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Memory and gpu overpriced, getting a 660 for 195$ or 760 for 255$ for rome 2 would be better. OC'ing should help you for both of those games, but if you do so, you'll also need a heatsink (the 260$ combo of i5-4570k and msi Z87-G41 at mc would be good). If you do not OC, just getting a i5-4570 and the cheapest b85 would be fine.
Total: $750.92 ($795.98 with tax). Btw, the two I linked to micro-center were out of stock or discontinued on newegg, also, it seems to me that the micro-center prices seem a fair bit lower, but it might just be me.
Is this a good build? The fellow said that it would be-able to run starcraft at high settings along with handling most modern games.
Although it does include a windows 7 as part of it which I don't need, not sure how that affects the rest of the parts
Yes, that build can run Starcraft II at max settings and can handle most games reasonably well. The list is okay except:
Z series boards and K suffix processors are for overclocking but you said you're not going to overclock. But the 4670k bundle at Microcenter is just too good to pass up on overclocking. So you should consider looking into overclocking at some point in time if you end up purchasing that. Both Starcraft II and Total War are CPU heavy so it is recommended.
You don't need a 600w power supply for this configuration and the Rosewill Capstone 450 for $5 less is significantly better than the Corsair CX600: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182066 Keep in mind if you plan on buying all your parts from Microcenter than they won't have the Capstone.
GTX 650 Ti Boost for $160 is expensive when both the Radeon HD7870 and GTX 660 are better for only ~$20 more. And there's a GTX 650 Ti Boost right now for $125 (w/ promo code COMPNTSAL45, ends 7/29): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127731
For $10 more, you might want to consider a Fractal Design Define R4 which is a sound dampening case and slightly nicer than the Corsair 300R: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352022 There's also black and white versions and windowed versions available for slightly more.
People probably didn't answer because you said you're building in 2-4 weeks. Specials refresh each week for most retailers, so it's kind of wasted effort to ask earlier. As for microcenter... yes, they offer exceptionally good deals on motherboards & CPUs (and specifically mobo+cpu combos), though sometimes that's a lure to get you to buy their not-otherwise-well-priced stuff.
The guy gave you a good overclocking build nothing terribly weak about it, though you might prefer spending less on overclocking & more on GPU for Rome II.
I tried to process all the information from those posts (thanks by the way ) and I ended up with this
hard drive: TOSHOEM TOS 3.5" 1TB 7200 HDD for $59.99 motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 GAMING 1150 ATX for 99.99 processor: INTEL BOX INTEL CORE I5-4670K for 199.99 case: Fractal Design Define R4 for 79.99 graphics card: GTX 650 Ti Boost for $125 memory: G.Skill Ripjaws 2x4gb 2400MHz for $63 power supply: Rosewill Capstone 450 for $59.99 dvd drive: IPSG LG 24X DVDRW SATA OEM for $15.99
look into overclocking (apparently I need a heatsink? Not sure how that fits in) for a total of 702.95
Or should I just follow iTzSnypah's build to the letter? Not really sure what's the difference. Edit: Looked a little more carefully and realized that there's a solid state drive in iTzSnypah's build. Not sure if it's a huge difference or not, no one I know has a ssd so....
iTzSnypah's build is not overclockable and sacrifices case and power supply quality to fit in a 250gb SSD. So it depends on how you view things. If you don't care for case or power supply then you can take some money out of those components and put it towards an SSD but if you do care then you can just add an SSD later.
For an overclockable build, you'd need an aftermarket heatsink. A Noctua NH-U14S for $60 is recommended: http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=82802&promoid=1413 But you can just use the Intel stock heatsink for now and add this later if you don't have sufficient funds right now or don't plan on overclocking until a later date.
I think I'll just add the ssd later, along with the heatsink (What is a heatsink anyways though :O ), and I'm not sure if you mean that I can overclock a little with the one that comes with the intel, or just use that for regular non-overclocking stuff
Just one last question, is there like a place I could go to like a forum or something to learn how to build a computer, I literally have no idea how, and since this is my first computer I"m going to build, I'm pretty nervous about messing up
Quick tips: cases usually come with standoffs you screw into the case itself before situating the motherboard. These serve to separate the mobo from the metal case, and are easily forgotten.
You should end up plugging two power cords into the motherboard. A large 20 (or 20+4) pin main power connection and a smaller 4 (or 4+4) CPU power connection. Many people forget the CPU power connection.
Yes, you really do need to shove those RAM sticks in.
Perhaps the thing to be most careful with is placing the CPU in the CPU socket. Bent pins = bad.
But in general, just watch the Hardware Canucks video. And don't worry too much about static shock unless you live in a super-dry area where you always shock yourself getting into your car. Though don't build wearing socks on carpet and moonwalking.
A55 doesn't have either USB3.0 or SATA 3...It's been forever since I looked at AMD's offerings. So I might me wrong. Also you can OC on all AMD boards right? Or do you need A85X? Gah I'm too tired to look it up.
On July 22 2013 12:19 iTzSnypah wrote: A55 doesn't have either USB3.0 or SATA 3...It's been forever since I looked at AMD's offerings. So I might me wrong. Also you can OC on all AMD boards right? Or do you need A85X? Gah I'm too tired to look it up.
Eh, for him I'm just trying to keep costs as low as I can while meeting his needs. I'll check other case offerings.
The DVD is a MIR with the CPU for 11 off. So that's why I went for it.
I've also been looking at FM2 motherboards. From what I can see, the only difference between the A55/A75/A85 chipsets are the number of SATA3 and USB3 ports. All of these boards can overclock but I think literally all of them are running 3+1/3+2/4+2 phase VRMs so I wouldn't put a lot of voltage into them.
Regarding your build: the Antec VSK series are no better than bargain bin cases. They might be Antec but they're not better than your piece of shit $20 case. I got one from MSY and you can tell how shit it is because it has the same sharp shiny steel that is common on rubbish cases and there's actual tooling issues regarding motherboard standoffs. Pay a few bucks more for a better case like the NZXT Source 210, find one on eBay/Craigslist or choose a cheaper chassis.
OC the graphics, to like 1000mhz or something (vs 840 stock), and pump up the voltage on the Ram to 2v (AMD's controller can handle high voltage, they use to make high voltage ram before everybody adopted Intel's 1.65v limit) or something to get 2133mhz hopefully.
That should make way better frame rates. I don't know about OCing the CPU though, as you will only get a handful of Mhz.