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Budget ---> Less than $700 (preferably ~600)
Notes I am NOT looking for a monitor. I will be able to find a decent used monitor that will do just fine.
Goal ---> I would like to play SC2 (and future expansions) while streaming with decent/good quality. I will be turning the graphics settings of SC2 down. I am more concerned with avoiding any problems which can affect game play or stream quality. lag, delay, spikes, etc.
On Friday I am going to check out a used PC that someone is selling for $600.
Edit: Determined to be a bad deal by TL.
+ Show Spoiler +
Specs:
Phenom X4 9750 quadcore processor, 8GB DDR2 ram, 1TB hard drive, 20" monitor, 2 webcams, speakers, mouse and keyboard, Vista home premium 64bit, 1GB dedicated Radeon graphics card.
(He hasn't replied with model of Graphics Card, monitor specs etc.)
Asking: 600
Is this a good deal? If it is what should I be looking for when I check it out? What else should I know about the computer before buying?
Since this computer is not ideal. I need to buy a different computer. What do you recommend for a 600-700 budget?
(Sorry I don't have the knowledge or resources to build my own computer. Although I would like to some day)
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Doesn't seem too bad, tbh. I would definitely let it run for a good 30 minutes or so doing something CPU/graphically intensive to make sure it doesn't have any heat problems.
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On September 21 2011 00:12 Sm3agol wrote:
Doesn't seem too bad, tbh. I would definitely let it run for a good 30 minutes or so doing something CPU/graphically intensive to make sure it doesn't have any heat problems.
WTF are you smoking, that's a terrible deal for 600$
Considering he isn't even telling you what the monitor and video card are, the memory is DDR2, and the processor is built on a 6 year-old architecture, I wouldn't give him more than 250-300 for it
You're best off building an i5-2400 CPU w/radeon 6870 for ~550-600
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That's a terrible deal. I don't think that computer even cost $600 when it was new... let alone now that it's three years old.
What kind of quality are you looking to stream at? That's going to determine what kind of hardware you need for the most part.
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No that's awful. It's probably a $200 machine brand new if the parts were even for sale anymore
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Awful deal, might be worth $300 or less.
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OP edited. Since the computer I was going to look at flopped in the eyes of TL. What should I buy? What sites/stores do you recommend? Any deals anywhere?
Keep in mind that my budget is the limitation. Not the quality I would like to stream at.
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Don't buy AMD because their processors are terrible atm, graphs are self explanatory: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core-i5-2500-2400-2300_7.html#sect0 You should only be looking at Intel processors unless you want to wait until October for AMD to release their new FX processors which btw is out of your budget unless you intend to increase your budget by that time.
If you're buying custom, you want core i5 2500, 2400, or 2300 for streaming purposes. Since these processors were released January of this year, they're fairly new so nobody will likely be selling theirs to you (unless they are getting ready for the new core i7 release in November, which btw is out of your budget so don't ask).
The last generation of Intel processors that are likely to be widely available on craigslist and other BST forums that you should be looking for are the core i5 750 and 760 (I guess core i7 860 and 870 as well if the price is good).
The graphics card doesn't have to be that good if you just want to play Starcraft II on low and the monitor resolution will also determine what graphics card you should get but anything below the $100 mark will be perfectly capable of playing on low smoothly depending on resolution (ex. Radeon HD5670, Radeon HD5570, even the integrated graphics of the core i5 2x00).
If you're building yourself, you can get a core i5 2400 configuration capable of playing Starcraft II on low and streaming at decent 720p quality for about $600. If you're buying prebuilt, you can probably get something similar but it's going to be overpriced (poorly optimized) and have lower quality components (overall quality and shorter warranty) from somewhere like Cyberpower.
Also another note, if you're buying used. It is important to ask for the power supply model as not all power supplies are made equally and some are of much lower quality than others. If the computer has been used for a long period of time (say 24/7 over three years) with a low quality power supply, it's likely going to be on its way out soon so issues may or may not arise due to this.
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aike's build is poorly optimized and doesn't include an operating system which I assume you need but that build is capable of playing the game on ultra at 1080p to give you an idea of pricing.
If you just want to play on low quality and stream, can get an operating system for free (pirating or MSDNAA or a friend) or at a discounted price (educational discount, work discount). Such a configuration is about $400 - $500 if you build it yourself.
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On September 21 2011 00:46 aike wrote:Show nested quote +On September 21 2011 00:10 HungrySC2 wrote:
Since this computer is not ideal. I need to buy a different computer. What do you recommend for a 600-700 budget?
(Sorry I don't have the knowledge or resources to build my own computer. Although I would like to some day) I would definitely build one for $600-700. You could get something pretty decent. The only knowledge you need is TL and being able to put the tube through the circle and the brick through the square etc...  and the resources = newegg.com and a screwdriver. I just randomly threw together some parts there, based on your budget as an example of what you could get. Now I didn't actually look into any of these parts except for that i5 which is pretty nice  so more shopping around would need to be done to get your best bang for your buck.
He could use his current DVD drive if he has one I assume? And save $20.
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On September 21 2011 00:52 skyR wrote:
aike's build is poorly optimized and doesn't include an operating system which I assume you need but that build is capable of playing the game on ultra at 1080p to give you an idea of pricing.
If you just want to play on low quality and stream, can get an operating system for free (pirating or MSDNAA or a friend) or at a discounted price (educational discount, work discount). Such a configuration is about $400 - $500 if you build it yourself.
This makes me wonder if I should build a computer myself, since Computer Science students at my school can get basically any Microsoft product, including Win7, for free..
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Well what's stopping you? =p
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99% of the time, for us gamers, desktops are better custom (build it yourself). I don't think aike's build is too bad, so use it as a starting point I guess and swap in/out different components to your taste/budget. You may want to add a decent HSF (heat sink fan) to your build if you think you'll need overclocking (the stock fan that comes with the processor isn't that good). I don't know about taking apart your old computer for your old DVD drive, your preference I guess... if budget is a major constrain (which it sounds like it is) then you can save 20 here.
For OS I recommend Window 7 Home (genuine), which will eat a chunk of your budget if you can't get it for free from MSDNAA. Don't buy ANY of the commercial security/anti-virus software, actually don't even take it even if they offer it free. For MS Office... get a pirated '07.
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I'm currently using a laptop I bought my senior year of high school... So I can't really pirate any parts.
Think I'm going to use the computer build resource thread....
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Seriously, don't buy a preassembled computer.
Usually one or more of the parts in one of these just don't fit the needs (like a computer with super fast CPU but its graphics card is shit)
It's really not that hard to do it yourself and you save tons of money/get more power for your money.
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On September 21 2011 00:21 CharlieBrownsc wrote:Show nested quote +On September 21 2011 00:12 Sm3agol wrote:
Doesn't seem too bad, tbh. I would definitely let it run for a good 30 minutes or so doing something CPU/graphically intensive to make sure it doesn't have any heat problems. WTF are you smoking, that's a terrible deal for 600$ Considering he isn't even telling you what the monitor and video card are, the memory is DDR2, and the processor is built on a 6 year-old architecture, I wouldn't give him more than 250-300 for it You're best off building an i5-2400 CPU w/radeon 6870 for ~550-600
I guess that shows how fast technology changes. Barely a year or so ago, i build a computer with a little less power than that for $800, and i got some great deals on a few parts.
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Not usedddd~~~~~
So many things can be broken that you'll never find out till laterr.
If you do get used, get a warrantey? warrantee? warantee? fml
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Bought a computer yesterday. Well I still have to put it together once it arrives.
Specs are in the computer build resource thread.
Thanks everyone for the help.
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Awesome! You are saving a bit of money for more performance. That's a pretty nice processor and there's always room for upgrades in the future!
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Got to my new place. The majority of my parts were here before I got here. Just need the case and monitor and I can put it together... Also was very happy to see 14 down and 5 up... with 26 ms ping.
Hopefully I can get all working parts and put them together the right way now 
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So... I'm attempting to build this thing... and not getting anywhere...
I have the Ram, cpu, heatsink, graphics card installed on the motherboard.
I have the PSU connected to the motherboard via 24 pin connector and other 4 pin one. Also connected power to PCI-E on graphics card.
The first thing is that I don't have any idea if the power supply is even working when I plug it in and turn it on. How to know if it even works? Second I'm unsure about which 2 pins I'm supposed to be "shorting" to attempt to boot the motherboard.
any suggestions greatly appreciated.
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EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/NT71a.png)
