KSP1 Computer Building/Buying Megathread

[Red Iron Crown]

Ok guys, so is this build totally complete now? (minus monitor/peripherals of course)

OCZ is in 10 foot pole territory for me with SSDs, they've had firmware/reliability issues. Samsung, Crucial, or Intel are the go-to choices, with Crucial's MX series being the value choice. I got a 256GB MX100 for about what you're paying for the OCZ, and that was about 9 months ago.

[Endersmens]

OCZ is in 10 foot pole territory for me with SSDs, they've had firmware/reliability issues. Samsung, Crucial, or Intel are the go-to choices, with Crucial's MX series being the value choice. I got a 256GB MX100 for about what you're paying for the OCZ, and that was about 9 months ago.

Alright, I'll look into it. Hopefully when you guys are done this build will be the best it can be for $500.

[Endersmens]

Alright, changed the SSD. Build complete now? http://pcpartpicker.com/p/BmJynQ

[Red Iron Crown]

Alright, changed the SSD. Build complete now? http://pcpartpicker.com/p/BmJynQ

Looks good.

[briansun1]

Alright, changed the SSD. Build complete now? http://pcpartpicker.com/p/BmJynQ

Looks good. (grumbles about nvidia)

[Endersmens]

Good, good....

Question. What all goes in the internal 3.5" bays? I know a regular hard drive would. Anything else?

[briansun1]

Good, good....

Question. What all goes in the internal 3.5" bays? I know a regular hard drive would. Anything else?

Just hard drives. 5.25 bays can hold some other stuff, but they are mostly going away ish as optical drives are getting phased out.

[Endersmens]

I went ahead and grabbed an optical drive so I would have it for movies and any CD run program that still exists. That's why I needed 1 5.25.

So I have one 2.5", three 3.5" bays, and one 5.25" bay. That will hold an SSD, another hard drive, another SDD if I wanna fasten it in, another hard drive/SSD, and my optical drive. Correct? Everything else goes somewhere else?

[briansun1]

I went ahead and grabbed an optical drive so I would have it for movies and any CD run program that still exists. That's why I needed 1 5.25.

So I have one 2.5", three 3.5" bays, and one 5.25" bay. That will hold an SSD, another hard drive, another SDD if I wanna fasten it in, another hard drive/SSD, and my optical drive. Correct? Everything else goes somewhere else?

Eeyup.

[cantab]

Good, good....

Question. What all goes in the internal 3.5" bays? I know a regular hard drive would. Anything else?

SSDs with an adapter, and that's about it. It's common for some of the 3.5" bays in a case to be completely removable to make space for stuff like extra fans or oversized graphics cards.

External 3.5" bays on the other hand can be used for all sorts of stuff you want on the front of your computer. Extra USB ports, memory card readers, fan control knobs, whatever. Hence why you still see those bays even though their original purpose, floppy drives, are obsolete.

[Endersmens]

Ok, I have one external 3.5" bay. I would probably use it for either USB or a memory card reader in the future.

Now to wait until I have the money to buy the build.

[Camacha]

Now to wait until I have the money to buy the build.

This makes the whole exercise futile. Looking at computer parts and then saving up is pointless. Even if it takes you one or two months, the landscape will have changed, so other options become the better one. The computer world is not one for tire kickers, you will be too late by the time you have the money.

[Endersmens]

This makes the whole exercise futile. Looking at computer parts and then saving up is pointless. Even if it takes you one or two months, the landscape will have changed, so other options become the better one. The computer world is not one for tire kickers, you will be too late by the time you have the money.

If I keep the list, save up, and another option becomes better, I can just switch it out for the better option. This "exercise" was to make sure I could get what I need for the price I set.

[cantab]

This makes the whole exercise futile. Looking at computer parts and then saving up is pointless. Even if it takes you one or two months, the landscape will have changed, so other options become the better one. The computer world is not one for tire kickers, you will be too late by the time you have the money.

I think that's overpessimistic. Most components don't move on that quickly. The AMD FX range aren't expected to be replaced until spring next year and nVidia seem happy to let the 750 Ti and 950 coexist at different price points.

[Camacha]

If I keep the list, save up, and another option becomes better, I can just switch it out for the better option. This "exercise" was to make sure I could get what I need for the price I set.

That is not entirely unfair, but do realize that a lot of people spent time and effort to help you configure a system that you might not even use. If you truly need a price point to know what to save up for, that is reasonable, but it might be best to be upfront about it, because you really do not need a detailed configuration for that. On the other hand, sometimes people's wants are a lot bigger than their haves in terms of money, and in those cases it is not really fair to ask other people to spend their time looking into a system that will never materialize.

Just something to be mindful of

I think that's overpessimistic. Most components don't move on that quickly. The AMD FX range aren't expected to be replaced until spring next year and nVidia seem happy to let the 750 Ti and 950 coexist at different price points.

Prices shift every day. Due to the fair number of different components, some will inevitably drop in price and others will hike. A lot of websites have monthly or bimonthly build guides or advices and that is not without reason or need. Very rarely is the same system featured twice.

[r4pt0r]

My Evga GTX970 and 16gb of ram should be in the mail soon, the GPU by tomorrow night! Super excited!

[ScriptKitt3h]

Update on my build:

Got a new ASUS A88X Pro motherboard, and a new 750W PSU.

PC boots, everything BIOS-related seems to work, but now the SATA-connected SSD and HDD I have don't show up in the BIOS or WIN8.1 install sequence. I've tried swapping the cables between SATA ports, using other SATA cables, and only booting with the SSD or the HDD, but not both. My optical drive does always show up in the BIOS' SATA readout, however.

[Camacha]

Update on my build:

Got a new ASUS A88X Pro motherboard, and a new 750W PSU.

PC boots, everything BIOS-related seems to work, but now the SATA-connected SSD and HDD I have don't show up in the BIOS or WIN8.1 install sequence. I've tried swapping the cables between SATA ports, using other SATA cables, and only booting with the SSD or the HDD, but not both. My optical drive does always show up in the BIOS' SATA readout, however.

Try to get a HDD that you know works and try that. If it shows up, the disks you have got might have issues. Be sure to also check all the hard disk associated settings in the BIOS/EUFI too, like AHCI/IDE mode.

[Dodgey]

Hey guys. So after getting a bit annoyed with my current laptop due to its complete lack of graphical capability I finally bit the bullet and bought my first tower from PC Case Gear.

When buying it I wasn't too concerned with getting top of the line because all I needed was an upgrade from my current set up that I could expand on in the future.

On to my question, what I want to know is on the scale of "why would you buy that" to "completly insane" where does my PC sit. Also once it arrives I'm thinking of putting some more ram into it and was looking for some advice as to what I should purchase.

Edited September 20, 2015 by Dodgey
Misc grammer

[Camacha]

That PC is not bad at all Decent quality components have been used and they are nicely balanced against each other. As far as ready-builts go, it always tends to be much, much worse. This is actually a nice and potent system. Whether the price is good depends on the local market and availability, but knowing that Australia tends to be on the more expensive side when it comes to hardware, it seems to be a pretty decent deal. You surely did not get ripped off there and I think it actually is a fair price for a turn key system.

Personally, I would have opted for a full size motherboard for more flexibility and I would certainly add a decent after market cooler (if only for the noise), but those are rather minor things and could be chalked up to personal preference. Others are bound to disagree and tell you that after market coolers are worthless if you are not going to overclock Adding more RAM should not be necessary for the near future, but since prices are almost at an all time low for DDR3, you might consider investing a little. Prices are bound to go up again and that will likely happen sooner than later. Almost any DDR3 RAM should suffice, though it never hurts to research compatibility with your motherboard and already present RAM. If what you buy is on the QVL or does not turn up any dodgy Google results you should be good.

Ya dun good

Edited September 20, 2015 by Camacha

[Dodgey]

Sweet thanks. Considering what you said about ram prices I think that I might go all out and get two 8gb sticks to bump it up to 24gb. Or is there a cap at 16. I'm thinking that if I buy it now it will last me for quite a while.

Edit:

Ok so an unexpected problem has arisen. As I said my current set p consists of a laptop which connects to the internet via WIFI. To a modem in a completely different part of the house to my office. Running an Ethernet cable across the house and my office doesn't have a phone line connected to it. This basically leaves me with the only option being wireless. Does anybody have any advice on how to set this up with my new computer?

Edited September 21, 2015 by Dodgey

[Camacha]

Sweet thanks. Considering what you said about ram prices I think that I might go all out and get two 8gb sticks to bump it up to 24gb. Or is there a cap at 16.

Do consider that 8 GB is plenty for even enthusiast people and 16 GB even for people that do some really tricky stuff. Having more makes sense if you do simulations, serious video-editing, run VM's or do other advanced stuff. On the other hand, having more RAM is unlikely to hurt anything, so why not? If the builder website is accurate regarding the motherboard, it supports up to 64 GB. No way you are going to fill that up

Edit:

Ok so an unexpected problem has arisen. As I said my current set p consists of a laptop which connects to the internet via WIFI. To a modem in a completely different part of the house to my office. Running an Ethernet cable across the house and my office doesn't have a phone line connected to it. This basically leaves me with the only option being wireless. Does anybody have any advice on how to set this up with my new computer?

If you want a stable, reliable and fast connection, getting a cable is by far the best option. Sending your stuff through air is convenient, but a compromise in a lot of ways. Cables win out almost every time, unless you use a shoddy quality cable over a long distance. Get a good, properly made cable and your experience will be superior to anything else.

Depending on your technological inclination, you might consider ethernet over power. It is not very complicated, but has some ifs and buts that need to be taken into account. With ethernet over power you make use of your existing power infrastructure via your power outlets, removing the need to pull cables. Not as good as a dedicated cable, but better than wireless communications. If running cables is really not an option, I would recommend looking seriously into this.

When that absolutely, positively is not an option, you need to go wireless. There are different approaches, but some are obviously better than others. The best option is to get a card that you put in the computer yourself (or have it put in, if that has your fancy). This is where the compact size of the motherboard starts hurting a bit, because you obscure part of the air intake of your video card. I would probably opt for a as compact as possible PCI-E 1x card with a modern wireless standard (ac or at least n). That can be a relatively small card with high performance. Do not buy a cheap toy, just something reasonable without going overboard. Depending on the placement of your PC, you could consider a card with a wired antenna. That way you can optimize reception a little bit.

Another option is to buy a PCI card.The downside is that this is older technology and would likely be a larger card. The plus side is that the slot is furthest away from your GPU.

A final option is getting a USB-wireless stick or dongle. This is the most convenient option, but more of a temporary solution than a permanent one.

Edited September 21, 2015 by Camacha

[Dodgey]

Alright sweet, thanks for the help!

[Camacha]

Has anyone here toyed with virtual machines? I always felt they were a bit boring and dry, but now that I have seen how they are deployed in real life situations, I am coming around. The ability of running a full network of devices on one machine is pretty cool, though whether it actually is an improvement very much depends on the circumstances and goals. To toy around with things and get a feeling for their inner working it is pretty amazing though. As long as you can keep a mental track of what you are actually doing (or draw a map), the sky is the limit.

Right now I have downloaded a series of Microsoft evaluation copies, which is a pretty good to get your hands on expensive licensed software for free without breaking any laws. If you have Windows Pro or Ultimate, Hyper-V is free too. If you have an extra disk to run software from, the stand-alone version of Hyper-V could even be had for free.

[steve_v]

Not on Windows, but VirtualBox + VDE2 virtual networking is pretty cool. Extremely useful for testing server/device configurations before trying it on a real network too.

Mostly I use the VMs for antiquated software that e.g. only runs on Win9X, sandboxing, or just plain playing with unusual operating systems.

Often the easiest way to replace <dead/obsolete hardware> running <indispensable app> is simply to virtualise it - then you get virtual networking, host firewalling, snapshots etc. for free too. In this case the host can be minimal, invisible, and in most cases nobody even notices.

I did hear that current versions of Windows have a hypervisor, but I've never actually used it. Meh, Windows is boring.

Edited September 26, 2015 by steve_v