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Hey, I want to get a new comp and my budget is about 950€.
I am playing on 1920x1080 and mostly playing Dota2/Sc2 and sometimes Skyrim/BF3, I also want to be able to stream with atleast decent quality without having issues while playing dota2/sc2
I looked up some stuff and came out with a Radeon HD 6950 1GB and an Intel Core i5 2400.
Do u guys suggest this combination or should I get a better CPU/ other GPU ? Also what are the most important things for the mainboard except the socket? Any companies you would suggest in terms of reliability? Same question for RAM, also if I should get 4 or 8 GB for my purposes.
I am usually not overclocking since I just want to have a system which runs smooth and reliable
Is an extra soundcard suggested (do you notice the difference to an onboard one?)
Thanks!
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On November 15 2011 20:51 Vallelol wrote: Hey, I want to get a new comp and my budget is about 950€.
I am playing on 1920x1080 and mostly playing Dota2/Sc2 and sometimes Skyrim/BF3, I also want to be able to stream with atleast decent quality without having issues while playing dota2/sc2
I looked up some stuff and came out with a Radeon HD 6950 1GB and an Intel Core i5 2400.
Do u guys suggest this combination or should I get a better CPU/ other GPU ? Also what are the most important things for the mainboard except the socket? Any companies you would suggest in terms of reliability? Same question for RAM, also if I should get 4 or 8 GB for my purposes.
I am usually not overclocking since I just want to have a system which runs smooth and reliable
Is an extra soundcard suggested (do you notice the difference to an onboard one?)
Thanks!
Integrated sound is good enough for 99% of the crowd. If you have to ask, then no, you most likely won't notice the difference. Onboard sound is of high quality nowadays. For SC2 and BF3 I think the i5 2400 and 6950 are fairly good picks assuming you want relatively max qualities. 8GB is always nice, but not necessary, but considering there's a only a $15 price differential, most people get it.
Important factors for the motherboard is SLI/Crossfire support, ability to overclock, USB 3.0, SATA III, and a few other things I'm not thinking of off the top of my head. Having the ability to upgrade to Crossfire as an upgrade path is an option, but not usually recommended. You don't need an overclockable mobo. USB 3.0 is most useful imo if you are backing up stuff on an external hard drive, otherwise it's really not that useful. SATA III is good if you're getting a solid state drive with your build.
Overclocking does not make your system run less smooth or less reliable unless you're a retard, but if you're on a budget or just trying to save money, don't worry about it, an i5 2400 is still a solid choice. It'll perform still fairly well in SC2 and it's a good choice investing in a solid GPU for BF3. Just so you know, "turboboost" itself is essentially an overclock.
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On November 15 2011 20:57 FabledIntegral wrote:Show nested quote +On November 15 2011 20:51 Vallelol wrote: Hey, I want to get a new comp and my budget is about 950€.
I am playing on 1920x1080 and mostly playing Dota2/Sc2 and sometimes Skyrim/BF3, I also want to be able to stream with atleast decent quality without having issues while playing dota2/sc2
I looked up some stuff and came out with a Radeon HD 6950 1GB and an Intel Core i5 2400.
Do u guys suggest this combination or should I get a better CPU/ other GPU ? Also what are the most important things for the mainboard except the socket? Any companies you would suggest in terms of reliability? Same question for RAM, also if I should get 4 or 8 GB for my purposes.
I am usually not overclocking since I just want to have a system which runs smooth and reliable
Is an extra soundcard suggested (do you notice the difference to an onboard one?)
Thanks! Integrated sound is good enough for 99% of the crowd. If you have to ask, then no, you most likely won't notice the difference. Onboard sound is of high quality nowadays. For SC2 and BF3 I think the i5 2400 and 6950 are fairly good picks assuming you want relatively max qualities. 8GB is always nice, but not necessary, but considering there's a only a $15 price differential, most people get it. Important factors for the motherboard is SLI/Crossfire support, ability to overclock, USB 3.0, SATA III, and a few other things I'm not thinking of off the top of my head. Having the ability to upgrade to Crossfire as an upgrade path is an option, but not usually recommended. You don't need an overclockable mobo. USB 3.0 is most useful imo if you are backing up stuff on an external hard drive, otherwise it's really not that useful. SATA III is good if you're getting a solid state drive with your build. Overclocking does not make your system run less smooth or less reliable unless you're a retard, but if you're on a budget or just trying to save money, don't worry about it, an i5 2400 is still a solid choice. It'll perform still fairly well in SC2 and it's a good choice investing in a solid GPU for BF3. Just so you know, "turboboost" itself is essentially an overclock.
Thanks for the fast reply, yeah I just never overclocked so I wanted to tell you that it is usual not an option for me, since I have no clue about it. Guess I will try to get this setup going and if I am still under my budget I will get an other CPU (like i5 2500 or even better)
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On November 15 2011 20:51 Vallelol wrote: Hey, I want to get a new comp and my budget is about 950€.
I am playing on 1920x1080 and mostly playing Dota2/Sc2 and sometimes Skyrim/BF3, I also want to be able to stream with atleast decent quality without having issues while playing dota2/sc2
I looked up some stuff and came out with a Radeon HD 6950 1GB and an Intel Core i5 2400.
Do u guys suggest this combination or should I get a better CPU/ other GPU ? Also what are the most important things for the mainboard except the socket? Any companies you would suggest in terms of reliability? Same question for RAM, also if I should get 4 or 8 GB for my purposes.
I am usually not overclocking since I just want to have a system which runs smooth and reliable
Is an extra soundcard suggested (do you notice the difference to an onboard one?)
Thanks! Here's a good and overclockable build for 693,80€ without a hard drive, try to find a cheap one somewhere: http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p688677_Intel-Core-i5-2500K-4x-3-30GHz-So-1155-BOX.html http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p729789_ASRock-P67-Pro3-Intel-P67-So-1155-Dual-Channel-DDR3-ATX.html http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p701577_1280MB-Palit-GeForce-GTX-570-Dual-Fan-Aktiv-PCIe-2-0-x16--Retail-.html http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p684665_Arctic-Cooling-Arctic-Freezer-13-Pro-1366-775-AM2-1156-AM3-939-7.html http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p721602_8GB-Corsair-Vengeance-DDR3-1600-DIMM-CL9-Dual-Kit.html http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p734345_BitFenix-Shinobi-Midi-Tower-schwarz.html http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p632644_550W-Super-Flower-Amazon-80--Bronze.html http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p741641_Samsung-DVD-plusmn-RW-SH-S222AB-SATA-bulk-schwarz.html
2500k with a P67 mobo, a CPU cooler, GTX 570. All the components are reasonably silent and shouldn't bother most people, but still I didn't really concentrate on that and went with more of a bang-for-buck approach.
Overclocking's pretty easy, and it's completely stable and cool if you just stay below the ~1.35V. That's a super safe point for beginners and still easily capable of 4.5+ Ghz overclocking with that cooler.
You have 250€ left in your budget for the hard drive. When bought new, they're currently around 100€ for 500gb and 150€ for 1TB. Their normal values are about 33,50€ for 500GB and 47€ for 1TB. Try your best to find either a used one, or get one for free from like your friends' or parents' work, or just use your old one until the prices go back to normal again.
You can also choose to go for just an SSD, and then buy an additional storage drive later on. That still easily fits your budget, and might be the best option. Here's a decent, affordable option: http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p740099_120GB-Corsair-Force-Series-3-CSSD-F120GB3-BK-2-5Zoll--6-4cm--SATA-6Gb-s-MLC-asynchron.html
If you need an OS it's 73,30€ if you want the german version: http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p725312_Microsoft-Windows-7-Home-Premium-SP1-64bit-Deutsch-SB-OEM.html
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On November 15 2011 20:17 MicroMarine wrote:+ Show Spoiler +On November 15 2011 12:20 skyR wrote:Show nested quote +On November 15 2011 11:11 MicroMarine wrote:+ Show Spoiler +Hey guys, have some questions here. First off, since it's nearing the holidays (well, black friday and cyber monday), I know there will be some deals here and there. Should I build a custom gaming build or go with a gaming laptop? I've found some nice laptops on sites that fit my budget of ~500. I want to use my machine for gaming on SC2 and more graphic intensive games like BF3 or MW3 (Obviously upgrades are possible). I want SC2 to run on higher settings and other games slightly high without lagging. I also need it for video editing classes, streaming, etc. I might think of overclocking, but as of now, probably not. If I were to go a desktop build, here would be my plan: Intel Pentium G840 - 85$ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116398&Tpk=Intel Pentium G840BIOSTAR H61MLC - 55$ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138340Sapphire Radeon HD 6770 1GB DDR5 - 120$ (100 after rebate) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102941Pareema 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 - 22 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820576003Xigmatek ASGARD- 40$ (30 after rebate) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811815004CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 430W- 45$ (35 after rebate) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026&Tpk=corsair 430wSAMSUNG CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-222AB - OEM -15$ http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151233TOTAL WITHOUT REBATES: About 387 (Not counting the hard drives of course) TOTAL WITH REBATES: About 347 (Not counting hard drives) There we go. A few questions though. I haven't picked out a hard drive because of its overpricing. Does anyone know a lower priced at least 500GB hard drive? Also will the power supply handle the 6770? Does everything check out? And also since the final pricing is a bit low (well you can add on 100 for the hard drives), is there anything I can add to make it better while staying in budget? I have an OS and a monitor by the way. And by the way as for the gaming laptop I'm looking at one with a GTX 260m, 6gb RAM, and 2.53 dual processor. Which one works better (I want to be mobile with gaming, but desktops work as well). Prices may not be current because of such of the flooding (stupid hard drives -.-) and may drop because of the holidays :D Thanks for reviewing. Pentium G840 and H61 is not capable of overclocking. You need to decide whether you are overclocking or not upfront because only P67 / Z68 motherboards allow for overclocking and only K suffix processors such as the core i5 2500k have an unlocked multiplier for overclocking. You'll need a quad core for a smooth and decent streaming experience since games use two cores (some use more) so... this leaves you no cores for encoding and everything else. Yes, the power supply is overkill for the listed configuration. There's not any significant upgrade that will keep you within your budget with 500GB HDDs being ~$100. There won't be any $60 1TB HDD sales during Black Friday or Cyber Monday - I can guarantee you this. You also did not specify what resolution you play at. I suggest you save up more. My is it crowded in this thread o0. Anyway, thanks for the help. I play at 1920x1080 (current monitor) or a different monitor with a resolution less then this but I can't recall it. Do you know any decent quad cores for around that price (maybe higher?), since my budget is a bit over 500. If I tone down my power supply a bit maybe that will give me some extra money too. As for the HDDs, I think I'll just get the cheapest one I can find. EDIT: Well I found this: AMD Athlon II X3 450 Rana 3.2GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Desktop Processor ADX450WFGMBOX http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1681910388678$ Yes, I hear AMD processors lack power. You can unlock cores here, correct? If I get this, then I plan on doing that. Do you guys like this processor? Because of this should I get the laptop? I do want to stream, yes, but couldn't I manage a stream with 2 cores (I can on my 2 core computer, though it's a bit laggy since my processor speed sucks and my graphics card sucks)? Why does sc2 use 2 cores? It seems to work fine when I set affinity to SC2 Thanks again skyR
What is the processor you have on your old computer?
Most (all) of AMD's X2 and X3 processors can be unlocked but there's no guarantee that the core is actually functional.
As mentioned, you do not wanat to invest in an AMD processor. The performance difference between them and AMD is quite significant. You can see it in this article: http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/cpu/display/core-i5-2500-2400-2300_7.html#sect0 and in this article: http://www.techspot.com/review/305-starcraft2-performance/page13.html Note that the core i5 2320 is not in this benchmark but it does perform better than the core i7 920 which was released three years ago. Here's another one with the core i5 2400 which is only 100MHz faster than the core i5 2320: http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1501/21/
This totals to $434 without a HDD, not that much higher than what you originally were planning to purchase - funds are just allocated better:
Intel Core i5 2320 @ $175 http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=63959&promoid=1282
HIS Radeon HD6770 @ $105 ($95 after mail in rebate) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161387
GSkill 4GB 1333MHz @ $20 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231423
Biostar H61MGC @ $50 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138332
Corsair CX430 V2 @ $35 http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=60345&promoid=1282
DVD Burner @ $17 http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=60344&promoid=1282
Coolermaster Elite 370 @ $32 http://us.ncix.com/products/?sku=55447
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That processor + mobo combo makes no sense if you aren't doing Crossfire and is way too costly either way. 2600k and 2700k should only be bought if you're doing work / heavy streaming and need the hyperthreading. Otherwise just buy a 2500k.
Also as you don't seem to be crossfiring you should instead buy a motherboard like P8P67 or perhaps AsRock Pro3.
The graphics card is okay though GTX 570 is generally better value for money as it tends to be cheaper and overclocks better. Different story for multi-gpu though.
SSD's good
Wasting that much on RAM is idiotic, there's almost no difference after 1600mhz so if you're not happy with 1333mhz, just get the 1600mhz 8gb kit for like 45$. I assume you're not going to be using more than 8gb any time soon.
Getting an entry-level cooler when your aim is 4.8Ghz and when you have such a huge budget seems a bit silly to me.
This would be a good idea right now: www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181011
You also need to say what you're going to be using it for and what you're looking to do with it... But your ~1350$ build is pretty much performing like a 900$ build.
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I plan on doing crossfire in the future with another HD6970 Thanks for the advice on the after market cooler I do plan on doing plenty of 3d modeling, and photoshop while gaming(Streaming in 1080p) on ultra high settings, the excess RAM is so I won't have to order any in the future, and I just want top notch RAM I haven't build a new computer in like 6 years. (Idiotic but a personal preference)
Any other advice? :D
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Personal preference to pay 120$ extra for 0.5% performance increase? You'd be much better off buying a GTX 580 instead.
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So I could get 16gbs of 1600 Ram for less than a 100$, where would you suggest I put the additional 100$? I do want a 6970 over 580.
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Your pocket? Bank account?
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^ Wise man. Thanks shikyo
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885 for CPU + mobo? crazycrazy o_O
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Well the i7-3930k was just released yesterday on newegg, but skyr does have a point, the total build difference between the Gskill ram and going with the mushkin is about~ 200$ by going from the 2700k to the 3930k.
skyR you've been really helpful, I will definitely step down on the RAM and go this route friday if I have success quitting smoking. :D
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The Z68 extreme4 isn't the best choice either, you'd probably be fine with an extreme3 that's like 125$. That combined with the 2700k isn't even 500$. The difference would be almost 400$ so you could just finish the crossfire now instead.
Not to mention that all the benches are at stock clocks and 3930K hits a brick wall at 4.6ghz whereas 2700k should be able to break 5Ghz.
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The 3930k has a max multiplier of 57 just like every other unlocked Sandybridge. Saying that it hits a brick wall at 4.6GHz is like saying the 2500k and 2600k hits a brick wall of 4.6GHz even though that's far from true. Breaking 5GHz would require ~1.5v which definitely isn't recommended for 24/7 usage. I much rather have a 12 threaded processor run at 4.6GHz than a 8 threaded processor run at 5.1GHz for encoding and editing. Not to mention if you need the memory bandwidth, it's much better to build on a platform with quad channel memory than to build on one with 2133MHz in dual channel.
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imJukin did say he wanted to go "the expensive route," not "top performance for X application." Frankly, SkyR's configuration is a little weak for just ballooning costs.
In all seriousness though, imJukin should clarify what he wants to do, what many-threaded stuff he's doing, etc. Maybe he's video encoding all day (in which case SkyR's configuration seems great for price/performance). Maybe he wants to run games really well and is giving $200 to Intel and Asus instead of burning it ceremoniously.
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On November 16 2011 03:45 skyR wrote: The 3930k has a max multiplier of 57 just like every other unlocked Sandybridge. Saying that it hits a brick wall at 4.6GHz is like saying the 2500k and 2600k hits a brick wall of 4.6GHz even though that's far from true. Breaking 5GHz would require ~1.5v which definitely isn't recommended for 24/7 usage. I much rather have a 12 threaded processor run at 4.6GHz than a 8 threaded processor run at 5.1GHz for encoding and editing. Not to mention if you need the memory bandwidth, it's much better to build on a platform with quad channel memory than to build on one with 2133MHz in dual channel. A Finnish computer site overclocked 3960X with LIQUID NITROGEN:
The best units managed to be clocked to 4.75-4.8Ghz on air. With liquid nitrogen with the processor at -30c they managed to only reach 5.3Ghz. This is 3960X and not 3930K which should overclock worse.
And of course you'd much rather have that but it costs 400$ more and consumes power like a Bulldozer:
@MisterFred no, it's never going to be good for price-performance. Never.
edit: Okay apart from the 2000$+ budget situations but this is like half that
QUESTION: http://www.mindfactory.de/product_info.php/info/p743578_Gigabyte-GA-P67-DS3-B3-Intel-P67-So-1155-Dual-Channel-DDR3-ATX.html
What's wrong with this P67 board? (SEE PRICE)
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