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Any pc junkies out there??
- Thread starter Xavier613
- Start date
I've built a few boxes from the ground up. It's been awhile since I've done a build, and I have thought about rebuilding mine as well.
I build a new PC every ~2 years with my tax refund. I play a ton of pc games so I try to keep up with the graphics (1900x1200 80+fps on pretty much any game on the market)
I JUST built this rig a few weeks ago(my last one blew a HD so now was a good time haha)
Corei7 3770K
Asus p8z77 ATX board
Kingston HyperX XMP 16gb(4x4gb) DDR3 2400Mhz
256gb OCZ SSD
2x Nvidia GTX 650ti 1GB
2x 2TB WD black HDs(1 from my previous build)
1000W corsair PSU
once I get this nano tank off my desk here I can switch monitors out to have dual 26" samsungs. for now I run a 26" samsung & a 20" dell I picked up from a buddy (in portrait mode)
I use onboard sound since the Asus board has pretty decent sound & I'm no audiosnob
One time I was lazy and had the guys over at cyberpowerpc.com build me a rig. That was 4 years ago. It wasn't much more than what I'd pay to build it, and they were great & even put sound deadening into the case for silence. Im still using that full tower case to this day.
if you dont have SSD, get the largest one you can afford for your build. you wont regret it Dance
well back to bed, im home sick from work
I JUST built this rig a few weeks ago(my last one blew a HD so now was a good time haha)
Corei7 3770K
Asus p8z77 ATX board
Kingston HyperX XMP 16gb(4x4gb) DDR3 2400Mhz
256gb OCZ SSD
2x Nvidia GTX 650ti 1GB
2x 2TB WD black HDs(1 from my previous build)
1000W corsair PSU
once I get this nano tank off my desk here I can switch monitors out to have dual 26" samsungs. for now I run a 26" samsung & a 20" dell I picked up from a buddy (in portrait mode)
I use onboard sound since the Asus board has pretty decent sound & I'm no audiosnob
One time I was lazy and had the guys over at cyberpowerpc.com build me a rig. That was 4 years ago. It wasn't much more than what I'd pay to build it, and they were great & even put sound deadening into the case for silence. Im still using that full tower case to this day.
if you dont have SSD, get the largest one you can afford for your build. you wont regret it Dance
well back to bed, im home sick from work
Nice build nyte, im running a superclocked 660ti zotac amp right now, thibking about a second though. Hows the sli running for you? No issues with any games? Im between a second and selling to upgrade to a 680...
Got my current pc as an emergency budget build from cyberpower actually. Thinking of completely redoing it now.
Post more when im on my desktop
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
Got my current pc as an emergency budget build from cyberpower actually. Thinking of completely redoing it now.
Post more when im on my desktop
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
The only benefits I get out of building vs buying is some of the components and my ability to possibly upgrade. Normally built Pcs don't have dual or even ttipple pci-e slots and that effects my options. Things like that is why I prefer to build unless I'm just too busy to do it.
I ran crossfire before I went sli and I have to say zero complaints with any new games. Older games could have issues with a dual card but as of ~2-3 yrs ago every game supports them anyways. VERY RARELY I've seen some hiccups but not with anything hooked through hdmi.
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I ran crossfire before I went sli and I have to say zero complaints with any new games. Older games could have issues with a dual card but as of ~2-3 yrs ago every game supports them anyways. VERY RARELY I've seen some hiccups but not with anything hooked through hdmi.
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Nice rig Ryan! I think the same way as you. I build my own to get quality hardware with ability to upgrade. I will NEVER buy a premade PC because I've never seen one that didn't have inferior quality parts. They all advertise the nice new cpu's but that's about the only good thing they come with. Granted, you can get some decent premade pc's if you just do normal office work or browse the internet on your puter... but if you're a gamer then building with good hardware is the only way to go.
Xavier, I haven't built one in quite a while (maybe 5 years?) but I've built the last 3 rigs I've owned. If you need help putting one together, I can help you do it.
I always give people a few tips when building for games:
1. Number one important feature - Cooling! I don't care if you have quad SLI... if those puppies get hot, you will have problems. This goes for not only the vid card but your cpu and main board too. So, get your self a nice big case with plenty of air space, have a minimum of 6-8 case fans (depending on size), and if at all possible, upgrade to water cooling. Any overclocking will be so much more stable when you keep your hardware cool.
2. Make sure you check that your RAM is compatible with your motherboard. The mobo manufacturer will have a certified list of the RAM they tested. Sometimes you can find this info on the RAM manufacturers website (where they list successful matches with mobos). Also, read reviews on the mobo you want and look for those that are good ones... and see what RAM they are using with it.
3. I always try to buy either the newest model out, or if I need to save a few bucks I'll go with one that's only a couple months old. Technology doesn't stop and hardly ever slows down. If you want to have a top pc for a while, you can't get old stuff!
4. Harddrive speed is more important than size. If you can get an SSD (solid state drive) for your operating system, that's the best way to go. You can always add a nice Raptor as a 2nd HDD and use that to store all your media and/or install some programs (or better yet, a 2nd SSD if you can afford it).
5. Building your own can cost you slightly more than buying a premade pc.. but when you compare quality of what you buy a la carte to the package they built for you... you will save a lot of money and get something that will last.
Hope that helps.
Xavier, I haven't built one in quite a while (maybe 5 years?) but I've built the last 3 rigs I've owned. If you need help putting one together, I can help you do it.
I always give people a few tips when building for games:
1. Number one important feature - Cooling! I don't care if you have quad SLI... if those puppies get hot, you will have problems. This goes for not only the vid card but your cpu and main board too. So, get your self a nice big case with plenty of air space, have a minimum of 6-8 case fans (depending on size), and if at all possible, upgrade to water cooling. Any overclocking will be so much more stable when you keep your hardware cool.
2. Make sure you check that your RAM is compatible with your motherboard. The mobo manufacturer will have a certified list of the RAM they tested. Sometimes you can find this info on the RAM manufacturers website (where they list successful matches with mobos). Also, read reviews on the mobo you want and look for those that are good ones... and see what RAM they are using with it.
3. I always try to buy either the newest model out, or if I need to save a few bucks I'll go with one that's only a couple months old. Technology doesn't stop and hardly ever slows down. If you want to have a top pc for a while, you can't get old stuff!
4. Harddrive speed is more important than size. If you can get an SSD (solid state drive) for your operating system, that's the best way to go. You can always add a nice Raptor as a 2nd HDD and use that to store all your media and/or install some programs (or better yet, a 2nd SSD if you can afford it).
5. Building your own can cost you slightly more than buying a premade pc.. but when you compare quality of what you buy a la carte to the package they built for you... you will save a lot of money and get something that will last.
Hope that helps.
+1 I couldn't have said this better!
Also, this is often missed too but make sure you buy an appropriate power supply for your build! Don't cheap out in this either, I know you will see PS for cheap that say they can handle a certain wattage but dont be fooled! Don't want to invest all that money and have it fried because of a cheap power supply!
thanks george. Just want to add into one thing you said. if you can afford the SSD, MAKE SURE you get a good one. dont find the best value you can find. some have gotten pegged as garbage and some are godly. there is a difference. also if you can get an SSD, try to get one that will cover most of your major used programs(especially games & OS) everything else is gravy.
I always build my own desktops, but haven't done much to mine since the gen 1 i7. The computer just is not sluggish in any way so I have not bothered to upgrade except for the install of some SSDs.
The only thing I have built recently is my server that is an 3U rack mount with Dual AMD 2GHZ Quad Core Opterons, 16GB ECC Mem, LSI MegaRAID 9550SXU with BBU, (5) 1TB drives. I wired the whole house with CAT5E so everything is gigE except for wireless which is a mix of NA and NG. I basically use it as my media server for the house and remote use.
The only thing I have built recently is my server that is an 3U rack mount with Dual AMD 2GHZ Quad Core Opterons, 16GB ECC Mem, LSI MegaRAID 9550SXU with BBU, (5) 1TB drives. I wired the whole house with CAT5E so everything is gigE except for wireless which is a mix of NA and NG. I basically use it as my media server for the house and remote use.
Currently im running an AMD 8350 8 core overclocked to 4.7ghz, unparked etc. With 16gb of corsair vengance ddr3 clocked to 1733 mhz. Video card is a zotac amp gtx 660 ti, 2 gig card, which is currently clocked at 1111mhz.
Case is a zalman z9, running a mixture of 120 and 140mm fans while the cpu has a corsair h60i watercooler hooked up at the rear if the case. Gpu temps on full load havent passed 45c and cpu stays under 55c. Which is slightly higher than where I want it to be but for the clock its running isnt bad at all.
Probably going to switch to an xspc dual bay resivoir and dual radiator to top mount on the case, run both the cpu and gpu off it in a loop, but thats a project for spring break when I have some time lol
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Case is a zalman z9, running a mixture of 120 and 140mm fans while the cpu has a corsair h60i watercooler hooked up at the rear if the case. Gpu temps on full load havent passed 45c and cpu stays under 55c. Which is slightly higher than where I want it to be but for the clock its running isnt bad at all.
Probably going to switch to an xspc dual bay resivoir and dual radiator to top mount on the case, run both the cpu and gpu off it in a loop, but thats a project for spring break when I have some time lol
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
That's quite a beast! Funny, back when I was more PC-based, I looked down on Mac users... Now I wonder why people running Windows even do these days (tongue in cheek)... Non-unix is a such a second-class citizen in so many areas of computer science at this point, it seems like it would be really constraining to try to do work on Windows anymore. I guess I'm about 3 years down the "develop on Mac, deploy to Linux" path, and it had been wonderfully productive, after 10+ years of development on Windows.
Though since we are clearly discussing massive gaming rigs (which was not clear at the start of the thread), it is very frustrating when games come out for console and windows only... They're rare these days, but Assassin's Creed 3 is an example. Had to get that for Xbox, since it didn't launch on Mac. Annoying!
Though since we are clearly discussing massive gaming rigs (which was not clear at the start of the thread), it is very frustrating when games come out for console and windows only... They're rare these days, but Assassin's Creed 3 is an example. Had to get that for Xbox, since it didn't launch on Mac. Annoying!
One of the main reasons I keep windows is that. Crysis 3 wont be out for mac. Borderlands 2. Ac3. Etc. I have an ipad 3 for use as a laptop in classes (company xmas present lol) but thats about as apple as I get.
Forgot to add the samsung 840 series 250g ssd drive and wd 10k. Rpm 54mb cache 2td main hard drive lol. I love the ssd. Boot up and on a program in ubder 10 seconds. I think the read write on the ssd is 555/525 which was one of the best I found when I was shopping.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2
Forgot to add the samsung 840 series 250g ssd drive and wd 10k. Rpm 54mb cache 2td main hard drive lol. I love the ssd. Boot up and on a program in ubder 10 seconds. I think the read write on the ssd is 555/525 which was one of the best I found when I was shopping.
Sent from my SGH-T999 using Tapatalk 2