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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. |
On August 12 2010 15:15 R04R wrote:
I know 460 is god-tier price/performance, but ~$50 more for about 5-10% more performance (and him not needing to overclock if he hits a wall in the 460), why not.
The Centurion doesn't look cool enough, no puns (but wait, which one does he mean then?). If you want to go Cooler Master I'd say CM690 II for better cable management and airflow(you really wanted that see-through panel didn't ya? If so, you can contact them directly and order one for about $20 for the CM690 II).
SATA Cable is to transfer information between your Hard drive and motherboard, or your optical drive and motherboard. The motherboard you're buying only comes with 1, so you need another for the other.
product manual says the motherboard comes with 2 sata cables.
also going to agree that 5850 is way overpriced. $300 vs $200? that's a no brainer. (460 1gb? not unless he's planning on getting a monster of a monitor).
lastly, reitering again, buy bigger items like case and monitor locally if you can, you'll save alot on shipping (these are large and heavy items, compared to components). also, make sure to check pricing on other places like www.ncix.com , just for comparisons sake.
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5850 needs to drop to around $270 to be a reasonably priced GPU. The GTX 460 1GB and 768MB dominate the $200-300 price range, and crossfire GTX 460 is just ridiculous.
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I'm sure a similar question has been asked before but:
My laptop can run sc2 but only on completely low settings and even still i get some lag issues past the 100 supply mark. I want to buy a desktop computer able to run starcraft 2 on the lowest settings without any lag with 800 units on the screen. What's the cheapest desktop for something like this ?
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$500? Especially if you're near a Microcenter. However does this does not include a monitor.
Actually maybe even $400, though it'll be quite the stretch.
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I already have a pretty good monitor. So a 500$ desktop computer (i'm super illiterate with building computers) from a store will run sc2 on the lowest settings with no slowdown? Any recommendations for specific computers?
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United States8476 Posts
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IF you're buying one they're not as cost efficient. Building one is better, pretty easy, cheaper, and more rewarding! I can build you one if you give me a budget. Say, 450? Is that ok?
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Well I'd definitely prefer the cheaper and better option, it's just that i have no idea how to put everything together. Is it possible to put different parts into a website and have them ship out the built computer? 450 is definitely ok
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There are multiple guides on the internet that show you how to build a computer. It's really easy considering things only fit in the spot they should fit in. And if you encounter any problems there's google or us.
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I've been thinking a lot about the computer that I asked about and now that I see unspeake's post and your responses I am wondering about an even cheaper computer.
If I were to get a cheaper computer that could play at lowest settings with 30-40fps for like $450 plus monitor, would it be upgradable for later?
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Well alrighty then. Would you mind building me one for under 500? (The cheaper, the better, just want to run sc2 at the lowest settings with 30-40 fps)
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United States8476 Posts
To unSpeake and anyone else interested in building a computer:
I wanted to build a computer around 3 weeks ago when I knew nothing about computers. However, with research and bargain hunting, I found exactly what I wanted out of a computer and I saved $250 on a $1000 build on some of the best parts I could. It runs sc2 at around a steady 50 fps on all settings ultra on 1980x1050 resolution for only $750(including 23 inch monitor). First of all, I want to thank R04R for helping me and being one of my resources in helping me build my computer. Also, I want to give some advice to anyone else who might wish to build a computer.
1. Building a computer yourself isn't necessarily cheaper. If you buy random parts all at the same time when stuff isn't on sale, you'll probably be better off buying a dell or some other fully built computer that is on sale.
2. The more time you put into research and bargain hunting, the more you'll get out of the experience and the better your computer will be.
3. If you don't need a computer immediately and can wait 1 week to 1 month, then don't blindly follow someone's build. Instead look around for deals. The best place to look for deals is slickdeals.net. Also, newegg.com has great deals all the time. For example there are many interchangeable versions of power supplies, memory, hard drives and cases. Some might be cheaper than others. The deals come sporadically and you can save tons from them.
4. Read reviews from newegg and from pc websites or even pc magazines if you live close to a barnes and noble.
5. Don't be afraid to ask people if certain parts go with other parts or for general advice.
6. I recommend building the computer yourself. I got all my parts one day and I was able to figure out where everything went within 2 hours. It's pretty easy if you read the manuals and have common sense. (Being good at putting different shaped blocks into holes when you were a kid helps too.) There are places that will build a computer for you, but that will definitely eat significantly into your $450 budget.
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United States8476 Posts
Most cheaper computers you'll find will meet all the specifications except graphics card. Those computers are targeted towards normal people who will only use computers for word processing and surfing the web, not intended for 3d gaming.
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So it would be impossible to buy the system and simply upgrade the video card ?
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Lol ok so decent quality build @$400 = me talking out of my ass. It was really hard finding parts that were cheaper.
Here's ~$500 (I hope you don't have California taxes that screw you over.)
Processor and Motherboard:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.478156
AMD Athlon II X3 440 Rana 3.0GHz
ASUS M4A77TD AM3 AMD 770 ATX AMD Motherboard
$140
Graphics Card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150479
XFX Core Edition GS250XYSL4 GeForce GTS 250 512MB 256-bit DDR3
$110
RAM:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231253
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600)
$82
Hard Drive and extra SATA Cable:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.425803
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM
Nippon Labs Premium 1M (3.28 ft.) SATA Cable with 2 right Angle Connectors
$61
Case and Power Supply:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.474090
COOLER MASTER ELITE 335 RC-335-KKN1-GP Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower
COOLER MASTER Elite 460 RS-460-PSAR-J3 460W ATX12V V2.31
$70
Optical Drive:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289
LITE-ON CD/DVD Burner
$18 with promo code EMCYWZY88
Subtotal: $482.92
MIRs: $30.00 for the Graphics Card
$15.00 for the Motherboard
Downgrading the Hard Drive to something smaller was very unreasonable. There was a $20 difference between 250gb and 1tb. If you wanted to make this cheaper the first thing I would knock down is the RAM. I don't know how well 2gb of RAM will do but if you find it tolerable that's ~$40 saved. Next would be the processor, which is something you probably don't want to touch. Going to the cheapest Athlon dual core would save $20. The video card is good, you'll be running med/high most of the time. I couldn't find a "gaming" card that was worth its price around $75 base price, so the next step up was justified. If you live near a microcenter you can cut ~$40 off this total and get an athlon quad core or phenom dual core and get a free motherboard/$10 motherboard.
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United States8476 Posts
Both those builds are pretty good at that price range. The only real difference between the two builds is the graphics card. Both those builds will be able to run sc2 on ultra without too many problems. If your resolution is 1680x1050 or lower and you only plan to play starcraft with this computer, then I would go with the GeForce GTS 250. At higher resolutions, the HD 5770 more clearly outpreforms the GTS 250 Check this out:
http://www.legionhardware.com/articles_pages/starcraft_ii_wings_of_liberty_beta_performance,5.html
The difference between the 2 cards is minimal, about 5 fps at best at 1680x1050. Also, that CPU they're both suggesting, the Athlon II X3 440, kinda bottlenecks a 5770 anyways, so you won't be able to get the full benefit out of a 5770.
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Getting my self some new parts for my comp. Only thing im keeping is pretty much my 750W corsair PSU and my Nvidia GTX 285. New parts are:
Asus P6T SE X58 GbLan SATA2 Raid S1366
Intel Core i7 Quad 930 2.80GHz 8MB Socket 1366
Corsair XMS3 6GB (3x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz PC12800 240-Pin Original Kit
Western Digital Velociraptor 300GB 10.000rpm 16MB SATA II
Any thought on how these parts will work together? Possible tweaks?
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EPT
