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Most of the info for this build I got from FragKag's SC2 Computer GuideFragKag's SC2 Computer Guide and maleorderbride's Hackintosh Guide.
I would like to stay around the $1000~1100 budget.
Basically, I want it to be able to do the following (according to priority):
1. Play SC2 at max or near-max settings.
2. Run dual operating systems
3. This computer will be on basically 24/7 running BitTorrents and double as a network HDD that other computers can draw files from.
Here are the parts:
HP 22X DVD Burner Black IDE Model HP 1140i LightScribe Support - Retail $26.99
COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - Retail $84.99
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS 1.5TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $119.99
2x Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST3500418AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $109.98
EVGA 896-P3-1257-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 Superclocked Edition 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI ... - Retail $224.99
OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ600MXSP 600W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC ... - Retail $74.99
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM $9.99
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F2-8500CL5D-4GBPK - Retail $106.99
GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3L LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail $89.99
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor Model BX80570E8400 - Retail $167.99
ARCTIC COOLING Freezer 64 Pro 92mm CPU Cooler - Retail $27.99
Logitech G15 Keyboard - $79.99
Logitech MX518 Mouse - $39.99
Total Cost - $1,139.86
*NOTE: Newegg wishlist will be uploaded soon. For some reason, it's taking some time for it to update on the website. Hopefully, that'll make it easier for ya'll to go through.
I also want to get this Gateway HD2201 22" Widescreen LCD (because I already have one, and would like to dual-screen on this). It's $139.97, but is not included in the budget since I was planning on buying one anyway.
Now, here are a few questions I have.
1. Should I stick with that GPU or go with dual 9800's, or something else? What would be advantages/disadvantages?
2. What are the advantages/disadvantages of going with the E8400 compared to a Q9550 or any other quad-core?
3. If there is a bit of extra cash left, I would like to increase my HDD capacity. For some reason, I have always been advised against going larger than 1TB. Since I torrent so much, I can fill 1TB in a month if I'm not frugal. In my case, would the disadvantages be worth going with a bigger HDD?
4. What are the advantages/disadvantages of going with a Full vs Mid-ATX? I think Full just means bigger, and therefore more room for future parts, but doesn't this also depend on the motherboard you get? If so, maybe I should get another motherboard and go to a Full, since I would like to get to the point eventually?
 
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1. definitely stick with 1 gpu, if you go dual gpu's it will pretty much be a coinflip whether your games can actually make use of them, also if you want best performance/price ratio go with an ATI card.
2. generally for gaming dual cores are superior to quadcores, though that might change in the future. Also remember that processor speed is very rarely a factor in gaming performance, in 99% of the cases it will be your graphic card that bottlenecks. one game i've heard that actually significantly benefits from a quadcore is gtaIV, but i don't really know myself :p.
3. i don't know
4. Full is bigger ^_^, more room for harddrives/dvd readers n shit and usually easier to install in, mid will not take up as much room (:.
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1. GPU is fine.
2. You will do worse in tasks like encoding but since starcraft 2 only takes advantage of 2 cpu cores, E8400 is pefectly fine.
3. There are no notable disadvantages, save for the fact that the price per GB is higher (bad thing). You will find optimal ppg around 1TB or 1.5TB drives. Add another 1.5TB drive if you want more storage.
4. With full you'll just have more room, which means your stuff will be cooling better. Your parts aren't going to be generating THAT much heat, so that case will cool adequately. Case size is motherboard independent since they usually drill holes for all the main motherboard sizes (exception being eatx not supported in mid size atx cases, but this doesn't affect you).
Everything looks fine except for the fact that Artic Silver 5 is now outdated thermal compound. Use something more modern like OCZ Freeze:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835202006&Tpk=ocz freeze
Reason being that AS5 takes several days of use to even reach optimal thermal transfer ability, and that newer thermal compounds obviously get you better temps. If you plan on overclocking heavily you may want to consider a more beefy heatsink as well. (an upright one, since those generally cool better)
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get a phenom 2 X4 940 processor and a hd 5770
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On March 30 2010 23:13 nttea wrote:2. generally for gaming dual cores are superior to quadcores, though that might change in the future. Also remember that processor speed is very rarely a factor in gaming performance, in 99% of the cases it will be your graphic card that bottlenecks. one game i've heard that actually significantly benefits from a quadcore is gtaIV, but i don't really know myself :p.
Duals cores aren't necessarily superior, its just that games usually are not coded to take advantage of more than 2 threads.
You're overstating the importance of the gpu compared to the cpu. A balance is recommended, with emphasis on the gpu, but adjusted to what he wants to play. In many modern RTS titles, the cpu is more important gpu for determining framerates. Typically, source engine games also have a large emphasis on cpu ability. (in this case, hes got the perfect balance for his needs since SC2 happens to be more gpu dependent)
Hate to nitpick but yeah.
On March 30 2010 23:24 Pakje wrote:
get a phenom 2 X4 940 processor and a hd 5770
Find a new motherboard for him and explain why this would be a better choice for his needs.
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Thanks for the advice on the Thermal Compound xmShake. That helps alot.
I guess I will just stick with the Mid-ATX, and look into getting another HDD once this one fills up.
Based on these responses, my next two questions would then be:
1. Would I really need to overclock with this kind of set-up, based on the things I want to do? Is there any problem with upgrading the heatsink in the future if I want to start OCing then?
2. Pakje - What's the difference with the HD 5770 and Phenom 2 compared to what I have? They seem to be in very similar performance brackets, except I have read some reviews of potential problems with ATI and AMD with SC2. Cheaper, I understand, but I don't want to run into issues. I'd rather spend the money to make sure I get what I need.
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Why are you getting the 2 500gb drives? Just for more storage space? Because 1 tb/1.5 tb drives are just more efficient with respect to space/$. Are you planning on setting them up in RAID for booting?
For heat sinks, installing a heat sink later is a huge pain in the ass if you have to install a backplate, so if you're even considering doing it, I would install it now. If you install it later, you have to remove everything from your MB, take out your MB, put on the backplate, clean your cpu and reapply thermal paste, put your MB back in, reinsert everything, and then chances are something won't work and you spend 1.5 hours trying to figure out what you inserted incorrectly (not that this happened to me or anything)
Personally, I'd rather not go with an older socket like 775, i mean let's hypothesize that in 2 years your cpu burns out and you try to get a replacement through warranty. In 2 years, they might not even make core2duos anymore, so then you'd get some cash equivalent or cash back instead. That sounds great, except you'll have to buy a new MB, probably new ram, a new cpu cooler if it doesn't fit, and that gets a lot more costly. Personally i'd rather get an i3 and overclock the hell out of it if you're set on dual core, or get an i5-750
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On March 30 2010 23:30 TheosEx wrote:
2. Pakje - What's the difference with the HD 5770 and Phenom 2 compared to what I have? They seem to be in very similar performance brackets, except I have read some reviews of potential problems with ATI and AMD with SC2. Cheaper, I understand, but I don't want to run into issues. I'd rather spend the money to make sure I get what I need.
HD 5770 is bit faster (I heard it's faster in SC2), supports directx 11 and sips less power.
The phenom is just as fast as a e8400 in single threaded apps and in multi threaded apps it will be way better.
SC2 compatibility? Don't forget that nV recently fried some cards with their drivers. Anyway SC2 is currently in beta stage, so the possibility of errors is just as big on all manufactures.
TBH I find it hard to believe you pulled this built from fragkrag
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1. I'd go with an AMD 5770 gpu over the gtx 260, slightly slower in benchmarks but its dx11, lower power, and produces less heat. they can also be had for ~$160-180
2. No reason to ever go dual core anymore, they used to be clocked faster than quads, and outperformed them in single/dual threaded programs but thats no longer the case, its a waste of money go with a phenom ii for about the same price
AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor Model HDX945WFGIBOX - Retail $160
BIOSTAR TA790GXB3 AM3 AMD 790GX ATX AMD Motherboard $80
OCZ Gold 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G1600LV4GK - Retail $88 after rebate
3. Many people seem to be complaining about the large drives having a high failure rate in neweggs customer review sections, I'd stick with the tried and true 1tb models.
4. the cm 690 case can fit full atx, or micro atx no worries there, you'll have no problems with it great case for the money.
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infinity21
Canada6683 Posts
I'm not an expert in this area but here are some thoughts:
-Why buy two 500 GB HDs when you can get a 2nd 1.5 TB one for half the price?
-Why buy such a powerful power supply when you're not doing SLI? I'm sure you could save a bit of money here
-Why get an outdated processor? The i3/i5 can be had for just a fraction more.
-Why spend money on an aftermarket CPU cooler? Are you planning on OCing?
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Thanks for the input on the HDD.
I guess I won't be getting a Heatsink at this point since I do not plan OCing, unless...
What is the difference between the Core i3 and the Phenom X4 as Pajke suggested? It is cheaper, but will it underperform unless overclocked (in which case, I will go ahead and do it if it's better)? What are the advantages/disadvantages of this? Will the Phenom X4 run into the same issues as the Core 2's with becoming obselete on motherboards as someone suggested?
Right now, you all have kind of convinced me to go the Phenom X4 route, but I am getting curious on the Core i3 route and would like to know how this is going to affect me.
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I dont know about the MX 518 for playing RTS games, its more suited toward the shooter genre. Well at least to my experience, Ive been using a MX 518 for years.
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On March 31 2010 00:52 infinity21 wrote:
I'm not an expert in this area but here are some thoughts:
-Why buy two 500 GB HDs when you can get a 2nd 1.5 TB one for half the price?
-Why buy such a powerful power supply when you're not doing SLI? I'm sure you could save a bit of money here
-Why get an outdated processor? The i3/i5 can be had for just a fraction more.
-Why spend money on an aftermarket CPU cooler? Are you planning on OCing?
1. I was thinking about running two OS.
2. I wanted to eventually get into SLI, but I wasn't sure if it would even be worth it, plus I wanted to get a modular PSU since I've heard they are better.
3. Yeah, I'm starting to understand this now -_- I guess the information I was reading on this was outdated.
4. I didn't even think of this before, but now I get it. Oversight.
I'm not an expert on this at all either, and I do appreciate the help. I haven't been keeping up with this at all since I've usually just built computers with no thought for cost. Just kind of bought the best or close to the best of everything and threw it all together up until now. Since I've run into a cashflow issue lately, I'm kind of really kind of trying to be somewhat cost efficient here. I don't know if that makes sense.
EDIT: The MX518 is the only mouse I've used for the last 3 years. I use it at work, I carry one in my briefcase with my laptop, I have one sitting on my coffee table, and all the computers I have at home. Basically, I just didn't want to have to get used to another mouse. It's not like it's a terrible mouse -_- and it's cheap :-/
EDIT2: BTW, thank you all for your responses. It really is greatly appreciated. I have learned more by reading these responses than in the last week reading pages and pages elsewhere. Sometimes, you can look at charts and benchmarks all you want, and still not be able to put all the logic together. At least for me anyways -_- maybe I'm just stupid. I knew I could count on TL.
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infinity21
Canada6683 Posts
Just a note about running multiple OSs. You can partition your HD and install it on separate partitions. iirc, you just gotta do it right (if you're doing linux/windows, I think you gotta do windows first cause it will overwrite existing data.. not sure about this)
I just recently ordered a new desktop for myself, without really knowing a huge deal about computers.
This is what I ordered so if anyone wants to comment on it, that would be cool (I can still return most of the parts for a different one):+ Show Spoiler +BFG BFGEGTX260MC896OCDE GeForce GTX 260 Overclocked MAXCORE Video Card - 896MB GDDR3, PCIe 2.0 x16, SLI Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV, Dual VGA Support $209.97
Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 500-Watt Power Supply $46.99
EVGA P55 V SLI Motherboard - Intel P55, Socket LGA1156, SLI+PhysX $119.97
Intel Core i5 750 BX80605I5750 Processor - 2.66GHz, LGA 1156, 8MB L3 Cache, Quad-Core, Lynnfield, Retail $209.97
Lite-On IHAS124-04 Internal DVD Writer - DVD+R 24X, DVD-R 24X, DVD+RW 8X, DVD-RW 6X, DVD+R DL 8X, SATA (OEM) $29.97
OCZ PC3-10666 Platinum RAM - 4GB, 2x2GB, 1333MHz, DDR3, Low Voltage, Dual Channel $109.97
Seagate 1.5TB Serial ATA HD 7200/32MB/SATA-3G $114.97
I went for fairly cheap parts so I hope nothing fails on me 
Ordered on the 23rd but customs has been holding onto the parts for a week now..
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On March 31 2010 01:24 infinity21 wrote:This is what I ordered so if anyone wants to comment on it, that would be cool (I can still return most of the parts for a different one): + Show Spoiler +BFG BFGEGTX260MC896OCDE GeForce GTX 260 Overclocked MAXCORE Video Card - 896MB GDDR3, PCIe 2.0 x16, SLI Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV, Dual VGA Support $209.97
Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 500-Watt Power Supply $46.99
EVGA P55 V SLI Motherboard - Intel P55, Socket LGA1156, SLI+PhysX $119.97
Intel Core i5 750 BX80605I5750 Processor - 2.66GHz, LGA 1156, 8MB L3 Cache, Quad-Core, Lynnfield, Retail $209.97
Lite-On IHAS124-04 Internal DVD Writer - DVD+R 24X, DVD-R 24X, DVD+RW 8X, DVD-RW 6X, DVD+R DL 8X, SATA (OEM) $29.97
OCZ PC3-10666 Platinum RAM - 4GB, 2x2GB, 1333MHz, DDR3, Low Voltage, Dual Channel $109.97
Seagate 1.5TB Serial ATA HD 7200/32MB/SATA-3G $114.97
I went for fairly cheap parts so I hope nothing fails on me Ordered on the 23rd but customs has been holding onto the parts for a week now..
Looks good, except for the seagate 1.5TB drive. They had issues a while back but they tend to be mostly resolved now, so if it doesn't fail right away, you'll be fine. Otherwise looks good.
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infinity21
Canada6683 Posts
On March 31 2010 01:39 Sadistx wrote:Show nested quote +On March 31 2010 01:24 infinity21 wrote:This is what I ordered so if anyone wants to comment on it, that would be cool (I can still return most of the parts for a different one): + Show Spoiler +BFG BFGEGTX260MC896OCDE GeForce GTX 260 Overclocked MAXCORE Video Card - 896MB GDDR3, PCIe 2.0 x16, SLI Ready, (Dual Link) Dual DVI, HDTV, Dual VGA Support $209.97
Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 500-Watt Power Supply $46.99
EVGA P55 V SLI Motherboard - Intel P55, Socket LGA1156, SLI+PhysX $119.97
Intel Core i5 750 BX80605I5750 Processor - 2.66GHz, LGA 1156, 8MB L3 Cache, Quad-Core, Lynnfield, Retail $209.97
Lite-On IHAS124-04 Internal DVD Writer - DVD+R 24X, DVD-R 24X, DVD+RW 8X, DVD-RW 6X, DVD+R DL 8X, SATA (OEM) $29.97
OCZ PC3-10666 Platinum RAM - 4GB, 2x2GB, 1333MHz, DDR3, Low Voltage, Dual Channel $109.97
Seagate 1.5TB Serial ATA HD 7200/32MB/SATA-3G $114.97
I went for fairly cheap parts so I hope nothing fails on me Ordered on the 23rd but customs has been holding onto the parts for a week now.. Looks good, except for the seagate 1.5TB drive. They had issues a while back but they tend to be mostly resolved now, so if it doesn't fail right away, you'll be fine. Otherwise looks good.
Ahh, the reviews on tigerdirect seemed fairly positive (all 4.5+) so I went with it. I'm hoping that means TD didn't get many bad batches.
Thanks for looking over my build. Good to hear I didn't horribly fuck up any purchase haha
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I see you want to pick up an after market HSF. Did you know you can buy a Phenom X2 550 and unlock the 3rd and 4th core with a motherboard that will allow you to and a little know how? The Phenom 550s go for about 100 bucks and with an after market HSF you'll be spending 130ish for pretty much a Phenom II X4 processor.
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/1184444/phenom-ii-x2-550-black-edition-surprise
I recently built a computer a few weeks ago and I successfully got my 550 running as a quad core. Works great so far and I highly recommend it if you want to save a bit.
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EPT
