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On March 23 2013 03:05 xDaunt wrote:+ Show Spoiler +On March 23 2013 02:54 Myrmidon wrote:
Throttling or at least performance decreases are big issues with laptop performance. These days, it's not just throttling per se, as you want the CPU to use Turbo Boost to run at clock speeds far higher than nominal, which should be possible with adequate cooling. Few laptops have cooling systems that can handle a heavy CPU and GPU load simultaneously—then again, most users won't actually encounter that situation in normal usage except maybe in certain games.
Looks like GTX 680M would still be tops out of stuff that can be found; new releases, if they happen, probably won't cover the range above that. I don't think the GTX 680MX exists outside of the iMac. What are your requirements for professional usage? What are you using it for? What programs would you be using?
A lot of the smaller brands are just using designs by Compal, Clevo, etc., meaning there's not much to distinguish them so you needn't look through them all. Sager is all Clevo IIRC. I'm not doing anything "professional" with the laptop in the sense of design work or anything like that. I just want a gaming laptop that doesn't look like one so that I am not raising any eyebrows when I pull it out in front of old dudes. As to your comments on the throttling, do you recommend just skipping a 680m and getting something like a 675m instead because the performance is unsustainable? Do you have similar recommendations with regards to the processor (ie the "best" models aren't worth it because you can't actually use them due to throttling issues)? I'm just trying to get a sense of what I'd actually get if I went all out with the high end stuff.
No, the stronger hardware is still better, especially because you can just underclock it if really necessary... All this throttling business is strongly dependent on the cooling system of the laptop, so there's really not that much value in overthinking generalities. Also, a lot of people just get throttling in normal usage in months or years past when they bought the laptop (happens more so than on desktops, but happens there too), because they never clean the dust out.
Also, GTX 675M would be a huge step in the wrong direction as despite Nvidia's product number, it's a last-generation part with much worse performance / power.
If you're spending $2000-2500, are you sure you don't want two devices so you don't need to carry around a 10+ pound brick? What are your needs with respect to mobility, travel, etc.? I mean, $2000 is enough for a decent laptop to carry around plus a gaming desktop (could be small if need be, like 8"x9"x11") that beats a $2500 laptop.
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On March 23 2013 03:16 Myrmidon wrote:Show nested quote +On March 23 2013 03:05 xDaunt wrote:+ Show Spoiler +On March 23 2013 02:54 Myrmidon wrote:
Throttling or at least performance decreases are big issues with laptop performance. These days, it's not just throttling per se, as you want the CPU to use Turbo Boost to run at clock speeds far higher than nominal, which should be possible with adequate cooling. Few laptops have cooling systems that can handle a heavy CPU and GPU load simultaneously—then again, most users won't actually encounter that situation in normal usage except maybe in certain games.
Looks like GTX 680M would still be tops out of stuff that can be found; new releases, if they happen, probably won't cover the range above that. I don't think the GTX 680MX exists outside of the iMac. What are your requirements for professional usage? What are you using it for? What programs would you be using?
A lot of the smaller brands are just using designs by Compal, Clevo, etc., meaning there's not much to distinguish them so you needn't look through them all. Sager is all Clevo IIRC. I'm not doing anything "professional" with the laptop in the sense of design work or anything like that. I just want a gaming laptop that doesn't look like one so that I am not raising any eyebrows when I pull it out in front of old dudes. As to your comments on the throttling, do you recommend just skipping a 680m and getting something like a 675m instead because the performance is unsustainable? Do you have similar recommendations with regards to the processor (ie the "best" models aren't worth it because you can't actually use them due to throttling issues)? I'm just trying to get a sense of what I'd actually get if I went all out with the high end stuff. No, the stronger hardware is still better, especially because you can just underclock it if really necessary... All this throttling business is strongly dependent on the cooling system of the laptop, so there's really not that much value in overthinking generalities. Also, a lot of people just get throttling in normal usage in months or years past when they bought the laptop (happens more so than on desktops, but happens there too), because they never clean the dust out. Also, GTX 675M would be a huge step in the wrong direction as despite Nvidia's product number, it's a last-generation part with much worse performance / power. If you're spending $2000-2500, are you sure you don't want two devices so you don't need to carry around a 10+ pound brick? What are your needs with respect to mobility, travel, etc.? I mean, $2000 is enough for a decent laptop to carry around plus a gaming desktop (could be small if need be, like 8"x9"x11") that beats a $2500 laptop.
I have thought about getting two devices, but I really don't want to monkey around with having two separate platforms and syncing files between the two. I want a lazy man's solution. What I do now is hook up my laptop to a monitor and use a wireless mouse/keyboard setup, so it is basically like working on a desktop. I don't mind hauling around a 7-8 pound laptop when I have to, which isn't terribly often because I use an iPad more often than not when I have to go places.
EDIT: Thank you for the feedback!
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United Kingdom20275 Posts
On March 23 2013 03:02 MisterFred wrote:Show nested quote +On March 23 2013 02:48 Cyro wrote: Mobo: Asrock z77 Extreme4 I'm really not comfortable reccomending the z77 extreme4 because of the issues (mainly quality and vcore reporting/overvolting) are you unaware of them or just reccomending anyway (knowing of them)? Curious as to if it's a mistaken reccomendation or still the best option. Im not sure, but the asrock z77 boards are a big red flag to me, especially the extreme4 after spending some time reading up. Unaware. A link to a discussion of the problems would be highly appreciated. Edit: I did know it didn't have the highest quality VRMs, but meh, it's ivy bridge.
http://www.overclock.net/t/1360404/asrock-z77-extreme-4-vcore-reading
There's lots of discussion there and in many other threads/places, an asrock z77 board may be tolerable through the vcore supplying/reporting issue but i heard they (and specifically the extreme4) are just bad quality boards, too.
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On March 23 2013 03:29 xDaunt wrote:Show nested quote +On March 23 2013 03:16 Myrmidon wrote:On March 23 2013 03:05 xDaunt wrote:+ Show Spoiler +On March 23 2013 02:54 Myrmidon wrote:
Throttling or at least performance decreases are big issues with laptop performance. These days, it's not just throttling per se, as you want the CPU to use Turbo Boost to run at clock speeds far higher than nominal, which should be possible with adequate cooling. Few laptops have cooling systems that can handle a heavy CPU and GPU load simultaneously—then again, most users won't actually encounter that situation in normal usage except maybe in certain games.
Looks like GTX 680M would still be tops out of stuff that can be found; new releases, if they happen, probably won't cover the range above that. I don't think the GTX 680MX exists outside of the iMac. What are your requirements for professional usage? What are you using it for? What programs would you be using?
A lot of the smaller brands are just using designs by Compal, Clevo, etc., meaning there's not much to distinguish them so you needn't look through them all. Sager is all Clevo IIRC. I'm not doing anything "professional" with the laptop in the sense of design work or anything like that. I just want a gaming laptop that doesn't look like one so that I am not raising any eyebrows when I pull it out in front of old dudes. As to your comments on the throttling, do you recommend just skipping a 680m and getting something like a 675m instead because the performance is unsustainable? Do you have similar recommendations with regards to the processor (ie the "best" models aren't worth it because you can't actually use them due to throttling issues)? I'm just trying to get a sense of what I'd actually get if I went all out with the high end stuff. No, the stronger hardware is still better, especially because you can just underclock it if really necessary... All this throttling business is strongly dependent on the cooling system of the laptop, so there's really not that much value in overthinking generalities. Also, a lot of people just get throttling in normal usage in months or years past when they bought the laptop (happens more so than on desktops, but happens there too), because they never clean the dust out. Also, GTX 675M would be a huge step in the wrong direction as despite Nvidia's product number, it's a last-generation part with much worse performance / power. If you're spending $2000-2500, are you sure you don't want two devices so you don't need to carry around a 10+ pound brick? What are your needs with respect to mobility, travel, etc.? I mean, $2000 is enough for a decent laptop to carry around plus a gaming desktop (could be small if need be, like 8"x9"x11") that beats a $2500 laptop. I have thought about getting two devices, but I really don't want to monkey around with having two separate platforms and syncing files between the two. I want a lazy man's solution. What I do now is hook up my laptop to a monitor and use a wireless mouse/keyboard setup, so it is basically like working on a desktop. I don't mind hauling around a 7-8 pound laptop when I have to, which isn't terribly often because I use an iPad more often than not when I have to go places. EDIT: Thank you for the feedback!
The thing is, you'll get a lot more performance per dollar if you buy a gaming desktop vs a gaming laptop. Not only will it be quite a bit more powerful, it will be quite a bit cheaper too.
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United Kingdom20275 Posts
The thing is, you'll get a lot more performance per dollar if you buy a gaming desktop vs a gaming laptop. Not only will it be quite a bit more powerful, it will be quite a bit cheaper too.
Indeed for $700-800 or so (i guess you gotta buy screen, keyboard etc too on a desktop) you can build something that will wreck any laptop on the market, period, in games like starcraft 2 (cpu limited) especially if you overclock, its pretty hillarious how much better price: performance you can get.
I mean you can get an i5, clock to 4.5ghz, get an adequate gpu, 8gb RAM, maybe a 64gb ssd and there's just nothing to compete with that in the mobile market 'cause they cant meet desktop cpu's at stock, nevermind moderately overclocked which is remarkably easy to do.
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Syncing can be done automatically, but there's something to be said for the lazy route (though if something goes wrong with an expensive gaming laptop, it's a lot more of a hassle to service and a bigger deal if that's your only machine, and also it can't really be upgraded... lazier up front, but maybe not in the end)
If you need the performance for playing modern games or whatever else, there are just a lot of compromises to put up with. And even if a laptop doesn't have crazy LEDs and garish styling, people might still look at you funny if you bust out a 10 pound brick to check some word docs or whatever.
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Budget- 1000usd 1300usd
resolution- 1920x1080
Uses- Gaming. Games like Rift, Swtor, eq2, and some SC2.
Upgrade cycle- 5 years
Plan to build- no longer than a month from now.
So far I have put together what seems to be a decent gaming rig and would like some feed back. I do plan to overclock, although this will be my first build, so I plan not to push it much. Again any advice would be great. Thanks.
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
Item #: N82E16827135204
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$19.99
COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0, Black Interior and Four Fans-1x ...
Item #: N82E16811119160
$159.99
Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136533
$99.99
EVGA 02G-P4-3660-KR GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Item #: N82E16814130809
$284.99
CORSAIR CX600M 600W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
Item #: N82E16817139048
$79.99
Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Compound AS5-3.5G - OEM
Item #: N82E16835100007
$7.99
Kingston HyperX Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX16C10B1BK2/16X
Item #: N82E16820104361
$109.99
GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD3H LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813128544
$139.99
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
Item #: N82E16819116504
$219.99
Microsoft Windows 8 64-bit (Full Version) - OEM
Item #: N82E16832416550
$99.99
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel ...
$36.99
Subtotal: $1,259.89
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On March 23 2013 04:05 Cyro wrote:Show nested quote +On March 23 2013 03:02 MisterFred wrote:On March 23 2013 02:48 Cyro wrote: Mobo: Asrock z77 Extreme4 I'm really not comfortable reccomending the z77 extreme4 because of the issues (mainly quality and vcore reporting/overvolting) are you unaware of them or just reccomending anyway (knowing of them)? Curious as to if it's a mistaken reccomendation or still the best option. Im not sure, but the asrock z77 boards are a big red flag to me, especially the extreme4 after spending some time reading up. Unaware. A link to a discussion of the problems would be highly appreciated. Edit: I did know it didn't have the highest quality VRMs, but meh, it's ivy bridge. http://www.overclock.net/t/1360404/asrock-z77-extreme-4-vcore-readingThere's lots of discussion there and in many other threads/places, an asrock z77 board may be tolerable through the vcore supplying/reporting issue but i heard they (and specifically the extreme4) are just bad quality boards, too.
Much obliged, thank you.
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On March 23 2013 04:26 huadmer wrote:Budget- 1000usd 1300usd resolution- 1920x1080 Uses- Gaming. Games like Rift, Swtor, eq2, and some SC2. Upgrade cycle- 5 years Plan to build- no longer than a month from now. So far I have put together what seems to be a decent gaming rig and would like some feed back. I do plan to overclock, although this will be my first build, so I plan not to push it much. Again any advice would be great. Thanks. + Show Spoiler +
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
Item #: N82E16827135204
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$19.99
COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0, Black Interior and Four Fans-1x ...
Item #: N82E16811119160
$159.99
Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #: N82E16822136533
$99.99
EVGA 02G-P4-3660-KR GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Item #: N82E16814130809
$284.99
CORSAIR CX600M 600W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
Item #: N82E16817139048
$79.99
Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver Thermal Compound AS5-3.5G - OEM
Item #: N82E16835100007
$7.99
Kingston HyperX Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX16C10B1BK2/16X
Item #: N82E16820104361
$109.99
GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD3H LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813128544
$139.99
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
Item #: N82E16819116504
$219.99
Microsoft Windows 8 64-bit (Full Version) - OEM
Item #: N82E16832416550
$99.99
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO RR-212E-20PK-R2 Continuous Direct Contact 120mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with latest Intel ...
$36.99
Subtotal: $1,259.89
Video card: The 660ti is in an odd price point. It is generally considered to perform a worse than a 7950, which is about the same price ($295). On the other side, the GTX 660 is much cheaper ($220) and fairly close in performance. Since you're just playing at 1920x1080, you might consider saving some money and going with the 660. Or bumping up to the 7950. Also, the 7950s can be effectively overclocked, unlike most of Nvidia's graphics cards. If you're into that. A note on the special - be aware of what it is - three separate $50 coupons valid only for in-game purchases of stuff in the free to play games Hawken, World of Tanks, and Planetside 2. Maybe that would be a big bonus to you - for some people it would be worthless. Comes with the less expensive GTX 660 as well.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121660
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=67546&vpn=GV-R795WF3-3GD&manufacture=Gigabyte&promoid=1397
CPU cooler: you should be able to find that for $30. Though personally I'd recommend the Xigmatek Gaia ($20) for a moderate overclock, as its fan is supposed to be somewhat quieter.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=100006662&isNodeId=1&Description=xigmatek gaia&x=0&y=0
Bleh Windows 8. Personally I'd stick with 7, but I am told I'm unreasonably biased against Windows 8's user interface.
Arctic Silver 5 is outdated & unnecessary anyway. Your CPU heatsink should come with thermal paste. I think the new relatively cheap standby if it does not is MX4.
PSU: too expensive because of too many watts. Not very high quality anyway. Replace with XFX Core 450w (high quality $54) or Rosewill Capstone 450w (very high quality, $68).
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=63238&vpn=P1450SX2B9&manufacture=XFX&promoid=1257
CPU & Mobo: looks good.
Hard Drive: needlessly expensive, when its only benefit is a longer warranty. Save $30 or spend the same & get 2TB:
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=58746&vpn=ST31000524AS&manufacture=Seagate&promoid=1293
Case: needlessly expensive, in part because if I remember correctly its really big. Get a sound dampening case (~$100 to $150) if you want something nice, a $50 case if you want something that just does the job.
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=63255&vpn=BFC-OLW-100-KKN1-RP&manufacture=BitFenix&promoid=1395
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=75050&vpn=FD-CA-DEF-R4-WH&manufacture=Fractal Design
that last is white. Also comes in other colors or with window.
RAM: RAM is like hard drive space: not enough is a serious problem; too much is utterly useless. For an ordinary gamer 2x4gb is the current "more than enough but not going crazy" standard. So save $50:
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=57953&vpn=F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL&manufacture=G.Skill&promoid=1293
SSD: you don't have one. It's not much of a consideration for (most) games, but is often somewhat useful in MMOs that load textures on the fly. It also has a high impact on casual computing, often more than processor speed, since casual computing is often largely constrained by hard drive access speeds. Long story short, get one, put windows & the programs you want to load zoom-zoom fast on the SSD, put media files & overflow storage on the HDD.
Samsung 840 120gb @$90:
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=77210&vpn=MZ-7TD120BW&manufacture=Samsung Memory & Storage&promoid=1293
Adopt the changes I suggested (picking the cheaper 660 GPU & the more expensive fractal design R4 case) & the total comes to roughly $1100, which leaves you some room for choosing luxuries (extra money in the pocket, nice speakers or headphones, double size SSD, the 7950 instead of 660, etc.)
P.S. Don't forget to thank your e-sports sponsors & tell them what you bought.
Samsung (WCG)
Gigabyte (various mid-tier tourneys)
Asus (various)
Intel (various)
Newegg (team Complexity Gaming)
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I would rather just go with a single 256GB SSD. It costs slightly more than a 128GB SSD and a 1TB HDD, however I don't see the need for a 1TB HDD with ~80GB written on it. A single 256GB SSD is more than enough space for a dozen games, an OS and still have a spare 25% space left for optimal performance.
The only time that I see SSD+HDD being good is if you have like 50 or more games installed, in which you would want a 64GB SSD and however large of HDD you need.
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On March 23 2013 03:09 Lncognit0 wrote:Building a new computer so here it goes... What is your budget? 1500 or so What is your resolution? two 1920x1080 (dual monitors) What are you using it for? Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, and streaming of both + Show Spoiler +What is your upgrade cycle? every 2-3 years When do you plan on building it? would like to start this month Do you plan on overclocking? not sure Do you need an Operating System? no Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire? not sure Where are you buying your parts from? either online or local, no real preference. whatever ends up being cheapest! Original post: I'm getting a new computer for the main purpose of playing starcraft 2 and streaming. The setup I will be using uses two Asus 24inch monitors. My budget is quite flexible, but obviously the cheaper the better. Goals: Play Starcraft 2 on highest settings Stream Starcraft 2 with decent quality Use 2 monitors I'm going to need everything, including a case. If someone knows an deal for an already built computer I wouldn't mind looking at that either. Side question: is >THIS< laptop able to run Starcraft 2 well on medium settings while streaming at decent quality? Thanks
You should overclock with your budget & purposes (though it's not strictly necessary & does cost $100 or so). It's nice for streaming StarCraft. So this build reflects that.
Core components: $581
i5-3570k - $220
gigabyte gaZ77x-ud3h - $140
Thermalright HR-02 Macho - $55
G.Skill Ripjaws 2x4gb RAM - $56
HiS Radeon 7770 - $110 (this is why I asked about other games you play - this card is ok for running shooters & other graphically intensive games, though you could afford better. Will max out SC2 & Diablo 3 though, so no reason to spend more.)
+ Show Spoiler +
Supporting components: $331
Fractal Design R4 - $100 (warning: white. also comes in other colors)
XFX Core 450w - $53
Samsung 840 120gb - $90
Seagate 1TB - $70
DVD-burner - $18 (warning, black, which could clash)
+ Show Spoiler +
Total: $912.
You'll notice this comes considerably under budget. I didn't skimp on quality anywhere. How to spend more if you want to: Get high quality speakers/headphones. Get a big 27" 2560x1440 monitor. Double the size of your storage with a 250gb Samsung 840 & a 2TB Seagate Barracuda (also at us.ncix.com, will cost about $115 for both upgrades). Get a better video card like a Gigabyte 7950 from us.ncix.com (fairly useless for Blizzard games). Spruce up your desk chair mouse (Mionix Naos 3200, hup, hup) or other peripherals.
Also, if you were SUPER into streaming, you could consider a fancy capture card like an Avermedia c985 or even what the pros do: the same card + a separate encoding/streaming computer.
Last, don't forget to thank your e-sports sponsors!
Intel (various)
Gigabyte (mid-level tournaments)
Samsung (WCG)
Asus (various)
Newegg itself (team Complexity Gaming)
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On March 23 2013 05:20 iTzSnypah wrote:
I would rather just go with a single 256GB SSD. It costs slightly more than a 128GB SSD and a 1TB HDD, however I don't see the need for a 1TB HDD with ~80GB written on it. A single 256GB SSD is more than enough space for a dozen games, an OS and still have a spare 25% space left for optimal performance.
The only time that I see SSD+HDD being good is if you have like 50 or more games installed, in which you would want a 64GB SSD and however large of HDD you need.
Fair point. I tend to load up my HDD with media files, so I assume some space lost there.
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On March 23 2013 04:12 Cyro wrote:Show nested quote + The thing is, you'll get a lot more performance per dollar if you buy a gaming desktop vs a gaming laptop. Not only will it be quite a bit more powerful, it will be quite a bit cheaper too. Indeed for $700-800 or so (i guess you gotta buy screen, keyboard etc too on a desktop) you can build something that will wreck any laptop on the market, period, in games like starcraft 2 (cpu limited) especially if you overclock, its pretty hillarious how much better price: performance you can get. I mean you can get an i5, clock to 4.5ghz, get an adequate gpu, 8gb RAM, maybe a 64gb ssd and there's just nothing to compete with that in the mobile market 'cause they cant meet desktop cpu's at stock, nevermind moderately overclocked which is remarkably easy to do.
I just have a particular aversion to them as a friend of mine was running a gaming laptop with a pair of top end nVidia cards in SLI (which card, I can't remember, this was about 3 years ago) and it was nothing more than an expensive, over-hot desktop with a relatively small screen and awkward keyboard.
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On March 23 2013 05:27 Gumbi wrote:Show nested quote +On March 23 2013 04:12 Cyro wrote: The thing is, you'll get a lot more performance per dollar if you buy a gaming desktop vs a gaming laptop. Not only will it be quite a bit more powerful, it will be quite a bit cheaper too. Indeed for $700-800 or so (i guess you gotta buy screen, keyboard etc too on a desktop) you can build something that will wreck any laptop on the market, period, in games like starcraft 2 (cpu limited) especially if you overclock, its pretty hillarious how much better price: performance you can get. I mean you can get an i5, clock to 4.5ghz, get an adequate gpu, 8gb RAM, maybe a 64gb ssd and there's just nothing to compete with that in the mobile market 'cause they cant meet desktop cpu's at stock, nevermind moderately overclocked which is remarkably easy to do. I just have a particular aversion to them as a friend of mine was running a gaming laptop with a pair of top end nVidia cards in SLI (which card, I can't remember, this was about 3 years ago) and it was nothing more than an expensive, over-hot desktop with a relatively small screen and awkward keyboard.
I definitely wouldn't get one of those massive SLI laptop setups. Those are just insane.
There are other issues with regards to having two systems that I don't want to deal with. For example, I don't want to have to worry about purchasing productivity software and OS's for multiple systems. Everything considered, the the premium that I would be paying for a high performance laptop isn't that high when compared to a 2 platform solution (maybe around ~$500).
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On March 23 2013 05:41 xDaunt wrote:Show nested quote +On March 23 2013 05:27 Gumbi wrote:On March 23 2013 04:12 Cyro wrote: The thing is, you'll get a lot more performance per dollar if you buy a gaming desktop vs a gaming laptop. Not only will it be quite a bit more powerful, it will be quite a bit cheaper too. Indeed for $700-800 or so (i guess you gotta buy screen, keyboard etc too on a desktop) you can build something that will wreck any laptop on the market, period, in games like starcraft 2 (cpu limited) especially if you overclock, its pretty hillarious how much better price: performance you can get. I mean you can get an i5, clock to 4.5ghz, get an adequate gpu, 8gb RAM, maybe a 64gb ssd and there's just nothing to compete with that in the mobile market 'cause they cant meet desktop cpu's at stock, nevermind moderately overclocked which is remarkably easy to do. I just have a particular aversion to them as a friend of mine was running a gaming laptop with a pair of top end nVidia cards in SLI (which card, I can't remember, this was about 3 years ago) and it was nothing more than an expensive, over-hot desktop with a relatively small screen and awkward keyboard. I definitely wouldn't get one of those massive SLI laptop setups. Those are just insane. There are other issues with regards to having two systems that I don't want to deal with. For example, I don't want to have to worry about purchasing productivity software and OS's for multiple systems. Everything considered, the the premium that I would be paying for a high performance laptop isn't that high when compared to a 2 platform solution (maybe around ~$500).
Well, if you are buying legitimate licenses, they generally transfer over fine, don't they?
And the thing is, the price of a high performance laptop is still high when compared to a 2 platform solution. I'm running the most basic laptop there is for all my college work and general Internet usage, which I purchased for 300 euro (2nd gen i3 @ 2.1ghz, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD).
My desktop system is as high end as it can be without spending crazy money (7950 @ 1100mhz, 3570k @ 4.6ghz, SSD, 2 HDDs) and all this (my laptop AND my desktop system) for less than your entire budget.
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belial, i'm overclocking.
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On March 23 2013 04:05 Cyro wrote:Show nested quote +On March 23 2013 03:02 MisterFred wrote:On March 23 2013 02:48 Cyro wrote: Mobo: Asrock z77 Extreme4 I'm really not comfortable reccomending the z77 extreme4 because of the issues (mainly quality and vcore reporting/overvolting) are you unaware of them or just reccomending anyway (knowing of them)? Curious as to if it's a mistaken reccomendation or still the best option. Im not sure, but the asrock z77 boards are a big red flag to me, especially the extreme4 after spending some time reading up. Unaware. A link to a discussion of the problems would be highly appreciated. Edit: I did know it didn't have the highest quality VRMs, but meh, it's ivy bridge. http://www.overclock.net/t/1360404/asrock-z77-extreme-4-vcore-readingThere's lots of discussion there and in many other threads/places, an asrock z77 board may be tolerable through the vcore supplying/reporting issue but i heard they (and specifically the extreme4) are just bad quality boards, too.
According to that the ASRock OC Formula doesn't have this issue.
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On March 23 2013 05:21 MisterFred wrote:Show nested quote +On March 23 2013 03:09 Lncognit0 wrote:Building a new computer so here it goes... What is your budget? 1500 or so What is your resolution? two 1920x1080 (dual monitors) What are you using it for? Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, and streaming of both + Show Spoiler +What is your upgrade cycle? every 2-3 years When do you plan on building it? would like to start this month Do you plan on overclocking? not sure Do you need an Operating System? no Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire? not sure Where are you buying your parts from? either online or local, no real preference. whatever ends up being cheapest! Original post: I'm getting a new computer for the main purpose of playing starcraft 2 and streaming. The setup I will be using uses two Asus 24inch monitors. My budget is quite flexible, but obviously the cheaper the better. Goals: Play Starcraft 2 on highest settings Stream Starcraft 2 with decent quality Use 2 monitors I'm going to need everything, including a case. If someone knows an deal for an already built computer I wouldn't mind looking at that either. Side question: is >THIS< laptop able to run Starcraft 2 well on medium settings while streaming at decent quality? Thanks You should overclock with your budget & purposes (though it's not strictly necessary & does cost $100 or so). It's nice for streaming StarCraft. So this build reflects that. Core components: $581 i5-3570k - $220 gigabyte gaZ77x-ud3h - $140 Thermalright HR-02 Macho - $55 G.Skill Ripjaws 2x4gb RAM - $56 HiS Radeon 7770 - $110 (this is why I asked about other games you play - this card is ok for running shooters & other graphically intensive games, though you could afford better. Will max out SC2 & Diablo 3 though, so no reason to spend more.) + Show Spoiler +Supporting components: $331 Fractal Design R4 - $100 (warning: white. also comes in other colors) XFX Core 450w - $53 Samsung 840 120gb - $90 Seagate 1TB - $70 DVD-burner - $18 (warning, black, which could clash) + Show Spoiler +Total: $912. You'll notice this comes considerably under budget. I didn't skimp on quality anywhere. How to spend more if you want to: Get high quality speakers/headphones. Get a big 27" 2560x1440 monitor. Double the size of your storage with a 250gb Samsung 840 & a 2TB Seagate Barracuda (also at us.ncix.com, will cost about $115 for both upgrades). Get a better video card like a Gigabyte 7950 from us.ncix.com (fairly useless for Blizzard games). Spruce up your desk chair mouse (Mionix Naos 3200, hup, hup) or other peripherals. Also, if you were SUPER into streaming, you could consider a fancy capture card like an Avermedia c985 or even what the pros do: the same card + a separate encoding/streaming computer. Last, don't forget to thank your e-sports sponsors! Intel (various) Gigabyte (mid-level tournaments) Samsung (WCG) Asus (various) Newegg itself (team Complexity Gaming)
So you would say a GTX660 and i7 3770k would be unnecessary to run two monitors and stream on one? On occasion I'd like to be able to say, watch a movie on one monitor, while playing Diablo 3/Starcraft 2 on another.
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Just watching things doesn't use very many resources.
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MisterFred! your posts are so on point! you should own this thread =D
Recommendations with reasoning and suggestions was exactly what I was looking for.
The only reason I made a fuss about behind reasoning was I wanted to walk away having learned something instead of following raw suggestions. you're great!
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EPT
