The PC Build Thread

[ponder]

Keen to upgrade my 5 year old machine too...

0 gaming but 3 monitor setup and lot's of streaming both locally and on the internet, Kodi, Plex etc Seems to be quite CPU intensive when over the internet.

I would like to salvage as much of the hardware I currently have but it's all over 5 years old so might need to replace it.

Current setup:
CPU: i7-3770k
MOBO: Sabertooth Z77
GPU: AMD HD7970
PSU: Corsair AX850
Cooler: Noctua DH14
Chassies: Corsair 600T
Ram: G.skill 2166 DDR3 16gb (2x8)
SSD primary: Samsung 256gb 850pro I think

New setup:
CPU: i7-8700
MOBO: MSI Z370 gaming pro carbon
GPU: retain AMD HD7970
PSU: retain Corsair AX850
Cooler: Retain Noctua DH14
Chassies: Coolermaster CM693 (690ii) (although I could probably retain the 600t)
Ram: retain and add G.skill DDR3 1866mhz 16gb (2x8gb) - is the speed differential going to be problematic?
SSD primary: retain Samsung 256gb 850pro I think :crylaugh:

TIA

Your existing setup seems fine, i would only change the gpu.

 

[Neoprod]

Yeah, I suspect it is but I typically upgrade once every 5 years so is it not a bit more future proof than the B350?

Depends how you use your machine...with the cheaper B350 boards, you typically give up one PCIE 3.0 x16 slot (where the second graphics card would go for SLI / Crossfire), USB Type-C and maybe Ultra M.2.

None of that is worth over 2 grand to me but it might be for how you use your computer (I also don't believe in future-proofing - I spend enough to cover what I know I need now, anything more is a bit of a gamble).

 

[ShloshMalosh]

Your existing setup seems fine, i would only change the gpu.

Ponder. True to form. Hitting them with the knowledge

 

[SYNERGY]

Ponder. True to form. Hitting them with the knowledge

But but but you don't get that new shiny feel anymore.
I'm upgrading later this year for that feel lol.

 

[sand_man]

Your existing setup seems fine, i would only change the gpu.

Why? Party pooper!! Which card? Wouldn't hurt to add 16gb of ram would it?

Depends how you use your machine...with the cheaper B350 boards, you typically give up one PCIE 3.0 x16 slot (where the second graphics card would go for SLI / Crossfire), USB Type-C and maybe Ultra M.2.

None of that is worth over 2 grand to me but it might be for how you use your computer (I also don't believe in future-proofing - I spend enough to cover what I know I need now, anything more is a bit of a gamble).

Fair enough, if those are the only differences, I would agree. The 2k price hike isn't justified.

Ponder. True to form. Hitting them with the knowledge

But but but you don't get that new shiny feel anymore.
I'm upgrading later this year for that feel lol.

Exactly!! 5 years is a lifetime in the technology sector.

Is my 5 year old rig really still relevant?

I suppose the main reason the desktop pc needs to evolve is to cater for the demands of modern gaming/games and 4k/5k/8k resolutions.

 

[Johnatan56]

I suppose the main reason the desktop pc needs to evolve is to cater for the demands of modern gaming/games and 4k/5k/8k resolutions.

Then this generation of tech is not for you, you'll need to spend a lot for e.g. a 1080 when it would just be cheaper to get a mid-range when 4k+ starts becoming more main-stream as the GPU's in that price range are able to support it.

I still don't think upgrading the GPU will have that much of an influence on playback, still think the hardware decoding would be the largest upgrade.

But I agree with Ponder/Synergy in terms of that your build is still perfectly fine, you won't see that much of a difference irl.

 

[M@gn3t1c]

You are not answering questions so unfortunately we cant help you.

I found the information I was looking for. Thank for your input.

 

[The Voice]

Got myself two upgrades this week: Gigabyte G1 Gaming GTX 1070 (up from the GTX 1060 6GB of the same version) and another 8GB of DDR4 3000mhz.

I've been mulling over the GPU for ages - the 1060 runs most games sufficiently, but still drops frames every now and then. The GPU market is currently a disaster, so scoured eBay for about a week, and found a 2-month old 1070 for just over £400 (it's also the rev 2.0 version, which is a bonus. And it came with the 2-year warranty from the supplier). The GPU market situation actually works out well for me, as it means I can sell my old card for more than I originally paid for it. So the new card effectively only cost me about £100. RAM is pretty much in the same boat at the moment - the 2x4GB sticks cost me about £100 on Amazon. The same kit when I built my PC last April cost £60, for comparison.

Here's what she looks like now (couldn't find the post pics of your rig thread):

 

[Jay Simlian]

Hi Everyone. Hope I am in the correct thread/place for some help before buying a pc. Almost already went with a terrible company so now I am extra cautious. Thinking of using Wootware for it. I have a few questions that I need assistance with.

I need the pc for streaming in at least 720p and I also have a youtube channel and require the pc to deal well with recording software like OBS etc and things like photoshop. I record and stream mainly the sims 4 but need it to be able to handle most top of the line games either way. My Budget is around 10k/12k at MAX. I have a hd tv as a monitor and also Windows 8 64bit already so wont need a OS really as that should do Im sure?

I just want a nice clean looking white tower with AMD Ryzen 5 1600x or higher
12 gb RAM or 16?
A 1050i 4gb graphics card.
(Im sure by the way I am typing this you can tell I have no clue...well not a lot anyway)

Will this suffice for streaming?
What other components will match up/work/fit with that?(know I will require ssd or hdd or both, a wifi card, motherboard,power unit, tower etc. just not sure what how where/what fits you know?)
Do I need a dvd drive? can I somehow get my windows copy onto a usb and install windows like that on my new pc then?
Should I attempt to build it myself or just have Wootware assemble it?
Gosh, My day would be made if some one could perhaps go on their site and show me what they would buy with my requirements and budget in mind as I need some serious piece of mind.

Hesitating to buy anything because I am so unsure of what is correct and don't want to mess it up obviously as it will be a big spend for me and investment into my future business ....and I need to get it ordered in time for my birthday next week. that would be awesome at least.

Hope someone can advise on this essay, Thank You!

 

[ponder]

I can't really reply right now but should be able to reply by the weekend.

Ryzen 5 1600 is fine, no need to pay extra for the X models. When streaming games more cores definitely help a lot.
A budget B350 motherboard will do the job.

I will have to get back to you wrt the rest of the components as your budget might be an issue considering the current prices for ram & gpus.

 

[Jay Simlian]

thanks

 

[CataclysmZA]

I just want a nice clean looking white tower with AMD Ryzen 5 1600x or higher
12 gb RAM or 16?
A 1050i 4gb graphics card.
(Im sure by the way I am typing this you can tell I have no clue...well not a lot anyway)

AMD Ryzen 5 1600 Hex-Core 3.2GHz (3.6GHz Turbo)@ R2799
ASRock AB350 Pro4@ R1748
G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2x8GB) 3200MHz DDR4 @ R2529
PowerColor Radeon RX 570 Red Dragon 4GB GDDR5 @ R4899
Super Flower SF-550F14MT Leadex 550W 80 Plus @ R969
Phanteks Eclipse P400S Silent-Edition Tempered Glass@ R1149
Western Digital Black 256GB M.2 NVMe@ R1660
PC Assembly, Stress-testing and Windows Installation @ R549
Total: R16,302

It's expensive, but it'll run anything and you'll be hard-pressed to make it sweat. GTX 1050 Ti and GTX 1060 stocks are really low. The RX 570 is pretty great. You also get access to Radeon ReLive for recording just like you can on ShadowPlay.

At this price laptops are also an option, and you'll get some decent gaming options, but nothing with the kind of power that the CPU and GPU have. OBS can stream using the Intel QuickSync engine, but it's finicky.

Also:

Evetech RYZEN 5 1600 3.6GHz GeForce GTX 1060 Pro Gaming PC @ R16,547 (RAM upgrade to 16GB, SSD upgrade to 250GB Samsung 960 EVO NVME)

 

[EasyUp Web Hosting]

As for above, get a bigger SSD. You don't need NVMe.
I would go for a Geforce card.
Try to go to Windows 10.
Are you just going to stream or are you going to record at the same time as well?
Also, keep in mind that you also need a decent internet connection to be able to stream. Not sure if you know this yet?

 

[Concentric]

can anyone tell me.what defines compatibility between graphics cards and motherboards. I recently installed a gtx 710 in a machine. the machine booted displayed through the card but wouldnt boot into windows and ultimately corrupted it. Trying to figure out what happened

 

[EasyUp Web Hosting]

can anyone tell me.what defines compatibility between graphics cards and motherboards. I recently installed a gtx 710 in a machine. the machine booted displayed through the card but wouldnt boot into windows and ultimately corrupted it. Trying to figure out what happened

Was this a clean install of windows? If not, was the previous driver uninstalled properly? Did the computer boot into Safe Mode? Which Windows and what is the rest of the hardware used?

 

[Concentric]

it was running off internal graphics. added the card for more monitors. not a clean install. mb is a gigabyte gah61mds2

 

[The Voice]

it was running off internal graphics. added the card for more monitors. not a clean install. mb is a gigabyte gah61mds2

Generally it's just the slots available - AGP (for really old school), or PCI-e.

 

[CataclysmZA]

can anyone tell me.what defines compatibility between graphics cards and motherboards. I recently installed a gtx 710 in a machine. the machine booted displayed through the card but wouldnt boot into windows and ultimately corrupted it. Trying to figure out what happened

Which version of Windows?

 

[Concentric]

10
edit: 7 sorry was sleepy!

 

[Johnatan56]

Try running http://www.guru3d.com/content-page/guru3d-driver-sweeper.html
to remove old drivers, when I swapped to an AMD card the Nvidia drivers were causing conflicts. Also recently re-ran it when I had a power failure while upgrading the AMD drivers, so corrupt install.