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**Mindf!3ldzX** · 05-22-2015, 07:45 PM

@ Meter Display, I would suggest / recommend Bitfenix Recon. It's most notable feature is that it is capable of being Internet connected with a smart phone or other portable device, so you can monitor temps while away from your PC.

That feature alone is why I bought it. Nerd overkill? Maybe, but I'm a huge fn nerd.

Check it....

http://i.imgur.com/Z1Ciux5.png , I didn't img /img bracket it because it was stretching the fuck out of the reply page. Your welcome to anyone who is going to reply lol...................

Go figure I haven't setup my router to support the one feature that convinced me to buy it though LOL.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyPrM2-MOWM[/ame]

^ Bitfenix Recon in action being toyed with by some guy.

You could compare the features of both of them to see which one tickles your fancy, but right off the bat I can tell that the Recon supports 1 more fan / 1 more sensor than the Touch 1000 , and clocks in around 10 bucks cheaper @ Newegg.

**Adam** · 05-22-2015, 08:48 PM

@Sole,

That all looks great and obviously there are plenty of sites that will help you determine what is the best part to fit your requirements.

There is one part that I would comment on though and that is your soundcard.
The onboard options have come a long way and there is a good chance that you might be outputing your sound through your 980 (hdmi) and that is awesome too. But if you want really high-end audio, and this really does depend on what hardware you are sending the signal to, then I would still consider a discrete sound card.

Here's a link but obviously, Google can provide a load more.

If you're not too worried, that's fine because you can always add one in later!

**Zop** · 05-23-2015, 01:10 AM

You don't need an i7 for gaming, especially not the 2011 socket version. You might have an argument if you're planning on doing hd streaming, but it's still a huge money sink. I see you got overclocking stuff- is that your hobby?

**xaGe** · 05-23-2015, 01:55 AM

What is "overclocking stuff" ? Are you referring to the CPU cooler?

Sole the power supply you're planning on is fine and MSI make really nice motherboards as well as video cards. Don't think you can wrong if it's just for gaming. Meter Displays are cool, but not needed unless you plan on pushing an OC to the max 24/7 and want the extra peace of mind.

IF you do plan on any kind of video or raw photo editing I would bump up the ram to 32GB.

**RL Clown** · 05-24-2015, 11:15 AM

Originally posted by xaGe View Post

What is "overclocking stuff" ? Are you referring to the CPU cooler?

Sole the power supply you're planning on is fine and MSI make really nice motherboards as well as video cards. Don't think you can wrong if it's just for gaming. Meter Displays are cool, but not needed unless you plan on pushing an OC to the max 24/7 and want the extra peace of mind.

IF you do plan on any kind of video or raw photo editing I would bump up the ram to 32GB.

It's been an education (I'm serious). Obviously, I did not make this thread, but I must say thank you... I feel enlightened. My computer knowledge has increased from Level 6 to Level 7. I give you my hat...

**Zop** · 05-26-2015, 12:34 PM

I was thinking the water cooler, k-series cpu, and X99 motherboard make an overclocking system, but really, any 2011 socket cpu is overclockable. I went to take a look at the specs of the cpu, and found that it's simply not sold with a cooler of any type. So this setup may not necessarily be for overclocking, I admit.

You can't argue with 6 hyperthreading cores if you want a top of the line cpu, but if it's simply for gaming, putting two 980s in SLI would be better for fps.

**Mindf!3ldzX** · 05-26-2015, 01:01 PM

Originally posted by Zop View Post

I was thinking the water cooler, k-series cpu, and X99 motherboard make an overclocking system, but really, any 2011 socket cpu is overclockable. I went to take a look at the specs of the cpu, and found that it's simply not sold with a cooler of any type. So this setup may not necessarily be for overclocking, I admit.

You can't argue with 6 hyperthreading cores if you want a top of the line cpu, but if it's simply for gaming, putting two 980s in SLI would be better for fps.

that cpu would drive the fuck out of two 980's in sli.

**Solecord** · 05-26-2015, 05:59 PM

Ok, so I'm not a big hardware guy... I was looking at buying a computer from Alienware or iBuyPower. Alienware is way too expensive and iBuyPower has terrible reviews. So I started researching how to build a PC myself and I think I'm going to dive in and try it. My only fear is if there is issues, I'm not comfortable on how to troubleshoot...

So anyways, I spent a bunch of time looking at parts at here's what I have come up with. I don't plan to overclock mainly because I'm a newbie with hardware and figure I'd start off with something simpler that I don't need to include water cooling in it...

What do you think of these parts? I wasn't sure what brand of memory to go with. Motherboard was also a tough choice. After reading some reviews, I went with the one listed below based on people saying it has the best onboard sound. Also the case... wasn't sure what to go with. I don't need anything flashy. The one I chose seemed to have a lot of internal space with excellent air flow.

What do you think? Should anything be changed?

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($218.85 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus MAXIMUS VII HERO ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($198.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Elite 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($177.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($51.67 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($339.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ Directron)
Power Supply: EVGA 850W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($101.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($86.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1386.44
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-05-26 19:55 EDT-0400

**Mindf!3ldzX** · 05-26-2015, 06:31 PM

Motherboards | MAXIMUS VII HERO | ASUS USA

According to the asus website, you might need to OC to support the 1866 ram frequency, best way to find out is look for what the memory modules you plan on buying XMP is. Nearly all memory supports this, and if the XMP for those ram sticks ARE ACTUALLY 1866 you won't have to do shit except in bios set the memory to XMP!

Once you build your first PC you will never go back to buying prefab! Congrats on going this route, you won't regret it bro.

XMP is really good, as it takes all the manual setting of timings and shit out of the equation and basically makes it a Ron Popeil "Set it and forget it"

**Solecord** · 05-26-2015, 06:37 PM

Is there a big difference between 1600Mhz and 1866Mhz memory? Will it make a difference if I stick with 1600?

**Mindf!3ldzX** · 05-26-2015, 07:31 PM

Not really, take it for what it's worth (it is just a number!)

Companies love to throw numbers in your face and the bigger the better? Not quite... I fell for this awhile back.

**Adam** · 05-26-2015, 08:08 PM

+1 for the case choice.
I have the R4 and it is a totally silent black monolith,
even when everything is going full belt.
The onboard sound is only a thing if you want to plug headphones into the back of your machine.
Every other option will use the audio fed through your 970's hdmi (or dvi with the right cable).
Just to be clear, audio fed through the hdmi doesn't use your onboard sound card.

**Solecord** · 05-26-2015, 08:15 PM

Originally posted by Adam View Post

+1 for the case choice.
I have the R4 and it is a totally silent black monolith,
even when everything is going full belt.
The onboard sound is only a thing if you want to plug headphones into the back of your machine.
Every other option will use the audio fed through your 970's hdmi (or dvi with the right cable).
Just to be clear, audio fed through the hdmi doesn't use your onboard sound card.

Ah, ok. So then is there a different motherboard you'd recommend because the one I chose is somewhat expensive. There are lots of cheaper options out there...

**Adam** · 05-26-2015, 10:13 PM

Unfortunately, brand availability and prices differ quite a bit between the US and Aus so I wouldn't be much help with the motherboards.
I tend to stick with Gigabyte and Asus because they are cheap here and I haven't had one fail on me yet but I believe you have a lot more choice.
I would suggest just finding one that fits your needs and price range and then just google searching reviews.
I only get into the hardware side of things when I need to build a new machine, I don't tend to keep up with it on a day to day or weekly basis.
I never overclock, I don't buy anything flashy and I tend to buy stuff a couple of steps behind the curve because the price/performance is usually better.
For example, I bought a gtx780 (non ti) at the end of it's life cycle because it was being sold off cheaper than, but has similar performance to, the gtx970,
I don't think this is an option for you now as the prices have levelled out more.
As a general rule, I spend biggest on the cpu, then the gfx card, then ram, then mobo and most other stuff is out of the old machine.

It sounds like you haven't upgraded for a while, it's great when you can sit back with your shiny new machine and watch all those previously heavy games fly along,
with all the settings up full.

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