EPTComputer Build Resource Thread - Page 186
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When using this resource, please read FragKrag's opening post. The Tech Support forum regulars have helped create countless of desktop systems without any compensation. The least you can do is provide all of the information required for them to help you properly. | ||
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Myrmidon
United States9452 Posts
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Nuri
New Zealand280 Posts
On March 21 2011 12:12 Myrmidon wrote: Oh whoops, I forgot to mention. The GTS 450 isn't quite enough to run SC2 comfortably on ultra at 1920x1080. A i7-870 was overpriced for gaming, and that was before the newer generation i3/i5/i7 - 2xxx were released. Could you recommend me a desktop with specs etc thats decent and will run sc2 on ultra and other types of games with relative ease? something that can last me 3 years at least hopefully. My run with buying desktops hasnt been good I've bought a few that only last me 1 year or 6 months.. yes I know fail xD | ||
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pats123
2 Posts
xfx Radon HD 6970 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150517 EVGA gtx 570 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130593 looking to find out if there is a better one for sc2 or if it is purely based on brand loyalty. | ||
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dandan23
Malaysia101 Posts
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
For specs, you're looking for something like this: Core i5 2300 / 2400 / 2500 H67 / P67 motherboard GTX 560 or Radeon 6950 1GB 2x2GB 1333MHz RAM @pats123 It's better to get a 6950 2GB and flash it to a 6970. Both the GTX 570 and 6970 have similar performance so it really comes down to which brand you prefer more. | ||
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Melancholia
United States717 Posts
On March 21 2011 11:54 Myrmidon wrote: The other graphics cards are less powerful than the HD 4830. However, for 3D modeling, you should be looking at workstation cards probably. Drivers support for those kinds of applications is much much better for those. In terms of performance, the lower-end workstation cards do better than higher-end consumer cards (even though both consumer and pro lines are based off of the same chips). You can find some performance comparisons out there. This FirePro V3800 ($100) is the same chip as a HD 5570/5670, but closer to HD 5570 clocks: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814195095 Your hard drive choice was fine. Go with the Earthwatts Green 380D ($40 - $4 instant promo), since the build isn't going to be using half that much power. I'll bump the power supply down then, but I'm not going to add $40 dollars to the graphics card. By and large what he does is resource-light, so even going to $60 is probably overkill. I'll keep that in mind if I need to build something for heavier use in the future, though. | ||
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KonohaFlash
Canada1590 Posts
$800-1000$ CAD What is your resolution? 1680x1080 What are you using it for? Starcraft 2, video rendering and streaming. What is your upgrade cycle? 1-2 years. When do you plan on building it? This april. Do you plan on overclocking? Sure why not? Do you need an Operating System? No, I already have Windows 7 Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire? Depends if I'll need it for the reasons I'm buying the PC for as listed above. Where are you buying your parts from? NCIX I'm willing to go over my budget if it optimizes the computer for the tasks I plan on using it for. I appreciate your help guys! | ||
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
Intel Core i5 2500k + Noctua NH-U12P Bundle @ $250 http://ncix.com/products/?sku=59790&promoid=1280 Gigabyte P67 UD3 @ $125 http://ncix.com/products/?sku=59418&promoid=1280 MSI GTX 560 Twin Frozr @ $250 (pricematch with http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127565 ) http://ncix.com/products/?sku=58303 Mushkin 2x2GB 1333MHz cas9 @ $40 http://ncix.com/products/?sku=55546&&promoid=1280 Antec Truepower New 650W @ $70 http://ncix.com/products/?sku=36263&promoid=1280 Coolermaster 690 II Advanced @ $79 (pricematch with http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11130AC9811 ) http://ncix.com/products/?sku=49226 Western Digital Caviar Black 500GB @ $44 (pricematch with http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/232142/WD5002AALX/Western Digital/ ) http://ncix.com/products/?sku=57432 DVD Drive @ $19 http://ncix.com/products/?sku=40435promoid=1280 The total comes to $877 before shipping and taxes. You may switch out the Caviar Black HDD for an SSD + Caviar Green combo but that would increase the cost by another $100. You also have the option of getting the 2600k as well (has hyperthreading) for another $100. Both of which would increase your performance somewhat. If you play just SC2 and have no plans to get a new monitor with a higher resolution, you can downgrade the video card to something like a 6850 or a GTX 460, both of which can be found for around $170. | ||
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PietjeP89
Belgium83 Posts
Anywhere between 2000 and 3000 euro (4,300 USD max) What is your resolution? Gonna be working on 2 , 27 inch monitors. (2560x1440) What are you using it for? Gaming and streaming What is your upgrade cycle? 3-4 years When do you plan on building it? Somewhere in April Do you plan on overclocking? Yes Do you need an Operating System? Yes Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire? I would like to have 2 gtx580's. Where are you buying your parts from? Belgium. I feel I lack the knowledge of hardware to come up with something myself that will work when i order everything so i'm hoping someone out there might give me a hand | ||
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Myrmidon
United States9452 Posts
For a computer doing video rendering and with that budget, it's worth spending $40 more on a 2 x 4GB DDR3 RAM kit rather than a 2 x 2GB kit. Other than that, skyR's build looks exactly right to me. i7-2600k is probably not worth the extra money unless you are rendering a whole lot and really want the best performance (comparison). FYI the power supply is way way overkill, but it's heavily discounted and a good value at that price. Since it's partially modular, you shouldn't have too much clutter from unneeded cables. @PietjeP: Here are the kind of parts you want for that: Core i5-2500k, or Core i7-2600k if you want to spend more for very marginally better performance Aftermarket cooler of your choice (needs to fit socket 1155, which is the same as fitting socket 1156) Asus P8P67 PRO or Gigabyte GA-P67A-UD4 or MSI P67A-GD53 (or 55) or AsRock P67 Extreme4 2 x GTX 580 2 x 4GB DDR3 RAM (speed unimportant) Hard drives and optical drives as you need them Case of your choice -- Silverstone FT02 or RV02 would be good for cooling two GTX 580 with lower noise SSD Power supply -- Seasonic X850, Corsair AX850 or HX850, XFX Black Edition 850W, NZXT Hale90 850W, Silverstone Strider Plus 850W An SSD is not going to improve game performance, but make overall computing better. With the budget, why not? Intel 510 series is good; yet-to-be-released 2nd gen SandForce drives like OCZ Vertex 3 would have better performance though Power supplies listed are all great and would run your SLI GTX 580 fine. They're roughly in order of best to worst quality (from top to great). There are other options, but those are usually worse or more expensive. | ||
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
So you want something like this? Total comes to $2452 using Newegg: Core i7 2600k @ $329 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070 MSI P67 GD65 @ $180 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130574 Corsair AX850 @ $190 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139015 Windows 7 Home Premium @ $100 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754 GSkill 2x4GB 1333MHz cas9 @ $85 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231426 Intel 510 Series 120GB @ $290 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167042 2x MSI GTX 580 Twin Frozr @ $500 per ($1000 total) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127567 Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB @ $80 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136514 Silverstone Raven RV02 @ $180 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163154 DVD Drive @ $18 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204 It's best to post the retailer(s) you will be shopping at because prices and availability around the world is quite different from that of the US. You may also want to wait to see the performance and pricing of the GTX 590 which is expected to be released tomorrow (March 22nd). | ||
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Divine-Sneaker
Denmark1225 Posts
As for GPUs, Dragon Age 2 murders every single GPU system except for the HD6990 (which isn't really single GPU) at max settings. If you want to get it playable, you are going to need to turn down the anti aliasing and other quality settings like lighting and reflections - it doesn't help that nVidia's drivers seem to dislike Dragon Age 2 so you get bizarre results like HD6950s getting really close to GTX580s at 1920x1080. No idea about the others: Crysis 2 isn't even out, no one seems to like Homefront, and Shogun 2 is probably going to be more CPU dependent that GPU. Eh, I've been running DA:2 on maxxed out settings on everything with fraps never going below 50 FPS on my 1 month old computer, which obviously does not have a HD6990. That includes 8xAA and whatever settings could be put higher on 1920*1080 resolution, so I wouldn't exactly call that a truth when mine runs on the HD 6970. That said I have to agree that the CPU has been the component that's been the most taxed in my computer so far when playing games like Shogun:2, BFBC2, DA:2, SC2 etc. on absolute max settings. | ||
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kingJY
United States39 Posts
What is your budget? $250-350 USD What is your resolution? 1600x900 for now What are you using it for? Starcraft 2, Portal 2, etc What is your upgrade cycle? 1-2 years When do you plan on building it? 3/26 saturday Do you plan on overclocking? no Do you need an Operating System? No. Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire? Lol no Where are you buying your parts from? Microcenter <3 $99.99 AMD PHENOM II X4 840 http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0357031 $ 0.00 AM3 760G mATX Motherboard (comes with package) http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0351634 $39.99 4GB DDR3-1333 (PC3-10666) http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0353218 $49.99 (-$30 rebate) NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GS 1024MB DDR3 PCIe 2.0 x16 http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354355 $29.99 WD AV 320GB 7,200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0357772 $27.99 Azza Alpha 500W Black ATX Power Supply http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0320477 $19.99 LC323 ATX Mid Tower Case http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0312887 (or 21.99 case http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0257843) $109.99 Acer S201HL bd 20" Widescreen LED-backlight LCD Monitor http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354438 Total = 347.84 and yeah, i can't find better deals anywhere else. I tried price matching... Any comments help better deals or if I should swap out some parts with others would be greatly appreciated. | ||
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kingJY
United States39 Posts
What I might get in the future 64gb Solid State HDD for $80 4gb more ran $40 More HDD space... Fans... Heatsinks... for the cpu... Overclocking.... maybe | ||
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Myrmidon
United States9452 Posts
Is there a cheaper Athlon II X2 or Athlon II X3 with a motherboard? That Phenom II X4 840 is really just an Athlon II X4 (no L3 cache), so it wouldn't be better than the other Athlon IIs unless you need the extra cores. 8400 GS is pretty low-end as well as old. It's borderline for playing SC2 smoothly on low (I think), just so you know. If you get the rebate, there's not really much else at $20 though. Something like a HD 4650 is much more powerful and preferred for a low-budget build. Azza is the same company as Xion I think, and both use mostly (all?) SuperFlower units? SuperFlower makes some top-end PSUs and some decent budget units too, but I have no idea how good their bottom-end stuff is. With the kind of low load the build would take, I think you would be more than fine though. More RAM is definitely not on the list of things worth upgrading, at least for gaming. | ||
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miL.
Canada93 Posts
Can someone tell me which mobo would be best for this setup: + Show Spoiler + Case - Cooler Master CM 690 II Basic Mid Tower, Black ($99.99) PSU - Antec True Power New 650W Power Supply w/ Quad +12V, 120mm Fan ($69.99) CPU - Intel Core™ i5-2500K Processor, 3.30GHz w/ 6MB Cache - $214.99 Mobo - ? RAM - Corsair Vengeance 8GB DDR3 1600MHz CL8 Dual Channel Kit (2 x 4GB) - $114.99 HDD - Seagate 1TB Barracuda 7200.12 SATA II w/ 32MB Cache - $54.99 Optical Drive - Samsung SH-S223C 22x SpeedPlus™ DVD-Writer, SATA, Black, OEM - $18.99 GPU - eVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti FPB 1GB GDDR5 PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDM - $259.99 Some of the products have been changed thanks to recommendations from skyR and Myrmidon, but it's generally the same (back on page 178). Originally skyR recommended the Gigabyte UD3, but my local retailer is out of stock and doesn't know when more is coming in. I'd like to get the computer ASAP, and all they have in stock are the ASUS P8P67 PRO, P8P67, and P8P67 LE. Thanks again, for the help. | ||
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Myrmidon
United States9452 Posts
Get the P8P67 LE (or cheaper motherboard) and something other than the i5-2500k if not overclocking. Get the P8P67 if (and also an aftermarket heatsink, e.g. CM Hyper 212 Plus) if overclocking some. Get the P8P67 Pro if you're sure you're going to want to SLI. Keep in mind that the GTX 560 is plenty powerful already, and you can always just replace it later on with whatever is a good value down the line. (The TruePower New 650W could handle two GTX 560 and a i5-2500k on max synthetic load, all overclocked a lot, so you're already fine there.) On a side note, RAM seems a little expensive since you get practically no benefit for 1600 MHz or CL8 or whatever. 8GB doesn't help for gaming. I forgot if you needed more than 4GB for another purpose though. | ||
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
You can pricematch the 690 II Basic down to $69: http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/225623/COOLERMASTER/RC_692_KKN3/ The EVGA GTX 560 can be pricematched down to $250: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130604 The P8P67 Pro provides an Intel NIC (as opposed to Realtek found on the other two), SLI / CrossfireX capabilities, and Advance RMA (if you never need it). So if you don't care for any of those, you can get the P8P67 standard (I have this) or the LE. The LE replaces a SATA port for an IDE port and has less VRM phases. | ||
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mav451
United States1596 Posts
On March 22 2011 05:16 kingJY wrote: I guess I can do myself here. Just a little budget build that gives some bang for the buck here. The budget PC thread has turned into a flamewar.... SO i did all the work myself. What is your budget? $250-350 USD What is your resolution? 1600x900 for now What are you using it for? Starcraft 2, Portal 2, etc What is your upgrade cycle? 1-2 years When do you plan on building it? 3/26 saturday Do you plan on overclocking? no Do you need an Operating System? No. Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire? Lol no Where are you buying your parts from? Microcenter <3 $99.99 AMD PHENOM II X4 840 http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0357031 $ 0.00 AM3 760G mATX Motherboard (comes with package) http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0351634 $39.99 4GB DDR3-1333 (PC3-10666) http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0353218 $49.99 (-$30 rebate) NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GS 1024MB DDR3 PCIe 2.0 x16 http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354355 $29.99 WD AV 320GB 7,200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0357772 $27.99 Azza Alpha 500W Black ATX Power Supply http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0320477 $19.99 LC323 ATX Mid Tower Case http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0312887 (or 21.99 case http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0257843) $109.99 Acer S201HL bd 20" Widescreen LED-backlight LCD Monitor http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354438 Total = 347.84 and yeah, i can't find better deals anywhere else. I tried price matching... Any comments help better deals or if I should swap out some parts with others would be greatly appreciated. Yeah MC's $99 AMD chip deal is great. It's too bad that you have to also squeeze a monitor into that budget though. If you want to play native resolution, 16x9, you will definitely need something better than the 8400GS. For your budget, I think you would be better served finding a used GPU. E.g. here's a used GTS250 for $60: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1594746&highlight=gts 250 | ||
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JingleHell
United States11308 Posts
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0355188 Solid enough card for your budget. | ||
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