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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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On September 04 2011 16:01 LazyMacro wrote:+ Show Spoiler +That sounds like a pain in the ass.
What's your personal recommendation on memory given that I probably won't do SLI? I'm guessing 4GB DDR3 1333?
Edit: One more question. -_- Earlier you said an overclocked configuration with one GPU would only need 500W of power. What if you were to add another GPU? 600W?
8GB 1333MHz cas9. Memory is so cheap nowadays, you might as well get it if you have a reasonable budget. 2x4GB is a better resale value than 2x2GB and you'll have to worry about memory leaks less.
It depends on the graphics card. A power supply such as the Seasonic S12II 520 provides 40a on the 12v rail. The primary components that draw power from the 12v rail are the CPU and GPU, other components that draw from it include the motherboard, drives, and fans. A core i5 2500k uses roughly 5a and a GTX 560 Ti uses roughly 13a, both under load. That's a 18a total. Adding in a second GTX 560 Ti, your overclocks on the CPU and both cards, and other components. You're going to be really close to 40a. Granted it'll work but I wouldn't recommend doing so.
Poorly optimized.
The Caviar Black carries a hefty premium due to its five year warranty but its performance is only slightly better than the other 7200 RPM HDDs. With the Samsung Spinpoint F3 available at $50, there is little point in buying a Caviar Black for $90 since ya... it would be cheaper in the long run to just buy another HDD when your F3 dies.
There's no such thing as a core i5 2400k. K denotes an unlocked multiplier which is used for overclocking. Only K models available currently are the core i5 2500k and core i7 2600k. A core i7 provides no benefit in gaming because games are only starting to utilize more than two cores, keep dreaming if you think games will utilize more than four cores anytime soon. The difference between a core i5 2400 and 2500 is negligible.
Are you referring to Bulldozer when you say switch to AMD... because god help you if you want to switch to a second generation Phenom which is five years old in terms of performance. Intel's Sandybridge is still expected to retain the IPC crown once Bulldozer is released though.
The 1GB variant of the 6950 performs basically identical to that of a 2GB variant until you reach Eyefinity resolutions or play very heavy texture games with max AA/AF.
An Intel H67 is expensive and they're sort of not special in anyway except for maybe having a higher QC.
Your board isn't capable of CrossfireX so there's no reason to get a 750w power supply unless you enjoy wasting money. A 6950 uses roughly 170w and a core i5 2400 uses roughly 55w, both under load. A ~500w power supply such as the Antec Neo Eco 520 or Seasonic S12II 520 is more than capable of powering this measly configuration.
A case around $60 would be a Coolermaster HAF 912 or Antec One Hundred or Antec Three Hundred Illusion or Coolermaster 690ii Basic or Lian Li Lancool PC-K58.
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What I have right now:
Motherboard:
ASRock Z68 Extreme4 Gen3
CPU:
Intel i7 2600K
GPU:
MSI GTX 560 Ti OC
Memory:
G.Skill 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600
HDD:
Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB
SSD:
Intel 320 Series 120GB
Optical Drive:
Lite On DVD Burner
PSU:
Corsair TX650 V2
Heat Sink/Fan:
Cooler Master Hyper 212+
Case:
Cooler Master Storm Scout
OS:
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit
My only concerns right now:
- Drop the i7 2600K for the i5 2500K since I mostly will be using the computer for gaming? Does streaming change anything?
- Drop the Z68 Extreme 4 Gen3 for the P67 Extreme4? I really don't think I need the Z68 chipset; I just want it. -_-;;
- I don't feel right about the PSU. At all. I think it's mostly because I know so little about them and don't want to make a poor decision.
Does my list look okay overall?
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P67 and Z68 Extreme4 is identical. The only thing that the Z68 chipset offers over the P67 chipset is IGP capabilities and SSD caching. You have a 120GB SSD, you won't be using SSD caching. IGP capabilities may prove to be useful if you have software that uses Quick Sync (read more here).
Unless you're dead set on the looks of the red Ripjaws heatspreader, Corsair Vegeance 1600MHz is less expensive at $48: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345
If you want a high quality 1080p stream than a 2600k is recommended.
Well since you mentioned you don't really have a budget. If this is your first build and after reading through forums and professional articles. And you're still feeling uneasy about the power supply being able to power the configuration than just overspend on the power supply, get a wattmeter or UPS and look at the power consumption yourself, and you'll be better informed next time you need to purchase a power supply.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/graphics/display/geforce-gtx-560-ti_4.html#sect0
http://www.anandtech.com/show/4135/nvidias-geforce-gtx-560-ti-upsetting-the-250-market/16
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/40119-nvidia-geforce-gtx-560-ti-1gb-review-18.html
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/02/21/msi_n560gtx_ti_twin_frozr_ii_oc_sli_review/9
Keep in mind, only the xbit article refers to DC power for the card alone. The rest of the articles refer to AC power for the entire system. Simple AC to DC conversion, if your power supply is 85% efficient and you're pulling 600w from the wall (AC), that would mean your power supply is only using 510w. Also keep in mind that most of these testbeds are using overclocked Bloomfields which are more power hungry than Sandybridges.
Maybe a video will help? + Show Spoiler +
If you're worried about quality than you should stop worrying. Seasonic is one of the top power supply manufacturers. All of XFX power supplies are manufactured by them. Many of the Corsair ones are manufactured by them (including the Corsair TXv2 line, not TXM). Many Antec ones are also manufactured by them. If you're unsure of quality than just look up reviews from jonnyguru (the premiere site for power supplies), hardwaresecrets, anand, pcper, hardocp, etc or simply just ask here.
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Request
Alright guys. It's time. After 5 years of gaming on a crappy laptop, I'm about to get a new PC. A gaming PC. That's my reward for successfully finishing university.
I pretty much need everything except for a mouse and mousepad. So my budget has to include at least a monitor and a decent keyboard (doesn't have to be mechanical).
What is your budget?
I'd like to keep it around 1500€. A bit more won't hurt if it's necessary for decent equipment.
What is your resolution?
Don't have a monitor. Apparently full HD is the new thing, so 1920x1200 I guess.
What are you using it for?
Gaming and work. I'm a lawyer, so no special requirements for the work part 
What is your upgrade cycle?
Definitely 2+ years. While I like building my own machine, I don't like fiddling around with it all the time. I'm going for a high one time investment here. I don't have to play every game on ultra high all the time.
When do you plan on building it?
ASAP. But I don't have a problem with waiting. So if there's new hardware around the corner, I can wait a couple of weeks.
Do you plan on overclocking?
Nope. Don't like it.
Do you need an Operating System?
Yes. Just out of curiosity: Is win7 ultimate worth the extra money?
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
No.
Where are you buying your parts from?
Last time a built a machine, I got the cheapest prices via www.geizhals.at (Germany).
On that regard: I just found a site (link) with a list of parts for a gaming PC. Here's what they recommend:
+ Show Spoiler +
CPU: Intel Core i5-2400 Boxed
Mainboard: ASRock Z68 Pro3 (Z68)
RAM: 8GB G.Skill 1333MHz CL9
GPU: GTX 580
PSU: be quiet! Straight Power E8 CM 580W (KM)
SSD: Crucial m4 128GB
DVD RW: Sony AD-7260S
Case: Cooler Master CM 690 (II)
I have no idea whether that's good or bad. But they say that the budget on that configuration is 1100€, so I guess that's a start.
Thanks a ton for any advice 
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Yes, GTX 580 is way overkill to play current games. GTX 560 Ti or HD 6950 is about as high as you can go without getting into hugely diminishing returns on spending more. Everything better is a much worse deal. Graphics cards are very easy to replace in a few years when you want an upgrade, so no reason to pay a premium now for something that's going to be outdated almost just as fast.
The Corsair CX500 V2 was out of stock, so I recommend the Super Flower Amazon 450W (cheaper than the Corsair, roughly as good) or Super Flower Golden Green (more expensive, very good performance and components, 80 plus gold) instead.
Super Flower Amazon 450W - 41€
http://www4.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=30074&agid=1627
Super Flower Golden Green Pro - 63€
http://www4.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=41092&agid=1627
Motherboard is also out of stock, but on that budget, I'd get something a little better anyway. This one has 2 extra SATA ports (SATA3), USB3, and Gigabit LAN. A cheaper one is fine though, if you're sure you won't be wanting USB3 or those other things.
Gigabyte H65M-UD3H - 71€
http://www4.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=48253&agid=1603
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If you still have access to a .edu e-mail account, you can order windows professional 7 online for $30-45 USD. I'm assuming you can use the same deal or a similar one for europe, so you can look around for that.
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Hello everyone, I been looking into buying a wireless headset here in canada and I think Ill be buying the logitech f540 or possibly the g930. Anyone own one of these? do you guys recommend anything else at this price range? (i can get them for 120$ and 115$)
It doesnt have to have a mic.
edit: let me add that this will be used for gaming/music/movies. reliability and comfort being #1 importance to me.
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OK so I have my 2500k OC to 4600 MHz @1.336V. It runs Prime95 fine with temps not running higher than like 66C.
The only problem is that sometimes it doesn't boot up, it will just boot up into a blank black screen. Then if I just turn it off and turn it back on it will boot into windows and run Prime95 fine.
Should I just bring it down to 4500MHz? Should I adjust the Vcore?
I have a Crucial M4 64gb SSD. It is SATA III. Do these speeds seem slow to you? Read: 283.52 MB/s Write: 106.89 MB/s ??
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On September 05 2011 02:31 Gattaca.usa wrote:
OK so I have my 2500k OC to 4600 MHz @1.336V. It runs Prime95 fine with temps not running higher than like 66C.
The only problem is that sometimes it doesn't boot up, it will just boot up into a blank black screen. Then if I just turn it off and turn it back on it will boot into windows and run Prime95 fine.
Should I just bring it down to 4500MHz? Should I adjust the Vcore?
I have a Crucial M4 64gb SSD. It is SATA III. Do these speeds seem slow to you? Read: 283.52 MB/s Write: 106.89 MB/s ??
Cant help you with the OC but your SSD should be faster (write is close to what it should be) try installing the patch 0009 on it.
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Make sure you have AHCI mode enabled in the BIOS. (If you installed the OS in IDE mode, this guide may be helpful.)
Also get the latest firmware from Crucial as that 0009 patch increased speeds.
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WOW. I changed the bios and updated the firmware and now it is 500 MB/s.
It boots up even before windows can show the logo.
So I just set my clock to 4400MHz and set the Vcore to Auto. I just faced the fact that I won't notice a difference between 4600 and 4400 and that it will probably be better for my CPU to have a Vcore of 1.288V instead of 1.35V @ 4600MHz.
Thanks everyone!!
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[
Poorly optimized.
The Caviar Black carries a hefty premium due to its five year warranty but its performance is only slightly better than the other 7200 RPM HDDs. With the Samsung Spinpoint F3 available at $50, there is little point in buying a Caviar Black for $90 since ya... it would be cheaper in the long run to just buy another HDD when your F3 dies.
There's no such thing as a core i5 2400k. K denotes an unlocked multiplier which is used for overclocking. Only K models available currently are the core i5 2500k and core i7 2600k. A core i7 provides no benefit in gaming because games are only starting to utilize more than two cores, keep dreaming if you think games will utilize more than four cores anytime soon. The difference between a core i5 2400 and 2500 is negligible.
Are you referring to Bulldozer when you say switch to AMD... because god help you if you want to switch to a second generation Phenom which is five years old in terms of performance. Intel's Sandybridge is still expected to retain the IPC crown once Bulldozer is released though.
The 1GB variant of the 6950 performs basically identical to that of a 2GB variant until you reach Eyefinity resolutions or play very heavy texture games with max AA/AF.
An Intel H67 is expensive and they're sort of not special in anyway except for maybe having a higher QC.
Your board isn't capable of CrossfireX so there's no reason to get a 750w power supply unless you enjoy wasting money. A 6950 uses roughly 170w and a core i5 2400 uses roughly 55w, both under load. A ~500w power supply such as the Antec Neo Eco 520 or Seasonic S12II 520 is more than capable of powering this measly configuration.
A case around $60 would be a Coolermaster HAF 912 or Antec One Hundred or Antec Three Hundred Illusion or Coolermaster 690ii Basic or Lian Li Lancool PC-K58.
Thanks. I'm switching to the Samsung Spinpoint F3 as suggested, and keeping my i5 2400. I'm also switching to a Antec Neo Eco 520.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
Hard Drive Replacement. 60$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371030
Antec Neo Eco 520. My power was just a bare estimate, and I guessed way too high for my parts.
55.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125385
Radeon 6950 1GB, 240.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119215
Cooler Master Basic, 70$
Can you suggest a Mobo for me? I'm thinking H61.
Thanks for the help this far, I saved $115 because of you.
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On September 04 2011 17:38 skyR wrote:P67 and Z68 Extreme4 is identical. The only thing that the Z68 chipset offers over the P67 chipset is IGP capabilities and SSD caching. You have a 120GB SSD, you won't be using SSD caching. IGP capabilities may prove to be useful if you have software that uses Quick Sync (read more here). Unless you're dead set on the looks of the red Ripjaws heatspreader, Corsair Vegeance 1600MHz is less expensive at $48: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345If you want a high quality 1080p stream than a 2600k is recommended. Well since you mentioned you don't really have a budget. If this is your first build and after reading through forums and professional articles. And you're still feeling uneasy about the power supply being able to power the configuration than just overspend on the power supply, get a wattmeter or UPS and look at the power consumption yourself, and you'll be better informed next time you need to purchase a power supply. http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/graphics/display/geforce-gtx-560-ti_4.html#sect0http://www.anandtech.com/show/4135/nvidias-geforce-gtx-560-ti-upsetting-the-250-market/16http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/40119-nvidia-geforce-gtx-560-ti-1gb-review-18.htmlhttp://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/02/21/msi_n560gtx_ti_twin_frozr_ii_oc_sli_review/9Keep in mind, only the xbit article refers to DC power for the card alone. The rest of the articles refer to AC power for the entire system. Simple AC to DC conversion, if your power supply is 85% efficient and you're pulling 600w from the wall (AC), that would mean your power supply is only using 510w. Also keep in mind that most of these testbeds are using overclocked Bloomfields which are more power hungry than Sandybridges. Maybe a video will help? + Show Spoiler +http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKk2_1u26tg If you're worried about quality than you should stop worrying. Seasonic is one of the top power supply manufacturers. All of XFX power supplies are manufactured by them. Many of the Corsair ones are manufactured by them (including the Corsair TXv2 line, not TX M). Many Antec ones are also manufactured by them. If you're unsure of quality than just look up reviews from jonnyguru (the premiere site for power supplies), hardwaresecrets, anand, pcper, hardocp, etc or simply just ask here.
I think right now a P67 motherboard would be the best objective choice, so I'm looking into those. I've noticed that Asus and ASRock are generally more recommended and higher rated than competitors' motherboards, so I think I'm going to stick to one of those. Any comments on choosing between those two manufacturers (well, ASRock basically is Asus...)?
I found this tool for calculating PSU wattage on NewEgg. If It says I need 520W or so, does that mean if I get a 520W PSU that the PSU will basically be stressed to its limit? Or is the number you get from that leaving some room so that the PSU isn't running at its upper limit?
P.S. That video helped a lot. Thank you.
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Newegg's PSU calculator is designed to sell PSU's. Big ones you don't need. It's usually over by 50-80%. It tells me I need a 750W PSU. I don't push my 650w hard enough to be nervous about it. Only reason I couldn't get away with less is connectors.
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Edit: Superior advice below. My apologies.
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On September 05 2011 03:54 LazyMacro wrote:+ Show Spoiler +On September 04 2011 17:38 skyR wrote:P67 and Z68 Extreme4 is identical. The only thing that the Z68 chipset offers over the P67 chipset is IGP capabilities and SSD caching. You have a 120GB SSD, you won't be using SSD caching. IGP capabilities may prove to be useful if you have software that uses Quick Sync (read more here). Unless you're dead set on the looks of the red Ripjaws heatspreader, Corsair Vegeance 1600MHz is less expensive at $48: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345If you want a high quality 1080p stream than a 2600k is recommended. Well since you mentioned you don't really have a budget. If this is your first build and after reading through forums and professional articles. And you're still feeling uneasy about the power supply being able to power the configuration than just overspend on the power supply, get a wattmeter or UPS and look at the power consumption yourself, and you'll be better informed next time you need to purchase a power supply. http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/graphics/display/geforce-gtx-560-ti_4.html#sect0http://www.anandtech.com/show/4135/nvidias-geforce-gtx-560-ti-upsetting-the-250-market/16http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/40119-nvidia-geforce-gtx-560-ti-1gb-review-18.htmlhttp://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/02/21/msi_n560gtx_ti_twin_frozr_ii_oc_sli_review/9Keep in mind, only the xbit article refers to DC power for the card alone. The rest of the articles refer to AC power for the entire system. Simple AC to DC conversion, if your power supply is 85% efficient and you're pulling 600w from the wall (AC), that would mean your power supply is only using 510w. Also keep in mind that most of these testbeds are using overclocked Bloomfields which are more power hungry than Sandybridges. Maybe a video will help? + Show Spoiler +http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKk2_1u26tg If you're worried about quality than you should stop worrying. Seasonic is one of the top power supply manufacturers. All of XFX power supplies are manufactured by them. Many of the Corsair ones are manufactured by them (including the Corsair TXv2 line, not TX M). Many Antec ones are also manufactured by them. If you're unsure of quality than just look up reviews from jonnyguru (the premiere site for power supplies), hardwaresecrets, anand, pcper, hardocp, etc or simply just ask here. I think right now a P67 motherboard would be the best objective choice, so I'm looking into those. I've noticed that Asus and ASRock are generally more recommended and higher rated than competitors' motherboards, so I think I'm going to stick to one of those. Any comments on choosing between those two manufacturers (well, ASRock basically is Asus...)? I found this tool for calculating PSU wattage on NewEgg. If It says I need 520W or so, does that mean if I get a 520W PSU that the PSU will basically be stressed to its limit? Or is the number you get from that leaving some room so that the PSU isn't running at its upper limit? P.S. That video helped a lot. Thank you.
Asrock is a sister company of ASUS that targets the budget enthausist market. Feature rich boards, shorter warranty, and less expensive. They're still two seperate companies so don't expect the same level of post-sale support from Asrock (since they are targeted at the budget segment) as you do with ASUS.
If you aren't interested in SLI anymore than either the Asrock P67 Pro3 for $120: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157230 or ASUS P8P67 for $155 (I have this): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131705
If you are still interested in leaving SLI as an option down the road than the Asrock P67 Exterme4 for $155: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157265 or ASUS P8P67 Pro for $160: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131771
Newegg's stupid pricing never ceases to amaze me... if you're going with ASUS, just get the P8P67 Pro for SLI, Intel NIC, and Advance RMA. Only $5 more than the regular P8P67. Unless of course you want to deal with the mail in rebate of the standard P8P67.
Power supply calculators don't give you a load figure, they give you a wattage value that your power supply should be. Yes, it has to account for a huge headroom as not all 500w power supplies are equal. Lower quality / budget ones will have a weaker 12v rail than an extremely high quality one.
Let's be reasonable here... if you have the budget for a 2600k and a GTX 560 Ti. You wouldn't want a piece of shit motherboard with four phases and you wouldn't want a CX430v2... No one enjoys using adapters or daisy chaining because it becomes a nightmare for cable management.
Just because more expensive models don't provide any performance gains doesn't mean you should buy the most basic ones with LazyMacro's non-existant budget in mind. I never understood the people that do this...
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Just one more thing, you didn't give a link to the Seagate Barracuda 500GB so I'm not sure which one I should buy
This one?
Or this one?
I also need a wireless adapter which one is better?
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