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"I Need a New PC!" 2014 Part 2. Read OP, your 2500K will run Witcher 3. MX100s! 970!

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How does an i5 sound? Locked but with a cheap Z97 board he could upgrade to an OCable CPU down the line

I was recommended to do the g3258 now and a z97 for him to upgrade down the line later. Good way to keep cost down from the start and can be OC'd well. I will use that gpu link though, thank you
 

kharma45

Member
Thank you, I will run that by the people who hold the purse strings :)

Hold fire a second. That's a 1155 chip. Let me get a 1150.

Right to go Haswell you'd be looking at this

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($234.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-D3H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($66.34 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Kingston Fury Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($130.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Sandisk Solid State Drive 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($128.48 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CSM 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($40.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: LG WH16NS40 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($49.99 @ Micro Center)
Monitor: Dell S2240M 60Hz 21.5" Monitor ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $951.73
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-01 13:56 EST-0500

Still comes in less than the first build.
 

appaws

Banned
It probably refers to one of Crucial's drives 3-4 years ago where its firmware would collapse in onto itself after a year of use, rebooting the computer constantly. It required a firmware update to fix and understandably pissed a lot of people off

People cling to problems from the past and they become permanent internet realities. Look at all the people who talk about problems with "ATI" drivers.

All consumer electronics products will have a certain amount of problems, usually pretty low. But of course, it is always the people who have problems who cry out the loudest, making it seem like a bigger deal than it is.

There are exceptions of course, like the XBox 360 or Asrock Z77 boards, where there are much larger problems. But it would be stupid to permanently avoid those companies even after the problems are long gone.
 

Unbreakable

Neo Member
For my next build I'll be purchasing a 1440p screen (hopefully the ROG Swift) and was thinking of going SLI 970's.

My first question is whether I actually need to go Sli to game in 1440p at minimum 60fps? (for new and upcoming games i.e GTA5 PC version)

Also the motherboards listed in the OP seem to only have 1 PCIe 3.0 x16 slots, should I be looking to get a motherboard with 2 PCIe 3.0 x16 if I want to maximise my performance for Sli?
 

Kumo

Member
I have no idea which Seasonic M12II you're talking about, there are 4 or 5 different versions that are rated at different wattages. That Antec is a good power supply, though. All the reviews I can find rate it well. For $40 after rebate, it's a good price, and will be good enough to handle most single graphics card systems and maybe some moderate overclocking.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Antec/HCG-620M/10.html
Xbit Labs
Hardware Secrets

Sorry, I should have mentioned that I was talking about the Seasonic M12II 520W 80+ Bronze. Is one preferred over the other for overclocking? One of the reviews mentions that the Antec PSU only comes with two PCIe connectors. Is this something I need to be concerned about? (sorry, noob question)

Also am I going to have to worry about this thing kicking into high gear all the time, considering my build consumes ~340W according to pcpartpicker? Apparently the fan gets loud when it does.
 

ezekial45

Banned

nicoga3000

Saint Nic
I'm thinking of building a gaming PC again, but I feel very un-schooled on this since my last build (which was like, 7 years ago now). I'm thinking that holiday sales may help me out in getting parts for relatively cheap...Maybe?


  • Budget: USA. I'd like to start by spending <$600 to start, and add on a better GPU, more RAM, better sound/heatsink/etc later. So I want the base build to be able to expand later.
  • Main Use: Rate 1-5. 5 being Highest: 5 Game Development (Unity and GMStudio), 4 gaming (best example I can give now is Skyrim or Fallout with lots of beautification and processor hungry mods), 3 AutoCAD/STAAD (modelling software)
  • Monitor Resolution: I have access to a bunch of monitors via work, so 1080p would be my end goal.
  • List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: For the start of my build, I just want to be able to run Unity seamlessly. My eventual goal would be the Skyrim/Fallout stuff with mods.
  • Looking to reuse any parts?: Nothing at the moment.
  • When will you build?: Nope - willing to shop for deals and buy used stuff from GAF!
  • Will you be overclocking?: I've never done it before, so no.

As I've stated, my FIRST order of business is getting something that can run Unity and Game Maker Studio with zero hitches. From there, I'd like to be able to get back into heavy gaming. I'm not a HUGE PC gamer, but when they finally announce a new Fallout or other epic open world RPG, I will be playing it and (hopefully) on higher settings.

Ideally, I'd like to build a cheaper starter machine and be able to add better stuff later. So if I have to spend a little more NOW to get a certain part that will make compatibility better LATER, that's fair.

Hope this isn't too open ended of a request. And as stated, I'm down to buy used parts in good condition to cheapen the build a bit.
 

Weevilone

Member
Anyone here use a powerline adapter? The one i've been using for the last 10 months burnt out, and I've been trying to find a better one. Does anyone have any recommendations or at least say which one is better?

After trying Powerline a couple of (failed) times over the years, I picked up a kit on a whim and it's been absolutely fantastic. I'm using it for a specific use case that requires very low latency and no dropped packets, with great success. After buying this, I looked around and saw that it was quite well regarded if a bit on the expensive side. Unfortunately I don't have first hand experiences with any other current kits.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704200

Edit: After clicking to make sure my link worked ok, Hover Hound tells me that it's much cheaper at Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IBPLI48/?tag=neogaf0e-20
 

kharma45

Member
I'm thinking of building a gaming PC again, but I feel very un-schooled on this since my last build (which was like, 7 years ago now). I'm thinking that holiday sales may help me out in getting parts for relatively cheap...Maybe?


  • Budget: USA. I'd like to start by spending <$600 to start, and add on a better GPU, more RAM, better sound/heatsink/etc later. So I want the base build to be able to expand later.
  • Main Use: Rate 1-5. 5 being Highest: 5 Game Development (Unity and GMStudio), 4 gaming (best example I can give now is Skyrim or Fallout with lots of beautification and processor hungry mods), 3 AutoCAD/STAAD (modelling software)
  • Monitor Resolution: I have access to a bunch of monitors via work, so 1080p would be my end goal.
  • List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: For the start of my build, I just want to be able to run Unity seamlessly. My eventual goal would be the Skyrim/Fallout stuff with mods.
  • Looking to reuse any parts?: Nothing at the moment.
  • When will you build?: Nope - willing to shop for deals and buy used stuff from GAF!
  • Will you be overclocking?: I've never done it before, so no.

As I've stated, my FIRST order of business is getting something that can run Unity and Game Maker Studio with zero hitches. From there, I'd like to be able to get back into heavy gaming. I'm not a HUGE PC gamer, but when they finally announce a new Fallout or other epic open world RPG, I will be playing it and (hopefully) on higher settings.

Ideally, I'd like to build a cheaper starter machine and be able to add better stuff later. So if I have to spend a little more NOW to get a certain part that will make compatibility better LATER, that's fair.

Hope this isn't too open ended of a request. And as stated, I'm down to buy used parts in good condition to cheapen the build a bit.

This one I posted up above would be a reasonable starting point

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($164.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($90.29 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CSM 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($40.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $616.21
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-01 16:24 EST-0500

Cut back on the Z97 board to one from the OP to get below $600. Z97 is overkill for your needs since you can't OC that i5.
 

Boston

Member
I want to build a computer for gaming, but I have very limited experience.

Budget: Price Range + Country
$700 USA

Main Use: Rate 1-5. 5 being Highest:

5Light Gaming, Gaming,
3Emulation (PS2/Wii),
3Video Editing,
3Streaming games in HD,
13D/Model work (and what program),
HD Gaming Max settings General Usage (Word, Web, 1080p playback).

Monitor Resolution: 1080p Projector

List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: Is 30FPS acceptable? 60? 120? How important is PhysX / SuperSampling / CUDA to you?
Looking to reuse any parts?: List make and model (e.g. Corsair 520HX, 640GB SATA HDD, Antec 900)

Not to sure about all that, but games at max setting would be BF+WOW



When will you build?: Right now.

Side note- I would like this computer as compact as possible.
 
So, guys. I'm thinking of buying a Creative Sound Blaster Zx and new headphones to company it. But my budget is actually short of what I stated before, so I want an economic option, hopefully nothing above $100.

So I'm undecided between getting a FUNC-HS-260 because they are at $50 in Newegg or just going with Creative Aurvana Live! and using the mic that comes with the sound card.
 

kharma45

Member
I want to build a computer for gaming, but I have very limited experience.

Budget: Price Range + Country
$700 USA

Main Use: Rate 1-5. 5 being Highest:

5Light Gaming, Gaming,
3Emulation (PS2/Wii),
3Video Editing,
3Streaming games in HD,
13D/Model work (and what program),
HD Gaming Max settings General Usage (Word, Web, 1080p playback).

Monitor Resolution: 1080p Projector

List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: Is 30FPS acceptable? 60? 120? How important is PhysX / SuperSampling / CUDA to you?
Looking to reuse any parts?: List make and model (e.g. Corsair 520HX, 640GB SATA HDD, Antec 900)

Not to sure about all that, but games at max setting would be BF+WOW



When will you build?: Right now.

Side note- I would like this computer as compact as possible.

mATX small enough?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($209.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($19.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($92.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Silencio 352 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($65.22 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: Corsair CSM 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($40.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $699.13
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-01 17:22 EST-0500

Or is ITX more your size?
 

RGM79

Member
I'm planning a "partial" upgrade from my old setup:

i5-2400 Processor
AMD Radeon HD 6850 GPU

to a:

i5-4670K Processor
Crucial MX100 256GB SSD (in addition to the old HDD)
NVidia Zotac GTX970 4GB
Gigabyte B85 Motherboard (LGA1150)

A few questions:

Gaming-wise, I'm most keen on the GTX970 upgrade because it should see me through the next two years at a minimum. Though I assume what it'll give me is the ability to downsample from 1080p+ resolutions and enable the snazzier effects, not so much frame rates? How much will it benefit Skyrim with ENBs and Dragon Age Inquisition, for instance?

Dynamic Super Resolution is best used for older games because of the huge performance hit, and that it allows for a better image than what the game's maximum settings would allow. It literally makes the game run at a higher resolution which the card converts into a better looking image at what your monitor resolution is. That said, if the GTX 970 gets extremely high framerates in certain games (120 fps or higher, for example), then DSR is a good solution for making the game look better because you can afford to play at a lower frame rate (30 or 60 fps, depending on your preference).

And the CPU, is i5-4690k the much better option given it's newer (but not that different from performance-wise, the i5-4670k?) Is the i7-4790k with its 4GHz a worthy investment for the boost it will offer? I'm wondering about this from the CPU-limited angle shit with recent games (unless I'm completely mistaken).
It's a slight improvement. In terms of performance, you won't notice a difference. Which games are you thinking about playing that are CPU limited? The current crop of Intel i5 and i7 unlocked processors should be enough to meet the needs of most PC gamers.

Better yet, are you buying that i5 4670K used? What price are you paying? With current sales and the fact that the 4670K was discontinued and replaced by the 4690K, the newer 4690K is actually cheaper to buy new than the old 4670k.

Those looking for an affordable step-up from the CM H212, please consider Thermalright new offering.

http://www.thermalright.de/en/cooler/40/true-spirit-140-bw-rev.-a?c=9

USD55.

Single tower that wont overweight your motherboard and wont cover your RAM and PCIE slots.

Add another cheap* Thermalright TY14x fans, and it will perform within 2-3 degree of the much expensive and heavier Noctuas or the noisy leak possible Corsairs Hydros.

*but very good quality and good sound signature.
Thermalright used to be the top dog and it is nice to see them going at the 'value' market.
Hmm, looks interesting. Still, at $55 USD, that's about twice the price of the Hyper 212 Evo. If reviews are good, it could be a nice middle point between the Evo and the highest end Noctua coolers.

SAPPHIRE DUAL-X 100373-2L Radeon R9 280 3GB $185 after rebate
VS
PowerColor AXR9 285 2GBD5-TDHE Radeon R9 285 2GB $170 after rebate


Any advantages over the other? The 3gb is would be better for dual monitor set up correct?
I'd go with the R9 285. The performance is about the same. If you're actually playing games that use a second monitor then the 3GB would be preferable.

Sorry, I should have mentioned that I was talking about the Seasonic M12II 520W 80+ Bronze. Is one preferred over the other for overclocking? One of the reviews mentions that the Antec PSU only comes with two PCIe connectors. Is this something I need to be concerned about? (sorry, noob question)

Also am I going to have to worry about this thing kicking into high gear all the time, considering my build consumes ~340W according to pcpartpicker? Apparently the fan gets loud when it does.
That means that the Antec will only support one video card, you won't be able to do dual graphics cards for crossfire or SLI in the future. If you never intend to, then the Antec will serve you just fine. I'd recommend 700-850 watts for dual graphics cards, anyway.

Although Xbit Labs reports high noise at high load, you shouldn't have to worry, 350 watts is well within the Antec's rating of 620 watts.
 

nicoga3000

Saint Nic
This one I posted up above would be a reasonable starting point

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($164.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 PRO3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($90.29 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CSM 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($40.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $616.21
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-01 16:24 EST-0500

Cut back on the Z97 board to one from the OP to get below $600. Z97 is overkill for your needs since you can't OC that i5.

Thanks - is this system one that I can expand upon and bring up to higher specs capable of tackling more demanding games later?
 

Shepard

Member
Guys, I need some advice: I want to know if my CPU is holding me back on gaming performance and if I should change it. I have a i5 3570 (non-k ver.) @3.4Ghz. The thing is, I bought my 980 thinking I'd get 60fps/1080p in almost any game, but in reality, there are a lot of titles with lots of 40-50-fps drops, even in 1080p. Some of those titles are DQ:inquisition, Black Flag, Borderlands 2 and Evil Within. Running through firestrike, my slightly OC 980 scores 16000 (better than the average 14k for the card), but my CPU scores only 6000 (the physics test runs around 20fps). The thing is, maybe the CPU is holding back my performance? Should I change it? Money isnt reaaaally a problem, but I dont want to upgrade if it wont bring me any real performance gain. Should I wait for Skylake? (Seems so far away, though)...
 

Aesius

Member
When will be the best time to build a new PC for it to be as "future proof" as possible in terms of RAM, chipset, CPU socket, etc.?

Is mid-2015 a safe bet? I want to make sure I wait long enough to take advantage of DDR4 RAM and the next generation of Intel CPUs.
 
When will be the best time to build a new PC for it to be as "future proof" as possible in terms of RAM, chipset, CPU socket, etc.?

Is mid-2015 a safe bet? I want to make sure I wait long enough to take advantage of DDR4 RAM and the next generation of Intel CPUs.

As in to take advantage of the i5 and i7 5xxx with integrated graphics? whenever the Mobos and the chips are released. Don't buy a mobo until then. X99 Mobos were not available until Haswell-E released iirc.
 

The Llama

Member
Thanks - is this system one that I can expand upon and bring up to higher specs capable of tackling more demanding games later?

Yeah, you'll be able to upgrade to a better CPU and a better GPU in the future (the RAM will probably be fine).

Guys, I need some advice: I want to know if my CPU is holding me back on gaming performance and if I should change it. I have a i5 3570 (non-k ver.) @3.4Ghz. The thing is, I bought my 980 thinking I'd get 60fps/1080p in almost any game, but in reality, there are a lot of titles with lots of 40-50-fps drops, even in 1080p. Some of those titles are DQ:inquisition, Black Flag, Borderlands 2 and Evil Within. Running through firestrike, my slightly OC 980 scores 16000 (better than the average 14k for the card), but my CPU scores only 6000 (the physics test runs around 20fps). The thing is, maybe the CPU is holding back my performance? Should I change it? Money isnt reaaaally a problem, but I dont want to upgrade if it wont bring me any real performance gain. Should I wait for Skylake? (Seems so far away, though)...

Just off the top of my head, I know DQ:I and Black Flag are VERY demanding, so the fact that they are dropping doesn't surprise me. I'm surprised you can't keep a solid 60+ in Borderlands 2 (no idea about Evil Within), though. Maybe run MSI Afterburner while you're playing and keep an eye on CPU and GPU utilization? That'll let you know exactly which it is.

When will be the best time to build a new PC for it to be as "future proof" as possible in terms of RAM, chipset, CPU socket, etc.?

Is mid-2015 a safe bet? I want to make sure I wait long enough to take advantage of DDR4 RAM and the next generation of Intel CPUs.

There's never really a "best buy" to build other than "when you have the money to do so."
 

appaws

Banned
When will be the best time to build a new PC for it to be as "future proof" as possible in terms of RAM, chipset, CPU socket, etc.?

Is mid-2015 a safe bet? I want to make sure I wait long enough to take advantage of DDR4 RAM and the next generation of Intel CPUs.

As safe a bet as any, I would expect...

I'm not a big believer in the idea of "future proof." I think the manufacturers have abandoned a lot of the idea of upgrades. Sockets are good for 2 cycles now, chipsets less than that. DDR4 is out now of course, but is a mixed bag because it is expensive and not a whole hell of a lot better than DDR3 yet.

I always advise people, particularly gamers, to just build now....because while you are waiting for some undefined release from some roadmap....think of all the cool games you could be playing.
 

Shepard

Member
Just off the top of my head, I know DQ:I and Black Flag are VERY demanding, so the fact that they are dropping doesn't surprise me. I'm surprised you can't keep a solid 60+ in Borderlands 2 (no idea about Evil Within), though. Maybe run MSI Afterburner while you're playing and keep an eye on CPU and GPU utilization? That'll let you know exactly which it is.

During the frame drops in B2 (quite rare, one example is when you watch the whole city from a distance, right in the beginning), the GPU usage drops to the ~30%, maybe it's the game's fault.
 

The Llama

Member
During the frame drops in B2 (quite rare, one example is when you watch the whole city from a distance, right in the beginning), the GPU usage drops to the ~30%, maybe it's the game's fault.

Yeah, might just be something poorly coded in the game. As long as its not seriously affecting how you play, I wouldn't worry about it.
 

nelchaar

Member
Who wants to give me a hand? I've really been wanting to get into PC Gaming, but I don't know much about building a gaming PC. Unfortunately, I don't even have a monitor or even a computer desk, mouse or keyboard, so I have to factor in those as well. My goal is to build a computer that I can then upgrade to high performance as the checks come in.

Your Current Specs: N/A

Budget: $700-$800 (USA)

Main Use: Rate 1-5. 5 being Highest: 5 Light Gaming, Gaming, 4 Emulation (PS2/Wii), 3 Streaming games in HD, 2 General Usage (Word, Web, 1080p playback).

Monitor Resolution: What resolution will you be playing your games at? Are you going to upgrade later? Are you buying a new monitor? I'll be buying a new monitor, so suggestions are also welcome. I would like to play at 1080P, and might look to upgrade 3-4 years down the line.

List SPECIFIC games or applications that you MUST be able to run well: Is 30FPS acceptable? 60? 30 and 60 locked 120? How important is PhysX / SuperSampling / CUDA to you? Witcher 3, BF4, basically current gen games at 1080P 60FPS at ultra settings. Physx is a bit important, the rest not that much.

Looking to reuse any parts?: List make and model (e.g. Corsair 520HX, 640GB SATA HDD, Antec 900) No.

When will you build?: Do you have a deadline? No deadline, but I would like to build In the coming months (1-2 months)

Will you be overclocking?: Yes if possible.
 
Just want to make absolutely sure this is a good action plan before I install my SSD tomorrow:

1.) Copy entire C drive to external drive.
2.) Unplug HDD and install Windows to my SSD.
3.) Run the firmware update for SSD (it's an 840 EVO).
4.) Connect HDD and format it.
5.) Grab everything back from my external to put on my empty media drive (exclude things like Windows folder of course).

Formatting is definitely recommended for the HDD since it has Windows on it still, correct?
 
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($69.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Deepcool TESSERACT SW ATX Mid Tower Case ($41.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CSM 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($40.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($26.97 @ Newegg)
Total: $604.87
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-01 18:57 EST-0500

vs

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Deepcool TESSERACT SW ATX Mid Tower Case ($41.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CSM 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($40.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($26.97 @ Newegg)
Total: $674.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-01 19:01 EST-0500

Friend uses visual studio (text based), uses a dual monitor setup, and wants to play (mostly) blizzard games at 60 fps (on a single monitor). Which is the better value?
 

hoserx

Member
Anybody got a favorite on the 144hz monitor front? 24" preferably..... so there's:

The acer 24 that was on sale on newegg today for 159....didn't bite...... probably should have.

Then there's the benq xl2411z, this is 299 on newegg. There's also the other benq 24 that has display port and that crazy remote control thing.


Then of course the asus vg248qe that's now 269 on newegg..

Looking at tons of reviews they all seem to have their benefits and disadvantages....with the BenQ seeming to get the edge. Anyone here have any thoughts? Looking to pull the trigger sort of soon.
 
I couldn't pass up finally having a 144hz for only $195 over Black Friday.

It just arrived and I just installed lightboost. Are there any color corrections that is recommended?
 
which one did you buy?

Oh hey! I just read your post. The ASUS VG248QE was $195 at Newegg. I think the other monitors like BenQ looked better to me because of better integrated software for adjustments, and a better stand, but this low price quite enticing.
 
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