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On January 27 2014 19:40 ztoa03 wrote:What is your current build?Mobo: ASRock G41M-VS2 (repair guy says this one needs to be replaced) RAM: maybe 1 or 2GB, can't decipher the label CPU: Intel Pentium e5300 Dual-core 2.6GHz (don't know if CPU is still working, repair guy says Mobo is the only one that needs to be repaired/replaced) HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 (250GB) PSU: Powerlogic 500W Case: generic What is your monitor's native resolution?1366 x 768 Why do you want to upgrade? What do you want to achieve with the upgrade?1. Mother wants to revive this old PC gathering dust at the corner of our house; siblings have to make their own projects, documents, etc. 2. Gaming on low settings. 3. Learn a thing or two by upgrading this old PC before I build a PC of my own.  What is your budget?~$130-$150 (est Php6000 ~ Php8000) What country will you be buying your parts in?Philippines If you have any brand or retailer preferences, please specify.( http://enigma-phil.com.ph/ ) ( pricelist ) (pricing might differ by about +$2~4 here in the province(+Php100~Php200)) ===== What I came up with, so far: + Show Spoiler +Build A (AMD):
Php2,815 AMD TRINITY A6 5400K 3.8GHZ (DUAL CORE)
Php2,600 MSI FM2-A75MA-P33 DDR3,DVI,8CH,GLAN
Php2,045 KINGSTON 4GB DDR3 PC10600/1333
Build B (Intel):
Php2,555 INTEL PENTIUM G2020 2.9GHZ LGA 1155 IVY BRIDGE
Php2,265 ASUS H61M-E LGA1155, DDR3,VGA,LAN,USB
Php2,045 KINGSTON 4GB DDR3 PC10600/1333
===== Thanks for checking guys.
Either of those builds are reasonable. Make sure the RAM is a 2x2gb kit, though. It's better to have 2x2gb than a single 4gb stick. If you need to, you can switch to 2 no-name 2gb sticks for the same price as what you have now, according to that price list.
Keep in mind that for either setup you're going to be relying on the motherboard to provide a video out connection. For instance, with the A75 motherboard you have listed above, you get a DVI & VGA out. If your monitor is HDMI, you're out of luck. Prioritize getting the right connectors other other things like A75 vs A55.
You don't have the budget for an AMD quad-core, unfortunately. I'd still probably prefer the AMD build if I were you, for most purposes. But not by much. And if SC2 is one of the light games you'd like to play, the Intel build will be significantly better. Now you're not going to be playing AAA games on either setup, but for other games it's a question of CPU use or GPU use. CPU-dependent games that can run on Intel integrated graphics will be better on the g2020. But the 5400k's integrated graphics will be powerful elsewhere.
So I suppose you can go wrong either way . But again, I'd probably pick the AMD setup, if SC2 isn't going be played on that computer. Keep in mind that for word processing, most simple computer programs, both will be identical.
Page 8 & 9 of this review may be relevant. Though the reviewer chose only GPU-limited games.
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/trinity-vs-ivy-bridge_8.html
Edit: I'm guessing that's a pretty crappy PSU you have, which might even have hastened the failure of your previous mobo. Lower quality PSUs take their toll over time. That said, even a crappy PSU should provide more than enough power for the builds you're considering & it's out of your budget to replace that one with a good one. So if I were you I'd probably just cross my fingers & roll with it. Plus, to be honest I wouldn't trust any of the power supplies offered on that price list.
The last thing I'll note is that if your previous computer was a pre-built, check the mounting holes in the case. In rare situations pre-built companies use cases that DON'T comply with standard ATX configurations.
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United States44439 Posts
I will need a new computer + full set of peripherals soon.
Budget will be about $700 USD and I will be buying the parts online in the US.
I'm open to buying a prebuilt or assembling it myself. I believe I can assemble it myself without too much drama but I only want to in order to get what I need at a lower cost so if I'm better off getting a prebuilt + one or two extra parts then I'll do that. Whatever really.
Will ideally want two flatscreen monitors, I'll defer to the experience of people here. I currently have a 1280x1024 but it's like 10 years old and I can't take it with me so I'll use whatever people recommend.
I plan to play Eve Online and Dota 2 and maybe some Brood War. Mostly Eve Online though. Eve is an odd game in as much as you typically want the graphics to be as low as possible while running as many instances of the game as possible which, I imagine, is contrary to most PC gaming. I just opened 10 clients of Eve and they seemed to want about 240,000k of memory each if that helps in terms of planning what I'll need. I could legitimately want like 20 clients running at once here so plan around that kind of stuff.
I'll overclock if someone tells me how but it's probably best that I don't mess around with it because I'm not really very good with computers. A free boost in performance seems like a no brainer so it really depends upon if the parts in question are suited to it and the quality of the guides. If I should, I will.
I don't believe I need SLI.
I ought to be able to obtain a Windows 7 key but I lack the discs. I can probably obtain them. Will a UK install of Windows 7 work in the US?
I will need all peripherals except possibly a mousemat because I actually really like my mousemat and will probably take it with me. Generic basic cheap ones are fine.
I will be buying in the United States.
Please advise kind sirs.
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United Kingdom20345 Posts
You'd be stuck with low end monitors and lowish-end hardware at that kind of budget especially with >8gb RAM (to be safe)
ask around, see what people actually use for RAM with multiboxing - ~2.4gb for 10 clients sounds great, but if it rises a lot over time could be problematic
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United States44439 Posts
You can pitch me a more expensive setup if you want, I won't dismiss it out of hand but I was hoping not to spend too much more than that.
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United Kingdom20345 Posts
TBH don't know what to recommend
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$700 for that is seriously tough. I mean, that means pretty much say $400 for the box and components itself, which is in the oh-crap-I'm-screwed range.
It seems like you've got an old computer you can't take? If you're not selling it off, it may be useful to scavenge parts like RAM and maybe hard drive from it. What's it got?
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United States44439 Posts
Can use a single monitor, I do at the moment, but people tell me I'm odd when I tell them I just alt tab really quickly when playing on multiple clients at the same time. I currently have 10GB of ram (8 + 1 + 1), 500 GB harddrive which is more than enough for my needs but I was under the impression that that was gonna be dirt cheap and I don't need a fancy SS drive, processor is an Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2400 CPU @ 3.10GHz 3.10GHz.
Happy to salvage, it's just the cost of taking it with me is probably greater than the value of it.
Been using the same small 10 year old monitor forever now, really don't need anything fancy in terms of peripherals.
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United Kingdom20345 Posts
an i5 2400 will fit in your underwear and it's worth like $100, lol (not exactly sure)
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United States44439 Posts
I meant the cost of moving the entire PC is more than it's worth, stripping it down is np. I don't honestly know what my bottleneck in running a fuckload of eve clients is at the moment so I don't know what needs upgrading and what I can keep.
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United Kingdom20345 Posts
You should be able to see cpu usage (across core 1, 2, 3, 4) as well as gpu usage, works best if you keep monitoring stuff, tab onto game, let it sit for a while (in a typical usage scenario) and then tab back, because you need ~5-10 sec of data for the programs to gather while you are tabbed into the game and it's running normally
A good picture of RAM you are using/want to use would be good, for if you want >8gb - your ram stick will be easily transported too though (with proper protection) and is worth like $70 too.
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United States44439 Posts
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Core i5 2400 is a quad core
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United States44439 Posts
With 10 clients open and running I was using 100% of all 4 cores if performance CPU Usage History under Task Manager is any judge of these things. When I tabbed from then it went back to about 25%.
Collectively they use about 85% of my RAM.
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Holy crap, yeah, like i5-2400 is better than the kind of $100 CPUs you'd be looking at when trying to fit a machine at $400. Put it this way: you're not going to be able to afford anything better on that kind of money.**
Yeah, I'd take the CPU, RAM, and hard drive at least. This is actually workable. Motherboard and graphics card is more of a stretch, but it depends how you pack. Some people bring entire (small form factor) systems through carry-on luggage.
**okay, not if you scavenge everything but DVD drive, case, power supply, and CPU.
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United States44439 Posts
So my dreams of using the cheaper components in the land of the free to run twice as many Eve clients as I currently do were unrealistic but I ought to be able to basically rebuild what I currently have? :'(
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Disassemble & salvage. I was going to recommend one of the AMD APUs, but it'll be far better for you to bring along stuff. Be VERY careful how you transport the CPU though. Pins break easily. Though pins are in the mobo for Intel? I always switch those up. Actually, don't even take it out of the motherboard.
Anyway, you should easily fit in a suitcase your motherboard, processor, RAM, HDD (now you don't even have to reinstall stuff. The hard part will be packing it so capacitors on your mobo don't get ripped off. Heck, the Intel stock heatsink can stick on there too.
PSU is a bit bulky. There you're starting to get to some serious cost-benefit analysis. Does it displace more clothing than its worth... heh.
Basically, if you've been happy with your system at the moment, keep it. Long story short, it'll be cheaper to pay for another suitcase than replace stuff, especially given you can't afford an upgrade.
Salvage:
CPU (leave in mobo)
Mobo
CPU cooler (leave on mobo if Intel stock heatsink - otherwise remove)
RAM (take out of mobo if packing is slapdash - otherwise you can leave it in)
Video Card (take out of the mobo for transport)
Iffy:
HDD ($70ish to replace. If you bring your old one & your old Mobo+CPU+RAM, you don't have to reinstall stuff)
PSU ($60ish to replace.)
Don't bother with replacing/buy if you decide you want:
DVD-burner
Replace:
Case. You can usually get something decent from us.ncix.com or newegg for $40. Look for one of the Bit Fenix cases on sale at us.ncix.com - right now the Outlaw is $40. Or a Fractal Design Core 1000 if your mobo is mATX-sized.
Mouse. Since you carted all that stuff over, might as well get something that's good. By the way, I recommend the Naos 3200 for the comfort during casual use even more than gaming accuracy.
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=57406
Monitors: Sounds like any 2 cheapies will do. You could even pick some up used if you want to. Couple of these is probably higher-end than you were originally considering:
http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=79926&vpn=GW2255&manufacture=BenQ&promoid=1347
(Though for monitors, you might want the 24" version of the above & then a second smaller monitor, depending on size of desk, if you don't think you'll look at the second one much, that sort of thing).
Speakers: Anything for $20...
USB networking dongle: if you have one, bring it. Only if connecting to a wireless network. (~$30)
Border Control:
Computers are personal use items, there shouldn't be any issue bringing one over. I can't guarantee the TSA won't want to poke around in your hard drive, but it seems unlikely at least.
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On January 28 2014 05:00 KwarK wrote:
So my dreams of using the cheaper components in the land of the free to run twice as many Eve clients as I currently do were unrealistic but I ought to be able to basically rebuild what I currently have? :'(
It sounds like 8 is about as much as you can expect:
http://isboxer.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=4480
Edit: also, components really aren't that much cheaper here. We just pay less (if any) taxes on them & have shitty or expensive healthcare instead.
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United States44439 Posts
On January 28 2014 05:05 MisterFred wrote:Show nested quote +On January 28 2014 05:00 KwarK wrote:
So my dreams of using the cheaper components in the land of the free to run twice as many Eve clients as I currently do were unrealistic but I ought to be able to basically rebuild what I currently have? :'( It sounds like 8 is about as much as you can expect: http://isboxer.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=4480
I think he actually cares about the graphics. Multiboxed eve is more like a text based MUD.
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That shouldn't matter all that much for CPU requirements. So the key points (about 1gb of RAM per client & 2 clients per CPU core) should remain relatively constant. Though as he noted, "mining" should take less CPU effort than "fleet battles". I'm pretty ignorant of the game itself, but the above statements seem reasonable.
And really, you can extrapolate pretty easily from your own experience. If you can comfortably do 10 clients on your current hardware, then you're looking at 2.5 clients per core & 1gb of RAM per. Etc...
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United States44439 Posts
So no increase there. My dreams! They're dying! Thanks anyway though.
I also have an AMD RADEON HD6670. Salvage?
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EPT
