EPTWith all the settings on low, your hardware should not be a problem unless it is overheating but that shouldn't be the case since you mentioned you cleaned it out recently.
Computer Build Resource Thread - Page 516
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
With all the settings on low, your hardware should not be a problem unless it is overheating but that shouldn't be the case since you mentioned you cleaned it out recently. | ||
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Divergence
Canada363 Posts
What is your budget? Factoring in the cost of the computer and the monitor I don't want to be over $1000. Although, this is more of an upper bound. I don't want to spend more than I need. I value cost effectiveness over raw performance. What is your resolution? Well this I don't know. Whatever the modern resolutions are. So I suppose 1920x1200 or 1680x1050 (just going by what was mentioned in this thread). Current resolution is 1280x800 (lol). What are you using it for? Gaming, though the most modern game I play is SC2. There are no games I am anticipating in the future (except Diablo 3). I currently play SC2 on lowest settings so anything is an improvement. Aside from that most games I play are low graphics requirements (Poker, Tetris, older FPS games). Tbh I'm not sure about whether or not I want to stream. Currently I have no intention to but I'd be curious to know how I would have to modify the build in order to make streaming a possibility (I'm assuming it would be the difference between a quad core CPU and a dual core). What is your upgrade cycle? I've had my current laptop for about 3.5 years, so I want my upgrade cycle to be about 3 years. When do you plan on building it? Now (asap). My current computer is dying and becoming more unstable each day. Do you plan on overclocking? Currently no. I may be a little ignorant about overclocking, but basically I don't want to wear out my parts (or even risk damaging them) to get extra performance that I don't really need or want. Do you need an Operating System? No. Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire? No. Where are you buying your parts from? I live in Canada so either newegg.ca or NCIX. I'm also looking for monitor recommendations The monitor I've been using for the last 3 years is a 15" laptop monitor. I want to buy a nice monitor (it is included in my budget), but one thing I'm wondering about is which size to go with. I've heard people mention that really large monitors are tough for SC2 because you have to physically move your head to look at the minimap (which leads to neck strain). If I were to buy something massive it may be a shock to me having used such a small screen for a long time, and it may be unnecessarily expensive. I'm thinking something around 22" would be nice, but perhaps some people here could give me advice. As for what brand/model of monitor to buy I have no clue. I don't really know what to look for in monitors aside from size and resolution. Once again, thanks for reading. | ||
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
24" 1920x1080 is sort of the norm these days. It's not big and you don't have to move your head to see the minimap. Don't know where you heard these claims... either their eyes can't move, they're bad, or they just make it hard on themselves for no reason. Most TN panels are generally the same in performance, just go to the store and pick whichever looks the best. This configuration isn't overclockable and will be able to handle current and upcoming games on reasonably high settings at 1080p, also capable of streaming. Totals to $602 before mail in rebates, leaving you with roughly $400 for your monitor or any components you wish to upgrade. Intel Core i5 2400 @ $189 (pricematch with http://www.reddata.ca/product/intel-core-i5-2400 ) http://ncix.com/products/?sku=57964 Intel H61 @ $67 (pricematch with http://www.agileelectronics.ca/prod_details/tab/details.asp?prod_id=BOXDH61WWB3 ) http://ncix.com/products/?sku=59496 XFX Radeon HD6850 @ $160 ($130 after mail in rebate) http://ncix.com/products/?sku=56991&promoid=1367 + Show Spoiler + or a Gigabyte Radeon HD6870 @ $185 ($155 after mail in rebate) http://ncix.com/products/?sku=58226&promoid=1367 or a Gigabyte GTX 560 Ti @ $227 ($197 after mail in rebate) (pricematch with http://infonec.com/site/main.php?module=detail&id=456025 ) http://ncix.com/products/?sku=58366 XFX Core Edition 450 @ $51 ($36 after mail in rebate) (pricematch with http://www.directcanada.com/products/?sku=16950AC3542 ) http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=63238 Coolermaster Elite 370 @ $38 http://ncix.com/products/?sku=55447&promoid=1367 + Show Spoiler + or any case to your liking Mushkin 2x4GB 1333MHz @ $40 ($35 after mail in rebate) http://ncix.com/products/?sku=55544&promoid=1367 Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB @ $40 (pricematch with http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7281716 ) http://ncix.com/products/?sku=58402 + Show Spoiler + you can get the 1TB variant if you need more space. You can even add an SSD for a boot drive as well with this budget. DVD Burner @ $17 (pricematch with http://www.bestdirect.ca/products/225965/DRW-24B1ST Bulk/ASUS/ ) http://ncix.com/products/?sku=49597 | ||
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JingleHell
United States11308 Posts
Hell, most people don't even use most of their display for active gaming anyway. Generally people tend to use roughly the bottom two thirds, and either the bottom left or bottom right more, depending on interface. | ||
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Kinetik_Inferno
United States1431 Posts
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
Any heatsink that is 1156 compatible is 1155 compatible fyi. The two use the same mounting holes. | ||
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JingleHell
United States11308 Posts
On August 28 2011 08:12 Kinetik_Inferno wrote: Can someone recommend a good HSF combination that is decently quiet and very good at cooling, but also LGA 1155 compatible? http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1629/6/ You can check pricing vs efficiency off there. As for noise levels, you'll probably have to check SilentPCReview.com, or you can try just going off of the dB levels listed for each one, but that ignores harmonics based on heat sink design. | ||
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Divergence
Canada363 Posts
What's your opinion on getting extended warranty, such as NCIX's Extended Service Plan? | ||
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JingleHell
United States11308 Posts
On August 28 2011 08:24 Divergence wrote: Thanks skyR! What's your opinion on getting extended warranty, such as NCIX's Extended Service Plan? Most people consider that to be an utter scam. By the time a typical good hardware warranty wears off, you're obsolete enough that you can probably upgrade for the combined cost of extended warranties on all your parts. | ||
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guMmiwormz
United States312 Posts
I have a xfx 550, which i think is more then enough for my build but its been making a buzzing noise when I turn it on. Or is that just perfectly normal and I shouldnt be worried. | ||
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
On August 28 2011 08:24 Divergence wrote: Thanks skyR! What's your opinion on getting extended warranty, such as NCIX's Extended Service Plan? Most components come with a three, five, or lifetime warranty. If you want to deal with NCIX instead of dealing with the manufacturer directly (because it's local or you think the direct RMA process is daunting) than I guess it's worth it. All memory comes with lifetime warranty. The XFX power supply comes with five year warranty and the XFX graphics card comes with lifetime warranty, both need to be registered on the website (don't forget this...). Intel stuff comes with three year warranty. On August 28 2011 08:32 guMmiwormz wrote: is it normal for a psu to be making a slight buzzing sound while on? I have a xfx 550, which i think is more then enough for my build but its been making a buzzing noise when I turn it on. Or is that just perfectly normal and I shouldnt be worried. It's probably coil whine. Nothing wrong with it, if you find it annoying than you can RMA it. | ||
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Divergence
Canada363 Posts
I got a recommended number of 374W. This site recommends that I exceed that recommendation by about 100W. Do you think that is unreasonable? Should I consider getting a bigger power supply (the one you gave was 450W)? I may have done the calculation wrong also. | ||
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Rachnar
France1526 Posts
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Divergence
Canada363 Posts
On August 28 2011 08:41 Rachnar wrote: dont worry, thats 374w with an extreme oc, probably wont pull more then 150w I said no OC when I did that calculation. | ||
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
Wattage also means very little since some manufacturers like to overlabel the power supply. Ex, a 360w power supply will be labeled as 500w. It's the 12v rails that matter since it's the rail that powers the most power hungry components such as the CPU and GPU. The XFX Core Edition 450 provides 34a on them which is equivalent to a mediocre 500w power supply. A 6850 uses around 100w while a core i5 2400 uses around 55w, both under full load. The rest of the components use measly amounts so you'll have a hard time exceeding 200w, yet alone what the XFX Core Edition 450 provides. | ||
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guMmiwormz
United States312 Posts
On August 28 2011 08:32 skyR wrote: Most components come with a three, five, or lifetime warranty. If you want to deal with NCIX instead of dealing with the manufacturer directly (because it's local or you think the direct RMA process is daunting) than I guess it's worth it. All memory comes with lifetime warranty. The XFX power supply comes with five year warranty and the XFX graphics card comes with lifetime warranty, both need to be registered on the website (don't forget this...). Intel stuff comes with three year warranty. It's probably coil whine. Nothing wrong with it, if you find it annoying than you can RMA it. k so its totally fine if it sounds like a cricket all the time?  On a related note, the computer works fine, but sometimes when turning on or off i have to manually flip the switch a couple times on the PSU or fiddle around with it and the power button. Should it be any concern? Thanks a lot. | ||
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Rachnar
France1526 Posts
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Pharax
Canada62 Posts
What is your budget? $1400 Canadian. What is your resolution? 1920x1080 What are you using it for? This computer is going to be both my working station and gaming station. And by working, I mean heavy photography work. First priority : The likes of Photoshop and Lightroom have to run very smoothly. That is my absolute, no-compromise priority. I rely on that to earn part of my food. Second priority : gaming at high / ultra settings. Third priority : Streaming (starcraft 2 for certain. Maybe photoshop, but not important anymore). What is your upgrade cycle? This one is going to be a bit funky. Due to sudden change of plans, I am going to leave the country (along with the computer) in autumn 2012, for 6 months . That means i'm probably looking for a sweet-spot build centered around the i5 2500k and upgrade some pieces in the year following my return. Does that sound like a good idea? When do you plan on building it? ASAP. I am torn between ordering the parts before august 31 (seems like alot of awesome discounts end that day), or will september make them drop even further? Do you plan on overclocking? Yes. Nothing too crazy, but yes. Might as well get the most out of this sweetspot build. Do you need an Operating System? No, that's about the only thing I have already. Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire? No. Where are you buying your parts from? Probably NCIX since it seems to widely used in canada. I don't really mind. All I want is the lowest price for the parts I pick (I hear NCIX has price matching policy). IMPORTANT EXTRA INFORMATION : This is a COMPLETE build. and by complete I mean I will need BOTH a new case and a new monitor (planning to add a second monitor in the future). The case doesn't have to be a super flashy gamer thing with hazard lights, wings and a jetpack. I want something solid, reliable and efficient. A side window is a plus (let's face it, it's damn nice), but not a priority at all. Thanks in advance for the help | ||
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Kinetik_Inferno
United States1431 Posts
So, where on this motherboard does the HSF mount onto? I'm using this HSF, as recommended above. EDIT: I'm using only two RAM sticks, so I can put them on the slots farther away. Also, the sticks themselves don't have heat dissipators, so there won't be an issue of them sticking out. | ||
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
Pharax, I'll get a build in a second. | ||
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