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Chrispy_
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Fri Jan 27, 2012 7:41 am

AnotherCasualty wrote:
Hi Chrispy..
<snip>
...Any more input would be greatly appreciated.


Heya, posting your existing specs really helps us see where you're coming from. Even a $600 econobox would "feel" like a beast compared to what you're using.

If you are sticking with the HDTV at 1366x768, there's no need to get any more graphics horsepower than the sweet spot's 560Ti. It's a card that has ample performance even at 1080p. The TR "sweet spot" build is specifically aiming at the optimum performance per dollar, which matches what you're after perfectly. I see no reason to change that unless you are confident that your change is what you want.

The guide for the sweet spot build includes small 60GB SSD's as an option on the "alternatives" page. I am a total SSD convert (so it's hard not to be biased) but using PC's without SSD's is a chore, and you'll likely be annoyed that you don't have one in the near future as more and more everyday machines start to feel "snappier" and more responsive than your $1000 rig. The Vertex3 is fine, but if you can't find it in stock or at a good price, the Agility 3, Corsair Force 3, Corsair Force GT, or Crucial M4, or even Intel SSD320 will do just fine. I think 128GB is the smart size to get for the moment.

Are you happy with your HDTV? I play WoW still and I love the extra space that my 1920x1200 screen gives me. A 1080p screen is a wise investment, though as an avid gamer I'd suggest you stick with the cheaper TN screens - they're faster responding (and cheaper) than IPS screens and the viewing angles don't matter if you're sitting directly in front of it.

Whatever you end up doing, have fun - and remember there's always plenty of help in the form of assembly guides and these forums.
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Derfer
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Fri Jan 27, 2012 8:57 am

Don't just recommend Asus boards without having used them. The bottom dollar Asus boards have severally crippled UEFI options. They want you to overclock from the OS. On a lower price range only buy Biostar and Asrock. They don't artificially segregate their products like Asus/MSI/Gigabyte. That Asrock I recommended is all you'll need. The singular advantage of a pricier Asus board is some crappy bluetooth dongle they spent $1.80 on. If you need that you can buy a better one.

I really don't understand the bare minimum PSU mentality here. You should always think quality, upgradability. A PSU is meant to be a long term investment. Say you're on the edge about wanting the next high end dual chip card; well having to buy a new PSU on top of that is a deal breaker for many.

The SSD recommendations are just silly. It's annoying enough for me being on a 256 GB drive, let alone a 60 GB that could hold 2-3 games max. Then you're just installing everything to your conventional drive anyways. Not to mention new programs keep trying to install things to your C drive locations even after you've run out of space, and you can't change that behavior for all apps. Don't blow money on a SSD unless you're going big just for faster boot/first program launch times. Once you're up and running and things are cached to RAM there's no benefit. Use the money elsewhere and get a bigger drive when prices are better. You'll appreciate it more.
 
just brew it!
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Fri Jan 27, 2012 9:24 am

@Derfer -

Those were hardly "bottom dollar" boards... more like mid-range. And lack of OC options only matters if the OP plans to tweak. My main complaint with Asus' "bottom dollar" motherboards (anything below $100, more or less) is that many of them lack 4 DIMM slots and a DVI port for the IGP.

I generally agree with the rest of what you said though.

@AnotherCasualty -

I'd give your friend the benefit of the doubt. I don't think he's necessarily trying to "swindle" you; more likely he just hasn't bothered to do the research to figure out what the best bang-for-the-buck components are these days.
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DPete27
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Fri Jan 27, 2012 9:56 am

Ok, not many people are jumping at the opportunity to recommend any SSD's besides JAE. (the Force GT is a good SSD though)

First off, 90GB or larger, otherwise you're constantly going to have to be worried about space issues. 120-128GB gives you more freedom on that front, and is probably the largest you'll likely need to go. I've got a 120GB and its got plenty of space for me. Obviously you're going to be putting your documents, pictures, music, movies, etc on a mechanical hdd, but those types of files dont benefit from being stored on an SSD anyway.
I'm going to link a few things here to help you out. Before I do that, Asynchronous Sandforce SSD's like the OCZ Agility 3 ($130 after MIR for 120GB) or the Corsair Force 3 (roughly the same) are going to give you the best bang for your buck. SSD's like the Vertex 3 and Force GT (~$150 after MIR for 120GB) use Synchronous NAND that offer a (theoretical/numerical) performance boost for incompressible data, the Crucial m4 is also a good drive, but the problem with these drives is that they command a higher price tag. And for the miniscule real-world performance difference between them and the cheap Asynchronous Sandforce SSD's, the price premium usually isn't worth it unless you're a power user. That being said, sales on SSD's can level the playing field as far as cost is concerned, but Async SSD's will generally cost less. ANY SSD you buy will make a mechanical hard drive seem like its got molasses mucked up inside it largely because of access/load times. SSD's just provide a much more fluid computing experience.

First, check out my forum topic covering SSD Price History. That will give you a good idea as far as whats a good deal and what isn't

Here is a forum thread from another person seeking SSD advice

Lastly TR's Article on SSD's in the "sweet spot"
Main: i5-3570K, ASRock Z77 Pro4-M, MSI RX480 8G, 500GB Crucial BX100, 2 TB Samsung EcoGreen F4, 16GB 1600MHz G.Skill @1.25V, EVGA 550-G2, Silverstone PS07B
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Firestarter
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Fri Jan 27, 2012 10:19 am

Derfer wrote:
I really don't understand the bare minimum PSU mentality here. You should always think quality, upgradability. A PSU is meant to be a long term investment. Say you're on the edge about wanting the next high end dual chip card; well having to buy a new PSU on top of that is a deal breaker for many.

A 500W PSU does not imply poor quality, nor bad upgradeability. SLI/Crossfire would be out of the question, yes, but if you're not planning on that anyway why would you buy a more expensive and capable PSU if that only eats into your budget? I see too many builds that seem to assume that anything with a dedicated videocard or a 10% overclock is going to pull 700W.
 
adamwzl
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Fri Jan 27, 2012 10:46 am

listen to everyone here they know their stuff.

Also add in a monitor into your system as well. Decent TN panels sub $200 have come a long way. You will get much better clarity and picture quality with a proper 24" LCD pc monitor than that vizio 720p tv your using.

If you have some money now newegg is having its mid-winter sale.

8gb of partriot ddr3 $35- $10 MIR = $25
24" ASUS 2MS $179 - save $50

http://promotions.newegg.com/NEemail/Jan-0-2012/MidWinter26/index-landing.html?nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL012612&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL012612-_-EMC-012612-Index-_-Header-_-ClickHere

Few other deals as well. They have the i5-2400 for $179. Its not the i2500k unlocked processor. But also you have to ask yourself if you are really going to get into heavy overclocking. Difference would be about $50. Which could go towards a monitor or better SSD. You can still OC the 2400 a decent amount, should be able to hit 4.0ghz with the stock cooler. Or even higher with proper cooling. Since you have to build a whole complete system minus keyboard/mouse. Try to stretch your money out a bit.
 
LiquidSpace
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Fri Jan 27, 2012 11:39 am

AnotherCasualty wrote:
Hello all.

I am new to building a custom PC. I have always bought computers (For school, leisure, whatever the case) and I have suffered greatly from apparently poor choices. With taxes coming in soon I decided I was going the smarter route and get a custom built PC. My friend jumped at the chance, giving me these current specs (For my price break of about $1300.) Saying this was a "beast" machine for the price and that "This will not only play wow at full with no lag but will also handle Crysis 2 in full 3D with no lag. 2GB vid card so running in Hybrid form that will give you nearly 6GB of video and 12 GB of system ram."

----
CPU
AMD FX 6100 6 Core AM3+
Mother Board
MSI 970A-G45 SLI AM3+
RAM
Corsair or Crucial 12GB*
Hard Drive
Western Digital 1.5 TB*
Video Card
Galaxy GTX 560 GC Ti 2 GB*
Optical
Lite On DVD R/W
Case
DiabloTek or Coolermaster
Power Supply
Coolmax 750 Watt*
Operating System
Windows 7 64bit

I looked at the specs and such and ran into two problems. 1.) The CPU -- The reviews for the Bulldozers have been horrible, saying
they are low performance and are heating risks. 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. They claim to have built PC's in the past with uber performance but seeing as
this is my first custom PC, I want bang for my buck. My current PC, I barely get 20 FPS on the lowest settings and thats pushing it. Please, any information
will be GREATLY appreciated.

Perhaps even offering advice on better parts for better performance as I am aiming for a well rounded PC to play Skyrim, Crysis 2, BF3, The Witcher series, etc. I've always been a console gamer and there is an entire world out there of games I've yet to play because with all the parts and the yays and nays of computer building I am reverted back to "Newbie" lol.



your friend is a bitch, go kick him in the nuts. that build is awful.

here's a good build:
CPU: 2600K
GPU: dependes on whether you want to wait for what is coming or buy one now, if it's now then go for 6970 it's the best choice for the price.
Case: Corsair graphite white is awsome
motherboard: chose what ever fits the 2600k unless you want more than one GPU, then choose some high end Gigabyte board, Gigabyte makes the best mother boards.
HDD or SSD what ever fits your needs.
mouse: corsair M90
Keyboard: corsair: K90 the best.
PSU : 750W-850W Gold or platinum from Seasonic or Corsair
Ram: 8Gigs 1600 or 1800 are pretty cheap probably some 50 bucks and of-course make sure they work with 2600K and DDR3, there are a lot of models so check on newegg to see what you want I recommend Gskill, Mushkin or Corsair.
OS WIN 7 x64 pro.
I don't think you need optical drive unless you're planning on using CDs for what ever reaseon.,
 
derFunkenstein
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Fri Jan 27, 2012 11:50 am

An SSD for games is a pretty bad idea, to be honest, unless it's a single player game you'll never play online. In the handful of games I play online (starcraft 2, world in conflict, supcom, the occasional portal 2 coop) none of them actually start the game until the slowest player finishes loading. There are games that will load you in mid-match, and i guess you might see a few seconds of improvement there, but it's still incredibly overpriced for what you get in terms of games.

You get an SSD for the OS and other apps. The only things that sit on my Intel SSD are the OS, apps that don't give me an option, and Pro Tools + the Instrument Expansion Pack (PT + IEP = 45GB or so). Everything else goes on a WD Caviar Black 750GB. It's silly to load multiplayer games from an SSD because you wait for it to load quickly and then you sit and wait while everyone else gets loaded up. Meh.
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DPete27
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Fri Jan 27, 2012 12:20 pm

derFunkenstein wrote:
An SSD for games is a pretty bad idea, to be honest, unless it's a single player game you'll never play online....


I will agree that the only tangible benefit of SSDs in games is faster level load times, they don't give you better FPS, although they may smooth out FPS (where did that TR Article on Battlefield 3 using SSD vs HDD go?). I put my games on my SSD because I do play the single player campaigns, and I have enough free space to do it. (to each their own) SSD's will substantially improve overall system responsiveness though, thats definetly worth getting one.

adamwzl wrote:
You can still OC the 2400 a decent amount, should be able to hit 4.0ghz with the stock cooler.


Thats false. Sandy Bridge CPU's are only really overclockable by adjusting the multipliers ("K" series CPU's). For all practial purposes, all non-K-series Sandy Bridge CPUs are not overclockable. I don't think I need to go into the dirty details. The i5-2400 is still a good CPU if you don't plan on overclocking though.

K-series CPU = P67, Z68 mobos
non-K CPU's = H61/67....Z68 mobos ONLY if you need SSD caching (not advised)
Main: i5-3570K, ASRock Z77 Pro4-M, MSI RX480 8G, 500GB Crucial BX100, 2 TB Samsung EcoGreen F4, 16GB 1600MHz G.Skill @1.25V, EVGA 550-G2, Silverstone PS07B
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ludi
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Fri Jan 27, 2012 1:35 pm

Firestarter wrote:
Derfer wrote:
I really don't understand the bare minimum PSU mentality here. You should always think quality, upgradability. A PSU is meant to be a long term investment. Say you're on the edge about wanting the next high end dual chip card; well having to buy a new PSU on top of that is a deal breaker for many.

A 500W PSU does not imply poor quality, nor bad upgradeability. SLI/Crossfire would be out of the question, yes, but if you're not planning on that anyway why would you buy a more expensive and capable PSU if that only eats into your budget? I see too many builds that seem to assume that anything with a dedicated videocard or a 10% overclock is going to pull 700W.

Agreed. Also, it's worth pointing out that switching power supplies aren't really happy unless they're being run in the ballpark of 80-90% load. Can't always get that exact on a PC, but if there are no short-term plans to upgrade to a much higher-power configuration, it may actually be better to just buy the power supply you actually need now, then upgrade it later when you need more.
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AnotherCasualty
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Fri Jan 27, 2012 4:27 pm

Whooo hoooo! I just filled taxes and I am very very pleased! So I can go up a little on the budget and from the suggestions You all have helped me so much :D The PC I end up choosing (parts and all) this will be my upgrade and I'm not going to upgrade again for awhile so this is why I want a PC to handle all my gaming needs. So the build will be "it" for me for quite some time. As you've all seen my current PC is lack luster at best and I'm surprised it's still even running so when I upgrade it's going to be my baby for awhile *Truth be told I'm kinda wanting to splurge to about 1400+

I'm so excited I can barely see straight! **I'm almost inclined to go with the Editors Choice build for the 1600 price tag... I'm having issues choosing based on the information given and reading The Sweet Spot builds. So many choices.

I'm also kinda scared in terms of building my own PC (I know there are videos out there, I dont think I'll have an issue assembling though the whole wiring process and bios and that kinda thing makes me a little iffy. Again I'm also having a big problem choosing what I want (Dont get me wrong I'm more than happy with you guys giving me your opinions and even the forum moderator getting in on this as well and helping out TREMENDOUSLY) I just find myself having the jitters but I'm welcoming the challenge. As it was stated earlier, just about anything would be an upgrade from this current piece I'm on lol :D
 
ludi
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Fri Jan 27, 2012 5:47 pm

AnotherCasualty wrote:
I'm also kinda scared in terms of building my own PC (I know there are videos out there, I dont think I'll have an issue assembling though the whole wiring process and bios and that kinda thing makes me a little iffy.

There are really only two ironclad rules: don't wear your favorite wool sweater, and don't rush. The rest will come together one way or another, even if it requires a few more forum visits to get all of the details ironed out.
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JustAnEngineer
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Fri Jan 27, 2012 5:52 pm

AnotherCasualty wrote:
*Truth be told I'm kinda wanting to splurge to about 1400+
You could step up to a really nice monitor like the Dell UltraSharp U2410 or you could upgrade to a good 1080p TV (e.g.: Sony Bravia KDL-46NX720).
You could include the 120 GB SSD.
You could buy one of the high-quality oversized power supplies that I listed in my previous post.
You could buy a high-quality gaming mouse like the Logitech G400.
You could save your funds to buy a bunch of great games to play on your new PC when the next Steam sale comes along.

AnotherCasualty wrote:
I'm also kinda scared in terms of building my own PC (I know there are videos out there, I dont think I'll have an issue assembling though the whole wiring process and bios and that kinda thing makes me a little iffy. I just find myself having the jitters but I'm welcoming the challenge.
Here's a helpful guide:
viewtopic.php?f=33&t=55282
Take your time and allot yourself about 4 hours for your first build.
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Biggins
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Fri Jan 27, 2012 5:58 pm

Here's a list of parts if you want to build an AMD system. I just built this one in November and it works great. Total cost: $1,328.

Case: Antec DF-35 Dark Fleet (I had some problems with this. See alternatives below.)
Power: Antec High Current Gamer 620 watt
CPU: Phenom II X6 1100T 3.3 GHz
Cooler: Antec KUHLER H20 620
Mobo: Asus M5A97 EVO
RAM: Patriot G2 8 GB DDR3-1333
Graphics: Diamond HD 6870
SSD: Patriot Wildfire 120 GB
HDD: WD Caviar Black 1 TB FAEX
DVD: LG DVD-RW
OS: Windows 7 Home Full - OEM

Alternatives
Case: Antec P280 (for a quiet case)
Case: Antec Nine Hundred Two or Eleven Hundred or Twelve Hundred
CPU: Phenom II X4 980 (4 cores)
CPU: AMD FX-8150 (8 cores)
Cooler: The Antec KUHLER is optional. The stock cooler works fine.
Mobo: Asus M5A99X EVO (if you want Crossfire)
Mobo: Asus Sabertooth 990FX (for Crossfire and overclocking)
Power: 750 watt (if you want Crossfire)
SSD: OCZ Vertex 3 120GB (similar performance as Patriot Wildfire)

For a monitor, I would suggest a LCD at least 23" with 1920 x 1080 resolution. Some other people have mentioned getting an IPS panel but those are usually $400 for a 24" LCD. If you're just gaming, you can get a 24" TN panel for $200. TN panels are less expensive and have fast response times. In my opinion, 90% of monitors sold are TN panels. IPS panels are good for photo editing and people who have a lot of money to spend on a slightly better monitor. You get better viewing angles but who's really sits off to the side/top/bottom of their monitor and plays games or watches movies? Color is also slightly better on IPS panels but the color on my TN panel looks pretty good. Save your money for a better graphics card.

Here are some examples of TN panels:
Asus VE248H
HP 2311x
Dell E2311H
Samsung S23A350H
LG and Acer also make decent monitors.

IPS panels:
Dell U2312HM
Dell U2412M
HP ZR24w

I reccomend shopping at NewEgg, TigerDirect or AllStarShop. Good luck!
 
AnotherCasualty
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Fri Jan 27, 2012 6:26 pm

I'm currently building up a system now which by tonight I'll have finished (With links and all) so You can all see if it's a viable system + offer any suggestions you might have for me. I'm running short on time as I have to head to work for a few hours (called me in while I was in the middle of setting the links and such lol :D impeccable timing!) So I'll have a list for you guys tonight.

Again, before I leave for awhile Thank You all so much for helping -- Btw JustAnEngineer -- I'm using some of your part suggestions and I might even say I'm splurging :lol: . I just wanted to say Thank You again. See you all tonight.
 
DPete27
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Fri Jan 27, 2012 6:34 pm

I just want to throw in one last thing here since it sounds like you're pretty well set as far as components are concerned. I do agree with JAE that your extra money might be better spent on peripherals like an SSD, monitor, speakers, mouse, keyboard (in my order of importance)

(This is my last thing) Your "friend" didn't do too bad of a job if you were looking for an AMD system. I suspect he/she is an AMD fanboi and their bias controlled their processor selection more than what provides the most performance per dollar. I know we've all really laid into the subject saying bad things about your friend, but AMD Bulldozer chips aren't "bad," they're just not as good as Intel Sandy Bridge and they cost more as well. Don't abandon or offend your friend for the choices they made, he/she might be a good resource to have with you during the build process to help things go smoothly. And, as always, the TR forums have all kinds of knowledgeable people that can help you through any snags you may have along the way.
Main: i5-3570K, ASRock Z77 Pro4-M, MSI RX480 8G, 500GB Crucial BX100, 2 TB Samsung EcoGreen F4, 16GB 1600MHz G.Skill @1.25V, EVGA 550-G2, Silverstone PS07B
HTPC: A8-5600K, MSI FM2-A75IA-E53, 4TB Seagate SSHD, 8GB 1866MHz G.Skill, Crosley D-25 Case Mod
 
equivicus
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Fri Jan 27, 2012 7:27 pm

I just want to throw in one last thing here since it sounds like you're pretty well set as far as components are concerned. I do agree with JAE that your extra money might be better spent on peripherals like an SSD, monitor, speakers, mouse, keyboard (in my order of importance)


I agree with your priority as to where the extra money could go: SSD, monitor, speakers. SSD would make a significant impact on how the system runs.

(This is my last thing) Your "friend" didn't do too bad of a job if you were looking for an AMD system. I suspect he/she is an AMD fanboi and their bias controlled their processor selection more than what provides the most performance per dollar. I know we've all really laid into the subject saying bad things about your friend, but AMD Bulldozer chips aren't "bad," they're just not as good as Intel Sandy Bridge and they cost more as well. Don't abandon or offend your friend for the choices they made, he/she might be a good resource to have with you during the build process to help things go smoothly. And, as always, the TR forums have all kinds of knowledgeable people that can help you through any snags you may have along the way.


Well said DPete27. We don't know his friend's true intentions other than he was trying to help. He may be an AMD fanboi and/or a newbie too! :)
 
AnotherCasualty
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Fri Jan 27, 2012 11:33 pm

*breathes* Okay, so here is what Ive put together at a whopping ( $1,582.32 )
I hope I didn't go totally out of wack but based on various suggestions this is just a "rough draft? I suppose.
(Copied the cart from Newegg.com) -- This is all minus keyboard and mouse...


ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM
$18.99
Antec Three Hundred + BP430 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 430W Power Supply
$69.99
HITACHI HDS721050CLA362 (0F10381) 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$79.99
HP ZR24w Black 24" 7ms Widescreen LCD Monitor
$349.99
SAPPHIRE 100312-3L Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
$20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$259.99
SPARKLE 85+ Green 600 R-SPI600ACH5B 600W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Active ...
$79.99
Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory with heatshield Model PSD38G1600KH
$38.99
Patriot Signature Series 8GB Micro SDHC Flash Card w/ Adapter Model PSF8GMCSDHC43P
$0.00
Corsair Force Series GT CSSD-F90GBGT-BK 2.5" 90GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
$30.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
$139.99
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 ...
COOLER MASTER GeminII S524 120mm Long Life Sleeve CPU Cooler Compatible with Intel Sandy Bridge
$254.98
ASUS Maximus IV Gene-Z/GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM
$274.98
Corel VideoStudio Express Bundle
Last edited by AnotherCasualty on Sat Jan 28, 2012 2:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
 
JustAnEngineer
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Sat Jan 28, 2012 12:48 am

There's no need to buy two power supplies.
$60 -15MIR Antec Three Hundred ATX case

Don't forget to use the $10 off promo code "EMCNJHF28" on your hard-drive.
AnotherCasualty wrote:
· R7-5800X, Liquid Freezer II 280, RoG Strix X570-E, 64GiB PC4-28800, Suprim Liquid RTX4090, 2TB SX8200Pro +4TB S860 +NAS, Define 7 Compact, Super Flower SF-1000F14TP, S3220DGF +32UD99, FC900R OE, DeathAdder2
 
AnotherCasualty
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Sat Jan 28, 2012 2:16 am

JustAnEngineer wrote:
There's no need to buy two power supplies.
$60 -15MIR Antec Three Hundred ATX case

Don't forget to use the $10 off promo code "EMCNJHF28" on your hard-drive.
AnotherCasualty wrote:


Thanks for clearing that up JustAnEngineer. So considering most of the things on there are what you suggested, do you think that will be an alright system? I was also wondering should I opt for more memory? or is the 8GB's going to be sufficient? I just noticed the extra power supply, my apologies and ty for catching it lol. Also while I'm thinking about it. Is there any software out there you might want to reccommend?
 
Firestarter
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Sat Jan 28, 2012 6:01 am

AnotherCasualty wrote:
I'm also kinda scared in terms of building my own PC

As mentioned before, no wool sweater (static electricity is dangerous to electronics), and if you about to push harder than you thought you needed to, take a deep breath and look/ask around to see if you're doing it right :) Last time I built a PC the push-pin installation of the CPU cooler almost got to me :lol:
 
Firestarter
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Sat Jan 28, 2012 6:03 am

AnotherCasualty wrote:
Thanks for clearing that up JustAnEngineer. So considering most of the things on there are what you suggested, do you think that will be an alright system? I was also wondering should I opt for more memory? or is the 8GB's going to be sufficient?

A 2500K with a 6950 and an SSD is not an 'alright' system, that's a pretty damn awesome system 8)
 
JustAnEngineer
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Sat Jan 28, 2012 7:25 am

AnotherCasualty wrote:
Do you think that will be an alright system?
Other than significantly exceeding your original budget, that looks like a very good PC to me. Even a less expensive system would be leaps and bounds ahead of your current PC. 2x4 GiB is plenty of memory for most tasks. If you start editing large photos or videos and find that more memory would help, it would be very easy to add more later, possibly when 8 GiB DIMMs are less expensive than they are today.

If you're buying a new mouse, I highly recommend one with 5 buttons (buttons 4 and 5 work as forward and back in your web browser).

AnotherCasualty wrote:
Is there any software out there you might want to recommend?
Firefox is one of my first downloads for a new PC.

You'll want to do a little tinkering with the locations of the user folders to change the location of Downloads and My Documents to your hard-drive instead of your SSD. This is done through the properties dialog for these folders in Windows 7. When you go to install Steam, be sure to change the letter of the default installation location from your SSD to your hard-drive.

What type of games do you like?
For RPGs, I can recommend the Mass Effect and Dragon Age: Origins series from BioWare and The Witcher series from CD Projekt RED. I'm currently enjoying the 5th game in The Elder Scrolls series: Skyrim from Bethesda. I also recommend the Complete Pack from Valve, Defense Grid: The Awakening from Hidden Path Entertainment, etc. Your new computer will play any game currently available with very high graphics settings.
· R7-5800X, Liquid Freezer II 280, RoG Strix X570-E, 64GiB PC4-28800, Suprim Liquid RTX4090, 2TB SX8200Pro +4TB S860 +NAS, Define 7 Compact, Super Flower SF-1000F14TP, S3220DGF +32UD99, FC900R OE, DeathAdder2
 
AbRASiON

Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Sat Jan 28, 2012 7:25 am

Derfer wrote:

I really don't understand the bare minimum PSU mentality here. You should always think quality, upgradability. A PSU is meant to be a long term investment. Say you're on the edge about wanting the next high end dual chip card; well having to buy a new PSU on top of that is a deal breaker for many.


The fact of the matter is and has been for nearly a decade - that people buy over the top PSU's because they think they HAVE to when they don't in the slightest.
In the late 90's and very early 00's power supplies from asia for 40$ were absoloutely common, PC gaming was really taking off and all the nerds were buying their first or second machines, most of us were young and on a budget and so PSU's catered to bottom dollar needs.
Many MANY PSU's had a sticker on a box saying 200W - the next PSU to it was utterly identical, it had a sticker in the 250W box though and cost 6$ more, then the 300W was 6$ more again,........ you're getting the idea.

If you buy a BRAND name, quality PSU (you can generally tell from simply the weight) then you're going to be fine 9 times out of 10 and most 500w is MORE than enough for 99.9% of needs. That might set you back from 60 to 80$ - this compulsion to spend 150$ on PSU's is just utterly insane and when it comes to building a PC with a semi-tight budget, that extra 70$ could be the difference between 4 / 8gb or between a 1TB HDD or a 120gb SSD (etc etc)
As for future upgradability, a good quality 500w probably WILL last 3 to 5 years anyhow.
I had an expensive 600w silverstone powersupply 7 years ago, it's STILL going strong in the 5'th machine it's been put in now,.....

If anything, when people recommend a sensible, brand name PSU in the 500w range, I'm more likely to trust their opinions rather than some kid who just read on the internet he needs an 800w or bust and can't fathom someone not running 3 video cards!!!!11 (not implying you are one of these people)

In conclusion we need to stop this damn perpetuating the GIANT PSU myth which has been going on for a long time.
 
JustAnEngineer
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Sat Jan 28, 2012 7:53 am

AbRASiON wrote:
500w is MORE than enough.
Just check out the power consumption charts in the TR graphics card reviews to get a feel for typical gaming power demands. Those draws are from the wall, so the actual DC power consumption inside the PC is only about 82% as much (because that's the efficiency of the power supply in TR's test system). Add 30% for a safety margin, and you're still not in the 800+ watt range unless you're trying to run two of NVidia's power-hungry high-end GPUs. It probably doesn't hurt you to have a larger power supply until your idle load is less than 10 or 15% of the rated capacity. Some power supplies lose efficiency at those very low loads.
http://techreport.com/articles.x/22192/14
http://techreport.com/articles.x/22151/8
http://techreport.com/articles.x/20957/9
http://techreport.com/articles.x/20889/9
· R7-5800X, Liquid Freezer II 280, RoG Strix X570-E, 64GiB PC4-28800, Suprim Liquid RTX4090, 2TB SX8200Pro +4TB S860 +NAS, Define 7 Compact, Super Flower SF-1000F14TP, S3220DGF +32UD99, FC900R OE, DeathAdder2
 
AbRASiON

Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Sat Jan 28, 2012 8:00 am

I actually sold my 600w to a friend, 7 year old Silverstone sold to someone - it's been that reliable. That's the only reason I have a 750w (because I'm a nerd with too much money and was considering SLI at the time) - but for friends builds, I've done machines with PSU's in the 450 range even in the last 12 months and as long as it's brand name, it's been fine.

As for this guys PC - I looked at the specs in the most recent couple of posts, looking much better than before.
 
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Sat Jan 28, 2012 9:45 am

ludi wrote:
Agreed. Also, it's worth pointing out that switching power supplies aren't really happy unless they're being run in the ballpark of 80-90% load.

FWIW I believe the efficiency peak actually tends to be a bit lower than that, more like 60-70% load. But unless you're constantly running FPS games on a high-end dual SLI setup or running a 16-core render farm node, even a mid-range PSU is probably going to spend most of its time running at 50% load or less.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
 
DPete27
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Sat Jan 28, 2012 1:30 pm

AnotherCasualty wrote:
SPARKLE 85+ Green 600 R-SPI600ACH5B 600W ATX12V v2.2 / EPS12V v2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Active ...$79.99

Nobody else had the hair on the back of their neck stand out when they saw that? I avoid Sparkle brand like the black plague, they're synonomous with budget/cheap hardware to me. I prefer Antec, Corsair, or SeaSonic PSU's myself.
Main: i5-3570K, ASRock Z77 Pro4-M, MSI RX480 8G, 500GB Crucial BX100, 2 TB Samsung EcoGreen F4, 16GB 1600MHz G.Skill @1.25V, EVGA 550-G2, Silverstone PS07B
HTPC: A8-5600K, MSI FM2-A75IA-E53, 4TB Seagate SSHD, 8GB 1866MHz G.Skill, Crosley D-25 Case Mod
 
JustAnEngineer
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Sat Jan 28, 2012 1:45 pm

DPete27 wrote:
I prefer Antec, Corsair, or SeaSonic PSU's myself.
Here's a larger SeaSonic unit for $16 less:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817151096

I haven't had problems with the few Sparkle PSUs that I've seen. I've currently got SeaSonic, PC Power & Cooling and Antec Earthwatts PSUs in most of the family's PCs.
 
Jason181
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Re: New to PC's -- Friend wants to build me a "Beast" machin

Sat Jan 28, 2012 2:44 pm

Did anyone else notice that his hdd only has 60 GB on it? I would highly recommend getting a 120 GB ssd and waiting on the hdd until prices go down and you need the extra storage. Would save you some money in the long run.

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