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On February 18 2011 00:26 ensign_lee wrote:Show nested quote +On February 18 2011 00:08 ensign_lee wrote:On February 16 2011 17:39 Agu666 wrote:
I've really prolonged updating my CPU so it is time. I am looking for a budget cpu, preferably around $70. I am somewhat a sunday gamer and main games would be: SC2, DoW2:Retribution, some new MMO's.
Currently running:
Single core AMD Athlon 3800+
4 gb of ram
GF 8800GT 512mb
1024x768 or 1280x1024
Which AMD cpu would be most reasonable, considering cost and performance and my current set up. ...erm...$70? uh...i don't know if you can do that much with only $70. even a Phenom II X2 555 is like $90. Upgrading your processor is definitely your best bet though. Starcraft 2 is very CPU demanding and works like 4x better on a dual core system than a single core system. Actually, now that I think about it some more, you could probably troll craigslist to see if someone is selling parts from their old systems. I just upgraded my comp and so I have parts from my old comp lying around. It was an AMD 2400+ 2.4Ghz dual core, and it would be an improvement over your one single-core I think. Assuming your budget really was $70 and not $700, you could probably find someone like me somewhere in your city willing to sell you their old mobo + CPU + DDR2 RAM. I know for my part at least, they're just sitting in the corner of my room, since I'd have to buy a new case, hard drive, and optical drive to actually make it a functional computer again. I guess PM me if you want to just buy that stuff from me. :D Assuming your budget was closer to $700 and you wanted to spend the least money possible then you can either go with the Phenom II X2 555(there's not much benefit to to a quad core vs. a dual core for just Starcraft) - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103846&cm_re=amd_phenom_II_x2-_-19-103-846-_-Product, choose a simple mobo http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16813131647 and go. That would only cost you about ~$200ish? You might have to spend anohter $40 or so on DDR3 RAM if you don't already have it, but yeah - that makes it ~$250ish? If you wanted something closer to your actual budget (read more expensive than the super budget build above), then hell, you can probably re-use your hard drive and case and all of that and do what I did: i5-2500k for $230 (or $200 at microcenter) http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354589Gigabyte P67A-UD3 mobo (sorry no link. all P67's have been pulled because of the stupid SATA recall and won't be avaible until...april?) and just look for some good deasl on DDR3 RAM (I got 8GB for like $50. Probably overkill, but at $25 / 4GB I wasn't being picky). That prices out to about $400, which is well underneath your budget of $700.
I was more thinking about AMD Athlon II X2 2xx, for example 250 or 255. They are around $70 which IS my budget. But I'm not sure which one exactly to get. 250, 255, 260 or 240 considering performance per dollar.
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@Agu666
If you plan on doing overclock (even mildly), the best buy would be the Athlon II X2 250 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103903). If you aren't comfortable with overclocking than I guess the Athlon II X2 265 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103910).
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How much would I lose by putting a 460 1 Gig that is PCI 2.0 on a 1.0 slot? I have been reading that it will work but I will lose performance. Is it even worth buying?
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On February 18 2011 03:35 holynorth wrote:
How much would I lose by putting a 460 1 Gig that is PCI 2.0 on a 1.0 slot? I have been reading that it will work but I will lose performance. Is it even worth buying?
You won't be losing any performance with a single GTX 460. You will be losing out on performance if you plan on doing SLI though.
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OK so is it just me or does newegg have sandybridge processors back in stock? If so, I think I'm ready to buy all my parts. Here was my original post:
+ Show Spoiler +Hey guys I'm looking to build a computer. Unfortunately I know very little about computers so I'm posting here to hopefully get some advice. I've been working a lot so I have about 1500 bucks to spend, so I'm looking to get a pretty decent setup.
What is your budget?
$1500. If you think I'm already spending this much may as well get a part that's a little bit better, I'm willing to go up a little.
What is your resolution?
I currently do not have a monitor, so will be using my budget towards that as well. I appreciate all monitor recommendations.
What are you using it for?
Starcraft 2 gaming, watching movies/youtube videos. Ideally I want the youtube videos/movies to load really fast, and I want starcraft 2 to run with no lag. I also want to be able to do multiple things at once without my computer lagging. Also eventual streaming probably.
What is your upgrade cycle?
Longer upgrade cycle, probably.
When do you plan on building it?
I plan on building it within the next month.
Do you plan on overclocking?
I do plan on overclocking.
Do you need an Operating System?
Yes.
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
I don't know, should I?
Where are you buying your parts from?
The internet, probably newegg? Or the place with the best deals.
Thanks for the help!
Also if anyone has any chair recommendations or desk recommendations I would appreciate those as well.
And here is what was suggested
+ Show Spoiler +
Some questions I have.
Shouldn't I go higher then 520W?
Also do I really need an SSD? Could I use that money towards a better video card?
Thanks for the help.
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no need for a psu highter than 520W, if you want to add a secong gpu sometime you need 650+ watt, best 700-800 if it would be like two gtx 570. 2 gtx 460 wouldn't be worth it though when you come to the point in the future.
ssd is definitely something you wanna have in modern pc. more than hd 6950/gtx 560 is not necessary, these gpus can run the game on ultra even with AA and stuff on 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 resolution
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Well I have 200 more bucks to spend and I don't know what to throw it at.
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lol use it on a good monitor maybe. you wrote that you have a standard one but beleive me that a good monitor with 120Hz will improve your visual eyecandy by alot.
i advise the BenQ XL2410T, there are many TN -Panel haters out there but for gaming 120Hz and TN and little to no input lag is worthwile. don't forget to use ICC profiles to adjust the settings, it's insane how you can tweak your screen
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One last quick question, does it matter what computer case I get based on the parts i'm getting?
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On February 18 2011 13:57 Axeltoss wrote:
One last quick question, does it matter what computer case I get based on the parts i'm getting?
Usually not. Just don't get a microATX case with a ATX motherboard, as the motherboard wouldn't fit. Some cases have (much) better cooling performance than others, though that's often at the expense of more noise. With a GTX 560 or higher, you definitely want a case with at least a couple decent fans, but you don't need to go overboard on a fairly ordinary single-GPU setup. Some cases are very flimsy, don't seem to fit perfectly together, and/or are a pain to work in.
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On February 18 2011 13:16 r3d33m3r wrote:
no need for a psu highter than 520W, if you want to add a secong gpu sometime you need 650+ watt, best 700-800 if it would be like two gtx 570. 2 gtx 460 wouldn't be worth it though when you come to the point in the future.
ssd is definitely something you wanna have in modern pc. more than hd 6950/gtx 560 is not necessary, these gpus can run the game on ultra even with AA and stuff on 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 resolution
Could you expand a little on that statement? Would I be better off spending 50 extra bucks on a 560 instead if I was planning on adding another card later?
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I can't find this motherboard: Asrock P67 Extreme4 for sale anywhere
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5930 Posts
I don't think Newegg is selling 1155 motherboards still because of the Intel Cougar problem...? Probably why you can't find them.
Any modern computer case, realistically, is fine just pick what looks nice. I haven't seen one that is actually incapable on providing adequate airflow, even the little Antec Solo can run pretty beefy single GPU systems. Though at that price point, I personally think you can do better than that its basically enough to afford some of the lower end Lian Li chassis.
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@skyR
So you think I should just try to stick to one GPU? Like get one 560 instead of planning on doing 2 460s?
I was just thinking about getting the 850W so that I could expand to SLI later if I wanted to. But if I'm only doing 1 560, I could do something like 650W. What I meant by worrying about power draw is I just really don't want to get into a situation where my computer crashes every time my GPU starts working at load.
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Stick to skyR's advice - one GPU, that's it. SLI is more heat, more noise, and potentially driver nonsense anytime the driver is updated (b/c the SLI profile may be broken). Same thing applies to XFire.
If you aren't going multi-monitor, I really think multi-GPU isn't worth the hassle.
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On February 19 2011 06:58 mav451 wrote:
Stick to skyR's advice - one GPU, that's it. SLI is more heat, more noise, and potentially driver nonsense anytime the driver is updated (b/c the SLI profile may be broken). Same thing applies to XFire.
If you aren't going multi-monitor, I really think multi-GPU isn't worth the hassle.
Also agreed. Just to eliminate any possible confusion, by "multi-monitor," mav means gaming where the game screen is split across multiple monitors (or at least, that's my interpretation based on reality. I don't claim to be a psychic usually  ). Think huge resolutions like 3 x 1920x1080 or whatnot. Even in that scenario, a single top-end card may be sufficient, especially if you're willing to ease a little off the max graphics settings. If you have multiple monitors but your game is on one monitor with ordinary desktop programs on the rest, a single GPU is enough for that.
For the record, you still don't need 850W for SLI GTX 560. That's about what you want for (dual) SLI GTX 580. SLI GTX 560 would run great on a good 650W easily.
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EPT
