Advice on building a PC

[shponglefan]

USB 3 kind of killed that argument.  I've got an optical drive in an external enclosure.

What enclosure do you use? I tried searching for one awhile back for my Blu-ray drive, and the only one available these days seems to be from Vantec (https://www.newegg.ca/vantec-nst-536s3-bk-enclosure/p/N82E16817392100). A number of reviews pointed to an inadequate power supply, so I held off buying it.

[Howard_Casto]

It's just some no-name Chinese adaptor that came out when sata was new if that gives you an idea of how old it is.  I can snap you a pic when I start my build and have to dig it out of storage.  Honestly I'm going to see about getting a laptop dvdrw drive and getting a smaller enclosure that uses less power.  Lugging an ancient 5.5 drive around is a pita. 

I just took a quick search and with current prices it's better just to get an external drive:

https://www.newegg.ca/lg-model-gp60nb50-slim-dvd-burner/p/N82E16827136265

Here's a bluray writeable for $90

https://www.newegg.ca/p/105-005K-00003

I can't believe how much the prices have went up on enclosures.  I think I paid $20 for mine bitd. 

[shponglefan]

Part of the reason I want to keep my existing drive is because I've been using it to rip my DVD and Blu-ray collections. I've looked into external Blu-ray drives, but apparently not all of them work properly for that purpose.

[Osirus23]

Full size towers are a throwback to a previous era of computing. And if I’m honest with myself, the main reason I keep using one is nostalgia. It just feels more like a real computer than my laptop, tablet, and phone. But I have to admit, it’s a bit of a dinosaur. Even if you need/want a high end graphics card, there are more convenient form factors available.

I need a decent sized case just to fit my hardware. My CPU cooler is about 5.5" cubed and my video card is a triple-slot behemoth. These components didn't used to be anywhere near this massive.

[Howard_Casto]

Agreed.  Unfortunately you need the space.  I'll eventually be getting a better video card, which is why I went with a large-ish case. 

Parts are coming in.  I'm waiting on the motherboard, ram, case and fans.  Just a little public service message for anyone that might be doing a similar build.  That power supply that I linked at the top must have had the wrong pics on the website.  It's actually a nicer power supply with black powder coating and all black wires.  I thought it was kind of odd to have colored wires on a bronze rated power supply. 

[Grasshopper]

What enclosure do you use? I tried searching for one awhile back for my Blu-ray drive, and the only one available these days seems to be from Vantec (https://www.newegg.ca/vantec-nst-536s3-bk-enclosure/p/N82E16817392100). A number of reviews pointed to an inadequate power supply, so I held off buying it.

I faced exactly the same problem about a year ago. I’d heard that writable Blu-ray disks are more durable that writable DVD disks. So I decided to buy an internal Blu-ray writer for archiving some old photos and software.

My original plan was to stick it in my tower case. But it was surprisingly expensive (compared to a regular DVD drive) so I decided it would be better to put it in an external enclosure so that I could share it with my laptop. The problem is that the enclosures were also surprisingly expensive, and there weren’t many options available.

So I eventually decided to buy a Power Over Esata (eSATAp) expansion card for my case and connect it that way.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dual-Port-SATA-to-Double-Power-Over-12V-ESATA-5V-Convert-Adapter-Expansion-Card/261985348200?epid=505697074&hash=item3cff8b2a68:g:w1IAAOSwN7BdU4at

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5V-12V-Dual-Power-eSATA-USB-Combo-to-2-5-3-5-22Pin-SATA-Hard-Disk-Cable-UK/192395293981?epid=1589120505&hash=item2ccba7351d:g:e1IAAOSwBkRaL6E6

I just stuck some rubber feet on the drive, and I now use it without an enclosure.

The great thing about eSATAp is that you can connect sata drives that draw too much power for a USB 3.0 connector to handle, and you still don’t need an external power brick.

Unfortunately, I still have to connect the drive to my laptop with a regular USB adapter and use an external power brick. But as I mostly use it with my tower, I can live with that.

[Grasshopper]

I need a decent sized case just to fit my hardware. My CPU cooler is about 5.5" cubed and my video card is a triple-slot behemoth. These components didn't used to be anywhere near this massive.

Indeed. It’s ironic that the components you fit in tower cases are getting bigger when you consider that the rest of the computing world is getting ever more miniaturised.

I'm pretty sure that most of the extra bulk is purely cosmetic. Last time I bought some RAM sticks they came encased in ridiculously ornate heatsinks despite the fact that RAM generally runs pretty cool. I’m not even sure if the heatsinks were attached to the chips.

[Howard_Casto]

The heat sinks are for overclocking.  Apparently it's expected of you to overclock your gear these days. 

Now let's get this in the right thread:

What do you guys think about this monitor?

https://www.newegg.com/lg-24bk430h-b-23-8-full-hd/p/0JC-000D-00610?sdtid=14052137&Description=24+inch+ips+monitor&cm_re=24_inch_ips_monitor-_-0JC-000D-00610-_-Product&nm_mc=AFC-RAN-COM&cm_mmc=AFC-RAN-COM&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=afc-Slickdeals+LLC&AFFID=208164&AFFNAME=Slickdeals+LLC&ACRID=1&ASUBID=0f1e9274973911eaabc2aef906d31fd80INT&ASID=https%3A%2F%2Fslickdeals.net%2Ff%2F14052137-24-lg-24bk430h-b-1920x1080-ips-led-monitor-w-freesync-119-99%3Fsrc%3Dcatpagev2&ranMID=44583&ranEAID=208164&ranSiteID=lw9MynSeamY-RSLctTKeIE0iYVKOFSG9oA

It's a good price, but should I be going more towards a 4k screen?  I haven't even started looking yet so I don't know the pricing at all.  I'm think around $200-250 is my limit unless a really spectacular monitor presents itself or something. 

[fallacy]

I don't know why graphics cards keep getting half an inch bigger on literally every power increase. The first graphics cards were like a nic card size with no fans. Not sure what they are doing but apparently there is no way to micro-size any of it. In another 10 years we will need different size cases too put in your now 2 foot long cards.

They do eventually get these cards smaller and into laptops, I guess the timeline for that is just way behind the tec curve. Another reason why buying a laptop for gaming sucks.

[shponglefan]

The first graphics cards were like a nic card size with no fans. Not sure what they are doing but apparently there is no way to micro-size any of it. In another 10 years we will need different size cases too put in your now 2 foot long cards.

Oh, we've been there already. This is CGA graphics card circa 1981:

[Howard_Casto]

I remember those... makes me feel old.  From what I understand the reason things are getting bigger is the manufacturers have run up against some physical manufacturing limits.  That's why they keep throwing extra cores at the problem.... they can't make a single core much smaller. 

You get screwed when you buy a laptop for gaming, which is why I'm team tower all the way.  I don't understand why they can't throw an extra pcie slot in there and manufacture laptop graphics cards that fit in a... let's say 3.25" form factor, complete with heatsink or fan.  Since ssds are going towards the m 2 form factor now there should be extra room. 

[nitrogen_widget]

You could always do what I do and upgrade your existing desktop PC.

My PC actually dates from the late 90s. However, in reality, every single component apart from the beige case and a floppy drive I keep purely for reasons of nostalgia has been replaced multiple times.

Last time I did a major upgrade I only had to buy a new motherboard, processor, and RAM. I was able to reuse every other component apart from the graphics card. Unfortunately, it used an AGP slot which had been phased out. So, for a couple of years, I made do with the GPU built into the processor.

I'm running a $100 and some change "Modder" PC I bought off this site from someone selling lots of used PC's yrs ago. i5 i've upgraded to 16gb and expanded the storage.
I think I need to upgrade the bios in order to use a better video card, but right now it handles most games I play just fine.
Only updated ram because slicing 3d prints and editing them was torture.

[nitrogen_widget]

The first graphics cards were like a nic card size with no fans. Not sure what they are doing but apparently there is no way to micro-size any of it. In another 10 years we will need different size cases too put in your now 2 foot long cards.

Oh, we've been there already. This is CGA graphics card circa 1981:

I think I have some of those in a tote from a 386 in the basement.
Or was it the cpu family before that?
they were called VESA card right?
this is going back a long time.

you know, every time I come here and people start posting pics of tech from the past....it makes me realize I REALLY need to clean my basement.

[Howard_Casto]

The rest of my parts came in today.  I'm just waiting on the case.  Still gotta get a new monitor and I think I want to get some headphones as well. 

[pbj]

Headphones?  Nah.  Imma need you to do research on computer speakers and get back to me.

[Howard_Casto]

I've had my 2.1 system for years.  Has a good sub, doesn't take up a lot of space and sounds good.  The headphones are for my new ---uvula--- neighbor that can't seem to keep it down.  I need something with good noise cancelation. 

[Howard_Casto]

*sigh*  Looks like I might have gotten screwed out of case #2.  When I ordered it amazon said it was out of stock and was due to be restocked in a couple of days.  It's supposed to arrive Friday and it still hadn't shipped so I went to the listing and the dreaded "currently unavailable, we don't know when or if this item will be back in stock" message was there.  I'll wait until Friday, but odds are I'm cancelling and going on a wild goose chase yet again.  I think the fates are conspiring against me. 

[shponglefan]

I've had my 2.1 system for years.  Has a good sub, doesn't take up a lot of space and sounds good.  The headphones are for my new ---uvula--- neighbor that can't seem to keep it down.  I need something with good noise cancelation.

What you need is one of these bad boys. Fight fire with fire, I always say. 

[Howard_Casto]

Well they just shipped the case, so I guess amazon made a liar out of me.  As for the speakers.... yeah I thought about it, but the problem is this kid must be deaf or something to want to turn things up that loud and I suffer from migraines so I'd probably only make it worse for myself. 

So on to monitors:

I found these two in my email this morning:

https://slickdeals.net/f/14066273-28-lenovo-l28u-30-4k-uhd-ips-monitor-249?src=frontpage
https://slickdeals.net/f/14065394-acer-cb271hu-bmidprx-27-16-9-ips-monitor-free-shipping-219-99?src=jfy%7Crecombee%7C7632b4f9-c585-4c7c-892a-005eee99d09e

Honestly 4k (or even 2k) is probably too much as is the size, but a really good quality 1080p monitor seems to be around $200 anyway.  It might make sense to get something that'll have specs to grow with the times as I don't replace my monitors that often.  Opinions?

[shponglefan]

So on to monitors:

I found these two in my email this morning:

https://slickdeals.net/f/14066273-28-lenovo-l28u-30-4k-uhd-ips-monitor-249?src=frontpage
https://slickdeals.net/f/14065394-acer-cb271hu-bmidprx-27-16-9-ips-monitor-free-shipping-219-99?src=jfy%7Crecombee%7C7632b4f9-c585-4c7c-892a-005eee99d09e

Honestly 4k (or even 2k) is probably too much as is the size, but a really good quality 1080p monitor seems to be around $200 anyway.  It might make sense to get something that'll have specs to grow with the times as I don't replace my monitors that often.  Opinions?

Couldn't view those links (got 403 Forbidden errors for some reason).

IMHO, 4K is only really worth it if you're going to a larger size (e.g. 32" or above) and have a specific need for it, like gaming in 4K. For something in the 27/28" range, I'd probably stick with 1080p or at most 1440p in the form of a decent quality IPS LCD screen.

[Howard_Casto]

I'm still looking for a monitor.  Case finally came in today and after a legitimate four hours of routing cables to make it look pretty I'm up a running.  It'll be at least another day before I get all my junk transferred over and all my important apps re-installed.  I'll take pics or vid tonight, but I doubt you all want to see the mountain of cardboard boxes piled up all around me so I'll wait until I've cleaned up a little. 

[slickam]

Something I've used whenever I set up a new computer is https://ninite.com/ It builds an installer for every program you select from its list, which takes all the defaults for install location and things like that, but doesn't include extra junk like toolbars.

[Howard_Casto]

Eh I don't think that'd work for me.  Installing vb6 on windows 10... it's an adventure.  I'm getting it done.  Backing up and transferring email now.  I think I'm just going to throw this harddrive in the new pc as a secondary unit for the time being.... that'll make any transfers easy. 

[Howard_Casto]

I got everything buttoned up and threw the hdd from my old pc into the new one so I can transfer stuff at my leisure.  As for games I don't really have anything super taxing on hand so I threw Dirt Rally on there.  Yeah it's a 5 year old game, but the benckmark test showed it averaging 106 fps on ultra settings.  Mind you I'm using my old 1600x900 monitor so it's bound to take a dip at 1080p, but overall I'm satisfied with those results. 

I'll start seriously looking for a monitor now and maybe get a new UPS as my old one is flaking out. 

Btw I'm amazed... even web pages load faster so my poor pc must have been struggling.

[Howard_Casto]

So I'm still looking for a suitable monitor but I have everything installed and the way I like it.  Since every other post in the main forums ask about "how powerful a pc do I need to run X?" are there any tests you guys would like me to run in terms of benchmarking pc games or running emulators?  So far I've tried dirt rally, mortal kombat xl, and the new killer instinct and they've all ran great at maximum settings.  I also tried pcsx2 and it ran fine with outrun 2, which absolutely chugged on my old pc.  Gamecube emulation maybe?  Something hard to run in mame?

[pbj]

GAUNTLET LEGENDS

 

[opt2not]

Nobody cares about Gauntlet Legends. The art was ugly, the levels were weird and riddled with switchbacks and odd vertical movement. That game did not age well at all.

[Osirus23]

I play Gamecube games in Dolphin using a low-power i3 CPU with integrated graphics. I don't think it's much of a system-stresser anymore.

[pbj]

Nobody cares about Gauntlet Legends. The art was ugly, the levels were weird and riddled with switchbacks and odd vertical movement. That game did not age well at all.

I just liked the announcer and we went through a 10 year phase in MAME where it played 75% speed and people convinced themselves it was acceptable.

 

[Howard_Casto]

So I bought this monitor:

https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/accessories-and-monitors/new-arrivals/L24q-30A19238QL023-8inch-Monitor-HDMI/p/65FBGCC1US?cid=us:sem|se|google|TFSM1Q12YF|nx_a_brand_all-products_dsa|all+products||b|10216376040|101580905986|dsa-763830032836|dsa|mixed&ef_id=Cj0KCQjwiYL3BRDVARIsAF9E4GfcHgN11UBXTBN1yI7_noQoxPKR7AH-EW4yb8oMpURLTA0gm8R1BlwaAthAEALw_wcB:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!4030!3!439355367067!b!!g!!!10216376040!101580905986&catargetid=120030930000049409&CAPCID=439355367067&catci=dsa-763830032836&agid=101580905986&cadevice=c&gclid=Cj0KCQjwiYL3BRDVARIsAF9E4GfcHgN11UBXTBN1yI7_noQoxPKR7AH-EW4yb8oMpURLTA0gm8R1BlwaAthAEALw_wcB

I think I paid 165 on rakuten and got a bunch of rakuten points or something as well.  I can't recommend it enough.... qhd, really good color accuracy, and a decent size and max refresh rate as well.  I thought my ancient hp2009 was a really good monitor but it became apparent when I ran some benchmarks with the new one that it suffered from some significant ghosting due to a higher response time.  Dirty Rally doesn't give me a headache to play now.  (Yay!)  So I got a qhd for photoshop and productivity, I didn't expect my games to actually run at qhd with a good framerate, but to my surprise it still averaged 60fps in both Dirty Rally and MKXL.  I was given the impression from my research that this was a middle of the road graphics card..... I wonder what people are using the high end cards for?

Anyway my saga is nearing and end.  I want to get a cheap rgb keybaord and mouse just for the heck of it and when I move over to the house I'm building a new desk and I'll post pics of the new setup.  Overall I'm pretty satisfied and it looks like I saved myself at least 700 bucks doing it myself. 

[Howard_Casto]

So I threw Forza Horizon 4 on there today... it's included with my game pass subscription so I figured why not.  Set the settings to high and turned the resolution all the way up..... it averaged 75 fps and never dipped below 60.  So I'm still trying to stump this thing.  Maybe now that I'm getting a little more free time I can setup a really demanding emulator or something.  I've gotta say... gaming wise I haven't really been pushing it.  Been playing Demon's Crush a lot and I just went through Blazing Chrome.  I probably still need to get a new keyboard and mouse but I haven't really seen anything I like and finding ambidextrous mice is a pain.