Proud member of the MCF AWA war of '13! if someone suggests Alienware or Cyberpower, wait for a custom-built list from someone who knows their stuff. Meh Rig
Proud member of the MCF AWA war of '13! if someone suggests Alienware or Cyberpower, wait for a custom-built list from someone who knows their stuff. Meh Rig
It needs a TON of work to replace humans. Not to mention it will have to be updated very often. And most of the current builds it gives need improvement. And there aren't enough questions like "need os" Or what res monitor?
I am the maker of ChooseMyPC.net and am one of the moderators on reddit's /r/buildapc
I would like the opportunity to actually defend my site. I feel that your criticisms are unnecessary and incorrect in their assumptions and would welcome discussion as to how you think the suggestions could be improved.
How is pointing out that a locked processor with a z87 motherboard "unnecessary and incorrect"?
and am one of the moderators on reddit's /r/buildapc
I would like to humbly and honestly say that makes the site worse, and explains a lot of the really poor decisions.
/r/bapc is not exactly the epitome of good build advice.
Sorry bro.
One of the main reasons I stopped posting/browsing there. Too many whiny kids and brand evangelists to get the facts through all the BS.
The more I look at your build configs the worse it gets. Either you don't know why you're selecting some parts, or you are overly loyal to some brands.
Why are you recommending OC builds use mobos with crappy VRMs and MOSFETs?
'Horrible' motherboards? On non overclocking build an expensive motherboard is not needed as there is no benefit over a cheaper one (apart from if you really would like a particular feature such as RAID which is lacking on a cheaper board)
The RAID "feature" is based off the Intel chipset so you have access to it on less expensive -87 motherboards.
670s are very good for the money at the minute. You can view the benchmarks which were used from the decision from the link on my site, I use TechPowerUp's benches. The 770 not so much now that the 280X is out.
Except for when the GTX 760 performs very close to the GTX 670 for cheaper. ( Unless you're looking at the GTX 670 Power Edition from MSI )
Not sure where you are coming from with the overclocking on haswell. I don't quite understand what you typed.
Haswell processors run much hotter the Ivy Bridge CPUs to the point that you need to get a VERY good chip to get a formerly modest overclock. For overclocking Ivy Bridge is a much better choice.
This is only used for dual cards as I have stated above - for PCIe lane reasons.
One single, stronger card is usually perforable to two weaker cards when possible.
Very true. It will never replace humans - that isn't the idea. It is simply a start to research and a source of gaming reference builds. If you have any specific feedback let me know.
If you are willing to say this think about putting a warning on the site that it's most likely out of date. Technology changes every day and if you can't keep up with the pace at least leave a heads up for the users who find it.
There are options to choose whether or not to include an OS already. Something like the resolution of the monitor is very specific but something I can work towards, as I do have gaming benchmarks at various resolutions.
You should consider working towards options for games played, monitor(s) resolution, etc. to the point where the site would be able to tell someone "You don't need to spend $1000 for that game on a single 1080p monitor, here's a build for $X that will be more then enough to max that game."
As far as I can tell the only 2 problems with this build are Haswell and the Closed loop cooler. Haswell is bad for overclocking. It can overclock but definitely not as far as IB. Depending on the chip you get you might get a good overclock, but it's all kind of a gamble.
Go with IB and overclock fine but maybe not enough to get past Haswell's 10%/15% boost or get Haswell and not be able to overclock at all.
Closed loop coolers should be avoided generally speaking. Most of them are much more expensive than their air counterparts and provide minimal benefits (increased RAM clearance and slightly less noisy are the only 2 I can think of, a top end Air cooler and a Top end CLC have for all intents and purposes the same cooling power).
I don't actually know much about the Thermaltake CLC so yeah, maybe it's good. But I doubt it.
It makes the site worse that I moderate a community? I'm not in control of the advice which is given out, I just remove the junk.
You tried to use the fact that you were a mod as a vantage point for your expertise on the website. Thus, I treated it as such. You used it for leverage, so I criticized the fact that said leverage means nothing.
Don't take your personal grievances against a whole community out on me
I have no such thing, /r/bapc is garbage and has been since it passed the ~60k mark. It's not my personal grievances, but instead is what I just stated above. If you are going to use something like that, don't be surprised if someone goes after it.
Go ahead and list your criticisms, I do want to hear them and take them on board.
It's hard to criticize 'bad builds' really. There are areas where it ignores price differences between graphics cards for example, and there are some areas where it recommends brands that are known to have major issues, like powercolor.
What boards are you referring to with crappy VRMs and fets? I have checked most, if not all of them in that regard.
I would look over them again, in that case.
Keep in mind that as the notice says on the respective builds, you should not overclock some of the lower end builds because it isn't good bang for buck (the money is better spent on the graphics card)
Then why allow overclocking on sub-$1000 builds in the first place?
The builds can be cheaper, and in some configurations you pair them with a lower (or higher) end CPU or graphics card than they could otherwise have.for a decent difference in price, but no noticeable difference in performance. Some areas you recommend closed loops which you should NEVER DO since they do not last long and most use mixed metals without additives, causing major corrosion.
ex: recommending a $490 build skimp out on other parts in order to facilitate a 1TB HDD when a 320GB drive for a build that cheap should be plenty.
I think it's pretty decent, actually. I'd get a lot of the builds this thing made.
It also recommended z87 motherboards when I selected "I'd rather not overclock".
if someone suggests Alienware or Cyberpower, wait for a custom-built list from someone who knows their stuff. Meh Rig
relative terms.
if someone suggests Alienware or Cyberpower, wait for a custom-built list from someone who knows their stuff. Meh Rig
fm87!--Neil deGrasse Tyson
I can't believe someone actually spent time on this.
I see where they tried to help, but my god, if they can't make builds, they should not try and do it. All of these builds are bad.
How is pointing out that a locked processor with a z87 motherboard "unnecessary and incorrect"?
/r/bapc is not exactly the epitome of good build advice.
Sorry bro.
One of the main reasons I stopped posting/browsing there. Too many whiny kids and brand evangelists to get the facts through all the BS.
The more I look at your build configs the worse it gets. Either you don't know why you're selecting some parts, or you are overly loyal to some brands.
Why are you recommending OC builds use mobos with crappy VRMs and MOSFETs?
The RAID "feature" is based off the Intel chipset so you have access to it on less expensive -87 motherboards.
Except for when the GTX 760 performs very close to the GTX 670 for cheaper. ( Unless you're looking at the GTX 670 Power Edition from MSI )
Haswell processors run much hotter the Ivy Bridge CPUs to the point that you need to get a VERY good chip to get a formerly modest overclock. For overclocking Ivy Bridge is a much better choice.
One single, stronger card is usually perforable to two weaker cards when possible.
If you are willing to say this think about putting a warning on the site that it's most likely out of date. Technology changes every day and if you can't keep up with the pace at least leave a heads up for the users who find it.
You should consider working towards options for games played, monitor(s) resolution, etc. to the point where the site would be able to tell someone "You don't need to spend $1000 for that game on a single 1080p monitor, here's a build for $X that will be more then enough to max that game."
CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Thermaltake Water 3.0 Extreme 99.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($109.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z87X-D3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($65.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston SSDNow V300 Series 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.61 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card ($290.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MK III 500W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($67.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NS95 DVD/CD Writer ($15.99 @ Microcenter)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) ($95.99 @ Adorama)
Total: $1275.49
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-14 15:23 EST-0500)
As far as I can tell the only 2 problems with this build are Haswell and the Closed loop cooler. Haswell is bad for overclocking. It can overclock but definitely not as far as IB. Depending on the chip you get you might get a good overclock, but it's all kind of a gamble.
Go with IB and overclock fine but maybe not enough to get past Haswell's 10%/15% boost or get Haswell and not be able to overclock at all.
Closed loop coolers should be avoided generally speaking. Most of them are much more expensive than their air counterparts and provide minimal benefits (increased RAM clearance and slightly less noisy are the only 2 I can think of, a top end Air cooler and a Top end CLC have for all intents and purposes the same cooling power).
I don't actually know much about the Thermaltake CLC so yeah, maybe it's good. But I doubt it.
I have no such thing, /r/bapc is garbage and has been since it passed the ~60k mark. It's not my personal grievances, but instead is what I just stated above. If you are going to use something like that, don't be surprised if someone goes after it.
It's hard to criticize 'bad builds' really. There are areas where it ignores price differences between graphics cards for example, and there are some areas where it recommends brands that are known to have major issues, like powercolor.
I would look over them again, in that case.
Then why allow overclocking on sub-$1000 builds in the first place?
The builds can be cheaper, and in some configurations you pair them with a lower (or higher) end CPU or graphics card than they could otherwise have.for a decent difference in price, but no noticeable difference in performance. Some areas you recommend closed loops which you should NEVER DO since they do not last long and most use mixed metals without additives, causing major corrosion.
ex: recommending a $490 build skimp out on other parts in order to facilitate a 1TB HDD when a 320GB drive for a build that cheap should be plenty.
You're Mikerobbo's alt, aren't you.
Quite strange how you upvote all his posts and call everyone else a retard.
The reason you aren't getting any "valid" criticism is that whenever someone says anything you just say "nu-uh, not valid".
"Programmers never repeat themselves. They loop."