Computer Build Resource Thread - Page 738

On September 10 2011 07:40 TrivialRiot wrote:
Will anyone please help me find an optimal system? I have never built a PC before, mostly because I've never actually paid for one. However, my PC lags with anything over 100 food in SC2 right now and it's preventing me from getting past silver, so time for an upgrade.

What is your budget?

$1000-$1500, I want to pc to last 5 years + (I think this is realistic?)

What is your resolution?

1680x1050 maybe. 23" monitor but I might game at 1280x1024 right now because my comp sucks, but that might change ya know?

What are you using it for?

I plan to use it to game hardcore... SC2, DOTA 2. I want it to be able to play Battlefield 3 or whatever the newest equivalent will be in 2-3 years, I feel like meeting the specs for FPS that haven't come out yet will be the biggest challenge/most expensive part. Incidentally I want to be able to stream and video record draft caps with decent sound but I have no experience with camstudio or any of that since none of it works(well) on my current PC.

What is your upgrade cycle?

5 years? apparently this is a really long time, but it comes from being financially conservative I guess. I guess it may be unrealistic considering the current rate of technological advances.. but with the right amount of attention things tend to last a long time.

When do you plan on building it?

Now. I have already stalled my prerequisite 6mo-1 year on a large purchase to mull over how I will execute and how much I'm actually willing to spend on something I absolutely do not need under any circumstances.

Do you plan on overclocking?

No. I don't think I'll need to do that to achieve the performance I want and would like to maintain that performance for as long as possible.

Do you need an Operating System?

Yes? How would I get by without one(yarr...)? I'm going to go with windows 7 since it will be industry standard for our business coming up soon and it has the least compatibility issues. I would also like to dual boot into linux so I can learn to play with linux unix and learn some programming but I'm not positive on how that changes my hardware needs or if the linux boot would be actually useful if I actually had it.

Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?

Yes.

Where are you buying your parts from?

Houston TX. Searching out a barcraft soon. Right now my #1 choice based on recommendations is Newegg but I haven't actually registered there yet.

On November 17 2011 06:36 skyR wrote:



You said you won't be overclocking so you don't want a K suffix processor, you'll want a core i5 2400 or core i5 2500.

If you plan on doing SLI than it's pretty stupid to not overclock since all the SLI capable boards are P67 or Z68 motherboards, boards that should be paired along with a K suffix processor for overclocking.

I'm pretty sure there are no H67 motherboards capable of SLI and the suggested Asrock P67 Pro3 is also not capable of SLI.

And I hope you plan on upgrading your monitor to 1080p because getting a GTX 570 and doing SLI at 1680x1050 is pretty wasteful.

If you plan on purchasing now, I'd suggest grabbing whatever is on sale at a decent price and plan to have everything together by the end of November. The Seasonic X650 for $100 was a complete steal and is much better than the OCZ but unfortunately it's sold out: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088

us.ncix.com often has lower prices on many of the components such as the 2500k for $200 instead of $215.

Lian Li is easily regarded as having some of the highest quality cases along with Silverstone though their cases aren't usually a good choice unless you want aluminum or want it for the looks since they aren't price competitive. Lancool is also their budget line so not as good. Bitfenix Shinobi is a good option for $60: http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=60584&promoid=1363 Though I wouldn't do SLI in either of these cases.

On November 17 2011 06:35 MicroMarine wrote:
Hey guys, does anyone know a quad core processor that is:
Intel - Well ok, doesn't HAVE to be Intel, but I've been told that AMD sucks so... yeah.
Used for streaming
Sub 100, maybe will go sub 150.

I'm running on a budget, so that's why the pricing is that way. I've been recommended the i5 2320, but that sale is over now, and it costs too much. I don't need that powerful of a processor, since I don't plan on streaming or doing that stuff too much. Anyone have any recommendations?

Here's my build so far

COOLER MASTER Elite 370 Black Steel / Plastic Computer Case
42.99

BIOSTAR H61MGC LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
$49.99

HIS H677FN1GD Radeon HD 6770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
$104.99

CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 430W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
$44.99

Intel Core i5-2320 Sandy Bridge 3.0GHz (3.3GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 ...
$189.99
Ok this one is the one I plan to change, it won't fit my budget of 550~ if I still want to add in a hard drive (stupid flodds)

G.SKILL Value 4GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9S-4GBNT
$19.99

SAMSUNG CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-222AB - OEM
$18.99

As of now $472

Remember I still need a HDD, so add in 100 to that price. Thanks

On November 17 2011 06:53 skyR wrote:
NCIX has new sales every week. Most of it is just recycled from the previous sale though.

The Elite 370 isn't actually a sales item, the Bitfenix Merc Alpha sale ends Nov 30th.

You'll see the core i5 2320 next week as well and the week after that as well probably since it's been on sale for a while now.

CX430V2 doesn't appear at every sale but it does appear quite often.

And yes, there are no other quads. You either go for $170 Core i5 2300 (or you can drive to Microcenter and get a core i5 2400 for $150) or go for some shitty Phenom II X4 for $120, I guess the FX4100 for $100 (with a promo code) is appealing but it's still shit.

C2Q are four years old and those aren't under $150 unless you buy them used... and most people won't sell you a C2Q for around $100, and around $150 - it's not worth it.

On November 17 2011 06:54 Shikyo wrote:
No intel budget quads available. You could try something slick like A8-3850 hybrid crossfire with 6670 but I'm not sure if that'd be a smart idea. Apart from that you could go with a Bulldozer 4100 or a Phenom x4 955, the good thing about those is that it's really cheap to overclock too as a decent overclocking board can be had for like 60$.

However if you could just spend a bit more money you'd be much better off with Intel, also a i3 550 with a cheap 1156 board would be an interesting choice as those overclock to like 4.5Ghz.

On November 17 2011 07:02 MicroMarine wrote:

Now I have a few questions (I'm sort of a novice at this). Which is better, the i5 2320 or the 2400? Also, why are the AMD processors always looked down at? Why do they perform so bad? Why does a Phenom 4 core at 3.2 ghz suck?

Thanks.

On November 17 2011 07:07 Wabbit wrote:


The 2400 is obviously better, though extremely marginally, it's identical to the 2320 in every other way except higher clock.

Ph 2 sucks because it's a 3+ yr old architecture that was comparable to Intel's Core 2 architecture from around the same time. Since then, Intel has released not 1 but 2 new architectures, each time making improvements.

Why are you so bent on getting a quad-core anyway? An i3 2120 has 2c with hyperthreading.

On November 16 2011 20:50 Womwomwom wrote:
Mismatched parts means your system will work fine but here is probably a better system:

Motherboard Asus Z68-M-Pro
Processor i5 2500k
HDD 500GB Caviar Blue
GPU HIS HD6950
Memory kit Gkill 1333mhz kit
Case Fractal Design Define Mini Black
PSU Antec HCG 520
CPU Cooler Hyper 212+
Total: $971 AUD from MSY

You computer may require an upgrade or two if you want it to stay "relevant" but this should last you a good while.

On November 17 2011 06:36 skyR wrote:



You said you won't be overclocking so you don't want a K suffix processor, you'll want a core i5 2400 or core i5 2500.

If you plan on doing SLI than it's pretty stupid to not overclock since all the SLI capable boards are P67 or Z68 motherboards, boards that should be paired along with a K suffix processor for overclocking.

I'm pretty sure there are no H67 motherboards capable of SLI and the suggested Asrock P67 Pro3 is also not capable of SLI.

And I hope you plan on upgrading your monitor to 1080p because getting a GTX 570 and doing SLI at 1680x1050 is pretty wasteful.

If you plan on purchasing now, I'd suggest grabbing whatever is on sale at a decent price and plan to have everything together by the end of November. The Seasonic X650 for $100 was a complete steal and is much better than the OCZ but unfortunately it's sold out: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088

us.ncix.com often has lower prices on many of the components such as the 2500k for $200 instead of $215.
Lian Li is easily regarded as having some of the highest quality cases along with Silverstone though their cases aren't usually a good choice unless you want aluminum or want it for the looks since they aren't price competitive. Lancool is also their budget line so not as good. Bitfenix Shinobi is a good option for $60: http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=60584&promoid=1363 Though I wouldn't do SLI in either of these cases.