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On April 25 2012 14:23 Malstriks wrote:Show nested quote +On April 25 2012 13:28 skyR wrote:On April 25 2012 12:16 Malstriks wrote:+ Show Spoiler +On April 24 2012 08:58 Malstriks wrote:Show nested quote +On April 24 2012 08:54 skyR wrote:On April 24 2012 08:28 Malstriks wrote:+ Show Spoiler +Hi there, first time poster in this section of the forum really, so I am a complete noob when it comes to building a computer. I figured that for the end of the school year, I will celebrate by building myself a much-needed new computer for the very first time.
What is your budget?
I would like to spend somewhere between $1000-$1500 (or less obviously) on it. This is pretty flexible, and if need be I can go up to max $2000.
What is your resolution?
Currently using a 1920x1080 resolution.
What are you using it for?
I will be using it for Starcraft 2 and streaming, almost exclusively. I only want to be able to play sc2 on low-medium settings, but with my current computer I have trouble with fps drops in large battles even on all the lowest settings. I hope to build a new one where this won't be an issue.
What is your upgrade cycle?
I don't want/plan to upgrade it often at all. Maybe every few years if needed? I'm not really too sure how to answer this question, but let's assume the only thing I'll be using it for is, as previously mentioned, sc2 and streaming.
When do you plan on building it?
Within the next couple of weeks.
Do you plan on overclocking?
Nope!
Do you need an Operating System?
Yes I will need one.
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
I don't think I will need one for my purposes, so I will say no. But if someone corrects me and I do need a second GPU for my purposes, then yes!
Where are you buying your parts from?
I live in Canada, so probably Newegg unless there's somewhere cheaper.
Thanks so much for the help! like i said, i'm an idiot when it comes to this stuff so any constructive help is needed and i would love to answer any questions or anything else you need to know. Overclocking will be very beneficial for a configuration that's sole purpose is for Starcraft II and streaming. Newegg sucks so you don't want to buy from them... it amazes me why Newegg is so popular in Canada when there wasn't even a Newegg Canada until like 2009 and they're not even good. You won't be spending anywhere 2k though unless you spend needlessly. You'll want to ask again when you have a more definite build date since Canadian retailers allow for pricematching and there are weekly sales. Okay thank you, so where would you recommend I buy from? and I will be buying the parts at the end of april or very beginning of may. Just received news that I will be able to buy the parts anytime after this saturday (preferrably as soon as possible) . Thanks again So will you be overclocking or not? NCIX's new sale will be up tomorrow evening so I'll recommend when that time comes. Yes I will be if beneficial/needed for sc2 and streaming 
Here you go, some of these deals are hot so they will probably sell out soon if you don't buy within the next 24 hours so hopefully you read this and purchase soon? The total is $1087 before promotional offers, rebates, taxes, shipping, and other applicable fees.
Intel Core i7 2600k @ $290
http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=57960&promoid=1058
MSI Z77A-G43 @ $120 ($100 after mail in rebate)
http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=69230&promoid=1201
EVGA GTX 560 @ $150 ($140 after mail in rebate) HOT!!
http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=61198&promoid=1058
AMD 2x4GB 1600MHz cas8 @ $40 HOT!!
http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=67361&promoid=1058
Antec Earthwatts 500 @ $65 (no power cord, so re-use existing one or buy it)
http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=69577&promoid=1305
Windows 7 Home Premium x64 @ $95
http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=45271&promoid=1058
Coolermaster Hyper 212+ @ $20
http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=41337&promoid=1058
Fractal Design Define R3 @ $70 HOT!!
http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=63337&promoid=1058
Crucial M4 128gb @ $149
http://www.ncix.ca/products/index.php?sku=60445&promoid=1058
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB @ $70
http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=58402&promoid=1058
DVD Burner @ $18
http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=49597&promoid=1058
edit: made changes to lower the total
+ Show Spoiler [old] +
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On April 26 2012 10:58 skyR wrote:Show nested quote +On April 26 2012 10:18 Anacletus wrote:+ Show Spoiler +On April 26 2012 10:09 skyR wrote:
1280x1024 with a 3.5k budget? lol, you should buy a new monitor and ask again when you have a definite build date. I'm quite comfortable with my present monitor and I just don't really want a bigger one. I also assume that if I do plan on buying a slightly bigger monitor it won't change the specs entirely. My build date is 3 months at the latest, I could buy something any time between now and then, this is a definite period of time. edit: it's also quite possible to spend nowhere near 3.5k as well, again I've linked several options that I've tinkered with and am just looking for opinions. I am putting effort into doing this and don't really appreciate the fact that you seem to be putting in little to no effort to tell me that my screen is small and that my budget is large. As I have said this is a maximum amount and that I am very happy to underspend and if you had clicked my linked customs then you would see I built something in the 2k range. I have no interest in gaming notebooks so there is no reason for me to offer my opinion on the M18X or the other ones you linked to. I simply pointed out that what you're looking to do is not possible. I don't appreciate the fact that you're being jerk. You don't need to be educated in consumer computer hardware to know that new components will be released and pricing won't remain static for three months. I volunteer my time to post in this thread so I don't have an obligation to help you. For desktops - 2560x1400 or above is large, 1920x1080 is the norm, and anything under 1680x1050 is stone age. What resolution you play on does change GPU requirements significantly. The difference between 1280x1080 and 1920x1080 is roughly a million pixels and the difference between 1920x1080 and 5760x1080 is roughly four million. If hardware requirements did not change significantly, why would there be SKUs ranging from $50 to $1000+? If you put effort into this, I would expect several paragraphs detailing what exactly you want and what you currently have in mind along with why. Providing a measly paragraph and a few links is like a minutes work, I do not see this as effort. Let's not mention that you simply ignored the other questions in the OP such as needing an operating system, overclocking, and doing SLI / CrossfireX.
I don't want to divert this thread but I do want to address your concerns.
I did take your initial advice that getting something portable would be silly as you will notice my following post asking for something similar but in desktop form. I was seriously interested in a notebook but I took your advice extremely seriously as I DID change my requests to meet your advice.
I am not being a jerk I am just not as learned as you are in hardware so if my questions seem silly, then sorry. That being said I think you were the one being quite condescending but as my point of this paragraph isn't to shift blame or anything else just defend myself here.
Awesome, thank you for your information on resolution sizes.
I did read the OP and did look at several other threads before posting, but in my own absent mindedness I accidentally didn't click the first spoiler which outlines the questions to answer, I did however click the others and did my best to describe everything as you'll notice in my original post.
edit: your opinion on a:
i7-3930X processor (six core 12MB cache, overclocked up to 3.9 Ghz)
Dual 2GB DDR5 Radeon HD 7950
2TB RAID 0 (2x 1TB SATA 6Gb/s) 7.200 RPM
Would this system be able to run every present game on ultra graphics and likely (use your crystal ball) be able to do the same for the next 2-3 years?
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Do you mean a 3930k or a 3960x? The $1000+ 3960x is the one with 3.9GHz turbo boost but has 15mb of cache while the $600 3930k is the one with 12mb of cache but only has a 3.8GHz turbo. Regardless, games don't use this many threads. So if you do not plan on streaming at 1080p, there is no point in getting anything higher than a 2500k.
RAIDing HDDs for performance is pointless, just get a SSD and manage your space better.
For 1080p, CrossfireX 7950 would do reasonably well for most games.
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On April 26 2012 12:14 skyR wrote:
Do you mean a 3930k or a 3960x? The $1000+ 3960x is the one with 3.9GHz turbo boost but has 15mb of cache while the $600 3930k is the one with 12mb of cache but only has a 3.8GHz turbo. Regardless, games don't use this many threads. So if you do not plan on streaming at 1080p, there is no point in getting anything higher than a 2500k.
RAIDing HDDs for performance is pointless, just get a SSD and manage your space better.
For 1080p, CrossfireX 7950 would do reasonably well for most games.
I was using the Dell site and it one of it's options I was looking at was the 3930k.
I checked into some more reviews and such and I'll look for getting a CrossfireX, and thanks for your advice on SSD.
What website would you recommend for me to select parts from the bottom up and then have it shipped whole to me, if that is even done?
(I imagine looking over some old posts you recommend NCIX, however I do notice it is based in Canada, would shipping costs to the USA (Georgia specifically) be outlandish or possible?
edit: I am heading off to bed but will read any replies first thing in the morning, so please don't expect a reply for a while, and thank you for all replies so far and your time.
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Quick question: How does CAS affect RAM? Or I guess a more direct question is, is there any ram i SHOULDNT be looking at for a i5-2500k build? or should any random 2x4 kit work?
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On April 26 2012 12:24 Anacletus wrote:+ Show Spoiler +On April 26 2012 12:14 skyR wrote:
Do you mean a 3930k or a 3960x? The $1000+ 3960x is the one with 3.9GHz turbo boost but has 15mb of cache while the $600 3930k is the one with 12mb of cache but only has a 3.8GHz turbo. Regardless, games don't use this many threads. So if you do not plan on streaming at 1080p, there is no point in getting anything higher than a 2500k.
RAIDing HDDs for performance is pointless, just get a SSD and manage your space better.
For 1080p, CrossfireX 7950 would do reasonably well for most games. I was using the Dell site and it one of it's options I was looking at was the 3930k. I checked into some more reviews and such and I'll look for getting a CrossfireX, and thanks for your advice on SSD. What website would you recommend for me to select parts from the bottom up and then have it shipped whole to me, if that is even done? (I imagine looking over some old posts you recommend NCIX, however I do notice it is based in Canada, would shipping costs to the USA (Georgia specifically) be outlandish or possible? edit: I am heading off to bed but will read any replies first thing in the morning, so please don't expect a reply for a while, and thank you for all replies so far and your time.
NCIX is based in Vancouver, Canada so they only offer assembly in Canada. They have a state side warehouse so shipping for orders above $50 and under a certain weight is free.
There's no US retailer that I know of that offers the assembly option online.
On April 26 2012 12:41 thisisnotralph wrote:+ Show Spoiler +Quick question: How does CAS affect RAM? Or I guess a more direct question is, is there any ram i SHOULDNT be looking at for a i5-2500k build? or should any random 2x4 kit work?
Lower timings = better performance.
cas9 is the standard for 1333MHz and 1600MHz rated at 1.5v.
You should avoid kits rated at 1.65v, everything else is fine.
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Thank you so much skyr, I will start looking through these right away!
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first thing that came to my mind is that your motherboard isnt compatible with your CPU, you need to get an INTEL socket 1155 motherboard. im not sure about Hong Kong's prices though so yeah.
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Hey, so im back here once again, i changed some parts and im about to order this in about 1 week. is it ok?
Sapphire HD6850 €122
Intel Core i5 2400 €179
OCZ ModXStream Pro 500W €56
Sharkoon T5 Value €47
LiteOn IHAS124 €18
Crucial CT064M4SSD2 €74
ASRock H77M €74
Seagate ST500DM002 €69
Corsair 8 GB DDR3-1600 Kit 45€
The HD 6850 has a really good price/performance ratio?
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Where are you ordering from again?
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alternate.nl
Dutch webiste
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Dunno how long it's under warranty, the one i linked has a 5 years one
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On April 26 2012 23:48 Rachnar wrote:
Dunno how long it's under warranty, the one i linked has a 5 years one
The SuperFlower Golden Greens all have a 5 year warranty.
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Learn new things every day don't we? Then yeah probably a better deal
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May I ask why you're buying some of the parts in Hong Kong?
Anyway, you can use most of the build skyR posted for Malstriks with a few minor tweaks:
- if you don't want to overclock the CPU (or have the option to do so in the future), get an i5 2400/2500 and a less expensive LGA 1155 motherboard and no aftermarket cooling. You selected an AMD socket AM3+ motherboard, which doesn't match these CPU's.
- even if you do overclock, just get an i5 2500K not i7. Though it's kind of only useful for SC2 (and some other scenarios like streaming) / some futureproofing since a GTX 560 is comparably weak, though still capable of playing pretty much any game on high or very high settings @ 1080p. The thinking here is: you can step up to an overclockable CPU and Mobo for only ~$40-50 more than non so it's an easy way of doing a ~30% CPU overclock at some point in the future, extending the useful lifespan of lga1155 instead of having to go through the painful process of replacing CPU+mobo and reinstalling everything.
- you can also just get a 64GB SSD, or no SSD if you prefer to save the money
- I don't think there's anything special about Asus VE series monitors, just run-of-the-mill TN's. In Canada, Dell Ultrasharps go on sale on Dell's website quite often. The U2312HM is a great choice if you don't mind anti-glare. There's a monitor thread for more information in case you missed it: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=308280
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The problem with your build is the motherboard is not compatible with the core i5 2400 and every other component is overpriced.
You should not be buying any TN monitor in Canada for $200 unless it's a good 120Hz monitor that has an absurd discount making it $200. The Dell Ultrasharp U2312HM is the only monitor you should even consider in Canada for $200: http://accessories.dell.com/sna/products/productdetail.aspx?c=ca&l=en&s=dhs&cs=cadhs1&sku=320-2807
The build I posted for Malstriks is $1087 but be aware some of the components are already out of stock. To lower this to below $1000 and fit the $200 monitor into your budget.
You can change the 2600k to a 2500k: http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=57962&promoid=1058 which takes $90 off.
If you won't be overclocking, you can also change to a 2400 for $10 less, change the Z77 to a H67 or H77 for sub $100, and remove the Hyper 212+ heatsink. All in all, this would take roughly $50+ off.
Change the Fractal Design Define R3 to the Antec One for $45: http://ncix.com/products/?sku=67322&promoid=1058 which takes another $25. You could also take the Fractal Design Core 3000 and Antec Neo Eco bundle for $70 instead: http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=70108&promoid=1058 This would take $65 off the total.
You can just remove the Crucial M4 128GB to reduce the total by $149.
Since you don't need an operating system, you can take away the $95 Windows 7.
These changes would make it roughly $700, adding the U2312HM would make it near $900 - less than the price of your build.
NCIX offers assembly for $50 but you need to purchase all the components from them: http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=7842
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EPT
