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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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Hi there, I was wondering if someone might be able to help me decide on a computer to order. Basically I want to be able to play SC2 on the highest settings while streaming as well as do some digital music creation and editing.
I have been looking at two builds my buddy suggested and was wondering if the community could chip in on which they think is better, or if I should go with something else altogether. I'm sort of a newbie when it comes to building computers and I don't think I could build one from scratch myself.
The two builds my buddy suggested are:
NCIX.com build #1
and
HalifaxPC.com build #2
Do you guys see any issue with either build, or have any suggestions to improve the builds without jacking up the price? Or are these complete overkill and would I be able to accomplish the same things with cheaper less robust builds?
In the interest of not pissing anybody off I have also answered the initial questions below:
What is your budget?
~$800-1200
What is your resolution?
I'm not really sure here as I'm so noob.
What are you using it for?
I want to use it to play SC2 on the best settings, stream, browse webpages, edit and create digital music.
What is your upgrade cycle?
I usually buy a new computer every 4-5 years as I'm terrible with these things.
When do you plan on building it?
I want to order ASAP. My current computer lags up in big fights running SC2 on all the lowest settings.
Do you plan on overclocking?
Probably not, I have never done it.
Do you need an Operating System?
Yes.
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
I'd imagine no. Not familiar with this stuff.
Where are you buying your parts from?
I was thinking of ordering a PC from www.HalifaxPC.com or www.NCIX.com.
Finally, thank you for all your help! It is much appreciated.
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What is your budget?
Around £600 which is about $950
What is your resolution?
Just got a new monitor so resolution up to 1920x1200
What are you using it for?
Nothing more than gaming.
What is your upgrade cycle?
Around a 2 year upgrade cycle.
When do you plan on building it?
Within 2 months. Not in any rush so if anything really worth waiting for its possible.
Do you plan on overclocking?
No plans to overclock, with a long upgrade cycle would rather things last.
Do you need an Operating System?
Need an OS yes. Prefer some Windows7 home etc
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
Not 100% if this would be needed, please advise. As mentioned I just want the rig for gaming. Would this boost my experience more or not so much?
Where are you buying your parts from?
Generally www.ebuyer.co.uk or www.dabs.com
Notes:
Have looked into RAID 0 a little and was thinking this might be quite nice to boost the speed of the machine. Again in terms of just gaming would this be benefitial?
Currently have 2 x 2gb ram sticks. After looking around people say you don't really need more than 4 for gaming so could spare this, your thoughts.
Also have a Nvidia GeForce GTS 450. Don't think so but might be usful still. After checking the section about GPU I think I'd need a new one for the resolution I now have. Just mentioning it anyway.
Regards
James
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@Sonic: Get more specific on "gaming" and what sort of settings you like to play at. Names of specific games are also handy. If you want to know if you can use your old RAM, you kind of need to say what type it is. And no, RAID0 is relatively useless for gaming, unless you do a lot of single player stuff with long load times.
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Is it the end of the world if my CPU was at 100c for 15 min? I have realised what the probleme was and the max temp on prime are 76 now :S
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Is the HAF X overkill for most computer builds? I'm thinking about building a computer in the next couple of months and for some reason this case has just really caught my eye. I've done some minor work (adding memory, adding a hard drive, switching video cards) in my current case, and I really like the idea of having a lot of room to work with.
I guess the better question would be: Is this a good case overall?
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On August 16 2011 10:51 So no fek wrote:Is the HAF X overkill for most computer builds? I'm thinking about building a computer in the next couple of months and for some reason this case has just really caught my eye. I've done some minor work (adding memory, adding a hard drive, switching video cards) in my current case, and I really like the idea of having a lot of room to work with. I guess the better question would be: Is this a good case overall?
If you're hitting that high of a price point, you might consider going up a bit for the Thermaltake Level 10 GT. It's a fair chunk more, but obviously you don't consider price to be as important as other things.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4525/thermaltake-level-10-gt-monument-to-excess
If you're looking in the expensive price range, I suggest shopping around.
But the HAF line is in fact decent.
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Which components are the most time sensitive? I only have about $200 right now...
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5930 Posts
Yes, don't get a full tower. The HAF X isn't really a well designed case anyway: with labour, tooling, material, and shipping costs to take care of, I'm not surprised many case manufacturers can sell their cases for so cheap since all of them are literally square boxes with holes cut in the typical spaces.
Room is a non-factor, if you find it hard to work within today's mid towers I'm not sure what to say - they're all huge, bigger than the mid towers of yesterday, and they all use some sort of tool-less features.
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On August 16 2011 12:02 flavorless wrote:
Which components are the most time sensitive? I only have about $200 right now...
You're probably best off just saving up a little while and then buying at once, unless you see an excellent deal show up. If something hard to pass up shows up on various sites, it will frequently end up here listed here.
On August 16 2011 12:06 Womwomwom wrote:
Yes, don't get a full tower. The HAF X isn't really a well designed case anyway: with labour, tooling, material, and shipping costs to take care of, I'm not surprised many case manufacturers can sell their cases for so cheap since all of them are literally square boxes with holes cut in the typical spaces.
Room is a non-factor, if you find it hard to work within today's mid towers I'm not sure what to say - they're all huge, bigger than the mid towers of yesterday, and they all use some sort of tool-less features.
With the exception of the Lanboy Air. It uses gimmicks in place of convenience. Decent gimmicks if you want them and get informed first, but gimmicks nonetheless. Well, I guess the side panels are tool-less, but when you have to pull 7 thumbscrews per side, it doesn't feel very tool-less.
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Is there anything terribly excellent (price wise) out of Skyr's build for me?
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None of it really screams "Must buy me now" to me off the top of my head, but I gotta admit, I don't track prices as much as some of the other guys.
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5930 Posts
Buy together, don't buy in piecemeal. If you have everything together, you can confirm whether or not something is dead.
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Well, how much more would you put and when into it ?
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Ok. Unless anybody tells me otherwise, I'll just save and come back in a couple of months. Is that ok? I feel kind of bad just asking for help and not contributing anything.
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Nah, rude is when you get the advice and keep asking "Is this build that I just randomly slapped together because of x rumor that flies in the face of the solid information backed by benchmarks a good idea?"
Not having the money to buy what you want right now doesn't offend anyone.
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The important thing is to buy when you can get what you want and need, and not regret afterwards because you spent money on something that doesnt meet your recquierements.
I read what you said before, you would need probably an i3-2100, cheap h61, 4gb ram and depending on your resolution, gts450 or gtx460 id guess.
These builds would cost like 275-300 at most.
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Thanks again for your help.
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EPT
