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Mm, your PSU is a little overkill, you can get away with a 450-500 W power supply, especially if you never plan on running SLI. If you want to upgrade in the future to something that uses 2 pci-e power plugs, get a 550 or 600 W MAX
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@Captain Peabody: Do you need a hard disk or optical drive? If you've got old ones you're planning on reusing, you might as well check if they use a SATA or PATA (IDE -- the long flat ribbon cable) interface. It's not a problem either way, just good to know.
I think you can get better deals than that, with newegg combos and some sales most likely. $150 for a HD 5770 and $70 for 2x2 GB DDR3 RAM sound a little bit too high. But overall it looks fine. Since you're getting an aftermarket CPU cooler, are you planning on overclocking? The retail boxed CPUs come with a stock cooler, in case you didn't know. (And for $40, I think there are probably plenty better options than that Sunbeam unit anyway.)
Earthwatts EA750 is a good PSU, but with a stock Athlon II X4 and HD 5770, your system would use something under 300W at max load, with idle and gaming power draws under that. You could get by with a good 400W unit like this easily. Unless you're planning on multi-GPU setups or running top-end hardware in the future, above 500W is pretty much a waste.
@Remedy01: What programs and other hardware are you running that would benefit from a LGA 1366 system, anyway? Just checking, but hyperthreading for quad cores for most users isn't really needed, and you don't really need LGA 1366's interface bandwidth unless you're running 3+ GPUs or are running some specialized software that really needs the memory bandwidth. Most users can get the same performance out of a cheaper i5-7xx and LGA 1156 system.
And, like people have been bringing up, Intel's new line of CPUs is coming out January 9th or so. They will be incompatible with current motherboards and higher performing than the i7-950.
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So my giga GTX 460 1gb stopped working about a week after I installed it. Apparently I wasn't alone with this problem. I really liked the card. Do you guys think it'd be safe to get the same card but just from a different manufacturer? I was looking at this.
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I want to be able to stream SC2 with medium+ quality, here's my current build:
Intel Core2Duo 6420 (2.13Ghz)
2GB ram
GeForce 8800 GTS
What should I upgrade for the purposes of streaming medium+ SC2?
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I would avoid upgrading the computer, because you'd be hard pressed to find a good CPU for it at a decent price and the DDR2 RAM won't be reusable. If however, you really do want to upgrade, I'd get a Intel Core 2 Quad Q9xxx (if your motherboard supports it) and another 2GB of RAM. Alternatively, you can just get an Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 if you can find those around still (though I'm not sure your motherboard will be compatible with the new CPUs).
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On December 18 2010 12:23 LambtrOn wrote:So my giga GTX 460 1gb stopped working about a week after I installed it. Apparently I wasn't alone with this problem. I really liked the card. Do you guys think it'd be safe to get the same card but just from a different manufacturer? I was looking at this.
You're getting some kind of RMA, return, refund, or whatever for the dead card, right? The MSI Cyclone seems to be a popular model because it's relatively quiet and cools well. Do note that it seems a little overpriced, and it exhausts all the heat inside the case, so your case better have decent cooling.
Another option would be EVGA, which is usually pretty solid: 2 year and lifetime warranty (upon registration) models, respectively. Those are probably a little louder, but they exhaust heat out of the case.
edit: likewise, I'm not a fan of upgrading Core 2 Duo systems and pumping more money into DDR2 RAM. For streaming while playing, you probably want a quad core. The price of a Q6600 (or whatever) and 2 more GB of DDR2 RAM is too high. You might as well upgrade the motherboard and get a new CPU and all new DDR3 RAM. With new processors coming January 9th, you might consider waiting until then, or not upgrading at all.
Your 8800 GTS is still okay though.
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@Xanbatou
You have an i7... is it worth it for just gaming? No.
Your graphics card isn't overkill by any margin.
Why did you pick an external drive? Do you already have an internal drive?
I think you should wait three more weeks and get Sandybridge.
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Ok so I won't get an i7.
And that's very strange, that's not the hard drive I chose.
And what is sandybridge?
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On December 18 2010 14:16 Xanbatou wrote:
Ok so I won't get an i7.
And that's very strange, that's not the hard drive I chose.
And what is sandybridge?
Sandybridge is Intel's next generation processors that are going to be announced on January 5th with retail availability expected on January 9th.
Current Intel processors are on 45nm process, these new ones will be on 32nm process so less power and less heat. They're going to have better performance clock for clock.
And they'll going to be releasing at the same price points as the current 1156 lineup ($100 - $300).
edit: oh they also have integrated graphics so it'd make troubleshooting somewhat easier.
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Look at anandtech's performance preview:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3871/the-sandy-bridge-preview-three-wins-in-a-row/11
Take it for what its worth and decide for yourself. I've been waiting for Sandybridge for my new build, going to get an 2500k.
S parts are "green" processors (uses less power). They're going to be priced at a premium even though their base clock is lower. All the letter suffixes are explained in anandtech's article.
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alright so after many months of wanting to upgrade my computer to stream sc2, ive settled on that i need a new processor
amd phenom II 955 BE
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808&cm_re=955-_-19-103-808-_-Product
new mother board for it
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131402&Tpk=N82E16813131402
and finnaly new ram for the mother board
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231276
the MB supports everything i think, including my HD, current graphics card (geforce 8800 gtx) and my power supply (750 watt)
what i'd love to ask is, is the 955 still the best processor for my budget of about 400$? im only spending about 320 atm, so a better processor would be viable, i wanna keep the MB cheap unless MB upgrades make a difference? i don't know a whole lot, although it uses a 770x bridge thing, which means i can only use 1 graphics card, but thats all i ever plan to use anyways, seems good besides that.
also on a side note, i currently use liquid cooling but i have 1 fan in the case, +1 fan not being used at the front (other is in back) + power supply has its own fan, so does my graphics card, and cpu comes with one, do i need anything else for cooling? also would getting some nice fans be a good thing to get? im always worried about over heating as i never really shut my computer off, sometimes for weeks at a time besides restarts but instantly turn it back on. have had no hardware issues with liquid cooling for almost 2 years now. thanks in advance!
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Hey guys, if im wanting to stream in the best quality possible am i better going with a Phenom II X6 1055T and overclocking or should i just stick with my original planning of getting the Phenom II X4 955?
The price between the two isn't great so i could get either one.
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Thanks for the comments, guys, this is exactly the kind of stuff I need to be hearing. So just out of curiosity, what would you say is the best value I could get for a GPU in the around $100-200 dollar range?
And no, I'm not planning overclocking...didn't know that the CPUs came with a cooler though, that's good to know. Should save me some money for sure. And I'll definitely go with the 400W PSU if that's all I'll need.
I'm also planning on getting a HDD, just forgot to include it. From what I can see, I think I'll just pick up one of the cheaper 500-640 gig hard drives. Definitely don't need any more than that.
Thanks again for the help. I'm going to start ordering the parts probably this coming week.
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I am planning on building a computer as my "christmas present." I have never done this before.. and while I'll have
some help from a friend that is experienced, I decided it's time to figure out and get an idea of what I need/what I want, so was hoping you guys could help me out.
What is your budget?
1500$.
I am not absolutely sure about how much I'll have yet, but I'll be able to get 1500.. and don't really feel like spending too much over that anyways.
What is your resolution?
I have a viewsonic 22' I am using as monitor has a native resolution of 1680x1050, I am thinking of getting an additional monitor eventually though.
What are you using it for?
Mostly gaming. I want to be able to play games and have them look good, keeping a good fps. I will also be watching lots of movies on it, I don't plan on streaming, but having the option would be nice.
What is your upgrade cycle?
I don't want to upgrade in the next 2 years unless I really need too, but I would like this computer to last me awhile, and I plan on upgrading when needed, especially if there is a game I want to play that I can't.
When do you plan on building it?
January. The sooner the better, but mid January might be the reality of the situation.
Do you plan on overclocking?
I'm not really sure how to overclock, so i don't think I will. If it's something I need to do, in order to use the computer the way I want, then let me know if it's something I should learn more about, otherwise, learning how to build a computer is exciting enough :D.
Do you need an Operating System?
I have Windows 7.
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
Higher performance sounds great, if this is something that you guys think I should do, and it's within my budget than I plan on it, otherwise, not a big deal.
Where will I get parts?
I have close nearby access to a Fry's. I also live in U.S. so I can use Newegg.
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Your build needs some revising, its not complete in the first place. That CPU does not come with an HFS and you bought an external HDD(Out of stock nonetheless), do you have spare internal HDDs laying around?
edit: Damn, just woke up... Cant believe I was answering a post thats 2 days old. -____-
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On December 19 2010 07:36 Captain Peabody wrote:
Thanks for the comments, guys, this is exactly the kind of stuff I need to be hearing. So just out of curiosity, what would you say is the best value I could get for a GPU in the around $100-200 dollar range?
And no, I'm not planning overclocking...didn't know that the CPUs came with a cooler though, that's good to know. Should save me some money for sure. And I'll definitely go with the 400W PSU if that's all I'll need.
I'm also planning on getting a HDD, just forgot to include it. From what I can see, I think I'll just pick up one of the cheaper 500-640 gig hard drives. Definitely don't need any more than that.
Thanks again for the help. I'm going to start ordering the parts probably this coming week.
Spinpoints are out of stock at newegg, then get a Caviar XX instead.
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@Captain Peabody: best value GPU in that range is GTX 460 768MB for under $150 if your screen resolution is under 1920x1080. The difference between the GTX 768MB and 1GB models is smaller with smaller resolutions and maybe not worth the price difference in that case. HD 5770 under $120 would also be terrific. GTX 460 1GB (not SE) under $180 is great too if you're planning on long-term use or playing at higher resolutions. Prices fluctuate a lot and I don't keep up that closely.
@BraveGhost: You can get a pretty stacked computer for $1500 that should be able to handle games for a reasonably long time. Don't feel bad if you need to wait until mid-January because Intel is releasing its next generation of processors in early January anyway. It'd be good timing anyway to hop on that train.
It's kind of hard to spec out prices this far in advance though. But for the CPU, you're probably looking for the Core i5-2500. GPU could be something higher-end like a GTX 570, HD 6970, or HD 6950. Multi-GPU setups are a hassle and probably not worth the time, heat, and noise unless you play at resolutions higher than 1920x1200 or like having top-end performance. With the remaining budget, you could fit in a good SSD and also a nice case and PSU to last several builds. Check back in January I guess.
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New models and whatnot are coming out soon so wait till the price drops. Especially on SSD, CPU and GPUs, those are pretty short-lived. I havent bought my GPU, monitor, and a SSD yet either...
Sticking to my disk drive, 19" and 4770 for now.
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EPT
