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I noticed in the specs for the GPU it says it needs a min or a 500w power supply, the one you put in there is 400w, will it still be okay? or better to go bigger?
The 400w PSU he listed is a quality PSU, compared to most shit PSUs that manufacturers expect people to be using, that PSU is very much 500+.
It's very complicated, and the information is out there, and i just wrote about it above, but 400+ is way more than enough power for single GPU systems. It's not about the wattage of the PSU, it's about the wattage of the 12v rail of the PSU (CPU+GPU power, among other crucial components that draw the most power), in which case the 400w psu he listed has most of it's listed power on.
How's this build? I know its all on the overkill side per part, and I do plan on running only 1900x1200, but with a second monitor. I have the money to spend, and I just want longevity, and flawless performance.
theres no such thing as future proofing, in my opinion. In 5 years, both ivy bridge, and phenom ii will be very outdated.
How's this build? I know its all on the overkill side per part, and I do plan on running only 1900x1200, but with a second monitor. I have the money to spend, and I just want longevity, and flawless performance.
Some information about me in general; I play heavy graphic intensive games, stream for my friends and on twitch tv at 1080 (luckily my bandwidth is capable of this) and I have experience overclocking CPUs, and have no plans to get a second GPU due to how much of a bitch cross fire was for my previous build.
edit.
heres the build:
Antec Twelve Hundred V3 Black Steel ATX Full Tower Unbeatable Gaming Case
Western Digital WD Black WD2002FAEX 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
That is an insane case. To go with an insane build. Sorry, that's way out of my league.
It's more an than overkill if that's a gaming system. That kind of system/price point is what you pay when your huge into overclocking. I know you said you have some experience, but what is 'some experience'? You should look into custom water cooling kits for that kind of price level, or an i5 with custom loop (if you have a budget to work with, that is, you could just go i7 custom balls out). I think aftermarket cooling is something you should look into just as importantly as you'd look into anything on that kind of system.
i7 is more like a server chip, not a gaming chip. There aren't any games coming out anytime soon that can take advantage of that performance, much less overclocked. i5 is really the top of the line you should go for for a gaming build, i7 is something if you like benching, folding, etc.
Why not go for some SSDs? At your price point, they are a great way to really improve your system. Maybe a 'cheap' SSD just to load critical OS and programs, and then a HDD for storage?
Graphic intensive games just means get a decent chip (pentium to i5 depending on budget) and a badass gpu. That's over $100 extra on the best appreciable gaming cpu. You aren't really going to get longevity, you could get a $200 CPU today (i5) and a $120 cpu in 5 years and you'll get more performance than just getting an i7 for 7 years. My point is that both an i5 and i7 today is going to be outdated in similar time. I suppose saying this kind of thing isn't really popular around here though.
Overall the parts look pretty well picked out. Just a little much for strictly gaming pc, even if you want to play on the absolute max and go on the ridiculous side of things.
How's this build? I know its all on the overkill side per part, and I do plan on running only 1900x1200, but with a second monitor. I have the money to spend, and I just want longevity, and flawless performance.
Some information about me in general; I play heavy graphic intensive games, stream for my friends and on twitch tv at 1080 (luckily my bandwidth is capable of this) and I have experience overclocking CPUs, and have no plans to get a second GPU due to how much of a bitch cross fire was for my previous build.
edit.
heres the build:
Antec Twelve Hundred V3 Black Steel ATX Full Tower Unbeatable Gaming Case
Western Digital WD Black WD2002FAEX 2TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
EVGA 02G-P4-2670-KR GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-16GBXL
ASUS P8Z77-V PRO LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Not sure if you really need the i7, but that's a personal thing. Most people don't really need it. An i5 3570k is plenty for gaming and even streaming for the average user.
16GB of RAM is rather overkill unless you really know what you want to do with it. Again, 8GB of RAM is plenty for gaming and streaming for the average user.
The GTX 670 won't have any issues running 1900x1200 on most games.
I wouldn't get a WD Black 2TB -- I would just get a WD Green 1TB + nice SSD unless you know you're going to fill it up asap. In which case you don't even need the WD Black anyways.
What cooler are you going to get to overclock? Or do you not even want to do this?
Can you give me some advice here - friend wants to play newest games on top setting, can he upgrade his amd phenom ii x4 9800GT or build a new one from scratch? Really considering saving money here. One issue he has is noise though. Another. Thing he needs is some wide screen to watch movies. Can you recommend something?
Well, I always hear a lot of flak about SSD crashing often, and not having good life span from some acquaintances--i wouldn't know though since I haven't used one yet.
I was thinking of using my current build's hyper 212 to cool it for overclock, thus I didn't include buying a new one in the build.
Hey guys! Skimmed through the thread a bit, I apologize if this is asking a lot. I built my comp in 2009, and overclocked it. First time for both of those. Now, I think it's time to update. I'd appreciate any and all help you're willing to give!
These are the parts I'm looking to replace
power supply mobo vid card processor ram heat sink
What is your budget?
$1050, plus or minus a little. Not including tax or shipping, although free shipping would be peachy.
What is your resolution?
1920X1080, but would like to leave room for a possible monitor upgrade.
What are you using it for?
Gaming
What is your upgrade cycle?
About 3 years
When do you plan on building it?
When I get all parts together. I plan on finishing this around late January/early February.
Do you plan on overclocking?
I remember seeing an ASUS board that had I guess what you'd call an auto overclock switch about a year ago. I'm kind of interested in that, tbh, but if I just can't get it to work in my build, then that's not a deal breaker. I don't plan on overclocking if I can't get that mobo.
Do you need an Operating System?
Nope. Benefit of being in college.
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
Nope
Where are you buying your parts from?
Cheapest possible places. That tends to be online, usually.
On November 20 2012 09:24 Mavvie wrote: To start things off, I'm in Canada and have tried to find the cheapest prices for parts using newegg, ncix, tigerdirect, and amazon.
Well there's a lot more to building a PC than I thought. I plan on buying parts and making one this week, and here's my general idea:
I plan on streaming (480p ish) with OBS, listening to music, having a few Chrome tabs open, and running StarCraft II on medium or high.
I feel like the parts I've picked are way overkill. I am legitimately 100% lost with motherboards (I picked one that is by Intel, has the necessary ports and is compatible with my case and LGA1155 CPU), but it's pretty pricey.
I picked an i3 2100 Sandy Bridge...which is $120. I don't know what to look for in a CPU. I read Belial's guide and he says it's optimized for dual core @~3.0GHz, so I picked one of the few Intel processors that meet that expectation.
Is 2.7GHz okay? I have a 5 year old computer with 3.1GHz, so either we're going backwards with progress/pricing or there's more than clock speed to a CPU. Is Sandy Bridge worth it? My price range is hopefully <$600 including shipping, so I'd like to bring down the motherboard, CPU, and GPU. What's a good processor and motherboard you'd recommend for fairly cheap?
I've currently chosen the Radeon HD 6770, I feel like that's a good choice? I'm not sure what resolution my monitor will be, probably in the realm of 1920x1080, give or take a few hundred either way. Is the 6770 overkill? It's fairly expensive, and I'm not sure I need it, but I really don't want to cop out (5 year upgrade cycle). I'm thinking this is a good choice, but if anyone knows of a better option then I'm all ears
Do these parts come with cables? Like I have enough computer knowledge to know that there's a ton of cables connecting HDD->Mobo, PSU ->Mobo, and probably a few more. I haven't seen anything at all about cables, so yeah a little lost there too.
Finally, how many fans do I need? I have literally no idea :D
Thanks a ton for any and all help! It's my first time building a PC and I know there will be plenty of silly mistakes (I tried to make sure the parts were compatible lol)
You only need to get into fans and extra cooling if you plan to overclock, and Intel being the bastards they are (and can be because the bastards that are AMD), you can't really get into overclocking unless you buy an i5 k series, which is $200+.
I play and stream 720p@45fps on OBS/Xsplit/Fsplit (i prefer OBS because Jim is awesome and the program is slightly better, but they are all pretty similar in performance frankly, people say one or the other 'blows X out of the water' because people are idiots and compare FFsplit with no preview screen by default with Xsplit which has a huge preview screen by default, a more apples to apples comparison is just turning off or minimizing the preview screen as much as possible and minimizing send buffer size) ...
...on an Athlon ii x4 3.4ghz, 4GB RAM, 2k/2k vbv/max buffer (i have 5mb/s up but my connection to server is lower) with ultra graphics (graphics/gpu isn't a factor in streaming) system. My minimum fps is 20 in huge 200/200 battles, but my average is generally 50+, and it's always very smooth and playable (ie 30+). You can check out the vods at twitch.tv/belial88 (you'll have to dig a bit, i was tweaking a ton of settings on that account, its my test account, so not all the vods are smooth, due to upload issues, not hardware issues).
Streaming, ie video encoding, is probably the only application where AMD multi-core chips outperform comparably priced Intel. I'm not sure how well an i3 will stream 720 - even though an i3 is much, much stronger than phenom ii/athlon ii for gaming/dual thread applications, it might perform equally or worse with streaming. Everyone makes it out that you need an i5 or i7 to stream, but I'm sure you can find someone speak about how well they could stream with an i3.
You can't read CPUs by clock for clock rate unless they are same architecture. For example, a Bulldozer 8 core at 4ghz is going to perform worse than a i3 dualcore 3ghz when it comes to gaming. A phenom ii x4 at 4ghz beats a bulldozer at 4.5ghz when it comes to gaming. What CPU do you have?
The parts will come with the necessary cables. Only cables you would need is to connect your monitor to your computer, and maybe the power cable if your PSU doesnt come with it (which you probably already have a couple power cables anyways, any pc power cable).
Your PSU is terrible. You should try to get 80% "Bronze" efficiency. I only recommend this because at $50 you should be able to find one. That PSU is more like a 360w PSU, not a 550w PSU. That's why wattage on a PSU means nothing, and why every manufacturer, like GPU companies, say you need a balls out PSU wattage when in reality, a quality 300w PSU would work. Unless you are doing SLI, there's no reason to have anything more than 400w PSU... but it has to be a quality PSU. Basically, there's multiple 'rails' that supply power, the 12v rails supply the CPU and GPU, while the lower rails like 5.5 and 3w power things like sata, hdd, usb. Back in the day, these rails used to power everything, but nowadays they dont. Standards changed, and nowadays companies need to apply by new standards and use the 12v rail, but some shitty companies will sell PSUs made from the old, outdated 3.3/5w design and market it as a modern PSU.
Definitely change the PSU you buy. Just look up a quality, 80% bronze PSU (most quality PSUs are higher than 500w, so it might take some research to find a quality psu at less than 500w, but there are shit PSUs at every wattage, if that makes sense).
HDD is a weird choice... that's a mobile HDD,not desktop. Samsung spinspoints are just fine HDD, just fine a SATA 7200rpm HDD of a decent brand (samsung, wd, seagate).
Case is a little on the expensive side. Just look up like 'budget case round-up', you should be able to find a good case for under $50, if you are so inclined. Or not, really doesnt matter.
You should look up "Falcon's incremental buying guide", shows some great options and lists some quality products, if just to check out what's worth looking at.
You could probably find cheaper RAM, not a big deal.
I'm kind of into Intel (Already picked a motherboard, all the computers I currently have are Intel too), I think the i3 should be fine. Also, you said yourself that quadcore is useless (for sc2). Is the quadcore for streaming or more multitasking?
Awesome, noted + good to know. I imagine the one that I picked is more than good enough for what I need.
Yeah I've got plenty of those cables, sweet.
OK I found a 250GB WD HDD (3.5" 7200 RPM 3.0Gb/s SATA) for $50, I guess that's good enough.
Are Intel motherboards fine? In Falcon's guide it's mostly ASRock, Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI...
I think I'm considering the DH67CL; it has all the ports I need, but are there any problems with Intel mobos? I've never heard of them being used...
Actually here's what I think I'm going for (changed motherboard, PSU, and GPU iirc): + Show Spoiler +
Hey guys! Skimmed through the thread a bit, I apologize if this is asking a lot. I built my comp in 2009, and overclocked it. First time for both of those. Now, I think it's time to update. I'd appreciate any and all help you're willing to give!
These are the parts I'm looking to replace
power supply mobo vid card processor ram heat sink
What is your budget?
$1050, plus or minus a little. Not including tax or shipping, although free shipping would be peachy.
What is your resolution?
1920X1080, but would like to leave room for a possible monitor upgrade.
What are you using it for?
Gaming
What is your upgrade cycle?
About 3 years
When do you plan on building it?
When I get all parts together. I plan on finishing this around late January/early February.
Do you plan on overclocking?
I remember seeing an ASUS board that had I guess what you'd call an auto overclock switch about a year ago. I'm kind of interested in that, tbh, but if I just can't get it to work in my build, then that's not a deal breaker. I don't plan on overclocking if I can't get that mobo.
Do you need an Operating System?
Nope. Benefit of being in college.
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
Nope
Where are you buying your parts from?
Cheapest possible places. That tends to be online, usually.
All of the major brands have Auto OC buttons and they are all junk. They raise your voltage stupidly high for mild overclocks.
If I can find someone that can get me a 3770k for that price (or lower) would it be worth upgrading from a 2500k?
Depends on what you need it for? That would be an insane deal for sure, but if you can't use the 4 hyperthreaded cores or don't need any IVB benefits, there's no reason necessarily.
Afaik ivy is harder to over clock. Could be wrong but i think i remember seeing people reporting ivys getting hotter quicker. If your streaming software/emulators don't use ht then it doesn't make much sense too. You might lose out on performance unless you go for the top end oc.
On November 20 2012 21:56 jacosajh wrote: Afaik ivy is harder to over clock. Could be wrong but i think i remember seeing people reporting ivys getting hotter quicker. If your streaming software/emulators don't use ht then it doesn't make much sense too. You might lose out on performance unless you go for the top end oc.
I'm pretty sure what it was is like, 4.7Ghz SB is easier to obtain than 4.7Ghz IVB, but because of architecture etc, you can get a 4.5Ghz IVB overclock that performs the same at less (?) power. Plus, he'll have the hyperthreaded cores.
In that case, it's probably worth it, but Skyr or Myrmidon etc. could probably tell you better.
Hey guys, I would like to build a computer, but I am really new to this stuff so I would really appreciate any advice on what parts I should buy. I plan on mainly using the computer for video editing and photoshop, but I would also like it to have the specs capable of running most modern games like SC2 on high (if not ultra) graphics.
What is your resolution? Not sure, but definitely 1920x1080 or higher. Most likely a 21'' monitor.
What are you using it for? Gaming, Photoshop, Video Editing, Streaming if it's still capable to do so.
What is your upgrade cycle? I want to build a desktop with pretty high specs, and then just upgrade each part individually if there's a new one out that I really want. So I don't plan on having an upgrade cycle for the 'entire' desktop all at once.
When do you plan on building it? Sometime soon...I'd like to catch any Thanksgiving sales if possible.
Do you plan on overclocking? Is this recommended? I would like to overclock if the price seems worthy of its benefits.
Do you need an Operating System? Yes
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire? Once again, is this recommended? sorry for asking such stupid questions.
The build doesn't have to go anywhere near my budget if not necessary, I've heard plenty of people building fantastic desktops sub-$1k. I'm just looking for a build that could just suit my needs. Thanks!
Hey, I've been tempted to buy a new computer for a little while and have been looking into small upgrades to hold off for a little without spending too much. My computer is around 4 years old and I spent around $1800-2000 on it when I got it.
Everything I look at is dual channel and my current ram is triple channel(I'm not sure how much that matters) so I figured I'd ask here since you guys know better than me.
Ideally I'd like to be able to stream different games at high resolutions with good frame rate and limited or no lag but I don't think that's possible with my current build unless I'm doing something wrong.
On November 21 2012 03:22 shouri wrote: Hey, I've been tempted to buy a new computer for a little while and have been looking into small upgrades to hold off for a little without spending too much. My computer is around 4 years old and I spent around $1800-2000 on it when I got it.
Everything I look at is dual channel and my current ram is triple channel(I'm not sure how much that matters) so I figured I'd ask here since you guys know better than me.
Ideally I'd like to be able to stream different games at high resolutions with good frame rate and limited or no lag but I don't think that's possible with my current build unless I'm doing something wrong.
You really want to replace this computer? It's still pretty darn capable. It would probably be better to at least wait until Haswell I imagine, it's only a few months away and I can't imagine you suffering too badly right now. You could probably buy a new GPU now (since you can reuse it), then overclock your i7 more, and just upgrade in a few months.
I think the biggest issue is that my GPU is literally turned to single-gpu mode for 95% of the games I play. If it isn't I just get worse performance. I have tried toggling with the settings in my nvidia control panel to override game settings which yield better FPS but it makes the games I play crash occasionally which isn't a good trade off. You bring up a good point of buying a GPU and just saving it for later.
As far as RAM goes, 8gb sounds ideal from what I have read? It's only like 40 dollars. I have also read that that my mobo is designed for triple channel so that slightly confuses me on the purchase if I'm going for 8gb which is dual channel.
Your CPU is really, really strong, you'd have to spend a lot of money just to upgrade to something equal in performance, because it's so strong. Your GPU isn't as great as your CPU but it still should be plenty powerful. Your system as it is should be crushing any video game, and then be able to play another instance of it.
4GB is ideal, you shouldn't really need more than 4GB, but RAM is so cheap so 8GB is whatever. You could monitor your own RAM usage and know right away whether you ever go above your physical memory limit in your applications.
Not to treat you like an idiot but are you sure your drivers are up to date? My point is that it's definitely not a hardware issue (unless you have bad equipment, which is entirely possible), it's a software issue why you are crashing. Drivers, the game in question... What games are you crashing in? I mean, having to run in single-gpu and crashes like that don't come because your graphics card is too weak, it comes from bad equipment (not just gpu, could be ram, cpu, or imc), unstable overclocks/system settings, bad drivers, bad software...
EPT
