EPTBuilding a PC is like getting laid. The first time always takes the most effort, just because of subconscious fear.
Computer Build Resource Thread - Page 435
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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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JingleHell
United States11308 Posts
Building a PC is like getting laid. The first time always takes the most effort, just because of subconscious fear. | ||
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Cubbieblue66
95 Posts
On July 23 2011 16:07 JingleHell wrote: Yeah, it's really not incredibly difficult. The thing most likely to make it hard is being afraid of it. Building a PC is like getting laid. The first time always takes the most effort, just because of subconscious fear. Are you saying it'll only take me two and a half minutes to finish? | ||
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JingleHell
United States11308 Posts
On July 23 2011 16:20 Cubbieblue66 wrote: Are you saying it'll only take me two and a half minutes to finish? That would be a part of the analogy that doesn't line up quite so well. | ||
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spaZzNx-`
Hong Kong1221 Posts
How much better is the i5 2500 over the i3 2100 in terms of performance? I've noticed the clock speed is quite similar. And has anyone used the CM Silencio 550 case and what do you think of it? Thanks~~ | ||
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
Performance difference between the two depends on whether the specific application you're talking about takes advantage of the two extra cores of the core i5. Just look at benchmarks yourself and decide whether it's worth it or not: http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083/the-sandy-bridge-review-intel-core-i7-2600k-i5-2500k-core-i3-2100-tested/20 , http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core-i3-2120-2100_5.html#sect0 | ||
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spaZzNx-`
Hong Kong1221 Posts
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Womwomwom
5930 Posts
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Retgery
Canada1229 Posts
Questions answered + Show Spoiler + Budget + Show Spoiler + I'd like to keep the cost under $1000 Canadian, I'm willing to over it if necessary Resolution + Show Spoiler + I don't have a preference, nor do I feel the need to buy a ridiculous high resolution screen, so what would be an above average resolution that would be good for gaming? Used for? + Show Spoiler + Gaming mostly, and I'll hope to taking this to university next year. I really want ot spoiler my self with a gaming computer because I have never played a PC game with over 30 FPS, so keep that in mind for your recommendations. Upgrade cycle + Show Spoiler + I intend to keep this computer until i finish university. i don't plan on updating it until I really need to When do you plan on building it + Show Spoiler + As soon as the recommendations are in. I have the money saved up and I'm just waiting to order my parts. Operating system + Show Spoiler + Yes I do need one Do you plan on overclocking? + Show Spoiler + Not really sure what this involves. Is this a necessity, what's the purpose of overclocking, and does it really make a huge differnce? Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Corssfire + Show Spoiler + I've been discussing this with a friend and he suggests I crossfire 2 graphics cards together. I don't bevel it is essential but would you recommend it? Where am I getting my parts? + Show Spoiler + There is a electronic parts shop in my town, and I will probably use the cites listed on TL for parts i can't find. Thank you in advance | ||
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Myrmidon
United States9452 Posts
At around that budget, there are plenty of builds posted that meet those requirements. If you need a monitor as part of the $1000 I'd recommend forgetting about overclocking the CPU as that's really not necessary, particularly for most games. It's definitely an option though. You'd either get a i5-2500k, aftermarket heatsink, and P67 or Z68 motherboard to overclock; or instead of that a i5-2400 (i5-2500 or i5-2300) and just a H61 or H67 motherboard, saving about $80 in all. Here's the kind of performance benefit to expect from overclocking, though that comes at the cost of a little higher power consumption and those higher initial costs described above: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core-i7-2600k-990x_9.html#sect2 Here are approximate prices. Compare to what's available at the local shop. Core i5-2400 - $185 H61 or H67 motherboard - $60-90 HD 6870 or GTX 560 Ti or HD 6950 - $180 or $230 or $240 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 MHz RAM - $60-70 500 GB (1TB) hard drive - $40-45 ($55-65) Crucial M4 64GB SSD or Intel 320 80GB or similar - $120 or $160 -- optional Optical drive - $20 Case - $40+ depending on features/quality Power supply - $40-55 depending on quality for a build like that Monitor - $150-300 depending on quality, for say a 21"+ screen with standard 1920x1080 resolution OS - $30 or less as a student | ||
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
The purpose of overclocking is to run the component at higher than specified manufacturer clock speeds, therefore increasing performance and increasing performance lifespan. It's not necessary but whether it makes a huge difference depends on the specific task. Some will tell you that the new processors are already more than powerful enough and that you don't need to overclock while others will tell you otherwise. I'm on the latter boat with overclocking. This configuration comes to $873 before mail in rebates and is capable of playing all current and upcoming games on reasonably high settings at 1080p along with streaming. This leaves you with roughly $130 for your monitor. If your budget didn't include the monitor than you can also add in an SSD if you wanted to to decrease load times. Core i5 2500k @ $208 (pricematch with http://www.hltechnology.com/one_prod.php?pid=039880 ) http://ncix.com/products/?sku=57962 Gigabyte Z68 D2H @ $110 (pricematch with http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11830BD5085 ) http://ncix.com/products/?sku=61004 Mushkin 2x4GB 1333MHz @ $54 ($43 after mail in rebate) (pricematch with http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950BD3503 ) http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=55544 Gigabyte GTX 560 Ti @ $229 ($199 after mail in rebate) (pricematch with http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=11830BD9294 ) http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=58366 XFX Core Edition Pro 450 @ $47 ($37 after mail in reabte) (pricematch with http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=15180AC2804 ) http://ncix.com/products/?sku=59614 Coolermaster HAF 912 @ $49 (pricematch with http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/230752/COOLERMASTER/RC_912_KKN1/ ) http://ncix.com/products/?sku=55583 Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB @ $40 (pricematch with http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950AC9911 ) http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=58402 DVD Burner @ $19 http://ncix.com/products/?sku=60344&promoid=1304 Coolermaster Hyper 212+ @ $23 (pricematch with http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=1946101809P ) http://ncix.com/products/?sku=41337 Windows 7 Home Premium x64 @ $94 (pricematch with http://bestdirect.ca/products/222137/GFC-00599/MICROSOFT/ ) http://ncix.com/products/?sku=45271 | ||
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Denizen[9]
United States649 Posts
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
On July 24 2011 07:58 Denizen[9] wrote: do i want an onboard video chipset on my motherboard. Or is it better to get one seperate This depends on what you're doing? If you're going to be gaming, you will be purchasing a graphics card so it does not matter whether the motherboard has integrated or not. | ||
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Striker123
Canada14 Posts
HDD - Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 16MB Cache 7200RPM 3.5IN SATA Internal Hard Drive OEM CD/DVD WRITER - LG GH22NS70 Super Multi 22X SATA DVD Writer Black OEM Video Card - XFX Radeon HD 6770 850MHZ 1GB 4.8GHZ GDDR5 PCI-E DVI HDMI VGA Video Card CPU/MOBO Combo - NCIX Gaming Bundle Deal AMD Phenom II X4 955 Processor & Gigabyte GA-990XA-UD3 USB 3.0 Motherboard CPU Fan - Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus Direct Touch 4 Heatpipe Heatsink AM2 AM3 LGA1366 LGA1155 LGA1156 120MM RAM - Kingston HyperX KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX 8GB 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9 Dual Channel Memory Kit Case - Zalman Z9 Plus ATX Mid Tower Case Black 3X5.25 1X3.5 5X3.5INT No PS W/ Fan Controller & Temp Display PSU - OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W ATX 20/24PIN SLI Ready Modular Cables 135mm Fan 80PLUS Power Supply All together was around $650~ HDD: http://ncix.com/products/?sku=58402&vpn=WD5000AAKX&manufacture=Western Digital WD CD/DVD WRITER: http://www.ncix.com/products/productdetail2.php?noheader=1&sku=60731 Video Card: http://www.ncix.com/products/productdetail2.php?noheader=1&sku=61022 CPU/MOBO Combo: http://ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=62730&vpn=955&GA-990XA-UD3&manufacture=Bundle Deals&promoid=1304 CPU Fan: http://www.ncix.com/products/productdetail2.php?noheader=1&sku=41337 RAM: http://www.ncix.com/products/productdetail2.php?noheader=1&sku=58472 Case: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=57910&vpn=Z9 Plus&manufacture=ZALMAN TECH&promoid=1304 PSU: http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=35456&vpn=OCZ700MXSP&manufacture=OCZ Technology&promoid=1304 Was just wondering if I should replace any parts to get full performance out of other parts or if I can take anything out or degrade any parts because all I need is to be able to play Starcraft2 in low settings without lags throughout the entire game (w/ music and couple sites on at the same time), as long as this is satisfied, the cheapest desktop would be the best for me. Any thoughts? | ||
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Denizen[9]
United States649 Posts
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
Unfortunately, all your components are poorly selected if your only goal is playing Starcraft II on low. You do not need an aftermarket heatsink unless you are overclocking but playing Starcraft II on low does not require you to do this. So that takes $30 off the total. The DVD Burner is overpriced. This one for $19 is better: http://ncix.com/products/?sku=60344&promoid=1304 A 700w power supply is unnecessary as such a low budget configuration will never exceed 300w under a gaming load. If you want something of high quality than the XFX Core Edition 450 for $47 ($37 after mail in rebate) would be a good choice: http://ncix.com/products/?sku=59614 If you want something mediocre than a Corsair CX430 V2 for $40 (pricematch with http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950AC1394 ): http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=60345 1600MHz memory provides very little benefits over 1333MHz memory as seen in these two articles: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/memory/display/sandy-bridge-ddr3.html and http://techreport.com/articles.x/20377 Starcraft II can only utilize 2GB so 8GB is sort of unnecessary but memory is so cheap nowadays, if you want 8GB than the Mushkin 2x4GB for $54 ($43 after mail in rebate): http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=55544 - pricematch with http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950BD3503 Pricematch the Caviar Blue to $40 with http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950AC9911 Get the GTS 450 instead for $107 ($67 after mail in rebate), it's similar to the Radeon HD6770 in performance but is at a much better price: http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=57924&promoid=1304 Both cards would be able to accomplish high and ultra settings at 1080p just fyi. If you're looking for low than a Radeon HD5670 would be able to accomplish it for $70 ($50 after mail in rebate): http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=60745 A core i3 2100 offers much better performance than a second generation Phenom as seen in these articles: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core-i3-2120-2100.html , http://www.anandtech.com/show/4083 and since Starcraft II only utilizes two cores, Intel is the better choice. $115 for the core i3 2100: http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=58339&promoid=1304 and $67 for the motherboard: http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=59496 , pricematch with http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12200BD3315 | ||
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
On July 24 2011 08:26 Denizen[9] wrote: Where can i get the cheepest Operating system? For free from MSDNAA. | ||
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Denizen[9]
United States649 Posts
LG CD/DVD Burner Black IDE Model GH22NP21 - OEM 20.99 Thermaltake VL84301W2Z V3 Black Edition with 430W Power Supply ATX Mid Tower Computer Case - 69.99 Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - 44.99 MSI 870U-G55 AM3 AMD 770 USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard - 89.99 ZOTAC ZT-50401-10L GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card - 134.99 Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model KHX1333C9D3B1K2/4G - 36.99 AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX - 134.99 LG CD/DVD Burner Black IDE Model GH22NP21 - OEM - 20.99 532.93 Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM - 99.99 ASUS VH202T-P Glossy black 20" 5ms Widescreen LCD Monitor w/ aspect control - 119.99 752.91 Is there anything to upgrade or cut, im around my budget and is there a way to get easier microsoft OS. Also everything is from newegg | ||
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Inquisitor
Canada253 Posts
Ok so im back with a new build and i would like some help again as to if its any good  My goal/aims; + Show Spoiler + So ive been planning on getting a computer for gaming and wanted to get people opinions as ive never done this before What is your budget? Roughly $1000-1500cdn before taxes What is your resolution? I need to get a monitor so it really can be anything. I do happen to like my laptops 1920x1080 resolution though What are you using it for? Mainly gaming. (Currently SC2 and older games) In the foreseeable future; Deus Ex:Human Revolution, W40k Space Marine and BF3 Im planning on using my PC for more gaming now and doing very little console gaming so the majority of new games ill be getting are going to be for PC. Also School; Engineering --> Catia (3D Modeling program) and Matlab What is your upgrade cycle? Every couple of years? This is my first computer im getting for myself and not just one that my family has gotten for me/my bro/ parents. Soo it might be less?? When do you plan on building it? Within the next month. But im planning on getting the people at TigerDirect to put it together since ive never done it before Do you plan on overclocking? Possibly? Never really done it before, if its easy and not going to put my parts at risk i will be. Do you need an Operating System? Sadly yes.. I have 2 copies of W7, but they've already been used (( Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire? Possibly later in the future Where are you buying your parts from? TigerDirect as there is an actual store close to my house. ------------------------ I actually went into TD today one of the employees recommended this to me; CPU; Intel Core i5-2500k Unlocked Processor Motherboard; ASUS Sabertooth P67 B3 TUF Ed. gfx card; EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti RAM; 2x4Gb Patriot Sector 5 Desktop Memory Kit (So a total of 8GB of RAM) HD; 1TB Seagate Barracuda HD (SATA 6Gbps, 7200RPM, 32MB) PSU; 750W Corsair TX750 V2 (Apparently its 80ish% Efficient) Case; Cooler Master HAF 922M ATX Mid Tower Additional stuff; Cooler Master V8 CPU Fan (120mm Fan with Aluminum Fins) Philips 21.5" SmartTouch HD Monitor (1920x1080 Resolution) Now all of that ended up coming up under my price range (as its priced at ~$1300) which is awesome, but i still would need a W7 Client($100), keyboard(~$75) and an additional cost of $180 for them to put it together since i have no idea how to do such thing ) So my first question is, is the build that the guy game me actually good for what im wanting? (I think it is as it seemed to have some of the things i was actually looking at and saying i think that would be best for me like the gfx card and CPU, but i honestly could be completely wrong haha) If not what would you change or suggest and why? (So i can learn why the suggestion is better ) And secondly, is getting a SSD in conjunction with the 1TB HD worth it? If i got it i would load my OS, Catia, Matlab / other large programs and possibly some games onto it. The thing is, the one the guy suggested seems to be really damn expensive (ocz Agility 3 - 120GB SSD with SATA3 --> $212 after a mail in rebate --> http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applicatio...&Sku=O261-8201) Im rather on the fence about it because from what ive heard they make loading up everything really damn fast BUT its expensive and 120GB isnt enough for me to single handed-ly use on its own and if i went for both HHD and SSD it would throw me well over my price range (I can afford it still, its just a bit more then i would be hoping for as it comes to roughly $1850 after rebates and stuff ) So are the advantages really worth it?? Should i even bother with using both? And there are much cheaper smaller SSDs on their site which are slightly slower and roughly 30-60GB in size at about $70-100, would it be more beneficial for me to get one of those over the $200 one suggested to me? Thanks But from your guys help i found out i could get a cheaper comp. / one thats more suited for what i wanted. Soo. What i came up with (No idea if its any good since its my first time  )CPU; Intel i5 2500K 3.3GHz Sandy Bridge 6MB ($238.99) MotherBoard; MSI P67A-GD65 B3 ($182.99 --> $159 after MIRB) PSU; OCZ ModxStream Pro 600W (89.99 --> $54.99 after MIRB) RAM; 8GB G.Skill Ripjaws ($54.85) GPU;GeForce GTX560 Ti ($254.99 --> $214.99 after MIRB and Savings Code) Heatsink; Coolermaster Hyper 212 Plus Direct Touch 4 Heatpipe Heat Sink AM2 ($29.98) Case; Coolermaster Haf912 Black Mid Tower ATX Case ($59.99) HDD; Seagate Barracuda 1TB SATA 32MB ($55.98 SSD; OCZ Agility 3 120GB 2.5" SATA3 Sandforce ($222.27 --> $192 after MIRB) CD/DVD Drive; LG Super Multi 22x SATA DVD Writer (24.98) [There wasnt an option to choose that $19 one people suggested  ]Network Card; ASUS PCE-N13 Wireless Network Adapter ($24.07) [I believe the motherboard i chose doesnt have a wireless network card built in, so i need something to connect wirelessly to my home network] Sound Card; Diamond Xtreme Sound 7.1 Channel 24Bit 96KHZ PCI Sound Card ($39.99 --> 20.29 after MIRB) [From the reviews i read, it sounded like getting a sound card would be better then using the inboard Motherboard one] Cost; ~$1438 before rebates (and Taxes?) The one Tiger Direct gave me was ~1780 after tax --> sooo im saving a good couple hundred and getting a ~$200 SSD which wasnt included in their price quote :D My Questions; 1. Will this work for me/ is everything compatible? 2. The case will fit everything i chose right? and wont need extra fans? 3. Is there anything else i should be getting or changing? If anyone knows of anywhere online thats selling that stuff cheaper and is willing to show me it would be greatly appreciated due to NCIX's price matching in Canada Thanks! :D | ||
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
MSI GD65 for $174: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=12980BD1222 Coolermaster HAF 912 for $49: http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/230752/COOLERMASTER/RC_912_KKN1/ 2x4GB Mushkins for $54 ($44 after mail in rebate): http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950BD3503 ModXStream are mediocre. XFX Core Edition Pro 650 would be a better choice for $75 ($55 after mail in rebate): http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=59616&promoid=1304 Provides more power and is of higher quality. OCZ Agility 3 for $190: http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/PID-MX33366(ME).aspx Hyper 212+ for $23: http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=1946101809P What option are you talking about? You add all the components to your cart and add the assembly for $50: http://ncix.com/products/?sku=7842 You do not configure it through the PC builder fyi. | ||
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Chapes
United States30 Posts
(Summary from Speccy, I can elaborate more if I need to. I added links to the specific part I have.) -Summary- Operating System MS Windows 7 Ultimate 32-bit CPU Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 @ 3.16GHz 45 °C Wolfdale 45nm Technology http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115036 RAM 2.0GB Single-Channel DDR2 @ 266MHz (4-4-4-12) Mushkin (couldn't find a link). Motherboard ASUSTeK Computer INC. P5VD2-MX SE (CPU 1) 29 °C http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131162 Graphics HP w2338h (1920x1080@59Hz) ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series (Sapphire/PCPartner) 62 °C It's a ATI Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 1GB DDR5. In sc2 it says that the recommended settings are Ultra, but it lags a little and in a big battle I get 1fps. Medium setting seem alright until you get in a huge battle, so I keep the settings on low to keep everything as smooth as possible. I still think it's a bit old and needs replaced though. http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeon-HD4870-PCI-Express-Graphics/dp/B001J6FS3I Hard Drives I bought a 640gb and I guess the actual capacity is 625gb. 625GB Western Digital WDC WD6400AAKS-22A7B2 ATA Device (SATA) 33 °C http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136218 Optical Drives This is a part I didn't think needed replaced, I can't remember if it's sata or not. LITE-ON DVDRW LH-20A1P ATA Device Power Supply: CORSAIR CMPSU-450VX 450W ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply. This power supply seems like something I could keep and would last me 3-4 more years. I think I bought it a year ago w/ the case. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139003 Case: Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case This definitely should be good to go. Less money I have to put out for a new case. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021 Important details that may save me money!: I have a decent case and power supply so I may be able to keep them. My motherboard and memory are pretty bad so they have to go. I think my video card and CPU is about average, but probably needs replaced. I already have a DVD burner that's around 4 years old that is still working fine (maybe on borrowed time?). I have a 7200rpm 640GB HDD that I should be able to carry over. I don't need a keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, etc. What is your budget? ALL $ is USD!! I live in the United States. $500-$700 (anything at or around $700 is alright). I saw a thread where you could build a very good core i5 2500 build for around $700 so ever since then 700 has been stuck in my head. What is your resolution? 23" 1920x1080 What are you using it for? SC2 and school (computer science). For sc2, I mainly just 1v1 on low settings atm, but I would like to play sc2 on max settings whenever I feel like it. For school, I'll probably be using CAD programs and I can handle them alright with my current build. I mainly want a computer that will last 3-4 years and feels like a big upgrade from what I have now. What is your upgrade cycle? 3-4 years I'm going to be a sophomore this year and I would like it to last at least until I get out of college. When do you plan on building it? Within the next month. Do you plan on overclocking? Maybe. I'm willing to spend the $10 extra for the option to overclock in the future, but right now I don't really want to shell out the extra $$ for overclocking because I'll mainly be using the computer for school and sc2. At the time of this post I think the i5 2500k is $219 and the i5 2500 is $209, so it might be worth it to get the 2500k and overclock in the future. Do you need an Operating System? No. I can get one through my school. BUT!! I have the option of getting 32 or 64 bit. Which one should I get? Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire? No. 1 good card should suffice? Where are you buying your parts from? Newegg probably, unless there's somewhere else you recommend. I live in the United States. Any details I overlooked I'll be happy to provide if you let me know through a PM or in this thread. I'll try to watch this thread and my PM's until I'm satisfied with a build. Thanks! | ||
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