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That's a solid build that a176 listed. Probably can reduce that cost further if you can find a buyer for Civ5 (as it is a free part of the combo) - price it at $35 to get a quick sale locally via Craigslist.
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the civ 5 combo savings really gives you civ5 for free, and $20 off the components
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Myrmidon,
Thank you very much for your help. I'll end up getting the i5-2500k just for overclock capability, incase I ever want to try it. I'll have to think about GPU selection more as I get closer to my purchase/build date. I'm leaning towards the 6850 because according to your link, it performs much better and thus it should last me longer in terms of being able to play games in the future. The noise level difference is a huge turnoff for me though (and sadly, probably one of the more influential factors for me).
@Anyone
After looking at the mobo details more closely, it says that it has some kind of technology that allows the computer to boot up quicker. This is one of the main reasons why I wanted a SSD (I heard that you can put windows files on the SSD so that it will boot up faster?). I turn my computer off/on a lot so I was hoping that the SSD would greatly reduce that time (and ofc, the time taken to open things such as WoW and SC2). With the technology on the mobo, would the SSD make a huge difference in terms of windows booting up? If not, maybe I'll spend that money elsewhere on the computer since I'm usually okay with WoW/SC2 opening slow as I can just surf the net for the few seconds that it takes to open up  .
To be honest, price matching never even crossed my mind. I'm going to see if I can rig up an even better computer using NCIX/Newegg seeing as they usually have better prices than local computer stores (although, I have noticed some things are actually cheaper at Memory Express).
Also, sorry for my posts always being like a wall of text.
EDIT: After looking through Memory Express's pricematch system, they probably wont pricematch things such as that SSD from NCIX, because its a mail-in rebate. Now I'm thinking of maybe trying to buy all the parts from online retailers but then I would have to build the PC myself. Would you recommend taking a stab at it (never doing it before... I think the most I've ever done is stuck an extra RAM stick into my netbook and even then the guy at MemoryExpress sat there and watched me so I wouldn't screw up). Is it a steep learning curve to learn how to put a computer together?
EDIT2: Now that I'm trying to buy a windows 7 copy for the new computer (I'd have to order it online), its only Windows 7 Professional Upgrade. Does this mean that I would have to have another type of windows on the computer for it to 'upgrade' to windows 7? Or would I be able to just put it on?
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mil,
see this picture for real world boot times of drives, including SSDs and normal drives:
+ Show Spoiler +
As you can see, there is no significant boot time increase over a regular drive (5 seconds, or the time it took you to read this sentence). There is no specific motherboard technology that speeds up the drive boot time, only technologies in the drives themselves.
Though for game load times, SSDs often give you 10+ second advantage over regular drives. I guess its upto you to decide if 10 seconds is worth another $100. I sincerely do not believe they are worth it, as that money can be spent to greatly increase your computer in other departments such as graphics, processor, and/or ram.
There is also the issue that next generation SSDs are right around the corner and they will significantly faster than current drives. See here: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4100/ocz-vertex-pro-3-demo-worlds-first-sandforce-sf2000
imo, if you think you're okay with spending alot of money on an SSD now, you'd be fine with saving that money now and spending just a tad more when these new drives come out.
It really isn't too hard to build a computer either. Just alot of time and patience. All you really need to do is snap everything together and screw it into place. http://techreport.com/articles.x/13671
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Can't you just shorten the load time by messing with the BIOS ... like that countdown part?
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On January 23 2011 13:13 lac29 wrote:
Can't you just shorten the load time by messing with the BIOS ... like that countdown part?
Yeah, if a motherboard is advertising anything about speeding load to OS times, it has to do with POST checks, countdowns, the boot loader, etc.--everything before the OS starts loading from the hard drive.
New SSDs are coming out, yes...but to be honest, I don't think that makes much of a difference. SSDs are already two orders of magnitude better than mechanical drives at random access. Getting 20-50% faster or whatever isn't really a huge deal. In situations where an SSD really helps, you're just going from a huge difference to a slightly more huge difference. In situations where an SSD is not really any better than an HDD, there's not going to be a huge shift there either.
Booting OS is actually not where SSDs are that much better. I'm sure you can find other benchmarks and videos, but see these:
+ Show Spoiler +http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lR0XoHFU6Y (Obviously NCIX wants to sell SSDs though, so there's an agenda there.)
Also, another difference between these typical HDDs and SSDs is that the SSDs aren't listed on the table, because they don't make noise. Note that the table just shows airborne acoustics, not vibrational noise. If you're really interested in a quiet computer, I think the occasional vibrational and seeking noises of a HDD are more noticeable than (mostly) constant fan noise. Constant sounds tend to be ignored after a while.
edit: of course, if you really want a quiet computer, you should look into aftermarket CPU cooling, aftermarket GPU cooling, and/or a quiet (or even fanless) PSU.
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Thanks for the informative responses. The noise issue isn't a huge thing, just as long as its not as loud as the monster that I have right now. If new SSD's are coming out in the near future, maybe I'll hold off buying one until the new line comes out.
Also, those videos seemed set up and rigged for the SSD... I can almost guarantee that my computers specs aren't as good as the ones used in those videos and my windows/IE/Firefox opens much faster than that and I obviously don't have a SSD.
And just briefly looking through the link that you provided on how to put together a computer... I think I'm going to stay away from it and just buy my computer at memory express so that they will build it for me.
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Could someone please help a PC noob out? I plan on buying a decent gaming PC in the future (about 6months from now)
My budget is roughly around 2.5k USD.
How do I know what type of motherboard to get in order to make sure that it can support all my components? Also, how do I know how much power a PSU i need to buy in order for everything to function?
Oh and lastly, how do I know if i need to buy a sound card for my PC?
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Thanks Myrmidon and a176 for the feedback, I'm definitely having a hard time deciding what I should do now as those builds look nice.
I'm leaning towards grabbing the laptop while it's still at that price point though, since I was very mobile with my old one (for programming, LAN gaming, music for parties etc...). On top of that I don't feel like I have the time to undertake building my first PC.
I'll have to give more thought into this, though I don't have much time. Thanks a lot for the builds, if anything I will definitely look at building in the future when I have more funds/time.
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Can anyone recommend me some cases? I've got my friend to put together a build for me but he said it'd be good if i picked my case and ive got no idea whats good
Thanks for any help
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5930 Posts
On January 23 2011 20:58 Scaramanga wrote:
Can anyone recommend me some cases? I've got my friend to put together a build for me but he said it'd be good if i picked my case and ive got no idea whats good
Thanks for any help
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=25_1055&products_id=15122
What is your budget? My personal favourite is the Fractal Design R3. While the designers kind of went through a checklist for features instead of actually doing some proper designing, its a really flexible case and isn't gaudy like most low-mid level cases in the market.
You can find it at MSY for $139, which is quite a steal for what it provides. Its a bit on the flimsy side but the bitumen sound dampening material gives it some heft and rigidity.
Seriously though, picking cases is an area where you basically pick whatever looks cool and meets your criteria. I'd definitely look into cases that use at least 0.8mm thick steel though unless you have a really tight budget.
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On January 23 2011 21:06 Womwomwom wrote:Show nested quote +On January 23 2011 20:58 Scaramanga wrote:
Can anyone recommend me some cases? I've got my friend to put together a build for me but he said it'd be good if i picked my case and ive got no idea whats good
Thanks for any help http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=25_1055&products_id=15122What is your budget? My personal favourite is the Fractal Design R3. While the designers kind of went through a checklist for features instead of actually doing some proper designing, its a really flexible case and isn't gaudy like most low-mid level cases in the market. You can find it at MSY for $139, which is quite a steal for what it provides. Its a bit on the flimsy side but the bitumen sound dampening material gives it some heft and rigidity.
Up to 150
+ Show Spoiler +
These are what ive been suggested which I dont find to bad, they are overly flashy though
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5930 Posts
The Zalman and Superflower are fine if you like them. I've built inside a Superflower case, they're a lot better than the name suggests! They also make pretty decent power supplies and other goodies too. Both the Zalman and Superflower both use 0.8mm steel and are pretty sturdy.
Again, unless you have very specific needs for your build (good cooling for dual graphics cards, room to fit watercooling radiators, etc) any modern case is good as long as you can fit your parts inside it. Basically pick a case that uses thick steel (this is to reduce the chances of rattling panels) and is aesthetically pleasing to you - if you like the Zalman and Superflower and you've got pretty standard computer parts, you probably won't be disappointed in either.
I think the best sub-$150 cases, in general, are the Fractal Design R3, Lancool K60, and CoolerMaster CM 690 II. They're easy to work in, very versatile, fairly cheap, and pretty rock solid when it comes to build quality (Fractal less so but its still good).
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On January 23 2011 21:29 Womwomwom wrote:
The Zalman and Superflower are fine if you like them. I've built inside a Superflower case, they're a lot better than the name suggests! They also make pretty decent power supplies and other goodies too. Both the Zalman and Superflower both use 0.8mm steel and are pretty sturdy.
Again, unless you have very specific needs for your build (good cooling for dual graphics cards, room to fit watercooling radiators, etc) any modern case is good as long as you can fit your parts inside it. Basically pick a case that uses thick steel (this is to reduce the chances of rattling panels) and is aesthetically pleasing to you.
I think the best sub-$150 cases are the Fractal Design R3, Lancool K60, and CoolerMaster CM 690 II. They're easy to work in, very versatile, fairly cheap, and pretty rock solid when it comes to build quality (Fractal less so but its still good).
Thanks heaps for the advice very helpful
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I have a noob question, I have an amd system that I built and I am considering upgrading to the new sandy bridge cpu & mobo's. My question is do I just swap the motherboard and cpu (my ram says it works for i7 as well) and boot up my computer? Or do I have to start with a fresh clean HD or something?
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On January 24 2011 01:12 Hokay wrote:
I have a noob question, I have an amd system that I built and I am considering upgrading to the new sandy bridge cpu & mobo's. My question is do I just swap the motherboard and cpu (my ram says it works for i7 as well) and boot up my computer? Or do I have to start with a fresh clean HD or something?
Yes, all you do is switch out the motherboard and cpu. You can keep everything else as is but it is recommended you reinstall the operating system.
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On January 23 2011 18:03 Qweasdzxc wrote:
Could someone please help a PC noob out? I plan on buying a decent gaming PC in the future (about 6months from now)
My budget is roughly around 2.5k USD.
How do I know what type of motherboard to get in order to make sure that it can support all my components? Also, how do I know how much power a PSU i need to buy in order for everything to function?
Oh and lastly, how do I know if i need to buy a sound card for my PC?
1) You should wait about 5 months and ask your question again, since nobody knows what will be available in 6 months.
2) With a budget of 2.5K it is hard to go wrong - just buy whatever makes you happy. You can even consider getting a nice prebuilt (Alienware, etc.) and not worry about details.
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Yay IRS approved my federal return... now I play the waiting game.
Anyways combine my pay check + tax refund and I will be spending about $1500 a desktop setup to replace my old ass 4 year old dual core laptop with intel graphics.
New egg build:
Case: CoolerMaster HAF 932
Mobo: Asus pro (SLI/Crossfire compatibility)
CPU: i5 2500k (combo $15 off with the 650w Corsair TX Enthusiast series)
CPU cooler: Noctua NH-D14
GPU: AMD Radeon 6870
PSU: 650W Corsair (combo $15 off with the i5 2500k)
RAM: GSKILL DDR3 1600 4GB (CAS 9: 9-9-9-24 timing) 1.5v
SSD: 120 GB Intel Sata II (120 GB of space all I need at the moment)
OS: Windows 7 home prem 64 bit
Monitor: Asus 24" 1080p
DVD: Lite-on regular DVD drive
Keyboard: Rosewill Mechanical Keyboard (RK-9000 it's about $100)
I already have a cool wireless logitech mouse that I've been using since forever.
CAN'T WAIT! I get to actually play Starcraft 2!
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EPT![[image loading]](http://techreport.com/r.x/samsung-470/time-boot.gif)
![[image loading]](http://ktrupp3.kt.funpic.de/sc2/powersupply.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://ktrupp3.kt.funpic.de/sc2/case.JPG)
