EPTOn August 21 2010 12:35 Myrmidon wrote:
and GeneralStan recommend only 1 GB of DDR3 RAM? o_O
and GeneralStan recommend only 1 GB of DDR3 RAM? o_O
He was looking for an ultra budget solution >.>
Computer Build Resource Thread - Page 52
| Forum Index > Tech Support |
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. | ||
|
GeneralStan
United States4789 Posts
He was looking for an ultra budget solution >.> | ||
Hyde
Australia14568 Posts
On August 21 2010 18:50 haduken wrote: Generally speaking, when you change your RAM type, you are looking at changing the motherboard as well. Changing to DDR2 is not recommended as DDR3 ram and motherboard have reached price parity versus DDR2. So, let me summarize this, tell her she will be better off upgrading the RAM + MOTHERBOARD + CPU. I upgraded mine for less than $400 dollars, I'm sure you can do better than that. For Australians, you should refer to forums.whirlpool.net.au for information on shops and pricing. use www.staticice.com for pricing check. Thank you Haduken, I will tell her what you have written as well as your recommendations. Also thanks for the price check link. Cheers mate  | ||
|
Myrmidon
United States9452 Posts
i3-540 vs. Phenom II X4 955 depends on the game. Differences in general should be pretty small, except in the rare games that use all cores effectively, in which the AMD product is better. For SC2, i3-540 should be enough without overclocking. If you overclocked a non-trivial amount, you'd need an aftermarket heatsink/fan. GambleVII: The i5-760 in general would be a better deal than the Phenom II X6 1055T even if they were the same price. Only if you do heavy encoding work or something that actually uses 6 cores all the time, would the X6 1055T outperform the i5-760. I don't know, probably large/heavy items like case and PSU should be picked up locally. Which canadacomputers location would you go to? Part availability depends on the store location. | ||
|
aznheat80
United States186 Posts
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229193 how well would sc2 run on this? thanks! | ||
|
Fruscainte
4596 Posts
On August 22 2010 09:17 aznheat80 wrote: hey, i'm currently looking for a computer ($500-750) to play sc2. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229193 how well would sc2 run on this? thanks! You are so much better off building a computer with 750$. You can make one way better than the one you linked with that money. | ||
|
FragKrag
United States11554 Posts
On August 22 2010 09:17 aznheat80 wrote: hey, i'm currently looking for a computer ($500-750) to play sc2. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229193 how well would sc2 run on this? thanks! Depending on the resolution, probably around medium-high. | ||
|
JackRipper
79 Posts
Would that also leave me in a better position to upgrade later on without changing the motherboard as someone earlier had said that AMD is still planning to use the same motherboard type next year? If a X4 635/GTX 460 1GB works well together, would that need a cooling fan? Also, how many watts would a PSU for that need? Would this X4 635/motherboard combo be a good deal (upgradable/reliable parts) GPU: AMD Athlon X4 635 Motherboard: ASUS M4A77TD 770 AM3 DDR3 Motherboard http://www.ncix.com/products/?sku=51388&vpn=635 & M4A77TD&manufacture=Bundle Deals $205.94, MIR 190.94 | ||
|
R04R
United States1631 Posts
If you don't plan to overclock, no you do not need an aftermarket heatsink. Although, I replaced the AMD heatsink because it was too loud even at 50% fan speed. An aftermarket heatsink that would give respectable results would begin at the $30 range. That motherboard is of an old chipset, which doesn't provide USB3 or SATA 6.0gbps. Newer technology in USB and SSD speeds will be bottlenecked by it. If you don't plan on getting an SSD in the future before you replace the motherboard, it's a fine budget solution. | ||
|
SONE
Canada839 Posts
| ||
|
Myrmidon
United States9452 Posts
If you want AMD for future upgrade options, considering your price range, a Phenom II X2 is probably the best. The X2 550 is the cheapest one listed. With this motherboard, you'll have saved a lot compared to the i3-540. To be safe, throw in a Hyper 212 Plus so you can overclock the Phenom II X2. They also overclock pretty decently. There's also a possibility that one or more cores can be unlocked, which is a plus, though it probably doesn't make much of a difference if at all in SC2. | ||
|
Plyte
United States30 Posts
Current budget : 130-140$ after the Cooler Master HAF Currently I have the Sonata 3 by antec computer case with the built in battery. I'm thinking of upgrading to the Cooler Master HAF 932, but i have no idea what battery to get with it. Also would i need a new cpu cooler, since I'm currently using the stock cooler. My thought would be that if the new case has a lot of ventilation then I probably wouldn't need a cpu cooler. At Idle, the case usually runs around 130 F and the MB at 110 F. Rig listed: Intel Core i7 930 6 GB RAM 5770 ati radeon 1TB hard drive P6T Asus Motherboard | ||
|
JimSocks
United States968 Posts
plus, the i7 (1366 socket series) and its motherboards run hot to begin with. if you buy a new case, you can always reuse the power supply from the antec case. if you want to buy a new power supply, corsair brand is good. Antec trupower and earthwatt is also good. something around 650-750 watt. | ||
|
R04R
United States1631 Posts
CNPS10x Performa: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118059 SilenX Effizio: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835226031 Gelid Tranquillo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835426023 Scythe Mugen: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185142 Xigmatek Dark Knight: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029 Cooler Master v6 Red: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103088 I only went up to $50 for the heatsinks. Depending on how you answer the questions it can go higher. The PSU should take priority, though. | ||
|
Myrmidon
United States9452 Posts
Again, see if the rear fan setting is on high right now, as that would make a significant difference. The Antec III Sonata can actually fit another 120mm fan in the front, so instead of getting a new case you could just get another good fan and see if that's enough. The stock CPU cooler is probably okay if you're not doing any overclocking. | ||
|
Plyte
United States30 Posts
| ||
|
JackRipper
79 Posts
+ Show Spoiler + CPU: Phenom II X2 550 Dual Core Processor Socket AM3 3.1GHZ 6MB L3 Cache http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=51599&vpn=HDX550WFGMBOX&manufacture=AMD $101.55 Motherboard: ASUS M4A77TD ATX AM3 DDR3 AMD770 SB710 PCI-E16 http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=46944&vpn=M4A77TD&manufacture=ASUS $89.88, 74.88 W/ MIR GPU: XFX Radeon HD 5770 850MHZ 1GB http://ncix.com/products/?sku=44932&vpn=HD577AZNFC&manufacture=XFX&promoid=1088 $174.99, 154.99 W/ MIR RAM: Kingston ValueRAM KVR1333D3N9K2/4G PC3-10666 4GB 2X2GB http://ncix.com/products/?sku=41264&vpn=KVR1333D3N9K2/4G&manufacture=Kingston&promoid=1088 $93.99 Power Supply: Coolermaster Elite Power 400W ATX Power Supply 12V http://ncix.com/products/?sku=44835&vpn=RS400-PSARJ3-US&manufacture=COOLERMASTER $34.99 Case: Cooler Master Elite 330 http://ncix.com/products/?sku=Q98607&vpn=RC-330-KKN1-GP&manufacture=COOLER MASTER $41.18 Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB SATA2 7200RPM http://ncix.com/products/?sku=23266&vpn=WD5000AAKS&manufacture=Western Digital WD $49.99 Optical Drive: SAMSUNG DVDRW 22X SATA http://ncix.com/products/?sku=111119252&vpn=SH-S223B/BEBE&manufacture=Samsung $22.88 Cooling Fan: CoolerMaster Hyper 212 Plus http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=41337&vpn=RR-B10-212P-GP&manufacture=COOLERMASTER $28.94 Subtotal: 603.39 If I wanted to upgrade this later on, would I be able to keep the motherboard, case, and power supply or would i have to change the whole thing? Also, how would the phenom II X2 550 perform on other tasks compared to X4 635, and other processors in this price range? | ||
|
Poobah
England91 Posts
I live in the UK so Newegg is a nono. Portability isn't the hugest issue for me as such, any laptop will be more portable than my gaming rig. I also am fully aware that I could get an adequate PC for far less money than I will end up shelling out on a laptop. The main reason I want the laptop is to take to university (the one I've used previously for this is having major issues running the retail of SC2 though it was okish in the beta). I attend a university an impractical distance from home so I can't lug my PC from home. So with this in mind I'm kinda ok with a bigger, heavier laptop, though then again I'd appreciate recommendations of smaller/lighter ones too because I will still have to carry this around with me on occasion and get it through airports and so fourth. Generally my biggest problems though are knowing which processors/graphics cards to go for (compounded by laptops almost universally being sold 'as is') because the naming conventions are pretty damn retarded these days. Also I'm having a hard time telling what is and is not good value for money. Part of this is the whole shingding with graphics card / processor naming conventions (as well as the variable, adjustable core speeds of the i5/7s) and several of the laptops I have looked at which seem decent having a blue ray player/writer which pushes the price up a lot, needlessly for me because why the hell do I want to pay for a blue-ray player/writer that I'll only use for dvds? I've been doing a lot of searching of my own but any advice from this very knowledgeable community would be much appreciated, even if it isn't direct suggestions for whole laptops but just specific components to look out for or whatever, anything really to help me narrow my searches down. With regards to price less would be better but I am prepared to spend quite a bit - numbers wise I can afford to go somewhat over £1000 inc tax if I can get for that a laptop that will play SC2 very well and be reliable enough to last me a good while. I don't really have plans to run any newer games than SC2 so this doesn't need to be future-proof as such. Thanks guys. | ||
|
JimSocks
United States968 Posts
don't know how much it costs in uk though. | ||
|
Myrmidon
United States9452 Posts
Poobah: I had a previous post that was kind of geared at mediumish laptop specs. Again, this is just a guess from me, so read with caution: + Show Spoiler + On August 21 2010 02:48 Myrmidon wrote: Look for something with a GPU like the following--the models listed are in increasing power to the right: Radeon Mobility HD 4650, HD 4670, HD 5650, HD 5730, HD 5750, HD 5770 (or higher) Nvidia GT 325M, GT 240M, GT 330M, GT 335M, GT 250M, GT 350M (or higher) A low laptop resolution like 1366 x 768 is okay and may actually be preferred so you can play on native resolution with good frame rates. For the CPU, I'm not so sure. SC2 isn't well-threaded so 3+ cores don't really help over 2 cores. AMD mobile GPUs usually have low clock rates but more cores compared to Intel at comparable prices/laptops, so sticking with Intel should be a safer bet. Any mobile i3/i5/i7 CPU should be good, but the low power versions might have issues? A Core 2 Duo T9xxx, P9xxx, T8xxx, or P8xxx should be fine too. Laptop prices, availabilities, and deals fluctuate around. Hopefully you can find something after looking around, or somebody else can find something for you. This laptop GPU benchmark/info list might be interesting. With that budget, I think something with an i5 or better CPU, a Mobility HD 5650 GPU (or higher number) or GT 335M (or higher number) GPU should be good. Maybe the GPU should be bumped up slightly for a laptop with a higher resolution. | ||
|
Megalisk
United States6095 Posts
Sony Optiarc CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model AD-7260S-0B - OEM 18.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118039 SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive 54.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181 GIGABYTE GV-N460OC-1GI GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card 229.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125333 G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-4GBRL 94.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277 AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ955FBGMBOX + Rosewill DESTROYER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ,comes with Three Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top 120mm ... http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.461683 Combo = 179.98 OCZ ModXStream Pro OCZ700MXSP 700W ATX12V V2.2 / EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC ... + ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.479520 Combo=173.98 I'm getting my OS from school so I didn't include it. In total the hardware comes out to 752.92. Any suggestions? | ||
| ||
