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Need tech advice: New PC

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 3:21 am
by Neocon
This conversation would probably be best archived and continued in a thread.
Vic's List
Here is a screenshot from mchat:
mChat Archive Image
mChat Archive Image
Vic Viper wrote: Pat, I'm going to be nice and assume you're not trolling me for the lulz. You can shell out another $40 for the 1050ti to get the 4gb vram, Think of pc building these days as Lego with some screws. The (1050) cards draw almost the same low low amount of power and don't even need external power from the power supply
Vic Viper wrote: ^^my b I thought you were asking me if you could solder 2 extra gb's of ram onto the gfx card :oops:
And now, it continues...

If you told me I could solder two extra gbs of ram on a gfx card, I would believe you. My computer building skills consists of adding plug-and-play-type cards (an Ethernet port, sound card, graphics card, a dvd drive, all to an existing computer.

Re: Need tech advice: New PC

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 3:24 am
by Vic Viper
Patrick31337 wrote:If you told me I could solder two extra gbs of ram on a gfx card, I would believe you. My computer building skills consists of adding plug-and-play-type cards (an Ethernet port, sound card, graphics card, a dvd drive, all to an existing computer.
No need to worry Pat, that's all the skill you need!

These days jumpers are gone, no master and slave nonsense, ribbon cables etc etc. All cable types have unique connectors, and you can't even connect them upside down ;)

Re: Need tech advice: New PC

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 3:34 am
by Neocon
Vic Viper wrote:no master and slave nonsense
That's good to hear. My 16-year-old computer still has a floppy drive that doesn't work. I tried to remove it, but it thought it just had to be there. I told the computer to cut it out so I could cut it out, but no, it has to have that floppy drive to boot and it wouldn't listen to me at all.

Thanks for your help on this. I'm saving up, and I'll wait until I can get almost everything at once.

I assume that I will need the OS disk for the first boot up and it will install at that point? I've never installed an OS, either. ;)

Re: Need tech advice: New PC

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 6:22 am
by VNAF ONE
Installing an OS is as easy as hitting the install button on the screen. Building a PC was a very good experience and as long as you read up on the parts and follow instructions carefully, you shouldn't have any issues. Be prepared for Murphy's Law but either way you will consider it one of the best experiences and skills you've acquired.

Re: Need tech advice: New PC

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 9:00 am
by Ace Lord
A few good tips of my own, coming from someone CompTIA certified to fix PCs.

1. Pay a visit to https://pcpartpicker.com/. The built-in parts compatibility feature is a Godsend and automatically warns you of any incompatibilities.

2. A power supply unit that provides more wattage of power than you need. So, a build that draws 300 watts should have about a 375-400 watt power supply that is rated at 80+ Bronze efficiency.

3. Surge protection and emergency power supplies. It should go without saying that surge protection is an absolute MUST when it comes to valuable electronics. Uninterrupted Power Supply units, or what I call reserve power banks, are something you might want to invest in to prevent hard shutdown (i.e. loss of power or holding in the power button) in the event of an unforeseen power outage. I'm not really up to speed on these, but you basically want something with enough battery life to let you save your work and do a soft shutdown (i.e. choosing "Shut down" in the start menu).

Re: Need tech advice: New PC

Posted: Wed Jan 25, 2017 1:09 pm
by Vic Viper
APC's website has a calculator where you can select what kind of equipment you'll have and it'll recommend a UPS. Also these days they come with software to shut down for you.

VNAF, you still haven't posted your build on the desktop topic!! :(

You're more than welcome Pat, I enjoy showing others building a decent PC isn't expensive nor hard to do. Do remember my list is just a suggestion, and you may find other things you prefer, or better stuff on sale. Best of luck!

Re: Need tech advice: New PC

Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2017 1:08 am
by Neocon
This is my list. I have every part sitting in a shopping list on Amazon for about $740, which is only a little more than if I used the sites that have the best prices. The reviews all seem to be good. I had to make a lot of changes because several things were out of stock or very expensive. I need to go back through and make sure nothing has a 2-month shipping policy, though. :shock:

I decided to go with 8GB instead of 16, for now, and will probably add another 4-8GB later on since I will have the second slot available (I might go ahead with 16 if I have enough saved up by the time I make the order).

I moved up to a 4GB video card.

Re: Need tech advice: New PC

Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2017 1:42 am
by Vic Viper
Hey, that's pretty good! I'd thrown in a cheap 120m fan for an intake, because it only has an exhaust fan (which you could just move anyway) PM me later on if you want some detailed cooling advice

Re: Need tech advice: New PC

Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2017 1:53 am
by Neocon
One of my friends told me on Facebook I need a bigger power supply. 700w is only an extra $20. What do you think?

Re: Need tech advice: New PC

Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2017 2:00 am
by waspe414
450W will do you fine for the GTX 1050, but if you think you'll ever upgrade to something more in the 1060, 1070 range you may as well get the 700W now. It'll likely be cheaper than buying a new power supply in three years.

Re: Need tech advice: New PC

Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2017 2:03 am
by Vic Viper
Tell your friend I :lol: :lol:

PC Part picker tells you your estimated wattage. Your build barely draws 300 (at load) But for your peace of mind, here is Cooler Master's calculator:

Image

You don't have overclockable parts, and bear in mind a high quality 700w PSU won't be an extra $20, it'll be quite a bit more. Save money on your power bill, you'll only need a large power supply when you're running multiple gfx cards, overclocked high end CPU's and load of custom water cooling.
waspe414 wrote:1070 range you may as well get the 700W now. It'll likely be cheaper than buying a new power supply in three years.
Ehh..I put a 1080 in the calculator, still less than 400 watts at load. The new Pascal cards really don't drink power, especially when not overclocked.

Re: Need tech advice: New PC

Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2017 2:30 am
by Neocon
I'll go with the 500w that I already had in the shopping list on Amazon, since it's the same price right now.

Re: Need tech advice: New PC

Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2017 6:33 am
by Neocon
I'm revisiting this again. I'm looking to get a computer soon, and the parts list I put together came to $800. I could bring that down a little by buying from multiple sources, but the comfort of only dealing with Amazon is worth the extra cost.


Amazon has this for just $670, which is $100 less than if I bought the parts from multiple sources. The only big difference I see is that the RAM is DDR3 instead of DDR4 and the processor is 3.8 instead of 3.2. I'm not really sure if these things are bad or not, though.

Any opinions?

Re: Need tech advice: New PC

Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2017 8:02 am
by Flake
Your Amazon link is actually your parts list... :oops:

EDIT: I fixed it for you. I'm a fixer.

Prima facie, I'd choose the Amazon. The 3.8ghz processor vs 3.2ghz is a big deal and generally RAM is fast enough for most purposes. Most computers seem to struggle with core speed more than memory speed. It's also cheaper so win win.

Re: Need tech advice: New PC

Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2017 12:28 pm
by Vic Viper
Yes..but your handicapping yourself by using outdated parts on a $800 build. This won't last 5 years. I'm busy this morning but once I get back I can send you a parts list for $800 that's a touch bit more modern and futureproof

Re: Need tech advice: New PC

Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2017 1:37 pm
by Neocon
The thing is, I was wanting to stay under to $600, but then I realized that wasn't going to happen with what I want, so I compromised with $700.

Re: Need tech advice: New PC

Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2017 7:23 pm
by VNAF ONE
I think you can find a 2TB Seagate HDD that is around 60 bucks and it literally doubles your storage space for nothing. You should certainly look into that. I've used 650MB already on mine in addition to my 500GB solid state. I'd say look into the GTX970 but I think it's still a bit pricey...for good reason too.

Check out YouTube for a case review. I read some comments and it sounds like there's a few issues you might want to be prepared for.

If it's any help, I would suggest checking the PCPartPicker price charts on each item to see what the trends are. I did my shopping in November-December and almost all of my parts were on sale for the holidays and shopping season. I spent the same as I budgeted out but upgraded parts because the higher-end met my goal. This may work in your favor if you have a $750-800 build and only want to spend $600-700 on it.

Another note, RAM is kinda expensive right now but I suggest going with DDR4 since it is current. You don't want to buy stuff you know will be obsolete next year. That goes for everything by the way.

Also, I did bounce a lot of ideas off Vic so listen to what he suggests ;)

Re: Need tech advice: New PC

Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2017 8:02 pm
by Welshy
I don't know if Dell have the same program in the US although in the UK you can buy returned PCs with high end Core i5s which can very easily be upgraded with a 1050Ti. For example about 18 months ago I picked up an i5 6600 with a 1TB HDD and 8GB RAM for about £300. Stick a 1050Ti in that plus an SSD and you're laughing for the price

Re: Need tech advice: New PC

Posted: Sun Oct 08, 2017 11:22 pm
by Vic Viper
Neocon wrote: Sun Oct 08, 2017 6:33 am Amazon has this for just $670, which is $100 less than if I bought the parts from multiple sources. The only big difference I see is that the RAM is DDR3 instead of DDR4 and the processor is 3.8 instead of 3.2. I'm not really sure if these things are bad or not, though.

Any opinions?
Ram isn't the only concern that I have with that pre built. The FX-6300 is an old chip; DDR3 only, no native usb 3, pci express 2.0 instead of 3 (means your video card will run slower) among other things.

If you want to save some change over Intel, AMD's new Ryzen chips are excellent. I'll throw some stuff together, and also a mid range Intel system for your budget. Your pick.

Regarding Welshy's suggestion, it is indeed a viable option for a quick and dirty setup, and it works well. However, little to no chance of upgrading besides new low power video cards in 2 years
PS, I know it's a lot of info to be thrown with, but pc building is such an awesome hobby imo, lots of different ways to go.

Re: Need tech advice: New PC

Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2017 1:45 am
by Neocon
I was reminded today that Amazon may be having some good sales after Thanksgiving, so I'll check then and maybe get some deals on the parts list.