EPTSo I'll stick with a 2gb and once my game comes out and if I notice issues I'll simply upgrade. Heck, since the motherboard is SLI/Crossfire, maybe use it and get a second monitor one day.
Thanks guys, you've been an incredible help =D.
Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread - Page 104
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Adtor
Canada82 Posts
So I'll stick with a 2gb and once my game comes out and if I notice issues I'll simply upgrade. Heck, since the motherboard is SLI/Crossfire, maybe use it and get a second monitor one day. Thanks guys, you've been an incredible help =D. | ||
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
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Cyro
United Kingdom20343 Posts
So if I get this straight, 8gb of RAM is well enough right now and the video card RAM will probably increase in the near future. So I'll stick with a 2gb and once my game comes out and if I notice issues I'll simply upgrade. The problem is you can't "upgrade" VRAM. You have 2gb or 3gb or 4gb whatever on the card, and if it's not enough, you have no choice but to turn down certain settings or replace the GPU, when the GPU might otherwise be completely fine for you. If you're getting more than a midrange GPU (770 is a bit above midrange, i think) then i think it's wise to take 3gb option right now (which is easier to take on 7950/7970/280x) Not that there would probably be any issues with 2gb, it's just potentially a light snag that makes the other cards that have 3gb of VRAM a little more appealing. For 4gb on the Nvidia side, you'd have to pay more than for the 2gb versions, whereas amd has those three cards i wrote with 384-bit memory bus and 3gb. | ||
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FizonFiRE
Australia2 Posts
Processor (CPU) : Intel Core i5 4670 Quad Core LGA 1150 3.4GHz $243.00 Motherboard : Asus H87 - PRO $129.00 Memory (RAM) : Video Card (GPU) : Asus GeForce GTX 660 OC 2GB $243.00 Storage : Samsung 840 EVO Series SATA3 250G $182.00 Sound Card : Asus Xonar DG $28.00 WiFi Card : Power Supply (PSU) : Case : NZXT H230 White $99.00 I could use a hand with a few things. Firstly, it would be good if someone could help me fill in the gaps  . I'm not too sure on the PSU, and I don't know much about Network Cards. I just need a Network card that can receive a WiFi signal with a WPA2 - SPK Security type, with a range of a bit less than 20 metres (65 feet). I'd prefer an internal card to an external USB dongle for this. I've specifically chosen a Motherboard with enough PCI slots to handle this.In terms of RAM, I want 4G sticks, but I can't choose a model/brand. The motherboard is dual channel, so I will be using at least 2 of these (8G total, possibly 16G depending on price). I have no plans for overclocking or SLI/Crossfire, which is why I went with a H87 chipset on the motherboard. This is also why I am planning on the i5 4670 over the 4670K (otherwise I'm just paying extra for a feature I'm not going to use). I threw in the sound card because Asus Motherboards tend to have poorer on-board audio (I originally planned on a Gigabyte Mobo without the sound card), and the card is inexpensive anyway. I also have some decent 2.1 speakers. Another concern of mine was the Video Card. I can grab the Gigabyte or basic MSi variations of the GTX 660 for slightly less than the Asus model, but I have no idea how they differ and if it is worth grabbing one of the more expensive models. My secondary storage is going to be an external hard drive that I already own. I'm also planning on an aftermarket CPU cooler, but I'm not sure if it is worth it given that I won't be overclocking. In terms of prices, just keep it in range of what I've already listed here If there are any other changes/recommendations that you would make, please feel free to tell me  Thanks ^_^ | ||
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Incognoto
France10239 Posts
Btw Myrmidon, did you play Age of Mythology? edit On November 16 2013 15:23 FizonFiRE wrote:+ Show Spoiler + Hi guys, I'm developing a build that I need some help with. This is what I have so far (the prices listed here are the cheapest that I can find these components for where I live (Australia)): Processor (CPU) : Intel Core i5 4670 Quad Core LGA 1150 3.4GHz $243.00 Motherboard : Asus H87 - PRO $129.00 Memory (RAM) : Video Card (GPU) : Asus GeForce GTX 660 OC 2GB $243.00 Storage : Samsung 840 EVO Series SATA3 250G $182.00 Sound Card : Asus Xonar DG $28.00 WiFi Card : Power Supply (PSU) : Case : NZXT H230 White $99.00 I could use a hand with a few things. Firstly, it would be good if someone could help me fill in the gaps . I'm not too sure on the PSU, and I don't know much about Network Cards. I just need a Network card that can receive a WiFi signal with a WPA2 - SPK Security type, with a range of a bit less than 20 metres (65 feet). I'd prefer an internal card to an external USB dongle for this. I've specifically chosen a Motherboard with enough PCI slots to handle this.In terms of RAM, I want 4G sticks, but I can't choose a model/brand. The motherboard is dual channel, so I will be using at least 2 of these (8G total, possibly 16G depending on price). I have no plans for overclocking or SLI/Crossfire, which is why I went with a H87 chipset on the motherboard. This is also why I am planning on the i5 4670 over the 4670K (otherwise I'm just paying extra for a feature I'm not going to use). I threw in the sound card because Asus Motherboards tend to have poorer on-board audio (I originally planned on a Gigabyte Mobo without the sound card), and the card is inexpensive anyway. I also have some decent 2.1 speakers. Another concern of mine was the Video Card. I can grab the Gigabyte or basic MSi variations of the GTX 660 for slightly less than the Asus model, but I have no idea how they differ and if it is worth grabbing one of the more expensive models. My secondary storage is going to be an external hard drive that I already own. I'm also planning on an aftermarket CPU cooler, but I'm not sure if it is worth it given that I won't be overclocking. In terms of prices, just keep it in range of what I've already listed here If there are any other changes/recommendations that you would make, please feel free to tell me Thanks ^_^ If you're not going to overclock and you need basic functionality (no overclocking or SLI/Crossfire), then that ASUS H87 motherboard is too expenisve. You can get by with with an H81 or B85 chipset (for some reason I noticed that the H81 boards are always cheaper than the B85 ones, not sure why), which is much cheaper than that H87 board. If you're in australia I might recommend something like this: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=24854&cPath=1491 Not sure if there are any other australian retailers which would be cheaper or something. One thing to be careful of is not getting too fat a GPU, or else you won't be able to fit your sound card in. The pictures seem to indicate that you can fit in a GPU two slots thick as well as a sound card, so it should be fine. However if you need another slot for a network card, things can get complicated. perhaps look into getting an external USB wifi thing. If not, with this motherboard you'll be limited. You're right wanting 2x4 Gb of RAM modules. No need for 16 Gb, overkill and way more expensive. You don't need an aftermarket cooler if you're not going to overclock. My 4670, no overclock with aftermarket cooler, doesn't go above 63°C when gaming and video recording. Not sure about network cards either! :p For PSU look for something from a big brand. Rosewill, Seasonic, Corsair, antec and so on. Rosewill Capstone 450W is the go-to for a build such as yours however it might not be available in Australia. hmm Gigabyte/MSI/Asus are the three big brands which are sure values. They're roughly all equivalent. Though instead of a Gtx660, you may want to look at a 760 or something, which is more recent. Edit: Though 760s are marginally more expensive than 660s lol. I will instead recommend the R9 270X or the 7870. The R9 270X/7870 seems priced roughly the same as the GTX660, however it's more recent and it does out-perform the GTX660. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-r9-280x-r9-270x-r7-260x,3635-9.html http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/radeon_r7_260x_r9_270x_280x_review_benchmarks,18.html Such benchmarks are useful for comparing cards, even if the reviews aren't always that great. Ninja editing since i mixed up R7/R9 | ||
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Derez
Netherlands6068 Posts
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Soap
Brazil1546 Posts
On November 16 2013 20:47 Incognoto wrote: If you're in australia I might recommend something like this: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=24854&cPath=1491 Note that motherboard only has two RAM slots, if you expect to upgrade in the future you may want to get one with four, such as this: http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=23621&cPath=1491 | ||
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Leftstep
7 Posts
$1,700~ What is your monitor's native resolution? I dont have one What games do you intend to play on this computer? What settings? I would like to play on the best possible settings, i play mostly WoW (25 man raiding) LoL, BF4, SC2, and other various steam games. What do you intend to use the computer for besides gaming? Occasional school work, though i will most likely use my laptop for the majority of that. I plan on keeping this desktop for awhile, so hopefully i will use it for a job in the future. Do you intend to overclock? Possibly Do you intend to do SLI / Crossfire? no Do you need an operating system? Im not sure, i am assuming ill simply use Windows 7? clarification on this question would be appreciated (i dont know too much about computers. Do you need a monitor or any other peripherals and is this part of your budget? I need a keyboard/monitor/speakers If you have any requirements or brand preferences, please specify. i dont really, just whatever works well. What country will you be buying your parts in? United states If you have any retailer preferences, please specify. Im not a huge computer person and i have never built a computer before, so i will most likely be getting help from a local microcenter, other than that i do not have a preference. | ||
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Dgiese
United States2687 Posts
Bf4 is the heaviest graphics card user on that list of games, it uses more VRAM than other games. If you're playing it on high settings you'll be looking at cards with ideally no else than 3gb VRAM. I.e nothing less than a 7950 ($170), although with your budget and desire for 'future proofing' you'll likely be able to get a more powerful card. With your budget you should also be looking at i7 CPU's, microcenter often has great deals on processors if you pick up in store, so check out their website for what's on special in a store near you. For a motherboard pairing you can go h81 if you don't want to over lock, or z87 if you do (z87 boards will also have more features which you migh be interested in). Again, microcenter offers Mobo + CPU pairings so check out what your local store has. Sorry I can't do a full build, but I'm on my phone, and there are more knowledgeable people than me (skyr, cyro, etc) | ||
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Cyro
United Kingdom20343 Posts
Sorry I can't do a full build, but I'm on my phone, and there are more knowledgeable people than me (skyr, cyro, etc) I'm not at all good with quick optimized builds especially cross-market and dealing with different sites, prices, offers etc, my knowledge is quite patchy and focused on higher end and specific parts too, thanks for contributing though  | ||
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Rollin
Australia1552 Posts
On November 17 2013 13:34 Cyro wrote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axyHkKn_e80 I'm not at all good with quick optimized builds especially cross-market and dealing with different sites, prices, offers etc, my knowledge is quite patchy and focused on higher end and specific parts too, thanks for contributing though So what I take from that video is that only low is playable* at a non-shit resolution? And considering that's single not multiplayer it doesn't mean that much, but still very decent compared to intel's offerings I suppose. *I consider 60 fps with no tearing playable for shooters. | ||
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Cyro
United Kingdom20343 Posts
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Incognoto
France10239 Posts
On November 17 2013 07:43 Leftstep wrote:+ Show Spoiler + What is your budget? $1,700~ What is your monitor's native resolution? I dont have one What games do you intend to play on this computer? What settings? I would like to play on the best possible settings, i play mostly WoW (25 man raiding) LoL, BF4, SC2, and other various steam games. What do you intend to use the computer for besides gaming? Occasional school work, though i will most likely use my laptop for the majority of that. I plan on keeping this desktop for awhile, so hopefully i will use it for a job in the future. Do you intend to overclock? Possibly Do you intend to do SLI / Crossfire? no Do you need an operating system? Im not sure, i am assuming ill simply use Windows 7? clarification on this question would be appreciated (i dont know too much about computers. Do you need a monitor or any other peripherals and is this part of your budget? I need a keyboard/monitor/speakers If you have any requirements or brand preferences, please specify. i dont really, just whatever works well. What country will you be buying your parts in? United states If you have any retailer preferences, please specify. Im not a huge computer person and i have never built a computer before, so i will most likely be getting help from a local microcenter, other than that i do not have a preference. Building a computer is not a difficult thing at all, if you look at some of the videos in the OP you see that there's absolutely nothing complicated to it. The hardest part by far is picking up the parts that suit your needs and finding good deals. You will indeed need an OS and since we're in 2013, you should get Windows 8, unless you have a very good reason for sticking to Windows 7... which you probably don't. You can buy it on Amazon or something. So, assuming that you are going to build a nice gaming rig with that kind of budget, we can give you a few pointers. + Show Spoiler + For your CPU, since you're gaming and not streaming 1080 @60 fps, you can use the i5 4670k. Overclocking with that kind of budget is recommended as it's more cost-efficient than not overclocking. This costs ~$230. This processor is very new and it's very good. Great single threaded performance which is good for gaming. The go-to motherboard for overclocking is Gigabyte's Z87X-D3H, which is ~$130. A good CPU heatsink to get, which fits your budget, is Noctua's NH-D14 (~$70). Since this looks like a gaming PC, you can use 8 Gb of RAM, it should be more than sufficient. Just make sure it runs at 1.5v at stock settings, not 1.65v. A site I like to use to find specific RAM without thinking is pcpartpicker.com For your GPU, with a budget such as yours, you can afford a pretty beefy one, such as either a GTX 780 or an R9 290. Both of those cards will run any game today at maxed settings at 1080. The GTX 780 is a bit under $500 it seems, the R9 290 is at $400. Getting the R9 290 over the 780 is a good deal considering how it's priced, however something to keep in mind is that's a pretty noisy card and it runs hot (I personally don't know how bad the noise is, though). This can be fixed using an aftermarket cooler though (link). Keep in mind the price of such a cooler and realize you'll be taking apart your GPU if you do this. AMD shot themselves in the foor with their shitty reference cooler but whatever. Other options include waiting for Asus/MSI/Gigabyte to get their own custom coolers on their custom PCBs for the R9 290. Such cards aren't out yet but if you aren't buying your PC in the immediate future it can be worth waiting. Other viable, cheaper options for 1080p gaming at very high / ultra settings is the 7970 GHz edition or the R9 280X. Either way, with your budget, you want a card with at least 3 Gb of VRAM. GTX 770 with 4 Gb of VRAM is another option but it's priced strangely. Also note that considering the games you're going to play, every single card I've mentioned up until now is overkill for every game you mentioned except BF4 (which is pretty demanding, check with Cyro how your build will fare running BF4; don't believe his lies either, he's knowledgeable). As far as storage, you'll want an SSD and an HDD. For the SSD the two go-to options are Samsung's EVO or Crucial's M500. Whichever one is cheaper is the one you'll probably want. With your budget you can probably afford a 240-250 Gb SSD. For the HDD, check out either Western Digital or Seagate HDDs, they're both pretty cost-efficient. 2 Tb is preferable over 1 Tb or 500 Gb since 2 Tb is cheaper for the amount of storage it gives. For your power supply, or PSU, I'll probably recommend going for the Rosewill's Capstone 550W, which is a reliable PSU which is also very nicely priced: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182068&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID= For a case, a good one would be something like either Fractal Design's Define R4 or Fractal Design's Arc Midi R2. I'm biased towards Fractal Design but their cases are quality, aren't expensive and look very sober / good. Check the OP for other options. For the monitor, check the monitor thread: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=308280 Seems the Asus VS229H-P is like $150 which seems decent for a decent IPS panel, I guess. | ||
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Vearo
Canada168 Posts
What is your budget? 800-900 CAD What is your monitor's native resolution? Two monitors at 1280x1024 What games do you intend to play on this computer? What settings? Starcraft 2 - High StarCitizen - Medium? Path of Exile - High What do you intend to use the computer for besides gaming? Basic use (firefox, word processing) Do you intend to overclock? No Do you intend to do SLI / Crossfire? Yes, later Do you need an operating system? No Do you need a monitor or any other peripherals and is this part of your budget? No If you have any requirements or brand preferences, please specify. Graphics card should be an NVidia 760, as per the note at the bottom. What country will you be buying your parts in? Canada If you have any retailer preferences, please specify. No preferences Vearo's Notes My friend really wants multi-monitor support. While the 760 is overkill, he plans on buying my 760 when I upgrade, and will use 3-4 monitors after that upgrade. I'll refer him to this thread if you have any arguments against using a 760 for his resolution(s). It is likely that the two additional monitors will be around 1280x1024. | ||
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Kojak21
Canada1104 Posts
CPU: intel core i5 2500k GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 560 TI 8 Gigs of ram 1 TB Hdd What is your monitor's native resolution? 1920 x 1200 Why do you want to upgrade? What do you want to achieve with the upgrade? I figured i would treat my self this Christmas with something new for the computer. I'm looking for something that will basically asking if there are any weak points to my system that could use upgrading. Ive been looking into those SSD things and that seems like a good choice to me, but I'm not that computer knowledgeable. any input from someone who knows more would be awesome. What is your budget? no more than 500 What country will you be buying your parts in? Canada If you have any brand or retailer preferences, please specify. Doesn't really matter - If i missed anything important out let me know! thanks | ||
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Rollin
Australia1552 Posts
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Kojak21
Canada1104 Posts
And i use my computer mostly for gaming and web browsing. | ||
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
On November 18 2013 03:33 Vearo wrote:+ Show Spoiler + I am doing a build for a friend. What is your budget? 800-900 CAD What is your monitor's native resolution? Two monitors at 1280x1024 What games do you intend to play on this computer? What settings? Starcraft 2 - High StarCitizen - Medium? Path of Exile - High What do you intend to use the computer for besides gaming? Basic use (firefox, word processing) Do you intend to overclock? No Do you intend to do SLI / Crossfire? Yes, later Do you need an operating system? No Do you need a monitor or any other peripherals and is this part of your budget? No If you have any requirements or brand preferences, please specify. Graphics card should be an NVidia 760, as per the note at the bottom. What country will you be buying your parts in? Canada If you have any retailer preferences, please specify. No preferences Vearo's Notes My friend really wants multi-monitor support. While the 760 is overkill, he plans on buying my 760 when I upgrade, and will use 3-4 monitors after that upgrade. I'll refer him to this thread if you have any arguments against using a 760 for his resolution(s). It is likely that the two additional monitors will be around 1280x1024. Hmm why would you do SLI with such a shit resolution? Does he plan on upgrading the monitor later to a 1080p 120Hz or 2560x1440+? All SLI boards are Z series boards so you might as well overclock since you are paying for a Z series board? | ||
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Vearo
Canada168 Posts
On November 18 2013 07:29 skyR wrote: Hmm why would you do SLI with such a shit resolution? Does he plan on upgrading the monitor later to a 1080p 120Hz or 2560x1440+? All SLI boards are Z series boards so you might as well overclock since you are paying for a Z series board? I forgot that the 760 has display port. I just texted him, and he's pretty happy with 3 monitor support off one card (he can't do HDMI) He'll probably grab a third screen with that in mind. As for upgrading the monitors, he might do that once he gets a second card if he has the budget then. He's able to get those tiny monitors for free. And he said no to overclocking. | ||
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Zen5034
United States384 Posts
Looking for a build for my parents, but I'm wondering if I can perhaps use a smaller tower / micro motherboard combo. What is your budget? <$1,000 What is your monitor's native resolution? 1920 x 1080, but it's possible that they will hook this up to the TV, so I'm not sure if that affects anything. What games do you intend to play on this computer? What settings? N/A What do you intend to use the computer for besides gaming? Typical computer usage. They watch foreign flicks. Do you intend to overclock? No. Do you intend to do SLI / Crossfire? No. Do you need an operating system? Will be buying a copy of Win 7. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986 Do you need a monitor or any other peripherals and is this part of your budget? Already have a monitor/TV. If you have any requirements or brand preferences, please specify. I will be buying this SSD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147247 I don't think my parents will be using much space for programs at all. If they do, I will take care of that in the future. What country will you be buying your parts in? USA; there is also a MicroCenter where I live. If you have any retailer preferences, please specify. Newegg would be nice. All I have in my cart so far is the RAM (aside from the other two items): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231544 I don't mind splurging a bit on a case that is nice to use, which is why I put the budget rather high for what I figure should be a fairly inexpensive build since a graphics card won't be necessary. By the way, is there a reason why RAM is super pricey now? | ||
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