the side panel and check.

They sell 120 gb kingston ssds for 15-20 bucks brand new, and there may be a sticker on that computer with a still working windows OEM key (windows 7 keys work for windows 10), so it shouldn't be too much hassle.

 

[guinness]

I haven't bought a keyboard since 2012 and have consequently done no research into them

I do like brown switches though, which are in my current keyboard. They aren't really quiet though. Less noisy than something like greens or blues but you can still easily hear them in the next room. This is true of some membrane keyboards too though.

My keyboard rules are:
1. Do not sacrifice the proper layout. No large return key, must have 10 key, must have context menu key.
2. If it has lights it must be possible to disable them.
3. It must be possible to shut off on the fly macro programing so you don't accidentally do it.
4. None of that try-hard crap with blank keys.

I have blues and browns, but still don't think there as loud as the buckling springs in my model M.

Just waiting on my new keycaps to drop in February. They cost more than the KB with brown switches. Short story, don't start collecting keyboards.

 

[SniperHF]

I have blues and browns, but still don't think there as loud as the buckling springs in my model M.

Where I used to work 2 years ago we had an old AS400 (active and in use I might add) that had a model m keyboard that had a DIN plug. You could hear the keys over the server fans

 

[sigma six]

You can make a WIN 10 install drive/cd with the media creation tool:
Download Windows 10

That wont give you a windows license or whatever.

On this note, since I am doing this very thing today and have a USB drive all ready to go...just need to buy windows.
The big retailers/ MS store want $130 to buy a new key. Now I'm finding places that sell a key for a quarter of that or less, complete with hundreds of (non-bot?) reviews of the service.

Is this even legit? I'm not broke, I'll bite the bullet rather than do something shady. But am a little confused about what MS expects, this current machine got win10 for free after all.

 

[SniperHF]

Is this even legit? I'm not broke, I'll bite the bullet rather than do something shady. But am a little confused about what MS expects, this current machine got win10 for free after all.

They aren't really legit. How much MS polices them though varies.
The keys usually work, but they arenb't supposed to be resold.

What you might try is just installing 10 without activating it, I've heard 10 (unlike prior versions) will let you keep using it

 

[aleshemsky83]

They aren't really legit. How much MS polices them though varies.
The keys usually work, but they arenb't supposed to be resold.

What you might try is just installing 10 without activating it, I've heard 10 (unlike prior versions) will let you keep using it

it will, but there will be a permanent please activate windows watermark that will be over everything, which is much better than previous windows versions which made it almost unusable after 90 days (edit: 30 days) or so, but still annoying.

Yeag a lot of the discounted keys online do work, but are OEM keys. Usually Chinese or some other foreign companies selling their keys (and probably violating the terms of service, but still will work.

 

[sigma six]

Yep, this place appears to be in Hong Kong.

Buy Windows 10 Pro Professional CD-KEY | G2deal.com

 

[Osprey]

See my post on the previous page if you don't mind paying more for a key that doesn't come from China:

PC Building Guide and Discussion #13

 

[aleshemsky83]

Yep, this place appears to be in Hong Kong.

Buy Windows 10 Pro Professional CD-KEY | G2deal.com

Yeah, apparently they actually make a profit reselling these keys as Microsoft sells them for next to nothing in china just to avoid the headache of hunting down every company pirating windows and going through the futility of suing through Chinese courts.