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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. |
Hello TL Tech Thread,
I am a long time reader and SC player / new member / new poster and a novice when it comes computer builds. I've only learned what I've read over the past few months from basically this site but I still wanted to try and put together a computer (with the help from a friend with more knowledge). That being said, I write today to show you what I've currently put together and hopefully get some advice from those of you with much more experience (I'm looking at you JingleHell, sKyR, Myrmidon and anyone else who can help). I am not looking to reach the $500 budget but rather want to make sure that everything I have listed will be able to work for what I am looking to do without missing out on an opportunity to bump up the proficiency of the desktop for pretty much the same price.
What is your budget?
Currently I am not looking to really spend more than $300-500 total.
What is your resolution?
I am was planning on using a 19 inch Memorex flat screen TV which I was told is 1920x720.
What are you using it for?
Just the basic stuff (i.e., internet browsing, word processing) and SC2 and possibly D3 (although at this point in time I really only care about SC2 and not really willing / able to spend the extra on getting what might be needed for D3). I'd like to play SC2 on the highest setting that I can (comfortably) in the price range that I've already listed (I'm currently running in on a MBP from 2007 at all lowest settings and consistently hitting 10-15 FPS, 30 FPS at best).
What is your upgrade cycle?
Over the next year or so I could see myself having more money to upgrade certain parts that might be needed to play D3. But past that probably not for another 3-4 years.
When do you plan on building it?
Very soon. Probably looking to put it together in the next week.
Do you plan on overclocking?
Not at this current time. Yes, I realize the i5 2500K is meant for OCing and it a waste (from what I've previously read) to get if not for OCing purposes, but with the deal I figured I couldn't pass it up / possibly I will try to OC in the future.
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?
Micro Center
Here is what I have so far:
i5 2500K = $159 (Thanks to the deal at micro center right now)
Micro Center 4 GB DDR3-1333 =$19.99
Antec Two Hundred V2 ATX Mid Tower = $27.99 (after rebate)
ASUS P8H61-M LE/CSM R3 LGA 1155 H61 mATX = $69.99
Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 460W ATX = $29.99
XFX HD667XZHF3 AMD Radeon HD 6670 1024MB DDR3 = $69.99 (after rebate)
Kingwing 120x120mm Long Life Bearing Case Fan = $5.98
Total = ~$430 with taxes
Anything that I've excluded like the HDD you can assume that I already have (hopefully I do). I hope that I have listed everything that is needed for you guys to help me out, but if I have forgotten something (or I've listed something that is incredibly stupid) please be gentle. I am a noob at this. Thanks so much in advance for your help.
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You can also overclock it to like 4ghz even without an aftermarket heatsink, and yeah that GPU would be better and will probably handle even diablo3 in that resolution decently.
One additional suggestion I would make is to replace that PSU with this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026
As it's 5$ cheaper after MIR and it's a better PSU.
Another thing is that you probably could find a cheaper mobo if you decide to go the H61 route. One thing you could do is buy the i5 2500k for 159, sell it on ebay for profit after the sale(unopened box and all), and then buy something more suitable like an i3 2100.
Case's fine for that price.
edit: its hilarious that people on newegg are whining about the GTS 450 running at 65c under load(probably in poor cases). How's that warm?
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On October 02 2011 02:09 Shikyo wrote:
edit: its hilarious that people on newegg are whining about the GTS 450 running at 65c under load(probably in poor cases). How's that warm?
That's why I keep saying etailer customer reviews are only good for finding out how things die when they die. The average person reviewing is dumb enough that calling them retarded insults the people born with a mental handicap.
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On October 02 2011 02:13 JingleHell wrote:Show nested quote +On October 02 2011 02:09 Shikyo wrote:
edit: its hilarious that people on newegg are whining about the GTS 450 running at 65c under load(probably in poor cases). How's that warm? That's why I keep saying etailer customer reviews are only good for finding out how things die when they die. The average person reviewing is dumb enough that calling them retarded insults the people born with a mental handicap.
just go through the cheap no name cases/psus on newegg. You'll be delighted to notice they all have 5 star rating lol.
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Anyone know anything about my beep code issue? 
On October 01 2011 15:02 FabledIntegral wrote:
So I recently helped my brother build a computer and it's.... sort of working fine. There's a beep code error that I can't figure out. I'm using AMI bios. It sounds to me like 6 short beeps, but some of them are in rapid succession while some aren't. If I could so crudely try to do type it out...
"boop boop bo-bo-bo-boop" None of them are very long, but the third/fourth/fifth beeps are in pretty damn rapid succession. Only issue is, looking at beep code, it means there's a keyboard issue.... well thing is I'm using a USB keyboard which should completely circumvent the issue, and simultaneously the keyboard itself seems to work fine. I've been monitoring temperatures just in case I'm interpreting it incorrectly and something else is wrong, but anyone else have any ideas on what to do?
The computer itself seems to be functioning fine otherwise...
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On October 02 2011 02:39 Bambipwnsu wrote:Show nested quote +On October 02 2011 02:13 JingleHell wrote:On October 02 2011 02:09 Shikyo wrote:
edit: its hilarious that people on newegg are whining about the GTS 450 running at 65c under load(probably in poor cases). How's that warm? That's why I keep saying etailer customer reviews are only good for finding out how things die when they die. The average person reviewing is dumb enough that calling them retarded insults the people born with a mental handicap. just go through the cheap no name cases/psus on newegg. You'll be delighted to notice they all have 5 star rating lol.
"this 500w PSU works for my 200w computer and it's very cheap! 5 stars! (I also have no idea that I'm running below 70% efficiency!)"
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I recently made a Big Upgrade to my PC to prepare myself for the coming Generation of Games as I am more or less always planning my Components for 4 Years in Advance. I dont plan to spend anymore than I already have. Its a good concept and it worked for me so far. This is my 5th PC I build myself so I have some Tinkering Experience. I have one little Concern though, maybe someone can help me out. I checked Various Hardware Sites and all say a 500W PSU Quality Brand is fine for the new Setup but I am a little bit concerned what would be Signs I should look out for should the PSU be indeed to weak? below the setup general thoughts?
gone from a
ASUS P5N32-E
Intel Core2Duo 6600
Gefore GTX260
4 GB OCZ RAM
Enermax Liberty 500W GXx
to
ASUS P8Z68-V PRO
Intel I7 -2600k
Gainward Gefore GTX580 3GB
16 GB G.Skill RAM because GSL made me do it ^^
Enermax Liberty 500W GXx the same as the old config.
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On October 02 2011 03:24 LoCaD wrote:
I recently made a Big Upgrade to my PC to prepare myself for the coming Generation of Games as I am more or less always planning my Components for 4 Years in Advance. I dont plan to spend anymore than I already have. Its a good concept and it worked for me so far. This is my 5th PC I build myself so I have some Tinkering Experience. I have one little Concern though, maybe someone can help me out. I checked Various Hardware Sites and all say a 500W PSU Quality Brand is fine for the new Setup but I am a little bit concerned what would be Signs I should look out for should the PSU be indeed to weak? below the setup general thoughts?
gone from a
ASUS P5N32-E
Intel Core2Duo 6600
Gefore GTX260
4 GB OCZ RAM
Enermax Liberty 500W GXx
to
ASUS P8Z68-V PRO
Intel I7 -2600k
Gainward Gefore GTX580 3GB
16 GB G.Skill RAM because GSL made me do it ^^
Enermax Liberty 500W GXx the same as the old config.
I don't know much about PSUs, but make sure you get an aftermarket heatsink if you want to get the most out of your CPU
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On October 02 2011 02:54 FabledIntegral wrote:Anyone know anything about my beep code issue? Show nested quote +On October 01 2011 15:02 FabledIntegral wrote:
So I recently helped my brother build a computer and it's.... sort of working fine. There's a beep code error that I can't figure out. I'm using AMI bios. It sounds to me like 6 short beeps, but some of them are in rapid succession while some aren't. If I could so crudely try to do type it out...
"boop boop bo-bo-bo-boop" None of them are very long, but the third/fourth/fifth beeps are in pretty damn rapid succession. Only issue is, looking at beep code, it means there's a keyboard issue.... well thing is I'm using a USB keyboard which should completely circumvent the issue, and simultaneously the keyboard itself seems to work fine. I've been monitoring temperatures just in case I'm interpreting it incorrectly and something else is wrong, but anyone else have any ideas on what to do?
The computer itself seems to be functioning fine otherwise...
What's the motherboard? Hard to say anything other than the usual troubleshooting stuff--strip down to fewest number of things required to boot, try a different keyboard, etc.
On October 02 2011 03:24 LoCaD wrote:
I recently made a Big Upgrade to my PC to prepare myself for the coming Generation of Games as I am more or less always planning my Components for 4 Years in Advance. I dont plan to spend anymore than I already have. Its a good concept and it worked for me so far. This is my 5th PC I build myself so I have some Tinkering Experience. I have one little Concern though, maybe someone can help me out. I checked Various Hardware Sites and all say a 500W PSU Quality Brand is fine for the new Setup but I am a little bit concerned what would be Signs I should look out for should the PSU be indeed to weak? below the setup general thoughts?
You got a i7-2600k and 16GB of RAM for gaming?
Anyway, Enermax Liberty Eco 500W? That's very good and more than enough to overclock both i7-2600k and GTX 580 (GTX 580 within reason). Bad symptoms would be crashing and system instability. Some power supplies exhaust very hot air if they are being loaded very high, but not that one.
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On October 02 2011 03:44 Myrmidon wrote:Show nested quote +On October 02 2011 02:54 FabledIntegral wrote:Anyone know anything about my beep code issue? On October 01 2011 15:02 FabledIntegral wrote:
So I recently helped my brother build a computer and it's.... sort of working fine. There's a beep code error that I can't figure out. I'm using AMI bios. It sounds to me like 6 short beeps, but some of them are in rapid succession while some aren't. If I could so crudely try to do type it out...
"boop boop bo-bo-bo-boop" None of them are very long, but the third/fourth/fifth beeps are in pretty damn rapid succession. Only issue is, looking at beep code, it means there's a keyboard issue.... well thing is I'm using a USB keyboard which should completely circumvent the issue, and simultaneously the keyboard itself seems to work fine. I've been monitoring temperatures just in case I'm interpreting it incorrectly and something else is wrong, but anyone else have any ideas on what to do?
The computer itself seems to be functioning fine otherwise... What's the motherboard? Hard to say anything other than the usual troubleshooting stuff--strip down to fewest number of things required to boot, try a different keyboard, etc. Show nested quote +On October 02 2011 03:24 LoCaD wrote:
I recently made a Big Upgrade to my PC to prepare myself for the coming Generation of Games as I am more or less always planning my Components for 4 Years in Advance. I dont plan to spend anymore than I already have. Its a good concept and it worked for me so far. This is my 5th PC I build myself so I have some Tinkering Experience. I have one little Concern though, maybe someone can help me out. I checked Various Hardware Sites and all say a 500W PSU Quality Brand is fine for the new Setup but I am a little bit concerned what would be Signs I should look out for should the PSU be indeed to weak? below the setup general thoughts? You got a i7-2600k and 16GB of RAM for gaming? Anyway, Enermax Liberty Eco 500W? That's very good and more than enough to overclock both i7-2600k and GTX 580 (GTX 580 within reason). Bad symptoms would be crashing and system instability. Some power supplies exhaust very hot air if they are being loaded very high, but not that one.
He also got GTX 580 3GB... that's ... 550$. Hmm why do I feel like that budget had a ton of missed potential.
Anyway, the PSU should be enough but I personally wouldn't overclock the 580 or at least only using stock voltage.
Also remember that the PSU appears to be around 4 years old like his old unit and hence, even though it's a good PSU(not that good imo), it probably can't deliver quite as much wattage as it could when it was brand new so I have a feeling that keeping the PSU might be pushing it.
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On October 02 2011 03:52 Shikyo wrote:Show nested quote +On October 02 2011 03:44 Myrmidon wrote:On October 02 2011 02:54 FabledIntegral wrote:Anyone know anything about my beep code issue? On October 01 2011 15:02 FabledIntegral wrote:
So I recently helped my brother build a computer and it's.... sort of working fine. There's a beep code error that I can't figure out. I'm using AMI bios. It sounds to me like 6 short beeps, but some of them are in rapid succession while some aren't. If I could so crudely try to do type it out...
"boop boop bo-bo-bo-boop" None of them are very long, but the third/fourth/fifth beeps are in pretty damn rapid succession. Only issue is, looking at beep code, it means there's a keyboard issue.... well thing is I'm using a USB keyboard which should completely circumvent the issue, and simultaneously the keyboard itself seems to work fine. I've been monitoring temperatures just in case I'm interpreting it incorrectly and something else is wrong, but anyone else have any ideas on what to do?
The computer itself seems to be functioning fine otherwise... What's the motherboard? Hard to say anything other than the usual troubleshooting stuff--strip down to fewest number of things required to boot, try a different keyboard, etc. On October 02 2011 03:24 LoCaD wrote:
I recently made a Big Upgrade to my PC to prepare myself for the coming Generation of Games as I am more or less always planning my Components for 4 Years in Advance. I dont plan to spend anymore than I already have. Its a good concept and it worked for me so far. This is my 5th PC I build myself so I have some Tinkering Experience. I have one little Concern though, maybe someone can help me out. I checked Various Hardware Sites and all say a 500W PSU Quality Brand is fine for the new Setup but I am a little bit concerned what would be Signs I should look out for should the PSU be indeed to weak? below the setup general thoughts? You got a i7-2600k and 16GB of RAM for gaming? Anyway, Enermax Liberty Eco 500W? That's very good and more than enough to overclock both i7-2600k and GTX 580 (GTX 580 within reason). Bad symptoms would be crashing and system instability. Some power supplies exhaust very hot air if they are being loaded very high, but not that one. He also got GTX 580 3GB... that's ... 550$. Hmm why do I feel like that budget had a ton of missed potential. Anyway, the PSU should be enough but I personally wouldn't overclock the 580 or at least only using stock voltage.
Yeah pretty sure for the cost of that build we could have built a way better PC. Like with Crossfire (3 or 4) 6950's or something. That's my general thoughts I guess.
The supply should be AOK. PSU's age like an asian woman. They get to there teenage years and stay there forever. Then they go downhill all at once immediately.
Myrmidon how hot is hot BTW? My Antec 550W is holding stable at 50C but the fan speed is sometimes up to 3k.
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Nah a 500W PSU like that in 4 years probably can't properly output more than 450w anymore and considering the energy usage of a 580 I really would feel uncomfortable if I was overclocking with it. Not to mention he seems to have the money to spare, might have just bought a 1.5gb 580 and a platinum 550W PSU.
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On October 02 2011 04:01 Shikyo wrote:
Nah a 500W PSU like that in 4 years probably can't properly output more than 450w anymore and considering the energy usage of a 580 I really would feel uncomfortable if I was overclocking with it. Not to mention he seems to have the money to spare, might have just bought a 1.5gb 580 and a platinum 550W PSU.
Ok well bolded part I totally agree with. I have a 6 year old Antec550W that Im using to power a 5770 and a 5830 at peak load all the time. Seems to be holding strong.
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On October 02 2011 03:44 Myrmidon wrote:Show nested quote +On October 02 2011 02:54 FabledIntegral wrote:Anyone know anything about my beep code issue? On October 01 2011 15:02 FabledIntegral wrote:
So I recently helped my brother build a computer and it's.... sort of working fine. There's a beep code error that I can't figure out. I'm using AMI bios. It sounds to me like 6 short beeps, but some of them are in rapid succession while some aren't. If I could so crudely try to do type it out...
"boop boop bo-bo-bo-boop" None of them are very long, but the third/fourth/fifth beeps are in pretty damn rapid succession. Only issue is, looking at beep code, it means there's a keyboard issue.... well thing is I'm using a USB keyboard which should completely circumvent the issue, and simultaneously the keyboard itself seems to work fine. I've been monitoring temperatures just in case I'm interpreting it incorrectly and something else is wrong, but anyone else have any ideas on what to do?
The computer itself seems to be functioning fine otherwise... What's the motherboard? Hard to say anything other than the usual troubleshooting stuff--strip down to fewest number of things required to boot, try a different keyboard, etc.
http://www.digitalstar.com.au/msi-h61m-p23b3-h61-ddr3-efi-i7-i5-i3-1155-matx-motherboard.html
I've already removed the GPU, and also used a single stick of RAM and I get the exact same beep code. Looking online, using a USB keyboard is supposed to completely circumvent the issue, so I'm wondering if I'm somehow interpreting the code wrong, but I've heard it 10+ times now.
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On October 02 2011 03:54 Medrea wrote:
Myrmidon how hot is hot BTW? My Antec 550W is holding stable at 50C but the fan speed is sometimes up to 3k.
Oh btw nevermind, this Liberty Eco gets kind of hot. Generally that's what you expect if efficiency is lower, since...uh, there's more waste heat to exhaust. It's not much of an indicator of anything other than a higher load and waste heat being produced though. Higher temperature isn't going to directly mean that performance will be worse. As long as the internal temperatures don't get too hot and the components can handle what's going on, it should be okay.
At full load, 24C intake results in 53C exhaust:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story2&reid=136
At full load, Seasonic X560 24C intake -> 29C exhaust:
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story2&reid=202
I'm going to guess it's not a TruePower New you have? Maybe Basiq Plus? edit: oh wait if it's that old, then it probably has lower efficiency and hence the heat.
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story2&reid=140
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Soo, I have been tinkering a bit with my build I posted before and I came up with 5 different ones. They all have these basic parts (I plan on overclocking my 2500K to 4.5GHz):
+ Show Spoiler +CPU: Intel Processor Core i5-2500K, s1155 - 180,98
RAM: Corsair Vengeance DDR3,1600-8GB KIT - 45,99
SSD: Crucial Solid State Drive m4 - 128GB - 2.5inch - 163,98
HDD: Western Digital Harde Schijf Caviar Blue - 1TB - 3.5inch - 54,98
Optical Drive: Samsung DVD-ROM 16X,SATA - 18,99
Motherboard: Asus P8P67 B3,s1155 - 107,98
PSU: Corsair CX 500WATT V2 - 53,98
Case: ? - ~70,00
CPU Heatsinkthingie: CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ - 25
I'm torn on the GPU(s), I have 5 different setups in mind but I have no idea which one is the best with taking these criteria in mind (descending in priority):
- raw performance (running current and future games smoothly on absolute max)
- price/performance ratio (keep in mind everything is in € not $, multiply by 1.34 to get $)
- longevity (as in not upgrading for a long (2 years) time)
- noise
- power consumption
6950 2GB CF
+ Show Spoiler +Total cost: - 1189,86
GPU: x2 Sapphire Radeon 6950 DUAL FAN, 2GB - 467,98
6870 CF
+ Show Spoiler +Total cost: - 1033,86
GPU: x2 Sapphire Radeon 6870,1GB - 311,98
GTX 580
+ Show Spoiler +Total cost: - 1134,86
GPU: Asus GeForce GTX580 DCII,1.5GB - 412,98
6970
+ Show Spoiler +Total cost: - 1037,86
GPU: Asus Radeon 6970 DCII,2GB - 315,98
6950 2GB
+ Show Spoiler +Total cost: - 971,86
GPU: Asus Radeon 6950 DCII,2GB - 249,98
+ Show Spoiler +Total cost: - 3253,86
GPU: x2 Asus MARS II - 2531,98
DROOL
Also notice my 500W PSU, is it enough for the option you would recommend as two cards would draw a giant amount of power I'd assume (together with an overclocked 2500K)? I checked that the motherboard has CF support but does it have enough slots for two cards to fit (if a dual card setup would be preferable)? And lastly, maybe a completely different (dual) GPU setup would be best?
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On September 07 2011 07:13 Munk-E wrote:+ Show Spoiler +This is the build I'm using for my first time building a computer. Before I buy it, I would like TL's opinion on it. Part list permalink: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/17MYPart price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/17MY/by_merchantCPU: AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($111.99 @ Amazon) Motherboard: ASRock 970 EXTREME4 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($117.86 @ Newegg) Memory: Patriot Gamer 2 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($42.99 @ Newegg) Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg) Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 6870 1GB Video Card ($167.55 @ Newegg) Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case ($57.99 @ SuperBiiz) Power Supply: OCZ 700W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.99 @ Newegg) Total: $608.36 (Prices include shipping and discounts when available.) (Generated 2011-09-06 18:08 EDT-0400) What do you think? Can it be improved on?
Hi, my old planned build is above. I just bought the $150 i5 2500 K, and now I need to know what motherboard and to get and if anything else needs to be changed. Preferably a motherboard that supports crossfire so I can get another 6870 later if I need to upgrade my GPU. thanks a lot!
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If you're willing to deal with Crossfire, I'd go with the HD 6870 Crossfire out of those options, to meet those criteria. Asus P8P67 can do Crossfire. Good luck with noise though.
You'd want a 650W PSU with that probably. Where were you purchasing again? No reason to skimp that hard there if you're getting all the nice stuff elsewhere.
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EPT
