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On February 20 2013 12:49 `Mystery wrote:+ Show Spoiler +Hey, this is my first build and am trying to keep it under $800 but be able to stream sc2 and play some non-graphic intensive games. How good does this look, and what should I change if anything ? Thanks in advance !
CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($51.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($52.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224BB DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $785.46
Looks decent overall, but for SC2 and especially streaming on top of that, I would strongly consider picking up a i5-3570k and overclocking.
I mean, with a $88 motherboard and $200 CPU, you're not that far off the price for overclocking anyway. You can roughly keep the budget.
Intel Core i5-3570k
AsRock Z77 Pro3 - $307 total (replaces old CPU and mobo of course)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1198427
Xigmatek Gaia - $20 (add this)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233082
equivalent Kingston RAM for $6 less:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104389
Other potential places to save money to stay within budget would be the graphics card (-> HD 7770 is plenty for SC2), like this for $100 after rebate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202011
Cheaper case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146075
Go with a cheaper power supply like the Neo Eco like I linked in the previous build
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371029
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Are you tied to ASRock on the mobo? You can probably find a just-as-good mobo for about 10 bucks less. Also no reason to spend $52 on RAM for Patriot; any 1.5v rated 2x4 RAM will do, preferably 9-9-9-24 and 1600mhz, but as close to $40 as possible. No reason to spend more than about 44.
Rest looks fine. Power supply is fine at 55 bucks, and I don't have experience with the case but it looks to be reasonable quality for the price in the pics.
EDIT: The bundle Myrmidon linked is really good value, I would go with that for SC2 quality. Other options are more opinion-based: the video card you have is also good value for what you're getting; what resolution are you at? The 7850 will yield results at 1080p and not matter so much otherwise.
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Hmm, I've heard good things about compatibility with ASRock mobos so I feel pretty good about it. I'm not really interested/comfortable with overclocking either. I guess the question is; will this be able to stream sc2 with a decent internet
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United Kingdom20275 Posts
Its a pretty much ideal build for it. If you wanted to invest more money, i would go along the lines of better CPU heatsink, better case, more case fans etcetc to push overclocking further - you could also go 3770k for hyperthreading, but that wont make SC2 run any better (with or without streaming) and you wouldn't notice it was there unless you was running really aggressive encoding settings (720p, 60fps or 1080p, 30fps are well within capabilities of an OC'd or even stock 3570k while playing sc2)
Overclocking CPU further would increase your minimum and average framerates when they inevitably dip down a lot towards the middle and end of game, nothing else you invest in will be able to do that, though you would need to be relatively advanced to really take advantage of extra cooling etc to push overclocking.
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On February 20 2013 14:00 `Mystery wrote:
Hmm, I've heard good things about compatibility with ASRock mobos so I feel pretty good about it. I'm not really interested/comfortable with overclocking either. I guess the question is; will this be able to stream sc2 with a decent internet
I think it's hard to tell what UEFI you like until you try them and as far as compatability goes, what other hardware are you using? I don't see it mattering much. To me, the advantage of some ASRock mobos is the 8-4 phasing, but that only matters for overclocking anyway; 4-1 or whatever is fine at stock.
If you won't overclock, I like your build beside the other suggestions, although the downgrade to 7770 could be warranted depending on monitor resolution and what games you play.
In the end, though, if ASRock makes you feel better then it's not a huge blunder to spend the few extra bucks.
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Thanks a ton for the advice, I'll look into a bit of a cheaper mobo for sure. Maybe in the future I'll try overclocking for the time being I'm not too interested in learning about it/buying extra cooling. Thanks Cyro for the help and confidence in the build !
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United Kingdom20275 Posts
You should overclock, +600mhz will come very easily, +1000 not too big deal. Its pushing from 4.4ghz onwards that can become tricky
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I am looking to upgrade my CPU and motherboard with an AMD processor(I can't afford an intel processor on my budget). I am looking at a AMD FX-6300 Vishera 3.5GHz (4.1GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 95W Six-Core. My main goal is a basic update and to get the ability to stream SC2. Can anyone point out any flaws with that CPU that people are aware of?
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United States2033 Posts
Without a healthy overclock you're not going to get the kind of per-core performance you'd want for streaming SC2. When you take into account overclocking expenses (decent mobo, aftermarket heatsink), you might as well just get an i5+cheap mobo for about $250.
So basically... the problem with the fx-6300 is that it's not really cheaper than an i5.
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On February 21 2013 02:29 MisterFred wrote:
Without a healthy overclock you're not going to get the kind of per-core performance you'd want for streaming SC2. When you take into account overclocking expenses (decent mobo, aftermarket heatsink), you might as well just get an i5+cheap mobo for about $250.
So basically... the problem with the fx-6300 is that it's not really cheaper than an i5.
Intresting, i5 it might be then if its not much better. I'll check prices on motherboard.
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Yeah, the CPU sucks bad per clock, so whichever core is handling the main thread for SC2 is going to cry and be responsible for lower minimum fps when armies get bigger lategame.
You're better off with a Phenom II (yes, a processor from 2009) if you don't have ~$240 for a cheap Core i5 and cheap 7 series motherboard.
What's your current CPU?
If your CPU+mobo budget is pretty spartan, I would say a Phenom II X4 965 for $85:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727
need a non-lowest-end board to support 125W processors, so Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 for $65:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128565
You might need to just turn the stream preset down to something slightly faster for slightly worse quality / bitrate.
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On February 21 2013 02:42 Myrmidon wrote:Yeah, the CPU sucks bad per clock, so whichever core is handling the main thread for SC2 is going to cry and be responsible for lower minimum fps when armies get bigger lategame. You're better off with a Phenom II (yes, a processor from 2009) if you don't have ~$240 for a cheap Core i5 and cheap 7 series motherboard. What's your current CPU? If your CPU+mobo budget is pretty spartan, I would say a Phenom II X4 965 for $85: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727need a non-lowest-end board to support 125W processors, so Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 for $65: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128565You might need to just turn the stream preset down to something slightly faster for slightly worse quality / bitrate.
This is why I ask these questions, because CPU, like GPU are made by wizards who tell us nothing.
I am rocking a 5 year old dual core AMD with an old socket. My motherboard is to old and I am in that harsh world where I need a new CPU to bring my computer into the future. I am looking at the i5 and it looks like I can get a reasonable motherboard for around the $260. If you know of a better combo and i5, let me know.
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konadora
Singapore66071 Posts
Hi guys, just wondering if the prices for PC components are cheaper now than say, like half a year ago? My PC has been crashing bad on me lately (it is 5 years old after all, plus RAM's DDR2 so I don't find it worthy to get it as I keep getting memory related BSODs) so I'm looking to upgrade my computer in the near future (3-4 months later). Looking towards a setup that can allow me to stream Dota 2 (on a 1440x900 monitor) at max settings.
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On February 21 2013 02:56 konadora wrote:
Hi guys, just wondering if the prices for PC components are cheaper now than say, like half a year ago? My PC has been crashing bad on me lately (it is 5 years old after all, plus RAM's DDR2 so I don't find it worthy to get it as I keep getting memory related BSODs) so I'm looking to upgrade my computer in the near future (3-4 months later). Looking towards a setup that can allow me to stream Dota 2 (on a 1440x900 monitor) at max settings.
Maybe a little? But nothing really significant... cpu prices won't be changing until Haswell if at all, and GPU prices might have fluctuated a bit as they're getting older (I know they're releasing new game bundles at least) but what you want to do isn't too bad.
What's your budget? If you are looking into a new computer now, then fill out the OP. If you want to wait 3-4 months, prices will be around the same except Haswell will be out. And we can't predict sales of the week etc. so it's best to just come back in 3-4 months and ask the same question.
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On February 21 2013 02:47 Plansix wrote:Show nested quote +On February 21 2013 02:42 Myrmidon wrote:Yeah, the CPU sucks bad per clock, so whichever core is handling the main thread for SC2 is going to cry and be responsible for lower minimum fps when armies get bigger lategame. You're better off with a Phenom II (yes, a processor from 2009) if you don't have ~$240 for a cheap Core i5 and cheap 7 series motherboard. What's your current CPU? If your CPU+mobo budget is pretty spartan, I would say a Phenom II X4 965 for $85: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727need a non-lowest-end board to support 125W processors, so Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 for $65: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128565You might need to just turn the stream preset down to something slightly faster for slightly worse quality / bitrate. This is why I ask these questions, because CPU, like GPU are made by wizards who tell us nothing. I am rocking a 5 year old dual core AMD with an old socket. My motherboard is to old and I am in that harsh world where I need a new CPU to bring my computer into the future. I am looking at the i5 and it looks like I can get a reasonable motherboard for around the $260. If you know of a better combo and i5, let me know.
Just so you know, a new system will need new RAM too (DDR3, which your own system doesn't have).
Core i5-3470 - $185 with free shipping (save $15 on newegg)
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=72279&promoid=1139
AsRock B75M-DGS - $64 after shipping
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157335
If you need PCI slots, another PCIe slot, or some other features, you could get a more-expensive motherboard. The one above is pretty stripped-down but should be serviceable.
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konadora
Singapore66071 Posts
On February 21 2013 03:02 Alryk wrote:Show nested quote +On February 21 2013 02:56 konadora wrote:
Hi guys, just wondering if the prices for PC components are cheaper now than say, like half a year ago? My PC has been crashing bad on me lately (it is 5 years old after all, plus RAM's DDR2 so I don't find it worthy to get it as I keep getting memory related BSODs) so I'm looking to upgrade my computer in the near future (3-4 months later). Looking towards a setup that can allow me to stream Dota 2 (on a 1440x900 monitor) at max settings. Maybe a little? But nothing really significant... cpu prices won't be changing until Haswell if at all, and GPU prices might have fluctuated a bit as they're getting older (I know they're releasing new game bundles at least) but what you want to do isn't too bad. What's your budget? If you are looking into a new computer now, then fill out the OP. If you want to wait 3-4 months, prices will be around the same except Haswell will be out. And we can't predict sales of the week etc. so it's best to just come back in 3-4 months and ask the same question.
I'll be back in 3-4 months then, thanks for replying. Just want to roughly estimate out how much I'll need haha.
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Welldunno for singapore, but in the us, streaming dota 2 at that resolution can be done easily with an i5, a 700$ budget would be enough, add in 100$ if you want to OC
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konadora
Singapore66071 Posts
On February 21 2013 03:18 Rachnar wrote:
Welldunno for singapore, but in the us, streaming dota 2 at that resolution can be done easily with an i5, a 700$ budget would be enough, add in 100$ if you want to OC
700USD or SGD? Do I need the OC? Also, I already have Windows 7 so I don't need to purchase the OS again.
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you dont NEED to OC but it would be better for streaming overall
and 700USD
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konadora
Singapore66071 Posts
On February 21 2013 03:37 Rachnar wrote:
you dont NEED to OC but it would be better for streaming overall
and 700USD
ah i see.. USD :< thanks!
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EPT
