Official Mobafire PC thread

[quote=Searz][quote=Luther3000]I think I'd rather stick with Nvidia if possible because I've always had Nvidia cards and I understand a bit more about them. I heard several people saying the GTX 970 is one of the best value cards in terms of performance for price. I don't know shit about AMD.[/quote] There is almost no reason for you to pick Nvidia. Don't be scared of new brands. All you need to know is whether the tech is good. The only real advantages of an Nvidia card right now is lower power-draw and native NVENC support in OBS. There's a fork of OBS with support for AMD's equivalent, which likely has similar functionality, but I haven't tried it myself since I have an Nvidia card right now. (these are encoders are for recording/streaming games) But you know what AMD has over Nvidia? [b]FreeSync[/b]. And that's a pretty big advantage. I'd go AMD if I were you, and since I'm currently sitting on an Nvidia card I should be immune to bullshit accusations of fanboyism. Now let's talk parts. Vynertje's list is pretty much spot on aside from two things. HDD and case. It's much more cost-effective to go for a larger HDD than 1TB. For little more than twice the money you get FOUR times the storage space. I'd recommend Seagate's 4TB 5900RPM drive. The lower RPM (Revolutions Per Minute) means lower noise, power-draw and heat, usually with the negative of lower performance, but according to the data I've found ([url=http://www.storagereview.com/seagate_desktop_hdd15_review_st4000dm000]source 1[/url], [url=http://www.overclock.net/t/1297633/wd10ezex-review-wd-blue-1tb-single-platter-drive]source 2[/url]) they seem extremely similar, with the latency somehow being lower on the drive that spins slower. Makes little sense, but I guess WD messed up somewhere in the firmware or construction of their 1TB drives. [url=https://www.backblaze.com/blog/hard-drive-reliability-q3-2015/]Seagate's 4TB drives have also been proven to be extremely reliable[/url], and while I don't doubt WD's 1TB drives, no such data exists for them. As for cases: it makes little sense to pick anything other than Fractal Design Define R5 unless you want a small PC case. It's extremely modular, with great airflow and lots of space where it matters, for routing cables and the like. All the HDD and 5.25" cages are removable. I'd recommend removing the 5.25" cage (assuming you have no use for DVD/CD readers; it's the top cage) and the middle HDD cage. Just use the bottom cage (where you can fit 3 drives). This will improve airflow and reduce weight. You can also put your SSD behind the motherboard plate if you wanna further improve airflow. I'd also like to present some options for your screen. Dell U2515H is a great 60Hz screen, but if you're getting an AMD GPU you probably wanna go for a FreeSync screen. The good options here also have 144Hz, allowing for smoother gaming (mainly noticeable in FPS and action games). Sadly there's no cheap IPS screen with support for it, but for 200£ more you can find two 27" 1440P 144Hz IPS screens. I know the Asus screen maxes out at 90Hz if you turn FreeSync on, I'm not sure about Acer's screen, but they are using the same panel, so it's probably the same. AOC G2460PF is also a good option. "Only" 1080p and TN-panel (not IPS), so worse colors, but it has FreeSync all the way up to 144Hz and it's cheap. Here's the retooled list: [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/k3kcJx]PCPartPicker part list[/url] / [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/k3kcJx/by_merchant/]Price breakdown by merchant[/url] [b]CPU:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80662i56600]Intel Core i5-6600 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor[/url] (£155.00 @ Amazon UK) [b]CPU Cooler:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2]Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler[/url] (£24.89 @ Aria PC) [b]Motherboard:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-h170progaming]Asus H170 PRO GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard[/url] (£107.29 @ More Computers) [b]Memory:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cmk16gx4m2a2666c16]Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory[/url] (£77.99 @ Ebuyer) [b]Storage:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz75e250bam]Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive[/url] (£55.71 @ Amazon UK) [b]Storage:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st4000dm000]Seagate Desktop HDD 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive[/url] (£97.98 @ Aria PC) [b]Video Card:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-video-card-r9390gaming8g]MSI Radeon R9 390 8GB Video Card[/url] (£264.97 @ Aria PC) [b]Case:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/fractal-design-case-fdcadefr5bk]Fractal Design Define R5 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case[/url] (£77.95 @ Aria PC) [b]Power Supply:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cs550m]Corsair CSM 550W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply[/url] (£64.99 @ Aria PC) [b]Monitor:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/dell-monitor-u2515h]Dell U2515H 60Hz 25.0" Monitor[/url] (£245.99 @ Aria PC) [b]Monitor:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-monitor-mg279q]Asus MG279Q 144Hz 27.0" Monitor[/url] (£455.99 @ Amazon UK) [b]Monitor:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/aoc-monitor-g2460pf]AOC G2460PF 144Hz 24.0" Monitor[/url] (£187.14 @ Aria PC) [b]Monitor:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/acer-monitor-xf270hu]Acer XF270HU 144Hz 27.0" Monitor[/url] (£459.99 @ Ebuyer) [b]Keyboard:[/b] [url=http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-keyboard-ch9000088na]Corsair STRAFE Wired Gaming Keyboard[/url] (£99.78 @ Amazon UK) [b]Total:[/b] £1214 to £1487 (depending on screen choice)[/quote]

[quote=Vynertje]Already replied to your comment before you removed and edited it. I don't think Fractal R5 is 'the only case to go', there are many other great options that offer just as great features besides the silence part. Also, the 'great airflow' part is perhaps not incorrect, but it cools much worse than the Enthoo Pro: tests I looked at show the temperatures are about 5 degrees higher than the Pro. The Pro with case fans at 7v cools better than the R5's at 12v, with about equal noise levels (35.9 vs 37 in favour of the R5). Source: http://nl.hardware.info/reviews/5749/fractal-design-define-r5-review-verfijning (Dutch, no English version available)[/quote]

[quote=Foxy Riven]So I'm having a dilemma. My 5 year old hp pavillion dv6 6120SB's cooling fan is rattling all the time. Opened it up, cleaned the fan and fixed it. Back to 100 fps. After one week, back to an even worse rattle, it's hardly cooling my laptop anymore. Playing league on 9-28 fps. Should I buy a new cooling fan, and hope it'll be fixed for another year, or should I just buy a new laptop? (My shifts gave up working some time ago as well at the same time, any ideas on that? Sticky keys ain't the problem.)[/quote]

[quote=Vynertje]Not sure if it's possible or easy to replace a laptop fan, but if it's possible to begin with it shouldn't be expensive. I wouldn't replace your laptop if you're able to fix it and if it runs fine otherwise, possibly install a SSD and wait for a year or two more.[/quote]

[quote=Searz][quote=Vynertje]The Enthoo Pro has pretty much the same features as the Define R5, but I think has an easier build process, amazing cable management options and has a PWM fan hub, which IMO is the best feature I've seen in cases so far.[/quote] Just no. Enthoo Pro isn't actually all that good, and I have proper reasoning to back that statement up. Inefficient choice of front-fan. The sides of the 200mm fan in Enthoos front are blocked, reducing effective airflow. It [b]could[/b] have acoustical negatives too, since it reduces the area over which air flows, but I'm not sure I'm qualified enough in the matter to make such claims. PSU/cable covers have zero practical benefit, in fact, they actually have a negative impact on airflow, while adding unnecessarily to weight. Four 5.25" slots. This is simply a waste of space for 99% of users. Most people use ONE 5.25" drive, if any at all. Wasting space on such slots is bad. Enthoo Pro has far more rigid parts (non-removable) parts along with pointless fluff like a PSU cover. This increases the size of the case, making it ~25% larger than Define R5 with no real benefit. The [b]only[/b] practical benefit of Enthoo Pro is the PWM fan controller. But the motherboard you recommended him has like 7 PWM fan slots anyway, so that advantage is kind of moot. [color=#ff0000]In short: the name of the game when it comes to Enthoo Pro is [b]inefficiency[/b][/color]. You've made a lot of good recommendations, but Enthoo Pro is not one of them. Please stop recommending it.[/quote]

[quote=Embracing]i'm not sure about ur laptop model but i can replace my laptop fan for my msi ge60[/quote]

[quote=Vynertje]I know you don't like the case but test results and professional reviews speak differently. Cooling on the Enthoo Pro (as my source demonstrates) is excellent. I've built in both the Enthoo Luxe (shares the same frame as the Pro) and the Define series and both have been the easiest builds I've ever had, but the Phanteks is clearly at #1. The PSU cover is indeed practically useless but it looks nice and makes nice and tidy cable management even easier than it already is (edit; not to forget that you can remove it). And by the way, there's 'only' space for 3 5.25" devices (the 'fourth' is the cover for front i/o), which doesn't really hurt anyway because the case is incredibly spacious. It is indeed larger (57,6L vs 69,2L), but you're making it look like that's your only grudge against it. And of course they tested it with stock fans, that's how you get the case and that creates the best testing environment. Of course, they can add another GP-140 (about 20€ incl. mailing) but that'd make the case about 50% more expensive than the Pro (in NL), which you could use to buy premium fans instead and again make it just as quiet/effectively cooling). Plus, according to your logic that 200mm fan should be restricted to begin with. Finally, the difference between a 200mm and 140mm fan does not make a 5 degree difference. I'm sure you've seen all the positive professional reviews and user experiences. Does that make it a bad recommendation? I highly respect your opinion but it feels like you're just holding a grudge against that case.[/quote]

[quote=Vynertje]The test was apples-to-apples, so the results are comparable - simple as that. You're comparing two different things (one with extra investment and the other without). Removing drive and ODD cages are possible on both cages (albeit a bit more work on the Pro) so that would even out again. According to [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OmkmluAYAQ]this[/url] video the difference between 2 and three fans is very little. 60/79 to 58/77, so even if we'd test the FD with 3 fans the difference should still be in favour of the Pro.[/quote]

[quote=Searz][quote=Vynertje]Also, the 'great airflow' part is perhaps not incorrect, but it cools much worse than the Enthoo Pro: tests I looked at show the temperatures are about 5 degrees higher than the Pro. The Pro with case fans at 7v cools better than the R5's at 12v, with about equal noise levels (35.9 vs 37 in favour of the R5).[/quote] AHA, I knew there was something fishy with these numbers. You're flat out wrong here. You're mixing up the numbers for the 7V test with those of the 12V test. Hopefully by mistake, because if you're intentionally doing this then shame on you.. [color=#FF00FF]The actual noise level with fans at 7V is [b]30.9[/b] for Define R5 (vs 37 on Enthoo Pro).[/color] Pretty big error on your part there. [quote=Vynertje]According to [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OmkmluAYAQ]this[/url] video the difference between 2 and three fans is very little. 60/79 to 58/77[/quote] There are a plethora of variables that could affect the temperatures. The most important of which I think probably is the intake/exhaust airflow. Just doubling the airflow into the case obviously won't help much. In the case of Define R5 you'd have to take the exhaust fan in the back and mount it in the front, then add a fan that moves almost double the air in the back, while using the fan controller to under-volt the two front fans to 7V.[/quote]

[quote=Vynertje]No, you just didn't read. I said that the results for 7v on the Pro correspond with the results on 12v for the R5.[/quote]