#1651
The VG248QE is ancient, G-Sync and FreeSync didn't exist back then, so unsurprisingly it doesn't support either.
You want 120/144Hz I guess? IPS does exist with those refresh rates, it's just much more expensive. Viewing angles aren't that important for a monitor indeed (TVs are a different story), but the main advantage of IPS is actually better colour reproduction. You're right about LB.
Adaptive Sync is part of the display port specification. Basically Adaptive Sync is what VESA calls it, FreeSync is what AMD calls it. On HDMI it would be called FreeSync every time, on DP call it whatever you want. I just call it FreeSync since that encompasses both HDMI and DP, but most monitor will only support it on DP and therefore have it listed in the features as Adaptive Sync. Ah yes, the joys of marketing.
At first FreeSync used to have a lower frequency range (e.g. 48-72Hz or 96-144Hz) but that's a thing of the past now. E.g. the AOC G2460PG and G2460PF (identical except for G-Sync and FreeSync) both do 30 to 144Hz. With G-Sync you also get ULMB, which is Lightboost except with nVidia's blessing, and the privilege to pay 100$ for a G-Sync chip. Since FreeSync does the same now and nVidia actually used Adaptive Sync on some laptops (100$ premium for G-Sync and they wouldn't have been able to compete in the market) they are really just milking it right now.

With your budget if you want G-/FreeSync you should probably go for an AMD card and FreeSync. The 100$ premium for G-Sync would make it very difficult. Also Intel will support Adaptive Sync and at some point nVidia has to follow suit and finally admit they could've supported it all along.

Regarding the VG248QE: As I mentioned it's really old. The BenQ XL2411Z got better colours, is newer and also offers more options for strobing (via the "BenQ Motion Blur Reduction Utility", marketing at it again).

The AOC G2460PF got Adaptive Sync and is a bit cheaper but I'm not sure if it supports Lightboost now with the newest drivers. The G2460PG (G-Sync) does and is almost identical, but it's far more expensive and probably not within your budget.

Generally though if you only want strobing I'd stick with the BenQ. Sure, Adaptive Sync would be a nice bonus but the for the colours and strobing options I think the BenQ is still the better choice.

There are RAM kits with 2x4GB. The DDR3 kits on logicalincrements are for builds with motherboards that only support DDR3, come on, I already wrote that.

Let's just figure out the monitor, then I'll make a rough partlist and in the week before you buy I'll adjust it for current prices/deals.

So IPS is a no, 120/144Hz is a yes and 1920x1080 and 24" are fine? Then it really just comes down to Adaptive Sync vs Strobing.

The G2460PF is temptingly cheaper, but based on everything you've said and I've read it seems like the BenQ XL2411Z is a better fit for me and worth the extra $. So let's go with that.

One other thing, if I want to be able to use both internet and wifi, I probably have to buy some sort of wireless adapter, right? How much would that run me if I want acceptable gaming speeds on wifi?

Thanks a ton for your help and offering to throw together a parts list. I'll probably be looking to buy first week of October.

i spent $10 on like a edimax wifi adapter and i get like the same ping

but i sit like across the room from my router i just didn't want to have a cord going from one end of the room to another

#1653
XL2411Z it is then.

First of all it's ethernet and wifi. You can get a connection to the internet with both.
Secondly do not use wifi if there's any way you can avoid it.
It will just lead to another opportunity for me to use this:

https://i.redditmedia.com/-A1-eFsp17pYJL63gL8Auy4JtQhvlcJAx-cDuJqMcoQ.jpg?w=576&s=b2634be88da410d2b8ba77864dba2241

The speed is not a problem. TF2 needs <500 kbit/s. The problem is latency. Your ping will be higher and it will fluctuate more, the more people use wifi in your area (doesn't have to be on your network), the worse it gets.
To answer your question: Yes you can get a wifi adapter for 10$, but I would not recommend wifi.

Anyway, rough partlist.
I thought about getting an i5-6600 and running integrated graphics and getting a GPU later, but since you might be playing on fairly high settings and the difference to an i3-6100 is only 10% i went with that as planned.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor ($110.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H170M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($66.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill NT Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($34.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 380X 4GB WINDFORCE 2X Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($42.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: BenQ XL2411Z 24.0" 144Hz Monitor ($269.00 @ B&H)
Total: $839.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-08 16:20 EDT-0400

There will be some minor changes for the final partlist, mostly waiting for a 380 to be on sale for 150$ again or you can stretch the budget a bit and get a 380X, only worth it if you'll other games though. If you think you'll need more than 250GB we can add an HDD, but you can also just get one later, once you start running out of space.

#1653
You can get a RX470 right now for around $170 if you want a better card. Sometimes the R9 380 goes on sale for less than $150 though so you could get that like Setsul said. 470 is about 20% more powerful than the 380x
https://jet.com/product/AMD-RADEON-RX-470-VIDEO-CARD/e63f1e7cb1b645c6ad7b36c9dba862e2 under $170 with code TRIPLE15

how does power draw compare? assuming 470 draws less?

#1656
The 380X was mostly a placeholder for whatever will be on sale in October. Maybe we'll see reasonable RX 470 prices become the norm. That would be nice.

#1657
Yes.

Looking for part suggestions on a hackintosh/dual OS build. Here's a list of parts that have confirmed compatibility with OS X.

Will be using the machine 75% of the time for audio processing on OS X, 25% video editing/photoshop on PC/OS X. Definitely want something designed for these uses, as I don't need it to run X modern game @ 100 fps on Max settings.

It's possible I'll be playing TF2 on it at some point, so if it could run TF2 well @ lowest settings, that would be good.

Budget is $2000. Already have monitor/peripherals sorted out

Parts need to be UK shipping friendly (Amazon UK, Newegg UK, etc). Any help is appreciated, thanks!

#1659
When are you going to build?

2000$ seems overkill.
Frankly I have no idea how much CPU/GPU power and RAM you'll need.
Rough estimate? Or just your current build and then that times x.

if ur going from mac to pc $2k is a drop in the bucket

btw hit me up if u want a $3000 paperweight (very pretty) :( rip 15" macbook has i7 2760QM turbos to 4.0 and 6770M but it's completely fucking dead

whenever it starts it gets like halfway up the restart bar and just stays there, last night i let it stay there for like the whole night and it didn't manage to boot up

any advice?

I'm planning to build as soon as I order the parts. So, now, more or less.

I am aware that $2000 is a lot. I want a beast.

I'd say 32GB RAM and a stronger CPU is more important than a strong GPU, especially for audio work. Also, I'll probably put $200-300 towards hard drives/SSD's.

#1662
You've got to give me something to work with here.
I have absolutely no idea if you'd benefit from Hyperthreading and/or more cores.
So still no idea what you'd define as "a stronger CPU". I don't even know what setup you're coming from, that would help too.

Right now an upgrade could be anything from a 100$ i3 up to an 1500$ Decacore for all I know.

I can just ask some preliminary questions.
Overclocking yes/no?
ECC yes/no?

Hey, my friend wants to build a pc and he isn't really all that sure what to get, I think he's mostly just gonna be playing tf2 / witcher / ow / csgo

his budget is like $1300-$1400, and he wants a 27" 144hz for sure, probably something nice and not a budget stripped out one.

http://pcpartpicker.com/list/Z3vt8K is his initial plan, but it'd be great if you could help him refine it and get the most out of his budget

#1664
Overclocking yes/no?
Any rendering? Otherwise drop the i7.
Monitor within that budget or extra?
27" or 24"?
Lightboost yes/no?
G-Sync/FreeSync yes/no?

Also fuck the 212 Evo.

hey, i think he wants to overclock, i think he wants an i7 but i'm really sure about ther easoning considering he doesn't render

he wants a 27" 144hz with lightboost and g/freesync and it would preferably be within the budget, he already has a mouse and keyboard

thanks!

#1666
Could you maybe ask what's up with the i7 then?

Resolution for the monitor?
IPS panel or is TN fine?
Definitely both Lightboost and G/FreeSync? There are plenty that support FreeSync, the problem is that most of them are not in the ToastyX strobing utility compatibility list so while I'm pretty sure that they could do LB he'd need to modify some files.
If he wants more options for strobing then the best bet would be the BenQ XL2730Z but then we're talking >500$.
Similar for prices G-Sync but at least they'll definitely support Lightboost.

What would be the maximum for build + monitor?

maximum for build + monitor is 1400

he says he prefers ips + 1440p but he's ok with 1080p with budgeting concerns but i think he's pretty fixated on both an i7 and ips, but at this point i'm trying to talk him out of the i5 so it'd be great to just have a build with an i5 considering nothing he does would require an i7

ideally it'd have both lightboost and g/freesync but under the cost of like say 350, so sacrificing some better features for the sake of cost is ok i guess

#1668
Yeah that is not happening.

27" and >120Hz and IPS means >500$. You'll get 1440p and FreeSync by default but it's still too expensive. G-Sync/guaranteed Lightboost we're looking at >750$.
K i7 + Z mobo + RAM + cooler are another 600$.

If he still wants a decent GPU (i7 and 1060 is already embarassing, but we'd have to go down even further) then it's 187% not happening on that budget.

Being willing to drop either Lightboost or G-/FreeSync or 1440p isn't enough. 27" isn't a problem, but either IPS or 120Hz will have to be sacrificed to the budget.
Or the i7 and/or overclocking.

shit, you're right, sorry for not being more informed

for the sake of budgeting then would i5 6600k + z mobo + cooler + 1060/70 (thoughts on worth it?) and then a 24" 144hz with lightboost / syncs fit into the budget?

#1670
For Witcher 3 I'd say a better GPU is worth it.

The problem is that there's basically no monitors that support FreeSync and Lightboost out of the box (the XL2730Z being the exception). So without doing weird stuff I'd say his options are:
Lightboost + G-Sync but only a 1060
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($227.88 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Ultimate 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170M Extreme4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($106.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Redline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($65.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($94.00 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 6GB G1 Gaming Video Card ($288.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($55.94 @ Amazon)
Monitor: AOC G2460PG 24.0" 144Hz Monitor ($350.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1353.23
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-15 17:40 EDT-0400

Freesync and a much better GPU, but probably no Lightboost (maybe he can make it work but there's no guarantee):
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($227.88 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Ultimate 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170M Extreme4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($106.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Redline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($65.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($94.00 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 Fury X 4GB Video Card ($389.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro M ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Rosewill 650W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Monitor: AOC G2460PF 24.0" 144Hz Monitor ($229.84 @ Amazon)
Total: $1340.14
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-15 17:42 EDT-0400
There's also a 27" version of that monitor.
http://pcpartpicker.com/product/Mf98TW/aoc-monitor-g2770pf

Or just Lightboost (rather the BenQ version which is a bit better) and a better GPU compared to the first option (so GPU wise the same as the second). Since he doesn't have to deal with the nVidia bullshit (we won't let anyone else use G-Sync but we will also block FreeSync in drivers) he could get any GPU he wants (e.g. 1070).
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($227.88 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Ultimate 76.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($46.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170M Extreme4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($106.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Redline 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($65.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($94.00 @ B&H)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($48.49 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 8GB G1 Gaming Video Card ($428.89 @ OutletPC)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($66.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 450W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($55.94 @ Amazon)
Monitor: BenQ XL2411Z 24.0" 144Hz Monitor ($249.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $1391.15
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-15 17:46 EDT-0400

thank you so much! i'll pass this on to him, thank you so much for making multiple builds weighted differently with gpu / monitor.

is it worth waiting on zen/new intel to buy or just for others to drop in price?

#1672
Give me an update please once he decides. Obviously if there's further questions I'll still answer those.

#1673
What are you looking for?
For the usual gaming needs (Quad core at most) not much is going to change. 200-300MHz bump for Kaby Lake, maybe slightly better overclockability, maybe not. Intel doesn't do price drops so the current CPUs won't get cheaper until shops are trying to clear stock. Really the only price will be indirectly, same performance with Kaby Lake should cost a little less than with Skylake.

Rendering or anything else that needs lots of cores? Yeah, wait for Zen. Skylake-X will probably just as ovepriced as the >4 Core CPUs from Intel have always been, but Zen should be interesting. Don't expect it to be faster, neither in clock speed nor in IPC, but if all goes well it should be somewhat close. Maybe 80-90% of Skylake-X. Considering that and the fact that Zen should be significantly cheaper to manufacture I'm confident that we'll finally see 8 Cores for less than a grand. Maybe around 500$ (obviously differently clocked version yadada). If the frequency wall rumours are true maybe even 6 Cores at 300$ and 4 Cores with SMT at 200$.

Hey, could somebody be kind enough to tell me if I did a good job picking components? I am building a pc for myself, I won't overclock it. Just to run latest games at a decent frame rate. Would you change anything? (as long as it doesn't cost too much, im on the limit). Thanks

http://i.imgur.com/XMa1Tl9.png

http://imgur.com/a/k0XHp

#1675
Try to get a PSU that's at least 80 Plus Bronze. This one is just 80 Plus.

Maybe you can find an RX 480 for less than the 1060.
Same for the HDD, Seagate Barracuda or Toshiba P300 might be cheaper and should be faster.

Thanks Setsul!

I have an 850 EVO ssd but I'm not sure if it has the cable necessary to plug it in. Would it come with my motherboard, case, psu, or something else?
My PSU says SATA Cable (4 SATA) is that it?

Edit: My mobo comes with 2 we gucci

Setsul, need some advice. have a pretty meh computer, and I want to run tf2 flawlessy in any situation, my tf2 plays fine on dx8 or dx9 with chris config, but in some cases or situations I can definitly tell in some situations the fps dropping to unacceptable levels. So I have 65 dollars, to invest in upgrading a part of my computer, thinking about the gt 730. heard tf2 is very cpu bound, but getting myself a core 2 quad would seem to do nothing, since I have the upper core 2 duo e8400.
Here's my specs

radeon 3450 256 mb low profile
dell optiplex 960 sff
core 2 duo e8400 3ghz
1TB hard drive (lol)

Not happening.

Anyway first do this:
Get GPU-Z.
Open Task Manager and the GPU-Z sensors tab.
Play until you can tell the fps dropped to unacceptable levels.
Tab out.
Look at the Task Manager and GPU-Z. Either the CPU or the GPU will have hit 100% usage.
Whichever hit 100% is what you want to upgrade.

I'm looking to upgrade my motherboard to one that supports overclocking. This is the one I currently have: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4150#ov

I don't know anything about upgrading it though, so I'm not even sure where to look or what other info to provide.