It was real juicy at first but in retrospect this thread was pretty mean

First of all I would like to thank Setsul for his contributions to the PC Build thread. My budget build would not have been nearly as cost effective without his advice. It's still a bit imbalanced but that's my fault as a novice.

Hardware:
ASRock Z170 Pro4S
i3-6100 Skylake
Integrated Graphics
Team Dark Pro Red DDR4-3200
Samsung 850 EVO 250 Gb

Config:
Windows 8.1 (no updates), high performance power mode, best performance visual setting
Comanglia Stable FPS (dx 81)
No explosion script
No cosmetics/effects script
No bullet dust (surfaceproperties.txt)

First test with dual-channel 2133, the memory controllers default (not OC)
2639 frames 16.571 seconds 159.26 fps ( 6.28 ms/f) 9.034 fps variability

The next test at dual-channel 2800. I fucked up when buying and didn't check that 3200 is only supported with a single module. I set it to 3200 initially but speccy returns 2133 so it must have been dialing it back. Setting to ~3066 (not sure) would BSoD, setting to 2933 would boot but tf2 would not start. So 2800 is the highest it would go (in dual channel).
2639 frames 15.335 seconds 172.09 fps ( 5.81 ms/f) 10.381 fps variability

That's not a terribly significant difference, 8.5% gain,but it still matters. I have yet to test the difference in Dwarf Fortress. I think it will be very substantial in that game.

I would love a ctapping explanation/guide. I can ctap while standing still but I cant incorporate that into a useful horizontal jump.

I got Steam working as per the Debian wiki and installed tf2. I have yet to purchase a GPU as I'm waiting for a good deal, so I'm just running on an intel i3-6100 and integrated graphics. It's my understanding that all drivers were included in the kernel so I haven't installed anything but xfce and chromium. I didn't expect great frames without a card but on my old laptop I got ~120 fps on a local server and that was an older generation i3 with integrated graphics.

TF2 hardly runs at all. I'm getting like 5 fps in the main menu and even loading the map took ages. Surely something is configured wrong and it's not the hardware/linux, right?

#3 Yes I've heard linux has terrible AMD drivers, or something. It seems like the people with bad frames were using 'bloaty' distros. I guess I'll be fine with Debian and new packages. At the very least I can have a windows partition where I disable updates on first launch. Anyway I'll contribute with my hardware etc. when I get it running.

You know what game I've always wanted? A first person game with newtonian physics and advanced movement mechanics (explosive jumping, air strafing, sticky jumping, grapple tethers...) set in a procedurally generated landscape. I'm talkin' like the craziest minecraft seed times ten, and smooth. The game wouldn't even have to have any sort of objective. Just picture blasting and surfing a path up and around a towering peak. Like Olympus Mons, yet somehow garden variety in this place. As you burst and glide to the summit you see a voxel suspended off the repose, so you fire off a tether and whip around it, picking up speed as the world flips overhead. No ammo, no reloading, no f2p's with lucky crits. Nothing to cease your endless ballet.

So yeah someone make that game and I'll happily recommend it.

The last threads asking this are a bit dated so I'm making a new one. How does tf2 on linux compare to windows? Any stuttering or driver issues? What distro are you using?

I'm giving Debian a shot mostly to increase technical literacy, but I also don't want any sneaky microcode updates ruining my i3 overclock :(

I have a habit of choosing provocative steam aliases just because. I got permabanned from a community server with the message "youre a monster :( " while I was only just sending client info. Admin must have seen "mean to dogs has joined the game." and sprung immediately into action.

Just search for all sound.cache files in your tf2 directory and delete them all

I've not seen this problem discussed on tf.tv before. Many users on /r/tf2 and steamcommunity are reporting a serious memory leak in tf2 since the Tough Break update, to the point that their frames will crawl down to <30 fps during a session. One suggestion is to delete the sound.cache files and some users have fixed the issue like that.

Ok, here is a tentative parts list based on your advice
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/Vt2n3C

I've dropped the pentium in favor of the i3-6100 and upped to a Z170 motherboard with DDR4- 3200 RAM (the highest the mobo supports). I have heard that the Z170 allows the i3-6100 to be base-clock over-clocked, although I think recently Intel might have blocked this. Even if this recent change of heart can't be circumvented, I think this is a solid build for ~$500.
This article http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2015-intel-core-i3-6100-review claims even without overclocking, RAM made a significant difference with the i3-6100. DDR4-3200 might be overkill but you said tf2 likes fast ram and I know dwarf fortress loves it. So the most important question is: Do you think I could squeeze 240 fps out of this in a 6v6 game with configs?

I am building a budget dedicated TF2/Dwarf Fortress machine. As we know, TF2 runs primarily on the first core of the CPU. Dwarf fortress also does not support multi-threading and it has virtually no graphical footprint whatsoever. With this in mind I am going to buy the cheapest dual-core CPU that will let me get 240+ FPS in a 6v6 environment with configs. Good performance in 24/32 man pubs is a plus. With this in mind, I have been recommended the Intel G3258 4 Pentium 3.20 GHz 3M Cache 2 Core Processor.

http://www.amazon.com/Intel-G3258-Pentium-Processor-BX80646G3258/dp/B00KPRWAZQ#Ask

The reviews say it overclocks well to 4.0+ GHz and is able to run games ostensibly more demanding than TF2. It's price is also pretty much unbeatable. I know that GHz means little when comparing between different architectures (i-series) but this is still solid, right?

There are also a few lesser considerations. The PC build thread on the Dwarf Fortress forums recommend fast ram, and thus a motherboard/chip that supports it. Will this suit that as well?

b4nny highest dmg lowest frags
yomps lowest dmg highest frags
hmmm

b4nny
mesr
boink

This post has been minus fragged into oblivion but no one has made any comments about it. I assume this is due to the utterly ridiculous quick fix rework, which I won't touch. The section that I have quoted consists of many undeniably good changes that I haven't seen anybody else suggest.

It's a simple question really: Why should a player in matchmaking ever have to press tab? We've all become so used to it that I've personally never even considered it. In a pub it is necessary to have player/score/etc information on a toggle because of the variability and number of players in a server, but in 6v6 game all critical information (death state, ally spawn times and health, medigun type and uber percentage) can embedded in the HUD without clutter. Currently all of this information must be gathered with an obtrusive scoreboard and comms when it could just be displayed on screen at all times.

The current design presents such a needless detriment to new and veteran players alike. Making this basic information constantly visible can only enhance the flow of the game since its so critical in decision making. For example, new players would have instant feedback as to why their bomb/initiation failed after glancing at their ally information and seeing their teammates are all in the red. They would quickly learn to coordinate plays with the readiness of their team. Similarly an uber element of the HUD would spur them into pushing when a full advantage is advertised. All of this information is readily, but clumsily, available right now, so it can't be argued this change would coddle players or dumb down the game.