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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 18 2010 18:41 R04R wrote:
Bought a Hyper 212 from Fry's for $30 as it was in stock for once. I have to take the whole mobo out? T_T I'll do this tomorrow. How is Cooler master's paste anyway? I can settle with it for now especially if it's at least an improvement from a stock AMD cooler paste, but I might pick up IC Diamond 7 (1.5g) or OCZ Freeze Extreme (3g) for around $7 either one. Also, since heat rises up, I think I'm going to mount the heatsink so the fan blows air upwards, if the space in my case permits; is that a good idea?
If you have an "older" case with the PSU at the top, be wary as you're just venting hot air into the PSU, which is already immensly hot itself. This is why people mount their heatsinks vertically, so the heatsink fan blows air towards the back of the case where the rear exhaust fan is. While its true that with the positioning, hot air is still probably going into the PSU, it would be [should be] far less than just force blowing into it.
If you have a newer case with the PSU at the bottom, orientation is moot because you have [usually] two exhaust fans working together to vent out hot case air. Though, mounting the heatsink horizontally, you might have clearance issues with RAM or other components.
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On August 18 2010 10:51 FragKrag wrote:
I have that Patriot XPorter and I don't like it because a. the Cap and b. it's really fat. It easily takes up 2 USB slots :/
as far as gaming headsets go, if you're only going to game I don't see why you aren't getting a cheaper one.
Still want something decent for music without breaking the bank.
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On August 19 2010 06:58 mishimaBeef wrote:Show nested quote +On August 18 2010 10:51 FragKrag wrote:
I have that Patriot XPorter and I don't like it because a. the Cap and b. it's really fat. It easily takes up 2 USB slots :/
as far as gaming headsets go, if you're only going to game I don't see why you aren't getting a cheaper one. Still want something decent for music without breaking the bank.
buy headphones and headsets seperately.
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I have a CM690 II, so the PSU is mounted on the bottom. I didn't have to take out the motherboard because I'm awesome and it only took an hour along with doing a little more cable management. Big win. 120mm fan > 92mm fan. I ended up mounting it horizontally and having the fan push air upwards as the way the installation bracket was installed made this the easier option instead of a vertical mount.
I have pictures but there's no SD drive to upload on the the desktop so I'll do it some other time on my laptop.
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Are there parts from your computer that are salvageable? What's your max budget/tax? Your RAM isn't compatible with your mobo, and your cpu needs a heatsink. Do you need an OS? Are you near a microcenter? I'll try and come up with a build. It'll help if you can answer the questions I asked.
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United States8477 Posts
I like deconduo's build except for this change:
Swap his psu and dvd burner for this combo. The dvd burner is the most highly rated burner on newegg and you won't need 550w for your psu, so 500w is more than enough.
OCZ 500W + ASUS Burner -$42
Edit: Nvm, it's only like $4 cheaper, so it really doesn't matter which you pick.
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United States9452 Posts
Isn't 2 GB RAM probably enough for now? If you're looking to save money now, R04R's build is cheaper, and both builds can be reduced by going with 2 GB and upgrading when you have the money.
The 9500 GT I'm not so sure about. HD 4670 was only $5 more and should be considerably better, so I would stick with that or go with a GT 240 ($80, $50 with MIR) for medium-medium/high settings.
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United States8477 Posts
How id R04R's build cheaper? o_O
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Well when you subtract the monitor from my build, he spent $84 more than me. Add a core and change the card to 5770 and we're the same budget. So... \(o_O)/
He doesn't need anything more than a GTS 250 to fulfill his requirements, though. Especially at 1280x1024, although the monitor I suggested is 1600x900.
OCZ for RAM and Biostar is a bit dodgy. If I went for those mine could be even more cheaper.
I don't count MIRs :x The upfront cost is more and those MIRs isn't really "deducted" from the total, you still have to spend it later on.
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United States8477 Posts
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R04R's build is nice. But I'd recommend going with only 2GB of ram & getting ECS GTS 250 instead of 9500GT. You'll be able to play even with high details (especially if you o/c this x2 - usually ocs nicely, this board is great for o/c as well).
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On August 19 2010 22:34 R04R wrote:
Well when you subtract the monitor from my build, he spent $84 more than me. Add a core and change the card to 5770 and we're the same budget. So... \(o_O)/
He doesn't need anything more than a GTS 250 to fulfill his requirements, though. Especially at 1280x1024, although the monitor I suggested is 1600x900.
OCZ for RAM and Biostar is a bit dodgy. If I went for those mine could be even more cheaper.
I don't count MIRs :x The upfront cost is more and those MIRs isn't really "deducted" from the total, you still have to spend it later on.
Actually the MIRs send you a cheque, its not something crappy like a discount the next time you buy from them. You do have to wait 6-8 weeks to get the rebates though. Your build is pretty good actually, though that Antec PSU is very old. You should probably switch it for one of the OCZ ones, or the Antec 520W Neo Eco. They are all similarly priced.
The Biostar mobo is fine, I've used it for a few people I've had no complaints about it. I do agree with you about the OCZ ram, it is a small bit of a gamble. I looked at some reviews and that set should be reliable though, very few complaints about it.
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My friend with a 4870/Core2 e6600 is doing fine...except he only has 2GB RAM. His frame rate is great...until he crashes out b/c of a Page Pool/page file nonsense. Don't skimp on RAM, because SC2 easily eats up 1.5GB of it.
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hi, i'm 100% new to building custom computers. I'm looking for something as cheap as possible that can run SC2 at low-medium settings. I was looking at Deconduo's post above mine and it seems like a good deal. But I was wondering if after I buy all the parts and put it all together do I still have to buy Windows for it?
also does anybody know a good website that i can order from in Canada? I live in Kamloops BC.
thanks
EDIT- I also just found this computer on sale used and was wondering if its worth it since I'm clueless about computers. its $575 Canadian and is being sold because the internet cafe shut down.
2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4 GB RAM
512 MB Video Card
250 GB Hard Drive
DVD-RW
Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers
Windows 7 Home Premium
theres also this laptop for $650 (not sure if a laptop is worth it since I'm not sure if it could be upgraded if needed)
Intel Core i3 330 CPU
4 GB DDR3 RAM
640 GB 7200rpm HDD
Radeon Mobility HD 5650 1 GB DDR3 (is this a 1GB video card?)
15.6″ LED LCD
802.11n Wireless internet
64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium
also would it possibly be worth my time to buy a cheap computer (like $100) and just add ram and a video card? or would the motherboard have to be upgraded too?
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On August 20 2010 02:53 zekie wrote:
hi, i'm 100% new to building custom computers. I'm looking for something as cheap as possible that can run SC2 at low-medium settings. I was looking at Deconduo's post above mine and it seems like a good deal. But I was wondering if after I buy all the parts and put it all together do I still have to buy Windows for it?
also does anybody know a good website that i can order from in Canada? I live in Kamloops BC.
thanks
EDIT- I also just found this computer on sale used and was wondering if its worth it since I'm clueless about computers. its $575 Canadian and is being sold because the internet cafe shut down.
2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4 GB RAM
512 MB Video Card
250 GB Hard Drive
DVD-RW
Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers
Windows 7 Home Premium
also would it possibly be worth my time to buy a cheap computer (like $100) and just add ram and a video card? or would the motherboard have to be upgraded too?
Yes you would need to buy windows for it. If you are a student you can get it for $30 though.
As for that system; The 512MB graphics card means nothing, I'd need to know what make it is to know anything about it. Same with the CPU. Seems a bit overpriced though for something second hand.
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ok, so I got my all of my parts in the mail and i'm ready to build this computer
but I have no idea how
I've looked online for guides and i can seem to get started
i don't know what to do first and i need help
does anyone know any really good guides for me to follow?
thanks
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On August 20 2010 03:35 Fiendish wrote:
ok, so I got my all of my parts in the mail and i'm ready to build this computer
but I have no idea how
I've looked online for guides and i can seem to get started
i don't know what to do first and i need help
does anyone know any really good guides for me to follow?
thanks
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/274745-13-step-step-guide-building
Don't forget to post pictures of it when you are finished 
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EPT
