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@adioN:
I'm not sure if a white NZXT Phantom will go down well, though that's an option. (And I have to think that you would know your friend better than me lol, so take or leave my advice) For aesthetics, I tend to think that a smaller form factor would fit in better than a huge slab of metal and freaky plastic. There are white (and many aluminum) Lian Li cases that are of various sizes. For mid towers, the Fractal Design Define R3 and NZXT H2 (though why would you get an H2 over an R3...) also come in white.
@Cubbieblue66:
Yeah, pretty much spending above that is throwing away money, in terms of performance (except an SSD). Or at least, you'll start to get significantly worse price/performance. i7-2600k is maybe okay, just so long as you don't get any benefit over the i5-2500k outside of something like video encoding or certain other workstation tasks.
A small SSD is definitely worth the cost on that budget.
A popular monitor with decent colors, viewing angles, etc., yet is fast enough for gaming, is the Dell Ultrasharp U2311H (about $300 typically). Some people don't like the thick antiglare coating though. Your typical TN panel at that size--they're mostly the same so just pick whatever seems to get okay reviews--is a little over half that in cost.
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@Myrmidon
I showed her the R3 and H2 and she liked neither of them. -_- Apparently she wants looks over quality so....I don't know. :| Are there any good pink cases or hello kitty cases? LOL
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On July 20 2011 12:08 adioN wrote:
@Myrmidon
I showed her the R3 and H2 and she liked neither of them. -_- Apparently she wants looks over quality so....I don't know. :| Are there any good pink cases or hello kitty cases? LOL
I'm pretty sure every pink case I've ever seen is made by companies that generally tend to make stuff that ranges from "shit" to "way worse than that".
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007583 600006337&IsNodeId=1&name=Pink
Yeah. Newegg has two. Apevia definitely falls into that range of products I was mentioning.
Since Apevia makes nothing but epic shit, at least do yourself a favor and buy the cheaper one, and replace the fans. Apevia fans are loud as all hell, break down quickly, and have terrible sound quality as well. (My wife bought one of their cases because she liked the look. Luckily it isn't pink, or I'd be vomiting every time I saw it.)
If she really wants LED fans, I suggest Antec Tricool LED's, the noise levels are decent, and the quality of the sound is fairly painless.
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On July 20 2011 12:08 adioN wrote:
@Myrmidon
I showed her the R3 and H2 and she liked neither of them. -_- Apparently she wants looks over quality so....I don't know. :| Are there any good pink cases or hello kitty cases? LOL
Try Lian Li silver/white cases? PC-A05, PC-A04, PC-8FIR (this is suppose to be red but it looks more like pink), ??
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Actually, I just convinced her to get a normal case so its all good now. Thank god. lol
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That's good. Pink cases are rather limited in availability for some bizarre reason I can't quite grasp. Most of them actually make me want to vomit. Moreso since they tend to suck, look hideous, and have a really stupid choice of accent color where lighting is concerned. Blue LED fans do NOT look good in pink cases.
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Well, if she wants to wait...apparently NZXT had an April Fool's Day joke on their website where they had a lot of their products in pink. The pink Phantom is supposed to be not a joke anymore--they're actually going to release it.
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My friends are saying I should not buy a computer until IvyBridge comes out about next March, should I just get the i5 2500k right now, or wait for the IvyBridge. If it is not that much of an improvement that I should not bother, I am really eager to get a new computer. Do you guys have an estimate about how much the "new" i5 2500k of IvyBridge would cost, and if it is worth it?
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Tick Tock. Roughly a twenty percent increase, same price points. It's been like this since forever.
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Ok!
It's that time of the decade again when I'm looking to upgrade my system. I'm currently on a Core 2 Quad 9550, 9800 GX2, 4GB RAM set up which I bought back in May 2008. My monitor is still the trusty old 17' LCD I bought for the previous comp! My current rig will still run just about anything at reasonable settings given my resolution BUT!....Recently I've decided that I wanted a larger monitor, and with a lot of new PC games coming that I'm interested in... It's time to upgrade!
What is your budget?
$3.5k MAX for the computer itself. Ignore monitor. I have new mouse and keyboard already also.
I wouldnt expect to go near that figure really, but if you can justify the performance increase, i'll consider it!
What is your resolution?
I'm still deciding on a higher quality 24'inch or a 27'inch (any recommendations while I'm here?). But the resolution I intend to run at is 1920 x 1080.
What are you using it for?
Gaming other things going on in the background (itunes, fraps, whatever). Whenever I currently run itunes while gaming, I take a noticeable performance hit. I do not want this on my new comp!!
What is your upgrade cycle?
3+ years
When do you plan on building it?
In the next few weeks.
Do you plan on overclocking?
Only within normal configurable limits. I don't want to be tinkering with hardware frankly.
Do you need an Operating System?
No
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
No, I prefer single card solutions (my last two cards have been the 6800 Ultra and 9800GX2, I prefer this to an SLI set up).
Where are you buying your parts from?
Wherever. There are a number of reputable PC stores near my home. Given the budget price probably wont matter here.
Anyway, have at you! Thanks for any particular advice you can offer.
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@brett:
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=16403
i5 2500, $205
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=16945
Asrock H67 Mobo, $95
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=186_538_913&products_id=16930
8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333 $59
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=16652
Asus 560 Ti, $259
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=13197
1TB Caviar Green Storage Drive $65
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210_902_1247&products_id=17685
128GB Crucial M4 SSD $279
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_354&products_id=17373
CX500 V2 PSU $82
Total ~$1040ish
With all this, just grab a case that tickles your fancy. Obviously you can spend more on whatever as needed, but this should be a solid configuration without being stupidly overpriced.
That's actually more PSU than you need, you can easily step down to the 430W, some people just get nervous when they get that low suggested. You can get more or less storage as needed, bigger SSD if you want, more GPU if you want, it's all up in the air at your budget. This is kind of the sweet spot for price/performance. More money won't increase power all that fast on top of this.
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On July 20 2011 16:13 epikAnglory wrote:
My friends are saying I should not buy a computer until IvyBridge comes out about next March, should I just get the i5 2500k right now, or wait for the IvyBridge. If it is not that much of an improvement that I should not bother, I am really eager to get a new computer. Do you guys have an estimate about how much the "new" i5 2500k of IvyBridge would cost, and if it is worth it?
Go ahead and get the i5 2500k right now. It's hands down the best price / performance chip in the world right now. It is stupid fast, so if your'e already eager to get a new computer then go ahead and get it.
And if you really are suffering buyer's remorse later with Ivy Bridge, currently Intel plans to support it with the same 1155 socket, so you can always buy an Ivy bridge later and pop it into your system. Doubt it'll be worth it though, with maybe a 20% increase in speed / efficiency.
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Hey guys, i am looking to build a new system. My intent is to spent some money upfront and get a system that I would be use few years from now (long upgrade cycles seem to work the best for me).
What is your budget?
$2K - Intent to use my old monitor and computer case for now.
What is your resolution?
22' 1080p - I don't feel I need more than this in near future.
What are you using it for?
Gaming, occasion encoding, ussualy tons of background applications and hdd I/Os.
What is your upgrade cycle?
3+ years. Preferably 5+
When do you plan on building it?
Intent to order the parts within a month
Do you plan on overclocking?
Yes. I would OC as much as i can as long it's reasonable. Stability is priority- anything I can juice off in that frame is welcome.
Do you need an Operating System?
No. Got My 7 64 bit.
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
No, I prefer single card solutions. However with my long upgrade cycle i would like to keep my options open.
Where are you buying your parts from?
Newegg - due to some delivery issues, the only site i can use ATM.
Current plan:
i7 2600k
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070
ASUS P8Z68-V PRO LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131730
G.Skill X series, 4x4 gb, PC3 17000- for their ability to OC to 2133 MHz
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231468
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus Aftermarket CPU cooler
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065
Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-900 900W ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE - should be fine both single card and ready to meet SLI in case I go this route
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371050
ZOTAC ZT-50101-10P GeForce GTX 580 (Fermi) 1536MB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500184
Intel 510 Series (Elm Crest) SSDSC2MH120A2K5 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - seem like they very dependable and reliable, which is more important for me than raw speed.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167042
Western Digital Caviar Green WD20EARX 2TB SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal - x2
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136891
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With a Linksys E4200 and couple other small things in my shoping cart is $2,016.49 wich is pretty much my budget goal.
Do you guys have any advice for me or any obvious bottleneck in my configuration? I would apreciate any help. Thank you very in advance.
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You're just paying to brag fyi, throwing away money at flagship components doesn't make a computer last longer. A $480 GTX 560 is going to last just as long as a Radeon HD6950 or 70 for $200 less when you're only playing at 1080p. If you're never going to be doing 3D Surround / Eyefinity or purchasing a 2560x1440 / 1600 monitor than there is no reason to SLI such powerful cards already for the resolution you're playing at.
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Erm, you know that computer is like so powerful you'll never be able to exploti it to it's full potential ?
And you never know if really in a few year's it could be good or not ... i'd spent half that and keep the money for another computer later on.
But anyways if you really want that good of a configuration, the PSU is overkill, even in a few years, it's not worth it.
That much RAM is really useless, you can just add some later if you really need it, but even 8 GB is too much for 99% of users.
You could get a cheaper Z68 mobo too which will be as good as that one.
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And not even going about the bragging rights properly. Low voltage memory costs less and overclocks better, without sacrificing timings for clock like that horrendously overpriced memory kit.
If you really want to OC as far as you can, a Hyper 212+ is a shit choice, a Noctua would be better.
Hyper 212+ is only good at prices below newegg's, if you want to spend that much on a cooler, buy a better one. At the least get the EVGA Superclock CPU cooler, as skyR will tell you, it's a rebranded Swiftech, but it costs more for an enthusiast brand, and should be right up your alley.
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Guys, i am not bragging - it's a one time shot deal for me. It just so happens, that i have 2K on the side and I want to spend it on a pc, that will last for me a good while.
Normally I barely manage to replace broken parts and upgrading has always been a bitch.
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Well the problem is a cpu can never be future proof, so .... gettign the best one out there is i supose the best way to try and be it
but as i said, bring down the ram to 8gb, and buy a cheaper one, gettign an epensive one like JingleHell said is useless
a 600W PSU is more then plenty, even in SLI (max load on gtx580SLI is 620 watt, which you'll never get up to)
you can get cheaper SSD pretty easily ...
also isn't 4Tb of hard drive ... a lot ? :p i guess some people manage to fill that much but i'd need like 5 lifetimes to do so ...
with the money won might as well get a bigger SSD or gtx590 hd6990 ?
(i mean if you really want to spend everything)
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I have 3.3 TB (on 3 separate HDDs) at the moment and i am hurting for space.
My actual plan is to keep 3x2TBs and the SSD for OS - that should be enough.
I have plenty with huge files - 50+ GBs laying around 
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Well, you obv know that your computer is good, but there is a lot of "paying a lot for just a little extra performance" in that build.
In order, I would do the following:
1) Change that RAM to DDR3-1333 or 1600 (whichever is cheaper), and get 8GB of it. Yesterday, newegg was running a promo on g skill ripjaws x 2x4 DDR3-1333 for $45.
That'll save you $155
2) Get a cheaper 500-600W power supply (you won't even come close to touching even that)
Save you $50 or so
3) Get a 6950 for about $220 or a 6970 for about $300 if you still want a flagship video card. This will perform just as well, and not be as overkill. Either that, or get a 5850 for about $150 used off of ebay or craigslist. That 5850 will still crush most games, and easily handle SC2 at ultra.
Let's say you still want a flagship card and go for the 6970. That'll save you about $190 ; if you decide to go with a more reasonable 5850, then that'd save you $340.
4) Get an i5-2500k instead of an i7-2600k. You said you do a lot of encoding, so this one's a little iffy. Maybe you'll actually use the hyperthreading. But to me, it's still not worth the $100 price premium.
So that saves you at least $400. $545 if you get the 5850 (which can still max out SC2 really easily). And $645 if you get the 5850 and "downgrade" to an i5-2500k.
I mean, that's about $650, not a small chunk of change. And chances are that in a few years when you want to upgrade again, you'll probably be able to buy a brand new computer with that $650 which will spank the configuration you put above.
Oh, forgot the positives - I like that Z68 mobo you chose. I hear good things about ASUS's Z68 line vs their P67 line. And I like your choice of SSD. That's pretty awesome as well. And the i7 over the i5 may be the right decision for you if you do a lot of encoding.
The above suggestions are just me slicing off the fat where you're paying $$$ for what amounts to a really small increase in performance. Especially the RAM. You gain literally like 3% (not a noticeable difference) by getting higher speed RAM, and it's actually really hard to go over 4GB of RAM, much less 8 or 16.
GL with whatever you choose to do!
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EPT
