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Hey TL,
I am currently planning on building a new PC, currently I have a few parts outlined, however I need some help on a few things.
Current Plan:
Processor : INTEL CORE I5-2500 SANDY BRIDGE 3.3GHZ 4 X 256KB L2 CACHE 6MB L3 CACHE LGA 1155 95W QUAD-CORE DESKTOP PROCESSOR ( I didn't want to waste more money on an i7 as I am not doing an heavy editing or video processing etc. The only thing I am using the PC for is gaming, internet browsing, watching stuff etc. )
Motherboard: No clue, the last PC I have built was like 6 years ago and I havent been up with the motherboard brands etc. Any recommendations about this one? Specific brands or specs to look for?
GPU: XFX Radeon 5770 HD is one card I have been thinking about. My gaming is not going to be PC centric since I am more of a console guy, but I do want to play PC superior games or exclusive games that are coming up this year and next. Would you guys recommend investing in a better card?
Memory: 4GB DD3 but I'm not sure about the brand or Mhz.
Hard drive: Is it worth investing in an SSD? Or should I get a standard Hard drive?
OS: Windows 7 64-bit Home premium
I have no clue on the CPU heat sink, Chassis, or power supply? Could anyone give any tips on those?
My budget cannot exceed 1000 USD, something around 900 USD would be the target.
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shouldn't this be in tech support with all the other computer build threads?
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Mobo + HeatSink: Really depends on what you want to be doing. Do you want to Overclock? If not I would go M4A88T EVO/USB3 because its cheap($89) and reliable, and keep the stock heatsink. If you do want to OC there are too many for me too name (i.e. too lazy to go through)
RAM: I always go with G-Skill ram. 2x 2GB 1600 mhz
GPU: I have a 5770, and it's great, or look into a GTX 560 (MSI's Twin Frozr) if you want to be good for the next 2 or so years.
HD: If you are a console person, its not worth the time to get a SSD. Only if you're heavily using the PC would I recommend it. Western Digital Caviar Black is my favorite brand.
OS: You're good.
Case: Antec 300/600/900 if you want effective and cheap. If you want a little style I'd go with a Cooler Master case.
PSU: Depends if you're OC'ing or not. If not overclocking go with a 550W to a 650W (Antec is usually the cheapest and most reliable).
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On April 13 2011 07:09 VeNoM HaZ Skill wrote:
Mobo + HeatSink: Really depends on what you want to be doing. Do you want to Overclock? If not I would go M4A88T EVO/USB3 because its cheap($89) and reliable, and keep the stock heatsink. If you do want to OC there are too many for me too name (i.e. too lazy to go through)
RAM: I always go with G-Skill ram. 2x 2GB 1600 mhz
GPU: I have a 5770, and it's great, or look into a GTX 560 (MSI's Twin Frozr) if you want to be good for the next 2 or so years.
HD: If you are a console person, its not worth the time to get a SSD. Only if you're heavily using the PC would I recommend it. Western Digital Caviar Black is my favorite brand.
OS: You're good.
Case: Antec 300/600/900 if you want effective and cheap. If you want a little style I'd go with a Cooler Master case.
PSU: Depends if you're OC'ing or not. If not overclocking go with a 550W to a 650W (Antec is usually the cheapest and most reliable).
I wouldn't want to OC, first of all I'm not that familiar with the process itself, and secondly I dont think it will affect me specifically as PC isnt my main gaming platform.
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I also have the 5770. It easily handles SC2 on Ultra settings. I have 8 GB of RAM instead of 4, but it is probably overkill. I like Antec cases. I've never owned SSDs but you probably don't need.
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Get an antec 300 or antec 900.
How big is that GPU, if it's hueg you'll want the 900, if normal sized 300 is fine.
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Canada116 Posts
Woohoo, first post. My thoughts.
Processor: I would suggest getting the i5 2500k mainly due to the fact you can OC it. My friend easily got his to 5.0 ghz. Even though you might not want to now, you might want to later. The price difference is not that much. If you want a website that specializes in Over Clocking pm me.
MB: Really any mid level asus P8*** motherboard will do with that PSU. If you wanted to over do it get a sabertooth x58.
GPU: the 5770 is a great card. The only thing I am concerned about is the maker of it. XFX is not a very get brand IMO. The computer store I work doesn't get them. We mainly buy Sapphire or Gigabyte. If you wanted a really high end GPU which I don't suggest in your case. is the 6950 2gb. The only reason I pick that card is because you can flash it to 6970 and get the most bang for your buck. Stay away from the nvidia 500 series. I find them overpriced and will not last long in this market. In benchmark tests, between the 580 and the 6950 there is about a 4% difference in performance.
Memory: 4gb is fine, but 6gb is ideal for it to run the most efficient. If you get 8gb, you won't notice the difference. 1333 mhz is fine. The difference in FPS in games is about 1-4 FPS. Corsair or G-skill are the best IMO.
HD: SSD is only really used to windows and programs faster and is much more reliable. If you get one, you will still have to get a second sata hard drive for data/downloads. If your not big on top of the line I would just go with a regular sata 2 hard drive. Sata 3 right now isn't worth it because you won't see the extra 3.0 GB/s difference from the sata 2. Files don't transfer nearly that fast. Seagate or Western Digital are fine.
OS: it's fine
Heat sink: stock is fine unless you majorly OC your cpu, but also good airflow in your case should warrant you not having to buy a heat sink.
PSU: 650w if its a good make and 700 if it's unknown. Corsair is the best IMO.
Chassis: If you are going for looks and room go for the Antec 900. If your looking to have a decent case go with the Antec 600. The Antec 300 is a decent case, but the airflow and design are inferior to 600 and 900.
Ultimately it's your choice, I'm just giving you options. PM me if you have any more questions
P.S. Do not go with with Venom's Mobo, it doesn't support the i series let alone intel processors at all. It's an AMD board.
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Dude be like me, Just upgraded my stuff. read the other blog that sais,
SSD, new comp stuff, art
Get a 5870 2gb i have that its is beast, I hear like the 250-260 range is always the sweat spot for graphics card, Mine was like 400 bucks but got 50% off at newegg so i jumped on the deal which makes sense 
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Canada116 Posts
The problems I have with the 5870 is that is doesn't have Dx11 support, so newer games will have performance issues in the future with it. The 6970 performs about 10-12% better then the 5870. Also the 6950 costs a lot less due to the fact you can flash it to the 6970. To me it seems like a better buy.
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To be honest avoid the 600. It has compatibility issues with some ATX mobos.
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Where are you buying from?
CPU: i5-2500 is great and maybe even overkill for what you're doing. If need be, a i5-2300, i5-2400, or even the dual core i3-2100 should run whatever you want.
Motherboard: since you're not overclocking, most any H61 or H67 motherboard should work. Just get something with all the connectivity options you need. e.g. lower-end motherboards tend to have only 2 RAM slots, microATX motherboards have less slots for adding expansion cards, etc. The lower-end motherboards lack USB3 support, which could be useful. Generally trusted brands include Gigabyte, Asus, AsRock, and MSI, though there are always people with bad experiences with one brand or another that would dispute that.
GPU: HD 5770 is fine, particularly if you aren't expecting all the newer games to run on the highest settings. Despite what was mentioned earlier, all HD 5xxx / HD 6xxx / Nvidia 4xx / Nvidia 5xx GPUs you can buy support DX11 (including the HD 5870). I think anything beyond a HD 6870 (about $210) would probably be overkill for your purposes.
Memory: Memory specs including timing and speed have little impact on application performance, so just get whatever is cheap.
Storage: With the budget, you have room for an SSD, so it's not a bad idea.
CPU heat sink: Retail boxed cooler that comes with the CPU is sufficient if you're not overclocking, unless you're looking to make your system very quiet and already have quiet parts for everything else.
Chassis: Your choice. About anything works, particularly for a lower-power build.
PSU: Most everybody has ridiculous conceptions of how much power is used and is necessary. Anyway, every brand has mediocre units or worse. I can recommend specific models, but it's better to know just what's available and what your options are. If you're really getting an i5-2500, HD 5770, a couple hard drives, a couple fans, etc., the whole system would draw about 200W from the PSU under full load.
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How are the following:
Motherboard: ASUS P8H61-M LE/CSM (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
GPU: Although the 5770 is my cheapest option, I am thinking of the 6790 or the 6850. How are those 2? Is the difference in their prices or performance worth getting one over the other?
Is Cooler Master USP 100 Black Mid Tower Case good? Or a a tall case better?
The biggest PC store here sells a lot of Mushkin products. Is Mushkin Enhanced Volta 500 Watts Power Supply good enough to handle the overall system, no OC.
Thanks for the replys btw
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On April 13 2011 18:15 DragoonPK wrote:How are the following: Motherboard: ASUS P8H61-M LE/CSM (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard GPU: Although the 5770 is my cheapest option, I am thinking of the 6790 or the 6850. How are those 2? Is the difference in their prices or performance worth getting one over the other? Is Cooler Master USP 100 Black Mid Tower Case good? Or a a tall case better? The biggest PC store here sells a lot of Mushkin products. Is Mushkin Enhanced Volta 500 Watts Power Supply good enough to handle the overall system, no OC. Thanks for the replys btw
The 6790 isn't great, get the 6850 instead.
There's no need for a full tower for just a normal build, unless you have 6 hard drives or something you want to use in it. I haven't heard of that case before, but its hard to go wrong with CoolerMaster cases. After a quick google it looks good, decent cable management and tooless options.
I found one review on the Mushkin 600W, and it seems to be of average to good quality. Not antec/seasonic standard but it certainly won't explode on you. Considering that you won't be overclocking, the 500W should be perfectly fine.
Heres the review: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Mushkin-Volta-600-W-Power-Supply-Review/910/1
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Have you checked the awesome Computer Build Resource Thread? Best thread on earth to stay up-to-date with comp specs.
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On April 13 2011 20:44 InDaHouse wrote:
Have you checked the awesome Computer Build Resource Thread? Best thread on earth to stay up-to-date with comp specs.
Yeah I did, just writing here for my personal case.
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On April 13 2011 19:51 deconduo wrote:Show nested quote +On April 13 2011 18:15 DragoonPK wrote:How are the following: Motherboard: ASUS P8H61-M LE/CSM (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard GPU: Although the 5770 is my cheapest option, I am thinking of the 6790 or the 6850. How are those 2? Is the difference in their prices or performance worth getting one over the other? Is Cooler Master USP 100 Black Mid Tower Case good? Or a a tall case better? The biggest PC store here sells a lot of Mushkin products. Is Mushkin Enhanced Volta 500 Watts Power Supply good enough to handle the overall system, no OC. Thanks for the replys btw The 6790 isn't great, get the 6850 instead. There's no need for a full tower for just a normal build, unless you have 6 hard drives or something you want to use in it. I haven't heard of that case before, but its hard to go wrong with CoolerMaster cases. After a quick google it looks good, decent cable management and tooless options. I found one review on the Mushkin 600W, and it seems to be of average to good quality. Not antec/seasonic standard but it certainly won't explode on you. Considering that you won't be overclocking, the 500W should be perfectly fine. Heres the review: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Mushkin-Volta-600-W-Power-Supply-Review/910/1
Apparently Mushkin Volta 500W is by Andyson, while the older 600W is by Topower, so they're completely different designs that can't really be compared.
That said, even a below-average 500W unit should handle the computer okay, so I'd also think it's probably fine. Certainly if the 500W is on the 600W's level of quality, it would work.
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EPT
