I would spring for a 7200rpm hard drive, as well as a more powerful PSU.
Keep in mind Papinguim doing a HTPC and using the Mini ATX form-factor. Mini ATX sized PSU do not come in the ranges a full sized ATX PSU would.
Unless his PC case would accept a full sized PSU.
Oh I didn’t even think about that. I’ve never even bothered looking into mini atx PCs.
Actually, he might be better off looking into the ibuypower Steam Machine. It’s cheaper and should be more powerful. And it looks freaking sweet. But I don’t know when it’s supposed to be out and how difficult it is to upgrade.
Als, speaking of home theathers, this keyboard is pretty awesome: http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/wireless-touch-keyboard-k400r
Not really for gaming, although I use it with a regular mouse for shooters, and I did use it for fighting games before I built my hitbox clone, but it’s really awesome for just kicking back on the couch and browsing the web. It has a regular touch pad just like a laptop, but what’s really cool is it has an extra mouse 1 button above the ESC key, so you can use your right thumb on the touch pad and your left thumb to click links and whatnot.
Just figured I’d recommend that as a substitute for using a controller to navigate the UI. I’ve seen them on sale for $30 a few times too.
Well if you read Papinguim’s earlier posts, he wants to avoid Steam’s OS. Second I didn’t want to stop his DIY spirit of building his own steam box. Third, right now Steam’s Window Library has the biggest collection of games.
I saw that post after the fact, but I don’t see what the OS has to do with anything. It’s not like he gets a free copy of windows if he builds a PC.
I do think it’s a great experience building your own stuff though. He could probably build something with the same APU ibuypower is using for about the same price. That R9 270 will be better than 7790 he’s looking at. I’m guessing he can get that APU/motherboard combo for fairly cheap. Then he can just slap a video card in there in 2-3 years when it starts showing it’s age.
So, on Friday my PSU died. Only now have I fixed it. Was a fun experience, 10/10 would recommend to everyone. Racked up quite the bill in fixing it because the PSU zapped the mobo and the cpu.
On the upside my new mobo glows blue so the inside of my case is pretty.
If anyone is interested Corsair is now on my list of “companies I refuse to support because fuck those guys”
When an 80+ psu blows two months after warranty shit is suspect.
Damn i bought corsair 850w PSU for my first build.
Damn, all this talk about PSU frying stuff has made me nervous. NSC, did you have any warning signs that it was going out?
Mines a 550w Rosewill. Think I’ll put a new one in right before the warranty is up, which is in about 6 months.
What’s a good brand PSU with a good warranty? (without breaking the bank)
There was no warning. I hopped onto my pc, checked some documents, started playing hearthstone and mid-match it died. Most expensive hearthstone loss ever probably.
As far as PSU guides go this one is pretty good I think it’s biased to luxury builds that require giant wattage.
As for companies try and get a company that makes tier 1 CPUs, even if you don’t buy a tier 1 CPU the fact that the company can output such high quality PSUs is a good sign.
As far as corsair, I bought corsair because it’s a good brand, they’re well known, it’s more likely that I had a bad experience with them than them being a bad company. So don’t feel bad about owning a corsair, I’m just letting the people know my tale.
Also it’s highly unlikely that a PSU will fry a mobo on the way out, and even less likely that the CPU will be fried–so it’s most likely a freak accident, so don’t panic.
Just respect that the PSU, mobo + CPU combo will never truly be “cheap” and you shouldn’t skimp on 'em. I’m aware that dollars stretch thin, I’m not saying go out an buy the most expensive i7 you can get, I’m just saying if you can stretch a little more it’s better in the long run than skimping now.
R9 270 just is a re-branding of a HD 7XXX series AMD video card anyways.
According to Toms Hardware the R9 270’s core is 75 mhz slower than Radeon HD 7850 but has a faster GDDR5 memory, uses 25 less watts for $180.
The HD 7770 is $120. You also have to factor trying to find a R9 270 that can fit a Mini ATX case.
Yeah, I’m waiting to see what other stuff they’ll be revealing for this and other Steam Machines. I do get that Steam Machines could potentially offer better performance at a lower price (and that since they are PCs I could put Windows on them). However, I kinda want to build my own PC because it sounds fun. The fact that I could build something to my liking is very tempting.
Shit, I think I’m using a tier 5 PSU right now. I’m assuming the warranty covers any components damages by a PSU failure though, so I should be good until the warranty is up. I’ll definitely be using that list to pick my next PSU though, so thanks for that.
Oh, I misread the article, I thought they were using a new APU that uses the R9 270 chipset. Yeah I agree, getting something that’s only marginally better for so much more money isn’t a good idea.
I hear ya, It’s fun building a new PC. The only thing I hate about it, is there is always something better for just a little more cash. You gotta know where to skimp to save money. 16gb of ram, SSDs, high-end video cards, hyper-threading cpus, all luxuries that don’t really affect your gaming experience a whole lot, if at all.
My philosophy, is to get the best CPU you can(within reason), and go with a budget video card.
Noob here. I’m looking to buy a DIY PC from newegg.com. I was wondering if you guys could take a look at which one you think gives me more bang for my buck.
I’m not big into high end PC gaming, just GGPO and some games that won’t require a whole lot like Civilization V and some older games.
I’m plan on using this PC for a little but of photoshop, gaming, and watching stuff online like netflix, websites that stream shows, youtube, etc.
My brother knows a little bit about PCs and he thinks that these are pretty good deals. Would you guys recommend these computers?
What about potential future upgrades?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1453605
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1413551
EDIT: They just ran out… damn
I am impartial to AMD. If you are going for the budget route AMD is the CPU of choice. When money is not a concern then get Intel i7 (not the i5).
What should i look for in a decent motherboard? Is there a price range or model that would be suited for AMD?
The highest 1000$+ PC’s have horrible graphics.
#ConsoleMasterRace
That is a tough one, it be a balance of budget, function and ascetics, and usually one always suffers.
You want a bling worthy mobo with alot of powers and features you are paying alot.
You want a cheap yet great performing mobo, it is not going to be that pretty
You want a ascetically pleasing but cheap mobo, the board is going suck in performance.
Keep in mind personnel ascetics change from person to person.
- Choose budget
- Choose your CPU, so you have your socket type
- Choose your form factor (ATX, eATX, Mini ATX, micro ITX ect)
- Homework Time - Start reading Articles and Reviews.
[s]5. ??? - Proffit[/s]
- Pick your Motherboard from information you selected.
First, make a budget,how much are you looking to spend?
Second, make a list of what you want this PC to do. (which you already have)
P.S. Its not always possible to plan out all future-proofing. Also don’t always plan around bundle deals, they don’t last long on new egg and you don’t always get the best components.
Bundle deals to look for would be CPU and Mobo bundles. There are some rather nice bundles with the AMD APU right now.
Thanks for all the advice Darksakul. I’ve got a budget in mind and I know what I want to do with it now like you said, step 2-5.
I disagree with your statement… been building gaming rigs for 18 years now.
SSD’s and videocard will COMPLETELY affect your gaming experience…as a matter of fact those two in particular make the absolute biggest difference in how fast your rig is and how well the games run.
If you are making a gaming rig, budget or otherwise, you want at least an ok CPU and spend as much as you possibly can budget wise on the GPU. The difference between rigs that can run most games with low/medium/high/ultra settings is huge between all the levels.