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When using this resource, please read the 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. |
On September 04 2013 12:06 jubil wrote:Well, after breaking my laptop, deciding to try building a new desktop, and needing several days to educate myself on all these parts, I can safely agree that it's a significant learning experience for someone like me with very little tech knowledge. I was hoping to use the "typical gamer" (~$865) template. I'm not sure, however, if I actually need to spend that much to reach the minimum level of performance I'm content with (basically, hearthstone, sc2, and dota 2 on medium settings); and if in fact I don't, if spending that extra money will dramatically improve the gaming experience and/or let me keep using the system an appreciably time longer than going for a much cheaper one would. More specifically, looking over the parts, it seems like I could save the most on the storage: either getting a 120gb ssd instead of 250gb or not getting a ssd at all. Is this correct, and/or should I be looking elsewhere in the setup to save money? Intel Core i5-4670: $220 MSI B85M-G43: $80 G.Skill Ripjaws 2x4GB: $60 Sapphire Radeon HD7870 GHz Edition OC 2GB: $185 (and newegg says it comes with 2 free games!) Samsung 840 250GB: $175 Western Digital Blue 500GB: $55 Rosewill Capstone 450: $60 Corsair Carbide 200R: $60 Total: $895 + Show Spoiler +What is your budget?
Hoping to get under $1000 incl. peripherals and software, though 100-200 over is acceptable
What is your monitor's native resolution?
I need to buy a monitor too...
What games do you intend to play on this computer? What settings?
Primarily SC2, Dota2, and Hearthstone, and possibly civ 5, far cry 3, Deus ex, mass effect 3. I'm comfortable with flashy games on medium, though of course I enjoy higher.
What do you intend to use the computer for besides gaming?
Nothing demanding.
Do you intend to overclock?
No
Do you intend to do SLI / Crossfire?
No
Do you need an operating system?
Yes. At first glance I don't like the look of Windows 8 though.
Do you need a monitor or any other peripherals and is this part of your budget?
Yes, everything besides a mouse - monitor, speakers, keyboard, cd/dvd drive
If you have any requirements or brand preferences, please specify.
None
What country will you be buying your parts in?
USA
If you have any retailer preferences, please specify.
None
Just to give you an idea, I actually built a system with an i5 4670 and a Radeon HD 7870 and I can run SC2 on Extreme with fairly constant framerate above 60fps, usually above 100fps in the less intensive portions of a game.
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Question for SkyR
I followed your advice and bought two of the dell ultrasharps. Unfortunately, my hardware illiteracy did not consider the cables I would need, and when I did, i bought an HDMI cable, which did not fit into the displayport of the monitor (lol -_-).
Just wanted to confirm that this following hdmi to vga adapter would be sufficient before I make another silly mistake/stupid purchase.
Thanks
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http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=85445&vpn=N760 TF 2GD5/OC&manufacture=MSI
Thanks for the advice on the other card, after looking around a bit more in the same sort of area. This card is similar (I think, I could be wrong) but the price difference is a lot. Is it worth it to spend the 150$ difference or just go with the 760 here?
EDIT: Just to add on, I have a Intel I7 870 @ 2.93 GHz and 6GB's of ram
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Whether it's worth it or not depends on what you are doing.
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Gaming. Just Gaming on it. Nothing Crazy or anything though so I'm guessing the 760 is the better choice
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Uh, gaming was probably a given, unless I guess there's some program out there with CUDA support starting only up on that level or something like that.
Anyway, generally GTX 770 is probably a bit much unless you're an enthusiast, playing the most demanding games with certain expectations for settings and fps, using a resolution higher than 1920x1200, and/or using a monitor at significantly higher than 60 Hz.
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Yeah figured, I'm not that crazy of a gamer. Just like things to run smooth when I play and play at a pretty good setting. I'm going to order the 760. My gtx 460 is crashing a lot and causing problems
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Seems like components are going down in price right now.
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What is your budget?
$900 AUD max
What is your monitor's native resolution?
1920x1080
What games do you intend to play on this computer? What settings?
All of them. Steam games, league of legends, new, old, I just want a general gaming computer, at the highest possible settings at the resolution of my monitor.
What do you intend to use the computer for besides gaming?
General use. Browsing the web. Music and movies.
Do you intend to overclock?
No.
Do you intend to do SLI / Crossfire?
No.
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.
No.
What country will you be buying your parts in?
Australia.
If you have any retailer preferences, please specify.
http://pccasegear.com/
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On September 05 2013 12:21 ShangMing wrote:Question for SkyR I followed your advice and bought two of the dell ultrasharps. Unfortunately, my hardware illiteracy did not consider the cables I would need, and when I did, i bought an HDMI cable, which did not fit into the displayport of the monitor (lol -_-). Just wanted to confirm that this following hdmi to vga adapter would be sufficient before I make another silly mistake/stupid purchase. Thanks
Buy something that goes into one of the other ports, not VGA. VGA is analog and that might get you suspicious picture quality.
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On September 05 2013 17:50 TempusDESU wrote:What is your budget?$900 AUD max + Show Spoiler +What is your monitor's native resolution?1920x1080 What games do you intend to play on this computer? What settings?All of them. Steam games, league of legends, new, old, I just want a general gaming computer, at the highest possible settings at the resolution of my monitor. What do you intend to use the computer for besides gaming?General use. Browsing the web. Music and movies. Do you intend to overclock?No. Do you intend to do SLI / Crossfire?No. 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.No. What country will you be buying your parts in?Australia. If you have any retailer preferences, please specify.http://pccasegear.com/
i5-4440 - $219
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=187_1490&products_id=24882&zenid=e386169acb8a416c1cc9d74ff21d25d5
ASUS H81-M PLUS mobo (mATX) - $79
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=138_1491&products_id=24853
G.skill 2x4gb 1600mhz - $85
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=186_538_913&products_id=16510
Powercolor Radeon 7950 - $300
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=193_1311&products_id=24649
As usual, the case selection in Australia is terribad. There is a Fractal Design Core 1000 for $64 at MSY. If you really want pccasegear,
http://msy.com.au/product.jsp?productId=11508
Antec Neo Eco 450c PSU - $69
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=15_535&products_id=22634
WD Blue 1TB HDD - $65
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=210_344&products_id=15933&zenid=813542caba76fa071974c29925ec8cab
DVD-burner - $22
http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=658_667&products_id=23679
Total: $903
If you want to bring the cost down, you can get a crappier case at pccasegear, the Silverstone Precision PS08, you can do without a DVD-burner, or you can drop down to a 7870 or cheaper video card (that wouldn't be bad at all - the 7950 is quite strong and overkill for most games - but you said best possible settings for all games). You could also get a faster processor (3.4 instead of 3.1ghz) by upgrading to an i5-4670 if you wanted. But at $900 for just the tower, the above is what I'd probably go with.
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Quick question : Is there a way to set up a printer for network use? (I have the Asus rt56 router that has two usb ports).
Right now, the only way to use the printer in my network is by having the local computer open (the other computers send their printing jobs to the local computer
Second question : Does the Asus ML239h screen has built-in speakers? I'm trying to figure it out but I guess I'm a total newb
edit : Found my answer, there are no built-in speakers
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United States7481 Posts
What kind of printer do you have?
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Hi!
I’ve been in school for the last seven years, and had to make do with a crappy laptop that can barely run SC2 on low settings. I’ve finally gotten fed up with it, and am looking to build a high-end gaming PC. Ideally, I’d like to build a computer that can handle every game currently out, as well as those that will be coming out in at least the next year or so, at ultra settings while maintaining a high frame rate.
I’ll be starting completely from scratch. The only peripheral I currently have is a mouse, but I’ll probably want to replace that too. My technical knowledge of computers and components is fairly low; one of the major reasons I’ve come here for assistance is that I find the sheer variety of options more than a little overwhelming. I'm hopeful that, in building my own computer, I can learn a little more about them.
What is your budget?
Initially, I had considered spending about 2,000 USD. As I started researching things online, and adding in the cost of all the peripherals/the OS I would need, I realized that might not be sufficient. If 2,000 USD isn’t enough to build the type of machine I want, or if there is a good cost/benefit reason for spending more, I can spend up to 3,000 USD.
What is your monitor's native resolution?
I don’t have a monitor. In looking online at gaming-PC articles, I have been awed by the tri-monitor set-ups. If it’s possible within my budget, I’d like to go with a three monitor set up. I have plenty of desk space, so there aren’t any size constraints. At the very least, if three is not possible on my budget, I would like to have a dual-monitor set up to increase my work productivity.
What games do you intend to play on this computer? What settings?
All the games! I’m pretty sure the most recent game I’ve played (other than SC2 at low-low-low settings) was Half-life 2 when it came out. I really want to play today’s most graphically advanced games on the highest settings so I can stare at the screen in awe and amazement at how far graphics have come.
What do you intend to use the computer for besides gaming?
The usual. Internet browsing, word processing, spreadsheeting, streaming, some photo editing.
Do you intend to overclock?
I don’t know enough about overclocking to say. I will if it’s the type of thing I can just follow directions to accomplish without compromising the lifespan of my hardware. I was hoping someone could provide a recommendation on this.
Do you intend to do SLI / Crossfire?
Again, I don’t know enough about the benefits/drawbacks of running two cards vs. one to have an answer for this. As with overclocking, I was hoping someone could provide a recommendation on this.
Do you need an operating system?
Yes. Sadly, as you may have guessed, I’ve been on a Mac for the last several years. Long enough to know I want to go back to Windows. However, I don’t have enough experience with the newer Windows offerings to have a preference. I had an IT friend suggest getting 64 bit Windows 7; but I’m wide open to other suggestions.
Do you need a monitor or any other peripherals and is this part of your budget?
I need everything. I can make do without a fancy chair though  Please include any peripherals you would recommend in the cost estimate.
If you have any requirements or brand preferences, please specify.
No requirements. Portability isn’t an issue. Space isn’t an issue.
What country will you be buying your parts in?
The United States.
If you have any retailer preferences, please specify.
Probably have to be online retailers. I live in the middle of nowhere.
Thanks in advance for any help and suggestions you can provide!
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United Kingdom20345 Posts
There's a large difference between 1(2) and 3 monitor setups, because usually with one monitor or two monitors, people game on the first monitor @1920x1080 or something like it - but with three, they game across all three @5760x1080 which needs a whole different tier of system than what you'd get to run a single 1920x1080, 60hz monitor
I don't really like 3x1920x1080 (because it's harder to run at the same performance level, you've got a weird aspect ratio because the screens are 5.33x as wide as they are high and your picture is cut off by the edges of the screens, etc) so other options would be a single good ~1920x1080 120-144hz screen (instead of 3 cheaper 60hz models) or a 2560x1440, either one of those paired with a secondary monitor that you wouldn't stretch the game onto, but that's all down to personal preference. 3x monitor seems pretty popular
When are you looking to buy? I'm not quite sure what to reccomend straight out because it's a pretty open but high budget build
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+ Show Spoiler [OP template] +
What is your budget?
1500, give or take a bit
What is your monitor's native resolution?
1920 x 1080, dual monitor setup
What games do you intend to play on this computer? What settings?
broodwar, tera, general new or recent releases if they are quality enough (they usually arent)
What do you intend to use the computer for besides gaming?
streaming is a future possibility if i ever get better internet
Do you intend to overclock?
not currently, maybe in the future to substitute for upgrading a card or cpu
Do you intend to do SLI / Crossfire?
no
Do you need an operating system?
no
Do you need a monitor or any other peripherals and is this part of your budget?
listed below
If you have any requirements or brand preferences, please specify.
intel / nvidia
What country will you be buying your parts in?
USA
If you have any retailer preferences, please specify.
Newegg / microcenter
i've been needing a new pc for a while now and have done some research this past week on various stuff, i'd just like you guys to check if everything looks right or if i can save on a few parts here or there ~
Core i5 4670K - $200
MSI Z87-G45 LGA 1150 - $110 (bundle deal from microcenter with cpu)
Gigabyte GTX 760 - $260
Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD - $170
Seasonic G-750 SSR Modular PSU - $125
Antec 900 - $100
Seagate 7200RPM 1TB HDD - $75
8GB RAM - $70
CM Hyper 212 EVO - $40
2x Dell S2240M - $200
total $1350 before tax + ship
This leaves me with about 80 dollars leftover with my 1500 budget which i'll probably spend on a headset or microphone as i dont have one of those. If i can squeeze out enough to throw in a steelseries siberia v2 that would be stellar
looking around i think i can cut back on the PSU, I've been look at these (1), (2), as alternatives.
Please look this over and see if it all fits/is compatible, alternate/cheaper parts advice or suggestions are also welcome. thanks for your time.
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@ZoW:
This one should be pretty similar to the Hyper 212 Evo and is cheaper:
Zalman CNPS10X Optima -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118099
This one's getting pretty close to the top air coolers but is noisy (EDIT: the specs don't show that... I don't know where I got the idea about it being noisy):
Zalman CNPS14X -- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118133
This one's at the top, though it's mostly a lot more quiet, not necessarily a lot better temperatures:
Noctua NH-U14S -- www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608041
It's something like 5c better temperatures from step to step, I'm guessing.
EDIT:
You can go down a lot with the PSU. Something like 450 W should be enough for a single graphics card. The board can do SLI and that's where something like 650 W gets interesting. You can also skip modular to save some more. You can just stuff the cables behind the case's motherboard tray.
Don't get confused by the PSU recommendations you see on NVIDIA's and AMD's websites. They are keeping in mind that there are things like this happening:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182066
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182131
The first PSU is the Capstone 450W, the second is the Hive 550W. Of those two... the Capstone is actually the stronger one. You can see this in the specs. You multiply the Amps by 12 to get the Watts on the 12V line. Both can do similar Watts on 12V, but the Capstone does this at a room temperature that's a lot higher.
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United Kingdom20345 Posts
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I don't plan on oc'ing immediately, but i'll probably do it in the future if i need a performance increase to keep up with a new game release or make my hardware relevant for a bit longer when a new family of cpu/gpus release
@Ropid
I'd really prefer a modular psu even if its going to cost a bit more. So getting one with less wattage is definitely ok, but if i add in a 2nd gpu or upgrade things in the future i'd need a new psu as well to support the higher demand right? If so then i think i'll just get a stronger one now and not have to worry about that down the road
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EPT
