25
votes
Accepted
Which would make a greater difference? Extra CPU or RAM?
In almost any case, with a proper, modern compiler, compilation speed will increase near linearly with the number of hardware threads on your system. In the case of Microsoft compilers, even running ...
- 366
19
votes
Accepted
CPU cooling system recommendation?
I don't recommend fanless or water cooling. Instead, I recommend Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (which is a newer version of the 212 Plus I have).
This is a very quiet fan. The specs say it's between 9-...
Andy♦
- 3,368
10
votes
Accepted
DDR4 memory - which one to choose
There are very few memory bound tasks for modern CPUs. The key factors to look for are capacity, cost, latency, voltages and speed, usually in that order. It doesn't really matter if a CPU doesn't ...
- 1,772
10
votes
Accepted
What should I buy? (RAM Chips)
Your computer's RAM cannot be significantly upgraded. Crucial's memory finder reports, and HP's support page agrees that your computer is limited to 4 GB of RAM. Further, you appear to be running a ...
- 2,887
9
votes
CPU cooling system recommendation?
This is a slightly more budget friendly option, which is according to the budget which was just edited in, the Noctua NH-D14.
This CPU cooler keeps temps pretty low, about 5*C higher on an i7-4770k ...
- 1,751
8
votes
Accepted
Computer case for new college build
I have to recommend my favorite: the Fractal Design Define R5 (~$110 USD). This case is beyond excellent for everything you'd ever want. It's also one of the highest-rated cases for noise reduction (...
- 2,179
8
votes
Accepted
LGA 2011 vs. AM3+
I would actually not recommend either of the platforms that you had in mind, and go with the LGA 1151 Skylake Processors. These require DDR4 RAM and are the newest CPUs that Intel has released. For ...
- 266
8
votes
Accepted
Motherboard for the long run, in an otherwise (initially) low-end gaming system
I would say you would be better off building a new computer. Here are the reasons:
Your CPU is probably only good for one more upgrade then it can't go any further. With a new build, you could choose ...
- 368
8
votes
Which of these two PC builds would offer better performance?
The i7 5820K would be much faster than the i7 6700K. None of the programs you will use will benefit from an i7 5820K or even an i7 6700K for that matter. An i5 6600K will be enough for what you are ...
- 1,697
6
votes
Accepted
Which of these two PC builds would offer better performance?
Looking over the specs of the 5820K versus the 6700K, notable differences are:
Larger cache (15MB vs 8MB)
More cores and threads
Higher memory bandwidth
All of these would probably be of benefit ...
- 216
6
votes
The quietest PSU under 100 USD
There are a couple Cooler Master, Corsair (AX and RM) and EVGA series power supplies that disable their fan under low load.
My recommendation: EVGA SuperNova 550 G2 (220-G2-0550-Y1)
Within budget ($...
- 81
5
votes
CPU cooling system recommendation?
The question was edited with a budget after I posted this answer.
If you are looking for something more fancy, something a bit quieter, and a lot colder, I recommend you check out the NZXT Kraken x61....
- 1,751
5
votes
Accepted
A 240 GB SSD for a programmer
Moving from HDD to any new SSD will be noticable, while the differences between particular SSD tend to be slight. I actually did the same (also ssd upgrade for programming) and just went with the ...
- 1,147
5
votes
What is an affordable cheap Linux box you could recommend?
Personally, I would just go with a raspberry pi, more specifically, the RPi 3 Model B Along with a USB wifi dongle such as this.
Cost totals out to about $49 USD ($40 for the RPi and $9 for the wifi ...
- 970
5
votes
Does this CPU fit with the GPU?
Apparently this CPU is a bad combination with my GPU; I have been told that they will not work together.
That CPU and GPU will work together just fine.
GPU's are designed to be compatible with most ...
- 619
4
votes
Accepted
Motherboard for future extensibility
The LGA 2011 platform and the LGA 1151 platform is designed for two different markets. The LGA 1151 is a mainstream consumer socket, designed for CPU's ranging from $100 - $350. The LGA 2011 socket is ...
- 1,697
4
votes
CPU cooling system recommendation?
As an alternative to @rubyjunk, there is a similar water cooler made by corsair that includes usb control for only $100: the H100i.
I have personally had a H100i on an overclocked FX-8350 (125w TDP), ...
- 141
4
votes
What do you suggest for a PC with 80 chrome tabs, 6 virtual machines?
As a starting point, I'd recommend the Haswell-E i7 5820K. 6 cores on the X99 platform, similar to the Xeon E5 16xx v3s but cheaper, unlocked and without certain server features, it can currently be ...
- 1,772
4
votes
Computer case for new college build
I recommend a Phanteks "Enthoo Pro Series" full ATX case, which is $100 on Newegg.
My main machine rests in this case. It sits behind my desk and the fans are very quiet. As an added benefit, I know ...
Andy♦
- 3,368
4
votes
DDR4 memory - which one to choose
The clock speed of RAM doesn't affect the performance of the computer much (if at all). Running a RAM at a faster speed would increase the CAS latency, which is the amount of clock cycle lag the RAM ...
- 1,697
4
votes
Upgrading my current build for gaming purposes
Upgrading your GPU
Guessing at your budget, I'm going to recommend a R9 380, or GTX 960. Both are pretty equal cards, and the GTX 960 pulls ahead in nVidia optimized games but I'm not going to go ...
- 1,751
4
votes
Accepted
Graphics card choice?
Sony Vega Pro's hardware acceleration uses OpenCL compute. Generally, the consumer cards have similar performance for quite a bit cheaper, as seen in the benchmark below.
OpenCL has also typically ...
- 1,772
4
votes
Cheap USB drive bay with headphone output
It looks like your case has standard front-panel audio. If that's correct, it makes finding compatible front-panel bays much easier.
The cheapest 5.25" bay I've been able to find is this $40 bay ...
- 2,887
4
votes
Looking for Specific (WxH) Sized Monitor
Your size requirements are a very odd size for monitors, so I don't think you'll find one exactly fitting your needs (short of having one custom made). That said, I have found some that are very close....
- 451
3
votes
Accepted
Would this be a good improvement for this rig?
Considering your games are not the most demanding, I'd recommend using a slight bit extra money to get a 256GB SSD. Even if you don't need that extra space, it'll be faster and more write-durable, due ...
- 1,772
3
votes
Ultra graphics performance for a penny
I personally would recommend getting a EVGA GTX 970 ACX 2.0+. You can find those around 300$ maybe even less. I have owned that card and I was quite happy with the performance and the support. You can ...
- 151
3
votes
Computer case for new college build
My dream case, and I actually own this one. You did say minimum size right? Its a mid tower, but just barely.
The cosair 600T. Used by Jeff Atwood and used by the folks who develop stackexchange ...
- 3,731
3
votes
Computer case for new college build
I'd suggest my other dream case - the HAF XB
While it looks like a mini ITX case, its really a full ATX case designed to double as a workbench.
Lets see
no smaller than an ATX-Mid case. its ...
- 3,731
3
votes
What do you suggest for a PC with 80 chrome tabs, 6 virtual machines?
Bit of an odd set of parts here, and you'd need to build it but... the X10SDV-8C+-LN2F would be a good start. Street prices seem to be around the 1000 usd range for the board. The xeon-d in general ...
- 3,731
3
votes
CPU cooling system recommendation?
I'm going to recommend the Be Quiet Shadow Rock Top Flow SR1 (£43). Be Quiet, like Noctua, specialises in making very, very quiet CPU coolers. The advantage of this particular cooler is that it also ...
- 1,772
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible