Console vs PC gaming - building a gaming PC

[Sigma]

I wanted a reasonably small case, so I went with one of these: -

http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=303" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That meant I had to use an mATX motherboard, but that was fine. I wasn't bothered about fitting fancy water cooling systems or anything like that, so that case had plenty of room for my needs, although I had to fit low profile RAM in order to get a massive CPU cooler in there. This is the cooler I have in my PC: -

http://i.imgur.com/KNTkK0m.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The PSU is kinda the heart of your system, so you definitely don't want to go cheap with that. I wouldn't buy something that wasn't gold or platinum rated. Fully modular is always good, as then you can only connect the cables you need and you don't have a bunch of spaghetti left over that you have to tie up and shove somewhere inside the case. Wattage is obviously a consideration, as you need to make sure it supplies enough power to run your machine with some head room - you may add extra components later and if you end up adding a second graphics card, that can push the power consumption of your machine up considerably. Also, I like the PSUs where the fan doesn't spin until a certain load level is met.

This is a site I respect for PSU reviews: -

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ChaMerZ]

The PSU is kinda the heart of your system, so you definitely don't want to go cheap with that. I wouldn't buy something that wasn't gold or platinum rated. Fully modular is always good, as then you can only connect the cables you need and you don't have a bunch of spaghetti left over that you have to tie up and shove somewhere inside the case. Wattage is obviously a consideration, as you need to make sure it supplies enough power to run your machine with some head room - you may add extra components later and if you end up adding a second graphics card, that can push the power consumption of your machine up considerably. Also, I like the PSUs where the fan doesn't spin until a certain load level is met.

This is a site I respect for PSU reviews: -

http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

True. I guess, I'll just look for a PSU that could potentially allow for everything plus two GPUs in my rig (because I don't know whether or not I want to go for full 4K). Thanks for the site.

Your CPU cooler, it is third party? Not the one that came with the CPU right? Installing the CPU looks to be the trickiest / scariest part of the procedure because it is so delicate and yet so expensive.

[Sigma]

Yeah, my CPU cooler is made by Noctua, so I bought it separately.

The only way to really mess up fitting a CPU is if you put it in the socket and it's not the right way round, then you try and clamp it down, as the clamping applies a fair bit of pressure to the CPU in order to make sure it has a good connection with the socket, so if it's not the right way round in the socket that can fuck it up. The CPU will have a little triangle in one corner of it and/or cut outs around the edge of it, which you use for aligning it and making sure it's the right way round. It's easy as long as you know about that.

Likewise with the cooler, you have to make sure you fit the mounting bracket the right way round. It's made up of several pieces. There is a cross-shaped piece with 4 bolts on it. That fits via the back of the motherboard and the bolts poke up through the 4 holes that surround the CPU socket. You then attach the top parts of the mounting bracket to those 4 bolts, but you have to make sure they're facing the right way or when you attach your cooler, it will be rotated 90 degrees from where it should be. It's not the end of the world if you mess it up though, as you'll spot you've made a mistake when you go to attach your cooler, so you can just take the brackets off and reattach them.

You also have to make sure you buy a compatible cooler in the first place, as a particular cooler is designed to work with one or more socket types. For instance, I have an Intel 3770K CPU with fits into a socket 1155 motherboard, so I had to buy a cooler that comes with a mounting bracket that will fit an 1155 board. Some coolers fit multiple types of board as they'll come with different brackets you can use depending on the board type.

So, when you choose which CPU you want to buy, you need to make sure you get the correct type of motherboard so it has the right socket for the CPU to fit into, then if you want to fit a big third party cooler for better cooling/performance, you need to make sure that it has the correct mounting bracket. Then make sure you fit the cooler mounting bracket the right way round and when you fit the CPU, make absolutely sure it's the right way round before you clamp it down.

If you want to do a really good job, the other thing to consider is cable management. A case will typically have cut outs in it, allowing you to run cables behind the back of the motherboard. If you do a good job with cable management, it will not only look nicer, it will be easier to disconnect cables and replace things if you need to and it'll help stop dust from collecting inside the case.

Here's an example of bad cable management: -

http://i.imgur.com/Hi1GtoA.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And another: -

http://i.imgur.com/Ob82D7a.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And an example of good cable management: -

http://i.imgur.com/6r7GBAS.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ChaMerZ]

^^ salute, my friend!

I have bookmarked this thread. I will start getting the parts later on this week when my paycheque comes in. Will update thread with details.

[ChaMerZ]

Purchased a monitor today. Was going to get a case but just couldn't make up my mind. I need to do more research. About the monitor - I have some serious buyer's remorse. Got a BenQ RL2455HM 24" at a good price point, but the guy at the store told me that it would be shit later on since it is 60hz and not 140hz. Sigma I noticed you mentioned 60fps being the "magic" number. Why?

For $100 more I can get the same model but with 144hz support. Not sure if I should return the RL2455HM tomorrow. To be honest, I wouldn't mind doing that, it's just that I'd like to know how much more worth it 144hz is compared to 60hz. I'm planning on getting a single 980ti. At 1080p will it be able to run any modern game (let's say GTA 5) at a stable 100+ fps?

[ChaMerZ]

Purchased a monitor today. Was going to get a case but just couldn't make up my mind. I need to do more research. About the monitor - I have some serious buyer's remorse. Got a BenQ RL2455HM 24" at a good price point, but the guy at the store told me that it would be shit later on since it is 60hz and not 140hz. Sigma I noticed you mentioned 60fps being the "magic" number. Why?

For $100 more I can get the same model but with 144hz support. Not sure if I should return the RL2455HM tomorrow. To be honest, I wouldn't mind doing that, it's just that I'd like to know how much more worth it 144hz is compared to 60hz. I'm planning on getting a single 980ti. At 1080p will it be able to run any modern game (let's say GTA 5) at a stable 100+ fps?

980 ti is overkill i just found out. A GTX 970 is more than adequate. I guess I'm not part of the master race

[Sigma]

Sigma I noticed you mentioned 60fps being the "magic" number. Why?

60FPS is the figure that most PC gamers aim for because the vast majority are using 60Hz monitors.

At 60Hz the monitor is refreshing the image on screen 60 times per second, so if your game runs at a solid 60 frames per second, you get the ideal experience. Everything is buttery smooth and there's no screen tearing.

If you step up to a 144Hz monitor, you're going to want a GPU that can display games at a higher framerate so that you can take advantage of the monitor's higher refresh rate, so games look even smoother.

If you stick with the monitor you've already bought, then a 980 Ti is almost certainly overkill. A 970 will give you 60FPS at 1080p in GTA V with the settings cranked right up.

Check out this review of MSI's 970: -

https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI ... ing/1.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That has some benchmarks showing performance of various games at various resolutions.

So yeah, the really expensive high end cards like the 980 Ti are recommended if you want to go above 1080p, above 60Hz, or both. The 970 is still a high end card - it's just more suited for high end gaming at 1080p and at 60Hz. If you build a PC around a 970 it's still going to be considerably more powerful than any of the current gen consoles - over twice the power.

[ChaMerZ]

Sigma I noticed you mentioned 60fps being the "magic" number. Why?

60FPS is the figure that most PC gamers aim for because the vast majority are using 60Hz monitors.

At 60Hz the monitor is refreshing the image on screen 60 times per second, so if your game runs at a solid 60 frames per second, you get the ideal experience. Everything is buttery smooth and there's no screen tearing.

If you step up to a 144Hz monitor, you're going to want a GPU that can display games at a higher framerate so that you can take advantage of the monitor's higher refresh rate, so games look even smoother.

If you stick with the monitor you've already bought, then a 980 Ti is almost certainly overkill. A 970 will give you 60FPS at 1080p in GTA V with the settings cranked right up.

Check out this review of MSI's 970: -

https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI ... ing/1.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That has some benchmarks showing performance of various games at various resolutions.

So yeah, the really expensive high end cards like the 980 Ti are recommended if you want to go above 1080p, above 60Hz, or both. The 970 is still a high end card - it's just more suited for high end gaming at 1080p and at 60Hz. If you build a PC around a 970 it's still going to be considerably more powerful than any of the current gen consoles - over twice the power.

hey Sigma, thanks for the breakdown. I'm sticking with the current monitor and will get the gtx 970 in a month or two, once I've bought everything else. The next upgrade I make will be either to a UHD rig or 4K. We are right on the cusp of 4K gaming but I don't want to jump in too early. Plus, there's a lot of old-ish games that I want to check out, which I'm sure the 970 will max out just fine.

[ChaMerZ]

thanks for the johnny guru heads up. i got a nice gold rated, 750w psu and it got stellar reviews on the site, so I know i'm in good hands, and i won't get screwed over once i get the rest of the parts.

[ChaMerZ]

got all the parts and building now. i have a question. how hard are these sata power connectors supposed to be to plug in. the power connectors that came with my evga 750w psu are super flimsy and fall all the time, when the smallest amount of pressure is applied to them. is this normal? so far i'm super pissed. i thought evga was a good vendor.

[Hush]

So the gaming PC I built previously in this thread has been gathering some major dust. I haven't had it hooked up since I moved some stuff around in my house. At this point I'm thinking the best use for it may be as a HTPC that also plays games.

What is the best front end to use? I'm thinking Kodi with the option to launch Steam from that when I want to play a game.

Any good tutorials for getting a Logitech Harmony remote working correctly with Kodi on a PC?

[Sigma]

got all the parts and building now. i have a question. how hard are these sata power connectors supposed to be to plug in. the power connectors that came with my evga 750w psu are super flimsy and fall all the time, when the smallest amount of pressure is applied to them. is this normal? so far i'm super pissed. i thought evga was a good vendor.

Did you ever sort this out? The connectors shouldn't be so loose that they fall out!

I picked up an Xbox wireless adapter for Windows 10 today. It allows you to use an Xbox One controller wirelessly for PC gaming. It's really good - nicer than the 360 wireless adapter. It's basically a fat USB stick that also comes with a USB extension cable should you need it.

It supports up to 8 wireless controllers, 4 mono headsets, or 2 stereo headsets. If you have an Xbox One Elite wireless controller, you can download the Xbox Accessories app from the Window Store and use it to customise the controls, remap the paddles etc. on your PC.

I've tried playing a few games with it and all the ones that worked with the 360 controller are working with it.

[ChaMerZ]

got all the parts and building now. i have a question. how hard are these sata power connectors supposed to be to plug in. the power connectors that came with my evga 750w psu are super flimsy and fall all the time, when the smallest amount of pressure is applied to them. is this normal? so far i'm super pissed. i thought evga was a good vendor.

Did you ever sort this out? The connectors shouldn't be so loose that they fall out!

I picked up an Xbox wireless adapter for Windows 10 today. It allows you to use an Xbox One controller wirelessly for PC gaming. It's really good - nicer than the 360 wireless adapter. It's basically a fat USB stick that also comes with a USB extension cable should you need it.

It supports up to 8 wireless controllers, 4 mono headsets, or 2 stereo headsets. If you have an Xbox One Elite wireless controller, you can download the Xbox Accessories app from the Window Store and use it to customise the controls, remap the paddles etc. on your PC.

I've tried playing a few games with it and all the ones that worked with the 360 controller are working with it.

I'm not sure to be honest. Connected an optical drive and a 500GB SSD drive to the motherboard with SATA power and data cables. The optical drive seems to be working fine. I tried booting Knoppix (Live Linux) and it pretty much worked flawlessly. The SSD I'm not so sure. It is recognized by the BIOS (I can see it ...) but when I try installing Windows 7, it stops a few seconds in complaining of an 'I/O error'. I'm going to open up the PC today just to make sure the cables are properly inserted, and afterwards, I'll boot into Knoppix again to check if the SSD is being recognized by both Knoppix and the BIOS. If that ends up being true then i can only conclude that the cables are fine and it is a Windows specific problem or perhaps the SSD needs to be formatted first.

By the way, I bought the wireless adapter plus an xbox one controller, a while ago and it just came in the mail :) Haven't had a chance to open up the package. Excited to hear that it supports 8 wireless controllers. To play wirelessly do you need to purchase a separate battery for the controller, or is it possible to charge it up by attaching it to the microusb cable? I suppose I'm going to find out soon when I open up my package but what the hell, I might as well ask.

[ChaMerZ]

and oh yeah, i'm going to share pics once i'm all set up. it's all kinda modest, but this is my first build and i'm super excited and want to share my excitement with others aha.

[Sigma]

To play wirelessly do you need to purchase a separate battery for the controller, or is it possible to charge it up by attaching it to the microusb cable? I suppose I'm going to find out soon when I open up my package but what the hell, I might as well ask.

The controller takes AA batteries, but while you can use rechargeable AAs in there, it doesn't have the required circuitry to charge the batteries up when you connect a USB cable.

You can purchase a play and charge kit, which gives you a rechargeable battery and the cable used to charge it.

Personally I just use Eneloop batteries. You can get 4 of them with a charger for 18 bucks on Amazon.

And definitely post pics of your rig when it's done!

[ChaMerZ]

To play wirelessly do you need to purchase a separate battery for the controller, or is it possible to charge it up by attaching it to the microusb cable? I suppose I'm going to find out soon when I open up my package but what the hell, I might as well ask.

The controller takes AA batteries, but while you can use rechargeable AAs in there, it doesn't have the required circuitry to charge the batteries up when you connect a USB cable.

You can purchase a play and charge kit, which gives you a rechargeable battery and the cable used to charge it.

Personally I just use Eneloop batteries. You can get 4 of them with a charger for 18 bucks on Amazon.

And definitely post pics of your rig when it's done!

sheesh. wow, what a clever tactic. so i guess i have to either get a play and charge kit or eneloop batteries now. this is very unusual. playstation 4 controller you can just charge i believe, and it's not that much higher in price.

[Sigma]

I'm glad it doesn't have a non-removable rechargeable battery in it, because I'd rather just pause the game, swap the batteries out and stay wireless.

Whether the play and charge kit should be included as standard is another matter, but until we can do wireless charging OTA (which is probably years away), then I'm glad that I can still use AA batteries.

[ChaMerZ]

I'm glad it doesn't have a non-removable rechargeable battery in it, because I'd rather just pause the game, swap the batteries out and stay wireless.

Whether the play and charge kit should be included as standard is another matter, but until we can do wireless charging OTA (which is probably years away), then I'm glad that I can still use AA batteries.

Valid point I guess

[ChaMerZ]

I decided to just purchase the eneloop charger with 4 AAs just like you suggested. But I'll be picking it up at canada computers tomorrow and price matching with amazon to get the price even cheaper. good looking out bro.

[ric]

I want to order a laptop good enough to play starcraft 2 with that ssd shit.

hopefully I can get this thing for like 800$

is this doable and where do I go to figure this out?

so I went to new egg right? so this shit looks sweet enough right?

http://m.newegg.com/Product/Details?ite ... 34-198-066" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

specs right

CyberpowerPC
Model Fangbook III HX6-266
Part Number FBIIIHX6266
Quick Info

Color Black
Operating System Windows 10 Home 64-Bit
CPU Intel Core i7-4710MQ 2.5 GHz
Screen 15.6"
Memory 8 GB DDR3
Storage 250 GB SSD
Optical Drive 8x DVD Super Multi
Graphics Card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
Video Memory 4 GB GDDR5
Communication Gigabit LAN and WLAN
Dimensions (W x D x H) 14.90" x 10.30" x 1.24"
Weight 6.90 lbs.
CPU

CPU Type 4th Generation Intel Core i7
CPU Speed 4710MQ (2.50 GHz)
Number of Cores Quad-core Processor
Core Name Haswell
Turbo Frequency Up to 3.5 GHz
CPU L3 Cache 6 MB
Chipset

Chipset Intel HM87
Display

Screen Size 15.6"
Touchscreen No
Wide Screen Support Yes
Resolution 1920 x 1080
LCD Features LED backlight
Operating Systems

Operating System Windows 10 Home 64-Bit
Graphics

GPU/VPU NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
Video Memory Dedicated 4 GB
Graphic Type Dedicated Card
Hard Drives

SSD 256 GB
Memory

Memory 8 GB
Memory Speed DDR3 1600
Memory Spec 8 GB x 1
Memory Slot (Total) 2
Max Memory Supported 16 GB
Optical Drive

Optical Drive Type DVD Super Multi
Optical Drive Spec 8x DVDRW Super Multi Drive
Communications

LAN 10/100/1000Mbps
WLAN 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN
Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.0
Ports

USB 2 x USB 2.0 2 x USB 3.0
Video Port 1 x VGA
HDMI 1 x HDMI
Audio Ports 1 x 2.5mm Headphone / Microphone Jack
Audio

Speaker Premium Stereo Speakers
Input Device

Touchpad Yes
Keyboard Red Backlit Chiclet Keyboard with G buttons
Backlit Keyboard Backlit
Webcam HD Webcam
Card Reader SD (XC/HC)
General

Style Standard
Type Gaming & Entertainment
Usage Consumer
Power

AC Adapter 120-watt AC adapter
Battery 6-cell lithium ion
Dimensions & Weight

Dimensions (W x D x H) 14.90" x 10.30" x 1.24"
Weight 6.90 lbs.

so is this shit sweet or no? is there anything wack about it?

please advise and I'll just purchase asap

[ric]

also if I have an external hard drive if I transfer shit over to or from ssd thing does that mean that I have to reformat shit?

[ChaMerZ]

I want to order a laptop good enough to play starcraft 2 with that ssd shit.

hopefully I can get this thing for like 800$

is this doable and where do I go to figure this out?

so I went to new egg right? so this shit looks sweet enough right?

http://m.newegg.com/Product/Details?ite ... 34-198-066" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

specs right

CyberpowerPC
Model Fangbook III HX6-266
Part Number FBIIIHX6266
Quick Info

Color Black
Operating System Windows 10 Home 64-Bit
CPU Intel Core i7-4710MQ 2.5 GHz
Screen 15.6"
Memory 8 GB DDR3
Storage 250 GB SSD
Optical Drive 8x DVD Super Multi
Graphics Card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
Video Memory 4 GB GDDR5
Communication Gigabit LAN and WLAN
Dimensions (W x D x H) 14.90" x 10.30" x 1.24"
Weight 6.90 lbs.
CPU

CPU Type 4th Generation Intel Core i7
CPU Speed 4710MQ (2.50 GHz)
Number of Cores Quad-core Processor
Core Name Haswell
Turbo Frequency Up to 3.5 GHz
CPU L3 Cache 6 MB
Chipset

Chipset Intel HM87
Display

Screen Size 15.6"
Touchscreen No
Wide Screen Support Yes
Resolution 1920 x 1080
LCD Features LED backlight
Operating Systems

Operating System Windows 10 Home 64-Bit
Graphics

GPU/VPU NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M
Video Memory Dedicated 4 GB
Graphic Type Dedicated Card
Hard Drives

SSD 256 GB
Memory

Memory 8 GB
Memory Speed DDR3 1600
Memory Spec 8 GB x 1
Memory Slot (Total) 2
Max Memory Supported 16 GB
Optical Drive

Optical Drive Type DVD Super Multi
Optical Drive Spec 8x DVDRW Super Multi Drive
Communications

LAN 10/100/1000Mbps
WLAN 802.11b/g/n Wireless LAN
Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.0
Ports

USB 2 x USB 2.0 2 x USB 3.0
Video Port 1 x VGA
HDMI 1 x HDMI
Audio Ports 1 x 2.5mm Headphone / Microphone Jack
Audio

Speaker Premium Stereo Speakers
Input Device

Touchpad Yes
Keyboard Red Backlit Chiclet Keyboard with G buttons
Backlit Keyboard Backlit
Webcam HD Webcam
Card Reader SD (XC/HC)
General

Style Standard
Type Gaming & Entertainment
Usage Consumer
Power

AC Adapter 120-watt AC adapter
Battery 6-cell lithium ion
Dimensions & Weight

Dimensions (W x D x H) 14.90" x 10.30" x 1.24"
Weight 6.90 lbs.

so is this shit sweet or no? is there anything wack about it?

please advise and I'll just purchase asap

Great specs - you should be able to play a lot more than Starcraft on that Ric.

I don't understand what you mean with your other question:

also if I have an external hard drive if I transfer shit over to or from ssd thing does that mean that I have to reformat shit?

Your laptop isn't going to treat the ssd any differently, it is just physically fundamentally different from a hard drive with no moving parts. You shouldn't have any problems moving files to and from an external hard drive.

[ric]

my thing though is why is it so cheap? is that some lack of name brand shit?

[ric]

I guess the real question is: should I get this machine or a surface pro with similar pricing?

I think my question has been answered since a surface pro 3 with decent storage and ram is like 1300

[ChaMerZ]

my thing though is why is it so cheap? is that some lack of name brand shit?

To be honest, I just looked at the specs and wasn't able to see the laptop you were linking me to because the link looks to be defective. Mind linking me again?

Yes, $800 is an unusually low price for all those specs

[Hush]

I guess the real question is: should I get this machine or a surface pro with similar pricing?

I think my question has been answered since a surface pro 3 with decent storage and ram is like 1300

Surface Pro is okay for gaming, but not great. Should work fine for Starcraft tho. Sounds like you're not getting it anyway.

[ric]

@chamerz.
the link works great for me but I guess that's cause I'm using my phone and the Internet extension starts with m. .......

[ChaMerZ]

@chamerz.
the link works great for me but I guess that's cause I'm using my phone and the Internet extension starts with m. .......

Hey ric, I googled it, and found it on the american newegg website: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6834198066" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I stand by what I said - it is still a nicely powered laptop (boy I wish i was american, such that prices were this low for me ...). Anyways, the reason why isn't something like 2K is because the CPU and the GPU aren't the really high end ones right now (only enthusiasts really buy those, and even so it would be more cost effective to build a desktop).

Also it doesn't include a HDD. That would have added $100+ to the base price easily.

If you have an external and do modest gaming I would jump on it.

[ric]

@dudes
thanks sirs

[ChaMerZ]

once i make my workspace a little bit nice i can post pics of the actual rig. anyways pretty proud of my rig. GPU was what I was most iffy about but I'm not the least bit upset about the 970. Beautiful card. Stays at 34 degrees when idle and fans haven't had to come on, in all the time i was playing graphics intensive games. really the only knock against it is the VRAM, but I'm planning on playing at 1080p for the next little while so i'm not too upset. i'm very interested in seeing what nvidia and amd are gonna come out during Q3 of next year though.

now to stop spending so much money :)