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On February 17 2012 14:26 Melancholia wrote:I hadn't been considering Sager, never really noticed them before. And that price isn't too bad all told. I'll have to see if I can dig up a coupon for them somewhere. Edit: Turns out they don't do coupons. Definitely not ruling them out just for that though!
Yeah, I see no reason not to buy from them. You get a pretty decent setup for the price. Every now and then they have sales, but it doesn't seem like they have one now. I think I would pick Sager because you get pretty decent hardware, and I've never really heard of any huge problems with them. Their cases are bland though, its up to you whether that's a good thing.
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On February 18 2012 01:07 Alryk wrote:Show nested quote +On February 17 2012 14:26 Melancholia wrote:I hadn't been considering Sager, never really noticed them before. And that price isn't too bad all told. I'll have to see if I can dig up a coupon for them somewhere. Edit: Turns out they don't do coupons. Definitely not ruling them out just for that though! Yeah, I see no reason not to buy from them. You get a pretty decent setup for the price. Every now and then they have sales, but it doesn't seem like they have one now. I think I would pick Sager because you get pretty decent hardware, and I've never really heard of any huge problems with them. Their cases are bland though, its up to you whether that's a good thing.
IMO the plain black, unmarked case is the more swag than most lappers
Yeah, not having sager ship to canada themselves is such a pain
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What is your budget?
$1000 maybe a little higher when windows in included, i already have HD, and DVD drive
What is your resolution?
main screen 1900x1080 eventually want to go dual monitor with a smaller 1600x1200 one i already have for secondary (itunes, vent, streams)
What are you using it for?
Diablo 3, Starcraft 2
What is your upgrade cycle?
2-3 Years
When do you plan on building it?
next couple of weeks my laptop is on the fritz
Do you plan on overclocking?
maybe mild
Do you need an Operating System?
yes
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
maybe in the future (to max D3 and larger dual monitor) of if there is a good price performace going with it now
Where are you buying your parts from?
newegg but would get individual parts elseware if cheaper
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are there any alternatives to the Rosewill Capstone 450? Newegg is still out of stock 
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Staples: + Show Spoiler +On February 18 2012 01:35 Staples1 wrote:
What is your budget?
$1000 maybe a little higher when windows in included, i already have HD, and DVD drive
What is your resolution?
main screen 1900x1080 eventually want to go dual monitor with a smaller 1600x1200 one i already have for secondary (itunes, vent, streams)
What are you using it for?
Diablo 3, Starcraft 2
What is your upgrade cycle?
2-3 Years
When do you plan on building it?
next couple of weeks my laptop is on the fritz
Do you plan on overclocking?
maybe mild
Do you need an Operating System?
yes
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
maybe in the future (to max D3 and larger dual monitor) of if there is a good price performace going with it now
Where are you buying your parts from?
newegg but would get individual parts elseware if cheaper
I am by no means good at this. This is the first time I'm gonna try this for someone on TL, purely because I'm not in school today and I'm a bit bored  Skyr or somebody can proofread my build, and make sure that I didn't do anything wrong. (Particularly in the mobo/PSU since I don't know a ton about them still.)
PSU: Rosewill Capstone 550W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182068&Tpk=rosewill capstone 550w (I'm pretty sure this is overkill though. Rosewill Capstone 450W is a better choice I believe. I think there are cheaper options but here is something you can do for sure.)
Mobo: MSI P67 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130583 (I'm not very certain on this either.)
RAM: 8GB Pareema http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820576006 (Cheapest 8GB Ram)
Case: HAF 912 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233 (Nice cheap case, if you want something sleeker/noise dampened fractal design refine r3 is nice)
( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352013 )
CPU: i5 2500k http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
Now, if you want an SSD:
SSD: Crucial M4 128 GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442 (I am not sure if this is the best choice for the given mobo, but if it isn't, it will be a problem with the mobo. Again, Skyr or myrmidon can fix any issues I have.)
GPU: Sapphire 6870 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948
This runs up about 900$ before windows 7.
If you want to drop the SSD:
You can probably get a 7950 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102962 and run up about 1k.
I don't think I forgot anything. But this is just an idea, let Skyr give you a great build, or at least doublecheck what I've given. I'm pretty certain about most things except for the Mobo (which I'm just not sure what brand would be the best/what is priced right) and the PSU (don't know all of the good units, but I know the one I gave you would work. So I just might have wasted a bit of money in those categories.)
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On February 17 2012 10:47 Alryk wrote:Show nested quote +On February 17 2012 10:26 MgSnake1 wrote:
Hey guys,
I’m looking to get into starcraft 2 again, and I need to buy or build a new computer. Whatever I get I’d like to be able to easily handle graphics set to ‘high’ for 1v1, 2v2 and some FFA once in a while (I used to play on a laptop on all low settings, so this would be a nice change for me lol). If it could handle ultra, and did not cost too much more, I’d be ok with making that upgrade.
I already have a new laptop that is not even a year old that I can use for Word, etc. so I don’t feel the need to shell out too much on the OS. This computer would be pretty much for SC2, internet, and music. So the computer does not have to be too nuts- I just want it to play on pretty good settings without problems, and I’ll be happy.
That being said, should I buy a pre-made computer, or build one? I’ve been reading some of the build-a-computer threads the past few days and the idea is intriguing, and most of the builds seem to be a pretty good price. I know I’m probably getting ripped off buying something pre-made, but is it even worth building my computer with the way I will be using it? Are there any good computers that are pre-made to buy? I think trying to build a computer would be cool, but I’m not sure if it would make more sense to buy a pre-made one. If buying the parts and putting it together would be much cheaper and allow me to play in the specs I listed, I’ll definitely go try a build offered up.
What is your budget?
$600-$1000
What is your resolution?
Not sure really, I need a monitor. I’d like to play around 1024 x 768 or 1280 x 1024… if I understand this question correctly
What are you using it for?
SC2, DVDs, music, internet. I don’t plan on buying anything other than maybe D3 in the foreseeable future.
What is your upgrade cycle?
+3-4 years
When do you plan on building it?
asap
Do you plan on overclocking?
no
Do you need an Operating System?
Windows 7 home- I already have a laptop with everything I need so it wouldn’t have to be too crazy... I don't know if there are better deals than $120 on the microsoft website
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
no
Where are you buying your parts from?
US, I have no preference or idea of where to get good parts online…
Any help or advice is greatly appreciated. Let me know if you need anything clarified
I'll let somebody more qualified than me make you a build, but am almost positive that for 1k, you can get a decent dell 1080P monitor, and a computer that can play SC2 on ultra.
I've been doing more reading and watching a few videos, and I think I'm going to go the route of building the computer. I am not sure about the processor though... everyone seems to like the i5 2500 and not have problems with it. There are also 2 versions, the 2000 and 3000 HD graphics- would this even matter to me if I plan on getting a graphics card?
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On February 18 2012 03:50 MgSnake1 wrote:Show nested quote +On February 17 2012 10:47 Alryk wrote:On February 17 2012 10:26 MgSnake1 wrote:
Hey guys,
I’m looking to get into starcraft 2 again, and I need to buy or build a new computer. Whatever I get I’d like to be able to easily handle graphics set to ‘high’ for 1v1, 2v2 and some FFA once in a while (I used to play on a laptop on all low settings, so this would be a nice change for me lol). If it could handle ultra, and did not cost too much more, I’d be ok with making that upgrade.
I already have a new laptop that is not even a year old that I can use for Word, etc. so I don’t feel the need to shell out too much on the OS. This computer would be pretty much for SC2, internet, and music. So the computer does not have to be too nuts- I just want it to play on pretty good settings without problems, and I’ll be happy.
That being said, should I buy a pre-made computer, or build one? I’ve been reading some of the build-a-computer threads the past few days and the idea is intriguing, and most of the builds seem to be a pretty good price. I know I’m probably getting ripped off buying something pre-made, but is it even worth building my computer with the way I will be using it? Are there any good computers that are pre-made to buy? I think trying to build a computer would be cool, but I’m not sure if it would make more sense to buy a pre-made one. If buying the parts and putting it together would be much cheaper and allow me to play in the specs I listed, I’ll definitely go try a build offered up.
What is your budget?
$600-$1000
What is your resolution?
Not sure really, I need a monitor. I’d like to play around 1024 x 768 or 1280 x 1024… if I understand this question correctly
What are you using it for?
SC2, DVDs, music, internet. I don’t plan on buying anything other than maybe D3 in the foreseeable future.
What is your upgrade cycle?
+3-4 years
When do you plan on building it?
asap
Do you plan on overclocking?
no
Do you need an Operating System?
Windows 7 home- I already have a laptop with everything I need so it wouldn’t have to be too crazy... I don't know if there are better deals than $120 on the microsoft website
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
no
Where are you buying your parts from?
US, I have no preference or idea of where to get good parts online…
Any help or advice is greatly appreciated. Let me know if you need anything clarified
I'll let somebody more qualified than me make you a build, but am almost positive that for 1k, you can get a decent dell 1080P monitor, and a computer that can play SC2 on ultra. I've been doing more reading and watching a few videos, and I think I'm going to go the route of building the computer. I am not sure about the processor though... everyone seems to like the i5 2500 and not have problems with it. There are also 2 versions, the 2000 and 3000 HD graphics- would this even matter to me if I plan on getting a graphics card?
No not really.
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ok. Would an i3-2100 work just as well on high/ultra sc2 settings? What's the difference between an i3-2100 and i3-2120?
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core i3 2120 is just 200MHz faster.
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Skyr beat me
+ Show Spoiler +I think just clock speed. It should probably handle ultra, at least in 1v1. Idk about higher though (this being the 2100)
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I'm back once more, this time looking for a high-end build for a friend.
What is your budget?
$2000-2500, with more available if there is a significant enough performance increase to warrant it
What is your resolution?
1920x1200, multiple monitor support would be useful. An additional monitor is probably the only part that might be added mid-cycle
What are you using it for?
To quote him: "games, 3D modelling, software engineering. In order of priority, RAM, GFX, CPU. I want to get a solid state primary drive, too, for speed."
From speaking with him the most taxing use will definitely be the 3D modelling, he does some significant work as a Masters level mechanical engineering student, as well as a large number of other projects. He's fairly insistent that it have 32 GBs of RAM for that purpose, though if you are certain that RAM wouldn't be the limiting factor then let me know.
What is your upgrade cycle?
3 years between machines, with no plans to upgrade mid-cycle
When do you plan on building it?
Now
Do you plan on overclocking?
My guess would be yes, when the task warrants it.
Do you need an Operating System?
No
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
If the usage requires it. It is unlikely that a second will be added at a later date, everything will be purchased at the start.
Where are you buying your parts from?
Newegg, other online sources if the price warrants it, and there is a Fry's nearby if they have any deals
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On February 18 2012 01:35 Staples1 wrote:+ Show Spoiler +What is your budget?
$1000 maybe a little higher when windows in included, i already have HD, and DVD drive
What is your resolution?
main screen 1900x1080 eventually want to go dual monitor with a smaller 1600x1200 one i already have for secondary (itunes, vent, streams)
What are you using it for?
Diablo 3, Starcraft 2
What is your upgrade cycle?
2-3 Years
When do you plan on building it?
next couple of weeks my laptop is on the fritz
Do you plan on overclocking?
maybe mild
Do you need an Operating System?
yes
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
maybe in the future (to max D3 and larger dual monitor) of if there is a good price performace going with it now
Where are you buying your parts from?
newegg but would get individual parts elseware if cheaper
On February 18 2012 02:22 Alryk wrote:+ Show Spoiler +Staples: + Show Spoiler +On February 18 2012 01:35 Staples1 wrote:
What is your budget?
$1000 maybe a little higher when windows in included, i already have HD, and DVD drive
What is your resolution?
main screen 1900x1080 eventually want to go dual monitor with a smaller 1600x1200 one i already have for secondary (itunes, vent, streams)
What are you using it for?
Diablo 3, Starcraft 2
What is your upgrade cycle?
2-3 Years
When do you plan on building it?
next couple of weeks my laptop is on the fritz
Do you plan on overclocking?
maybe mild
Do you need an Operating System?
yes
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
maybe in the future (to max D3 and larger dual monitor) of if there is a good price performace going with it now
Where are you buying your parts from?
newegg but would get individual parts elseware if cheaper I am by no means good at this. This is the first time I'm gonna try this for someone on TL, purely because I'm not in school today and I'm a bit bored Skyr or somebody can proofread my build, and make sure that I didn't do anything wrong. (Particularly in the mobo/PSU since I don't know a ton about them still.) PSU: Rosewill Capstone 550W http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182068&Tpk=rosewill capstone 550w (I'm pretty sure this is overkill though. Rosewill Capstone 450W is a better choice I believe. I think there are cheaper options but here is something you can do for sure.) Mobo: MSI P67 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130583 (I'm not very certain on this either.) RAM: 8GB Pareema http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820576006 (Cheapest 8GB Ram) Case: HAF 912 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119233 (Nice cheap case, if you want something sleeker/noise dampened fractal design refine r3 is nice) ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352013 ) CPU: i5 2500k http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072Now, if you want an SSD: SSD: Crucial M4 128 GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148442 (I am not sure if this is the best choice for the given mobo, but if it isn't, it will be a problem with the mobo. Again, Skyr or myrmidon can fix any issues I have.) GPU: Sapphire 6870 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948 This runs up about 900$ before windows 7. If you want to drop the SSD: You can probably get a 7950 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102962 and run up about 1k. I don't think I forgot anything. But this is just an idea, let Skyr give you a great build, or at least doublecheck what I've given. I'm pretty certain about most things except for the Mobo (which I'm just not sure what brand would be the best/what is priced right) and the PSU (don't know all of the good units, but I know the one I gave you would work. So I just might have wasted a bit of money in those categories.)
Doing SLI / Crossfire for Diablo 3 and Starcraft II is a stupid idea because these games are a joke on graphics requirements. I suggest you drop the idea and get an Asrock P67 Pro3 instead: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157230
Core i5 2500k for $200: http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=57962&promoid=1315
Coolermaster HAF 912 for $50: http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=55583&promoid=1315
An aftermarket heatsink for overclocking is missing, you'll want a Coolermaster Hyper 212+ for $23: http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=41337&promoid=1315
Plextor M3 128gb is at $160 again < this is HOT and probably won't last long: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820249014
Sapphire HD6870 and PNY 2x4GB for $198: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.817328
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Oh I knew I needed a heatsink just forgot about it. Thanks and definitely look at skyr's stuff, its cheaprr xD
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ok, I have narrowed it down a little bit. I'm not really sure how to narrow this down further, if any of these are bottleneck something else or are overpowered for the build, or if there is a better price somewhere else. I found all of these on Newegg (or saw referenced on the past few pages of this thread). These should all work together, from what I understand... For the most part I have listed what I am leaning towards first:
Processor
i3 2120- $128
i5 2400- $190
Motherboard (I am completely clueless here)
ASRock P67- $100
ASRock Z68- $122
Gigabyte GA-Z68- $118
Memory
Kingston 4 gb- $22
G Skill 8 gb- $37
Video Card
Sapphire Radeon 6770- $100 ($90 w/ rebate)
Sapphire Radeon 6850- $150 ($135 w/ rebate)
Hard drive (how does MB cache affect performance?)
Seagate 7200 RPM, 16 MB, 500 GB- $85 ($75 w/ rebate)
Seagate 7200 RPM, 64 MB, 1 TB- $125
Power supply (Clueless here too)
Antec 380w- $45
Cooler Master 500w- $40 ($30 w/ rebate)
Rosewill Stallion 500W- $45
Case
Rosewill Blackbone Black Steel- $40
Rosewill Destroyer- $50
DVD drive (does this have to be non-OEM?)
TBD
I still need to get a copy of windows home. I have a $50 gift card to best buy, so I will probably get my monitor and keyboard there.
Any help with this would be greatly appreciated
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On February 18 2012 09:19 MgSnake1 wrote:+ Show Spoiler +ok, I have narrowed it down a little bit. I'm not really sure how to narrow this down further, if any of these are bottleneck something else or are overpowered for the build, or if there is a better price somewhere else. I found all of these on Newegg (or saw referenced on the past few pages of this thread). These should all work together, from what I understand... For the most part I have listed what I am leaning towards first:
Processor
i3 2120- $128
i5 2400- $190
Motherboard (I am completely clueless here)
ASRock P67- $100
ASRock Z68- $122
Gigabyte GA-Z68- $118
Memory
Kingston 4 gb- $22
G Skill 8 gb- $37
Video Card
Sapphire Radeon 6770- $100 ($90 w/ rebate)
Sapphire Radeon 6850- $150 ($135 w/ rebate)
Hard drive (how does MB cache affect performance?)
Seagate 7200 RPM, 16 MB, 500 GB- $85 ($75 w/ rebate)
Seagate 7200 RPM, 64 MB, 1 TB- $125
Power supply (Clueless here too)
Antec 380w- $45
Cooler Master 500w- $40 ($30 w/ rebate)
Rosewill Stallion 500W- $45
Case
Rosewill Blackbone Black Steel- $40
Rosewill Destroyer- $50
DVD drive (does this have to be non-OEM?)
TBD
I still need to get a copy of windows home. I have a $50 gift card to best buy, so I will probably get my monitor and keyboard there.
Any help with this would be greatly appreciated
Both Coolermaster Extreme Plus 500 and Rosewill Stallion are terrible. Antec Earthwatts 430D for $40 is your best option: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371034
Get core i5 2400 PNY & 2x4gb 1600MHz together for $221: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.818463
You're not overclocking so don't look at Z68 or P67 motherboards. You want a H61 or H67 motherboard such as an Asrock H61M-VS for $55: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157241
Get a Bitfenix Outlaw for $35: http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=63255&promoid=1315
Get the DVD burner at NCIX as well for $16, this will give you free shipping: http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=45244&promoid=1315
I'm not sure what kind of question is "does this have to be non-OEM?" There's no reason why you would want to buy a retail drive unless you collect manuals and cables.
Cache has very little impact on HDDs, don't concern yourself with stupid things. If you want more performance than worry about everything else first... just get a Seagate Barracuda 500GB for $76: http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=63468&promoid=1315
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On February 18 2012 09:19 MgSnake1 wrote:+ Show Spoiler +
ok, I have narrowed it down a little bit. I'm not really sure how to narrow this down further, if any of these are bottleneck something else or are overpowered for the build, or if there is a better price somewhere else. I found all of these on Newegg (or saw referenced on the past few pages of this thread). These should all work together, from what I understand... For the most part I have listed what I am leaning towards first:
Processor
i3 2120- $128
i5 2400- $190
Motherboard (I am completely clueless here)
ASRock P67- $100
ASRock Z68- $122
Gigabyte GA-Z68- $118
Memory
Kingston 4 gb- $22
G Skill 8 gb- $37
Video Card
Sapphire Radeon 6770- $100 ($90 w/ rebate)
Sapphire Radeon 6850- $150 ($135 w/ rebate)
Hard drive (how does MB cache affect performance?)
Seagate 7200 RPM, 16 MB, 500 GB- $85 ($75 w/ rebate)
Seagate 7200 RPM, 64 MB, 1 TB- $125
Power supply (Clueless here too)
Antec 380w- $45
Cooler Master 500w- $40 ($30 w/ rebate)
Rosewill Stallion 500W- $45
Case
Rosewill Blackbone Black Steel- $40
Rosewill Destroyer- $50
DVD drive (does this have to be non-OEM?)
TBD
I still need to get a copy of windows home. I have a $50 gift card to best buy, so I will probably get my monitor and keyboard there.
Any help with this would be greatly appreciated
The processor choice depends on whether you need the 4 cores of the i5, or do mainly lightly threaded games and tasks where the i3 is sufficient. If you tell us what games you will be playing and your other intended workloads it would be helpful.
You don't buy p67 or z68 motherboards for a non-k variant processor generally, as the main difference between those series and the h61/h67 series is the ability to overclock. A ~$50-60 h61 is fine for most, unless you need the extra connectivity of a h67.
Memory us up to you, but the 8gb has no significant premium, so I'd take it.
The 6850 is up to 1.5 times as fast as the 6770 in some game benchmarksbenchmarks (note the 5770 is identical in game performance as the 6770, and the 6770 isn't on that website). Which games do you play? SC2 won't be particularly bottlenecked by either card, but 3d games will be generally heavily gpu bottlenecked with the 6770, and even the 6850. Your decision based on intended usage.
Cache speed doesn't have much of an effect on performance, platter size does. If you need 1 TB get that, if you know you will never need it, you can get the 500 GB one. All harddrives are slow, if you actually care about speed, you need to fork out a lot for an ssd.
Please be more specific with which power supplies you are referring to. Different lines from companies range from terrible to very good, branding alone doesn't matter.
Case choice is personal preference. There are probably better cases for less though, so keep that in mind.
And dvd-drive (or dvd burner if you need to create dvds) is fine, as long as it is sata and not IDE, as IDE is not found on most newer motherboards.
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awesome, that was really helpful. That combo deal w/ the i5 2400 and and 8gb pretty much adds 4gb for $10. I will go with that PSU. That tower is nice but it is out of stock :\. I wasn't really sure what OEM was, lol- thanks for clearing it up.
For the motherboard, I looked at the H61 vs H67- is the only difference between USB 2 and 3 upload/download speed? From what I understand, the graphics card will come with an HDMI port anyways so that shouldn't be something to worry about
edit-
On February 18 2012 09:43 Rollin wrote:Show nested quote +On February 18 2012 09:19 MgSnake1 wrote:+ Show Spoiler +
ok, I have narrowed it down a little bit. I'm not really sure how to narrow this down further, if any of these are bottleneck something else or are overpowered for the build, or if there is a better price somewhere else. I found all of these on Newegg (or saw referenced on the past few pages of this thread). These should all work together, from what I understand... For the most part I have listed what I am leaning towards first:
Processor
i3 2120- $128
i5 2400- $190
Motherboard (I am completely clueless here)
ASRock P67- $100
ASRock Z68- $122
Gigabyte GA-Z68- $118
Memory
Kingston 4 gb- $22
G Skill 8 gb- $37
Video Card
Sapphire Radeon 6770- $100 ($90 w/ rebate)
Sapphire Radeon 6850- $150 ($135 w/ rebate)
Hard drive (how does MB cache affect performance?)
Seagate 7200 RPM, 16 MB, 500 GB- $85 ($75 w/ rebate)
Seagate 7200 RPM, 64 MB, 1 TB- $125
Power supply (Clueless here too)
Antec 380w- $45
Cooler Master 500w- $40 ($30 w/ rebate)
Rosewill Stallion 500W- $45
Case
Rosewill Blackbone Black Steel- $40
Rosewill Destroyer- $50
DVD drive (does this have to be non-OEM?)
TBD
I still need to get a copy of windows home. I have a $50 gift card to best buy, so I will probably get my monitor and keyboard there.
Any help with this would be greatly appreciated
The processor choice depends on whether you need the 4 cores of the i5, or do mainly lightly threaded games and tasks where the i3 is sufficient. If you tell us what games you will be playing and your other intended workloads it would be helpful. You don't buy p67 or z68 motherboards for a non-k variant processor generally, as the main difference between those series and the h61/h67 series is the ability to overclock. A ~$50-60 h61 is fine for most, unless you need the extra connectivity of a h67. Memory us up to you, but the 8gb has no significant premium, so I'd take it. The 6850 is up to 1.5 times as fast as the 6770 in some game benchmarksbenchmarks (note the 5770 is identical in game performance as the 6770, and the 6770 isn't on that website). Which games do you play? SC2 won't be particularly bottlenecked by either card, but 3d games will be generally heavily gpu bottlenecked with the 6770, and even the 6850. Your decision based on intended usage. Cache speed doesn't have much of an effect on performance, platter size does. If you need 1 TB get that, if you know you will never need it, you can get the 500 GB one. All harddrives are slow, if you actually care about speed, you need to fork out a lot for an ssd. Please be more specific with which power supplies you are referring to. Different lines from companies range from terrible to very good, branding alone doesn't matter. Case choice is personal preference. There are probably better cases for less though, so keep that in mind. And dvd-drive (or dvd burner if you need to create dvds) is fine, as long as it is sata and not IDE, as IDE is not found on most newer motherboards.
I only plan on playing SC2 right now, I want to be able to play on high/ maybe some ultra. So nothing crazy. Other than that I won't be buying anything other than maybe D3, if I get it at all.
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On February 18 2012 05:40 Melancholia wrote:+ Show Spoiler +I'm back once more, this time looking for a high-end build for a friend.
What is your budget?
$2000-2500, with more available if there is a significant enough performance increase to warrant it
What is your resolution?
1920x1200, multiple monitor support would be useful. An additional monitor is probably the only part that might be added mid-cycle
What are you using it for?
To quote him: "games, 3D modelling, software engineering. In order of priority, RAM, GFX, CPU. I want to get a solid state primary drive, too, for speed."
From speaking with him the most taxing use will definitely be the 3D modelling, he does some significant work as a Masters level mechanical engineering student, as well as a large number of other projects. He's fairly insistent that it have 32 GBs of RAM for that purpose, though if you are certain that RAM wouldn't be the limiting factor then let me know.
What is your upgrade cycle?
3 years between machines, with no plans to upgrade mid-cycle
When do you plan on building it?
Now
Do you plan on overclocking?
My guess would be yes, when the task warrants it.
Do you need an Operating System?
No
Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire?
If the usage requires it. It is unlikely that a second will be added at a later date, everything will be purchased at the start.
Where are you buying your parts from?
Newegg, other online sources if the price warrants it, and there is a Fry's nearby if they have any deals
There are a billion ways you can allocate a $2500 budget.
For $2500, I'd of course build on LGA2011 but you said processor is the last of his concerns so hex and octo cores may not be worth it. LGA1155 is limited to 32gb and quad cores while LGA2011 is expandable to 64gb and octo cores. Building on LGA1155 will of course not come close to $2500 without doing a multi-GPU configuration.
For GPU, you basically want a 7970 for this budget but the good ones are extremely hard to find right now because everyone wants it. You can pre-order the ASUS HD7970 DirectCuII at Amazon for $580: http://www.amazon.com/DirectCU-1000MHz-Overclocked-Graphics-HD7970-DC2T-3GD5/dp/B00739TCH8/ If you can't wait than you can grab a Radeon HD7950 for $100 less.
Plextor M3 128gb for $160 is a hot deal right now: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820249014
You'd obviously want a nice case and power supply for such a build. I'd suggest the Antec P280 for $112: http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=65170 and a Capstone 550: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182068 if you are doing a single GPU configuration. If you are looking for something modular than a Seasonic X is a nice option that's fully modular but is also significantly more expensive.
For 32gb, you'd want / need 8gb modules, $208 with promo code until the 22nd: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231487
You'd want a Noctua NH-D14, Phanteks PH-TC14, or a Thermalright Silverarrow.
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EPT
