Building A New PC

[Promo]

I believe there is no right and wrong answer to that. One answer is for sure you definately want to run a CPU with a cooling system but as for temps there is no real rule of thumb. I hear some i7 CPUs can run as hot as 107 degrees F and they last. I guess it comes down to personal preference, some feel safer running it at 55 degrees while gaming. While others will run it into the ground as they plan on getting a new CPU every 3 years. If your CPU is like an expensive $1000 power horse then it makes sense to spend another $150 on a top of the line cooling system. I never knew cooling systems like these existed. https://www.amazon.ca/Corsair-Extre...13241&sr=8-2&keywords=cooling+systems+for+CPU

I think you meant 107 degrees C ?

The cooling fan that comes with the CPU is adequate for "normal" useage. As long as you are not overclocking and haven't manipulated CPU voltage via the bios or CPU utility, you have sufficient fans in the case (and they are properly configured), you haven't stuffed dual/triple video cards into your case, all the filters and head spreaders are clean and you haven't put the case into a closed cabinet you will be fine.

The industry accepted ideal max temperature as reported by the CPU (via Tcase sensor that 99% of temperature utilities use) is 75C.

All modern CPUs come with over-thermal protection. The CPU uses Tcc activation temperature of ~90-100C (if I recall correctly) as the maximum temperature it begins to throttle itself at. The technology a CPU uses varies, but it's typically either frequency stepping (cpu rapidly lowers its clock frequency to lower the load thus lower its temperature), frequency stopping (stops the clock for short periods) or voltage stepping (lowers CPU voltage to lower load). Tjmax is the maximum temperature ~120-130C at which the CPU will shut itself down. Intel publishes the specs for each processor family.

The utilities I provided earlier in this tread measure Tcase. The diode used to measure Tcase is different than what the CPU uses to protect itself.

Liquid cooling is cool, but unless you are significantly overclocking the CPU, it's for-sure not needed.

If indeed your CPU is running hot, suggest you do the following in order (I'm assuming you haven't stuck in a large hot GPU into the case) :
- visually check all fans to make sure they are rotating at an appropriate speed
- make sure your case is situated such that there is plenty of airflow for the fans (not in a cabinet, not near a heater, not blocked by external cables, books etc.)
- use compressed air to clean your CPU cooler
- clean case filters and fans
- verify your fans are properly configured (front fans at the bottom blow air in, rear fans at the top blow air out (air flow management is important!) <-- this is a rule of thumb, there are exceptions
- properly dress your cables inside the case to encourage air flow
- replace the thermal paste on the CPU <-- unless you know what you are doing, have a shop do this
- replace the CPU fan

 

[glamphotographer]

Sorry yes I mean 107 C

 

[|2 /-\ | /|/]

Geforce GTX 1080 8GB GDDR5X and GTX 1070 8GB GDDR5 (Paper) Launching On 6th May at Nvidia Editor’s Event – Market Availability by Computex 2016 in June

http://wccftech.com/geforce-gtx-1080-gtx-1070-launching-6th-may-market-june/

.....

 

[squigg23]

One way that you'd need a better cooling system is when you start seeing screen tears or system lockups. That's whats happened to my gaming rig and went ahead with a liquid cooling and added more fans. I did an overclock config on my cpu and vid card. I bought the pieces individually and put em together. It was more of a treasure hunt that made this experience worthwhile. As others have mentioned, I think I saved maybe $100 if compared buying a prebuilt system which are nicely built

I'd go: Intel > amd, nvidia > amd, SSD for primary and external hdd for regular storage. And I'm a fan for Asus mobo but I see other makers have done well on their rep. SSD will make sure you enjoy the speed for years to come. Greatly reduces bottleneck and just gives you that feeling of a new computer. Watch out for cheaply made SSD: Kingston is very stable, Samsung has longer warranty, others that usually go on special, I'd be worried a little

 

[|2 /-\ | /|/]

One way that you'd need a better cooling system is when you start seeing screen tears or system lockups. That's whats happened to my gaming rig and went ahead with a liquid cooling and added more fans. I did an overclock config on my cpu and vid card. I bought the pieces individually and put em together. It was more of a treasure hunt that made this experience worthwhile. As others have mentioned, I think I saved maybe $100 if compared buying a prebuilt system which are nicely built

I'd go: Intel > amd, nvidia > amd, SSD for primary and external hdd for regular storage. And I'm a fan for Asus mobo but I see other makers have done well on their rep. SSD will make sure you enjoy the speed for years to come. Greatly reduces bottleneck and just gives you that feeling of a new computer. Watch out for cheaply made SSD: Kingston is very stable, Samsung has longer warranty, others that usually go on special, I'd be worried a little

what is the best SSD to go with the 6 gen intel. I have the 3.4 quad core version.

Also is it better for gaming if I run windows 10 off primary SSD and install a really fast SSD to install games which is separate from the primary SSD that is running windows 10. I am running out of space on my primary SSD. Is there anything special I need to do here. will this speed up or slow down the gaming experience.

I am getting into gaming again.

Thx for any advice.

 

[Peegies]

I started building a PC then realized the price might have been too high. But apparently it's just right

1,530$ at pcczone.com (ships from QC with everything installed)

I didn't bother with windows - not sure if you need to 'buy' windows and I tried to save money whenever possible. You'll want something along these lines for what you need

Intel Skylake i5-6500 LGA1151 3.6GHz Processor BX80662I56500
Gigabyte GA-H170-GAMING 3 LGA1151 DDR4 Motherboard ATX
Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 2400MHz Memory BLS2K8G4D240FSA
Samsung 850 PRO 128GB SATA 6.0 SSD MZ-7KE128BW
WD Red WD10EFRX 1TB SATA 6.0Gb/s HDD
EVGA GeForce GTX 970 Superclocked ACX 2.0 4GB DDR5 Video Card 04G-P4-2974-KR
Integrated 8 Channel High Definition Audio
LG DVD REWRITER INTERNAL 24X DVD REWRITER Optical Drive GH24NSC0
Antec KÜHLER H2O 650 Intel/AMD CPU Water Cooler KUHLERH2O650
Thermaltake SMART STANDARD 650W 80 PLUS Bronze PSU SP-650P
Corsair Carbide Series SPEC-02 Red LED Mid Tower Black Case CC-9011051-WW

Also seconding what some of the members have said - if you can hold off this PC for two months, there will be a new video card released, and you can either get that card, or the gtx 970 for slightly less money (either price will drop or you can find a used one)

 

[Garrett]

I started building a PC then realized the price might have been too high. But apparently it's just right

1,530$ at pcczone.com (ships from QC with everything installed)

All I can say is, that is one horrid power supply and case. Also not sure why you would drop a NAS drive in there. DVD writer and liquid cooling?

I think it is nice you are trying to help, but that is an expensive machine with some odd choices IMHO.

 

[frankcastle]

If I were buying a PC

i5 CPU preferably 6XXX

mobo z170 (don't go for mini or micro..... that just limits your choices)

ram at least 8 gb but 16 is affordable

Video card GTX 960 or better (but I am not a hard core gamer so for you, you might want more)

SSD 500 GB or less..... you pay a premium for 1 GB

HDD 4 TB

For the case get something larger (no need to have all the components jammed together especially since you need to cool it)

Power supply depends you could probably get away with even 500W.... maybe spend more on gold rating and silent vs all out high wattage

 

[|2 /-\ | /|/]

All I can say is, that is one horrid power supply and case. Also not sure why you would drop a NAS drive in there. DVD writer and liquid cooling?

I think it is nice you are trying to help, but that is an expensive machine with some odd choices IMHO.

Call me old fashioned, however I see this one as better value...http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B012O..._SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=vr+ready+pc

Looks like ships to Toronto and is $1399 USD

 

[Promo]

what is the best SSD to go with the 6 gen intel. I have the 3.4 quad core version.

I'm a big fan of Samsung SSDs.
EVO Series: little cheaper, little slower (read (540MB/s) and write (520MB/s) speeds), 5 year warranty
PRO Series: +20-25% more expensive, bit faster (read (550MB/s) and write (520MB/s) speeds), 10 year warranty
- definitely use Samsung’s Magician software. Really speeds up the SSD by using system RAM as cache.
- If possible use SATA 6GB/s interface (vs 3GB/s)
- The larger drives are actually a bit faster, have a look at the specs.

I bought a 1TB EVO drive and have Windows, all apps and "normal data" on it. Music, videos, pictures are stored on a 7200rpm HDD.

 

[Promo]

If I were buying a PC

i5 CPU preferably 6XXX

..........

Power supply depends you could probably get away with even 500W.... maybe spend more on gold rating and silent vs all out high wattage

I tend to buy as much CPU as i can afford. I'd suggest a i5 or i7 quad core with hyperthreading and based on budget buy the highest clock speed. Keep in mind you really can't compare processors just based on CPU speed from different vintages and families as architectures are different. You can use these charts instead; https://www.cpubenchmark.net/ http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/ http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/cpu-charts-2015/benchmarks,187.html

The power supply is a key component for your system and most people overlook these devices. I'd suggest nothing less than 750W (can support SLI and/or multiple drives), modular cabling, Gold or better with a big fan to keep it quiet. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-psus,4229.html

 

[onthebottom]

I think Facebook is subsidizing rigs for the Oculus Rift - bought mine for less than $1,200 and it has a 970 in it.....

 

[Peegies]

Call me old fashioned, however I see this one as better value...http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B012O..._SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=vr+ready+pc

Looks like ships to Toronto and is $1399 USD

No it's a valid criticism. I don't know how I missed it. WD HDD should have been a WD green, and there are better PSUs out there but pcczone's offerings are suspect. They also mandate a dvd writer even though I never use the dvd drive (you can install windows from usb nowadays)

The pre-built PCs are very overpriced though. I wouldn't touch an ibuypower with a 10 inch pole

 

[Promo]

No it's a valid criticism. I don't know how I missed it. WD HDD should have been a WD green, and there are better PSUs out there but pcczone's offerings are suspect. They also mandate a dvd writer even though I never use the dvd drive (you can install windows from usb nowadays)

Admittedly DVD burners are much less used these days, but I still use mine occasionally for: making archival copies of pictures, music and important data, burning movies to DVD to be played-back in the car and when needed for a windows repair. Since drives are typically less than $50, it's not a big deal.

A little off topic, but personally I don't think people take back-ups seriously enough. Backing up to another drive is barely okay because HDs are unreliable and if it's powered up and connected (i.e. a SAN or standalone drive) it could be attacked by malware. For the really important stuff, back-up to reliable media (i.e. CD, DVD) and store it in a safe place ideally not in the same house as your PC. Thumb drives are a close second. SAN is 3rd. Encrypted (on your PC) Cloud 4th, then portable drives.

 

[SirWanker]

Call me old fashioned, however I see this one as better value...http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B012O..._SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=vr+ready+pc

Looks like ships to Toronto and is $1399 USD

Not bad...but with the current exchange rate this will run you $1680.
Not sure if you'll get dinged with Customs/Duty...that will certainly up the price even more.
Then there is the Dell XPS 8900 with 32GB RAM...

 

[|2 /-\ | /|/]

Not bad...but with the current exchange rate this will run you $1680.
Not sure if you'll get dinged with Customs/Duty...that will certainly up the price even more.
Then there is the Dell XPS 8900 with 32GB RAM...

No way, not with the GTX960, also power supply kind of sucks and can't handle a GTX970. Trust me, I looked at the Dell one a lot and decided to go with this one for $1300 with GTX960, because it was on sale. http://m.bestbuy.ca/defaultpage.asp...etails.aspx?ajax=true&sku=10391778&lang=en-CA I also thought ohh gaming who needs this I just want 4k video and editing, however I am finding that I've been spending lots of time playing games. In my other link you get the GTX970 plus all the other great stuff. if you have someone living in the states, might be even worth sending it to them for pick up or finding another method. This is if Amazon does not charge duties. A while ago I picked up a 2.7k monitor and a 1k lens and they did not charge me the duties. However recently I picked up a spray bathroom sealer and was charged more duty then the item was worth. Maybe if it's from Amazon prime it might pass. However there are other options of picking it up.

Currently I am banging my head against the wall :frusty: because the video card is just not that great and can NOT meet minimum VR requirements, in addition it can't Play the new Doom. If I was to upgrade to GTX980TI I need to update my power supply unless the new cards meet the 970 power requirements of 500W.

Other then that the Dell `looks` very nice.

 

[bishop]

No way, not with the GTX960, also power supply kind of sucks and can't handle a GTX970. Trust me, I looked at the Dell one a lot and decided to go with this one for $1300 with GTX960, because it was on sale. http://m.bestbuy.ca/defaultpage.asp...etails.aspx?ajax=true&sku=10391778&lang=en-CA I also thought ohh gaming who needs this I just want 4k video and editing, however I am finding that I've been spending lots of time playing games. In my other link you get the GTX970 plus all the other great stuff. if you have someone living in the states, might be even worth sending it to them for pick up or finding another method. This is if Amazon does not charge duties. A while ago I picked up a 2.7k monitor and a 1k lens and they did not charge me the duties. However recently I picked up a spray bathroom sealer and was charged more duty then the item was worth. Maybe if it's from Amazon prime it might pass. However there are other options of picking it up.

Currently I am banging my head against the wall :frusty: because the video card is just not that great and can NOT meet minimum VR requirements, in addition it can't Play the new Doom. If I was to upgrade to GTX980TI I need to update my power supply unless the new cards meet the 970 power requirements of 500W.

Other then that the Dell `looks` very nice.

Of course you can run the new doom, you won't be able to run it at high at 1080p and above but to me that is not a big deal. If the graphics are so good that high requires a 970, then medium will also offer great graphics too, probably even on low it would look better than games released 4 years ago on ultra settings. If doom is a really great game and you have to play it on high or ultra, then just drop the resolution down.

 

[|2 /-\ | /|/]

Of course you can run the new doom, you won't be able to run it at high at 1080p and above but to me that is not a big deal. If the graphics are so good that high requires a 970, then medium will also offer great graphics too, probably even on low it would look better than games released 4 years ago on ultra settings. If doom is a really great game and you have to play it on high or ultra, then just drop the resolution down.

Now I am getting 2.7k with the Wolfenstein Old Blood at Normal. I tried ultra on 2.7k it lagged and could not play to enjoy. I tried 1080p with ultra and the normal however it did not feel right. At 2.7k 27 inch monotor on normal with 500 W speakers just feels right to experience game properly, however I see some aliasing. I get soo into it with these settings and feel the emotions they try to instill in you like when you are sneaking on someone and shoot your gun and there is this high pitch noise subtle that cuts through like an intense focus and does its job to make you feel the role play, you feel the anticipation, excited, scared, etc... Honestly I would want to play Doom the way it's mean to be played. Anything below the recommended settings and it's pointless playing it as you loose the effect it's meant to instill in you. These guys put a lot of psychology into these good games, and why would you not want to experience them properly. Might as well just download old games and my card would do fine. Also in June/July the new cards will come out and it makes sense to maximize on the best one for the PC and safeguard for the next few years.

Here is a perfect example....

 

[IM469]

Just to date myself but these are the spec's for a computer I paid ~ $1500 in 1995:

Memory
8mb

Hard Drive
500 megabytes

Processor
33MHz

Video
24-bit accelerated

Monitor
14” CRT

Sound
Sound Blaster 16 (16-bit)

Modem (dial)
28.8 Kb

2x CD-ROM

 

[b4u]

Nvidia just announced the new graphics cards the Gtx 1080 and Gtx 1070. The 1080 will offer double the performance of a Titan X which retails for 1400.US.
they will be available in the coming weeks and the price blows my mind! Super awesome news!!

"Today’s announcement is simply a reveal of what’s to come. The GTX 1080 will launch on May 27, and there will be two variants: the GTX 1080, which will carry a price tag of $599, and a Founders Edition, which is supposed to offer higher overclocking potential for $699. The GTX 1070 will launch on June 10. The standard card will sell for $379, and the Founder Edition will be available for $449."

Full story....http://www.tomshardware.com/news/nvidia-pascal-gtx-1080-1070,31754.html