The PC (Personal Computer) is a highly configurable and upgradable gaming platform that, among home systems, sports the widest variety of control methods, largest library of games, and cutting edge graphics and sound capabilities.
Nvidia GeForce GTX 1070 3840x2160x60 (though only attempted on Fez and Bioshock Infinite so far)
2x8 GB RAM DDR 4 2133MHz
240 GB SSD @6Gb/s (The bunting on the Bioshock Infinite logo treatment basically just instantly vaporized! :P)
MSI Z170M Mortar (4xUSB 3.0, 3x USB 2.0)
2 TB 3.5" hard disk
LG 43" 4K LED TV (Yeah, I know imagine if I waited for OLED... but if you saw the screens I had before you'd understand why I tossed them both out in favour of this one)
and no blu-ray drive.... yet...
So, I played the opening of Bioshock Infinite and the big ending sequence in Fez. Holy crap does the latter look EFFING MIND-BLOWING in 4k... like, seriously... It just washed over me. Now, I know that's not exactly pushing the limits of the above rig; but from a visual experience perspective, that ending sequence is my own personal benchmark and I was blown away. That ending sequence hitched on every machine I ever ran it on (including the 360 obvs), but in 4k it ran smoothly the whole time, and all those wavy lines and vibrating dots were discernable. For those wondering, Fez does support 4K, but on Windows 10 you have to do some image scaling trickery that I pulled off without quite understanding what I did... Now, I've got all sorts of performance evaluation and overclocking software that my friend who helped me build it installed. But, while I understand the need for quantification when it comes to economics or climate science, I find that my friend's tendency to count frames has diminished their enjoyment of gaming overall, so no; I'm never going to tell you what my frame counter said, but I will report hitching or aliasing that is noticeable on my giant ass TV that sits at Jeff-Gerstmann-esque distances from my face!
As for Bioshock Infinite? Well, it looks way better than it did on my old laptop obviously; but I finally understand why people go out and make/seek out high-res texture packs for their favourite games (also, those faces look crrrreeeeeeepy up close!) :p
I'll report back on Proteus, Life Is Strange, The Witness, Firewatch, and when I get them... Rise of the Tomb Raider and Cities... whichever the good one is, Skylines or... don't worry I'll do the proper research before I grab my purse :p
Screen: ASUS VG248QE 24" 1ms 1080p/144Hz Keyboard: Steelseries Apex [RAW] Mouse: Steelseries Rival Mouse Surface: SteelSeries Pro Gaming 4HD Mousepad Controller: Wired Xbox 360 Headphones: Sennheiser HD 598 Microphone: Blue Snowball
I'm happy to report this thing is stable and is crushing games for me currently. I still need to put a few more things in (listed below), but I'm very happy with the build.
I'm also thinking about picking up a good soundcard for the first time since like the 90s because I assume the Sennheisers are a bit overkill for the onboard stuff on the ASUS Z170-E?
Still missing: Optical Drive: ASUS Blu-Ray Rewriter BW-16D1HT Additional storage: WD Black 1TB
Put that computer together a little over a year ago. It is a great PC. Only game I struggle with at 1080p max settings is Witcher 3, but I don't notice a difference when I bump things down to high settings.
[Update] So, I put the below together on Sept 25th, it turned out pretty well. I need to take some pics.
Sadly, I forget to bring my thermal past so I will have to install the cooler later on. Its posts, but that was about as long (20 seconds) as I was willing to leave it on without paste. After it posted I just neatened up some cables, so I really just have to get teh paste and snap on teh cooler.
When I bought the mobo I knew what I needed and just got it, but I have to admits it is attractive for a B75. Black PCIe and RAM slots, not the typical 'blue' plastic you often see on such boards. For a semi-budge case, the Cooler Master N200 case is pretty decent. My friend gave me a 'beefy' Core i7 Intel stock cooler he wasn't using, so that will be put in place of the 'dinky' cooler Dell provides five years ago.
I have to do a re-build or a refurbishment an old system. My nephew hogs the PC at my parents hous,e so I'm making him a gaming PC on the cheap.)
My parents had one of those Dell Optlec "super slim" PCs. It had a decent Core i5 2nd gen in it though, and I figure a five year old Core i5 is still useful. My goal was to just pull the PCU out of the old computer. The Optelec had a cheap motherboard and the cooling was crazy so no one the fans are useful. I wanted to re-use the optical drive, but is a slim tray loader and buying a case to fit that was going to cost more that just a new drive. The CPUs stock cooler will be fine, the new mobo will cool itself better on anyway, but if a free part comes across my desk at some point I might swap it in.
Motherboard: ASRock B75M R2.0 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($25 used, a decent deal if it works past the first week.)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Not the fastest SSD, but it'll do...it was cheap.)
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2GB Superclocked Video Card (More card than this system justifies..but whatever...it is the most expensive part in the system. LOL)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80+ Bronze (free part)
Yeah, I could have gone with cheaper parts in some spots, but given some parts were free - I figured I'd not buy rock bottom parts. The mobo was the real find, I REALLY wanted to use the old Core i5 but a used board was my best option for keep the price down. The case is likely more than I wanted to spend, but the computer couldn't look like junk. If I want to lure the nephew away from the living room machine I had to bait the hook carefully.
I sold my XB1 and PS4 at the beginning of this last summer as I wanted the best prices possible before all the E3 announcements happened. Considering all the XB1 games coming out from his point on will be on PC I'll likely pass on Scorpio but I'll probably grab a PS4 Pro at some point next year after Zero Dawn and Dad Of War come out.
I used to always have a good gaming PC but since I started a family I have neglected my PC. Not upgraded in a few years. Using an overclocked Ivy Bridge 3570K with 16GB Ram and a Radeon 280X. I'm not planning on upgrading the CPU until 2018. The GPU I might upgrade next year depending on if there will be any new cards. I know this generation just launched but the prices are too expensive. I want a major boost in performance without spending much so waiting until the next generation of GPUs.
@xgryfter: I love those fat core cases, I think my next PC will be microATX, there's just so many amazing cases out there for that motherboard size nowadays and they can usually fit full sized GPUs. Awesome.
@jasoncooke: Yeah, they are fun and super easy to work in but they aren't the most practical cases in the world.
I like a good Micro-ATX/mini-ITX case as well but the problem with those is if they aren't well designed or the builder just throws parts in with no mind for airflow it can suffocate your system causing it to run at higher temps than it normally would. They can also be a pain in the ass to work with if you're a tinkerer.
Please explain your airflow in that case (or your updated build). It is breaking my brain right now. Is that a typical PSU? I don't know if I've ever seen the PSU positioned with the fan facing up before.
Mine doesn't compete in the raw specs department, but I just switched out the case and did my first real attempt at thoughtful cable management, so I thought I'd throw it in here. I am going to be changing out the CPU cooler soon (my previous case didn't have sufficient clearance to get a worthwhile one in there) and will start toying with overclocking at that point. I'll also be upping the RAM soon, and switching to red sticks at some point to better match the scheme. And, yes, that's a Wii balance board being used as to keep it off the carpet in the last picture. It actually works great in that regard.
Decided to replace the PC I built in 2011 despite a few video card upgrades over the years. The new Pascal cards tempted me for months but seeing Jeff put together his new build inspired me to finally take the plunge and build a new gaming rig.
Here are the new specs versus the previous build. Not the biggest performance jump in the world but hopefully this lasts me another 5 years.
New PC
Old PC
Motherboard
Gigabyte Z170X Gaming 5
Gigabyte X58A-UD3R
CPU
Intel i7-6700K @ 4.0 GHz
Intel i7-950 @ 3.6 GHz
CPU Cooler
Corsair H100i V2
Thermaltake Frio
RAM
Corsair Vengeance 16GB DDR4 @ 3200 MHz
Corsair Dominator 12GB DDR3 @ 1600 MHz
GPU
Gigabyte GTX 1080 G1
Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 (previously GTX 770, originally GTX 470)
Mine doesn't compete in the raw specs department, but I just switched out the case and did my first real attempt at thoughtful cable management, so I thought I'd throw it in here. I am going to be changing out the CPU cooler soon (my previous case didn't have sufficient clearance to get a worthwhile one in there) and will start toying with overclocking at that point. I'll also be upping the RAM soon, and switching to red sticks at some point to better match the scheme. And, yes, that's a Wii balance board being used as to keep it off the carpet in the last picture. It actually works great in that regard.
That's a nice case, NZXT makes nice cases. Also, good job finding a use for a balance board.
Intel Xeon 1230 v2 (quad core 3.3GHz, a server CPU that works very well for gaming.)
Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB
16gb 1600MHz RAM
27 inch 1080p Samsung monitor
23 inch 1080p IPS monitor
250gb Samsung SSD (and two other HDs just for media and larger programs I don't need on the SSD)
a boatload of music gear (I divide my free time between gaming and writing, recording and programming music: http://soundcloud.com/underwaterbob)
I think the only thing that's changed since the last time I posted here is the GPU. I got a 960 when Dark Souls 3 came out and then a few months later, the 10s came out and I couldn't resist. So far, I've used the 1060 with The Witcher 1 and Hyper Light Drifter. :-P I do plan on eventually throwing the Witcher 3 at it.
My first PC was a 300Mhz AMD K6-2, and I've never done a full rebuild. At most I remember upgrading motherboard, CPU and memory at the same time. Some 16 years later, this is my current rig:
Joined the PC Master Race in 2013. My initial build looked like the following:
CPU
i7 4770
CPU Cooler
Intel stock
MoBo
Gigabyte GA-H87
Memory
8gig Kingston Value series DDR3 single channel
Storage
Samsung 840 EVO 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card
Gigabyte Windforce 760 OC 2gig
Case
Thermaltake Versa H21
Power
Thermaltake 750W Toughpower Gold
Monitor
Dell PremierColor Ultrasharp 24 inch
Initially nil complaints, got me into the Master Race and run almost everything at 1080p 60fps at high to ultra settings through most of 2013 and 2014.
Over time, I felt like the case and cooler in particular were lacking. The case was cheaply made and there was very little space for expansion. I was also looking at upgrading the GPU so in 2015 I did the first re-build.
CPU
i7 4770
CPU Cooler
Fractal Kelvin S24 (free from a friend)
MoBo
Gigabyte GA-H87
Memory
16gig of Corsair Value Select DDR3 RAM dual channel
Storage
Samsung 840 EVO 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card
Gigabyte Windforce 760 OC 2gig
Case
Phanteks Luxe
Power
Thermaltake 750W Toughpower Gold
Monitor
Dell PremierColor Ultrasharp 24 inch
That lasted me most of 2015 and 2016. I noticed I was having all sorts of issues with Windows around this time, lots of crashes and such. Turns out my PC needed a hard software reset. Fresh install of Windows 10 and back to smooth gaming. Around the middle of 2015 I purchased my first Gsync monitor, the 24 inch BenQ 2420G 144Hz 1080p. Awesome monitor but I didn't really think ahead because at the end of 2015 I bought the EVGA 980Ti FTW 6gig card. I soon realised that the 980Ti was far too much card for a 1080p panel and I started to look for a replacement panel that was going to break the budget. eBay was having one of their 20% sales and I managed to score an Acer Predator XB1 165Hz 1440p panel for a great price. I also added another 2TB platter drive for games.
The overtime Gods were kind to me this year so when Pascal dropped, I couldn't help myself and bought an MSI 1070 Gaming X card. Not to end there, I did a last rebuild just a month ago. I was holding out for Kabylake but when I heard the advance press about how it was little more than a boost clock to the current Skylake range I jumped on a cheap i7 6700K and built the following.
CPU
i7 6770K
CPU Cooler
Fractal Kelvin S24
MoBo
ASUS Maximus Hero VIII
Memory
16gig of G-Skill Trident Z dual channel
Storage
Samsung 840 EVO 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive plus additional 2TB drive
Video Card
MSI Gaming X 1070 8gig
Case
Phanteks Luxe
Power
Thermaltake 750W Toughpower Gold
Monitor
Dell PremierColor Ultrasharp 24 inch plus Acer Predator XB1
Not to be outdone, a friend of mine gifted me an the core components from his old build and I built a second media/lounge room PC.
CPU
i7 4770K
CPU Cooler
Noctua U14S
MoBo
ASUS Z87 Sabretooth
Memory
8gig of G-Skill Ripjaws X dual channel
Storage
Samsung 850 EVO 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage
Western Digital 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card
EVGA FTW 980Ti 6gig
Case
Phanteks EVOLV ATX - black
Power
Thermaltake 750W Toughpower Gold
Monitor
Sony Bravia TV
I was exclusively a console gamer before using Youtube and jumping in and building. The Master Race has been generous, I've since passed my old parts along to a friend so he can bootstrap in. Sorry for the image formatting. Anyway, love PC gaming and building now. Hope to do a full custom water loop in the future.
I kind of went overboard awhile ago, even though I told myself I wouldn't, and bought myself a new laptop. It has the following specs:
- 7th Generation Intel® Core™ i7-7700HQ Processor ( 6MB Smart Cache, 2.80GHz) - 17.3" Full HD IPS Matte Display (1920 x 1080) - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 GPU with 4GB GDDR5 Video Memory / Optimus Technology - Windows® 10 Home 64-Bit Edition - 16GB Dual Channel DDR4 SDRAM at 2400MHz - 2 X 8GB - 512GB SanDisk X400 Series SATA3 Solid State Disk Drive - Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265 M.2 AC Wireless LAN + Bluetooth Module
The screen is truly impressive, and since I didn't overdo it with the GPU the temps have been really manageable. The battery life is pretty okay for a laptop this size and power, I can squeeze about 3 hours out of it, just doing basic computer stuff or watching a movie or something thanks to the optimus tech.
I haven't been able to do any PC gaming in like 5 years and it's really refreshing to be back to it. I love being able to take this beast into bed and watch a movie or play some ESO before bed, or drag it on the couch with me after work to watch some GB videos. The speakers are kinda bad/weak, but I hook it up to my receiver via BT in the living room, and wire it to a little speaker set in the bedroom, and that takes care of my main complaint.
Earlier this week I ordered myself a Steam controller, and I'm gonna try my hand at that.
It's interesting to see how computer hardware has evolved over the past 8 years or so. Also my favorite thing might be using the Wii Fit balance board as a means to get the pc up out of the carpet.
Hard Toobin'What the TitanX Pascal-Nickle Plexi Waterblock looks like attached to the 1080ti.
Since the 1080ti came out recently I was eager to switch from a SLI 980ti setup to a single card for hopefully less headache in terms of settings and configuration for most games (having an Ultrawide monitor and a SLI setup made configuring games that didn't support either much more...fun...at times). But here is the fruit of my labor! A hard tubed liquid cooling setup ready for VR and hopefully beyond!
Case
Fractal Design Define S
Motherboard
Asus Z170-Deluxe
CPU
Intel Core i7 6700k
Graphics
EVGA nVidia Geforce GTX 1080ti Founders Edition
Power Supply
EVGA SuperNova 1000 watt
Memory
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB DDR4
Capture Card
Elgato HD60 Pro
Radiators
Black Ice Nemesis 280GTX Dual-Core Xtreme | EK-Coolstream XE 360
I'm afraid I said the word "rig" to @mb today. Time from me buying a new PC to me losing my top hat, monocle, and silver filigreed cigarette holder? Two weeks. Don't worry. I'm stripping down for my long walk of shame.
@moab: I was somewhat intimidated at first as well, but I somewhat went overkill in the preparation to help get over that fear. The Monsoon Hardline Pro Bender Kit really saved my ass from a lot of headache. It's got everything one would need, and that ruler kit it provides is pretty much what made my build possible. You can literally mock up your tube run with the ruler segments and get a close to exact measurement for how long your tube needs to be, as well as at what length you would need to make your bends. The other overkill thing I did was I bought 5 meters of hard tubing in anticipation of screwing up a lot, funny thing was I only ended up using 2 meters of it for the build as well as for a few fuck up bends. PETG tubing I found is rather forgiving if you goof on a bend, simply reheat let it straighten out and rebend. You'll just need to take it slow and make sure your tube is properly heated up.
Right now I haven't overclocked either the CPU or GPU just yet, but at stock I've seen the CPU hit about 45C under load, and I was running an Adia64 stress test on it for an hour. Same goes for the 1080ti I ran the Heaven Benchmark from Unigine for over an hour and according to MSI Afterburner I hit a boost clock of 1835Mhz with a max load temp of 46C. I plan to get the CPU to 4.5GHz and the 1080ti boosting to 2000Mhz if possible.
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