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On May 14 2010 13:40 Ecology wrote:
I'm going to be buying a new system here pretty soon, like many others, and I'd appreciate if anyone could give me some recommendations on adjusting this setup? If theres a similar performance change that is cheaper i'd be interested, or if a slight jump in price has added value then that also, etc.
Setup:
i7-920 2.66ghz
Asus P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX
EVGA Geforce GTX 470 1280mb 2.0 pci-x 16
Antec 650W continuous ATX12V
G.Skill 6gb ddr 3 2000
I might upgrade the ram and add another video card at some point in the next 6 months. Is there anything to keep in mind for future upgrades? I've never done SLI, and so don't know what limitations there are as far as compatibility? My power supply is 'crossfire ready' but I don't know if that is just marketing wank...
btw this system is mostly for gaming (not huge on fps, mostly rpg/strat.) and I hope to have it last for a few years at least.
Any input is appreciated, thanks!
don't go SLI, just upgrade your card in the future with whatever new tech comes out in two years. Like someone else said, you should get a 930 rather than a 920. Also, these things overclock really well, make sure to get a separate heat sink and you can drive that thing up to 3.5 ghz without a sweat.
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On May 14 2010 22:31 KOFgokuon wrote:
don't go SLI, just upgrade your card in the future with whatever new tech comes out in two years. Like someone else said, you should get a 930 rather than a 920. Also, these things overclock really well, make sure to get a separate heat sink and you can drive that thing up to 3.5 ghz without a sweat.
Counterpoint - There are times when SLI is good value and those times are becoming more and more frequent. There are some Crossfire setups right now for instance that can pull 80-100% more performance than a single card (albeit, SC2 does not scale so well).
That said, the fella has a valid point. If you have the choice, always buy a single more powerful card. You can add another down the line if you need it and save money.
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On May 03 2010 10:03 KOFgokuon wrote:Assuming you're going to stay with AMD, + Show Spoiler +if you want to use your current ram with your new system, you're going to have to buy an AM2+ board, and then when you buy your ram, you have to buy DDR2 ram. The better idea would be to wait a month or so, save up enough money, and then buy the ram/MB/cpu all at the same time so that you can get DDR3, an AM3 board, and a new cpu.
I don't know if you're a student but windows could be a little pricey, like $100, so between that a new cpu and motherboard, that's already $330 or so. If you can afford a little more than $400 then you can get 4 gb and ram then you're set for a while
if you go the intel route then you can only buy a 775 socket cpu if you want to re-use your ram, which means the core2duo line, which has been a defunct socket for a while. if you go 1156 it'll also be a little more expensive,
I'd recommended waiting or spending a little more than your budget
I took your recommendations and upped my budget to about $540. I am very satisfied with the upgrades I got and just wanted to say thanks to you and FragKrag for the advice!
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On May 14 2010 13:04 Froadac wrote:
What do you guys think about 5750 vs 5770. I can't decide which one to get for my new comp. How much of a difference would it make?
http://www.techspot.com/news/37969-starcraft-ii-beta-tested-easy-on-pc-hardware.html
Pretty nice chart where they rammed up everything to ultra and let the GPU be the only bottleneck.
Note that the resolution is 1920x1080 (there's another for higher res further in the article).
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Thanks for the advice on my rig everyone. I'll probably grab the i7-930, and might upgrade the mobo as well. I'll see where I'm at later on and decide on SLI probably.
Mucho appreciated.
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On May 15 2010 00:22 Southlight wrote:Quick question: my graphics card just died, and I was looking to upgrade anyways (from an old 8800GT). I'm sitting on a Q8400 quad with 4gb RAM, thinking of getting a 5830, would that be a bad idea or should it be fine. Also rather confused by the increasing increments for PCI express version numbers, haven't really been keeping up with the tech specs (not really a techie here) so all of a sudden I'm seeing like PCI ex 2.1s and going what? Is that even compatible with my mobo now? Edit: I guess I might as well ask about power supply, too. I'm looking primarily at http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006aided in large part by the fact that I have good confidence in Corsair, but http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341018&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL051410&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL051410-_-EMC-051410-Index-_-PowerSupplies-_-17341018-LC2Bis really, really cheap at the moment. The latter also doesn't specify amps on their 12V rail, while Corsair tends to load massive amps into the 12V, which is a large reason why I usually just get Corsair and be carefree about power consump.
Video cards with the newer PCI-e spec are backwards compatible with the 1st generation PCI-e, so you don't really have to worry about that, Whether or not the 5830 is worth it over the 5770 really depends. I'd wait for a good deal on the 5850 (which tends to be just a tiny bit more than the 5830 after rebates), but I guess you're in a hurry to buy a card.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/blizzard-entertainment-starcraft-ii-benchmark,2611-6.html
For PSU, you got other options:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005 (52A, $80AR)
The OCZ you linked to is 46A, $65AR... comes with a flash drive and is modular.
Any of them will be fine for your system. I like Corsair as well, but the OCZ PSU is pretty tempting.
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On May 15 2010 00:22 Southlight wrote:Quick question: my graphics card just died, and I was looking to upgrade anyways (from an old 8800GT). I'm sitting on a Q8400 quad with 4gb RAM, thinking of getting a 5830, would that be a bad idea or should it be fine. Also rather confused by the increasing increments for PCI express version numbers, haven't really been keeping up with the tech specs (not really a techie here) so all of a sudden I'm seeing like PCI ex 2.1s and going what? Is that even compatible with my mobo now? Edit: I guess I might as well ask about power supply, too. I'm looking primarily at http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006aided in large part by the fact that I have good confidence in Corsair, but http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341018&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL051410&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL051410-_-EMC-051410-Index-_-PowerSupplies-_-17341018-LC2Bis really, really cheap at the moment. The latter also doesn't specify amps on their 12V rail, while Corsair tends to load massive amps into the 12V, which is a large reason why I usually just get Corsair and be carefree about power consump.
those psu's are way larger than you need, if you're running a single gpu all you really need is a 550/600 W psu. If you want more room for running SLI/crossfire later then sure go ahead and get bigger, but you don't need THAT much head room.
erm, corsair will definitely give you a higher quality product. I've never had problems with OCZ power supplies, but they definitely aren't as highly regarded. You will save quite a bit of cash though
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Mmm so I'm deciding between these two laptops currently..
HP Envy 14
i5 2.4Ghz
radeon HD 5650
vs
Dell studio 15
i7 1.6Ghz (quad core)
radeon HD 5470
I can get the latter for $900 from student discounts and stuff, but the video card is somewhat weaker.. will it be sufficient to run SC2 on high details at 1080p?
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Core i7-975 EE
Kingston HyperX 3x2GB DDR3-1600 RAM
2x NVIDIA GTX 480 in SLI
2x Intel X25-M 80GB in RAID 0
... running at a glorious resolution of 1360x768. Because I was planning on waiting until NVIDIA actually releases their drivers for their triple-monitor implementation before springing for new monitors (probably 3 Acer GD235HZs) and am just using an old 720p LCD TV that I had lying around. But now it looks like I'll be waiting until June for that. Fucking NVIDIA.
ETA: I also can't count and ended up getting a Gigabyte X58A-UD3R, which only has one slot between the x16 PCI-E slots, which means my GTX 480s get to chill out right next to each other. FML.
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Thanks to all the guys who shared their hardware knowledge. I knew next to nothing before reading your posts and threads, but now I only need someone knowledgeable to tell me if my setup is looking ok, and I'm set to order!
I have been delaying investing in a new computer for a couple of years now, only waiting for sc2 to be released, so I'm super excited. The computer will be for gaming, and sc2 is the single most important thing here, but naturally I'd like the computer to do well in generel gaming. I hope to keep this as inexpensive as possible, but I will invest more if I get enough for my money. Likewise, please point out if I am buying something needlessly expensive.
GPU:XFX radeon HD5770 1GB
(alternative choice: ASUS ENGTX260, 896MB)
CPU: Phenom II x4 946
(alternative choice intel core i5 661)
Mobo: ASRock M3A770DE: Socket AM3, AMD 770 Chipset, ATX
(alternative choice GIGABYTE GA-770TA-UD3 AM3 770 SATA 6Gb/s USB3.0 ATX )
PSU: Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 Modular Active PFC Power Supply
RAM: 4 GB DDR2/DDR3, dual/triple (which option is better with suggested mobo?). brand: was thinking Kingston but I don't think it matters much
HD: Western Digital 500GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s
Optical Drive: SAMSUNG SATA 24x DVD Burner
Case: NZXT GAMA-001BK
What I considered: I read up on FragKrag, KOFgokuon, and other's posts as well as benchmark tests to guide my CPU and GPU choices. Aside from that I mostly went with budget choices, using this: http://www.hardware-revolution.com/500-gaming-computer-quad-core-cpu/ as reference if I didn't have particular preferences. I don't think I will need SSD at all. I don't intend to upgrade too soon, but if some of my choices are hopeless for future upgrading while equally/slightly more expensive choices wouldn't be, please point it out. I left out monitor/mouse/keyboard/external soundblaster as I have stuff to substitute here for now, but if I forgot anything else, feel free to notify me.
Thanks for the assistance so far!
EDIT: Oh yeah, I'm kinda clueless whether my mobo goes well with the rest of the setup. So please look at that in particular. I just chose the cheap mobo suggested in the linked article.
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You can get a better hard drive. The Samsung F3 Spinpoint 500GB is a decent buy.
As for DDR3 vs DDR2, you won't see much of a difference, but with your mobo you must use dual channel DDR3!
Jolenar: The second laptop will not run SC2 at high.
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On May 18 2010 23:52 FragKrag wrote:
You can get a better hard drive. The Samsung F3 Spinpoint 500GB is a decent buy.
As for DDR3 vs DDR2, you won't see much of a difference, but with your mobo you must use dual channel DDR3!
Jolenar: The second laptop will not run SC2 at high.
Thanks mate!
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I have a E5200, 4GB of RAM and a 9800GT. Local computer store has some pretty good deals on CPUs, but what should I be going for? E7500 or a Q8200? They also have a Q9200 on sale -- about 20 bucks more, but I'm a cheap motherf#$cker.
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Generally not a fan of Dell, but how do we feel about the new XPS 7100 series? They now have the new Phenom x6 chips. Granted the PS is weak and you may grumble with some of the parts, the price seems pretty good. For example, $739 gets you:
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64Bit, English
AMD Phenom™ II X6 1055T
ATI Radeon HD 5670 1GB
4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz- 2 DIMMs
1TB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
16X DVD+/-RW Drive
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On May 19 2010 03:10 citi.zen wrote:
Generally not a fan of Dell, but how do we feel about the new XPS 7100 series? They now have the new Phenom x6 chips. Granted the PS is weak and you may grumble with some of the parts, the price seems pretty good. For example, $739 gets you:
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64Bit, English
AMD Phenom™ II X6 1055T
ATI Radeon HD 5670 1GB
4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM at 1333MHz- 2 DIMMs
1TB - 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
16X DVD+/-RW Drive
Its really not that bad for the price, considering its coming from dell. But still, card is not good, better to just build a custom
on a side note i say the increase in performance from i7 920 --> 930 is not worth 30 bucks, it is only slightly faster. A slight oc on 920 can save you 30 in a matter of seconds...
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Has a NVIDIA GEForce 6150 SE graphics card, is the game still good with this? I heard this graphics card sucked so I'm wondering is this card is still good with SC2 with a 3GHz processer and 4 GB of Ram.
Can someone help me?
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On May 15 2010 00:22 Southlight wrote:Quick question: my graphics card just died, and I was looking to upgrade anyways (from an old 8800GT). I'm sitting on a Q8400 quad with 4gb RAM, thinking of getting a 5830, would that be a bad idea or should it be fine. Also rather confused by the increasing increments for PCI express version numbers, haven't really been keeping up with the tech specs (not really a techie here) so all of a sudden I'm seeing like PCI ex 2.1s and going what? Is that even compatible with my mobo now? Edit: I guess I might as well ask about power supply, too. I'm looking primarily at http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006aided in large part by the fact that I have good confidence in Corsair, but http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341018&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL051410&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL051410-_-EMC-051410-Index-_-PowerSupplies-_-17341018-LC2Bis really, really cheap at the moment. The latter also doesn't specify amps on their 12V rail, while Corsair tends to load massive amps into the 12V, which is a large reason why I usually just get Corsair and be carefree about power consump.
You don't need a new psu. Get a 5770.
On May 18 2010 23:06 hefty wrote:Thanks to all the guys who shared their hardware knowledge. I knew next to nothing before reading your posts and threads, but now I only need someone knowledgeable to tell me if my setup is looking ok, and I'm set to order! I have been delaying investing in a new computer for a couple of years now, only waiting for sc2 to be released, so I'm super excited. The computer will be for gaming, and sc2 is the single most important thing here, but naturally I'd like the computer to do well in generel gaming. I hope to keep this as inexpensive as possible, but I will invest more if I get enough for my money. Likewise, please point out if I am buying something needlessly expensive. GPU:XFX radeon HD5770 1GB (alternative choice: ASUS ENGTX260, 896MB) CPU: Phenom II x4 946 (alternative choice intel core i5 661) Mobo: ASRock M3A770DE: Socket AM3, AMD 770 Chipset, ATX (alternative choice GIGABYTE GA-770TA-UD3 AM3 770 SATA 6Gb/s USB3.0 ATX ) PSU: Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 Modular Active PFC Power Supply RAM: 4 GB DDR2/DDR3, dual/triple (which option is better with suggested mobo?). brand: was thinking Kingston but I don't think it matters much HD: Western Digital 500GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s Optical Drive: SAMSUNG SATA 24x DVD Burner Case: NZXT GAMA-001BK What I considered: I read up on FragKrag, KOFgokuon, and other's posts as well as benchmark tests to guide my CPU and GPU choices. Aside from that I mostly went with budget choices, using this: http://www.hardware-revolution.com/500-gaming-computer-quad-core-cpu/ as reference if I didn't have particular preferences. I don't think I will need SSD at all. I don't intend to upgrade too soon, but if some of my choices are hopeless for future upgrading while equally/slightly more expensive choices wouldn't be, please point it out. I left out monitor/mouse/keyboard/external soundblaster as I have stuff to substitute here for now, but if I forgot anything else, feel free to notify me. Thanks for the assistance so far! EDIT: Oh yeah, I'm kinda clueless whether my mobo goes well with the rest of the setup. So please look at that in particular. I just chose the cheap mobo suggested in the linked article.
The Tech Report has excellent system guides. Read their latest: http://techreport.com/articles.x/18747
Specifically, this setup is close to what you're building. Read the article for reasoning behind the choices.
On May 19 2010 05:41 Yme wrote:
Has a NVIDIA GEForce 6150 SE graphics card, is the game still good with this? I heard this graphics card sucked so I'm wondering is this card is still good with SC2 with a 3GHz processer and 4 GB of Ram.
Can someone help me?
Could you provide more info on your system? How old is your system? Is it a brand name (+model)?
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Could you provide more info on your system? How old is your system? Is it a brand name (+model)?
It's an HP Slimline Desktop Computer with AMD Athlon II X2 Dual Core 250 using windows 7 home 64-bit
About 600GB of hard drive.
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On May 19 2010 06:52 Yme wrote:Show nested quote +
Could you provide more info on your system? How old is your system? Is it a brand name (+model)?
It's an HP Slimline Desktop Computer with AMD Athlon II X2 Dual Core 250 using windows 7 home 64-bit About 600GB of hard drive.
I assume you just bought this computer. Your computer is a good workstation computer, but for gaming, its not the best choice unfortunately. You will probably not be able to play SC2 on the low settings even, as the video card is pretty old and slow.
Being slimline, you can't put a normal sized graphics card in there. You have to use short cards like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102874
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EPT
