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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. |
Hello, I have only picked out a few parts for my build and I am still trying to figure out my price range, although I am trying to go cheap.
I think that the Core i3 2100 LGA 1155 3.1GHz Boxed Processor is a good buy at 90 dollars. Plus, I want to spend a little extra on the cpu for Starcraft 2.
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0359809
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146061&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-NA-_-NA
40 dollar, excellent case.
and
Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D Green 380W Continuous power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371033
40 dollar power supply.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130587
MSI H61MU-E35 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel H61 HDMI USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
75 dollar motherboard.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204
18 dollar dvd drive.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193
30 dollar ram 4gb
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136075
65 dollar HD.
I have a windows 7 OS and a mouse.
My major concerns are about a graphics card, a computer monitor, and a keyboard.
I hear that a 16 : 9 ratio monitor is great for SC2 so I cans see a lot on my screen at one time.
For the GPU, I only need something to play SC2 on medium settings, however I am having a difficult time finding the card that has the perfect price for this very exact demand.
For a keyboard, I am gettign really tired of the unresponsiveness of this dell keyboard, and I am thinking maybe I should go mechanical.
Does ADESSO MKB-125B Black 104 Normal Keys USB or PS/2 Wired Slim Keyboard look worth the money at 62 dollars?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823166108&SortField=1&SummaryType=0&PageSize=10&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&IsFeedbackTab=true#scrollFullInfo
So I need a monitor, and GPU. Without those two and the items I mentioned already having I am at 420 dollars. Is this build looking good? Any Suggestions?
I am really looking just to play 1v1 SC2 at medium graphics at potentially a grandmaster level. I really want the equipment to make that happen.
I definitely don't want to spend over 600 dollars. I plan on buying and building by the end of next week. I really don't plan to upgrade until Starcraft 3 comes out.
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On June 02 2012 11:53 RebirthOfLeGenD wrote:Show nested quote +On June 02 2012 11:24 iKill[ShocK] wrote:On June 02 2012 11:01 RebirthOfLeGenD wrote:Hey, I picked up an i7-3930k chip for really cheap with the Intel retail edge program and was wondering what board you guys would recommend? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157282I was looking at this board. It seemed fine, it had a bunch of SATA ports and supported PCIe 3.0. It also had decent rating. is there anything else I should be looking for in a board? I don't mind paying more if there is an actual good reason to go with a different board. At the end of the day this platform would only cost me about 100-150 more than using an i5 so I figured why not spoil myself and it should be more future proof than an i5-2500k would be. I'm going to use it for gaming and streaming, not much else. I won't be using a crossfire set up. warranty, how reputable is the company, does it fit what I need (CPU socket, 4/8 ram slots, USB 3, pci-e lanes, sata ports, etc) overclockability, pricing, quality of board components are the things I would look for in a motherboard. With that being said the asrock one you mentioned is a good board if you're willing to spend the money for it, since most 2011 boards are quite expensive. Fillin out the OP and saying that you have a 3930 already would help. Sorry, I must of missed something? You wanted more info? I put that I had a 3930k, or have one ordered.
i was talking about this, but seems like your question was answered so its fine dont worry about it now.
+ Show Spoiler +Important questions you should ask yourself
If you request a build, please answer these questions. We will spend as much effort on your build as you spend on your answers to these questions! I urge people to abstain from providing builds unless all the questions are answered.
What is your budget?
This should be an obvious one, you should determine a price range that best describes how much you want to spend on your build. It makes it easier for people to make recommendations.
What is your resolution?
This is extremely important especially for a gaming machine. I see people all the time asking for a video card recommendation and 5 people reply "5850" and the person hasn't even given their gaming resolution; it turns out the person games at 1280x1024 and could have ended up wasting $200 on a card that is total and complete overkill for his resolution.
What are you using it for?
Mostly gaming? Some gaming with video encoding mixed in? Photoshop? Streaming? All this matters, you can end up spending a lot of money and not be able to do anything you wanted to or you can spend a lot of money on stuff you don't even want to do.
What is your upgrade cycle?
Knowing the answer to this question makes it easier for people to recommend CPU sockets and GPUs so you get the most for your money. A person with a longer upgrade (2+ years) cycle will probably end up spending more initially but end up saving more at the expense of some performance. On the other hand a person with a shorter upgrade cycle (1 - 2 years) wants to spend less initially so they can put more money toward their next build.
When do you plan on building it?
Computer parts shift in prices often. With the release of new products, exist prices may drop further. Even without the release of new prices, changes in supply can affect the price of a specific part. The HD 5850 was supposed to retail at the $260 mark, but in a mere 4-5 months after its release it climbed to top $300 for basic reference models.
Do you plan on overclocking?
If you plan on overclocking, the motherboard choice and heatsink choice will be affected. Enthusiast overclocking requires enthusiast heatsinks and at least a stable motherboard. A simple budget Foxconn motherboard will not be adequate for your overclocking needs!
Do you need an Operating System?
An OS is around $100. It affects how much of your budget we can spend on the actual hardware.
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
CrossFire and SLI are powerful solutions that allow higher performance, but in order to utilize them, we have to choose motherboards and PSUs that can support the increased demands that Crossfire and SLI place on your components.
Where are you buying your parts from?
If you have a nearby Fry's or Microcenter you can utilize their deals. If you're in Europe you obviously cannot use Newegg/Fry's/Microcenter so we need to know where you are from to put together a list of parts from a website or area you can actually buy from.
If you can't answer these questions, make sure you can answer them before you ask us to help you put together a list of parts for you. Every single question affects the build we will put together for you greatly so make sure you can answer them accurately!
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On June 02 2012 14:18 StratWaffle wrote:+ Show Spoiler +Hello, I have only picked out a few parts for my build and I am still trying to figure out my price range, although I am trying to go cheap. I think that the Core i3 2100 LGA 1155 3.1GHz Boxed Processor is a good buy at 90 dollars. Plus, I want to spend a little extra on the cpu for Starcraft 2. http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0359809http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146061&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-NA-_-NA 40 dollar, excellent case. and Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D Green 380W Continuous power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1681737103340 dollar power supply. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130587MSI H61MU-E35 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel H61 HDMI USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard 75 dollar motherboard. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1682713520418 dollar dvd drive. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1682213607565 dollar HD. I have a windows 7 OS and a mouse. My major concerns are about a graphics card, a computer monitor, and a keyboard. I hear that a 16  ratio monitor is great for SC2 so I cans see a lot on my screen at one time. For the GPU, I only need something to play SC2 on medium settings, however I am having a difficult time finding the card that has the perfect price for this very exact demand. For a keyboard, I am gettign really tired of the unresponsiveness of this dell keyboard, and I am thinking maybe I should go mechanical. Does ADESSO MKB-125B Black 104 Normal Keys USB or PS/2 Wired Slim Keyboard look worth the money at 62 dollars? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823166108&SortField=1&SummaryType=0&PageSize=10&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&IsFeedbackTab=true#scrollFullInfoSo I need a monitor, and GPU. Without those two and the items I mentioned already having I am at 390 dollars. Is this build looking good? Any Suggestions? I am really looking just to play 1v1 SC2 at medium graphics at potentially a grandmaster level. I really want the equipment to make that happen. I definitely don't want to spend over 600 dollars.
You can save a bit on the motherboard by getting something else (maybe in store at Microcenter too), but those picks look fine to me.
For SC2 at medium, a lowest-end HD 6570 should be okay, even on 1080p.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131441
A quick search says the Adesso MKB-125B uses Cherry MX Blue switches, not particularly peoples' favorites for gaming, but as always YMMV.
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On June 02 2012 14:34 Myrmidon wrote:Show nested quote +On June 02 2012 14:18 StratWaffle wrote:+ Show Spoiler +Hello, I have only picked out a few parts for my build and I am still trying to figure out my price range, although I am trying to go cheap. I think that the Core i3 2100 LGA 1155 3.1GHz Boxed Processor is a good buy at 90 dollars. Plus, I want to spend a little extra on the cpu for Starcraft 2. http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0359809http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146061&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-_-pla-_-NA-_-NA 40 dollar, excellent case. and Antec EarthWatts Green EA-380D Green 380W Continuous power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1681737103340 dollar power supply. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130587MSI H61MU-E35 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel H61 HDMI USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard 75 dollar motherboard. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1682713520418 dollar dvd drive. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1682213607565 dollar HD. I have a windows 7 OS and a mouse. My major concerns are about a graphics card, a computer monitor, and a keyboard. I hear that a 16 ratio monitor is great for SC2 so I cans see a lot on my screen at one time. For the GPU, I only need something to play SC2 on medium settings, however I am having a difficult time finding the card that has the perfect price for this very exact demand. For a keyboard, I am gettign really tired of the unresponsiveness of this dell keyboard, and I am thinking maybe I should go mechanical. Does ADESSO MKB-125B Black 104 Normal Keys USB or PS/2 Wired Slim Keyboard look worth the money at 62 dollars? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823166108&SortField=1&SummaryType=0&PageSize=10&SelectedRating=-1&VideoOnlyMark=False&IsFeedbackTab=true#scrollFullInfoSo I need a monitor, and GPU. Without those two and the items I mentioned already having I am at 390 dollars. Is this build looking good? Any Suggestions? I am really looking just to play 1v1 SC2 at medium graphics at potentially a grandmaster level. I really want the equipment to make that happen. I definitely don't want to spend over 600 dollars. You can save a bit on the motherboard by getting something else (maybe in store at Microcenter too), but those picks look fine to me. For SC2 at medium, a lowest-end HD 6570 should be okay, even on 1080p. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131441 A quick search says the Adesso MKB-125B uses Cherry MX Blue switches, not particularly peoples' favorites for gaming, but as always YMMV.
Yeah I may go with that HD 6570, and I'll definitely ask at microcenter about a cheaper mobo. Why do you recommend that Adesso over the keyboard I originally linked? Why is it not recommended by some gamers?
And thanks for the quick response.
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Hello
I do not want to build my own computer. I want to buy a branded or custom built computer, but I don't know where to look. I'm from the UK and I'm looking through sites like 3XS scan, overclockers, and PCspecialist for deals. I'm afraid of going overkill, buying features I don't need, and concerned about being ripped off.
Budget: £800-1,100 ($1,200-1,500)
Resolution: I don't know! I play SCII at 1366-768 on my laptop. I don't own a monitor yet.
Using it for: playing SCII competitively at highest possible graphics settings and streaming with Xsplit.
I'm configuring a PC a friend recommended on the 3XS scan site. Intel Core i5 2500K overclocked to 4.5GHZ. Would 4GB ram be enough to run SCII on ultra? and is this graphics card overkill? If so, what would you guys recommend?
2GB XFX Radeon HD 7850 CE, 860MHz GPU, 1024 Cores, 4800MHz GDDR5 (added £153.78)
Is it worth it to get a sound card, or would I be fine with on board sound?
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Yeah yeah yeah I know where I could have done better. The CX was the cheapest 80plus (not even bronze) that they had unless I went with something I didn't know about. The case is kind of gross. It's small... thin... no filters not great airflow... My case for my build is a Cosmos. I had no idea how crappy it was to build in a 30$ case until now. I HAD to save in some places because I had to get the price as low as possible (my wife didn't approve the $750 build). Here's a lesson... if you want a $600 build ask for a $900 build and then say you'll see what you can cut away from it all disappointed like). The only reason I went with the 3570k and z77 MB is that it was an insane sale... I was going to build with H61 and 2400 but it was only like $60 cheaper?? Not worth it for the upgradability. The 80GB seagate seems to be pretty decent. I was thinking about getting an SSD and putting my 500 7200rpm drive in and using a storage drive but that would be a lot of uninstalling and reinstalling.
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Hi,
Looking to upgrade my computer (more like buy)
i only need a CPU/MOBO/RAM
for cpu i've already decided Intel Core i5 3570K
but i have no idea on mobo + ram.
For ram looking for 8gb to 16gb, so its got to be a 2x4gb stick so i can buy ram later and add it on if i need/want to.
Mobo, no idea too many chipsets and what not.
Plans for overclocking, yes but not on purchase.
So for this i want to spend ~£300, hopefully on the downside. i can spend more ram if its transferable to newer chipsets like haswell boards.
GPU gtx 260 going to reuse
PSU some overkill corsair 650w? or something its overkill.
Quick questions
Triple vs dual channel seems negligible?
Is ram tranferable to newer boards when they come out for haswell cpus etc
might have missed something ill post more info if needed.
P.S want to buy ASAP.
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5930 Posts
Quick questions
Triple vs dual channel seems negligible?
Is ram tranferable to newer boards when they come out for haswell cpus etc
Processor is fine.
RAM: Buy the cheapest 1.5V kit you can find. 8GB should be cheap these days so try and get that.
Motherboard: Get the cheapest Z77 MSI/Asrock/Asus motherboard you can find.
As for your quick questions...
1) You want dual channel. Ivy Bridge won't use triple channel RAM as triple channel RAM.
2) Maybe. Only way you can find out is when Haswell comes out.
One thing though. I'm kind of confused. Are you reusing your Corsair 650W PSU?
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Wondering if this build is good enough for playing sc2 fluently (1v1 no lower than 30 fps): (allready got HDD, GPU which is a 520 and a DVD burner.)
i3-2120
4GB Valueselect 1.5V 1333 MHz RAM (2x2) GB
CX430
ASUS P8H61-M
Cooler Master Elite 430
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On June 02 2012 23:24 Womwomwom wrote:Show nested quote +Quick questions
Triple vs dual channel seems negligible?
Is ram tranferable to newer boards when they come out for haswell cpus etc
Processor is fine. RAM: Buy the cheapest 1.5V kit you can find. 8GB should be cheap these days so try and get that. Motherboard: Get the cheapest Z77 MSI/Asrock/Asus motherboard you can find. As for your quick questions... 1) You want dual channel. Ivy Bridge won't use triple channel RAM as triple channel RAM. 2) Maybe. Only way you can find out is when Haswell comes out. One thing though. I'm kind of confused. Are you reusing your Corsair 650W PSU?
Yeah, if i need to reuse this pc ill get a budget psu and a budget gpu. Its basically a 'half' upgrade.
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On June 02 2012 23:37 Morpheus.EU wrote:
Wondering if this build is good enough for playing sc2 fluently (1v1 no lower than 30 fps): (allready got HDD, GPU which is a 520 and a DVD burner.)
i3-2120
4GB Valueselect 1.5V 1333 MHz RAM (2x2) GB
CX430
ASUS P8H61-M
Cooler Master Elite 430
Yes it will. However your graphic's settings will be ~med/high at most. I personally play at everything on low except shaders at medium (it will also make shadows medium) and models on high. It's what I've found to be the best quality at lowest possible settings.
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5930 Posts
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A big problem with Gigabyte mobos these days is crap bios.
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What is your budget?
~$1000, maximum $1500
What is your resolution?
1680x1050
What are you using it for?
Gaming (SC2/D3 mostly) and streaming
What is your upgrade cycle?
3-4 year (school)
When do you plan on building it?
Anytime from now to 2 months
Do you plan on overclocking?
Open to try if the benefits are worthwhile
Do you need an Operating System?
Yes
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
No
Where are you buying your parts from?
Anywhere applicable (Canada)
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Also looking at options for a gaming laptop, nothing notable performance-wise just SC2/D3 and school work
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Hey soon i am planing to buy a new laptop. i've choose one already and i was wondering if it's good enough for starcraft 2. Details are:
SAMSUNG RF711 SILVER 'SPIRAL' - CORE I7-2670QM (2.2GHZ) 8GB RAM GDDR3, HARD DRIVE 1TB 17.3" LED HD+ WIN7HP 64BIT BLU-RAY NVIDIA® GEFORCE® GT 540M OPTIMUS (GDDR3 2GB) 1.3MP WEBCAM BT 3.0 HDMI 1YR (4.8HOURS) 2.8KG
Can anyone tell me if it's ok to be able to play sc2, or maybe i should search for something else? thanks in advance.
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On June 02 2012 13:30 DONTPANIC wrote:
I now have a sweet gaming household. Today's build is...\
Builder Series 500 Watt ATX 12V Power Supply $67.99
8GB DDR3-1600 (PC3-12800) CL9 Dual Channel 39.99
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 1024MB GDDR5 $179.99
Z77 Pro4-M 1155 mATX Intel Motherboard $59.99
Core i5 3570K 3.4GHz LGA 1155 Processor $189.99
TX-381 Micro ATX Computer Case$29.99
I got a refurbished 80gb 7200rpm for a boot drive ($20) and used an old 5000rpm 500gb and an old dvd drive
I know some of the prices aren't great but I was trying to get everything at microcenter so I could build it tonight. There are about $50 in MIR in there.
This build is for my wife anyway... Now we can both play DayZ togther!!!
edit: $20 for the boot drive not $80
edit2:
My build is
MSI P67A-GD53
8gb ram
i5 2500k
HD6950
Do you think I should swap GPUs?
I've got almost the same build and I'm traveling down the same road as you (having to have the wife sign off on it >.<). Microcenter's deal with the 3570k / motherboard is too good to walk away from.
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Baa?21244 Posts
On June 02 2012 10:56 Womwomwom wrote:Show nested quote +On June 02 2012 08:16 Carnivorous Sheep wrote:
[b]1. I'm probably not going to do any overclocking and really have no use for any extraneous motherboard features. Is the selected motherboard overkill? Just right?
This is going to be fragmented since I don't want to quote your whole post: - Then don't get a K series processor and a Z77 processor. Buy a Intel Core i5-3450 and cheap B75 motherboard. - Ivy Bridge is more power efficient, has slightly more performance, and has better integrated graphics. That's the difference. No reason not to get Ivy Bridge unless Sandy Bridge options are a lot cheaper. Since you don't want to overclock, there's no point picking either - pick the option I provided above. - Overclocking is nice but not a deal breaker. Its preferred if you're going to stream heavily but you save a lot of cash in the processes by buying cheaper hardware. - No CPU cooler is required if not overclocking. CPU coolers is nice if you want to cut down on noise dramatically. - Ask the headphone thread. Personally I'd get an external USB DAC since computer systems are dreadful for internal audio systems. - Ditch the Caviar Black and get cheaper 7200RPM drives. You're paying extra for warranty, which is fine, but probably not worth the huge difference. - Only need 400W for that system. As previously mentioned, the Rosewill Capstone 450W is a fine choice. Corsair 400R is a fine case too. - Depending on budget remaining, you may want to throw in an SSD. Current generation Crucial, Intel, Samsung SSDs are probably the best.
If I were to want to not overclock initially but do it eventually, I guess I would stick with a z77 mobo and 3570k? Looking at ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard, since it seems to be reviewed pretty favorably in the Anandtech article and I don't believe I really need any of the extra features of the higher end mobos.
For that, would it be better to just buy the CPU cooler now instead of getting it when I actually want to OC? If so recommendations? Also would I need the 620W PS then? Because I assume when OCing 400W won't be enough.
For the harddrive, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148834 seems to be a much cheaper alternative. However, it seems to have a lot of horror stories in the reviews. Worth the risk?
Definitely considering an SSD, since the prices seem to be dropping pretty heavily.
Thanks for answers.
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