Sherdog PC Build/Buy Thread, v4: #GG Go AMD This Holiday Season

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I'd recommend powerful RAM if going with 8GB. We are right at the start of the new console generation, and some of these games have very high recommended system specs for PC version. They still don't optimise them for us.
 
So since I bought my GTX970 it looks ultra out of place in my blue/white themed build in a Corsair 600T. I was originally going to build a HTPC for downstairs but I decided to convert my old PC into the HTPC and take some of the components from it and upgrade my gaming rig.

Totally not justified, but winter is upon us and I want to get my office set up. I'm tired of carting the PC up/down stairs.

Going with a red/black theme this time to match the MSI GPU I got.

So here's what I'm going to change. I don't need drives or anything. Those will all come over with the build and I'm going to put a 3TB HDD in the netflix/tv machine.

Corsair 450D
Asus Maximus VII Hero
16GB Kingston HyperX 1600 DDR3 Red
Intel I5 - 4460 3.2ghz 6/MB
Re-using my Asus Xonar Essence Sound Card
Re-using MSI GTX970
Re-Using Corsair H100i Water Cooler
Replace all fans with red LED fans and I'll be using all red sleeved cables.

Should be fun to peice together. Just waiting for Black Friday to see if I can score some component deals.

I'll need to pick up a new cooler for the old machine as well.
 
CPA said:
Going with a red/black theme this time to match the MSI GPU I got.
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A case that never seems to get any love is the Cooler Master Storm Scout 2. It's perfect for the red/black them, the one I use actually. Can fit a lot of stuff, relatively easy to work with and manage the cables in. Has awesome metal handles you can grab it with and carry. Great cooling. It's only gotten great reviews from what I have seen too. It just goes under the radar for whatever reason. Personally, I am not a big fan of the Corsair towers relatively plain look.

cooler-master_storm-scout-advanced_inst-3.jpg
08b9f2ab_DSC_0859_zps5cac7ad5.jpeg
 
Different strokes for different folks. That case is way over the top and pretty ugly to me. I like clean lines, and wanted something understated for my office. This is the first time I've had the space and money to legitimately create an office and decorate it, and when I put my 600T on the desk it looked ridiculous.

Hence my desire for something clean/simple.

I already bought the 450D anyway, ha ha. It was on sale for $100 so I snatched it up.
 
X-CRUISER-BK-1_500.jpg



Hey guys what is everyone's opinion on these kind of cases? I can buy a case like this for 20 I don't plan overclocking or anything for myself i do like the look of them.
 
Abortedone said:
X-CRUISER-BK-1_500.jpg



Hey guys what is everyone's opinion on these kind of cases? I can buy a case like this for 20 I don't plan overclocking or anything for myself i do like the look of them.
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its ugly
 
Abortedone said:
X-CRUISER-BK-1_500.jpg



Hey guys what is everyone's opinion on these kind of cases? I can buy a case like this for 20 I don't plan overclocking or anything for myself i do like the look of them.
Click to expand...
For $20 just about any Mid-ATX case with solid specs like that is a screaming deal. Not sure why you need all those front gauges if you're not an overclocker, though. Fan speed & temp. The "volume gauge" is an obvious gimmick.
 
Madmick said:
For $20 just about any Mid-ATX case with solid specs like that is a screaming deal. Not sure why you need all those front gauges if you're not an overclocker, though. Fan speed & temp. The "volume gauge" is an obvious gimmick.
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I really don't need them per say I however like the look of it plus i sometimes fall for gimmicks if i like the look plus I thought 20 was a great deal
 
Looks like poor inktake and outtake for the air on that case.
 
jefferz said:
If you want cheap and small look at a Rasperry Pi.
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I'd recommend a Chromecast over Raspberry Pi. Hell, they even have a Chromecast toggle in Lollipop, now. You can just throw your smartphone screen onto the big screen TV with the tap of a single button. Chromecast also supports XBMC and Plex. It's $35, and pretty universal with all of Google's weight behind it. I think any given consumer would be much better off with it than a glorified dev project like the Raspberry Pi (as tremendous a value as that piece of hardware is for techies).
 
How much faster is Dual Channel RAM?

I'm thinking up upgrading from 8GB to 16GB RAM for $90, and they're giving the option for Dual Channel 16GB RAM for an additional $50.

Just curious as to how much more of a kick it'll give my system.
 
Not sure if you pc guys would know about desktop speakers. I was looking at hifi speakers but for a good integrated amp, bookshelfs and whatnot it was a little more than I wanted to spend. So I started looking at monitor speakers in the 500-700 (pair) range.

Now does anyone have any experience with monitor speakers for general pc use. I should add this is a gift for someone. It will be for general use and music. No mixing or anything. Also I don't know much about pc sound set ups. I would imagine a sound card upgrade would be a good idea as well. But beyond that I wouldn't know what I need. I'm going to check a few out and get some advice in person just want to get some answers here first if I could.
 
RerouteToRemain said:
Not sure if you pc guys would know about desktop speakers. I was looking at hifi speakers but for a good integrated amp, bookshelfs and whatnot it was a little more than I wanted to spend. So I started looking at monitor speakers in the 500-700 (pair) range.

Now does anyone have any experience with monitor speakers for general pc use. I should add this is a gift for someone. It will be for general use and music. No mixing or anything. Also I don't know much about pc sound set ups. I would imagine a sound card upgrade would be a good idea as well. But beyond that I wouldn't know what I need. I'm going to check a few out and get some advice in person just want to get some answers here first if I could.
Click to expand...

Unless you're producing or you're a big audiophile I wouldn't drop that much on speakers. As for the soundcard I'd hold off unless your pc is ancient.

I use M audio AV40s on my pc. They run for about 120 and are highly regarded as the best bang for buck speakers out there.
 
RerouteToRemain said:
Not sure if you pc guys would know about desktop speakers. I was looking at hifi speakers but for a good integrated amp, bookshelfs and whatnot it was a little more than I wanted to spend. So I started looking at monitor speakers in the 500-700 (pair) range.

Now does anyone have any experience with monitor speakers for general pc use. I should add this is a gift for someone. It will be for general use and music. No mixing or anything. Also I don't know much about pc sound set ups. I would imagine a sound card upgrade would be a good idea as well. But beyond that I wouldn't know what I need. I'm going to check a few out and get some advice in person just want to get some answers here first if I could.
Click to expand...

If you looking for speakers in that range I would go with either pioneer fs 52 floorstanders, infinity primus p363 floorstander (200$ pair), or the polk monitor 70 floorstander (300$ pair). then put the cooresponding bookshelves and center channels to complete a 5.0 or 5.1. Get a reciever instead of a soundcard as it will provide alot more power to your speakers. Run the HDMI out from your gpu to your reciever. GPU upgrade isnt neccessary as any hdmi out from your puter to the reciever will work.

Sample setup for 628$ That is guaranteed to rock. If there is space I would use the p 363 floorstanders for my front and rears as they fuckin rock and are on big discount now. If space is an issue I would look for deal on some of the bookshelves. Add a sub when you or the person you building for gets money.

yamaha reciever 5.1 179$http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-RX-V375-Channel-Theater-Receiver/dp/B00B981F38/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416733575&sr=8-1&keywords=yamaha+receiver+5.1

infinity floorstanders p363 200$ pair http://www.amazon.com/Infinity-Primus-Three-way-Floorstanding-Speaker/dp/B0046A8R3M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416733690&sr=8-1&keywords=infinity+p363+speaker

infinity center 149$http://www.amazon.com/Infinity-Prim...r=1-2&keywords=infinity+primus+center+speaker

infinity bookshelves for rear 99$ http://www.amazon.com/Infinity-P153-Primus-Bookshelf-Satellite/dp/B004649W1Y/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1416733904&sr=1-3&keywords=infinity+primus+center+speaker
 
^^
All of that. Jerry knows his shit when it comes to home theater. Pioneer and Polk have always been phenomenal in quality across the entire line of their respective inventories.
GearSolidMetal said:
How much faster is Dual Channel RAM?

I'm thinking up upgrading from 8GB to 16GB RAM for $90, and they're giving the option for Dual Channel 16GB RAM for an additional $50.

Just curious as to how much more of a kick it'll give my system.
Click to expand...
Not for gamers:
http://www.gamersnexus.net/guides/1349-ram-how-dual-channel-works-vs-single-channel
 
jerrylundergard said:
If you looking for speakers in that range I would go with either pioneer fs 52 floorstanders, infinity primus p363 floorstander (200$ pair), or the polk monitor 70 floorstander (300$ pair). then put the cooresponding bookshelves and center channels to complete a 5.0 or 5.1. Get a reciever instead of a soundcard as it will provide alot more power to your speakers. Run the HDMI out from your gpu to your reciever. GPU upgrade isnt neccessary as any hdmi out from your puter to the reciever will work.

Sample setup for 628$ That is guaranteed to rock. If there is space I would use the p 363 floorstanders for my front and rears as they fuckin rock and are on big discount now. If space is an issue I would look for deal on some of the bookshelves. Add a sub when you or the person you building for gets money.

yamaha reciever 5.1 179$http://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-RX-V375-Channel-Theater-Receiver/dp/B00B981F38/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416733575&sr=8-1&keywords=yamaha+receiver+5.1

infinity floorstanders p363 200$ pair http://www.amazon.com/Infinity-Primus-Three-way-Floorstanding-Speaker/dp/B0046A8R3M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416733690&sr=8-1&keywords=infinity+p363+speaker

infinity center 149$http://www.amazon.com/Infinity-Prim...r=1-2&keywords=infinity+primus+center+speaker

infinity bookshelves for rear 99$ http://www.amazon.com/Infinity-P153-Primus-Bookshelf-Satellite/dp/B004649W1Y/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1416733904&sr=1-3&keywords=infinity+primus+center+speaker
Click to expand...

The way the room and desk is set up I can only have a pair of bookshelf size. A receiver is going to be too large. No room for a sub either. It is for my father and the desk is custom fit to the room and wall.

edit actually a sub could work

I really wanted to do just a 2.0, specifically some Wharfedale diamond 10.2 bookshelves with a NAD integrated but it will get up to about 1k.

Thanks for the suggestions anyway guys. I'm gonna audition some stuff today. I will look into those av 40's as well.
 
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I'm a huge fan of the AudioEngine A2s. You definitely need a sub with them but the design and the sound are pretty incredible. Great 2.0 option.

I paired them with a cheap Dayton 10" sub and they blend perfectly. About $300 total but destroys any of the boxed systems you can get from Creative, Klipsch, Corsair, Logitech, etc.

2-2gho.jpg
 
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