Computers I've built

SecretSquirrel

In order of most recently built to the oldest. The most recent was just finished last night for my buddy Sal. That 980ti kingpin is ridiculous! Super cool. The second was for my uncle, finished a couple weeks ago. We went zip tie crazy here lol. We cleaned it up quite a bit since the picture, looks a lot nicer now. Next pic was for my grandma. She needed a new computer, and I hit it out of the park. It was on a budget of 1200. And finally, my personal computer. It's a bit older than the others, but still kicking. Currently, I see no viable reason to upgrade anything.

Usaf06

Geek!!

Nolagizmo

Usaf06 said:

Geek!!

That's a compiment right there!

Edna20

Computers I've built...


No, I didn't forget the attachment

SecretSquirrel

Something wrong with the attachments? I posted with my cellphone, so who knows

jarubla

No, I think Edna was being funny...

SecretSquirrel

Wow I must be tires cuz that flew right over my head haha

Edna20

You've been staring at wires for too long I did want to build my own once, but didn't have the money. Then when I had the money, no time! I did try to take parts from a bunch of old computers and make one, but something wasn't working and I wasn't sure what. 

twistedstem

I think I could make one likethis!! lol . Great job sounds and looks wicked !!

twistedstem

I think I could make one likethis!! lol . Great job sounds and looks wicked !!

jgibv

lookin' good beren! 

i see you're rockin' the geforce gtx cards......
thinking about getting one for xmas (no clue which one yet) so i can get back into gaming, wanna add some more ram too

looking forward to tom clancy's the division, rainbow six siege, and still wanna try out project cars too

Usaf06

jgibv said:

lookin' good beren! 

i see you're rockin' the geforce gtx cards......
thinking about getting one for xmas (no clue which one yet) so i can get back into gaming, wanna add some more ram too

looking forward to tom clancy's the division, rainbow six siege, and still wanna try out project cars too

get an xbox one and join the party

SecretSquirrel

So many people to respond to! OK let's see here...
@edna20 there are some parts of the computer that must be within the same generation in order to be compatible. For example, the motherboard and processor must be made for each other, and the memory must match what the motherboard can handle. Although ddr3 capable motherboards are backward compatible with ddr2 or ddr1. This does not apply to ddr4 though, because it is physically different and requires more voltage. On a side note, as I found out while planning my grandmother's build, the new sh¡t is cheaper than the old sh¡t.

SecretSquirrel

@jgibv what are it's specs and what generation motherboard is it? As much as getting a new video card helps, if your motherboard is older, it can potentially slow the card down to match it's limited capabilities. The key here is having a pci express gen 3 capable mobo. Also, how many watts is the power supply? Many newer gpus require more power. Assuming you have at least these reqs, how much are you u trying to spend? The gtx 960 is surprisingly good and quite affordable. Check out this graph for a better understanding  as far as performance

SecretSquirrel

On a side note regarding that graph, although it appears the 980ti and the Titan are virtually identical, they are not. First of all, the Titans are dual gpus (literally 2 in 1) however the 980ti is a single gpu. Also, the performance from both is limited due to reaching the saturation point of pci express 3. I predict that pcie4 will be released in the relatively near future, probably 2016, as nvidia releases their new generation of gpu.

SecretSquirrel

@usaf06 lol Microsoft is merging their platforms of Windows and Xbox so that both communities can play together. This is also where even the worst players on pc will absolutely destroy the best on Xbox rofl! Pc is in every way superior to Xbox, although the Xbox is cheaper, ill give you that. Enjoy your 720p gaming at 60 fps hahaha

Usaf06

Bring it.... COD and BF are my games. 

SecretSquirrel

twistedstem said:

I think I could make one likethis!! lol . Great job sounds and looks wicked !!

Still better than the Xbox one lol

jgibv

SecretSquirrel said:

@jgibv what are it's specs and what generation motherboard is it? As much as getting a new video card helps, if your motherboard is older, it can potentially slow the card down to match it's limited capabilities. The key here is having a pci express gen 3 capable mobo. Also, how many watts is the power supply? Many newer gpus require more power. Assuming you have at least these reqs, how much are you u trying to spend? The gtx 960 is surprisingly good and quite affordable. Check out this graph for a better understanding  as far as performance

Beren, thanks for the graph.  Good stuff. 

From the *very limited* online researching I've done, I'm leaning towards Nvidia simply b/c the reviews of ProjectCars make it sound like the game runs better on Nvidia than AMD.
Otherwise I know next to nothing about graphics cards.....lol

Ands far as the PC, it's relatively new (it'll be 2 years old this upcoming january)......
This is the build I did: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/cKjBqs

• haswell i3-4340
• mobo does have 1 pci 3.0 slot
• 430W power supply (but i don't have a problem upgrading if need be since there always seems to be good deals on power supplies)
• price: hard to say since it'll probably be a xmas gift in some way, shape, or form....
  if i get some xmas cash from family and put that towards it then $400-500 would be my top end. 
  if not, and it's all out of pocket, probably more like $200-300.   

SecretSquirrel

I tend to lean toward nvidia rather than amd for a few reasons, although amd has 1 solid perk; it's generally cheaper. However, nvidia is the inventor of the gpu, and their research is vastly superior. Furthermore, amd cards run extremely hot, drastically reducing their performance potential and lifespan. That being said, nvidia's gtx960 outperformed my expectations in every way. It is what I have in my grandmother's build, and I tested it with battlefield 4 with everything on ultra at 1080p. It's fps never dropped below 100. Very solid card, and it costs about $200.

SecretSquirrel

The power supply may need to be upgraded to at least 600w. Although the vid card may not need it, the power supply must power it as well as everything else in the computer, and may have issues

SecretSquirrel

The i-3 processor is on the low end of the spectrum and may play a role lesser performance, but it will be minimal.

jgibv

such good advice @SecretSquirrel , thanks beren. 
definitely gives me some starting points & things to look into. 

Nolagizmo

I am a fan of amd.  I build with intel because that's what people have heard of and people are sheep-le. You hAve to give them what they want.. amd  do run hot, that's what a good cooling system is for, but they run hot because they are kicking a $$.  


Beren you know your stuff. You'd probably embarrass my agents and myself irl conversations.  I get stuck fixing and upgrading. You are doing the fun stuff, creating. Wish I got to do more builds. I am a big fan of that amd  fx ...Through 1st hand testing and running it against i7s and intel m just liked the performance.... it games brilliantly. Yeah the video card had to be good... it could run 3d intense graphics off entropia universe and all steam with 0 lag. So it passed my requirements.

SecretSquirrel

Trust me, I have my fair share of fixing. I am literally my family and friends tech support lol. And I hate to burst your amd bubble, but it's running hot because they come over clocked from the factory, and require more voltage to keep the clocks stable. More voltage = more heat. The cooler it starts out as, the more voltage you can pump into it to have higher gains. In other words, amd is playing catch up to intel

SecretSquirrel

I can't really speak for why other people choose amd or Intel. I build what I build due solely to the research I have done myself over the years. I've been fixing and building computers since middle school. If I have a problem, I do research. It helps to be an enthusiast

avengethis

I am looking at possibly building something new for my wife and her photo editing.  Can you pm me an email address or phone # so I can pick your brain?