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When using this resource, please read FragKrag's opening post. The Tech Support forum regulars have helped create countless of desktop systems without any compensation. The least you can do is provide all of the information required for them to help you properly. |
On May 15 2012 15:07 mazerr wrote:+ Show Spoiler +On May 15 2012 14:57 skyR wrote:My reply was the one that contained the links.. all the articles talked about latency... Wattage calculators are used to sell units and have to account for shitty units... a quality 500w has more than sufficient headroom for an overclocked single GPU configuration. If you take AC values at face value (without doing AC to DC conversion), a configuration with an overclocked core i7 3930k (which consumes much more power than a core i5 3570k) and a GTX 580 (which consumes much more power than a GTX 670 or any Radeon HD7000 card) is still well under 500w. http://www.anandtech.com/show/5699/nvidia-geforce-gtx-680-review/19 Oh, well I feel stupid now :/ Dunno how I missed that. Thanks so much for your info on wattage! I feel SO relieved knowing I can get a decent PSU without spending $100+ So...based on the link above, the power requirements for video cards and cpus is going DOWN? why is that? I would have thought it'd be the reverse? Will there ever be a need to 'upgrade' a PSU then, besides failure?
Besides age and failure, there will never be a need to get a new unit for a similar configuration.
Power consumption is going down because technology is advancing and the manufacturing process is becoming smaller.
Technology always becomes more efficient. You don't buy a car from 2000 and expect it to use less fuel than a car made in 2012, you don't buy a CRT television and expect it to use less power than a LCD or LED, it's basically the same for computers.
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On May 15 2012 14:44 Treyn wrote:+ Show Spoiler +Hello! I'm interested in building a computer rather than just buying a pre-assembled retail model. However, I'm not particularly well informed about the choosing of computer parts. Some knowledgeable folks seem willing to help in this thread, so I'd appreciate any assistance that could be offered to me. To follow the format set from the OP:
What is your budget?
Approximately $750 - $900 CDN. I can go above this if there's good reason to, but less expense is always good.
What is your resolution?
I don't have a resolution I've strictly used in the past. I use an Toshiba LED 24 inch television as a monitor currently which purports 1920x1080 capability, but the current display I use is 1280x1024. 1280x1024 (or even less) would probably be perfectly fine, but I'm not particularly picky about something like this.
What are you using it for?
I'll be using the CPU for gaming and just typical computer tasks (writing things, internet browsing, etc.) I'd like to be able to play modern games (Diablo III, Skyrim, Dota 2) at good to reasonable settings, and be prepared for any newer releases to at least run on the device. As I said before, if I'm harshly limited by the budget, it can be fiddled with.
What is your upgrade cycle?
It'll probably be around 4 years before I could consider upgrading to a new computer.
When do you plan on building it?
Within the next few weeks.
Do you plan on overclocking?
I have no plans to overclock, as it's not something I'm knowledgeable about doing at all (I do know what it's supposed to accomplish, however). I'm not opposed to learning how to do it and deal with it if there is good reason to, but if there isn't a good reason to, I'd avoid it.
Do you need an Operating System?
I have a copy of Windows 7 Professional 64bit ready to go from a school license. It's what I'd like to use.
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
Nope, unless there's a very good reason to.
Where are you buying your parts from?
Since I'm unaware of any good local retailers (although they may well exist and if I'm corrected that's fine) I'll be ordering online. I'm located in Ontario, which might impact which retailers I should use. I don't have any preference in where I buy from, I'd just like to maximize the value I receive. ncix.com was mentioned earlier when I looked through the thread, and newegg.com is obviously a popular source too. Anything other reputable dealers would work fine, too.
I have an optical drive I should be able to use from my older computer, and I'd like to stick with the monitor setup I'm using now too. I don't think any of the other parts from my old computer could be saved, however. The PSU is weak, and people I've asked have said the rest isn't really adequate for any newer systems.
If people can help me, I'd appreciate it. If not, I may just return with questions about the values of certain parts or compatibility issues. Either way, thanks in advance for any help!
This is a basic rundown. I won't be going more in-depth since you know... Diablo III. If you want examples of past builds, you can use search or browse through a couple thousand pages.
newegg.com does not ship to canada and newegg.ca sucks.
Use NCIX or other Canadian retailers which all offer pricematching (Newegg is not a Canadian retailer since its based in the US and a lot of items ship from American warehouses).
What you're looking for is basically:
- Any non-K suffix processor such as a core i5 3550 / core i5 3450 / core i5 2500 / etc (~$200)
- H77 motherboard (~$90)
- 2x4GB DDR3 1333MHz (~$40)
- whatever case, Bitfenix Merc Alpha or Coolermaster HAF912 are good budget options
- Antec Neo Eco 450C / Corsair CX430v2 / Antec Earthwatts 430 / 500 (preferably the newer ones with the 120mm fan) / PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk III 400 / some other quality unit (~30 - $60)
- Seagate Barracuda / Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB (~$80)
- Radeon HD6770 / GTS 450 (~$100) if you plan on playing at 1280x1024, if you plan on playing at 1080p than a 6850 (~$150) or 6870 (~$170) is recommended. TVs are pretty bad monitors so you should probably buy a new one if you plan on playing at 1080p. Dell Ultrasharp U2312HM (which is very good) goes on sale often for under $200..
- Crucial M4 128gb (~$120) if you want an SSD
That should be about $800.
Every Canadian retailer pricematches so be sure to visit most other retailers like www.newegg.ca , www. directcanada.com , www.bestdirect.ca , www.memoryexpress.com , www.canadacomputers.com before purchasing from www.ncix.com .
NCIX has the biggest selection of components. They have a few retail stores in the GTA if you want to pick up or purchase locally. They also offer $50 assembly if you are lazy.
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Hey guys, I'm planning on building a PC very soon -- for the very first time! I'm looking for advice/suggestions as to how to proceed; I probably know as much about the inside of a computer as the average eight year old housecat does. So, first things first:
Budget: ~1200 USD, somewhat flexible (less is good, more isn't a horrible problem).
Intended Use: This PC will be primarily for gaming. I'm tempted to try recording (via Fraps), but I am not one hundred percent sure. I want to be able to play on max/ultra settings, under reasonable game circumstances, in SC2, BF3, and Skyrim.
Parts: Preferably purchasable from Newegg (I have a gift card / credit toward my account). I'm looking to overclock my CPU, though not heavily -- call it mild-to-moderate overclocking. The monitor I am likely to be using with this build is 1600x900 resolution.
CPU: $244 Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
Mobo: This area is where I'm having trouble. I've potentially narrowed it down to four, but I don't have much knowledge regarding motherboards. Could you please suggest/choose one of these four, or recommend an awesome alternative, based on my needs / other parts?
RAM: $50 (Two at $25/each) G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9S-4GBRL
PSU: $87 SeaSonic S12II 620 Bronze 620W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
HDD: $107 Seagate SV35.5 ST1000VX000 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
GPU: $259 GIGABYTE GV-R785OC-2GD Radeon HD 7850 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
CPU Cooler: $29 COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7
Case: $59 COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Optical Drive: $17 ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium -- I'm a student, so Ill see if I can get a free/discounted license from my University before purchasing this license.
This setup brings me to $1210 with the $179 Gigabyte mobo as well as the 120GB SSD; not including the price of the OS. I have $500 toward my Newegg account, so essentially this build is falling around ~$700-750 out of pocket. I don't buy/upgrade too often, so I would like this build to last a few years (as I expect it shall).
I'm primarily looking for help choosing a mobo, as well as just an overall assessment of this build. Any glaring weakness(es) or parts that are overkill (compared to the rest of my setup)? I suspect my PSU is on the high side. To anyone with experience with these parts, or more specifically the case, did I make a good choice? (Please note the internal SSD and non-modular PSU -- I don't quite know how these choices will affect space inside the case, but thought they were worth mentioning. Also, I'm not super picky about cable-cleanup.)
Thank you for reviewing this setup for me, your patience and knowledge is much appreciated.
SkyR, go play Diablo 3. I'll be here when you get back, no rush.
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Intel 520 for $179 probably is not worth it over a Crucial M4 which can be had for $100-$120 these days.
A Rosewill Capstone would be a better choice than a Seasonic S12II. 450 if you are not doing CrossfireX, 550 / 650 if you are.
2x4gb 1600MHz cas9 for $50 is overpriced. Such kits are usually $40-$45.
SSDs are small and doesn't need mounting so ... not sure why you worried about this going into the case?
And I won't be replying to this thread until Inferno is beat once D3 goes live in 10 minutes >.>
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ill try to help out i guess with my limited knowledge LOL.... since i won't be getting d3 till after finals
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On May 14 2012 22:52 Womwomwom wrote:Show nested quote +On May 14 2012 19:40 boNStarcraft wrote:On May 14 2012 17:17 Womwomwom wrote:
Quick question do you want to play in 3D? Like wear those silly glasses and see everything pop out?
Basically the build might be something along the lines of:
- Intel Core i7 2600K
- Asus P8Z68-V GEN3
- Crucial SSD m4 128GB
- 2TB Samsung Ecogreen F4EG
- FSP Aurum 500W 80+ Gold (p.sure this is not the fanless model)
- Team Elite 8GB
- MSI GeForce GTX 670 OC
- Fractal Design Define R3
- Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
This comes to around 11,500 SEK, which seems to be roughly $1,650 USD. All products are from inet.se; cut and paste those products into the search engine and you should fine them. Seems like you guys get slugged by VAT or something because the price of some products is rather high.
The 120hz monitor choices would be a Samsung S23A700/750 (gloss) or a BenQ XL2420 (matte) depending on whether you like matte or glossy. Keep in mind, you must be pushing well above 60 FPS to get any benefits from these 120hz displays, especially in the case of the Samsungs which have fairly high input lag for what they are. Therefore the benefits will be high for FPS games, especially old ones like Quake and Counter Strike, and quite disappointing for late game Starcraft 2 where everything crawls to a halt no matter how good your system is. I picked an expensive GPU so you have actually some chance of getting high FPS in most modern games.
Hard to do this because I can't read Swedish so someone can probably find better prices but that's a general ballpark. Most likely not going too play 3d ^^ Would it actually be worth getting a 120hz screen or should i just settle for a normal one? ^^ Also i'm thinking of going with Z77 and Ivy bridge instead just to get recently released hardware ^^ Also what are some thoughts on gtx 670 vs gtx 680 considering the gtx 680 is almost ~$150 dollars more for just a small amount of FPS? GTX670 is only a few FPS worse than a GTX680 yet quite a bit cheaper. GTX680 exists as a halo card, one that is for people who cannot accept anything less than the best. If you want Ivy Bridge, just replace the processor with a i7 3770k and a relevant Z77 board from MSI or Asus. The performance difference won't be noticeable however and Sandy Bridge is cheaper when I last checked. How good 120hz is depends on you and the games you play. For twitch games like Quake 3 and Counterstrike, its fantastic. But 120hz is entirely pointless if you can't push the frame rates, as I said, and if you know you're going to be streaming and playing games at max settings you are not likely going to get that much benefit out of it. Especially if they're intensive games like late game SC2 and The Witcher 2. If you can't get the most out of 120hz, I honestly think the 2,300kr it costs to buy one is better put into an Eizo FS2332 or something. I actually recommend looking at one first before making a decision, if possible. Its one of those "mileage may vary" products where just about everyone has a different opinion on it.
Okay thanks so much, you're an angel! :D
Btw regarding Z77 boards, which would be better a Asus p8z77-v pro or an MSI Z77A-GD65 ATX?
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Thanks for the quick reply.
The Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2CCA 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) with Transfer Kit looks excellent, as does the Rosewill CAPSTONE Series CAPSTONE-450 450W Continuous @ 50°C, 80 PLUS GOLD Certified, Single +12V Rail, ATX12V v2.31 / EPS12V v2.92, SLI Ready, CrossFire Ready, Active - PFC Power Supply.
I've never owned nor used an SSD previously, so I'm not familiar with where they go -- is the phrase ïnternal solid state drive a misnomer? What I specifically mean is: does it go inside the case, or just sit next to the case?
Also, I'm still a little stuck on which mobo to choose.
Again, thanks for your help. Enjoy D3!
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SSD goes inside your case. Its basically just a HDD but smaller and no mechanical moving parts. It goes where the HDD goes but since it doesn't have any moving parts, you can just tape it to the side of your case or just leave it hanging inside.
If you're not doing CrossfireX, Get a MSI Z77A-G43: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130646
Can't even make a character in D3... you think after launching on two continents, the US launch would be somewhat smooth...
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Hahaha, at least your download worked  sadly, my game thinks that I am installing with a CD, so I had to redownload. And now I have 8GB more to download, so looks like I'm stuck till the morning.
AMD Trinity review doesn't look awful :o
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5930 Posts
On May 15 2012 15:52 boNStarcraft wrote:Show nested quote +On May 14 2012 22:52 Womwomwom wrote:On May 14 2012 19:40 boNStarcraft wrote:On May 14 2012 17:17 Womwomwom wrote:
Quick question do you want to play in 3D? Like wear those silly glasses and see everything pop out?
Basically the build might be something along the lines of:
- Intel Core i7 2600K
- Asus P8Z68-V GEN3
- Crucial SSD m4 128GB
- 2TB Samsung Ecogreen F4EG
- FSP Aurum 500W 80+ Gold (p.sure this is not the fanless model)
- Team Elite 8GB
- MSI GeForce GTX 670 OC
- Fractal Design Define R3
- Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
This comes to around 11,500 SEK, which seems to be roughly $1,650 USD. All products are from inet.se; cut and paste those products into the search engine and you should fine them. Seems like you guys get slugged by VAT or something because the price of some products is rather high.
The 120hz monitor choices would be a Samsung S23A700/750 (gloss) or a BenQ XL2420 (matte) depending on whether you like matte or glossy. Keep in mind, you must be pushing well above 60 FPS to get any benefits from these 120hz displays, especially in the case of the Samsungs which have fairly high input lag for what they are. Therefore the benefits will be high for FPS games, especially old ones like Quake and Counter Strike, and quite disappointing for late game Starcraft 2 where everything crawls to a halt no matter how good your system is. I picked an expensive GPU so you have actually some chance of getting high FPS in most modern games.
Hard to do this because I can't read Swedish so someone can probably find better prices but that's a general ballpark. Most likely not going too play 3d ^^ Would it actually be worth getting a 120hz screen or should i just settle for a normal one? ^^ Also i'm thinking of going with Z77 and Ivy bridge instead just to get recently released hardware ^^ Also what are some thoughts on gtx 670 vs gtx 680 considering the gtx 680 is almost ~$150 dollars more for just a small amount of FPS? GTX670 is only a few FPS worse than a GTX680 yet quite a bit cheaper. GTX680 exists as a halo card, one that is for people who cannot accept anything less than the best. If you want Ivy Bridge, just replace the processor with a i7 3770k and a relevant Z77 board from MSI or Asus. The performance difference won't be noticeable however and Sandy Bridge is cheaper when I last checked. How good 120hz is depends on you and the games you play. For twitch games like Quake 3 and Counterstrike, its fantastic. But 120hz is entirely pointless if you can't push the frame rates, as I said, and if you know you're going to be streaming and playing games at max settings you are not likely going to get that much benefit out of it. Especially if they're intensive games like late game SC2 and The Witcher 2. If you can't get the most out of 120hz, I honestly think the 2,300kr it costs to buy one is better put into an Eizo FS2332 or something. I actually recommend looking at one first before making a decision, if possible. Its one of those "mileage may vary" products where just about everyone has a different opinion on it. Okay thanks so much, you're an angel! :D Btw regarding Z77 boards, which would be better a Asus p8z77-v pro or an MSI Z77A-GD65 ATX?
What's wrong with a Asus P8Z77-V for instance?
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On May 15 2012 17:16 Womwomwom wrote:Show nested quote +On May 15 2012 15:52 boNStarcraft wrote:On May 14 2012 22:52 Womwomwom wrote:On May 14 2012 19:40 boNStarcraft wrote:On May 14 2012 17:17 Womwomwom wrote:
Quick question do you want to play in 3D? Like wear those silly glasses and see everything pop out?
Basically the build might be something along the lines of:
- Intel Core i7 2600K
- Asus P8Z68-V GEN3
- Crucial SSD m4 128GB
- 2TB Samsung Ecogreen F4EG
- FSP Aurum 500W 80+ Gold (p.sure this is not the fanless model)
- Team Elite 8GB
- MSI GeForce GTX 670 OC
- Fractal Design Define R3
- Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
This comes to around 11,500 SEK, which seems to be roughly $1,650 USD. All products are from inet.se; cut and paste those products into the search engine and you should fine them. Seems like you guys get slugged by VAT or something because the price of some products is rather high.
The 120hz monitor choices would be a Samsung S23A700/750 (gloss) or a BenQ XL2420 (matte) depending on whether you like matte or glossy. Keep in mind, you must be pushing well above 60 FPS to get any benefits from these 120hz displays, especially in the case of the Samsungs which have fairly high input lag for what they are. Therefore the benefits will be high for FPS games, especially old ones like Quake and Counter Strike, and quite disappointing for late game Starcraft 2 where everything crawls to a halt no matter how good your system is. I picked an expensive GPU so you have actually some chance of getting high FPS in most modern games.
Hard to do this because I can't read Swedish so someone can probably find better prices but that's a general ballpark. Most likely not going too play 3d ^^ Would it actually be worth getting a 120hz screen or should i just settle for a normal one? ^^ Also i'm thinking of going with Z77 and Ivy bridge instead just to get recently released hardware ^^ Also what are some thoughts on gtx 670 vs gtx 680 considering the gtx 680 is almost ~$150 dollars more for just a small amount of FPS? GTX670 is only a few FPS worse than a GTX680 yet quite a bit cheaper. GTX680 exists as a halo card, one that is for people who cannot accept anything less than the best. If you want Ivy Bridge, just replace the processor with a i7 3770k and a relevant Z77 board from MSI or Asus. The performance difference won't be noticeable however and Sandy Bridge is cheaper when I last checked. How good 120hz is depends on you and the games you play. For twitch games like Quake 3 and Counterstrike, its fantastic. But 120hz is entirely pointless if you can't push the frame rates, as I said, and if you know you're going to be streaming and playing games at max settings you are not likely going to get that much benefit out of it. Especially if they're intensive games like late game SC2 and The Witcher 2. If you can't get the most out of 120hz, I honestly think the 2,300kr it costs to buy one is better put into an Eizo FS2332 or something. I actually recommend looking at one first before making a decision, if possible. Its one of those "mileage may vary" products where just about everyone has a different opinion on it. Okay thanks so much, you're an angel! :D Btw regarding Z77 boards, which would be better a Asus p8z77-v pro or an MSI Z77A-GD65 ATX? What's wrong with a Asus P8Z77-V for instance?
No idea, just sounds like a Asus P8Z77-V Pro should hold better quality? ^^
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5930 Posts
With a motherboard, you look at the features you want and get a model that has those features. Most motherboards, outside of low end shit or Gigabyte's Sandy Bridge boards, have very capable BIOS', power management, and quality components. So its just picking a motherboard that has what you want on it. Examples would be # of USB ports, # of PCIe lanes, or USB3.0 front panel header. No point paying extra for stuff you won't even use or benefit from, right?
Realistically, something like this MSI will work just as well as a $300 USD motherboard for a system like this.
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Im back and im in a dilemma... Im choosing between the i5 2500k and the i5 3570k. There is a $20 difference where i live ($170 to $190). People are saying the the 2500k overclocks better (which im definitely doing), but the 3570k is 10-15% faster at the same speed (i dont quite undestand what this means). They also say that the 3570k runs hot but they upped the temps it can withstand (not sure how important temps are). Im using a hyper 212 evo. Which cpu is best?
Also what board would you recommend? Z68 or Z77?
I have a gtx 680 as well and im getting conflicting views on power supply, people are saying anywhere between 450 and 600... not sure which one. Whats a good power supply brand?
Thanks again!
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On May 15 2012 18:17 Womwomwom wrote:With a motherboard, you look at the features you want and get a model that has those features. Most motherboards, outside of low end shit or Gigabyte's Sandy Bridge boards, have very capable BIOS', power management, and quality components. So its just picking a motherboard that has what you want on it. Examples would be # of USB ports, # of PCIe lanes, or USB3.0 front panel header. No point paying extra for stuff you won't even use or benefit from, right? Realistically, something like this MSI will work just as well as a $300 USD motherboard for a system like this.
Ah i see, would a Asus P8Z77 be just as good as a Asus P8Z77-v Pro motherboard? I will be using SLI with 2 GTX 670's in the future until the 800-series or above i think.
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Hello to all!
I'm planning on building a gaming PC with the following parts:
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mobo
ASRock Z77 Extreme4
cpu
Intel Core i5-2500K Box
ram
8GB-Kit G.Skill Sniper PC3U-12800U CL9-9-9-24 (DDR3U-1600) [compatible with mobo and noctua cooler]
gpu
Sapphire HD 7850 2GB
hdd
Crucial m4 SSD - 128 GB - SATA-600
cpu cooler
Noctua NH-D14
psu
Super-Flower SF550P14XE Golden Green Pro 80plus gold
case
Cooler Master CM 690 II Advanced
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I plan to oc the cpu, however I'm not sure about the mobo (perhaps MSI Z77A-G43 as alternative?). Also, is Z77 good enough for (future) cpu upgrades? (ivy)
Admittedly gpu is the only not value-for-money part (regarding my budget); I intent to have max-to-ultra settings for my gaming ^^
I also have a second (storage) hdd, so 128gb for Windows 7 (already have it) and 2-3 games are adequate I believe..
All the above cost 928.39euros (or ~$1200) which is my max budget.
Any comments are welcomed!
thx! 
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On May 15 2012 18:47 G1itch wrote:
Im back and im in a dilemma... Im choosing between the i5 2500k and the i5 3570k. There is a $20 difference where i live ($170 to $190). People are saying the the 2500k overclocks better (which im definitely doing), but the 3570k is 10-15% faster at the same speed (i dont quite undestand what this means). They also say that the 3570k runs hot but they upped the temps it can withstand (not sure how important temps are). Im using a hyper 212 evo. Which cpu is best?
Also what board would you recommend? Z68 or Z77?
I have a gtx 680 as well and im getting conflicting views on power supply, people are saying anywhere between 450 and 600... not sure which one. Whats a good power supply brand?
Thanks again!
choice between 2500k and 3570k is entirely urs. the ivy is slightly faster at same clocks but say is that they oc worse due to temps as you said. 2500k is the proven great chip and the ivy is the new tech(also first stepping). i went with the 2500k 2 weeks ago mainly cause the pricedifference was 32€ (45$), guess with a price diff of just 10 i wouldve gone for the ivy.
but in the end i dont think it matters that much.
get a decent z77 board and a good 450w psu should be plenty.
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5930 Posts
On May 15 2012 19:00 boNStarcraft wrote:Show nested quote +On May 15 2012 18:17 Womwomwom wrote:With a motherboard, you look at the features you want and get a model that has those features. Most motherboards, outside of low end shit or Gigabyte's Sandy Bridge boards, have very capable BIOS', power management, and quality components. So its just picking a motherboard that has what you want on it. Examples would be # of USB ports, # of PCIe lanes, or USB3.0 front panel header. No point paying extra for stuff you won't even use or benefit from, right? Realistically, something like this MSI will work just as well as a $300 USD motherboard for a system like this. Ah i see, would a Asus P8Z77 be just as good as a Asus P8Z77-v Pro motherboard? I will be using SLI with 2 GTX 670's in the future until the 800-series or above i think.
Yep. Exactly the same. Both will run dual x8 in the PCIe 16x slots with two GPUs in.
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Hey guys, I recently bought some new ram (2x4GB DDR3 1866) only to find that while my chipset (Intel P35) supports it, my actual motherboard only has DDR2 slots.
My PC is a store bought Medion Akoya P7700D and runs on LGA 775.
I previously switched out the GT230 for a GTX 550Ti.
The socket number is severely outdated so I'm looking at upgrading to an 1155, but I'm not sure which chipset/board is best for me.
I plan to use it mostly for games & streaming. (SC2, Tribes, D3, etc.)
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
My budget would be ~250-300 Euro for both the processor and motherboard.
EDIT: I say motherboard and processor because I'm not decided on which to get (despite listing one below), but planning on some sort of i3/i5.
I'd preferably like to find something I can order to Ireland (Republic) easily, but even a few recommendations would be great as something to work with.
My specs after the upgrade would be:
CPU: Intel Core i5-2400 3.10GHz - Upgrade from Intel Q8300 Quad 2.5Ghz
HDD: 1TB S-ATA 300 (unspecified make)
RAM: Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-15000C11 - Upgrade from random brandless 4GB DDR2
GPU: Gainward GTX 550 Ti 1024MB
PSU: OcUK Swift 750W V2
I also need 4 x USB 2.0, and 64 bit capability. (Currently on 32)
I'm not really planning to overclock as I don't trust myself with it, but may consider it in the future.
My questions are:
Which chipset would suit this best?
Given the upgrades mentioned above, is cooling likely to be a problem? (Fan seems to be just as nameless as HDD)
If so, are there any recommended and affordable cooling systems?
As I've never bought a CPU before, should it come with a heat sink?
If so, is it up to standard or should I buy something else? Solved by Google, who'd have thought it...
Sorry if this is hard on the eyes, I'm not much of a forum poster in general.
EDIT: Go Team! (at below)
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The motherboard is Micro ATX (24.4cm x 22.0cm). Smaller than standard ATX format, but will fit in miditower cases too, so yes.
I won't comment on the quality of the case...
560 ti is a better choice than 560 if it's not totally overpriced, yes.
Just get any optical drive, the SATA means it just is connected through a SATA power connector from the PSU. Most optical drives fail within a year anyway, so just get the cheapest one.
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EPT
