Gaming Computer?

Quote from jbonez21 : I went with this Mobo, MSI Z77A-G43 [newegg.com]

I also ended up with that mobo when it was bundled with an i5-3570k for $180. No complaints here, pretty happy with it. The UEFI BIOS and USB 3.0 future proofs the average user pretty well.

Quote from dayv : do you have a source for this? i've had 0 issues with gaming in win 8.....

+1. No issues with Win 8 here. I've been told most of the complaining has to do with devs not appreciating the new Windows direction, but so far it doesn't seem to be creating any issues for me on newer or older games.

Quote from HalfAmazingOne : Do you think it's necessary to pay that much for a case? I see them here on SD for $50 or less sometimes. Are those less quality?

Without a doubt less quality with cheaper cases. I've seen, and used, some pretty nice $20 cases, but the cheaper you go the more likely it is you'll encounter some of the following: sharp internal edges, cheaper plastic components, increased weight, less expansion slots and/or flimsier designs, less fan mounting points, increased potential for noise when the computer is on, etc, etc.

Whether or not those things are important are up to you; personally I just went with whatever I thought was good looking (random $40 case) lol.

P.S. Those sharp edges hurt, glad i'm not in there often.

Quote from HalfAmazingOne : Do you think it's necessary to pay that much for a case? I see them here on SD for $50 or less sometimes. Are those less quality?

This is the case I have, Cooler Master HAF912 $60 with f/s at Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...6811119233



Looks good enough (to me), gets the job done and doesn't break the bank.

can also consider the CM 690II Advance
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...6811119259
slightly bigger than the avg mid size tower, and good space inside to work with (from personal experience)

Quote from IPT : can also consider the CM 690II Advance http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...6811119259 slightly bigger than the avg mid size tower, and good space inside to work with (from personal experience)

What do you guys think, USB 3.0 connectors totally necessary?

Quote from HalfAmazingOne : What do you guys think, USB 3.0 connectors totally necessary?

new Z77 intel chipset has native USB 3.0
USB 3.0 is so much faster and is backwards compatible.
Why don't you want a USB 3.0 slot? Do you not want faster transfer rates?

Quote from HalfAmazingOne : What do you guys think, USB 3.0 connectors totally necessary?

Absolutely without a doubt. It's easy to upgrade a graphic card or hard drive or memory down the road but it's a bitch to think about upgrading a case once you've already spent hours tugging all the wires away neatly. The 3 things you probably will never upgrade is the case, cpu and mobo

Quote from HalfAmazingOne : What do you guys think, USB 3.0 connectors totally necessary?

everyone is saying yes.

i'll swim against the current and say no.

my digital camera, mp3 player, webcam and usb thumb drives are all 1.0 or 2.0. if you have no 3.0 devices and don;t plan on buying any you don't need it. it is pretty standard though. i think my board has 2 3.0 and then 4 2.0.

i also wasn't sure if you were asking about your case having it or the motherboard. I wouldn't pay a premium for a case that had usb 3.0 ports. you'll always have the ones on the back direct from the motherboard.

the antec 300 is a pretty classic case. simple/plain but functional. this one includes all the fans. i'm not sure if the cool master one does.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...6811129066

Quote from dayv : everyone is saying yes. i'll swim against the current and say no. my digital camera, mp3 player, webcam and usb thumb drives are all 1.0 or 2.0. if you have no 3.0 devices and don;t plan on buying any you don't need it. it is pretty standard though. i think my board has 2 3.0 and then 4 2.0. i also wasn't sure if you were asking about your case having it or the motherboard. I wouldn't pay a premium for a case that had usb 3.0 ports. you'll always have the ones on the back direct from the motherboard. the antec 300 is a pretty classic case. simple/plain but functional. this one includes all the fans. i'm not sure if the cool master one does. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...6811129066

300 is a small case that offers piss poor wire management.
the 690II comes with all the fans you'll need (front + top + rear) and has proper motherboard tray holes available.

And are you saying you're not gonna buy a USB3.0 in the next 5 years?
i'd venture to guess you'll keep the computer for 5 years, or at least the Case for 5 years

i don't see why you wouldn't get a case that cost maybe $10.00 more than that antec 300 that's bigger, better room, and has better i/o technology (being USB 3.0 header)

Quote from IPT : 300 is a small case that offers piss poor wire management. the 690II comes with all the fans you'll need (front + top + rear) and has proper motherboard tray holes available. And are you saying you're not gonna buy a USB3.0 in the next 5 years? i'd venture to guess you'll keep the computer for 5 years, or at least the Case for 5 years i don't see why you wouldn't get a case that cost maybe $10.00 more than that antec 300 that's bigger, better room, and has better i/o technology (being USB 3.0 header)

what 3.0 device do i need? usb 3.0 is only good if you transfer massive amounts of files or can;t wait an extra minute. 2.0 is plenty fast for use. it takes me longer to find the thumb drive and plug in the damn thing than it does to transfer the files.

300 is big enough. no issues with wire management. only issue is it doesn;t have a dedicated 2.5 inch mount

Quote from dayv : 300 is big enough. no issues with wire management. only issue is it doesn;t have a dedicated 2.5 inch mount

They come with one now.

I've put together 4 different PCs in Antec 300 cases...they are nice, but wire management is less than ideal.

Quote from dayv : what 3.0 device do i need? usb 3.0 is only good if you transfer massive amounts of files or can;t wait an extra minute. 2.0 is plenty fast for use. it takes me longer to find the thumb drive and plug in the damn thing than it does to transfer the files. 300 is big enough. no issues with wire management. only issue is it doesn;t have a dedicated 2.5 inch mount

what? you don't have 3TB of porn on an external drive? What's wrong with you?

Quote from V0RT3X : what? you don't have 3TB of porn on an external drive? What's wrong with you?

go green, stream it.

the 300 suffers from the same problems the 902 did
the precut holes are just not ideal for anything besides a mATX MB tbh.
You also have clearance issues with some Video Cards as well.

and lastly the airflow on that case isn't great either, especially if you put in filters.
And if you don't use filters, you'll need to basically clear the dust out of those things once ever 2 months or so.

Quote from IPT : 300 is a small case that offers piss poor wire management. the 690II comes with all the fans you'll need (front + top + rear) and has proper motherboard tray holes available. And are you saying you're not gonna buy a USB3.0 in the next 5 years? i'd venture to guess you'll keep the computer for 5 years, or at least the Case for 5 years i don't see why you wouldn't get a case that cost maybe $10.00 more than that antec 300 that's bigger, better room, and has better i/o technology (being USB 3.0 header)

Do you have a link to the 690II that you speak of? I'd like to read up on this specific one.

Thank you!