[Solidsnape]

A Demon Llama!, on 08 October 2014 - 05:31 PM, said:

In my opinion 120 SSD in not enough. I got a 120 SSD and regret all the time (even though I have 3 more HDD in as well) that I didnt go for the 240 at the time. I was also going to suggest buying some cooling paste too.

Is have to agree here. I just bought a 'performance' laptop from PC specialist (see if you can fish out my laptop thread from a few months back) and got some advice off the geeks here too.
I went for the EVO series at Gnaws advice, and also got the 250GB with the thought of upgrading as I have a external to keep most of my shit.
Runs like a bitch in heat and boots up within 10 secs.

Roughly, I went for this;
2.5 GHZ i7
12GB Kingston RAM (also at gnaws insistence)
And 250GB 840 EVO SSD

GPU is GTX 860M 2GB

This was a 'custom' build but came already built. All setup.
It's a good site, not sure if they're international though.
https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk

Good luck and enjoy.

This post has been edited by Solidsnape: 09 October 2014 - 07:02 AM

[MTS]

Thanks for all the advice guys. Here's what I'm thinking about for the time being:

SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 250 GB (at Gnaw and SS's suggestion)
CPU: Intel i5-4690k (I figure I can upgrade to an i7 later if I need to)
GPU: nVidia 4GB GTX 980 Gainward
Memory: G.SKILL Trident X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2400 (PC3 19200) Desktop Memory
Monitor: BenQ XL2420Z 24 inch (went for the beast monitor, cheers TTT )
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z97X Killer LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Power Supply: Corsair 80+ Gold CS750M
Case: Carbide Series® Air 540 High Airflow ATX Cube Case
BR-Drive: SATA Blu-Ray Combo Pioneer
OS: Win 7 Premium 64-Bit (and an upgrade to Windows 10 next year)

Oh, and what do people recommend for a good keyboard/mouse? I'm not a big MMO/FPS player so I don't need a billion buttons on my mouse, but I'd like a good one.

This post has been edited by MTS: 12 October 2014 - 05:30 AM

[Gnaw]

MTS, on 12 October 2014 - 05:28 AM, said:

Thanks for all the advice guys. Here's what I'm thinking about for the time being:

SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 250 GB (at Gnaw and SS's suggestion)
CPU: Intel i5-4690k (I figure I can upgrade to an i7 later if I need to)
GPU: nVidia 4GB GTX 980 Gainward
Memory: G.SKILL Trident X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2400 (PC3 19200) Desktop Memory
Monitor: BenQ XL2420Z 24 inch (went for the beast monitor, cheers TTT )
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z97X Killer LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Power Supply: Corsair 80+ Gold CS750M
Case: Carbide Series® Air 540 High Airflow ATX Cube Case
BR-Drive: SATA Blu-Ray Combo Pioneer
OS: Win 7 Premium 64-Bit (and an upgrade to Windows 10 next year)

Oh, and what do people recommend for a good keyboard/mouse? I'm not a big MMO/FPS player so I don't need a billion buttons on my mouse, but I'd like a good one.

I don't see a rotational hard drive in the list. You are going to put one in right? SSD for OS and most used programs. Spinner for data. Everyone has their 'favorite' and 'horror' disk drive makes. I've always liked Samsung but I think they've gotten out of the rotational drive business. WD red drive would be my choice.

Monitor: That's a TN panel. If you're going to primarily game, that's ok. But IPS or PLS (Samsung's version of IPS) is better.


Edit: Where are you buying?

This post has been edited by Gnaw: 12 October 2014 - 07:35 AM

[Tsundoku]

Do I get extra nerd points if I'm

1. reading a forum thread
2. about computer parts, and
3. all I can think when I see SSD is "Super Star Destroyer"?

Attached File(s)

•  star wars super star destroyer 1680x1050 wallpaper_www.wallpaperhi.com_94.jpg (235.88K)
  Number of downloads: 2

[Solidsnape]

MTS, on 12 October 2014 - 05:28 AM, said:

Thanks for all the advice guys. Here's what I'm thinking about for the time being:

SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 250 GB (at Gnaw and SS's suggestion)
CPU: Intel i5-4690k (I figure I can upgrade to an i7 later if I need to)
GPU: nVidia 4GB GTX 980 Gainward
Memory: G.SKILL Trident X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2400 (PC3 19200) Desktop Memory
Monitor: BenQ XL2420Z 24 inch (went for the beast monitor, cheers TTT )
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z97X Killer LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Power Supply: Corsair 80+ Gold CS750M
Case: Carbide Series® Air 540 High Airflow ATX Cube Case
BR-Drive: SATA Blu-Ray Combo Pioneer
OS: Win 7 Premium 64-Bit (and an upgrade to Windows 10 next year)

Oh, and what do people recommend for a good keyboard/mouse? I'm not a big MMO/FPS player so I don't need a billion buttons on my mouse, but I'd like a good one.

I really hope that case isn't actually made from Carbide!!

Looks real nice MTS!!

[MTS]

Gnaw, on 12 October 2014 - 07:34 AM, said:

MTS, on 12 October 2014 - 05:28 AM, said:

Thanks for all the advice guys. Here's what I'm thinking about for the time being:

SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 250 GB (at Gnaw and SS's suggestion)
CPU: Intel i5-4690k (I figure I can upgrade to an i7 later if I need to)
GPU: nVidia 4GB GTX 980 Gainward
Memory: G.SKILL Trident X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2400 (PC3 19200) Desktop Memory
Monitor: BenQ XL2420Z 24 inch (went for the beast monitor, cheers TTT )
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z97X Killer LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Power Supply: Corsair 80+ Gold CS750M
Case: Carbide Series® Air 540 High Airflow ATX Cube Case
BR-Drive: SATA Blu-Ray Combo Pioneer
OS: Win 7 Premium 64-Bit (and an upgrade to Windows 10 next year)

Oh, and what do people recommend for a good keyboard/mouse? I'm not a big MMO/FPS player so I don't need a billion buttons on my mouse, but I'd like a good one.

I don't see a rotational hard drive in the list. You are going to put one in right? SSD for OS and most used programs. Spinner for data. Everyone has their 'favorite' and 'horror' disk drive makes. I've always liked Samsung but I think they've gotten out of the rotational drive business. WD red drive would be my choice.

Yeah, I have a regular rotating 2 TB HDD already (the one I'm currently using), so don't need to buy another one.

Quote

Monitor: That's a TN panel. If you're going to primarily game, that's ok. But IPS or PLS (Samsung's version of IPS) is better.


Edit: Where are you buying?

Forgive me, but what's the difference between the two?

I'm buying from an Aussie store called MSY. It's slightly cheaper to buy from them than to import parts from overseas that I have to ship. They seem to be the most competitively priced too from what I've been able to research.

[Gnaw]

MTS, on 12 October 2014 - 01:00 PM, said:

Quote

Monitor: That's a TN panel. If you're going to primarily game, that's ok. But IPS or PLS (Samsung's version of IPS) is better.


Edit: Where are you buying?

Forgive me, but what's the difference between the two?

I'm buying from an Aussie store called MSY. It's slightly cheaper to buy from them than to import parts from overseas that I have to ship. They seem to be the most competitively priced too from what I've been able to research.

Oh my. Let me find a good explanation of the differences.

In the meantime, Twisted Neusomething (TN) is older technology and less expensive to manufacture than In Plane Switching (IPS). It has two advantages over IPS: less expensive and can change pixel colors faster. For gamers the second characteristic is critical.

Grey to grey (GTG) is the time it takes a pixel to change from grey to a color and back to grey. TN panels can do that as rapidly as 1ms. Most IPS panels max out around 14ms and none (iirc) can do better than 10ms. The only activity where that matters however is gaming at ~45+ FPS. Some action movies can look a little jittery on IPS but not that common and only in shots with lots of fast movement going on.

IPS is sharper, much better viewing angles, just generally superior to TN. (Oh, yeah one other advantage to TN - it can show a blacker black; IPS panels have trouble getting a 'true' black.)

That's the quick and simple explanation. It's also vastly generalized and very mis-leading. There are VERY good TN panels and shitty IPS. That's why I asked where you were buying.

[Gnaw]

MTS, on 12 October 2014 - 01:00 PM, said:

I'm buying from an Aussie store called MSY.

My eyes, my eyes. Fuck that's a loud site.

[Silencer]

Pretty sure IPS panels these days are down to 2-5ms response times for GTG, just btw. It's not the exact same measure used for TN but if you're buying a good IPS you shouldn't have any worries with that stat.

[Gnaw]

Gnaw, on 12 October 2014 - 06:10 PM, said:

MTS, on 12 October 2014 - 01:00 PM, said:

Quote

Monitor: That's a TN panel. If you're going to primarily game, that's ok. But IPS or PLS (Samsung's version of IPS) is better.


Edit: Where are you buying?

Forgive me, but what's the difference between the two?

I'm buying from an Aussie store called MSY. It's slightly cheaper to buy from them than to import parts from overseas that I have to ship. They seem to be the most competitively priced too from what I've been able to research.

Oh my. Let me find a good explanation of the differences.

http://www.tftcentra...echnologies.htm

TFTcentral is an excellent resource on all things monitors. And it's a UK site, so chances are that if you find a monitor reviewed there it'll be for sale in Australia. (Benq makes a 16:10 monitor that I'd love to have but it's not available in NA. BL2411PT.)

MSY's website is shitty and they apparently have a limited inventory.

http://www.newegg.co...270&isdeptsrh=1

newegg is now selling/shipping to Australia. And they have a much better search tree. Even if you don't buy from them, they're a way to compare prices and availability.

Assuming that cookies don't screw this link up, it's newegg's australian eligible filtered by 23"-27", 5 brands (Asus, Acer, BenQ, Dell, Samsung), and seller limited to newegg themselves.

http://www.newegg.co...Size=100&Page=1

I've got a Samsung 24850dw and love it. It's got some backlight bleed which would annoy me if I had paid full price. But I got it refurbished and open box for a substantial discount so I'm fine with it.


I'm a huge fan of the Dell UltraSharp monitors. Their Australian website is showing the same warranty as here: "Standard Service Support: 3-Year Advanced Exchange Service and Premium Panel Guarantee."

[Tarthenal Theloman Toblakai]

Silencer, on 09 October 2014 - 02:09 AM, said:

Nicodimas, on 08 October 2014 - 11:36 PM, said:

Buy an Apple..

Best use of your money.

I included a link--->
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/imac

It's really neat, these come preassembled!

Ban.

This ^

[Gnaw]

Tarthenal Theloman Toblakai, on 13 October 2014 - 01:54 PM, said:

Silencer, on 09 October 2014 - 02:09 AM, said:

Nicodimas, on 08 October 2014 - 11:36 PM, said:

Buy an Apple..

Best use of your money.

I included a link--->
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/imac

It's really neat, these come preassembled!

Ban.

This ^

People give apple fanbois a hard time but the haters are just as bad.

I love my macs/OS X and would normally recommend one. But not in this case because MTS obviously wants to build one himself.

This post has been edited by Gnaw: 13 October 2014 - 02:23 PM

[HiddenOne]

Hey Gnaw, are you a computer components/build pro? As I see you advising people, can I call on your services for an upgrade I am contemplating?

[Gnaw]

HiddenOne, on 13 October 2014 - 03:41 PM, said:

Hey Gnaw, are you a computer components/build pro? As I see you advising people, can I call on your services for an upgrade I am contemplating?

I used to build and upgrade my own all the time. I haven't done one in 4 or 5 years, so I'm not familiar with the latest in graphics cards or CPUs, but that's easy enough to find on anandtech, tom's hardware, or hardocp. And when I don't know, I have no problem saying so.

[HiddenOne]

I'll take that as a yes and send you a PM later. I've wasted my time cushion for now.

[MTS]

Gnaw, on 13 October 2014 - 01:33 AM, said:

Gnaw, on 12 October 2014 - 06:10 PM, said:

MTS, on 12 October 2014 - 01:00 PM, said:

Quote

Monitor: That's a TN panel. If you're going to primarily game, that's ok. But IPS or PLS (Samsung's version of IPS) is better.


Edit: Where are you buying?

Forgive me, but what's the difference between the two?

I'm buying from an Aussie store called MSY. It's slightly cheaper to buy from them than to import parts from overseas that I have to ship. They seem to be the most competitively priced too from what I've been able to research.

Oh my. Let me find a good explanation of the differences.

http://www.tftcentra...echnologies.htm

TFTcentral is an excellent resource on all things monitors. And it's a UK site, so chances are that if you find a monitor reviewed there it'll be for sale in Australia. (Benq makes a 16:10 monitor that I'd love to have but it's not available in NA. BL2411PT.)

MSY's website is shitty and they apparently have a limited inventory.

http://www.newegg.co...270&isdeptsrh=1

newegg is now selling/shipping to Australia. And they have a much better search tree. Even if you don't buy from them, they're a way to compare prices and availability.

Assuming that cookies don't screw this link up, it's newegg's australian eligible filtered by 23"-27", 5 brands (Asus, Acer, BenQ, Dell, Samsung), and seller limited to newegg themselves.

http://www.newegg.co...Size=100&Page=1

I've got a Samsung 24850dw and love it. It's got some backlight bleed which would annoy me if I had paid full price. But I got it refurbished and open box for a substantial discount so I'm fine with it.


I'm a huge fan of the Dell UltraSharp monitors. Their Australian website is showing the same warranty as here: "Standard Service Support: 3-Year Advanced Exchange Service and Premium Panel Guarantee."

Thanks for this, I may actually go with one of the Ultra Sharp monitors, though I've had some bad experiences with Dell Support and my Alienware.

My local MSY store had virtually nothing in it when I went there the other day, and even their online store only has two of the components I want, the BR drive and the OS (and never had any similar quality alternatives either). Ordering the components in just for me apparently takes four weeks to arrive in store for some weird reason, and newegg doesn't have all the parts I need either (they don't have the processor or the GPU), so I'm going with Mwave instead.

[Cause]

How much is the blue ray drive? Do you need one?

Nicodimas, on 08 October 2014 - 11:36 PM, said:

Buy an Apple..

Best use of your money.

I included a link--->
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/imac

It's really neat, these come preassembled!

Not until this moment did I appreciate your super troll skills

This post has been edited by Cause: 14 October 2014 - 12:01 PM

[Tarthenal Theloman Toblakai]

Gnaw, on 13 October 2014 - 02:22 PM, said:

Tarthenal Theloman Toblakai, on 13 October 2014 - 01:54 PM, said:

Silencer, on 09 October 2014 - 02:09 AM, said:

Nicodimas, on 08 October 2014 - 11:36 PM, said:

Buy an Apple..

Best use of your money.

I included a link--->
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/imac

It's really neat, these come preassembled!

Ban.

This ^

People give apple fanbois a hard time but the haters are just as bad.

I love my macs/OS X and would normally recommend one. But not in this case because MTS obviously wants to build one himself.

Yeah I do hate Apple but....



....really, my hard time, was because the post offered nothing of use to the OP, as he wants to build, and wants the most bang for his buck. Something you will certainly not get with an Apple system, ever. They are extremely overpriced, and offer little to no support for changing Hardware. Not sure on the software, but if its anything like Iphones or Pods, then if it doesn't have Apple stamped on it, the answer will be no. Plus, why use imitations of Microsoft Office, when the originals are so awesome. Using an Apple computer just restricts yourself for nothing IMO, pay more for the system, and do less with it... I think the only thing I can say for apple computers is that they are more stable...but its because they can't do fuck all lol. Saying that my windows 8.1 rig that I built with a friend has never crashed, slowed down, blue screened or any of the above. So maybe the stability thing is becoming less of a thing. O if you want to photo edit, I suppose Apple is a no brainer too.

[Gnaw]

HiddenOne, on 13 October 2014 - 04:15 PM, said:

I'll take that as a yes and send you a PM later. I've wasted my time cushion for now.

You know, now that I've killed you in mafia, you have lots of time.

[Gnaw]

MTS, on 14 October 2014 - 06:12 AM, said:

Thanks for this, I may actually go with one of the Ultra Sharp monitors, though I've had some bad experiences with Dell Support and my Alienware.

My local MSY store had virtually nothing in it when I went there the other day, and even their online store only has two of the components I want, the BR drive and the OS (and never had any similar quality alternatives either). Ordering the components in just for me apparently takes four weeks to arrive in store for some weird reason, and newegg doesn't have all the parts I need either (they don't have the processor or the GPU), so I'm going with Mwave instead.

Now that is a decent website.

Good search filters. Fair selection.

I don't think I'd ever recommend anything by Dell except their monitors. They've got an excellent reputation with their UltraSharps. I've got a 2005fpw (20", 2005 introduction) that I still use with my shop laptop. (You might want to read about pulse width modulation. My next monitor will probably be a flicker free just to see if that might be contributing to my headaches.)

• 23-24" (don't buy a 4k monitor at 24" unless you have really good eyesight):
  • Dell U2412M is on its last year of production but is/was a PC Mag editor's choice.
    • A bit power hungry but not by much.
    • 16:10 That extra 120 pixels of vertical height is nice. 1920x1200 vs 1920x1080 for a 16:9
    • usb 2 not 3
    • Tilt, Swivel, Pivot, Height Adjustable Stand
    • DVI and Display Port
  • Dell U2414H
    • I'm not familiar with this one's reputation tft's review
    • 16:9
    • usb 3
    • Tilt, Swivel, Pivot, Height Adjus(table Stand (the mwave website says only height and tilt)
    • has 2 HDMI but no VGA.
  • The LGs.
    • Dell uses LG panels.
• 27" no clue.
• 29"
  • 2560x1080 21:9 ratio.
  • a niche product but supposedly really nice for watching movies and for business use for two windows side by side. Think excel. Or coding.
  • Buy one and tell me how you like it.
• 25"
  • LG has seen the popularity of the 29" and is bringing out a 25"
  • 2560x1080. 21:9. Better pixel pitch for better clarity
  • Really, really buy one and tell me how you like it.
  • LG has 3 version and I can't get them to tell me what the difference is.
  • can only tilt but is VESA compatible.
  • Really, really buy one and tell me how you like it.

Edit: I forgot a great monitor website. If you can read German. http://www.prad.de/n...ore/index2.html

They've got a review of one of the LG 25" monitors. Google translate is good enough for me to highly recommend you buy this and tell me how good it is.

This post has been edited by Gnaw: 15 October 2014 - 05:51 AM