YoungerDreams

First build. I have my parts picked out but in an effort to avoid any trouble I'd appreciate it if someone can make sure my wiring is right so I know I have the proper parts. Sorry if it's a bit messy, but it's way better than trying to explain it all in words. Most notably, I'm confused about the NZXT Kraken's wiring. As I understand it, the usb goes to a usb 2.0 internal port (easy) but the sata splits into four fan pins (of which two go to radiator), the CPU fan header on the mobo, and directly into the PSU. I have this right? Considerations, 1. The PSU pretty much has to be that one. Or at least, it can't have sleeved cables (individual or otherwise) because the pandora has like no room in the back. 2. The CPU Cooler pretty much needs to be an AIO due to the small size of the case. And I really like the look of the NZXT, I know it might not be the most economical. Additionally, 1. If anyone knows of a good looking SSD (Pandora has a display of it) that does not have any brand colors showing (like Sandisk and Samsung's red), let me know. I'd love an intel 730 but...yea no. I also prefer the all metal look (like the OCZ Trion) as opposed to the plasticy newer ones. I don't want brand colors b/c with all the RGB I don't like having that one accent color I can't change, everything needs to be black, grey, silver, white, or RGB. 2. Any comments on Asus Aura + NZXT Cam working simultaneously would be great. I heard some people blew their NZXT CPU Cooler LEDs and wondering how this is even possible. 3. The video card only uses VGA 1 right? Doesn't need the other half of VGA 1 or VGA2? If you need the original mobo image, I'll link it in the following spoiler where you can see the labels clearly. It's in some weird picture format though so I had to compress it to JPG which is why the quality shifted... Thanks! edit: LOL whoops, I just realized the mobo in the main picture is not the z270g which I linked below. However, all the sockets are in pretty much the exact same place so just ignore that it's a different mobo.

I don't understand how hard it is for someone like LG to think 'hm, maybe people want monitors without those extruding bezels and bendy plastic screens' I personally don't mind bezels AT ALL if they're in the same plane as the monitor (like a phone or tablet) EDIT: I found one from Acer, but its nearly $900.00 because it's a touch screen monitor.

Yea the problem is they're silly overpriced. Especially with the fact that iMacs now have a built in display so they're getting rid of their monitors in favour of all in ones and I don't think buying a monitor used is a good idea.

Hey, A friend of mine has an apple monitor. Something like this. He paid $800.00 for it (cause apple), and I'm not an apple guy, but something about the glass screen was very appealing. It looked and felt like real glass (not sure if it was). Most of the monitors I've used are cheaper and have a plastic, flimsy screen, not the hard glass. I think that's what causes the smudgy look, and it also just feels cheap. I also like the fact that the glass part goes over the bezel like a smartphone. Are there any extremely glassy monitors for a windows desktop? EDIT: Actually my Windows tablet has the glassy screen that goes over the whole front of the devices. Still, not seeing any monitors like that.

Great, thanks for the help. Any anything is better than my laptops speakers that are half-filled with dust and poorly positioned underneath the monitor when the monitor is 90deg (thanks Asus).

So when you say extends low enough, are you referring to the low frequency range? Specifically, the 45Hz the Vanatoo you linked which means I would loose 25HZ assuming I have good hearing still (bad assumption). Just trying to learn the terminology And yea, what you said about budget subs was what I thought about my friend's subs.

Hm, the Vanatoo does look intriguing. I suppose I could use some clarification on whether a bass will improve my experience. As I've said, I only recently developed a passion for music and I'm not really sure what people mean when they say things like "highs, lows, etc.". I'm an engineer so I understand the terms but have a tough time translating them into actual sound. I listen to the lighter side of metal. Some bands I listen to are Memphis May Fire, Our Last Night, My Chemical Romance, Linken Park, Twenty One Pilots, Evanescence. I never (ever) listen to rap, opera, country, pop, or electronic music. If this is the music I listen to, is a premium bass quality recommended or are 5-5.5 subs good enough? I meant best in terms of popular desktop speaker solutions. Traditionally, I see people pick up speakers made for PCs but I understand bookshelf speakers are often better. Is that accurate? Thanks for all the help though!

Interesting. I don't think I'll go with the JBL you recommended due to the aesthetics. I realize to many the design doesn't really matter but it has a huge impact on me. I find my productivity and overall comfort is heavily dependent on the environment (for example, I refuse to put my desk against a wall). Again, I realize it sounds silly to some but it matters to me. However, I am also interested in getting a great audio experience and not overly attached in any way to the speakers I linked in the OP. Do you have any other recommendations that have a neat design and better audio? Also, are bookshelf speakers going to deliver the best quality (aside from studio monitors)? Or should I also look at traditional desktop speakers? I'm looking at building a new computer so the mobo/sound card is up for change. As for a budget, I'd like to spend ~$800-900 on the computer now and turn it into a gaming computer later (when a game I think I'll actually enjoy comes out). I'd like to keep the speakers (and any external DAC) under 400, but under 500 would be the 'budget'. How would I know if the MOBO/Sound Card sounds bad? My understanding is I would hear electrical noise in the recording, is that accurate? As for high quality format, I had a number of questions about that (I think its something a lot of people gloss over). First off, is the traditional method of getting music from iTunes going to be the highest quality? Additionally, out of curiosity, does older music (like 10-20 years old) still have HiFi quality available or are they only available in lower quality? Or should old music sound as crisp as new music with a good audio system? Again, I don't claim to be an expert on this stuff

Hey, I used to use to buy computers specifically for their gaming performance. However, recently I've been more interested in listening to music than playing video games. I bought a pair of SoundMagic E80 earbuds and was blown away with how much better music sounded (which caused the aforementioned obsession with music). The new background noises you couldn't hear with a set of low-quality earbuds makes the music noticeably more pleasurable. I'm now looking to build a computer environment based around good audio quality (with speakers), but I'm not really an expert on the topic. I'd like to get some advice from people who have done this kind of thing before. I listen to rock/light metal mostly if that's important. Occasionally acoustic songs. For speakers, I'm looking at this https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CDIS6M0/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza. My understanding is that normally I would need a DAC in conjunction with bookshelf speakers but I believe these come with something built in so I don't need a DAC. Can anyone confirm? If so, will I get better performance with a good DAC? The other thing I'm concerned about is the lack of a subwoofer. I've never really had a subwoofer, so I'm not really sure what I'm missing. I know I never liked music in concerts where the bass shakes the whole room so do they really improve the audio quality or just make the audio shake the room? Additionally, do I need to get a sound card or a motherboard with good onboard sound quality? If so, which one is better? Anything else I should be thinking about?

Get a full prebuilt from a real brand. Places like iBUYPOWER and others charge so much more for service because they can't mass manufacture the computers. Look at ASUS, MSI, Dell, HP, and Lenovo.

It's DDR4 Ram. Low-Mid range DDR4 so not the worst DDR4 Ram either. Not to mention, faster ram has almost no affect in most cases. The power supply does worry me. I don't really care what its rated at, but I'd like to keep it after this build for another in the future (PSUs don't change much). If it's a cheapy I'd just throw it away afterwards. Same with the MOBO Great to know - really appreciate it. Any issues? Additionally, have you opened her up? Know any specifics like the mobo model? EDIT: Oh and how is the keyboard it comes with? Obviously I don't expect much but I don't currently own a mechanical keyboard. Got a mechanical mouse though so that doesn't matter as much

I said there aren't any m series anymore which is why I suggested the 1060. Perhaps the 980m I linked wasn't a very good suggestion - someone I know has one and loves it but you're right a 1060 for the same price is a much better deal. Bottom line OP - if newer models are out 99% of the time its best to get the newest as the newest low end often beats out the old highest end at half the cost.

You would definitely benefit from going up to a 10 series notebook. While still a 60 series, the 1060 does not come with a 1060m meaning you get the full desktop graphics card functionality in your laptop. With a m series video card, much of the potential from the video card is lost. So not only do you benefit by getting a desktop featured gpu, but its also newer so theres going to be some benefits there. https://www.amazon.com/Asus-GL702VM-DB71-17-3-Inch-i7-6700HQ-7200RPM/dp/B01KB0W4R0/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1478008628&sr=1-4&keywords=1060+laptop or go up to 980m for roughly the same price but so much better performance https://www.amazon.com/G751JY-VS71-WX-17-Inch-GeForce-Windows/dp/B01DT4A2K6/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1478008893&sr=1-1&keywords=rog+980m+laptop I also don't like acer EDIT: Although the Acer is a pretty attractive notebook. I don't think its too good to be true though - its an old model so its cheap.

Too good to be true? http://www.microcenter.com/product/470342/codex_x-032us_desktop_computer Unfortunately, I can't find any reviews, youtube videos, or even a forum mentioning this PC. It's also on MSI's website - but equally vague. Does anyone have/know anything about this PC? And would you trust MSI and buy a computer with no reviews/videos? Additionally - should I expect MSI to include their modular parts that I can upgrade later or should I expect delta and other non-modular parts that aren't made to be re-used? Finally, I plan to pair this with the Dell s2417dg monitor. Its a 144Hz 1440p monitor that's only 24in (the only one?). I find 27in to be way too big. Would this monitor/desktop combo go well together? And to the influx of people thinking "Build your own", I originally intended on it but this is a much better deal. While yes - I'm sure you could put together a pcpartpicker link slightly (and I mean slightly, I tried) with the exact same specs (at least the processor and vid card) - there's no fun in purchasing the cheapest available parts and not being able to buy what you want specifically (in which case, for me it would cost 1500+ for a i7 6700k with a gtx 1070). So don't tell me to build my own - too many ignorant people who think its ALWAYS cheaper to build your own in an attempt to justify themselves... EDIT: Also I've seen that it comes with an H110 board OR a z170 board - but specifications conflict depending on where you look. A z170 seems like the only choice for a k series cpu - why would MSI throw a k series cpu on an H110 board?

Why not just get an external optical drive and have it hidden in the case. You'd have to open the case to put a disk in...but you'll only do that like once or twice. I personally wouldn't cut a hole in such a beautiful case. It won't look very good, no matter how good you are at cutting. You're also cutting into a screw hole which could cause the case to fall apart.