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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. |
My buddy needs a new computer. It's a bit tricky because he's on a budget (it's his parents' grad gift to him) and he wants a new monitor ("that's bigger than the one I have", 19'' @ 1440x900) and speakers.
He mainly uses his computer for basic stuff (Internet surfing, YouTube, music, etc) but he's also getting into SC2 and wants to play at Medium-High settings, as well as Guild Wars 2 when it comes out. I picked out a 22'' 1680x1050 monitor so I could pick out a mid-level graphics card and still get nice looking games at a low price.
Budget is probably $700-800, obviously lower is better. Shopping at NCIX with Canadian dollars.
I'm planning to rip the DVD drive out of his old machine and re-use it.
Here's what I got with total $717.46 before tax and rebates:
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/b0Atkl.jpg)
I thought he'd really like the case with the red LEDs.
If anyone would help optimize and get better bang for the buck, I would greatly appreciate it! Again, aiming for least expensive SC2 with new monitor at medium-high graphics.
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I strongly recommend this HD 6750 (same as the old HD 5750) instead of the HD 5670, since it's considerably faster for only about $5 more:
Visiontek HD 6750 - $75
Along with that, I'd just get a 1920x1080 screen. An HD 5750 can handle SC2 on medium-high settings at that resolution, no problem.
You missed a promo code on Windows, so here's a free $25 off:
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM - $95
I'm kind of wary of the case, though I don't know much about the AZZA. Personally I'd just take like an Antec 300 (since it's discounted) and maybe add a couple red LED fans in one or both of the front intake slots?
Antec 300 - $40
Enermax 120mm red LED twister bearing low noise fan - $7 each
Is the old DVD drive SATA or PATA (IDE)? The motherboard has no PATA port.
The Seasonic is not a bad choice, but I think (not sure) the Antec VP450 may be better. It's a cheapo FSP build. Apparently it's close to violating spec at full load, but he's going to be running it always under half of 450W anyway. It's supposed to be better than the old Basiq units by FSP.
Antec Basiq VP450 - $35, $25 AMIR
Or play it safer with the Antec Neo Eco 450C for $45 (note: no power cord included with that).
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On July 16 2011 11:40 JingleHell wrote:Show nested quote +On July 16 2011 11:36 spaZzNx-` wrote:On July 16 2011 08:00 Myrmidon wrote:On July 16 2011 07:25 Drunken.Jedi wrote:
Yes, the Crucial M4 is faster than the Intel 320, that's what I meant.
So your advice is to either stick with the cheap ASRock H61M-VS motherboard or pay 27€ extra for the H67 with better SSD performance and USB 3.0, right?
How big is the difference in performance and are there any other advantages to getting the more expensive motherboard? Yeah those are the options to consider, in my opinion. Other advantages are the extra PCI slot, maybe slightly better components used all around, 6 SATA ports as opposed to 4 (imagine you have an SSD, a HDD, a DVD writer, and a Blu Ray reader, and you want to add an extra storage HDD), more audio output ports, and 3 year warranty compared to 1 year. (Note that you can always use external devices through USB2 or add an internal controller card with more ports.) The performance difference should be small unless you're benching sequential reads though, honestly. Look in the below link for some benchmarks. Most of the SSDs with a SATA3 interface are benchmarked twice, once over a SATA3 interface and will be marked "(6Gbps)" and then again over a SATA2 interface. Crucial M4 64GB isn't in the list. Keep in mind that lower-capacity versions are slower, generally particularly in writes, compared to higher-capacity models, so the M4 256GB results aren't exactly indicative of the 64GB's performance. http://www.anandtech.com/bench/SSD/260 This might sound like a terrible question, but with USB 3.0 can you use USB 2.0 products with it? (for example my mouse, keyboard). Yep, in fact, unless you happen to have one of the very very few things that uses USB 3.0, like a super fast thumb drive, that's about all it's good for so far. And no, it won't make your mouse work better. I'm sure it will be handy to have at some point, but currently USB 3 is pretty limited in scope.
haha, I wasn't expecting it to  Good to know, and I'll most definitely be getting a motherboard with USB 3.0 support.
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@vestrel a 2ms monitor is better for playing then a 5ms
@kairos you clearly dont need such an expensive fan
same for the mobo and ram, 8gb is more then enough
and with this money gained you could upgrade to a 570
psu is way overkill too, 750w is for crossfire/sli and even then is still too much
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On July 16 2011 21:19 Kairos~ wrote:Price range: $1500 (CAD). Parts from: Newegg.ca. Use: Streaming Starcraft II(ultra-extreme) 720p or 1080p on Justin.TV, Diablo 3(max), etc. Resolution: 1600x1050 (Monitor 1) - 1400x900 (Monitor 2). When I plan to buy: 2-4 months. Upgrade Term: every 2-3 years. I already have optical drives and Windows 7 Home Premium 64Bit What I have come up with: + Show Spoiler +![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/lqzef.png) Click the image to enlarge. I know I can probably skim alot of cash off this and that is why I am posting here so early. Curiosity is a good thing? ^^; This will be my first time building a PC... So.... Be polite if I am dumb.
Come back in four months when you are purchasing.
Newegg is one of the worst retailers you can buy from as a Canadian. Any Canadian retailer such as NCIX, Canada Computers, Memory Express, etc are much better in terms of pricing, shipping, and everything else. You'll save close to $100 by not purchasing from Newegg.
The only triple channel chipset is the X58. For the Z68 chipset, you want a dual channel kit such as 2x4GB or 4x4GB. The difference between 1333MHz and 1600MHz is minimal and there is no point in paying a premium for it unless your other components are arleady flagship products: http://techreport.com/articles.x/20377
The Corsair TX750 is a poor choice of a power supply when the TX750 V2 is overall better and can be had for the same price. Not only that but 750w is more than enough power for GTX 560 Ti, you're much better off getting a TX650 V2 or similar.
A Noctua NH-D14 is unnecessary to achieve a very high overclock on the 2600k. A simple $20 heatsink such as a Coolermaster Hyper 212+ will basically accomplish the same task. If you are getting it for noise reduction than you should get a Fractal Design R3 instead of the Coolermaster HAF 922 case.
Samsung Spinpoint F3 won't be available in Canada so you will have to switch it to a Western Digital Caviar Blue or similar. Don't do RAID 0 if you are planning to, just get an SSD.
The P67 Extreme4 and Z68 Extreme4 is identical except for the ability to use the IGP and SSD caching. If you're not going to use either features, just get the less expensive P67.
You only have a 1680x1050 monitor and i assume you plan on upgrading to a 1920x1080 monitor, why are you planning for SLI? This is a terrible upgrade path as a single GTX 560 Ti with an overclock or without is more than enough for playing Starcraft II and Diablo 3 on ultra settings at 1080p. It'll also play most current and upcoming games at reasonably high settings at 1080p. SLI puts out more noise, more heat, requires more power, more money, and offers inconsistent performance.
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Yes it'll be able to play on high. However the CX650 is a poor choice of a 650w unit but this configuration will never use 650w as both the core i3 2100 and 5770 uses less than 100w, both under load.
A Corsair CX430 V2 for $43 ($23 after mail in rebate) is a much more reasonable choice and provides more than enough power for this configuration: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026
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I do not know much about this, sorry if this question is dumb, but when you build a computer, does the ~$20 DVD Burner allow you to run CDs and DVDs as well? I am assuming it does, but I want to be safe.
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What is your budget?
<$1800-1900 (kind of a loose restriction, whether above or below it i'll probably be adding to any build eventually)
What is your resolution?
1920x1200
What are you using it for?
primarily gaming, would like new games to run quick and flawless
What is your upgrade cycle?
1-2 years
When do you plan on building it?
within the next month or two
Do you plan on overclocking?
would like to have the option of overclocking
Do you need an Operating System?
yes
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
no
Where are you buying your parts from?
memoryexpress.ca (its the closest and has the best selection)
Notes:
Im going to need (want) a blu ray drive in it, as well as an SSD... I have some ideas of what components I would like to get but sometimes i go for flashy-looking over practicality.
also noise isn't a factor but the less noisy the better (no liquid though)
I appreciate any help
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On July 17 2011 07:12 HoBSoN wrote:
What is your budget?
<$1800-1900 (kind of a loose restriction, whether above or below it i'll probably be adding to any build eventually)
What is your resolution?
1920x1200
What are you using it for?
primarily gaming, would like new games to run quick and flawless
What is your upgrade cycle?
1-2 years
When do you plan on building it?
within the next month or two
Do you plan on overclocking?
would like to have the option of overclocking
Do you need an Operating System?
yes
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
no
Where are you buying your parts from?
memoryexpress.ca (its the closest and has the best selection)
Notes:
Im going to need (want) a blu ray drive in it, as well as an SSD... I have some ideas of what components I would like to get but sometimes i go for flashy-looking over practicality.
also noise isn't a factor but the less noisy the better (no liquid though)
I appreciate any help
Holy, I am sure everyone would love to help you due to your assumed "high" budget. If you spend over $1300 there is absolutely no reason to upgrade within the next few years. How many cores would you prefer, four or six? Not much reasons for a six-core right now, but judging by how much money you have I wouldn't count it out. ;D
Unless you dislike Nvidia, your GFX options are obviously GTX 570 to GTX 590. The GTX 590 would be somewhat overkill for a game like StarCraft 2, but if you really want a flawless future-proof computer then it would be perfect. If I were you, I would get a GTX 570 or GTX 580.
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On July 17 2011 07:19 epikAnglory wrote:
Holy, I am sure everyone would love to help you due to your assumed "high" budget. If you spend over $1300 there is absolutely no reason to upgrade within the next few years. How many cores would you prefer, four or six? Not much reasons for a six-core right now, but judging by how much money you have I wouldn't count it out. ;D
Unless you dislike Nvidia, your GFX options are obviously GTX 570 to GTX 590. The GTX 590 would be somewhat overkill for a game like StarCraft 2, but if you really want a flawless future-proof computer then it would be perfect. If I were you, I would get a GTX 570 or GTX 580.
i like to build computers, this would be the most i've spent on one but I've got a good job atm and I spend 96%% of my spare time on my computer -- this being the case I want to spend my spare time kicking ass on a kickass computer
I usually buy/build from my own knowledge and from my own research, but sometimes I can be indecisive about what I want/need for this computer specifically. i just want to get some opinions from some people who know more about high end quality parts etc... (eg. I've never bought an SSD before - perhaps someone here would know a ton more about them than I do)
I'm just asking for a little help
Also to answer your question 4 cores is all I'll need
P.S. the upgrade cycle I said was just a guess at when I'll want to build another computer for hobby's sake, perhaps with new technology that's yet to come out o.O
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On July 17 2011 07:41 HoBSoN wrote:Show nested quote +On July 17 2011 07:19 epikAnglory wrote:
Holy, I am sure everyone would love to help you due to your assumed "high" budget. If you spend over $1300 there is absolutely no reason to upgrade within the next few years. How many cores would you prefer, four or six? Not much reasons for a six-core right now, but judging by how much money you have I wouldn't count it out. ;D
Unless you dislike Nvidia, your GFX options are obviously GTX 570 to GTX 590. The GTX 590 would be somewhat overkill for a game like StarCraft 2, but if you really want a flawless future-proof computer then it would be perfect. If I were you, I would get a GTX 570 or GTX 580. i like to build computers, this would be the most i've spent on one but I've got a good job atm and I spend 96%% of my spare time on my computer -- this being the case I want to spend my spare time kicking ass on a kickass computer I usually buy/build from my own knowledge and from my own research, but sometimes I can be indecisive about what I want/need for this computer specifically. i just want to get some opinions from some people who know more about high end quality parts etc... (eg. I've never bought an SSD before - perhaps someone here would know a ton more about them than I do) I'm just asking for a little help Also to answer your question 4 cores is all I'll need P.S. the upgrade cycle I said was just a guess at when I'll want to build another computer for hobby's sake, perhaps with new technology that's yet to come out o.O
i7 2600k
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX31558(ME).aspx
Do you want Z68 or P68? If you want Z68 you can buy this combo pack:
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-BDL_2600K_P8Z68-V(ME).aspx
GTX 570 1.2 GB (you can cut money by making it 1 GB if you want)
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX31479(ME).aspx
If you want a GTX 580 1.5 GB
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX32259(ME).aspx
8 GB 1600 mHz
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX32035(ME).aspx
600 Watt PSU
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX32939(ME).aspx
How much HDD memory do you want? 1, 1.5, or 2 GB?
Blu-Ray Burner
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX32690(ME).aspx
Windows 7 64 Bit
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX32996(ME).aspx
($10 cheaper on Newegg, but if you must buy it on this site...)
You will need a fan if you plan to overclock, and the motherboard definitely allows you to OC.
If you do not want the Z68 combo, you can go along with this: (you will need to cut your memory to 1333mhz)
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX32703(ME).aspx
1333 mhz RAM: http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX33238(ME).aspx
I do not know much about CPU fans, and do not want to make you buy something thats a rip off or not compatible. The case is pretty much your preference, but I find this case to be a good deal:
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX31654(ME).aspx
I usually would do a lot better when building computers and such, it is just that I am not used to the site at all, as I usually use Newegg and Amazon. Apologies, but overall the parts are pretty decent, not sure about the links for the best deals.
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If he's playing at 1920x1200, he does not need anything better than a GTX 560 Ti/HD 6950. Also Hob mentioned that this build is primarily gaming, hence he does not need the i7-2600k. He would do better with an i5-2500k. The difference between the i7-2600k and the i5-2500k is hyperthreading. Hyperthreading has marginal performance increase in gaming and therefore is not worth the price premium.
Also, there is no point getting 1600Mhz RAM. Just get the cheapest DDR3/1333Mhz RAM. RAM speeds/timings has negligible performance gains/losses in gaming.
Also, I'd doubt he'd need Z68 for gaming, he would do well with a P67.
The GTX 570 would be overkill for any games at 1920x1080. The GTX 590...well, meh.
Basically if you're getting what the above people suggested (i7-2600k/GTX 570-590), you would literally find no differences from cheaper options like the GTX 560 Ti/HD 6950/i5-2500k.
If you are looking to overclock, you would want an aftermarket cooler like the Xigmatek Gaia or the Cooler Master Hyper 212+(whichever is cheaper as their performance are pretty similar).
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On July 17 2011 21:52 Nate.F wrote:
Also, there is no point getting 1600Mhz RAM. Just get the cheapest DDR3/1333Mhz RAM. RAM speeds/timings has negligible performance gains/losses in gaming.
Also, I'd doubt he'd need Z68 for gaming, he would do well with a P67.
Z68 has the same price as p67 mobos and has more features, so a z68 mobo is fine.
@ hobson
CPU: Get an i5 2500k not a 2600k. The 2600k is not worth the money, especially for gaming.
GPU: You could pick the 570, he would be able to play games on high/ultra longer but overall the 560-ti and 6950 are far superior in price per performance. So I'd allso suggest one of those unless you are very demanding, than you might want to take a 570.
RAM: Since you have such a big budget, you might as well get 1600mhz ram, its optimal for performance. If you want to save a bit you could allso get 1333mhz ram, the difference is very small.
PSU: On your budget I wouldn't try to save on the PSU, its a very important component. For a GTX570 I'd get a 500~550W PSU Unless you plan on putting an unholy amount of peripherals in you PC.
Last but not least you'll need a cpu cooler. Get the Mugen 2 rev b, Xigmatek Gaia or the hyper 212+
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EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/NRNgZ.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/m1qJC.png)
