PC Pc Gaming/building thread

[Gold Member]

As for the Predator I nearly got that myself being $100 cheaper than the Swift but I looked up heaps of reviews and they all said it had a bit of wobble. When I was making the purchase I ran it by the guy at Scorptec and he said that was correct but not as bad as some have made out. The panels are almost identical in every aspect but together with the wobble, a clunky OSD (the Swift uses a handy little joystick behind the panel) and the design probably a little over the top I went for the ROG Swift instead.

As for the nvidia vs AMD thing it is just preference. I'm an nvidia man, have been since I started learning about building in the 90s (we always had prebuilt Commodores, Amiga... an IBM Aptiva ? and got a Voodoo 2 before 3dfx were taken over by Nvidia but for about 6 or 7 years I rocked a number of different Athlon XP CPUs until Intel blew them out of the water. So definitely not a nvidia/intel fanboy but I just stick with them now as they receive the best support and stuff is optimised best for them (imo of course). As for GPUs though AMD are still playing catch up and imo you are getting what you are paying for there. The Vega was underwhelming enough that Nvidia pushed back Volta to mid 2018, there are even some rumours of a 1070ti now so definitely no threat from AMD.

Just noticed that Fractal case also has room for 3x 120mm fans on the front so I'm sold on that. Might go grab one in the next week or two in case I can't find it later. Can get my positive pressure wank on with that setup. Just have to make sure 240mm AIO radiator goes on top otherwise graphics card might not fit.

I'm the same with spending money! Married, no kids, decent middle class income that I'm always looking to buy stuff whether it's upgrading my guitar rig (usually extra guitars I don't need) or gaming/computer (if it's not parts it's something I don't need like another controller or high end headset). Money is for spending

I'm the opposite, I chose an AMD card for my first build as it was a much better bang for buck proposition plus as an added bonus a copy of BF4 was included via redemption. Later on I upgraded my screen to an Acer 2560x1440 144hz Freesync model. Then i had to upgrade my GPU to a Freesync compatible model. Now I'm pretty much entrenched in their ecosystem which is fine with me. AMD stuff is perfectly fine for midrange (value for money) gear. If you want real highend stuff then really it's nVidia or don't bother. Maybe i'll switch one day but I'll probably just stay inside that good value frames per dollar window that the midrange gear gives..

Can't say I'd really care about navigating a monitor's OSD. I set mine up once when it was new and have never touched it since.

99% certain you can fit a 240mm or a 280mm rad in the roof of the Fractal Meshify.

 

[Gold Member]

Welcome to the master race Danx10

These days you ascend...

 

[Gold Member]

Yeah see I'm really torn because I much prefer the nVidia GPUs but that Predator monitor doesn't sell me - even less so now - and I adore that Samsung FreeSync model. I might look around for other options as the ROG Swift is nice but sort of pushing how much I wanted to spend...

Nice! Yeah the support/optimisation is why I wanted to go nVidia in the first place. I'm pretty sure I'll go for either the 1070 or 1080, I just need to find a monitor that sells me on it.

By the end of the year, everybody in the thread will have a Fractal case hahaha. It looks fantastic. Do you think I'd need to buy any extra fans/coolers?

Hahaha I'm pretty good with money (read: stingy) except when it comes to gaming. I have absolutely no impulse control for games.

Personally I'd buy 1 white bladed fan for the rear exhaust & move the included black exhaust fan to the front as a 2nd intake.

3 white ring fans in the intake would looks pretty sweet though...
https://www.pccasegear.com/products...-12-high-static-pressure-white-led-fan-3-pack

 

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

Personally I'd buy 1 white bladed fan for the rear exhaust & move the included black exhaust fan to the front as a 2nd intake.

3 white ring fans in the intake would looks pretty sweet though...
https://www.pccasegear.com/products...-12-high-static-pressure-white-led-fan-3-pack

Pls stop, I'm already $350 over my hard cap

 

[Gold Member]

Pls stop, I'm already $350 over my hard cap

But you don't even have a desk or a chair yet!
Not to mention we haven't specced out an extension to your house to put all this stuff in!

 

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

But you don't even have a desk or a chair yet!
Not to mention we haven't specced out an extension to your house to put all this stuff in!

This was a big mistake, haha. I'm already trying to justify going over the cap to myself.

In all seriousness though I've gone pretty crazy for this build, I can save cash in a lot of areas without slashing the performance considerably if I so choose - I'm not really worried.

Yet.

 

[Gold Member]

Make sure you get your copy of Windows 10 Pro 64bit off Ebay for $20...

 

[Gralin]

this thread reminds me why I don't have a gaming rig

money

i need more money

 

[Gold Member]

this thread reminds me why I don't have a gaming rig

money

i need more money

Computer parts

You need more computer parts...





And a better Avatar!

 

[JordanWCE]

ONE OF US! ONE OF US!

 

[dwwaino]

Yeah see I'm really torn because I much prefer the nVidia GPUs but that Predator monitor doesn't sell me - even less so now - and I adore that Samsung FreeSync model. I might look around for other options as the ROG Swift is nice but sort of pushing how much I wanted to spend...

Nice! Yeah the support/optimisation is why I wanted to go nVidia in the first place. I'm pretty sure I'll go for either the 1070 or 1080, I just need to find a monitor that sells me on it.

By the end of the year, everybody in the thread will have a Fractal case hahaha. It looks fantastic. Do you think I'd need to buy any extra fans/coolers?

Hahaha I'm pretty good with money (read: stingy) except when it comes to gaming. I have absolutely no impulse control for games.

That case already has 2x 120mm fans (one in front, one in back) which is actually enough when talking bare minimum. Some people overthink this aspect (google negative/positive pressure pc case or something and see for yourself) but all as long as you have good air flow you are good. Rule of thumb is front and bottom fans are intake and top and rear are exhausts. Some graphics cards get really hot though and will heat up the air inside the case faster than it can be expelled if you don't have good enough air flow. My current case has a 120mm on the front and the side over the graphics card. Then I had a single 120mm top rear with an air CPU cooler facing it and helping the flow. Everything was great until I got this 1080ti and it was getting way too hot. In the end I had the face the front intake at the GPU and make the side fan an exhaust to pull the hot air off the card before it goes through the case. This isn't ideal for air flow as it raised my CPU temp by a few degrees but at least I dropped the GPU temp by 30C. Not worrying about it short term though because I know I'm upgrading.

This will be overkill but on that fractal case I'm going to use all 120mm intakes on the front (non led), a rear 120m exhaust (led ) then the 240mm at the top for an exhaust radiator of a CPU AIO cooler. I know some people hate this and say "you're cooling the CPU with the hot air from the case" but it's really no different than using an air cooler inside the case and with great flow the air won't be inside long enough to get that hot.

I know you're looking at some of the other monitors but if you swing towards nvidia and happy to spend that sort of Predator monitor then have a look at the Asus PG279Q. My only knock on it is that it has a bit of backlight bleed but I don't notice it when I'm playing and I have it switch off instead of a black light screen when I'm not using it.

 

[dwwaino]

I'm the opposite, I chose an AMD card for my first build as it was a much better bang for buck proposition plus as an added bonus a copy of BF4 was included via redemption. Later on I upgraded my screen to an Acer 2560x1440 144hz Freesync model. Then i had to upgrade my GPU to a Freesync compatible model. Now I'm pretty much entrenched in their ecosystem which is fine with me. AMD stuff is perfectly fine for midrange (value for money) gear. If you want real highend stuff then really it's nVidia or don't bother. Maybe i'll switch one day but I'll probably just stay inside that good value frames per dollar window that the midrange gear gives..

Can't say I'd really care about navigating a monitor's OSD. I set mine up once when it was new and have never touched it since.

99% certain you can fit a 240mm or a 280mm rad in the roof of the Fractal Meshify.

I went AMD for CPU for the longest of time because as you said, bang for buck. Can't say BF4 was on offer though at the time, I'm talking like early 2000s . It was probably around the height of WoW addiction when I made the switch. WoW was so CPU heavy and even with my SLI 9800GTs I had to run some ghetto settings. Moved to Intel and never looked back.

And yeah you can fit a radiator on the top of that case which is where I said I would look to put it. I wonder if Fractal will ever do a S model of it though?

 

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

That case already has 2x 120mm fans (one in front, one in back) which is actually enough when talking bare minimum. Some people overthink this aspect (google negative/positive pressure pc case or something and see for yourself) but all as long as you have good air flow you are good. Rule of thumb is front and bottom fans are intake and top and rear are exhausts. Some graphics cards get really hot though and will heat up the air inside the case faster than it can be expelled if you don't have good enough air flow. My current case has a 120mm on the front and the side over the graphics card. Then I had a single 120mm top rear with an air CPU cooler facing it and helping the flow. Everything was great until I got this 1080ti and it was getting way too hot. In the end I had the face the front intake at the GPU and make the side fan an exhaust to pull the hot air off the card before it goes through the case. This isn't ideal for air flow as it raised my CPU temp by a few degrees but at least I dropped the GPU temp by 30C. Not worrying about it short term though because I know I'm upgrading.

This will be overkill but on that fractal case I'm going to use all 120mm intakes on the front (non led), a rear 120m exhaust (led ) then the 240mm at the top for an exhaust radiator of a CPU AIO cooler. I know some people hate this and say "you're cooling the CPU with the hot air from the case" but it's really no different than using an air cooler inside the case and with great flow the air won't be inside long enough to get that hot.

I know you're looking at some of the other monitors but if you swing towards nvidia and happy to spend that sort of Predator monitor then have a look at the Asus PG279Q. My only knock on it is that it has a bit of backlight bleed but I don't notice it when I'm playing and I have it switch off instead of a black light screen when I'm not using it.

That's madness haha. I'll probably run the stock fans and see how it goes, although those LED fans sure are tempting.

Yeah I've got the Asus monitor on my list now. Not sure if it'll stick because it is more expensive than I wanted to spend but it does look really nice.

Make sure you get your copy of Windows 10 Pro 64bit off Ebay for $20...

Is there a particular store to get it off? The one I can find for <$20 looks a tad dodgy haha.

 

[Gralin]

Ah WoW i had many a grainy eyed day at work after being up half the night raiding back in 05 and 06

 

[Gold Member]

That's madness haha. I'll probably run the stock fans and see how it goes, although those LED fans sure are tempting.

Yeah I've got the Asus monitor on my list now. Not sure if it'll stick because it is more expensive than I wanted to spend but it does look really nice.



Is there a particular store to get it off? The one I can find for <$20 looks a tad dodgy haha.

Yeah the dodgy one.. The dodgy store I bought a copy off 6 months ago doesn't exist any more!
You just download an .iso file of Win10 pro 64bit onto a flash drive & install it onto your machine. The Ebay purchase will just email you an official product key to register the software and get going...
My guess is they are excess OEM keys...

 

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

The ideal build plan at the moment:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600X - $329 (Scorptec)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty AB350 Gaming K4 - $135 (Scorptec)
GPU: ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1080 AMP! Edition 8GB - $759 (Scorptec)
RAM: HyperX Fury HX424C15FB2K2/16 - $209 (Scorptec)
SSD: SanDisk Ultra II 480GB - $219 (Scorptec)
HDD: Seagate BarraCuda 2TB - $105 (Scorptec)
Case: Fractal Meshify C - $145 (Scorptec)
Power Supply: ?
Monitor: ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q - $1,099 (Scorptec)
Keyboard: HyperX Alloy Elite Mechanical Gaming MX Blue - $149 (PC Case Gear)
Mouse: Razer Mamba Laser Gaming Mouse - $199 (PC Case Gear)
Wifi: Linksys Max-Stream AC600 Dual Band USB - $65 (Scorptec)
Bluetooth: Avantree BTDG-40S-BLK Bluetooth 4.0 USB - $19 (Scorptec)
Fans: Thermaltake Riing 12 High Static Pressure 3pk - $49 (PC Case Gear)

And then I doubt I'm going to be able to resist fancy LEDs.

Total for that build is a touch under $3,500 without a power supply, so fair to say my cap is completely out the window. It looks pretty damn good to me though, so I'll have to figure out whether I can cop the cost.

I have absolutely no idea how to pick a power supply.

 

[Jimmy Yamazaki]

Still running around with a I7 920 with a 780TI though. Can't wait to upgrade it shortly. Was going to go 7700K but might wait to see when the 8700K comes out and it's OC performance.

 

[Jimmy Yamazaki]

The ideal build plan at the moment:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600X - $329 (Scorptec)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty AB350 Gaming K4 - $135 (Scorptec)
GPU: ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1080 AMP! Edition 8GB - $759 (Scorptec)
RAM: HyperX Fury HX424C15FB2K2/16 - $209 (Scorptec)
SSD: SanDisk Ultra II 480GB - $219 (Scorptec)
HDD: Seagate BarraCuda 2TB - $105 (Scorptec)
Case: Fractal Meshify C - $145 (Scorptec)
Power Supply: ?
Monitor: ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q - $1,099 (Scorptec)
Keyboard: HyperX Alloy Elite Mechanical Gaming MX Blue - $149 (PC Case Gear)
Mouse: Razer Mamba Laser Gaming Mouse - $199 (PC Case Gear)
Wifi: Linksys Max-Stream AC600 Dual Band USB - $65 (Scorptec)
Bluetooth: Avantree BTDG-40S-BLK Bluetooth 4.0 USB - $19 (Scorptec)
Fans: Thermaltake Riing 12 High Static Pressure 3pk - $49 (PC Case Gear)

And then I doubt I'm going to be able to resist fancy LEDs.

Total for that build is a touch under $3,500 without a power supply, so fair to say my cap is completely out the window. It looks pretty damn good to me though, so I'll have to figure out whether I can cop the cost.

I have absolutely no idea how to pick a power supply.

Either get a Seasonic Gold 850w+ or EVGA Supernova Gold 850W+ will be enough for that build.

 

[Gold Member]

The ideal build plan at the moment:

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600X - $329 (Scorptec)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty AB350 Gaming K4 - $135 (Scorptec)
GPU: ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1080 AMP! Edition 8GB - $759 (Scorptec)
RAM: HyperX Fury HX424C15FB2K2/16 - $209 (Scorptec)
SSD: SanDisk Ultra II 480GB - $219 (Scorptec)
HDD: Seagate BarraCuda 2TB - $105 (Scorptec)
Case: Fractal Meshify C - $145 (Scorptec)
Power Supply: ?
Monitor: ASUS ROG Swift PG279Q - $1,099 (Scorptec)
Keyboard: HyperX Alloy Elite Mechanical Gaming MX Blue - $149 (PC Case Gear)
Mouse: Razer Mamba Laser Gaming Mouse - $199 (PC Case Gear)
Wifi: Linksys Max-Stream AC600 Dual Band USB - $65 (Scorptec)
Bluetooth: Avantree BTDG-40S-BLK Bluetooth 4.0 USB - $19 (Scorptec)
Fans: Thermaltake Riing 12 High Static Pressure 3pk - $49 (PC Case Gear)

And then I doubt I'm going to be able to resist fancy LEDs.

Total for that build is a touch under $3,500 without a power supply, so fair to say my cap is completely out the window. It looks pretty damn good to me though, so I'll have to figure out whether I can cop the cost.

I have absolutely no idea how to pick a power supply.

That's a damn expensive mouse. I had a dud Razer XBox controller years ago and completly swore off their product after both the original & replacement stuffed up also, ended up with a full refund. I'm sure their stuff is good now tho... $179 at Centre Com until 6pm 29/9/17 https://www.centrecom.com.au/razer-...-rSQmBZezPRRGrIU4Rql6yp7lb4Eg8EBoChWAQAvD_BwE
FWIW I prefer more than 2 thumb buttons on the mouse after coming from console..

This is the WiFi usb thing I have. Same spec as the one you listed but WILL have better range with the antenna. $29 due to not being a tiny thing for laptops. https://www.pccasegear.com/products/32179/edimax-ew-7811uac-ac600-wifi-dual-band-usb-adapter

Ryzen 5 1600X does NOT come with a cooler, I'm partial to AIO water loops. Don't get sucked into thinking you need an expensive one, they are all manufactured by the same company they resold with different covers, fans & stickers... $59 https://www.pccasegear.com/products/40079/deepcool-maelstrom-120t-aio-liquid-cooler-white-led-fan
Mount this on your rear exhaust port on the case, which means the 2 included case fans can be intakes.

PSU - Silverstone Strider Gold 750W fully modular with all black cables. Half the cables won't be used and you can chuck them in a drawer. 750 W is more than what you need (probably 400-450w) which gives you headroom for the future & puts you right in the peak of the efficiency curve for now...https://www.pccasegear.com/products/25474/silverstone-strider-gold-750w-st75f-gs

Blue MX keyboard switches are noisy AF. A guy I play with has them and they are really annoying on Discord VOIP chat. I use Cherry MX Browns.

Looks shit hot though man!

 

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

That's a damn expensive mouse. I had a dud Razer XBox controller years ago and completly swore off their product after both the original & replacement stuffed up also, ended up with a full refund. I'm sure their stuff is good now tho... $179 at Centre Com until 6pm 29/9/17 https://www.centrecom.com.au/razer-...-rSQmBZezPRRGrIU4Rql6yp7lb4Eg8EBoChWAQAvD_BwE
FWIW I prefer more than 2 thumb buttons on the mouse after coming from console..

This is the WiFi usb thing I have. Same spec as the one you listed but WILL have better range with the antenna. $29 due to not being a tiny thing for laptops. https://www.pccasegear.com/products/32179/edimax-ew-7811uac-ac600-wifi-dual-band-usb-adapter

Ryzen 5 1600X does NOT come with a cooler, I'm partial to AIO water loops. Don't get sucked into thinking you need an expensive one, they are all manufactured by the same company they resold with different covers, fans & stickers... $59 https://www.pccasegear.com/products/40079/deepcool-maelstrom-120t-aio-liquid-cooler-white-led-fan
Mount this on your rear exhaust port on the case, which means the 2 included case fans can be intakes.

PSU - Silverstone Strider Gold 750W fully modular with all black cables. Half the cables won't be used and you can chuck them in a drawer. 750 W is more than what you need (probably 400-450w) which gives you headroom for the future & puts you right in the peak of the efficiency curve for now...https://www.pccasegear.com/products/25474/silverstone-strider-gold-750w-st75f-gs

Blue MX keyboard switches are noisy AF. A guy I play with has them and they are really annoying on Discord VOIP chat. I use Cherry MX Browns.

Looks shit hot though man!

To be totally honest I got sucked into the Razer mouse because of the pretty colours. I found it for $158, though - any other mice you'd recommend to help me cut costs?

Have made most of the other changes though, I really appreciate it. Does the addition of a CPU cooler mean I don't need the extra fans?

Only thing I haven't changed is the PSU - when I looked up that PSU it seemed to review pretty poorly and appears to be sold out at both Scorptec/PC Case Gear too. This was the one I was looking at: https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/Power-Supplies/ATX/65494-100-B1-0700-K4

 

[Gold Member]

To be totally honest I got sucked into the Razer mouse because of the pretty colours. I found it for $158, though - any other mice you'd recommend to help me cut costs?

Have made most of the other changes though, I really appreciate it. Does the addition of a CPU cooler mean I don't need the extra fans?

Only thing I haven't changed is the PSU - when I looked up that PSU it seemed to review pretty poorly and appears to be sold out at both Scorptec/PC Case Gear too. This was the one I was looking at: https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/Power-Supplies/ATX/65494-100-B1-0700-K4

No you don't need extra fans. 2 intake 1 exhaust should be fine. It's a cheap addition if your rig struggles in Jan/Feb heatwaves...

If my mouse dies I'll be getting this for $109 https://www.pccasegear.com/products/37513/steelseries-rival-500-15-button-moba-mmo-mouse

However this one will be 99% as good as the Razer for $49 https://www.pccasegear.com/products/34045/steelseries-rival-100-optical-gaming-mouse

That PSU is expensive for a bronze (rated efficiency) power supply without modular cables. All that crap will have to live inside your case. I have 2 Silverstone units and my brother has 1. I would buy another if needed no questions asked.

 

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

No you don't need extra fans. 2 intake 1 exhaust should be fine. It's a cheap addition if your rig struggles in Jan/Feb heatwaves...

If my mouse dies I'll be getting this for $109 https://www.pccasegear.com/products/37513/steelseries-rival-500-15-button-moba-mmo-mouse

However this one will be 99% as good as the Razer for $49 https://www.pccasegear.com/products/34045/steelseries-rival-100-optical-gaming-mouse

That PSU is expensive for a bronze (rated efficiency) power supply without modular cables. All that crap will have to live inside your case. I have 2 Silverstone units and my brother has 1. I would buy another if needed no questions asked.

Cheers - just gonna get the cheap mouse, I got far too carried away there haha.

Awesome, will go with the SilverStone then. Now I just have to find one!

 

[Dannnnnnnnnn]

Gold Member - one more thing: when I input that cooler into PC Part Picker it says that it may need a mounting adaptor. The cooler's specs says it supports AM4 but there's an asterisk next to it with no further explanation. Do I buy something extra?

 

[dwwaino]

Not sure about the AM4 mounting bracket but I have seen that mentioned (worst case is just ask at Scorptec) when I was looking at coolers myself recently. Personally going to get the corsair h100i v2 just because it's the most common 240mm. Would love the NZXT Kraken for the blingyness of it but the price is ridiculous and as Gold Member said they're pretty much all the same thing.

If you're deadset on Razer the Deathadder and Imperator are their tried and true best performed over the many iterations over the years. They're the same mouse just with different profiles. I had an Imperator and Blackwidow (keyboard) for about 5 or 6 years and swore by them until the end. Only changed recently because I felt like new toys and got a good deal on a Corsair K70, Sabre and KB+M mat. About $280 all up I think and sexy full RGB as I got my Razer stuff pre-chroma and only had blue lights . The blackwidow had Razer green switches which are equalivalent to Cherry Blue and the click was so loud. I got used to it but only realised how loud and now annoying it was that my K70 is Cherry Red. Brown feels a bit 'soft' for me but most shops have demos that you can feel and hear the difference.

 

[JordanWCE]

+1 for EVGA power supplies. EVGA anything really, can’t fault them.