This a good PC?

Zenn7 · Post by **Zenn7** » Sat Feb 18, 2017 1:17 am

My current pc is periodically rebooting and more recently just flat out shutting off. More recently, when shutting down, getting an error just before it shuts off about writing to memory (some long hex number).

When I'd made some efforts to troubleshoot this previously, it seemed that it was either Ram, Video or motherboard/CPU related. Unfortunately, I lack spare ram, video, motherboard, or CPU to swap parts and test this out.

So, I want to buy a new PC (this one is 3-4 years old; replaced hard drive twice, for same slowing down for bad spots issues). It's a CypberpowerPC, off the shelf model from Best Buy, low/medium end (think it was round $600, might have been on sale).

I would like a PC with reliable parts likely to last up to 5 years (things like probably not a generic power supply, make sure power supply is adequate for PC needs, sufficient cooling, etc - had issues with overheating before and I suspect once at least, insufficient power supply on other PCs).

I'd like to be able to play the current games on max/ultra settings, but not worried about being able to do that down the road - current games of interest for this purpose would be Total War:Warhammer (likely to buy soon), Dawn of War 3 (likely to buy when it comes out). Some games I currently own that are probably the newest/most demanding - Diablo 3+xpac, Heroes of M&M 7, Gal Civ 3, the new Master of Orion, Marvel Heroes 2016, Borderlands 2. Can't play on the highest settings on most of these games, but can do decent. Not a really high end, demanding requirement.

Sound is mostly going to be just headphones (nothing high end), wireless network not required (wired is, but most motherboards seem to have that covered with onboard).

Liquid cooling seems concerning to me - gathering it's not risky at all given the seeming popularity - but don't want to have to worry about maintenance?

I'd like to spend in the $1,000-1,200 range though (not a really big budget).

This one currently on President's Day sale at Cyberpower PC looked like a decent one (would need a different case so I can add a CD/DVD R/W) -
http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Pres ... _Special_I

Was wondering about opinions on how that might fair for my goals and what I might need to consider differently.

I just picked CyberpowerPC as they seem to get generally favorable reviews here and sound like a decent price point (as opposed to more high end options like Digital Storm).

Any thoughts/feedback are appreciated.

Alefroth · Post by **Alefroth** » Sat Feb 18, 2017 2:25 am

$1200 isn't a big budget?

For $1250 seems like you should be getting an i7. Looks like a lot of your games are RTS, which can be more CPU bound than shooters, 3rd person, etc. An i7 would give you an advantage there.

Looks like the liquid cooling is just an enclosed CPU cooler. No maintenance required.

iBuyPower is a pretty reasonable builder as well.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sat Feb 18, 2017 2:55 am

Whats in the old system? Might be some parts you could sell or something.

DOS=HIGH · Post by **DOS=HIGH** » Sat Feb 18, 2017 5:10 am

My quick perusal thinks the VR Ready Deal 1070 GTX is a better deal with some changes to get at the same price.
RAM & CPU are same
- Swap case to Corsair Carbide 300R for DVD
- switch to same motherboard as 1st deal for equal comparison
- switch to same 1060 video card
- switch to 750W Thermaltake SMART 80 Plus Bronze PSU - much better than 1st deal generic 650W Plus
- keep 128GB Intel M.2 SSD NVMe - better than the 1st deal
- switch 2nd HD to 1 TB WD Caviar Black - probably better than 1st deals unnamed 1 TB HD
everything else is the same

If you plan on overclocking I would spend the $10 on thermal compound.

Zenn7 · Post by **Zenn7** » Sat Feb 18, 2017 10:31 am

Alefroth wrote:$1200 isn't a big budget?

For $1250 seems like you should be getting an i7. Looks like a lot of your games are RTS, which can be more CPU bound than shooters, 3rd person, etc. An i7 would give you an advantage there.

Looks like the liquid cooling is just an enclosed CPU cooler. No maintenance required.

iBuyPower is a pretty reasonable builder as well.

Just my take - 900-1200 would be a more medium budget. Much below 900 is low end budget (for a gaming PC, I know you can get some sort of PC for $300-400, but that's not likely to be much of gaming PC for anything modern/coming out in the next few years, even given for the most part, I'm not into highly demanding games). Tend to think $1500+ would be high end.

Thanks - wasn't sure about the CPU cooler if that would require maintenance of some sort.

Daehawk - hard drive, DVD/CD (might just take and put it in the new PC if it doesn't come w/ one), off the cuff, not sure if video card is separate or on board (think separate), RAM. But the video and/or RAM may be defective and what is causing the problem with shutting down. Wouldn't want to sell parts I think could be defective.

DOS=HIGH wrote:My quick perusal thinks the VR Ready Deal 1070 GTX is a better deal with some changes to get at the same price.
RAM & CPU are same
- Swap case to Corsair Carbide 300R for DVD
- switch to same motherboard as 1st deal for equal comparison
- switch to same 1060 video card
- switch to 750W Thermaltake SMART 80 Plus Bronze PSU - much better than 1st deal generic 650W Plus
- keep 128GB Intel M.2 SSD NVMe - better than the 1st deal
- switch 2nd HD to 1 TB WD Caviar Black - probably better than 1st deals unnamed 1 TB HD
everything else is the same

If you plan on overclocking I would spend the $10 on thermal compound.

Not going to overclock for sure - my understanding is this would put added wear&tear on CPU, decreasing the lifespan. Not good if I want the PC to last for 5 years.
Otherwise, I think this is the same raw specs wise PC, but better quality parts, right?

DOS=HIGH · Post by **DOS=HIGH** » Sun Feb 19, 2017 12:39 pm

Zenn7 wrote:Otherwise, I think this is the same raw specs wise PC, but better quality parts, right?

Basically. It should also perform a little bit better. but most importantly using some unspecified parts for models that have shown to be reliable. I've ordered a Cyberpower with a cheap unspecified HD, that turned out to be a Toshiba, for secondary stuff that worked fine for the 4+ years I had it and I believe is still going 2 years later. I would of definitely chosen a WD Black over it for the same price. I don't think I'd ever buy a system where I didn't know what power supply I was getting, too many potential nightmares to be had with a crappy PS.

hitbyambulance · Post by **hitbyambulance** » Sun Feb 19, 2017 7:50 pm

this may be a common story to the PC builders here, but the thought of paying extra for a name-brand PSU was anathema to me up to the early 2000s... until the time where it became apparent that no-name PSUs were the most frequently failing part of my PC. (even since then, i've had name-brand ones fail, but at least they've all been covered under warranty.)

gameoverman · Post by **gameoverman** » Sun Feb 19, 2017 8:17 pm

Total War games and other games like that need CPU power, so you'll want an i5 at least, I don't think i7s really do anything for you in gaming. Something like video editing, yeah you want an i7. However, since this is a 'future proof' computer, you might want an i7 to stay ahead of the curve for as long as possible.

Still burning discs? Wow, that takes me back. I also would not skimp on the power supply, don't buy a ridiculously high wattage PSU but make sure what you do buy is as top of the line as you can afford. Liquid cooling is more an extra thing to tinker with, no one actually needs it. Same with overclocking. Don't waste money on an unlocked CPU or overclocking motherboard if you don't plan to overclock. Leave half your memory slots open for a future upgrade. If your chosen motherboard has 2 slots, put 1 stick of 8gb in there, if needed someday add another stick of 8gb. If it has 4 slots, put 2 sticks of 4gb in there. If you can, pick a case based on it being known as a good design for cable management and airflow. Heat is the enemy of your components and a mass of cables dangling in your case interrupts airflow. Heat then builds up and the usable life of your components is shortened. Keep the cables out of the way and air flowing through your case and everything lasts longer. Those are my tips.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Sun Feb 19, 2017 8:39 pm

Ive had an i7 for years now. Hope it lasts.

As for PSU I recommend Corsair or the ones who make them for Corsair which is Seasonic. At least 700w.....think mine is 850w.

And I wouldn't worry about air flow so much.

Zenn7 · Post by **Zenn7** » Sun Feb 19, 2017 10:40 pm

gameoverman wrote:Total War games and other games like that need CPU power, so you'll want an i5 at least, I don't think i7s really do anything for you in gaming. Something like video editing, yeah you want an i7. However, since this is a 'future proof' computer, you might want an i7 to stay ahead of the curve for as long as possible.

Still burning discs? Wow, that takes me back. I also would not skimp on the power supply, don't buy a ridiculously high wattage PSU but make sure what you do buy is as top of the line as you can afford. Liquid cooling is more an extra thing to tinker with, no one actually needs it. Same with overclocking. Don't waste money on an unlocked CPU or overclocking motherboard if you don't plan to overclock. Leave half your memory slots open for a future upgrade. If your chosen motherboard has 2 slots, put 1 stick of 8gb in there, if needed someday add another stick of 8gb. If it has 4 slots, put 2 sticks of 4gb in there. If you can, pick a case based on it being known as a good design for cable management and airflow. Heat is the enemy of your components and a mass of cables dangling in your case interrupts airflow. Heat then builds up and the usable life of your components is shortened. Keep the cables out of the way and air flowing through your case and everything lasts longer. Those are my tips.

Not too worried about future proofing. just wanted to get somewhat current for now. My current system runs all the games I currently play adequately. I'm not super-big on RTS or Totalwar games, but Dawn of War series is cool and Totalwar - Warhammer? Um... it's Warhammer, who wouldn't find that cool?

For reference, this is my current specs:
AMD FX -6300 6 core processor
8 GB RAM
AMD Radeon R7 200 Series graphics

New system will be significant CPU/Graphics upgrade.

Giles Habibula · Post by **Giles Habibula** » Mon Feb 20, 2017 9:31 pm

A few months ago, I picked up an Alienware Aurora R5, which I guess is a mid to upper end rig. It's a bit above your price range at $1500, but I've been extremely pleased with it, and the best part was that I didn't have to add a damn thing to get an ace gaming rig. Just set it up and go.

Actually, the one I got was this one from Best Buy, but the Amazon buy has a bigger hard drive for roughly the same price.

Specs:

core i7 6700
16 GB ram
gtx 1070 w/ 8 GB
256 GB SSD
1 TB HDD

Zenn7 · Post by **Zenn7** » Mon Feb 20, 2017 9:50 pm

Giles Habibula wrote:A few months ago, I picked up an Alienware Aurora R5, which I guess is a mid to upper end rig. It's a bit above your price range at $1500, but I've been extremely pleased with it, and the best part was that I didn't have to add a damn thing to get an ace gaming rig. Just set it up and go.

Actually, the one I got was this one from Best Buy, but the Amazon buy has a bigger hard drive for roughly the same price.

Specs:

core i7 6700
16 GB ram
gtx 1070 w/ 8 GB
256 GB SSD
1 TB HDD

I was all set to buy the other one... now... decisions... I can live with the 1 TB from Best Buy (plus I have BB card, and their reward program, can either finance for 0% apr and not have so much out up front or take more rewards).

But I wonder about the power supply. Reviews on BB's site said the fan was very loud (probably not louder than what I have when it rev's up I'm guessing, more a problem for my wife (PC is in the living room) than me (head phones, not the best hearing anyway...). That being one of the key components from the first build listed as needing to make sure is a solid item for long term use makes this a question. (Well, that and do I really want to go up to $1500 - and at that point, could I do just as well at Cyberpowerpc as this).

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Mon Feb 20, 2017 11:05 pm

If you are going to reuse parts like a case and stuff look what you can get for $800

HERE are 5 top rated gaming PCs for $500.

$1000 MSI pc

$950 Dell

For $1250 I took a Cyberpower and tweaked it a bit for ya. Id add a Sound Blaster Z myself instead of onboard but thats another $150 and you can buy that from Newegg for like $70

http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/system/Syber_M_Pro_200

EDIT: Tahts strange..my Cyberpower link is showing the pc before I tweaked it....Anyways I changed the PSU to a Corsair 750w CX......changed from liguid cooling cpu to a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO air cooler....this below is my changed specs...

Operating System: Windows 10 Home (64-bit Edition)
Presidents Day Featured Promotions: None
Gaming Chassis: Syber M ATX Mid-Tower Gaming Case w/ USB 3.0, & Side-Panel Window
Laser Engraving: None
Lighting: None
Extra Case Fans: Default case fans
Noise Reduction Technology: None
CPU: Intel® Core™ Processor i5-7600K 3.80GHZ 6MB Intel Smart Cache LGA1151 (Kaby Lake)
Performance Tuning Protection Plan by Intel: None
Venom Boost Fast And Efficient Factory Overclocking: No Overclocking
CPU / Processor Cooling Fan: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler w/ PWM fan - Efficient Cooling Performance
Coolant for Cyberpower Xtreme Hydro Water Cooling Kits: None
Motherboard: ASUS TUF Z270 MARK 2 ATX w/ USB 3.1, 3 PCIe x16, 3 PCIe x1, 6 SATA3, 2 M.2 SATA/PCIe [Intel Optane Ready]
RAM / System Memory: 8GB (4GBx2) DDR4/3000MHz Dual Channel Memory (Patriot Viper Elite)
Video Card: GeForce® GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5 (Pascal)[VR Ready] (Single Card)
Sli Bridge: None
EVGA Power: None
HTC VIVE Virtual reality Headset: None
Freebies: None
Video Capture Card: None
Power Supply: 750 Watts - Corsair CX750M CX Series Modular 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
M.2 SSD: None
INTERNAL PCI-E SSD CARD: None
Hard Drive: 240GB SanDisk Z410 SSD + 2TB SATA III Hard Drive Combo (Combo Drive)
Secondary Hard Drive: None
External Storage: None
Optical Drive: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)
Optical Drive 2: None
External Optical Drive: None
WiDi Router: None
Internal Wireless Network Card: None
Sound: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
LCD Monitor: None
Cables: None
Speakers: None
Internal Network Card: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
Keyboard: None
Mouse: CyberpowerPC Standard 4000 DPI with Weight System Optical Gaming Mouse
Mouse Pad: None
Headset: None
Controllers: None
Gaming Apparel: None
Gaming Gear: None
Fan Controller/Temperature Display: None
Internal USB Expansion Module: None
External Wireless Network Card: None
Wireless Routers/Hubs: None
Docking Station: None
Bluetooth: None
Flash Media Reader/Writer: None
Video Camera: None
Power & Surge Protection: None
USB Hub & Port: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
External USB ADAPTER: None
TV Tuner Card: None
Security Software: None
Professional Wiring: None
Ultra Care Option: None
Warranty: STANDARD WARRANTY: 1 Year Parts WARRANTY
Service: 3 Years FREE Service Plan (INCLUDES LABOR AND LIFETIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT)
Rush Service: Standard processing time: ship within 5 to 10 Business Days

Zenn7 · Post by **Zenn7** » Tue Feb 21, 2017 12:30 am

This is what I get following DOS=HIGH's suggestion:

Operating System: Windows 10 Home (64-bit Edition)
Presidents Day Featured Promotions: CyberPowerPC AULA Explosive 50mm Drive Analog Gaming Headset [White & Orange]
Gaming Chassis: Corsair Carbide 300R w/ USB 3.0
Laser Engraving: None
Lighting: None
Extra Case Fans: Default case fans
Noise Reduction Technology: None
CPU: Intel® Core™ Processor i5-7600K 3.80GHZ 6MB Intel Smart Cache LGA1151 (Kaby Lake)
Performance Tuning Protection Plan by Intel: None
Venom Boost Fast And Efficient Factory Overclocking: No Overclocking
CPU / Processor Cooling Fan: Asetek 550LC 120mm Liquid Cooling CPU Cooler - Extreme Cooling Performance (Single Standard 120MM Fan)
Coolant for Cyberpower Xtreme Hydro Water Cooling Kits: None
Motherboard: ASUS TUF Z270 MARK 2 ATX w/ USB 3.1, 3 PCIe x16, 3 PCIe x1, 6 SATA3, 2 M.2 SATA/PCIe [Intel Optane Ready]
RAM / System Memory: 16GB (4GBx4) DDR4/3000MHz Dual Channel Memory (Patriot Viper Elite)
Video Card: GeForce® GTX 1060 6GB GDDR5 (Pascal)[VR Ready] (Single Card)
Sli Bridge: None
EVGA Power: None
HTC VIVE Virtual reality Headset: None
Freebies: None
Video Capture Card: None
Power Supply: 750 Watts - Thermaltake SMART Series SP-750PCBUS 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
M.2 SSD: 128GB Intel® SSD 600p Series PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD - 1800MB/s Read & 560MB/s Write (Single Drive)
INTERNAL PCI-E SSD CARD: None
Hard Drive: 1TB Western Digital Caviar Black SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 7200 RPM HDD (Single Drive)
Secondary Hard Drive: None
Hard Drive Cooling Fan: None
External Storage: None
Optical Drive: ASUS 24X Internal multi DVD-Writer / 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R (BLACK COLOR)
Optical Drive 2: None
External Optical Drive: None
WiDi Router: None
Internal Wireless Network Card: None
Sound: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
LCD Monitor: None
Cables: None
Speakers: None
Internal Network Card: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
Keyboard: AZZA Multimedia USB Gaming Keyboard
Mouse: CyberpowerPC Standard 4000 DPI with Weight System Optical Gaming Mouse
Mouse Pad: None
Headset: None
Gaming Apparel: None
Gaming Gear: None
Fan Controller/Temperature Display: None
Internal USB Expansion Module: None
External Wireless Network Card: None
Wireless Routers/Hubs: None
Docking Station: None
Bluetooth: None
Flash Media Reader/Writer: None
Video Camera: None
Power & Surge Protection: None
USB Hub & Port: Built-in USB 2.0 Ports
External USB ADAPTER: None
TV Tuner Card: None
Security Software: None
Professional Wiring: None
Ultra Care Option: None
Warranty: STANDARD WARRANTY: 1 Year Parts WARRANTY
Service: 3 Years FREE Service Plan (INCLUDES LABOR AND LIFETIME TECHNICAL SUPPORT)
Rush Service: Standard processing time: ship within 5 to 10 Business Days

$1261 ($5 is for a headset deal on a decent looking $29 headset - go through headsets somewhat frequently from cords getting yanked and such til head set no longer works in one ear or something - tends to make more/cheaper a better deal considering significantly more expensive ones do not last significantly longer).

- Different case (not sure there's a significant practical difference?)

- 16GB here vs 8 GB on yours (same brand/speed, clear win for now, but 16 uses 4 slots, 8 is only 2, 2 slots for future expansion if I wanted more than 16 gb down the road)

- 128GB NVMe M.2 SSD drive and separate 1 TB WD Caviar Black HDD here vs 240GB Sandisk + 2 TB combo drive - no idea from a name/quality how the SSD's compare, just the obvious 240GB on yours is bigger. For the HDD, your 2 TB is bigger, but pretty sure WD is a solid brand name for HD and the Black is a more premium line (longer estimated (warrantied?) life).

- Thermaltake PS vs Corsair - gathering these are both decent name, but assuming by the price Corsair is better (or at least more premium name brand if not better quality) - is the price difference worth it?

I can appreciate and place some value obvious spec differences (more RAM, larger SDD/HDD) - but not name/quality differences. Not that familiar w/ company brands/names for most parts (don't usually buy parts much other than replacement HDD when one fails and in older days, RAM).

Zenn7 · Post by **Zenn7** » Tue Feb 21, 2017 12:39 am

Using the "today only" code PRESIDENTS gives me a 5% discount at CyberpowerPC. Makes this $1261 down to $1197.95. Free shipping too.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue Feb 21, 2017 1:01 am

The ssd is a SanDisk . Good brand. Samsung is better but would add about $150 I think it was plus would still need a mechanical hard drive or a second ssd. Im guessing the second HD would be SanDisk too since its a combo but then again Ive never heard of a mechanical SanDisk hd. The type of SSD he choose is a faster type and fits in a small slot usually between the PCI slots. Its like a thin long little card. Just be sure the MOBO supports the NVMe format. And lastly on ram I trust only two brands these days..Patriot and my favorite G-Skill.

As for case its all cosmetic and personal preference unless you are building it yourself then you might want to take into account cable management and PSU placement along with LED lighting and such.

I cant personally comment on Thermaltake PSU. I have other products from them that have been great and they are a big name. I can say Corsair PSUs have always been great and gotten great reviews. Theres a guy online that all he does is PSU reviews and testing but I cant remember his site now sorry. Maybe you can find it. Ive had two Corsair PSUs. The first one still works but I got a second for more power. Its has ran 24/7 for at least 6 years.

As for ram if you have 2x4g and 2 free slots its running dual channel and you would really only want the same thing again if you got more so another 2x4g to run quad channel. If you think you'll need more than 16g you might as well start with 16g in 2x8g that way you still have 2 free slots for another pair of the same to get to 32g. Not like the old days where you just throw any missmatched stuff in there. I mean you can do it usually but it will have all ram run at the slowest rams speed.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue Feb 21, 2017 1:18 am

Just for reference I build all my own systems and have since 1994 or 1995. I have not done a full rebuild since 2013 or so and I upgrade parts as needed. You can tell by my parts its been a while but as I can run all games maxed out I feel as though Im still good for now.

CPU - Intel i7 2600k (Thermaltake SpinQ air cooler. Has run for about 8 years 24/7)
RAM - 4x4g G-Skill RipJaws DDR3 1600
SOUND - Sound Blaster Z (yes a dedicated sound card is still better)
VIDEO - EVGA Nvidia GTX 770 SC ACX
MOBO - ASUS P8P67 Deluxe LGA 1155
OS HD - Samsung 850 EVO SSD 250g
GAME HD - Samsung 850 EVO SSD 500g (could not afford a 1tb ssd)
PSU - Corsair HX850 modular crossfire ready 80 PLUS Gold certified
CASE - Cooler Master Storm Scout 1
MONITOR - ASUS MX299Q 29" 2560x1080

Zenn7 · Post by **Zenn7** » Tue Feb 21, 2017 1:25 am

Daehawk wrote:The ssd is a SanDisk . Good brand. Samsung is better but would add about $150 I think it was plus would still need a mechanical hard drive or a second ssd. Im guessing the second HD would be SanDisk too since its a combo but then again Ive never heard of a mechanical SanDisk hd. The type of SSD he choose is a faster type and fits in a small slot usually between the PCI slots. Its like a thin long little card. Just be sure the MOBO supports the NVMe format. And lastly on ram I trust only two brands these days..Patriot and my favorite G-Skill.

As for case its all cosmetic and personal preference unless you are building it yourself then you might want to take into account cable management and PSU placement along with LED lighting and such.

I cant personally comment on Thermaltake PSU. I have other products from them that have been great and they are a big name. I can say Corsair PSUs have always been great and gotten great reviews. Theres a guy online that all he does is PSU reviews and testing but I cant remember his site now sorry. Maybe you can find it. Ive had two Corsair PSUs. The first one still works but I got a second for more power. Its has ran 24/7 for at least 6 years.

As for ram if you have 2x4g and 2 free slots its running dual channel and you would really only want the same thing again if you got more so another 2x4g to run quad channel. If you think you'll need more than 16g you might as well start with 16g in 2x8g that way you still have 2 free slots for another pair of the same to get to 32g. Not like the old days where you just throw any missmatched stuff in there. I mean you can do it usually but it will have all ram run at the slowest rams speed.

Would sort of hope CyberpowerPC's custom build site wouldn't let you buy a SSD that the MOBO didn't support?!? (It would be a serious drawback to their site if they let you custom build things that flat out are not functional like this).

I don't imagine I'd likely need to upgrade over 16 GB in 3-5 years. Have 8 GB currently and it seems to be plenty adequate. I kind of recall that same speed/size for all slots was not necessarily a requirement, but resulted in more efficient RAM usage.

On the whole, sounds like quality is more or less equal between the two, comes down to do I want more RAM or more SSD/HDD space. 1 TB is sufficient for HDD, but 128GB will go by FAST on SSD... (granted, 240 probably will too, but still, slightly less fast).

Either way, think I'm liking this better than the Best Buy PC (that one just makes me nervous on long term life/quality).

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue Feb 21, 2017 1:29 am

I pretty much dislike BB for anything.

For an example....I installed my 250gb SSD for Win 7 only 3 years ago. It is showing 153gb free of 232gb. But it of course has a bunch of software I use to help out..Firefox, ccleaner, defraggler for my mechanical drives (forgot I have 2 tb in mechanical drives as storage), and all kinds of other little apps.

Zenn7 · Post by **Zenn7** » Tue Feb 21, 2017 1:30 am

Daehawk wrote:SOUND - Sound Blaster Z (yes a dedicated sound card is still better)

Second time you mentioned dedicated sound card - is that for overall performance, or just better sound quality?

I listen through headphones something like 98% of the time, and not high quality head phones, so high quality sound card would mostly be wasted on me (drawback of having PC in the living room w/ wife behind me watching TV - our dream house will have a dedicated computer room, and at least 2 bathrooms (1 bathroom for 3 people equals some serious unhappiness at times...

.

Zenn7 · Post by **Zenn7** » Tue Feb 21, 2017 1:31 am

Daehawk wrote:I pretty much dislike BB for anything.

They were adequate for printer ink before we got the new printer recently (with automatic HP subscription ink). Esp since credit card bonus points let me get period BB gift cards.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue Feb 21, 2017 1:34 am

Both reasons. Less so on performance these days. Onboard will use cycles of your CPU but as far as Ive read its negligible. But theres a BIG difference in sound to me. Im a hard core gamer first and music lover next. I also wear headphones only. Have for about 9 years. My MOBO has the high end RealTek 7.1 on it and I did try it first but its muddy and a tad hissy and almost mono sounding. The SBZ card is crystal clear and sounds pretty amazing especially against onboard. Well worth the investment to me.

I have had 2 Brother laser printers. Never looked back at inkjets.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue Feb 21, 2017 1:37 am

OH! As for Cyberpower Ive never heard anything but good about them from other OO'rs who have used them.

Zenn7 · Post by **Zenn7** » Tue Feb 21, 2017 1:38 am

Daehawk wrote:OH! As for Cyberpower Ive never heard anything but good about them from other OO'rs who have used them.

Ditto. That's why I was starting there.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Tue Feb 21, 2017 1:50 am

Good luck with it all. Hope its all you could hope for in a gaming pc and more.

Let me know if you have any questions and Ill answer them if I can.

Zenn7 · Post by **Zenn7** » Tue Feb 21, 2017 2:21 am

Thanks Daehawk and everyone else for the feedback. I feel much more confident in this purchase than I otherwise would have! Still have my heart racing from spending $1200 but that's just me (buying our house nearly killed me - ran a red light that I didn't even notice the light (let alone that it was red) - fortunately no traffic so no accident/near miss, unfortunately, the police officer who happened to be near by noticed the light, the red and the me going through...).

I need to get to bed (up over an hour past time I try to get to bed every night) and had to decide tonight to take advantage of CyperpowerPC's president's day sale (which at a minimum was free shipping and 5% off the total order, think RAM got speed upgrade and CPU got a bump to a K designation, and $40 off the SSD - seems like I probably didn't want to pass this up - it's like buying a game on Steam... yeah, get it during the sale if you can...

.

So I went with the system DOS=HIGH recommended. Liked the 16GB RAM over more SSD/HDD. Though I almost upgraded the SSD to 512 GB for $85. That 5% discount shaved $60 off, would have made that a good deal. But considering my original target budget was max'd at $1200, and this got it to just in that range, passed on it.

Gotta get a new UPS next. Old one is a little flaky, once in a while has to be reset and doesn't always kick in when we lose power (happens too often here it seems like). Probably keep the old one for the cable modem/phone (phone is through cable, not a traditional land line, no power, no phone).

Zenn7 · Post by **Zenn7** » Thu Mar 16, 2017 12:30 am

PC arrived today! YAY! Worked from home to sign for it.

NVidia card doesn't work. No signal to monitor on boot up. Using onboard video, got it booted up, device manager shows ERROR CODE 43 for the Nvidia card. Chat with their tech support - try reseating card, if fails, move to another slot. Reseat does not help. When moving to another slot, the other 2 slots do not look the same. Different color and the slot outter frame looks smaller. Card looks like it would physically fit, but not confident these are the same kind of slot. Work was long day, and some stuff this evening, so their chat support was gone for the day by the time I got to figure all that out. Sent them an email.

Otherwise, the PC seems functional so far. Need to test DVD-RW and get printer hooked up. Beyond that, internet works, got Steam installed and installing a couple games. Guess I can see if they work tomorrow (past bed time now already).

Hope to heck I don't need to send this whole PC back...

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu Mar 16, 2017 2:09 am

error 43 can be a driver problem. I hope its not your card.

Download Display Driver Uninstaller and remove all drivers. Then run Ccleaner to clean the registry. Then install new driver for your card.

These two pages may help too.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/ins ... or-code-43

https://forums.geforce.com/default/topi ... 43-error-/

Hope you get it running.

Zenn7 · Post by **Zenn7** » Thu Mar 16, 2017 7:57 am

Thanks for the advice Daehawk.

I didn't try the extreme approach of the second option, but I did a basic download lastest driver, uninstall/reinstall. Got to see the driver was uninstalled (Error 14) then back to error 43.

Don't think it's the driver though - there is no signal on boot up, can't see the computer logo - hit setup bios options even. That's before Windows starts loading drivers. Pretty sure it's got to be the card or possibly the slot on the MB (card seems more likely culprit).

See what CyberpowerPC's tech support has to say. If they can't help, might try that second option anyway (may not help, but don't think it can hurt!)

TheMix · Post by **TheMix** » Thu Mar 16, 2017 9:26 am

"can't help"? On a brand new pc? They damn well better help. Ridiculous that an issue like that makes it out their door.

Punisher · Post by **Punisher** » Thu Mar 16, 2017 1:13 pm

sounds like card/slot issue. either way, I'd stop installing stuff and get this fixed under warranty. not sure what kind of warranty you have, but you might have to send the unit back..
Or, since this is brand new, see if they will cross ship a new PC to you.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu Mar 16, 2017 1:26 pm

Most likely they will try replacing the video card first then mobo and failing that a full pc return probably. This sucks.

Cylus Maxii · Post by **Cylus Maxii** » Thu Mar 16, 2017 3:12 pm

Stuff settles in shipping. Have you verified that the auxiliary PCI-E power (6/8 pin) is connected to the video card AND that any auxiliary power is connected to the MB? According to the online specs of that TUF Z720 motherboard it has both the normal 24-pin power connector and an 8-pin ATX power:

1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s)
1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)

Zenn7 · Post by **Zenn7** » Thu Mar 16, 2017 7:32 pm

Their next response was to try one of the other slots (w/ a photo). They said it should work in either slot. Hopefully they realize it won't fit in the bottom slot (not enough room above the power supply)...

Put it in the other slot it would fit in, still showing error code 43.

I reseated the power cable connector on the card itself. Have to find where the other end goes to reseat it. Traced it to where it goes behind a piece of frame, but didn't get farther last night. Will see if I can figure that out tonight after I let them know what I have found so far.

EDIT: duh... it goes to the power supply.

Zenn7 · Post by **Zenn7** » Thu Mar 16, 2017 8:07 pm

Cylus Maxii wrote:Stuff settles in shipping. Have you verified that the auxiliary PCI-E power (6/8 pin) is connected to the video card AND that any auxiliary power is connected to the MB? According to the online specs of that TUF Z720 motherboard it has both the normal 24-pin power connector and an 8-pin ATX power:

1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s)
1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)

The card has an 8 pin connector. It has to be plugged into the board to be recognized at all doesn't it? When I plugged the HDMI cable in and unplugged it, it tries to send signal to the monitor (according to the monitor). It just never works.

Zenn7 · Post by **Zenn7** » Thu Mar 16, 2017 8:29 pm

Their next response was to use DDU/clean/install latest driver and plug HDMI cable in to see if I get video. Trying that now...

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Thu Mar 16, 2017 8:32 pm

No old video card to slot and try?...Also it should post without a video card. Remember to disable onboard video when the card is in.

Zenn7 · Post by **Zenn7** » Thu Mar 16, 2017 8:59 pm

Daehawk wrote:No old video card to slot and try?...Also it should post without a video card. Remember to disable onboard video when the card is in.

No old video card. And yes, I thought it should post without video, had no POST error beeps or anything though. No picture at all on the monitor.

The onboard card is not disabled. That could be a problem, but hesitant to disable it and try because not sure how to re-enable it if that fails - I have no video to see by.

Cylus Maxii · Post by **Cylus Maxii** » Thu Mar 16, 2017 9:52 pm

Zenn7 wrote:
Cylus Maxii wrote:Stuff settles in shipping. Have you verified that the auxiliary PCI-E power (6/8 pin) is connected to the video card AND that any auxiliary power is connected to the MB? According to the online specs of that TUF Z720 motherboard it has both the normal 24-pin power connector and an 8-pin ATX power:

1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s)
1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)
The card has an 8 pin connector. It has to be plugged into the board to be recognized at all doesn't it? When I plugged the HDMI cable in and unplugged it, it tries to send signal to the monitor (according to the monitor). It just never works.

Yes, there is one that plugs into the video card. But have you also verified the (other) 8-pin 12v power cable that should be plugged into the motherboard itself (in addition to the big-ass 24-pin power connector.)

Zenn7 · Post by **Zenn7** » Thu Mar 16, 2017 10:00 pm

Cylus Maxii wrote:
Zenn7 wrote:
Cylus Maxii wrote:Stuff settles in shipping. Have you verified that the auxiliary PCI-E power (6/8 pin) is connected to the video card AND that any auxiliary power is connected to the MB? According to the online specs of that TUF Z720 motherboard it has both the normal 24-pin power connector and an 8-pin ATX power:

1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s)
1 x 8-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)
The card has an 8 pin connector. It has to be plugged into the board to be recognized at all doesn't it? When I plugged the HDMI cable in and unplugged it, it tries to send signal to the monitor (according to the monitor). It just never works.
Yes, there is one that plugs into the video card. But have you also verified the (other) 8-pin 12v power cable that should be plugged into the motherboard itself (in addition to the big-ass 24-pin power connector.)

I have not looked for MB connecting power cables. Will try that.

Thanks for all the advice peeps!