StayFrostyy

The G610, G810, and G Pro are very minimalistic, if that's your aim.

Not to be the "Razer is shit" guy, but I would recommend staying away. I have not had a good experience with Razer equipment.
 
Don't like Corsair? SteelSeries and Logitech both make excellent equipment that may suit your aesthetic tastes. The Razer stuff, from personal experience, is overpriced for what it is and isn't exactly up to par with build quality.

We have a working i7 already from his Alienware rig; we figured there wasn't much point to buying a CPU when we had a very good working one already.

For some reason, updating my BIOS fixed the RAM not running in dual channel and any instability. Thanks for the help!

I will definitely do that, but that is a task for another day.
 
I tested the RAM that was originally in Slot 1 by itself and I played a full round of Casual CS:GO. The length of the game was long enough to let me know that the system wouldn't fail, as the game would ordinarily shut down within 10 minutes (usually closer to 2-5 minutes.
 
Testing the other stick now.

@stconquest I'll go ahead and do that now. I'll report back when I'm done with info.

Just bought one. They seem to be excellent for the price, offering clean aesthetics and great cable management.

Just bought one. They seem to be excellent for the price, offering clean aesthetics and great cable management.

Still, has 4GB of VRAM, not 3.5 I am looking into the 1050Ti and the EVGA FTW+ version looks extremely attractive. Although pricey for a 1050Ti, it has a factory OC, an excellent cooler, and is backed by one of the best names in the industry. However, I am also looking into the RX 470. The Sapphire RX 470 reference and the MSI Armor are both still excellent, but I'd really like to overclock and neither of the coolers on the RX 470s look very good. However, it is a decent bit faster than the 1050Ti out of the box. Which would you take?

RX 480. Reasons listed above, plus AMD FineWine Technology

RX 480. Reasons listed above, plus AMD FineWine Technology

In 5th grade, we're taking a test or something and my teacher tells me to "click on the internet". I said okay, and clicked on Firefox. She gives me a death stare and says "No, that's Firefox; click on the Internet."

If you don't already have a good mechanical keyboard, I'd get one of those. Expensive (K70 RGBs are ~$150 USD) but well worth your money.

In 5th grade, we're taking a test or something and my teacher tells me to "click on the internet". I said okay, and clicked on Firefox. She gives me a death stare and says "No, that's Firefox; click on the Internet."

In 5th grade, we're taking a test or something and my teacher tells me to "click on the internet". I said okay, and clicked on Firefox. She gives me a death stare and says "No, that's Firefox; click on the Internet."

In 5th grade, we're taking a test or something and my teacher tells me to "click on the internet". I said okay, and clicked on Firefox. She gives me a death stare and says "No, that's Firefox; click on the Internet."

In 5th grade, we're taking a test or something and my teacher tells me to "click on the internet". I said okay, and clicked on Firefox. She gives me a death stare and says "No, that's Firefox; click on the Internet."

Anytime

In 5th grade, we're taking a test or something and my teacher tells me to "click on the internet". I said okay, and clicked on Firefox. She gives me a death stare and says "No, that's Firefox; click on the Internet."

I'd go with the Fractal Design Define R4, hands down. You're gonna need to either remove or turn 90 degrees the top five 3.5" bays, but it can handle his GPU with no problem. Well built, well designed, and at a good price; I'd buy one if I could afford it.

I'm using a Corsair 430W power supply with 80+ Bronze efficiency so I should be good. Thanks!

That PSU definitely seems shoddy. Always make sure you have a good power supply from a reputable manufacturer. I'd check to make sure it runs on at least a single 12V rail and can actually output the wattage it says it can. Also, the RX 480 8GB is a far better buy. It's usually cheaper and performs better in DX12 and Vulkan, as well as about tying the 1060 in DX11 games. This will keep improving.
 
Your build could certainly be better for how much you're paying for it.
 
Here's what I'd pick: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/yqQKnn
 
It's in USD but I think it could help.
 
The EVGA Supernova G2 550W is excellent.

I believe someone does benchmarks where they take the 1% low and 0.1% low. I forget the site though

As someone who's buying either a GTX 1060 or an RX 480 over the holidays, I am coming to realize how difficult of a decision it is to pick between these two graphics cards. Both offer excellent price/performance and they both max out the latest AAA titles at 1080p.
 
However, nobody can agree on a single card. Today, I'm going to try and end that debate. I'll be pointing out the advantages and disadvantages of each card, and I will try to come to a concrete conclusion as to what GPU we should buy.
 
Let's start with the RX 480. The MSRP for this card is around $200 for the 4GB reference model, and $250 for the 8GB reference model. In DX12 and Vulkan, this thing is a beast. It beats the GTX 1060 nearly every time at both of these low-level APIs. It sports more VRAM than the GTX 1060, which only is offered in 3GB and 6GB flavors officially (there may be an AIB 1060 that has 8GB, I'm not sure). In a select few DX11 titles, the RX 480 wins out. These games are typically tailored specifically for AMD hardware (e.g. Battlefield, Hitman) and there aren't that many of them. However, the RX 480 consistently loses to the GTX 1060 in most DX11 titles. In some games, like Overwatch, this margin is a solid 10-20FPS advantage for the GTX 1060. It overclocks extremely poorly; many people have reported that their RX 480 cannot even sustain the base clock.
 
Now on to the GTX 1060; it's slightly more expensive, with a cost of $210 for the 3GB version and $260 for the 6GB model. It consumes less power than the RX 480, overclocks far better (with reports of +200MHz on reference coolers), and runs much cooler, so most aftermarket coolers for this card are fine. However, it beats the RX 480 consistently at DX11, where most games are situated now. It doesn't perform as well as the RX 480 in DX12, but driver updates could easily change the game. However, there is no SLI support and it doesn't have nearly as much VRAM, making the RX 480 a bit more future-proof.
 
In reality, it all depends on what you're looking for. If you run Windows 10 and have DX12 access, the RX 480 is a much more attractive option right now. However, if you don't plan on moving to Windows 10 anytime soon (like me), the GTX 1060 performs far better. Still, driver updates could put the GTX 1060 ahead.
 
TL;DR: Go for the RX 480 if you're running Windows 10/DX12 and you want your card to be more future-proof. If you're not planning on moving to Windows 10 and you'll still be running DX11 for a while, go for the GTX 1060.

Hello.
 
Most of you are not familiar with me. My name is Jesse Tustin. I came to PC gaming for the first time. I built a computer I nicknamed "Project Forerunner" in early January of last year in order to take my first dive into the world of PC gaming.
 
To make a long story short, I fell in love with it.
 
This winter, I'm making the decision to permanently switch to PC gaming. I asked for computer parts for Christmas this year, and I'm taking whatever money I receive as a gift and investing it into my PC, my setup, or my games library.
 
The specs of last year's build are as follows;
CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor
Motherboard: ASRock H81M-DGS R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill NS Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: XFX Radeon R7 250X 1GB Video Card
Case: Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX Mini Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply
 
I'll be making some benchmarks of the games I own (which are few) and will be running it through 3DMark and Unigine soon, but I don't think I need to show you the benchmarks for you to know it sucks. So, I'll be upgrading my PC to these specs over the holiday season (note: most of the items I either already own or I am expecting to receive as a gift.
 
CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Corsair H50 57.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill NS Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon RX 480 4GB NITRO+ 4G Video Card
Case: NZXT S340 (Black/Blue) ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply
 
Note that my budget is to be under $350 most likely, so the parts list is subject to change.
 
I'd like to ask for advice in all aspects; Should I pick a better/different graphics card? Or a different case? Or an SSD, should I have the money? Also, I'd like to expand my PC game library, so I'd appreciate any advice as to what games to pick up this holiday season. Also, I would like suggestions for things to make my setup better and cleaner. If you'd like a picture of my current setup, let me know and I'll take some pictures.
 
Thank you for any advice you may give me. The next major build update will be in a few days, where I'll benchmark my current system.
 
Happy holidays and a happy new year to all!