Personal computing discussed
Moderators: renee, JustAnEngineer
MoBo: Asus P8P67 (outdated now, id go with the z68 mobos if i had the choice now)
CPU: Core i5 2500k (I dont think your going to need an after market cooler for your CPU. Unless your going overclocking, theres no need)
RAM: 12GBs (got 4 initially, then stuck 8 more in later as its so cheap) You should get any 16 gig kit for ~100 quid. I wouldnt waste your money on "fast" ram either. Get average stuff from a good brand and it'll be perfect. "Fast" ram has very little impact on the performance of your system. Careful you buy RAM that is compatible with your MoBo. Just do some googling, youll find out soon enough.
PSU: Corsair 650W (too much power tbh...)
GPU: Asus 2GB EAH6950 (basically, an ATI Radeon 6950 with 2GB ram. This thing is SUPER. Cant say enough good things about it. As far as bang for your buck goes, this was unbeatable at the time i bought it. I have a Del 2711 monitor [one of the big 27 inch, 2560x1440 monitors] and it runs bf3 with everything turned up no trouble to it. Gets a little hot, but not near breaking point)
Storage: 128GB ssd for the OS and any programs. Its the new OCZ Sata III ones.
2 1 TB hard drives. 1 for general use, 1 for backups. (these will set you back a bit nowadays...)
Case: Antec P183 case (<- here http://goo.gl/Pof0h ) They have a new model out, TR did a review recently... http://techreport.com/articles.x/22240
Also, just got some random optical drive. Dont use it often..
Derfer wrote:This is how I'd go. Total should be a little over $1300.
CPU: 2500k/16GB ram combo - $295
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.805368
Cooler: Corsair H60 (plenty of finger/ram room) - $63
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Cooling-Hydro--High-Performance-CWCH60/dp/B004MYFOE2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327487197&sr=8-1
Board: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 - $122
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
HDD: WD Black 1TB - $160
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284
Bluray drive/dvd burner: Samsung - $58
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151222
Powersupply: Sparkle GOLD 750w (this is a really good unit) - $140
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817103053
Card: MSI 560 Ti 2GB - $270 ($255 with rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127608
Case: Corsair 600T White - $160
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-CC600TWM-WHT-Special-Graphite-Computer/dp/B004O0PAKW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327488032&sr=8-1
AnotherCasualty wrote:Welcome to the Tech Report!Hello all.
AnotherCasualty wrote:Here is my current spec....
Chrispy_ wrote:Whilst the advice from people in this forum is much better than your 'friend's' advice, your safest bet is to stick to the TR system guides. Here's the most recent
http://techreport.com/articles.x/22104
These guides are updated frequently and produced by people whose sole job is to test hardware, assembling machines and critically assessing every aspect of the process for a living.
If gaming is the primary concern and you only have ONE screen, "the sweet spot" system Is a great build for all current games. My only suggestion for gaming would be to add the Vertex3 hard disk from the "Editor's Choice" system since this will significantly reduce your level-loading times. Spending more money than the "Editor's Choice" is terrible bang for your buck - there's always a premium you pay for getting the highest-end kit.
ludi wrote:AnotherCasualty wrote:Here is my current spec....
Okay, let's back up the truck a bit and note that pretty much anything you build using modern parts is going to blow that machine out the window. So although you could build a pretty spectacular box with your $1300 budget, you may not need to go for the absolute fastest video card, power supplies costing well north of $100, that sort of thing. As suggested already, start with the most recent TR System Guide, feel out which system seems "right" based on your budget, and then refine outward from there. That's what I did last fall, and I ended up starting from the Utility Player.
Related question: are you re-using your existing monitor? Your report dump indicates 1366x768 resolution which sounds like a low-end widescreen in the 16-19" range. I would suggest your actual PC budget is around $1050 and the other $250 should go toward something nice in the 24" range.
JustAnEngineer wrote:AnotherCasualty wrote:Welcome to the Tech Report!Hello all.
Your suggested build isn't a good one for gaming performance. You could start with something like the Sweet Spot from Tech Report's System Guide and do much better.
http://techreport.com/articles.x/22104
Consider some of these components:
$230 Intel Core i5-2500K quad-core 3.3 GHz overclockable LGA1155 processor
or $210 Intel Core i5-2500 quad-core 3.3 GHz LGA1155 processor
$40 -15 combo CoolerMaster GeminII S524 CPU cooler
or $0 included stock Intel CPU cooler
$185 Asus P8Z68-V/Gen3 ATX Z68 LGA1155 motherboard
or $188 Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z/Gen3 Micro-ATX Z68 LGA1155 motherboard
$38 2x4 GiB PC3-12800 (DDR3-1600, CAS 9, 1.5 V) memory
$267½ -20MIR or $270 -20MIR Radeon HD6950 2GB
or $242½ GeForce GTX560Ti 1GB
or $172½ -20MIR Radeon HD6870 1GB
+ SSD + HD + Blu-ray + case + PSU + Windows 7
AnotherCasualty wrote:You are definitely due for an upgrade. Your existing single-core CPU is weak and your integrated graphics are very poor.Here is my current spec:
0101 - Operating System : Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.111025-1629)
0104 - Processor : AMD Sempron(tm) Processor LE-1300, MMX, 3DNow, ~2.3GHz
0105 - Memory : 3006MB RAM
0301 - Card Name : NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE nForce 430
0306 - Display Memory : 256.0 MB
0308 - Current Mode : 1366 x 768 (32 bit) (60Hz)
0701 - Description : Realtek HD Audio output
0801 - Model : ST3160815AS(Seagate, 160G)
ludi wrote:I'm going to agree with Ludi. A nice IPS LCD monitor with 1920x1200 (preferred) or 1920x1080 (next-best) resolution in the 23" to 27" size range would be a significant improvement over your 32" 1366x768 display. If you're committed to using the large screen as both TV and PC monitor, something with support for FullHD 1080p native resolution would do better than your existing TV.I would suggest your actual PC budget is around $1050 and the other $250 should go toward something nice in the 24" range.
JustAnEngineer wrote:AnotherCasualty wrote:You are definitely due for an upgrade. Your existing single-core CPU is weak and your integrated graphics are very poor.Here is my current spec:
0101 - Operating System : Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_gdr.111025-1629)
0104 - Processor : AMD Sempron(tm) Processor LE-1300, MMX, 3DNow, ~2.3GHz
0105 - Memory : 3006MB RAM
0301 - Card Name : NVIDIA GeForce 6150SE nForce 430
0306 - Display Memory : 256.0 MB
0308 - Current Mode : 1366 x 768 (32 bit) (60Hz)
0701 - Description : Realtek HD Audio output
0801 - Model : ST3160815AS(Seagate, 160G)
Even a much less expensive PC than the sweet spot would provide a very significant improvement over your current gaming experience. Here's a thread where I challenged the gerbils to come up with something for about half of your budget a month and a half ago. The $600 systems (including Windows 7 64-bit OEM) in that thread would run circles around your existing PC in most games.
viewtopic.php?f=33&t=79184
If you want to spend something between $600 and $1300 on your new PC, we can help you prioritize which components can give you the best bang for your desired budget.
If you do get an SSD, you'll want to install your operating system and your most-used applications (web browser, media player, office applications, etc.) on it. I keep my games installed on a 7200-rpm hard-drive because my steam directory is much larger than my SSD.ludi wrote:I'm going to agree with Ludi. A nice IPS LCD monitor with 1920x1200 (preferred) or 1920x1080 (next-best) resolution in the 23" to 27" size range would be a significant improvement over your 32" 1366x768 display. If you're committed to using the large screen as both TV and PC monitor, something with support for FullHD 1080p native resolution would do better than your existing TV.I would suggest your actual PC budget is around $1050 and the other $250 should go toward something nice in the 24" range.
AnotherCasualty wrote:2.) The mother board is said to be able to handle the CPU (in the list above) but people have
given reviews that the card does not support that chip. I am so lost.
JustAnEngineer wrote:$230 Intel Core i5-2500K quad-core 3.3 GHz overclockable LGA1155 processor with HSF
$40 -15 combo CoolerMaster GeminII S524 CPU cooler - quieter and cooler than stock HSF
$132½ -10MIR Asus P8Z68-V LX ATX Z68 LGA1155 motherboard
or $125 Asus P8Z68-M Pro micro-ATX Z68 LGA1155
or $185 Asus P8Z68-V/Gen3 ATX Z68 LGA1155
or $188 Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z/Gen3 micro-ATX Z68 LGA1155
$39 2x4 GiB PC3-12800 (DDR3-1600, CAS 9, 1.5 V) memory
$267½ -20MIR or $270 -20MIR Radeon HD6950 2GB
or $242½ -20MIR GeForce GTX560Ti 1GB
or $172½ -20MIR Radeon HD6870 1GB
$80 -10 code "EMCNJHF28" 500 GB Hitachi HDS721050CLA362 7200-rpm hard-drive
$63 Samsung SH-B123L BD-ROM/DVD-RW with PowerDVD software for Blu-ray playback
or $19 Asus DRW-24B1ST DVD-RW
$70 Antec Three Hundred ATX case
and Antec Basiq BP-430 power supply (384 watts = 32 amperes at +12 V)
$100 -5 combo Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit OEM
======
$992 -30MIR, and it outperforms your friend's "beast" in most respects.
Mouse, Keyboard, Speakers?
Here are a couple of good 24" 1920x1200 monitors and a good deal on a 23" 1920x1080 monitor (currently $239 before coupons).
$369 or $300 +tax Dell UltraSharp U2412M 24" 1920x1200 e-IPS LCD monitor
$359 or $325 +tax HP ZR24W 24" 1920x1200 H2-IPS LCD monitor
$289 or $216 +tax Dell UltraSharp U2312HM 23" 1920x1080 e-IPS LCD monitor
AnotherCasualty wrote:Would you also recommend an SSD? or would I be fine with with what You've supplied without the SSD?
ludi wrote:AnotherCasualty wrote:Here is my current spec....
Okay, let's back up the truck a bit and note that pretty much anything you build using modern parts is going to blow that machine out the window.
AnotherCasualty wrote:Would you also recommend an SSD? or would I be fine with with what You've supplied without the SSD? I'm also assuming the power supply (that comes with the case, will more than suffice the parts?)
Firestarter wrote:In-game, the SSD does almost nothing for performance. After initial game startup, subsequent level loads typically go by so quickly from my 1 TB Caviar Black drive that I have to be very quick to be able to read the hints on the loading screen before they disappear. I don't see much benefit to trying to put your games on the SSD. Outside of the game, an SSD makes your computing experience feel much snappier. The Windows desktop is more responsive and the web browser is more responsive, etc. SSD prices are still dropping and should continue to drop throughout the year. Hard-drive prices should start dropping later this year. I figured that postponing a large investment in one of those components would make for an easier and more worthwhile upgrade later.The year is 2012, if you are building a computer for $1300 and not including an SSD, you are missing out severely. For almost everything you do up to and including starting the game, an SSD is the single most important upgrade. Once you are playing, an SSD doesn't make the hugest difference unless the game struggles with loading levels and such, so if you absolutely need the best performance in-game you could sacrifice the SSD for a faster videocard, but that's a BIG sacrifice, one that you do not want to make.