Aronboli

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KMXUXKM/?tag=pcpapi-20 Seems pretty good, if y'all like expensive ram for very cheap.

So, mods are free (obviously, those fascists) to close this down if they think it'll get flamey, but here's the thing: I'm making a new computer. I'm not an enthusiast, I'm not a pro, I'm just planning to build a computer to last a couple years, then slap a couple new parts on for the last stretch. I spotted a reference R9 290 for $200, and a Coolermaster H55 for $50. I nabbed those this morning, but I realized that with the G10 GPU water cooling bracket I was looking at, this whole thing came out to the SAME PRICE (or more??) as an R9 390! So, before we go all-out on a point-to-point comparison, consider these two cards on my needs: First, I'm not looking to game on higher resolutions than 1080p. I'm just not really interested. I don't need it. Second, I want to have this last at least three years (Yeah, yeah, that means nothing, but realistically, will an R9 390 last longer than an R9 290? I mean, 8 GB of ram vs 4GB? More games are VRAM intensive these days...) Third, I'm mostly playing open-world games. Fallout 4, Just Cause 3, Deus Ex 4... I don't limit it to that, but that's something to consider. I know that hi-res mod packs for Skyrim could jank that game's VRAM usage up past 4GB (for intense modders (again, not me)) Edit: Fourthly, the additional maintenance of a watercooling system, Worth it? Otherwise the additional VRAM just seems too alluring... SO, to make this seem less like a "help ME, for ME" thread, let's put this generally. For 1080p gaming in the next few years, what do you good people think would be better in the long-run for amateur users: a water-cooled R9 290, or an R9 390? Thanks, y'all. P.S. for extra credit, assure my poor confused head that ignoring the 290X in this argument is a good idea

Where did y'all find an 290 for that cheap? I've been keeping eyes open, but I've never seen it that low...

I'm making a new rig to play some upcoming games (Fallout 4, Just Cause 3) and I'm not looking to spend much money (no more than $700 on the build itself(+/- $50). However, I might also be transferring to a university and I would like to bring my pc with me. I don't think I want to do this even with a Mid Tower, so I'm wondering if there's anything out there that would be decent for a build like this, considering my needs? Some questions: 1. In what ways is an ITX board worse than an ATX? 2. What's a good small case that gives the best air cooling for how small it is? I appreciate the help! My build, without good sales: PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($176.95 @ SuperBiiz) Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($81.89 @ OutletPC) Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($58.89 @ OutletPC) Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($49.89 @ OutletPC) Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card ($291.98 @ Newegg) Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($62.99 @ SuperBiiz) Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US) Total: $787.58 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-15 21:29 EDT-0400

I can see where you're coming from with that doubting. All together this build is no less than $1000, unless he's really good (edit: INCREDIBLE) at finding sales... The build: PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ NCIX US) CPU Cooler: Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($89.99 @ Newegg) Motherboard: Asus Z97I-PLUS Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard ($151.99 @ SuperBiiz) Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($48.99 @ Newegg) Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($131.88 @ OutletPC) Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Tri-X OC Video Card ($263.98 @ Newegg) Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ NCIX US) Total: $1016.81 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-28 00:15 EDT-0400 (no case) It's not utterly unbelievable, but improbable for sure. I'd have to see if I have time to stop by and check it out.

So I'm looking to get a computer... My budget is about $700. (Here's my part list for anyone who wants to compare, it's about $700 to $750 depending on discounts) Anyways, I was inspired by Scrapyards wars (especially Luke snatching that R9 290 for so cheap) to try to cut down my price a bit. So I went on craigslist and found this nice li'l deal: A couple things: 1. It's much better than my build. Overclockable, just overall better, etc. for a slightly higher price. 2. It's in a mini-ATX, so I'm a little worried about poor ventilation. 3. Nowww... The water cooler, I could care less about. Should I ask the seller to cut that out of the deal and try to get it down 75-100 dollars? Would you suggest I keep it in there? Overall, this seems like a great computer. So... Anything I should ask the seller? Obviously I'll have them show me it working before I buy. But... any advice on the buying process, etc. is welcome! Thanks! I appreciate the help.

Here's the build I'm about to put together, for $730 if you snag it when the GPU's on sale (NOT INCLUDING OS) PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($166.95 @ SuperBiiz) Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($81.89 @ OutletPC) Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.89 @ OutletPC) Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.99 @ Best Buy) Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card ($240.00 @ Newegg) Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Micro Center) Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US) Total: $721.70 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-23 23:56 EDT-0400

I'm aiming for a $700 build at the moment, and I'm leaning towards the XFX R9 290, as it has a very good deal on Newegg right now ($240). I watched some videos discussing different R9 290s (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwRWi3Bz0qc) and the presenter rated it very low compared to the others. It has a lower core clock and memory clock, and had much higher fan speeds for equivalent temperatures. Should I shell out the extra $40 or so for a "better" 290 or just stick with the still-pretty-good XFX? It kinda seems like it doesn't matter, but some experienced opinions are welcome. My build: PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($176.95 @ SuperBiiz) Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($81.89 @ OutletPC) Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.89 @ OutletPC) Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg) Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card ($240.00 @ Newegg) Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Micro Center) Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 650W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.99 @ NCIX US) Total: $733.70 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-22 22:44 EDT-0400

So I just spent the last hour or so putting this together... Any thoughts? http://pcpartpicker.com/p/zYCWTW PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($176.95 @ SuperBiiz) Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.99 @ SuperBiiz) Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.89 @ OutletPC) Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.99 @ Best Buy) Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card ($240.00 @ Newegg) Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Micro Center) Power Supply: Cooler Master VSM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($90.98 @ Newegg) Total: $759.79 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-22 17:30 EDT-0400

So I just spent the last hour or so putting this together... Any thoughts? PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($176.95 @ SuperBiiz) Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.99 @ SuperBiiz) Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.89 @ OutletPC) Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.99 @ Best Buy) Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB Black Edition Double Dissipation Video Card ($240.00 @ Newegg) Case: NZXT S340 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Micro Center) Power Supply: Cooler Master VSM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($90.98 @ Newegg) Total: $759.79 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-06-22 17:30 EDT-0400 (I'm going for USD)

Really good responses, I appreciate the help. It seems that Intel does beat out AMD CPUs. Should I worry about ATI GPUs having compatibility issues on an intel mobo or should I go with an Nvidia card as well?

MSI 990FXA-GD65V2 Desktop Motherboard - AMD 990FX Chipset AM3+ AMD FX-8320 Vishera 8-Core 3.5GHz (4.0GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W FD8320FRHKBOX SAPPHIRE 100364L Radeon R9 270X 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply Also a small SSD and a Mid Tower As is, this would come out to around $720 (without price-checking, sales and rebates). I just want to know whether or not it's better to get an intel build so I can take advantage of PCIE 3 in a year or two.

So I'm building a new PC for $700, and it seems that everybody suggests the i5-4460 over seemingly-better CPUs. I must have some gap in my understanding of CPU power... Can someone clear this up for me? Is the 4460 more reliable? The best balanced? Best price? PCIE 3.0 support? If an intel cpu is so much better, should I scrap my amd/ati build for an intel/nvidia build? I'm much more used to amd/ati, but they seem less reliable in general, and backwards in tech. Any advice is welcome! Thanks in advance!

So it seems that the i5-4460 is a popular choice around here for reliable budget builds. What would you suggest looking for in a CPU? AMD vs. Intel, # of cores, clock speed, etc. Are Intel CPUs more reliable than AMD?

So once Fallout 4 was announced, I knew I had to get something to play it alongside a few other new games. My old custom-built PC was a mess. It would artifact and crash frequently, and became a brick-turned-lightshow after I redid the CPU's thermal paste. Anyways, I decided that it would be best to just go for the cheapest/best build I could manage. This is my setup: MSI 990FXA-GD65V2 Desktop Motherboard - AMD 990FX Chipset AM3+ AMD FX-8320 Vishera 8-Core 3.5GHz (4.0GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W FD8320FRHKBOX SAPPHIRE 100364L Radeon R9 270X 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply Also a small SSD and a Mid Tower As is, this would come out to around $720 (without price-checking, sales and rebates). If I do a good job with the aforementioned, I would probably use the saved money for a R9 280. So do you think this is a good setup? Can you spot any problems/ inconsistencies? How should I go about building this? Any tips are welcome. I am a bit scared I'll screw this up like I did last time, but I am much more competent now. Thanks for the help!