Assuming you are talking about TF2, and that "spiking" means FPS drops, then it is your CPU. It is a big bottleneck. Even for a 760. If Source games are your main priority, then you can consider an i3 4170 and a micro ATX motherboard as a "cheap" upgrade. Feel free to drop by the PC Build Thread

it says my cpu is quad core so would my mother board still work with an i5? also which i5 shouldi grab? im bad with computer specs tbh im 15 bro lol

You have an Amd cpu, so you have an Amd motherboard. You can't interchange an Amd cpu/mobo with intel cpu/mobo. So in short, if you want a Intel CPU you will need to also buy a intel motherboard that supports that cpu.

#32
Right, wrong, wrong and wrong.
Yes, it's the CPU.
An i3 is actually a good idea.
All motherboards are compatible with all i3s and i5s for that socket.
i3 has better price to performance ratio than i5. In TF2 some i3s with higher clockrate are actually faster than some i5s with lower clockrate. Even the cheapest i5 is more expensive than the most expensive i3. Please explain how that's better "price per performance". I mean you do pay a higher price per same performance. Definitely better if you want to get rid of money.

#33
No, AMD and Intel are nto compatible, like #34 said.
Continued in the PC Build Thread.

http://www.androidpolice.com/2015/11/25/seriously-good-deal-alert-v-modas-crossfade-m-100-over-ear-headphones-are-down-from-310-to-200-on-amazon/

Great pair of headphones 100 dollars off

I have these and they are exquisite, and they are competitive in the 300 dollar price range so they'll blow anything out of the water at 2

ive seen the logitech c920 used for a lot of higher end smash streams and theyre like ~40 on newegg and amazon right now

I'm thinking of getting a new CPU, my current is an FX-4300, is the upgrade to a 4350 worth it? should I consider other options? or should I just save my money?

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/logitech-g303-daedalus-apex-optical-gaming-mouse-black/4801031.p?id=1219638966934&skuId=4801031&productCategoryId=pcmcat338200050008

g303 for 25 bucks

#38
It's basically the same CPU only clocked 0.3Ghz higher. Just overclock the 4300, same thing.

Probably more than what you need but newegg has an EVGA Super Nova 80+ Platinium (the highest efficiency) modular power supply for $80 shipped after rebate. It has a 10 year warranty and is one of the highest rated power supplies out there. http://slickdeals.net/f/8313787-evga-79-99ar-supernova-850w-80-platinum-certified-10-years-warranty-fully-modular-power-supply

My PC actually failed to boot Wednesday so I ordered something off Amazon already(much cheaper rush shipping than Newegg). That PSU is pretty overkill but it looks like an awesome deal for any major enthusiasts out there.

If you have the PSU for it the R9 290 is cheaper and better. Some can unlock to a 290x.

No quiet 980 Ti's are on sale yet. Waiting for something like the MSI Gaming to drop below $600 but it doesn't look like it's happening.

Also, remember that you should considering out of state vendors so you don't pay sale tax if you're buying online. Newegg and Amazon always cost 9% more since I live in CA, but if I buy from Tigerdirect or B&HPhoto it can end up cheaper even if the base price is better on those sites.

In California from Newegg I get free overnight shipping by ontrac even though its ground lol.

@ brownymaster, yea I buy some stuff from tigerdirect because no sales tax. But they don't have near the selection of newegg/amazon and often charge for shipping.

Lately though I have 2 credit cards, which give me 10% off on Amazon, so that kind of more than removes amazon sales tax for me... Also remember that you can buy items on amazon even those fulfilled by amazon but if the seller has no presents in your state you can avoid tax that way.

r9 290 is 70$ more...

Sennheiser HD 598's for 95 USD
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0042A8CW2/ref=s9_simh_gw_p23_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-1&pf_rd_r=0KY60CSXHSTHNHWMNMKG&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=2079475242&pf_rd_i=desktop

#41
1. Platinum
2. highest is Titanium.
3. A <650W 80 Plus Gold PSU will be more efficient than a 850W Platinum unless your average power draw is >300W. Which it definitely isn't with only one GPU.

You get the highest efficiency at 50% load so if your max load is below that you won't ever see the PSU's advertised efficiency. Your average power draw is below that so for the highest efficiency you want a PSU that is rated for your max load and not any more. For single GPU PCs that puts you somewhere between 200 and 450W. The only reasons why I've ever recommend PSUs with higher wattage than that are:
-PCIe 6/8pin connectors, a lot of <500W PSUs only come with 1, but any GPU that warrants a >400W PSU needs 2.
-Price
-Efficiency (e.g. Gold 550W for the price of a Bronze 450W).

The 850W P2 for 80$ doesn't check any of those boxes. A 550W G2 for 50$ or a 650W P2 for 60$ I'd get, but not this.

1) There are like only a few titanium models in existence and they are $400+, so they are not even really worth discussing.
2) Wrong, check the P2 850W vs G2 550W jonny guru test, the P2 Plat beats the G2 in every efficiency test even at low loads. Sometimes though you are right a gold at lower load will outperform plat at lower loads.

But yea, I'm not saying the P2 is for everyone. It's probably a waste unless you plan to run dual power hungry GPU's. But @ $80 its a steal!

There's exactly 1 Titanium model >400$, the AX1500i, all others are cheaper.
There are only a few Platinum models in existence, therefore Gold is actually the highest efficiency. Yeah that logic doesn't seem to work.

Jonnyguru doesn't do continous load vs efficiency tests. You have to interpolate and they are within 0.5%, below his margin of error.
Also you don't want to go there, the efficiency vs load curves are going to be a nightmare. For example the GS and G2 are very close but dancing around each other. At low loads the GS, arguably the inferior platform is more efficient because it's peaking at ~40%, whereas the G2 peaks at ~50%. And that might only be due to the fan profile.
Yeah, don't go there.

With the G2 650 at 60$ and the P2 650 at 70$ (which will definitely be more efficient) I don't see it being a steal.
With the VSM 550, 550W being more than enough for 95% of all builds, it being even more efficient than either the GS or G2, it's hard to ignore at 50$. 10$ more for better ripple supression and a fully instead of semi-modular PSU even with marginally lower efficiency is a tradeoff worth considering, 30$ not so much.
Unless you need more than 650W the 650 P2 is better and cheaper than the 850 P2.

My point is get over that "look at that PSU, a gazillion Watts for $". You're not doing yourself any favours by getting a PSU more powerful than you need. For any build <=650W the 650 P2 is hands down the better choice, even if they were both at 70$. To be even worth considering in that case the 850 P2 would have to be cheaper than the 650.

I'm sorry but people will read "it's a steal" and waste 30$.

Dunno if this deal is going on internationally, but I just saved £124.99 on sennheiser hd598 headphones in black

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0126HISOO?ie=UTF8&at=&force-full-site=1&ref_=aw_bottom_links

Seems to be internationl, up for 99€/95$ as well.
You're not really saving 125£ (63%) though. The price if for the normal version is about 130£/170€/160$, the black edition is usually cheaper, but if you don't see black as a disadvantage (or even like it better) ~42% off is definitely pretty good.

I have the cream 598s but I want the black ones sooo bad :(

I did a search on newegg for 80+ titanium and they have only 2 models, and both are $400+. A corsair and an evga.

johnyguru does both cold and hot tests and in all situations the tests with 75W+ loads, the P2 does 1-2% better. Again I already clearly stated that 850+W is probably a waste unless you have a high end setup with 2 high end GPU's for example.

------------------

On another note: http://slickdeals.net/f/8316739-rakuten-coupon-w-paypal-checkout-30-off-100

$30 off $100 via Paypal @ Rakuten (formerly buy.com).

A couple deals that caught my eye:

500GB Samsung Evo @ $125
Audio-Technica ATH-M50x @ $90

and what I'm probably going to buy is a Camera lens, the EF 50mm f 1.8 STM @ $80, and I'll sell off my old nifty fifty

#54
Last time I checked 390$ wasn't "$400+", but maybe our definitions differ. http://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-220t21600x1
I'm not sure if you understood what I meant with "continous".

blue yeti lightning deal 75 usd for next like 3 hours

is there any FX processor that would be worth it? or should I just save my money for an i5 and a motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236971
5TB WD Black hard drive for $200

Did you even check newegg?

Both Titanium units are indeed $400+. $409.99 and $429.99 to be exact.

http://postimg.org/image/xmkor0mr1/

I guess you didn't understand that hot testing is basically continuous testing. He allows the power supply to heat up and tests it then in a normal environment similar to the temperatures in a normal PC case.

Kinda off topic, but I didn't see a new thread worthy...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7klNQyyLpiA

What a bitch, I want to punch people like this