GreenLeafy

Here's mine.

Wow I can't believe it's been this long since I first on you on the interwebs... A few years ago I was looking to build my own PC and join the glorious PCMR but I just had no idea where to start or how in the world I would build a WHOLE PC by myself. I spent hours and hours looking online for informative videos and guides on how I would accomplish my goal. I stumbled across LinusTechTips and the NCIX Tech tips, which both had Linus as their main dude. I tried watching other videos, and some were well done, I will say, but I always enjoyed the most watching Linus' jovial videos. I've got a lot of school work these days and I am unable to actively participate in the forum or indulge in any large quantity of mainstream entertainment, but I can look at the PC I built every day. The unboxings were always my favourite. As a result, PC building and PC gaming is one of my biggest hobbies, as a direct result of people who helped me learn everything I do now. Thanks Linus & Co.! btw it always makes me chuckle when I would scroll through random NCIX Tech Tips videos and you'd have a different haircut a bunch of times... heh

Just because you haven't gotten into an accident doesn't mean you are safe. Just like driving a car with no air bags... fine if you don't get hit but what if you do? Honestly a better PSU is not that much money. If you choose not to listen then do so at your own risk. Every single person who knows PCs will tell you the PSU is one of the most important parts in your whole PC and cheaping out is certainly one of the biggest mistakes one can make. The PSU will not output enough wattage for a 290 or a higher end card. I understand how you feel but if I were you the very first thing I would purchase is a decent quality PSU. Good luck

I agree with the suggestions above but there is one thing I'd definitely change first. You've said you've got a 500W CM PSU at 70% Efficiency. Sorry to burst your bubble here but 70% is absolutely terrible for today's standards and I wouldn't trust having that PSU in my PC. Since you've got lower end specs right you haven't encountered any issues but I am almost sure you will not hold up once you put in a higher end GPU. First thing to do..? Upgrade your PSU. Buy an 80+ Gold PSU. Maybe a 650/750W Gold certified PSU from EVGA, Seasonic, or Corsair. Even lower end models from these companies will be reliable, I guarantee it. You can get a 750W 80+ Gold PSU on sale for <$100. Just look around. Next, get another 4GB of RAM. One stick is OK but compatibility not guaranteed. I'd just get a new 8GB kit for a decent price. GPU is next. However, I would definitely wait a little bit longer because the newest generation of Nvidia cards is almost out. Even if you don't like Nvidia, chances are the prices will drop and you'll be able to get a faster card for less money. It is coming... and fast. Next buy a 120GB/250GB ssd (Recommend 840 Evo). Everything else should be fine. If you are reading this, PLEASE, PLEASE PLEASE buy a new PSU or at least give me the model number so I can check how good/bad it is. If you want to ignore everything else I said then fine, but please the PSU is extremely important.

Thanks for your suggestions but I just gave up and moved my router upstairs. I now get my 200mbps down.. Thanks.

Okay so I love building computers and PCs in general but the one area I am really lacking is in Networking and that's why I'm here to ask a few questions I have and also to get some recommendations from the community. I've got a Trendnet TEW-726EC N600 in my PC and a CGN3 downstairs (Advertised by Rogers as "Advanced Wifi Modem") (I'm on the top floor of my house while the CGN3 is one floor below). The first time I upgraded to a new plan (advertised 150mbps down, 15up), I managed occasionally to pull off 80 or 90mbps down on my PC running on the Wifi while always getting the advertised upload or higher (This is upstairs). I thought this was a reasonable speed for Wifi, but then again, what do I know? However, with a laptop right next to the CGN3, the speedtest results are consistently 200mbps down (With speedboost) and rarely dips below 150 (Without speedboost). So, I am definitely getting my advertised speeds. However, my adapter randomly disconnects from the internet. When this happens, it is connected to the network but there isn't an internet connection. After resetting the adapter, it works instantly once again. I have to do this once a day or once every few days if I'm lucky. On top of this, I've never seen a result over 60mbps for quite a long time, I usually get 40-50 now and the results fluctuate wildly. The connection has to go through a few walls to get to my adapter but that doesn't give it an excuse to disconnect frequently. (Windows shows 4 or 5 Bars of strength consistently when connected) I realize the best option to get the best speed and reliability would be to run directly an Ethernet cable but that really isn't the best idea because I'd need to run it from downstairs all the way up across a flight of stairs and the wire would cross directly in front of entrances to many rooms in my house. I've thought about powerline but I'm not really sure exactly how that works or if it would be the best option. I've been thinking if it's possible to get a replacement from Trendnet and that may possibly fix the disconnecting issue and possibly improve speed but I'm not sure. 1. Should I get a new wireless adapter (If so, recommendations are welcome)? 2. Should I go for Powerline (recommendations for products welcome)? 3. Should I try and get a replacement adapter (same model)? 4. What speeds should I realistically expect from my Wifi one floor up? Essentially what I am asking is... What should I do? If you need any more information, just ask. I really don't know what I should do but I don't think I'll be sticking with this adapter that likes to crap out once a day.

Get a U2412M.

8ms gtg is really almost nothing. Those numbers are probably receive the most hype even though most people have no idea what it even means. It is NOT input lag...which the Dell Ultrasharp Monitors have almost none. I have a U2312HM and it has almost no input lag at all. You really won't tell a difference between 1ms gtg and 8ms gtg... I honestly don't think you were feeling any "input lag", probably just unfamiliarity with the other person's setup and etc. which obviously is different from your own. If you're competitive in games such as CS, improving your aim would be a million times better than getting a 1ms gtg instead of 8. On top of that, IPS completely blows TN out of the water in terms of colour reproduction. Games such as BF4 look absolutely amazing and once you go IPS, you never go back. But if you're not used to the amazing colours yet, you can still stay in the dark and you'd be fine! IPS> TN in every single aspect except for: Possible higher refresh rates (for more fluidity) and faster response time (which shouldn't be that important unless you are a competitive gamer... competitive. 50% of the games I play are FPS including CS and BF4 and I absolutely love the colours of IPS.

Is the PB278Q worth the $500 price tag in your opinion? (compared to the $300 price tag on the VG248QE).. I mean it's 3 inches larger with a higher rez so I assume so. What value would you give it out of 10?

How did it feel going from 144hz to 60Hz again? If you had to pick, I assume you'd keep the PB278Qs?

Hello, I might be shopping around for a new monitor soon and the most I will probably spend is $700 but I would prefer to stay beneath that price (<$500 is ideal). I am currently using a Dell U2312HM and I'm definitely enjoying it but I want some more real estate for productivity and a new monitor might enhance my gaming experience as well. I have considered 4K and I do not really want to go in this direction because first off, my 780 will only perform at mediocre level at medium-high settings on demanding games and I don't want to shell out $500 more for another. Scaling is annoying and most applications don't work well with 4K. Also, the Asus PB287Q had extremely disappointing reviews on Newegg. I have considered the Asus VG278QE as linus has praised 120hz before and fluidity would be nice, but TN. I am leaning most towards the PB278Q for better rez, less demanding to run and PLS. Ergonomics, stand, functionality and support are important to me (Therefore I shy away from Korean). Opinions and recommendations welcome. Thanks!

If you purchase it, please let me know how it is. I believe it should be a firmware issue and I don't know if Asus has been rolling out firmware updates for it. Popping for the speakers is certainly unusual and like I said, if I'm spending that much on a monitor I would prefer for it to be a GREAT monitor (in most/all aspects). Looks like I will probably wait for more development and refinement unless they can fix all these issues with firmware updates and whatnot. Like I said, post back in this thread to let us know what you've done, thanks.

OP, I've been looking to buy the Asus 4K monitor you're looking at too, but I looked at some of the reviews on Newegg and tons of people are having the exact same issue about something regarding popping noises, flashing of the monitor and stuff like that... That's sort of made me shy away from buying it because a 3-Star review on Newegg for a 4K monitor really does not seem appealing to me... I don't know if the people on Newegg are exactly the most reliable source of info but if everyone's having the same issue there's got to be something wrong, I'd check it out if I were you. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236399&cm_re=Asus_4k-_-24-236-399-_-Product

The Stryker looks pretty good, but I can't vouch for anything other than looks. I've never used it before. I would strongly recommend the Define R4 though. It's one of the most well reviewed cases on the market and it's for good reason. Excellent build quality, features, and looks in my opinion. Appearances are purely subjective, so if you dislike it, nothing I can do about it. Personally, I have the R4 and it is probably one of the easiest cases to build in. Huge space behind the motherboard tray and it's got sound dampening material as a bonus. The size is also good because it's not a full tower (it's mid) and the price is reasonable. I also like Corsair cases... To be honest, finding a case is really based on personal opinion. You've got to find a case that you think LOOKS good, and on top of that has the usability and features that you want/need. Good luck

The issue has been resolved. I got a replacement from NCIX and now everything is working perfectly. It was the card. Thanks a lot for everyone's help.