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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. |
So I've been thinking about getting a gaming pc, I'm tired of being relegated to using my 3 y/o macbook for everything. I want to get a computer to play games on their best or high settings, and I want to build it myself (not just because it's cheaper but also for the experience). I found this build basically by googling "Build a gaming computer" and luckily it's below my budget of ~$750 US.
Budget Gaming Desktop Computer Build
-Asus M4A88T-V EVO USB3 Motherboard ($100)
-AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Quad Core Processor ($115)
-Two Kingston KHX1600C9D3B1 4GB DDR3 RAM ($60) (for a total of 8GB memory)
-EVGA GeForce GTX 550 Ti ($140)
-Seagate Barracuda 1TB ($55)
-Asus DRW-24B3ST/BLK/G/AS Internal 24x CD/DVD Drive ($25)
-Cooler Master RC-310-RWN1-GP Elite 310 Mid-Tower Case ($40)
-OCZ ModXStream Pro Power Supply 600-Watt ($75)
I have friends that can show me how to put it all together and get it working, and Windows 7 I can get for cheap from my university, so I'll be fine on those points. However, having very little knowledge about computer parts, I have a few questions:
Will this be able to run SC2 on ultra (or at least high) settings with a good framerate?
Do you have any recommendations on better parts that are similarly priced? The build still lacks a monitor and a mouse obv, but I have a decent keyboard that my friend is willing to sell me cheap.
Also, there is no dedicated sound card but on the site I got the build from it says the mobo's sound card is good enough, do you think this is accurate? I am willing to throw down for a soundcard down the line after I get it up and running
+ Show Spoiler +
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I think we need to add a blacklist to the OP for places like that build-gaming-computers-that-suck.com
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On October 15 2011 10:24 kef wrote:+ Show Spoiler +So I've been thinking about getting a gaming pc, I'm tired of being relegated to using my 3 y/o macbook for everything. I want to get a computer to play games on their best or high settings, and I want to build it myself (not just because it's cheaper but also for the experience). I found this build basically by googling "Build a gaming computer" and luckily it's below my budget of ~$750 US. Budget Gaming Desktop Computer Build -Asus M4A88T-V EVO USB3 Motherboard ($100) -AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Quad Core Processor ($115) -Two Kingston KHX1600C9D3B1 4GB DDR3 RAM ($60) (for a total of 8GB memory) -EVGA GeForce GTX 550 Ti ($140) -Seagate Barracuda 1TB ($55) -Asus DRW-24B3ST/BLK/G/AS Internal 24x CD/DVD Drive ($25) -Cooler Master RC-310-RWN1-GP Elite 310 Mid-Tower Case ($40) -OCZ ModXStream Pro Power Supply 600-Watt ($75) I have friends that can show me how to put it all together and get it working, and Windows 7 I can get for cheap from my university, so I'll be fine on those points. However, having very little knowledge about computer parts, I have a few questions: Will this be able to run SC2 on ultra (or at least high) settings with a good framerate? Do you have any recommendations on better parts that are similarly priced? The build still lacks a monitor and a mouse obv, but I have a decent keyboard that my friend is willing to sell me cheap. Also, there is no dedicated sound card but on the site I got the build from it says the mobo's sound card is good enough, do you think this is accurate? I am willing to throw down for a soundcard down the line after I get it up and running + Show Spoiler +
Money is allocated extremely poorly in that build.
A DVD burner should not cost more than $20 unless you tell me why you need one over $20.
8gb of memory should not cost more than $50, especially only 1600MHz cas9. Higher frequency memory also provides little to zero benefits, 1333MHz cas9 costs close to $40.
A GTX 550 Ti for $140 is sort of overpriced.. A Radeon HD6850 can be had for $150 last time I checked
You should not be building on an AMD platform, Intel wrecks all of AMD's desktop offerings right now. If you want a quad, you should be looking at a core i5 2400 and a H61 or H67 motherboard.
A 600w power supply is also unnecessary for such a configuration. A 400-500w one already has adequate headroom for it.
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Memory is fine, you do not need more.
The best you could do with a $100 budget would be like get a Radeon HD5670 or another graphics card that doesn't require a 6pin PCIe connector. A Radeon HD5670 or similar card is not great but will be miles better than the Geforce 9100. You'll be able to play most games on low or medium at 1080p, higher settings on a lower resolution.
You'll still struggle with Starcraft II late game since your CPU is absolute shit and you can't really upgrade that without buying a new motherboard and new memory.
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On October 15 2011 10:31 skyR wrote:Memory is fine, you do not need more. The best you could do with a $100 budget would be like get a Radeon HD5670 or another graphics card that doesn't require a 6pin PCIe connector. A Radeon HD5670 or similar card is not great but will be miles better than the Geforce 9100. You'll be able to play most games on low or medium at 1080p, higher settings on a lower resolution. You'll still struggle with Starcraft II late game since your CPU is absolute shit and you can't really upgrade that without buying a new motherboard and new memory.
Shit okay....well let's play along with me getting a new motherboard and memory.
What would you suggest for me to get to be at a respectable level? Assuming the costs would be worth it for me to work with this machine rather than just starting fresh...
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I would start fresh... HP cases are terrible to work in and if working in a HP case will be your first experience of building PCs, you'll probably be put off from it forever.
If you're looking for something inexpensive that'll provide a massive gain over your current Phenom processor, you can get a Pentium G840 (~$85), H61 motherboard (~$60), and 4gb DDR3 (~$24). But keep in mind this is a dual core - if you want a quad core, you'll have to get a core i5 2300 (~$175) instead along with the mentioned motherboard and memory above.
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5930 Posts
Don't worry, they're compatible.
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DVI-I means both digital and analog.
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Question, i wanna sli once the new nvidia 600 series eventually comes out. Would there be a compatibility problem do you think with a 560ti and something from the 600 series?
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On October 15 2011 11:07 Dannnnn_The_Man wrote:
Question, i wanna sli once the new nvidia 600 series eventually comes out. Would there be a compatibility problem do you think with a 560ti and something from the 600 series?
Yeah. There would. You can't SLI or 3dSurround with non-identical cards.
I wrote something up to un-muddle all the terminology, because it's fucking confusing.
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On October 15 2011 11:11 JingleHell wrote:Show nested quote +On October 15 2011 11:07 Dannnnn_The_Man wrote:
Question, i wanna sli once the new nvidia 600 series eventually comes out. Would there be a compatibility problem do you think with a 560ti and something from the 600 series? Yeah. There would. You can't SLI or 3dSurround with non-identical cards. I wrote something up to un-muddle all the terminology, because it's fucking confusing.
OOo that was perfect, thank you.
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On October 15 2011 11:11 JingleHell wrote:Show nested quote +On October 15 2011 11:07 Dannnnn_The_Man wrote:
Question, i wanna sli once the new nvidia 600 series eventually comes out. Would there be a compatibility problem do you think with a 560ti and something from the 600 series? Yeah. There would. You can't SLI or 3dSurround with non-identical cards. I wrote something up to un-muddle all the terminology, because it's fucking confusing.
ya could add that with CrossFireX you don't need same cards, but cards from the same series are enough(you can CrossfireX 6970 with 6950 for instance)
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On October 15 2011 10:43 skyR wrote:
I would start fresh... HP cases are terrible to work in and if working in a HP case will be your first experience of building PCs, you'll probably be put off from it forever.
If you're looking for something inexpensive that'll provide a massive gain over your current Phenom processor, you can get a Pentium G840 (~$85), H61 motherboard (~$60), and 4gb DDR3 (~$24). But keep in mind this is a dual core - if you want a quad core, you'll have to get a core i5 2300 (~$175) instead along with the mentioned motherboard and memory above.
Thanks for the info.
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On October 15 2011 11:33 Shikyo wrote:Show nested quote +On October 15 2011 11:11 JingleHell wrote:On October 15 2011 11:07 Dannnnn_The_Man wrote:
Question, i wanna sli once the new nvidia 600 series eventually comes out. Would there be a compatibility problem do you think with a 560ti and something from the 600 series? Yeah. There would. You can't SLI or 3dSurround with non-identical cards. I wrote something up to un-muddle all the terminology, because it's fucking confusing. ya could add that with CrossFireX you don't need same cards, but cards from the same series are enough(you can CrossfireX 6970 with 6950 for instance)
While this is true, it's actually a waste... The Crossfire setup won't scale more frames to the slightly better card... so a 6970, 6950 crossfire would pretty much be a 6950 x2. Unless of course you can flash your 6950.
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Yeah, probably, mines mostly just for getting general info out there. Really, the terminology is the worst part, drives me batshit when someone wants a second nvidia card to run extra displays in 2d and calls it SLI. And that's ignoring nvidia's asshat move with 3Dvision and 3Dsurround.
I will never pretend that most of the stuff I do there is more than general information and entertainment combined. If you've ever read any of Dave Barry's columns, he's a bit of an influence, although I say booger less.
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I just hope these guys figure out a consistent naming scheme.
There were a few naming changes between the 5 and 6 series for instance.
There is a 5830, but the 6830 is a mobility processor.
There is no 5790, but the 6790 goes into the spot that the 5830's successor would be in. you can think of a 6790 as the 6 series 5830.
The 5970 (great card!) is the dual GPU card of the 5 series, but the 6970 is a standalone card.
I would never suggest an x6xx card or lower though.
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They have a consistent naming scheme. Change everything incessantly to confuse the hell out of people so they buy the highest number available. What's confusing about that?
Man, I get philosophical when I've been drinking and watching MLG...
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EPT
