EPTComputer Build Resource Thread - Page 197
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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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Cornstyle
United States147 Posts
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
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SpriteLove
United States226 Posts
On March 31 2011 15:30 Myrmidon wrote: @SpriteLove Core i5-2400 - $190 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115074 ASRock H61M/U3S3 - $80 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157236 G.Skill 2x2 GB DDR3 - $40 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231396 HIS Radeon HD 6870 - $200 ($180) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161349 Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB - $55 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185 Asus CD/DVD writer - $20 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204 Antec One Hundred - $50 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129098 XFX Core Edition 450W - $55 ($45) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207012 Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM - $100 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754 This should be good for maxing out SC2 and handling D3 easily. I'd recommend adding a ~60GB SSD (about $125) for the OS/applications, which would still fit the budget. Wow thanks. Everything looks good but im just making sure the PSU is powerful enough for the 6870 since it says a 500W PSU is recommended in the description :S | ||
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Myrmidon
United States9452 Posts
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/video/display/radeon-hd6870-hd6850_9.html#sect0 http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core-i5-2500-2400-2300_10.html#sect0 Power draw of everything else combined is probably around 50W. You might get to 100W by adding in several more hard drives and writing to them simultaneously. In other words, you have way enough power. Recommended 500W is a very conservative estimate based on not knowing what your CPU is, not knowing what else is in your system, not knowing if the power supply can run at the rated wattage (many low-end units are essentially lying about their capabilities), and assuming the worst. In fact, you have room to upgrade to a higher-end GPU if you want. But if you're buying now, an Antec Earthwatts Green 500D for $60 - $10 promo code is also good: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371035 It looks like the GPU went back up in price, so this HD 6870 is $10 cheaper than the current price and equivalent to the other one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102909 You won't need the extra RAM playing games most likely, but you could also consider upgrading that to a 2 x 4GB kit. After all, the motherboard only has two RAM slots. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231422 | ||
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SpriteLove
United States226 Posts
 ~15 minutes late on that promo code :/ | ||
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MTF
United States1739 Posts
I believe I'm good on everything except my processor/motherboard. Here are the specs as provided by CPU-Z/myself:
Resolution: 1920x1080 Processor: Intel Pentium D 915 2.8 GHz 4MB L2 Cache Processor Socket Type: 775 LGA RAM: 2x2GB DDR2 Graphics: GeForce GTX 550 Ti 1GB Supported Processors by Current Motherboard: Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor Intel Pentium® Dual-Core Processor Intel Celeron® Processor 400 Sequence My main questions: - Would upgrading to another processor already supported by my motherboard be worth it? - If not, how low in performance/price could I go before I notice an upgrade? i3/i5/an AMD product? - Are there other upgrade suggestions beyond my processor that I seem/am oblivious to? Apologies in advance if this is not the right place to be asking. | ||
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
No, it's perfectly fine to ask for upgrade advice here. We need to know your upgrade budget and the exact model of your processor. It would only be worth it to upgrade to the same socket CPU if you were buying it off another individual. It would not be worth it to buy brand new in a box unless it is heavily discounted (which most stores don't do). Also keep in mind that some older motherboards don't support 45nm Core 2 Duos / Quads so your options may be limited if you do choose to go this route. You'll notice an improvement upgrading to any of the newer processors, even the budget options such as the Core i3 and Athlon II. This would probably cost you ~$200 at the bare minimum since you would need to purchase DDR3 RAM and a new motherboard along with the processor. Upgrading your processor takes priority. Once you have that done, you can worry about adding in an SSD and upgrading your graphics card. | ||
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Char711
United States862 Posts
I'm coming here partly because I don't think I would be able to do a good job at selecting components that aren't the best of the best: I know I don't need it, but I try to future proof as much as possible without regard at times. Here are my answers to all of the questions (spoiler tag to save space in this awesome thread): + Show Spoiler + Budget?: I'm thinking up to 700 USD. I don't like spending money, as you could probably tell. Resolution?: 1920x1080 (it's a 1080p monitor). Use?: Mainly gaming and work (which doesn't require intensive specialized programs). I also want to make it partly into a media center since I have my TV on the same desk. Upgrade Cycle?: I'd like to get around 3 years if I could since that's what I've had for my laptop and I was pretty happy with it for that long. When Build?: I would buy ASAP. If you think I should wait a little I could do that, but I want it around when May starts since classes end at my school on May 6th. I waited until now partly so I could either get a Sandy Bridge processor or experience the price drop its release would bring to other CPUs. Overclock?: I wasn't really planning on it, but if you see it as beneficial then I'm all ears. SLI/Crossfire?: Same as overclocking. However, I'd like to have a pretty robust GPU so I can play games at decent settings throughout the life cycle (maxing the new Elder Scrolls would be orgasmic as I love that series). I'm also planning on trying a second monitor at some point. I'm open to any advice here. Operating System?: I already have one. Where Buy? Actually, I'm incredibly busy and haven't built a computer before. I'm sure I could manage it, but I don't have the time. I was thinking of buying from IBuyPower or CyberPower or something. Recommendations? Misc: Experience has me leaning to Intel for the CPU and Nvidia for the GPU. I'm open to suggestions, but those simply seem safer and the most compatible. Also, on the SSD issue, I've lived without it so it isn't necessary, but it'd certainly be cool. I do, however, want as big of a HD as I can get (maybe even two?) -- partitioning OS X and Windows along with managing space for video games has killed me over these past years. Thank you so much for your help, guys! I love TL! <3 ^_^ | ||
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MTF
United States1739 Posts
On April 01 2011 13:59 skyR wrote:+ Show Spoiler + We need to know your upgrade budget and the exact model of your processor. It would only be worth it to upgrade to the same socket CPU if you were buying it off another individual. It would not be worth it to buy brand new in a box unless it is heavily discounted (which most stores don't do). Also keep in mind that some older motherboards don't support 45nm Core 2 Duos / Quads so your options may be limited if you do choose to go this route. You'll notice an improvement upgrading to any of the newer processors, even the budget options such as the Core i3 and Athlon II. This would probably cost you ~$200 at the bare minimum since you would need to purchase DDR3 RAM and a new motherboard along with the processor. Upgrading your processor takes priority. Once you have that done, you can worry about adding in an SSD and upgrading your graphics card. Thanks for the quick response. I am budgeting myself to between $200-400 dollars, with the focus being on upgrading the processor at the lowest cost-to-performance ratio. As for the exact model...Um, perhaps the model portion of this? Intel Pentium D CPU 2.8 GHz Family: F Ext. Family: F Model: 6 Ext. Model: 6 Stepping: 4 Revision: C1 + Show Spoiler [Screenshot of CPU-Z] + ![[image loading]](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v693/TalonionPoet/CPU.png) If the information is not contained within either my text or the screenshot, I apologize for general lack of knowledge and ask for help in finding the actually useful stuff. Concerning the budget, I already have 2x2GB sticks of DDR3 ram, so no need to include that into things. | ||
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Legatus Lanius
2135 Posts
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
You don't need SLI / CrossfireX for dual monitors. Unless of course you want to have the game on both monitors than you would need it. However going with a SLI / CrossfireX capable motherboard would increase the price quite a bit. Please don't buy from ibuypower / cyberpower if you have even the least bit of spare time. Putting together a PC takes no more than an hour, even for first time builders. You didn't mention if you needed an operating system so I included Windows 7 in the price. Total comes to $707 before shipping and mail in rebates. Intel Core i5 2400 @ $190 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115074 Asrock H61M-S @ $63 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157237 MSI GTX 460 768mb @ $150 ($130 after mail in rebate) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127519 XFX Core Pro 450W @ $55 ($45 after mail in rebate) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817207012 GSkill 2x2GB 1333MHz @ $40 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231253 Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB @ $50 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181 Coolermaster Eliite 310 @ $40 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119203 DVD Drive @ $19 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151192 Windows 7 Home Premium x64 @ $100 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754 @MTF I meant to say motherboard in my previous post lol but that doesn't matter anymore since you have a budget of up to $400. You should definitely get a new motherboard along with a new processor. Here are some options, depending on how much you want to spend: Athlon II X4 640 and an AM3 board = ~$150 Core i3 2100 and an H61 board = ~$200 Core i5 2400 and an H61 / H67 / P67 board = ~$260 Here's a review of some of the processors to help you decide: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/the-sandy-bridge-review-intel-core-i7-2600k-i5-2500k-core-i3-2100-tested/1 | ||
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Az0r_au
Australia385 Posts
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Myrmidon
United States9452 Posts
On April 01 2011 14:38 skyR wrote: Asrock H61M-S @ $63 Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB @ $50 It should be pointed out that the motherboard has no USB3 support. The ones with that cost a bit more. If you see a USB3 external hard drive or some other device in your future, maybe it's worth paying the extra. Also, currently the Spinpoint F3 1TB is going for $65 with instant $10 back from promo code, so you can pay $5 more for 500GB more: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185 | ||
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MTF
United States1739 Posts
If I have more questions I'll come back to bug you guys some more. | ||
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Char711
United States862 Posts
Dammit! I KNEW I would forget something! I do, indeed, already have an operating system, so that frees up an extra $100 (I edited it into my original post, just in case). I figure that can go to sprucing up the motherboard like Myrmidon mentioned and possibly upping the RAM (which I find to usually not be too expensive). Thanks for helping me get started, guys! | ||
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
There are a lot of options with an extra $100. You could spend it towards a Gigabyte P67 UD3 and a 2500k if you want the ability to overclock. If not, you could spend it on a better H61 / H67 board, a slightly better case such as the Coolermaster HAF 912, and a Radeon 6850. | ||
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Sfydjklm
United States9218 Posts
On April 01 2011 03:26 skyR wrote: @Sfydjklm Serious overclocking requires a "K" processor, if you just want a mild overclock (400mhz) than a core i5 2400 ($30 less) would do. If you changed your mind on overclocking than you can save about $60 by switching the motherboard to an H67 / 61 and switching CPU to core i5 2400. Keep in mind if you plan on buying a new monitor in the future for a higher resolution, you'll going to need a more powerful graphics card. Total comes to $624 before mail in rebates. Intel Core i5 2500k @ $180 (Newegg has it for $225) http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354589 Gigabyte P67A-UD3 @ $135 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128476 MSI GTS 450 @ $120 ($100 after mail in rebate) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127527 Corsair CX430 @ $40 ($20 after mail in rebate) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139017 GSkill 2x2GB 1333MHz @ $40 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231253 Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB @ $50 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181 Coolermaster Eliite 310 @ $40 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119203 DVD Drive @ $19 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151192 much appreciated | ||
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candh
Canada8 Posts
I'm trying to decide between the two cards: Radeon HD6950 : http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7091952&CatId=3669 Or the GeForce GTX 470: http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=569_43_557_559&item_id=030349 Swift response is much appreciated. Thanks! | ||
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Myrmidon
United States9452 Posts
I can't guess what the rest of your build is, but if you're really spending on a i7-2600k, you better not be skimping on anything else. http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/288?vs=287 | ||
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nosk
United States21 Posts
Looking for a gaming rig under 1000$. As long as it can run SC2 on medium at 60 FPS without losing frames (unless there's intense intense action) is the real benchmark I'm looking for. Other games I play (in case it matters for the specs) WoW, L4D2, TF2, HoN. Not sure about my upgrade cycle, but I plan to build it before Winter  I don't want to OC as with my luck it'll probably break. I probably need an OS as well. Parts from Newegg, please.Hope I requested properly ._. | ||
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