EPTComputer Build Resource Thread - Page 1014
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When using this resource, please read FragKrag's 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. | ||
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Myrmidon
United States9452 Posts
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JingleHell
United States11308 Posts
Your main concern will be avoiding marketing hype, like skyR said, going by your answers. | ||
micronesia
United States24475 Posts
On April 06 2012 09:52 JingleHell wrote: Oh, sorry, I just meant answer the questions when you're ready to shop. If you know what you want to do, and do research on what you need to do that, or ask here, you'll do golden. Your main concern will be avoiding marketing hype, like skyR said, going by your answers. I will hopefully avoid the hype by letting others who know better choose the parts for me. By the way, based on my projected needs and the current market, about how much $ am I going to need to put the computer together? | ||
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JingleHell
United States11308 Posts
On April 06 2012 09:55 micronesia wrote: I will hopefully avoid the hype by letting others who know better choose the parts for me. By the way, based on my projected needs and the current market, about how much $ am I going to need to put the computer together? Depends on prices by then, but since you'd probably enjoy at least booting off an SSD, probably $650-700ish on the PC itself, tops. Potential to range upwards or downwards a bit based on HDD preferences and specific GPU availability. That's excluding OS. | ||
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Medrea
10003 Posts
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
On April 06 2012 09:46 micronesia wrote:+ Show Spoiler + On April 06 2012 09:27 JingleHell wrote: Well, the cons are... uhm. You can't call tech support and sit on hold to listen to a few hours of free music... uhm... you have to spend a few hours putting it together... and... yeah, I'm about out. As for what you need to know? What you want to do with it. Just answer the questions in the OP of the computer build resource thread. You can watch the hardwarecanucks youtube video guide to learn how it all goes together, although they frankly make it seem more difficult than it is. What I think I'm going to do is recruit someone who's good at this to answer any questions I have as I build it lol I'm not ready to answer the questions yet because it's going to be at least a few months before I will pull the trigger... oh what the hell I'll just do it now. I can ask later if any of the suggestions are no longer valid or ideal when the time comes. What is your budget? No limit. The limitation is that I only want a computer that offers what I want/need and nothing more (which I shall elaborate on) What is your resolution? My monitors are: 1280x1024 and 1920x1080. I'm not sure if I will use both of them for the new comp, use one of them for the new comp and one for the old comp, or get a new monitor and choose 2/3 for the new comp. The new monitor would possibly have a larger resolution but there is no guarantee that will ever actually happen. What are you using it for? Nothing that requires very high performance. I do some gaming, but never at higher settings, and never the games that have the highest requirements. I plan to do some programming/compiling/etc. I plan to do some image and possibly video editing. I may stream, but not professionally or a large amount. I want to have backup software, protective software (a la R1CH thread), and the like running while I browse and have several programs open at once. I also would like reboots to not take FOREVER. The rest will be browsing, office software, music, watch movies, etc. Basically a little of everything, but no specific activity that stands out and dictates what I need. What is your upgrade cycle? I keep computers for a long time, and rarely put money into performance after the initial purchase. For example, my current computer I've been using since 2007. When do you plan on building it? Hopefully this summer. Do you plan on overclocking? I've never done it before I don't think I would now. Do you need an Operating System? I've always had Windows before so I assume that's what I would need. Any other software I would definitely need to pick up? Some programs I love to have but hate to pay for: MS Word/Excel/PowerPoint/etc, Photoshop Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire? I don't even know what those are and I don't think I will need a second GPU, so long as I can handle two monitors. Where are you buying your parts from? I'm in the USA. I live driving distance from a Microcenter, and I can shop from pretty much any website that is typically used to buy computer parts! edit 1: I have three SATA hard drives in my previous PC right now: 300gig, 500gig, 1.5TB. I can also bring over the optical drive. I have no idea what cables I will won't need at this point. edit 2: Thanks skyR When you're closer to your build date, we can recommend a configuration for you. Pricing and component availability isn't static so what's the best performance per dollar now may not be the best in three months. A generic list of what you would be looking for is: - Intel Core i5 2400 ($150 at Microcenter, ~$190 everywhere else) / 3450 / 3470 / 3570 (the latter three are being released later in April and will take a similar price as the current 2400) - Radeon HD6850 (~$140) / 6870 (~$170), GTX 460 (~$140) / 560 (~$180), all can handle Starcraft II and Diablo III on ultra at 1080p, you can go lower to a Radeon HD6770 (~$100) / 7750 (~$110), GTS 450 (~$100) as well if you don't intend to play on ultra even though these cards can also handle ultra decently. - Seasonic S12II 520, Antec Earthwatts 350 / 380(D) / 430(D) / 500(D), Corsair CX430v2 / 500v2, etc (~$40 to $70) - H61 / H67 / H77 (~$50 to $90) - inexpensive case such as HAF912 ($50) or Bitfenix Merc Alpha ($35) / Shinobi ($60). A case can be re-used for multiple builds so if you want a nice case such as a Corsair 550D ($150) than it makes sense to waste some money. - any 2x4GB DDR3 1333MHz cas9 memory (~$35) - a SSD maybe but if you don't want to spend money for faster loading / better responsiveness than you can just stick with your HDDs All the cables are provided by the motherboard and power supply. If you are carrying over drives, just take the SATA data cable with it and you'll be able to plug it into the new motherboard. Windows 7 is $100 which really adds to the cost of the configuration so you're probably looking at $500 at the bare minimum for the entire thing (core i3). +$150 for a 128gb SSD (though Crucial M4 has gone on sale for $130 a few times). Probably around $700-$800 for a decent configuration. | ||
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alQahira
United States511 Posts
However, when I use the rear audio out, it sounds great, except for the fact that the volume is way too high and I need to turn everything down to just above zero (system sounds, and then again with starcraft sounds). Any thoughts or suggestions? My motherboard is a gigabyte UD3h http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128498&Tpk=gigabyte ud3h And my case is a lian li lancool pc-k7b. I'm using this with just a generic set of cheap headphones, but they work fine on my laptop, so doesn't seem like they would be the problem. When setting up the build, I connected the HD audio connector to the motherboard. There is also an AC 97 connector instead, so I could try that and see if it makes a difference. | ||
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JingleHell
United States11308 Posts
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xeo1
United States429 Posts
On April 06 2012 10:07 skyR wrote: When you're closer to your build date, we can recommend a configuration for you. Pricing and component availability isn't static so what's the best performance per dollar now may not be the best in three months. A generic list of what you would be looking for is: - Intel Core i5 2400 ($150 at Microcenter, ~$190 everywhere else) / 3450 / 3470 / 3570 (the latter three are being released later in April and will take a similar price as the current 2400) - Radeon HD6850 (~$140) / 6870 (~$170), GTX 460 (~$140) / 560 (~$180), all can handle Starcraft II and Diablo III on ultra at 1080p, you can go lower to a Radeon HD6770 (~$100) / 7750 (~$110), GTS 450 (~$100) as well if you don't intend to play on ultra even though these cards can also handle ultra decently. - Seasonic S12II 520, Antec Earthwatts 350 / 380(D) / 430(D) / 500(D), Corsair CX430v2 / 500v2, etc (~$40 to $70) - H61 / H67 / H77 (~$50 to $90) - inexpensive case such as HAF912 ($50) or Bitfenix Merc Alpha ($35) / Shinobi ($60). A case can be re-used for multiple builds so if you want a nice case such as a Corsair 550D ($150) than it makes sense to waste some money. - any 2x4GB DDR3 1333MHz cas9 memory (~$35) - a SSD maybe but if you don't want to spend money for faster loading / better responsiveness than you can just stick with your HDDs All the cables are provided by the motherboard and power supply. If you are carrying over drives, just take the SATA data cable with it and you'll be able to plug it into the new motherboard. Windows 7 is $100 which really adds to the cost of the configuration so you're probably looking at $500 at the bare minimum for the entire thing (core i3). +$150 for a 128gb SSD (though Crucial M4 has gone on sale for $130 a few times). Probably around $700-$800 for a decent configuration. is the 2400 $150 at microcenter cos of its age? or would the ivy bridge version be the same price there when it comes out? | ||
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Medrea
10003 Posts
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
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Foooky
Australia205 Posts
What is your budget? up to 1250 but preferably cheaper if possible What is your resolution? i have a 17 inch monitor currently so 1152x864? -- wouldnt mind going up to 1680 x 1050 with monitor upgrade What are you using it for? diablo 3, starcraft II, dota 2, and any other games I might find fun. What is your upgrade cycle? I want the computer to last me a good 2-3 years preferably so I want some upgradability out of it. When do you plan on building it? in about a week or 2 Do you plan on overclocking? No Do you need an Operating System? yes - windows 7 im assuming Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire? no Where are you buying your parts from? I live in adelaide Australia - MSY usually supplies the cheapest parts and they will make the PC for a noob like me. Their parts list is available online at http://www.msy.com.au/Parts/PARTS.pdf My current planned setup looks like: SSD 120gb - patriot PYRO -- 152 dollars mobo - GB 268MA-D2H-B3 - 120 dollars Processor - i7-2600 -- 289 dollars Blu-ray writer/player - 85 dollars MEM - Kingston Hyperx 8G 1600x KIT - 50 dollars Case - Some generic coolermaster (ill see when i get there) - 65 dollars -- Comes with PSU HD - WD Green 2TB - 124 dollars Don't know much about wireless cards but they look to be pretty cheap -- about 30 dollars Windows 7 - 90 dollars Installation - 70 dollars Video Card -- 6870 1G Powercolor - 170 Total cost: 1245 I am very sure that some of my parts are excessive. My questions and thoughts are as follows: Do I need a higher end mobo when the new generation ones are coming soon anyway (is my mobo going to support upgrades in the future anyway?) Is my processor too powerful for what I am after/compared to the rest of my parts? Will my video card run diablo 3 at highest settings smoothly and will it perform decently with newer strategy games if I get into them? I am willing to spend more on it if I can cut down on processor/mobo costs if it improves performance! Do I need 120gb SSD just to put my OS on or would 60gb be sufficient? Are there alternative brands that are more cost-effective? I am not familiar with the sapphire/powercolor brands - are they even reliable? What network card is even good? I will be taking my PC around so I do want to take advantage of newer wireless router technologies as they become available to me. I just want to reliably be able to watch 1080p+ streams from 50 metres away from the router (is that more dependent on the router than on the network card?) | ||
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
On April 06 2012 11:59 Foooky wrote:+ Show Spoiler + Thinking of upgrading my PC before tax time ^^ . Some input would be greatly appreciated thankyou. What is your budget? up to 1250 but preferably cheaper if possible What is your resolution? i have a 17 inch monitor currently so 1152x864? -- wouldnt mind going up to 1680 x 1050 with monitor upgrade What are you using it for? diablo 3, starcraft II, dota 2, and any other games I might find fun. What is your upgrade cycle? I want the computer to last me a good 2-3 years preferably so I want some upgradability out of it. When do you plan on building it? in about a week or 2 Do you plan on overclocking? No Do you need an Operating System? yes - windows 7 im assuming Do you plan to add a second GPU for SLI or Crossfire? no Where are you buying your parts from? I live in adelaide Australia - MSY usually supplies the cheapest parts and they will make the PC for a noob like me. Their parts list is available online at http://www.msy.com.au/Parts/PARTS.pdf My current planned setup looks like: SSD 120gb - patriot PYRO -- 152 dollars mobo - GB 268MA-D2H-B3 - 120 dollars Processor - i7-2600 -- 289 dollars Blu-ray writer/player - 85 dollars MEM - Kingston Hyperx 8G 1600x KIT - 50 dollars Case - Some generic coolermaster (ill see when i get there) - 65 dollars -- Comes with PSU HD - WD Green 2TB - 124 dollars Don't know much about wireless cards but they look to be pretty cheap -- about 30 dollars Windows 7 - 90 dollars Installation - 70 dollars Video Card -- 6870 1G Powercolor - 170 Total cost: 1245 I am very sure that some of my parts are excessive. My questions and thoughts are as follows: Do I need a higher end mobo when the new generation ones are coming soon anyway (is my mobo going to support upgrades in the future anyway?) Is my processor too powerful for what I am after/compared to the rest of my parts? Will my video card run diablo 3 at highest settings smoothly and will it perform decently with newer strategy games if I get into them? I am willing to spend more on it if I can cut down on processor/mobo costs if it improves performance! Do I need 120gb SSD just to put my OS on or would 60gb be sufficient? Are there alternative brands that are more cost-effective? I am not familiar with the sapphire/powercolor brands - are they even reliable? What network card is even good? I will be taking my PC around so I do want to take advantage of newer wireless router technologies as they become available to me. I just want to reliably be able to watch 1080p+ streams from 50 metres away from the router (is that more dependent on the router than on the network card?) i7 2600 is unnecessary for gaming. Hyperthreading provides no benefits for the majority (basically all) games. Just get a core i5 2500. You are not overclocking so getting a Z68 motherboard is a waste of money. Get a H67 instead. Ivybridge (which comes out later this month) will use LGA1155 but in three years, you won't be upgrading to Ivybridge since it's only a minor performance increase over the current Sandybridge. Haswell and Broadwell will both be using the new LGA1150 socket which means a new motherboard is required if you want to upgrade to these. In other words, don't waste your time thinking about future CPU upgrades with current motherboards. Radeon HD6870 can play Diablo III on max at 1080p so it's very overkill for your current low resolution. 60gb would be sufficient for Windows 7 and one / two games along with your typical browser / word processing / messengers / music & video player software. Why are you getting a Blu-ray drive? You're missing a power supply. edit k I missed that it came with the case. You don't want a power supply that comes with a case because they're generally shit and won't provide enough power, won't last long, and will probably screw over another component. | ||
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Kovaz
Canada233 Posts
http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/BDL_2500K_Z68AD3H The i5-2500k is $20 off, and if you bundle it with that Mobo, it's another $65 off. Sounds good to me, I can't find any other motherboards at all for cheaper than that, and the processor's an ok deal at that price as well. Thoughts? | ||
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
On April 06 2012 12:19 Kovaz wrote:+ Show Spoiler + How's this bundle look? http://www.memoryexpress.com/Products/BDL_2500K_Z68AD3H The i5-2500k is $20 off, and if you bundle it with that Mobo, it's another $65 off. Sounds good to me, I can't find any other motherboards at all for cheaper than that, and the processor's an ok deal at that price as well. Thoughts? It's good. You're getting a Z68 for $70. | ||
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Foooky
Australia205 Posts
On April 06 2012 12:19 skyR wrote: i7 2600 is unnecessary for gaming. Hyperthreading provides no benefits for the majority (basically all) games. Just get a core i5 2500. You are not overclocking so getting a Z68 motherboard is a waste of money. Get a H67 instead. Ivybridge (which comes out later this month) will use LGA1155 but in three years, you won't be upgrading to Ivybridge since it's only a minor performance increase over the current Sandybridge. Haswell and Broadwell will both be using the new LGA1150 socket which means a new motherboard is required if you want to upgrade to these. In other words, don't waste your time thinking about future CPU upgrades with current motherboards. Radeon HD6870 can play Diablo III on max at 1080p so it's very overkill for your current low resolution. 60gb would be sufficient for Windows 7 and one / two games along with your typical browser / word processing / messengers / music & video player software. Why are you getting a Blu-ray drive? You're missing a power supply. edit k I missed that it came with the case. You don't want a power supply that comes with a case because they're generally shit and won't provide enough power, won't last long, and will probably screw over another component. Thanks for the advice -- my modified setup would look like this? SSD 120gb - patriot PYRO -- 152 dollars (theres not too much price difference between 60 and 120gb to me) mobo - changed to GB-H61M-USB3 - 73 dollars Processor - i5-2500 -- 202 dollars Blu-ray writer/player - 85 dollars (Sort of being forced to get this) MEM - Kingston Hyperx 8G 1600x KIT - 50 dollars Case - Some generic coolermaster (ill see when i get there) - 65 dollars -- Comes with PSU (If not this one are there any PSUs that you suggest are superior?) HD - WD Green 2TB - 124 dollars Don't know much about wireless cards but they look to be pretty cheap -- about 30 dollars Windows 7 - 90 dollars Installation - 70 dollars Video Card -- 6870 1G Powercolor - 170 (I may need it in the future) --Total cost now: 1081 | ||
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GP
United States1056 Posts
A few things to keep in mind: I will be using this heavily for 3d modelling and rendering, video editing, and Photoshop work. I game, but it's not something I do all the time, maybe every couple of days I spend a few hours playing. I have two alternate specs that I'm thinking about, Intel/nVidia and AMD/ATI. Aside from the OP which seems to be outdated with the "LOL Bulldozer sucks" The AMD FX 8120 seems to fare much better than its Intel counterpart at the same price, scoring almost a thousand higher. I know the extra four cores are moot for gaming, but I can only imagine it helps for software rendering complex 3D scenes. I'm looking to get some suggestions. One major question, should I stick with the 1.5 tb hd, or should I save a few bucks and get a much smaller hd mostly for booting/installs since I already have a pretty decently sized external? I've been told not to get anything above a tb because the higher density drives tend to have a much higher fail rate. I do have a lot of games and software, and I tend to not uninstall games often at all. Also constantly moving projects on and off a slow external is a pain. :| I have maybe a 150-200 bucks of wiggle room here, though I plan on buying a nice keyboard too. Here's what I've got right now: CPU: AMD FX-8120 189.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103961 GPU: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6850 -149.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102908 Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Extreme3 AM3+ AMD 990FX - 119.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157281 CPU: i5 2400 - 189.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115074 GPU: GeForce GTX 460 Fermi - 149.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130750 Motherboard: ASUS P8H67-V (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 - 104.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131783 + The standard stuff: RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB DDR3 1866 - 66.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233184 PSU: Antec EarthWatts EA-650 GREEN 650W - 59.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371044 HD: WD Caviar Black 1.5TB 7200 RPM - 159.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136793 Case: RAIDMAX Skyline ATX-948WB - 49.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156246 DVD: LITE-ON DVD Burner - 17.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289 Monitor: ASUS VH232H Glossy Black 23" - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236079 | ||
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iTzSnypah
United States1738 Posts
On April 06 2012 13:13 GP wrote: So I'm looking to build my computer, and finally ditch my laptop now that I've gotten my tax return. I've been rocking laptops since college for school, but now I think I need something more stable. A few things to keep in mind: I will be using this heavily for 3d modelling and rendering, video editing, and Photoshop work. I game, but it's not something I do all the time, maybe every couple of days I spend a few hours playing. I have two alternate specs that I'm thinking about, Intel/nVidia and AMD/ATI. Aside from the OP which seems to be outdated with the "LOL Bulldozer sucks" The AMD FX 8120 seems to fare much better than its Intel counterpart at the same price, scoring almost a thousand higher. I know the extra four cores are moot for gaming, but I can only imagine it helps for software rendering complex 3D scenes. I'm looking to get some suggestions. One major question, should I stick with the 1.5 tb hd, or should I save a few bucks and get a much smaller hd mostly for booting/installs since I already have a pretty decently sized external? I've been told not to get anything above a tb because the higher density drives tend to have a much higher fail rate. I do have a lot of games and software, and I tend to not uninstall games often at all. Also constantly moving projects on and off a slow external is a pain. :| I have maybe a 150-200 bucks of wiggle room here, though I plan on buying a nice keyboard too. Here's what I've got right now: CPU: AMD FX-8120 189.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103961 GPU: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6850 -149.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102908 Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Extreme3 AM3+ AMD 990FX - 119.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157281 CPU: i5 2400 - 189.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115074 GPU: GeForce GTX 460 Fermi - 149.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130750 Motherboard: ASUS P8H67-V (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 - 104.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131783 + The standard stuff: RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB DDR3 1866 - 66.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233184 PSU: Antec EarthWatts EA-650 GREEN 650W - 59.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371044 HD: WD Caviar Black 1.5TB 7200 RPM - 159.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136793 Case: RAIDMAX Skyline ATX-948WB - 49.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156246 DVD: LITE-ON DVD Burner - 17.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289 Monitor: ASUS VH232H Glossy Black 23" - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236079 I don't know but 10Gb/$1 just feels like a bad deal for HDD's. If I remember right you can get a Corsair CX 430 v2 for $25 at the moment on newegg. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026 IF your gonna go with a 460 get this one for 120. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127646 it has more fans so better OC ability which is the 460's niche. Also 1866 ram is pointless because you won't beable to tell a noticeable difference. Also if your gonna spend 105 on a mobo get a Z68/P67. you CAN oc an I5-2400 to 3.4 or so so why not spend the same amount of money for 300more mhz? | ||
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skyR
Canada13817 Posts
On April 06 2012 12:59 Foooky wrote:+ Show Spoiler + On April 06 2012 12:19 skyR wrote: i7 2600 is unnecessary for gaming. Hyperthreading provides no benefits for the majority (basically all) games. Just get a core i5 2500. You are not overclocking so getting a Z68 motherboard is a waste of money. Get a H67 instead. Ivybridge (which comes out later this month) will use LGA1155 but in three years, you won't be upgrading to Ivybridge since it's only a minor performance increase over the current Sandybridge. Haswell and Broadwell will both be using the new LGA1150 socket which means a new motherboard is required if you want to upgrade to these. In other words, don't waste your time thinking about future CPU upgrades with current motherboards. Radeon HD6870 can play Diablo III on max at 1080p so it's very overkill for your current low resolution. 60gb would be sufficient for Windows 7 and one / two games along with your typical browser / word processing / messengers / music & video player software. Why are you getting a Blu-ray drive? You're missing a power supply. edit k I missed that it came with the case. You don't want a power supply that comes with a case because they're generally shit and won't provide enough power, won't last long, and will probably screw over another component. Thanks for the advice -- my modified setup would look like this? SSD 120gb - patriot PYRO -- 152 dollars (theres not too much price difference between 60 and 120gb to me) mobo - changed to GB-H61M-USB3 - 73 dollars Processor - i5-2500 -- 202 dollars Blu-ray writer/player - 85 dollars (Sort of being forced to get this) MEM - Kingston Hyperx 8G 1600x KIT - 50 dollars Case - Some generic coolermaster (ill see when i get there) - 65 dollars -- Comes with PSU (If not this one are there any PSUs that you suggest are superior?) HD - WD Green 2TB - 124 dollars Don't know much about wireless cards but they look to be pretty cheap -- about 30 dollars Windows 7 - 90 dollars Installation - 70 dollars Video Card -- 6870 1G Powercolor - 170 (I may need it in the future) --Total cost now: 1081 Note H61 motherboards do not have native SATA 6Gbps so you won't be using your SSD to its full potential. From MSY, get the Antec Neo Eco 450. On April 06 2012 13:13 GP wrote:+ Show Spoiler + So I'm looking to build my computer, and finally ditch my laptop now that I've gotten my tax return. I've been rocking laptops since college for school, but now I think I need something more stable. A few things to keep in mind: I will be using this heavily for 3d modelling and rendering, video editing, and Photoshop work. I game, but it's not something I do all the time, maybe every couple of days I spend a few hours playing. I have two alternate specs that I'm thinking about, Intel/nVidia and AMD/ATI. Aside from the OP which seems to be outdated with the "LOL Bulldozer sucks" The AMD FX 8120 seems to fare much better than its Intel counterpart at the same price, scoring almost a thousand higher. I know the extra four cores are moot for gaming, but I can only imagine it helps for software rendering complex 3D scenes. I'm looking to get some suggestions. One major question, should I stick with the 1.5 tb hd, or should I save a few bucks and get a much smaller hd mostly for booting/installs since I already have a pretty decently sized external? I've been told not to get anything above a tb because the higher density drives tend to have a much higher fail rate. I do have a lot of games and software, and I tend to not uninstall games often at all. Also constantly moving projects on and off a slow external is a pain. :| I have maybe a 150-200 bucks of wiggle room here, though I plan on buying a nice keyboard too. Here's what I've got right now: CPU: AMD FX-8120 189.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103961 GPU: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6850 -149.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102908 Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Extreme3 AM3+ AMD 990FX - 119.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157281 CPU: i5 2400 - 189.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115074 GPU: GeForce GTX 460 Fermi - 149.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130750 Motherboard: ASUS P8H67-V (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 - 104.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131783 + The standard stuff: RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB DDR3 1866 - 66.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233184 PSU: Antec EarthWatts EA-650 GREEN 650W - 59.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371044 HD: WD Caviar Black 1.5TB 7200 RPM - 159.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136793 Case: RAIDMAX Skyline ATX-948WB - 49.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156246 DVD: LITE-ON DVD Burner - 17.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289 Monitor: ASUS VH232H Glossy Black 23" - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236079 Most of your component selection doesn't make the slightest sense. Passmark is shit, why use one of the shittiest synthetic benchmarks to compare processors when you aren't even going to be running synthetic benches? Most real world benchmarks have shown that Bulldozer falls behind Sandybridge Core i5 and even the Phenom II X6 in rendering. But you can easily afford a core i7 2600 if you allocate your budget better. GTX 460 is only worth purchasing at $140 or lower. Why pair Nvidia with Intel and AMD with AMD? They don't work better when paired with each other if that's the impression you're under... Raidmax case is absolute garbage. But if you're getting it for purely aesthetics than that's your decision. Better memory provides negligible benefits, spend your money elsewhere before worrying about a 0.5 FPS increase or 1 second decrease for +$20. Get a 1TB Caviar Blue or Seagate Barracuda. Spending money for an extra three / four year of warranty is generally not worth it with such a low budget. But since you're getting a H67 motherboard, I'd just get a SSD... Getting a H67 for $105 makes no sense at all unless you're a huge fan of ASUS since there are Z68 / P67 boards available at the same price and Intel H67s with practically the same features for $90 or less. | ||
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GP
United States1056 Posts
On April 06 2012 13:35 iTzSnypah wrote: I don't know but 10Gb/$1 just feels like a bad deal for HDD's. If I remember right you can get a Corsair CX 430 v2 for $25 at the moment on newegg. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026 IF your gonna go with a 460 get this one for 120. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127646 it has more fans so better OC ability which is the 460's niche. Also 1866 ram is pointless because you won't beable to tell a noticeable difference. Also if your gonna spend 105 on a mobo get a Z68/P67. you CAN oc an I5-2400 to 3.4 or so so why not spend the same amount of money for 300more mhz? Thanks for the feedback, I switched out the ram, but the power supply is at 45 right now, which is still cheaper, but the specs don't seem to be as good. | ||
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