Posts in Category: pc builds

$1,535 Gaming Powerhouse with the Ryzen 7 1700X

R7 1700X

The Ryzen 7 1700X is a personal favorite “sweet spot” CPU of ours in the new Ryzen range. We have put together an example PC build that should get the most out of this powerful 8-core CPU.

With impressive multi-core performance, this PC should give you an impressive gaming PC or a powerhouse workstation for editing. Below are parts recommendations, along with budget options or more powerful alternatives. The standard build totals $1,535.

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$1,150 Workstation/Gaming PC with the Ryzen 7 1700

R7 1700

To celebrate the release of the Ryzen 7 1700, we’ve put together an example PC build that will get the most out of AMD’s new CPU. With an insanely low TDP of 65W for an 8-core CPU, this should be an interesting one!

This PC is excellent for many workstation applications, such as video editing, and it’s even a very good gaming PC. Below are parts recommendations, along with budget options or more powerful alternatives. The standard build totals $1,150.

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5 Aesthetic PC Mods That Don’t Involve LEDs

The Gemsbok PC with electric blue carbon fiber wrap - 5 Aesthetic Mods for your PC that DON’T Involve LEDs - no LEDs

My black-and-white build with blue carbon fiber wrap, without its side panels

I am not an opponent of LEDs… in moderation. My own PC case has a strip of white NZXT LEDs running all the way around the edges of the inside, just to provide a nice, cool, even illumination. But it is simply beyond doubt that LEDs are one of the most common and most divisive aesthetic accents in the PC hardware world, and their ubiquity is only increasing as manufacturers are shoving them into everything.

Whether you’re looking for ideas for how to give your build some visual flair without the glow, or just hoping to meaningfully supplement your LED array’s existing look, seek no further.

This list has five straightforward ideas for how to alter your case or components in alternative, good-looking ways. And this article won’t be relying on wild gimmicks like custom wood cases or builds submerged entirely in mineral oil.

So, no LEDs. Here we go:

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Building a PC to Beat the PS4 Pro

Build a PC to Beat the PS4 Pro

Build a PC or buy a console? The debate rages on…

With the release of the PlayStation 4 Pro over the holidays, the debate over the performance needed for 4K gaming on PC has been fierce. With games like Last of Us Remastered running in the PlayStation 4 Pro’s 4K 60 FPS mode, it is a testament to the level of optimization that can be achieved when working to a single specification. Yet what sort of performance can a PC builder get for the same $400?

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$500 1440p Gaming Build with the Pentium G4560

Intel Pentium G4560

The Pentium is back, baby.

The Kaby Lake Pentium G4560 is the new king of budget gaming CPUs. The G4560, and big brothers G4600 and G4620, offer gaming performance similar to CPUs costing hundreds more. I put together a maximum performance for value $500 build, pairing the G4560 with the powerful RX 480. This build will handle even demanding modern games at 1440p.

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The Ultimate 21:9 Ultrawide PC Build Guide

Now this is how we do it…

Support for Ultrawide resolutions has grown immensely in the past few years, and is now to a point where it is generally a viable choice for a majority of users — both for work and play. For workstations, 21:9 is much like having dual monitors, but without the bezel. In this guide we’ll be targeting three different price points and recommending a different monitor for each — all Ultrawide. All prices include the price of the monitor. Commence the 21:9 build guide!

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Two Black Friday Gaming PC Builds ($605 and $1,132)

gtx-1070-rog-strix

The GTX 1070 ROG Strix is on sale for $395.

With so many PC hardware deals during Black Friday, it can be overwhelming to figure out what to put together to get the best gaming PC for the least money. So, we have put together two Black Friday gaming builds (one for $605 and one for $1,132) that capitalize on some of the best Black Friday deals of 2016.

If you want to see the other deals available, we have round-ups of the best Black Friday PC hardware sales from Amazon and Newegg.

And now, the builds:

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Building a PC for Music Production and Digital Audio Workstations

music-production-pc

PLEASE NOTE: While this article (and its example builds) are some years old, we now have a thorough, regularly updated big guide article on building a PC for Music Production over on our main site. Check it out!

Now that you have read our warning, you may return to the content of the outdated article:


One of the most popular requests we receive is a build guide for a music production PC that will power digital audio workstation (DAW) software and sometimes external hardware similar to external preamps, My friend would use Graham Slee HiFi here. These are computers specially built for editing and working with audio and music.

Professional music production PCs often come with plenty of RAM, powerful CPUs, and the quietest components you can afford. If you’re looking to build your own professional music production PC, we’re here to help you get started.

Note: before we start, don’t forget to get the right equipment to accurately monitor your mix. It is always a great idea to get the best studio monitors so you have the most authentic representation of your mix without it being coloured by lower quality equipment. Accurate frequency reproduction is paramount to allow the mixer to be very precise with their stereo image.

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