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The site I used, 'PCPartPicker,' has a 'Reddit Markup' tool that outputs the table I posted :).
He should post in r/buildapc to get a better range of opinions and knowledge anyway.
They said they wanted to go with Intel, but opted against it. I put this one together for $175. I could even afford to put in an optical drive. The Intel chip is a little inferior, but for the money, you can't be too picky.
The cheapest I could go was $159, but that was with a single-core chip, which is just silly.
>and alot of general maintanance
I wouldn't say a lot...
>keeping up with virus protection
Download MSE, set it to scan once a week. Done.
>Should I just buy a cheap dell desktop and throw in a video card to start out?
It's not that simple. If you get a PC from an OEM, they will typically give you the bare minimum power supply they can, so there is very little room to expand. You likely won't be able to get a new GPU without getting a new PSU too.
It is a lot harder to replace a PSU in an OEM case than it is to build a PC from scratch. It's a lot cheaper to build from scratch too.
>Less than a 1000$ would be really nice.
$1000 will get you a superb PC that will play every game on the market today on nice settings. The games you want to play will run with ease.
--
Have a look over to the right. There are a bunch of resources that you can read through to educate yourself on how to build a PC and what components you need.
Put together a build on PC Part Picker and post it here. We will refine it for you so you get the best value for money, don't skimp on any parts and make sure it is all compatible.
OP I know your budget is less than $500 but the Samsung Spingpoint F3 (pretty popular recommendation on this reddit) is only $15 more for another 500GB...Pretty good deal
It's hard to man the fuck up when I'm blubbering big girly tears of fear.
Quick and utterly basic questions:
If Intel is much better than AMD but costs more way more, why is the Great (Intel) only $20 more expensive than the Great (AMD)? Where can I go to read about the key differences between the Phenom II X4 955 Black and the i3 2100/i5 2400, and more importantly, would I even notice the difference?
>different base clock speeds- core clock and memory clock. You can change clock speeds in your bios
I don't know what that is, or why I'd want to change it. If I'm not doing movie-level film editing, but just want to have Photoshop run quickly and games work at high settings, do I need to ... clockerate my graphics card?
Can I literally – literally – go through PCpartpicker, buy each component, take them out of their boxes, and end up with a working computer? Where do I go to get an OS (Windows 7, I guess)?
I mean, please explain it like I'm an idiot. All I know is a computer is a magic box that plugs into the ouch-hole in the wall.
I literally just turned on support for Canada (about an hour ago):
Right now I only have two Canadian merchants listed - Amazon.ca and Newegg.ca, but over the coming weeks I hope to add more.
I also intend to add UK support in the next few weeks as well, and then AU after that.
> I would like to run the blockbusters of 2011 at max settings, but perhaps be prepared for upgrades to come.
You will be better prepared for upgrades to come if you split your $2,300 budget in half, spend $1,150 on a killer system now. And then spend $1,150 on a newer system a couple years down the line that will blow the shit out of any $2,300 system you can buy now.
Seriously, look here an buy the "Outstanding System"
What do you think graphics cards do? They don't just make the game look nice, they are the reason for high FPS.
Anyway, it's entirely possible. Ill whip something up on pcpartpicker in a second.
EDIT: Kablammo
Part list permalink: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/MIF
Part price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/MIF/by_merchant
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock P67 PRO3 (B3) ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Sector 5 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($26.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.38 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus Radeon HD 6870 1GB Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Antec Three Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case ($58.49 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Antec 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($59.24 @ Mwave)
Total: $704.07 (Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
What is the 9 year old Dell specifically. Modern Dell's employ a form factor called BTX which makes sourcing motherboards difficult; however, prior to that they employed standard ATX motherboards. If the case uses an ATX motherboard you can do a build that fits your budget. Most builds are derived from Logical Increments. For your father's needs "Destitute" - "Entry" is likely adequate. Plan to only reuse the case, every other component will likely have to be replaced.
A Z68 basically does everything a P67 can with the addition of being able to use SSD caching and onboard video. If you plan on using SSD caching then get a Z68, otherwise it comes to whatever is cheapest and has everything you want.
Here is a list of motherboards that are compatible with the i5-2500k. It's sorted in order of price, just click view and then the newegg link for more details (USB3 slots, PCI slots etc.).
Edit: Make sure to tick the box for SLi at the side if you plan on getting anohter 570 in the future.
For gaming only, definitely go 1333.
As the author notes, there's a small boost in non-gaming tasks going from 1333 to 1600, but no boost from 1600 to 1866 or 2133.
Sometimes 1600 is cheaper, though, in which case the choice is easy :)
PNY XLR8 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3-1600 Memory for $21.99 AR
Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory for $42.99 AR
I would get rid of the fan, change the cooler to a Cooler Master 212+, then get a case with better airflow. OOOO check this out, recent price drop...http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-cpu-cooler-cafa70 here is the 212+ for $30 http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rrb10212pg1
maybe look for a cheaper optical drive, you probably wont be using it too often.
with the bit of change you would save on changing the cooler, and getting rid of the fan you could get this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066
that comes with 4 fans already.
I track CPU performance vs price in XY plot form. The performance is essentially aggregated from a few different benchmarks, so as with all benchmarks take it with a grain of salt. But I think the representation of the data might be more aligned to what you are looking for.
(Edit: I don't have benchmark data for every CPU, hence some may be missing from the plot.)
I looked over your build - I didn't see any glaring contradictions.
Three things:
If you're not planning to overclock, you can get a i5-2500 instead of the 2500k. It'll save you a bit of money for no performance loss (as far as I can tell).
If you are planning to overclock, consider getting a CPU fan.
Here is memory that's 2$ (Amazon) or 7$ (NewEgg) more expensive, and it has the same format (2x2GB) and voltage (1.5V) as your current selection. The advantage is that it has a higher speed (DD3-1600 instead of DD3-1333, both of which your motherboard support). Frankly, I'm not sure you'd notice a difference, but it's not much more expensive, either.
(And unfortunately, I'm clueless about cases, so I can't help you with the information you were most looking for.)
Here is the Spinpoint that everybody recommends.
The PSU should be fine. I think I saw in another thread that 650W is the minimum for 2 video cards so I would stick with that in case you decide to crossfire way down the road. If you know you are definitely not going to crossfire at all, yes you could probably drop down to a lower PSU.
How long do you think a GTX 460 will be able to run modern games at reasonable (mid-high) settings before it'll need to be replaced? The GPU is I think the weakest link in the build I'm going for, but I'm on a budget so my plan is to upgrade my card in a few years. I just don't want it to be necessary way sooner than I expect.
Your post interests me.
Can you review my newest revised build? http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/ar/9sA (it's also posted at the top in an edit).
I've lowered my mobo and snagged that hard drive (just for fun, i have tons of hard drives). I own a case, monitor, etc already. I wasn't even going to get a hard drive until i saw this place jizz all over themselves about the samsung 1tb drive.
hey, I have a very similar computer and I am in the same situation as you, time to upgrade! I spend the day looking for which parts I could keep, and I'm at the 500$ price tag.
Http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/p/1sDr
If you're in the States the price is even lower. Hope this help!
Part list permalink: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1cFJ
Part price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1cFJ/by_merchant
CPU: Intel Core i7-2600K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($310.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master RR-B10-212P-G1 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock P67 Extreme 4 (B3) ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($158.49 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Gamer 2 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 570 1.25GB Video Card ($337.55 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master CM690 II Basic ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 750W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($143.99 @ Amazon) Total: $1148.97
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2011-09-11 17:46 EDT-0400)
It's alright, but I wouldn't pay $900 for it.
Part list permalink: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1c17
Part price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1c17/by_merchant
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock P67 Extreme 4 (B3) ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($158.49 @ Newegg)
Memory: Patriot Gamer 2 Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($42.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 560 Ti 1GB Video Card ($228.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master CM690 II Basic ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 650W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $875.42
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated 2011-09-10 23:46 EDT-0400)
Here is a list to get you started. They all support crossfire, are compatible with the i7-2600 (you have the i7-2600 and not the i7-2600k right?) and they are well known brands.
Just click view then click the newegg (or whatever other site is there) link to see more details such as how many usb slots.
Basic explanation of the names:
H67 allows the use of onboard video.
P67 allows overclocking (you can only overclock k versions of i5/i7).
Z68 allows both of the above plus it supports SSD caching.
I'm glad I didn't wait to build another month to build my PC then. Even though I wouldn't have wanted to be an early adopter of a new technology anyways so the delay would've seemed like forever...
I would head over to reddit.com/r/buildapc. They are a very knowledgeable community and will surely help you out. And, I recommend you use this: http://pcpartpicker.com/ it only lets you pick compatible parts, shows prices on everything, where you can buy parts at, and even lets you make a reddit markup of you're build. Hope that this helped out some.
Build it.
>I hardly know anything about building a PC, other than what I've browsed on here.
Have you checked out the links in the sidebar? ------->
>Please direct me to where I can learn to format my parts list into a spreadsheet like the other posts on here.
http://pcpartpicker.com Click the "Reddit markup" button when you're done. Copy and paste to a comment or submission here.
>When building a PC from scratch, what component takes care of internet connection?
The motherboard has a built-in Ethernet connection. If your network is wireless, you'll need to buy an adapter.
>Do I need a sound card?
If you have to ask, then no :)
Drop the raptor, get a samsung spinpoint 1TB and a 64GB-120GB SSD.
This is 8GB of ram for cheaper.
You might wanna go up a bit on the PSU. 650W if you don't plan on adding a second GPU, if you do go for somethning like this
Also if you plan on overclocking, you'll want a CPU Cooler like this. If you don't plan on overclocking drop to the i5 2400.
Windows 64 bit is the better option.
You're looking at old parts that are not going to perform as well as you can get for the price. I would do something completely different making use of AMD's new Bulldozer that has a gpu integrated into the chipset making it extremely fast. Here are the parts. A quad core with Llano will easily run circles around your previous build along with a cheaper power supply and better case. I also took off the cpu cooler as advised. If you want to, later on you can add an ATI 6670 which will provide additive performance to graphical processing.
This new line of processors gives a ton of bang for buck for low-mid end builds than your original build.
Don't buy it from cyberpowerpc. Building it yourself is significantly easier than it sounds. You will be able to get a much better rig with better warranties for the same price.
To start off, have a look at the links over to the right. Read the Beginner's Guide and the Logical Increments PC Buying Guide(all of it - the information below the suggested builds is very useful to a new builder).
Once you have done that, use PC Part Picker to put a build together. Post it here at r/buildapc and we'll refine it for you and make sure you don't get anything that is overpowered or underpowered and make sure that it will all work together.
Since your MOBO doesn't support a SLI or Crossfire, you should pick a better GPU. Perhaps you could upgrade to a GTX 560 Ti for $223.
You could also save some money to get a decent 600W PSU from Corsair. Change the case to an HAF 922 for $90 or save even more cash and get an HAF 912.
I would personally lose the SSD and think about your GPU, the rest of the build seems fine to me.
Please use http://pcpartpicker.com and use the reddit feature it has built in. Then all you do is paste a nice, organized summary of what you're building. People are too lazy to click on your link!
That puts it at $0.04 per GB, which is pretty good. If you don't feel like messing with a rebate, you can get the WD 1.5TB Caviar Green (WD15EARS) for $59.99 at amazon, which also ends up at $0.04 per GB. (I run a site that tracks hard drive prices and price/capacity ratios, in case you're interested.)
Hello
What is the purpose of this build? If you're building only for gaming, drop the 2600k and get i5 2500k, they both have the same gaming performance and save around 100 dollars.
Mobo looks good to me.
About ram, you can get double the amount for 39.99 $ but if you want 4GB and know you won't need more anytime soon, go with 4GB as it will be just enough.
6970 vs 580 is actually a personal choice, both have their pros and cons.
The case is kinda "meh" for this build, also it comes with a PSU? And for that price? Maan, for this rig get a good quality and reliable PSU and a better case with me money you saved from the CPU.
About a better case, this is a very good and informative read.
I would drop that WD hard drive and pick up a Samsung Spinpoint F3
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-hd103sj
Don't forget you can get windows 7 pro for $30 here if you are a student.
http://www.microsoft.com/student/en/us/software/windows/default.aspx
I would find some cheaper ram like this http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f312800cl9d8gbrl
Makes sense. I'm in the process of creating/saving for a budget build myself and I was just wondering. I'm not really familiar with Intel's cheaper CPU's. So far I'm looking at http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1ths
I'm fairly happy with it otherwise. I paid like $40 for it, so I wasn't expecting anything great. Things are a little squeezed in there, but it runs pretty cool. My i3 idles around 30, gets up to maybe 50 when gaming. The front USB ports work perfectly. I wouldn't use the front audio jack, though. I can hear a constant buzz (interference from the USB ports?) when I'm plugged in there. All in all, it's a nice little case for $40. Maybe when I upgrade next, I'll get a nicer case.
I'm sure that was a lot more information than you wanted, haha.
I would drop that case looks a little gimmicky and not that useful as far as features and cable management. Take a look at these 2, both are great cases.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-case-rc692kkn2advanced
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-400r
And you can get windows 7 pro for $30 here if you are a student. http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/pd/productID.216644200
I'd suggest simply going from the Logical Increments PC Buying Guide and picking something from your price range. Go take a look at pcpartpicker to have you build all nice and formatted using the reddit markup and people will gladly give you pointers and advice.
Cheers
You know, I got a really weird feeling when I saw this CNET review.
The exact build as seen in the video can be found at http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1rdq
I'm just accustomed to a manufacturer building at least its own cases to slap other company's parts into.
Personally, I'd drop down to a Sapphire 6950 2GB Dirt3 Edition. I don't think that the 6970 is worth the premium over the 6950, especially when a handful of 6950s, like the one I linked to, still have a chance to unlock to a 6970. Spending less there gives you more room to buy a nicer mobo that's better for overclocking and will let you Crossfire in the future if you want to.
I also would recommend a different case than the Antec Three Hundred. The Lian Li KC-57 is a nicer case for just a little more and the HAF 912 is the same price and better to work in.
Try putting those parts into the PC Part Picker (mentioned in the sidebar to your right). This makes the list easier to read and modify, and it gives us a budget to work with. Click the "Reddit markup" button when you're done, and paste the output in here.
Also, it would help if you could tell us what you plan to use the computer for.
I would go with this Crucial M4 SSD
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-internal-hard-drive-ct128m4ssd2
And this Motherboard since people have had issues with Asus boards lately.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-p67extreme4gen3
You can grab windows 7 pro for $30 here if you are a student. http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/pd/productID.216644200
Crucial M4 64gb is a good SSD
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/crucial-internal-hard-drive-ct064m4ssd2
Oh just reread it and you may want to go with the Samsung F3 spinpoint. It is two euros more expensive but is very highly viewed. Has great reputation and is considered one of the fastest HDD out right now.
I'll edit that in my above post.
From a case perspective, the corsair 600T has gotten nothing but glowing reviews, and it's quite fetching. It's spendy, though. The corsair 400R seems to be the perfect meld of form and function for a reasonable price.
Just to give you an idea of where to start: i7 2600K, Hyper 212 CPU cooler, a pair of AMD 6950's in Crossfire, 128 GB SSD from Crucial for your OS and games, maybe a 1 or 2 TB HD for your data (Samsung Spinpoints are popular), pick out a motherboard for around $200, get an ~800W modular 80 Plus Crossfire certified PSU, and take a look at the Corsair 400R and 600T for cases (the 500 is coming out soon which I'm looking forward to), and pick out a big-ass LED backlight monitor. Honestly, that might not even hit $2,000. I'd aim for $1,500 with a good monitor and then you'll have $500 to spend on a nice sound system, mouse, keyboard, games, etc.
That was just off the top of my head to give you a general idea of what's hot at the moment. When you get a build together with specific parts (use http://pcpartpicker.com to put it together), buildapc will take a look at it and make suggestions.
Logical Increments essentially the best performing system you can achieve a variety of price points. As a first crack you could state what you wanted to do with your build and just pick the preexisting configuration that fits your budget here.
I would suggest the Spinpoint F3 and the Phenom II X4 955 Black, which can be clocked to around the same as 965, i think.
Sorry to tell you, but I doubt you'll be able to build a rig that will run bf3 at "reasonable" rates with only 350gbp
However, as you have a basic idea of what parts you get, look them up at http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/ (this is the version for the UK, top right corner) and post it here (there's a reddit markup button)
I suggest you to go with an AMD CPU
Thats what i copy pasted before you deleted your first thread
I'm going for a similar build. ASRock p67 has been recommended by quite a few people to me on this subreddit.
The one I'm thinking to get: http://pcpartpicker.com/uk/part/asrock-motherboard-z68extreme4gen3?noadd
Ok, I'm going to assume you have a CPU, GPU, HDD, case, and RAM then.
That mobo is great, just make sure you're going to be using all of it's features. If not, or you don't feel like spending the extra money, there are some cheaper ones that will suffice. I would say just go for it though.
SSD is a little iffy, I would recommend a Crucial C300. It is a little more expensive, but is a much better drive.
The PSU is overkill. You could use just a 650w, even if you were SLI'ing 2 560 TI's. So, unless you're going to hook up ~400 LED fans, just go for this.
Take a look at the sidebar, there are a lot of guides there and then you can browse around to see if there is anything else you need answering. With that budget though I would suggest either an i5 or i7 (if you have applications that use the hyperthreading and more than a couple cores) and at least one SSD for the operating systems. If you have any specific questions don't be afraid to ask around but we generally like to have you design it yourself so it is to your liking, but people will help guide you to something you will really like :P
Ninja Edit: I almost forgot, don't forget to look mess around on PCPartPicker to make sure you have everything in order :P http://pcpartpicker.com/
onboard video is worse than a dedicated graphics card, so no, you don't need it. getting an H67 over a z68 could save you money, I think, but it doesn't support caching. the reason why I say h67 is because you can't safely OC a non-K processor, and on-board video is kind of useful if your graphics card fails (hopefully never). And not all of them have the 1155 socket, you didn't select it in the link. You already have a sandy bridge selected in your pcpartspicker list, Paradoxymoron. Here's a better one. This has the above, but only the 3 types that he said.
edit: I mean in the link paradoxy listed, he didn't select only the sockets that would be compatible. sorry.
I'd say anything around the $500 range should be able to do it just fine, provided you don't need the settings cranked all the way up. This should get you going. You can probably go down to about $400, but I wouldn't recommend much less than that.
Change up the i7 for the i5 and put that $ into a GTX 570 for 274$ or a 6950 for 267$
Go with the Spinpoint F3 - Better Reviews, its cheaper and its 7200 RPM
I don't see a PSU - do you have one? If so what brand - Wattage?
- You can save anywhere from $20 to $50 from the case.
- Your HDD is a green drive. 5400RPM is SLOW. Get a Spinpoint F3 instead. Live with 1TB for now. Once you fill that up, buy a newer drive for even cheaper.
- The mobo could be $50 cheaper with many alternatives.
- PSU doesn't need to be 750W. Single GPU setups rarely need more than 600W PSU's. Possible $20 savings.
- I wouldn't bother with a Blu-ray drive yet, but that's just me.
- You can get Win7 for $30 with an .edu email. You get one from your college, right? And if your (engineering) school participates in a full-fledged MSDNAA program, you may be able to get it for free*.
* free, meaning covered by your tuition.
So now that I've shaved off $100-$250, get a HD6780 or GTX 560.
The mobo is Dual Channel - you are running triple channel ram - drop the ram and go for 2 of these (DDR3 1600): http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cmz4gx3m1a1600c9
You will not be overclocking with the 2300, drop the CPU Cooler (or keep the cooler and go with i5 2500K - best gaming CPU atm)
I would be happy to go through and answer all your specific questions, but I wouldn't be able to do it nearly as well as the resources on the sidebar over there --------------->.
If you've looked through it and still have specific questions, feel free to reply to this comment, and I'll do my best to answer it.
Of particular interest is the Beginners Guide.
After that, if you want the "easy" answer, just go to the Logical Increments Guide, pick a row, and you're done.
And if you've been through all that and have special needs or desires (extra quiet, room for expanding in the future, questions about if there are any upcoming updates to your selection), post a link to your completed build from the PC Part Picker, and everyone will be happy to help you out.
Get this cooler instead,
The Spinpoint <strong>F3</strong>, what you picked is a slow storage drive.
Thats a shitty PSU, you'd want something like this
If you mean having the table with all the parts on it, pcpartpicker lets you pick out parts from lists, and once you have a build, theres a button near the top that says Reddit Markup. Click it, copy the text provided, paste it into your submission, and it should look like that.
I would probably change the board for a ASRock Z68 PRO3, and scrap the 550 Ti for a 6870; It's about $20-$30 more expensive but the extra few bucks you should save from getting the ASRock board, would more than make up for it. If you think you'll use it, get 8GB instead of 4GB; it's really not the much more expensive.
You will definitely be able to play source games at the highest settings with a $500 build, total war probably medium. Just be warned that your upgrade options might be limited with this budget. I can see what I can put together and edit this post.
Save some major mula and go with the 23.6" version of the ASUS monitor (im getting the exact same one) - http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-monitor-vs247hp $177 @ Amazon right now, so go with that!! =D
I have my own part-time business doing computer repairs. As others have noted, it sounds like the power supply. Some quick googling doesn't come up with a spec sheet, but it looks like a 500 watt power supply would work for the computer. You want to do it yourself, since it's fairly simple. Three or four screws on the case, 1 or 2 cables to the motherboard and 1 connection for each optical drive or hard drive and possibly the graphics card. Here's a quick list of power supplys from brands I trust, with links to purchase if you want to do it yourself. If not, Santa Rosa Computers is a great place that will treat you right.
edit: Sometimes my brain fails me
It seems that most recommendations on build currently center around 2 types of computer:
500$-600$: Core i3-2100 or Phenom II 955 + 6850/6870/460/560 700$-800$: Core i5 2500k + 6950/560Ti
For some inspiration check: http://pcpartpicker.com/guided/
Or look at the sidebar --> for links
On your current build: The CPU is previous gen Intel. You should go for a socket 1155 socket Intel chip, or an AM3 CPU + an AM3+ motherboard (for future updates).
Check buildapc, there are lot of good builds recommended around $500. You get a LOT of computer for that money.
I would reccommend reading through the Logical Increments PC Buying Guide. Once you have done this, put together a build on PC Part Picker and post it here(if you do it soon) or a new submission on this subreddit.
We will go through your choices and make sure everything is compatible and make sure you are getting the best value for money.
You could easily get a superb build that will fit your needs within your budget. The AMD 5670 is a great GPU. If you want a slightly better one, the 5770(or the 6770, they are exactly the same) offers the best price/performance on the market. They generally go for around $100.
You can get 8GB of ram for 20$ more. The Spinpoint F3 is a faster HDD, and for 5$ more you get 1TB.
I really don't think so. A case will run you about 40-50$. I doubt you would be able to find a decent power supply for 30$.
Well, did a quick look and found some antec PSU's for around that price range.
For the table, use PC Part Picker and then click Reddit Mark Up at the end, copy and paste it to your post. Use the edit button for your original post rather than posting a reply to yourself.
You are spending way too much on the motherboard. I'd suggest getting this AM3+ motherboard it is cheaper, and also will work with the newer bulldozer CPUs. Also get a single stick of 4GB DDR3 memory, so you can pop in another 4GB later down the road. A Corsair 430W will be ample to handle your system. Ditch the GPU. The motherboard you linked to, and I suggested both have onboard graphics. This is more than enough for minecraft. TF2 would require a bit more. I'd suggest getting a 5770, it has twice the power of a 5670 and is only about 50% more ($100 USD vs $60 USD or so for the 5670). With my suggestions you should have saved enough money to do the upgrade.
If you really enjoy it, Would you look at this?
$600 is about the MAX I can spend. Is this a decent PC? I'm very much a beginner when it comes to PCs.
:(
yeah thats what I was thinking...you may be able to collaborate with the guy who runs it. ive used their contact us form and got personal responses so I'm sure you could use it to talk to the guy and ask how he runs his database and if he'd be willing to collaborate.
For a little extra, the Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB is supposedly insanely good for the price, although, don't order from amazon if you can, they're packaging seems a little iffy with this particular item.
For $1000 you can build a pretty awesome machine.
At this budget the i5-2500k is the obvious choice of CPU but be sure to invest the time in overclocking it or your wasting the money you paid for the privilege.
Here is a one button press build to get you started. If you find some better deals on similar parts you can fit the SSD and cooler in for under $1000.
I managed to make a minorly better build for $508 new including Windows 7 ($418 without windows). For a refurbished machine I'd say 12% off new is a crappy deal. Why refurbished computers aren't 30-40% less than retail I'll never understand.
Not to mention that if you build it yourself you can do more sane things like have only 4GB of RAM, use and Athlon X4 640 and get a video card that can actually play games. You can build a good gaming system new for $495 (including windows). Upgrading this refurbished machine into a capable gamer will cost you more like $585.
(To get correct price in the build link add $17 for DVD and make the case $28 as it is at Newegg)
First off you guys have some great resources to help a beginner like me. I have been looking to build a budget gaming rig around 600, and I pieced this together and was wondering what you guys thought? http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/partlist/ar/4ha .
Secondly, the above site mentioned I might need a cpu cooler which i don't think I have seen in other peoples build? I'm not quite sure. Lastly, in all the builds i have seen none of them include an OS. Is this because one of the components comes with one, or the buyers usually have one already?
Sorry for all the questions and thanks in advance guys!
*Edit Apparently new to Reddit as well lol
That's quite a big budget you have there. You can probably use this build as a template and drop the parts into this site for Canadian prices. Drop the RAM to 1600MHz to save some money then add an SSD.
The build looks pretty good for the price imo. I would recomend purchasing a CPU cooler because the standard heat syncs that come with what the CPU. This was the heat sync i purchased for the same processor
I love the CPU. It has kept things running smooth and efficaciously. Just an fyi... should you get that CPU there is an incompatibility between that CPU and CORE TEMP which is a program which tells you the temp of your cpu. It will claim random spikes up to 98 degrees celcius however it's a bug so don't freak out. (I did and it wasn't pretty) If you have any other questions feel free to pm me or reply. Good luck!
Why is this question getting downvoted? If someone knows less than someone else, it's our task to help gather information and increase their knowledge.
Can you learn this on Google? You bet. Is it scary to have the whole internet at your fingertips and not know which sites are reputable ones? Absolutely.
First off, head over to http://pcpartpicker.com/ and use their nifty reddit form to hotlink your build right into the main text box of your post. Wish-lists require external linking; that's slower.
The speed of an HDD affects reads/writes, yes. You can find this out in about two seconds on google. Anything less than 7200 RPMs should ONLY ever be used as a storage drive. Why? Because they can get mega cheap. Why are they mega cheap? Because they are slower.
*See main post for more part suggestions.
hey, quick question for you not related to deryell's post. I have an i5 2500 not 2500k. with a http://pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-p67sc43b3 mobo. It says on the box that it can do an automatic overclock. Is this something that without any extra aftermarket fans I could/should do ? Or will I need a new aftermarket cpu fan and more 140mm fans for my case ? and will the 2500 even overclock ?
I had this choice and went for 2x 560ti's.
Will be a better preformance, buy wont have the option to upgrade in the future if needed without replacing the both of them.
EDIT As for a specific part, I went for the PNY 560ti
I think the Cooler Master 690 II Advanced fits your criteria, costing only ~$80-90. BaPC seems to like it a lot, and I plan to get it myself. You can get the Basic version for a little less, too. Thorough video review
Here are BaPC's favorite cases.
In addition to what dodgepong said, if you plan on getting another 560 Ti for SLi in the future then you'll need an SLi compatible motherboard. These motherboards are all SLi compatible.
I think you're ready too.
Ditch the MSI (scroll down to confirmed VRM failures)
Are you planning on big overclocks, or a second GPU down the road? If so, you only have 18 amps on the 12V rail. Check out this sexy thang, it is only $5 more, has 620W, and 48 amp on the 12V rail.
Good luck!
What is your target budget?
CPU: Given you opted for a 2500 (non K) you could make a nominal performance trade off to move to a 2400 or 2300. Personally I would recommend the 2500k simply due to the chips tremendous overclocking potential.
CPU Cooler: You could delete this and use the stock cooling. If you do not plan to overclock the stock HSF is perfectly adequate. Even if you do intend to overclock the stock cooler is ok for moderate overclocking.
Video Card: You could consider a Radeon 6950 1GB. They trend a bit cheaper: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-hd695xznfc
Review: http://www.guru3d.com/article/radeon-hd-6950-1gb-vs-geforce-gtx-560-ti-review/1
I've seen prices off for a substantial amount of time. Although part of it may be due to mail-in rebates, this one in particular keeps throwing me off. Pretty sure it's been wrong at least a week.
I've seen plenty of other parts priced incorrectly, some higher, some lower. Most of the time, though, it's got good info. Just check prices before finalizing anything.
Holy fucking monitor batman. That's huge and incredibly pricey.
But on to the real feedback. Don't use the P8Z68V-Pro. My latest build used it, and it's got a few things you don't or most likely won't use. Integrated graphics are unnecessary and will you use Bluetooth? Cuz your paying for it with that board. Also, the Z68 chipset isn't really worth the cash. You may be better off with a P67 board. The one to look at is the ASRock P67 Extreme 4 Gen3.
Unless you are looking at doing heavy heavy overclocking, your CPU cooler is overkill. The CoolerMaster Hyper 212+ is a great product and probably the most cost-effective cooler around. See the comparison graph in the link.
Your memory selection is a little funny. If you are just gaming, 8GB is plenty, and you can buy G. Skills 8GB 1600 memory for $55.
I'd take these savings and buy a case and a power supply. You'll need those.
Supposing you already have them, splurge on a 570.
This is just my opinion....
If you are looking to save money I would drop your case down to the Corsair 400r http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-400r
You have the "unlocked" k version of the processor if you want to overclock eventually you will want a aftermarket cooler like the hyper 212. http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rrb10212pg1
If you have no interest in overclocking you can drop your processor down to the i5 2400.
Don't forget you can get windows 7 pro for $30 here. http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/pd/productID.216644200
You're welcome. Looks pretty good. Some thoughts:
Get the X4 955 Black Edition, same price but faster and unlocked multiplier;
Do you need Win7 Pro? Home would be $35 less;
Cheaper motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131734
Cheaper PSU: http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-power-supply-cmpsu430cxv2
If you're not doing any gaming you can get a motherboard with onboard video and save the $70 of your GPU.
That's great, drop the PSU down to something like this modular one on sale for the same price.
If you are a student you can grab windows 7 pr for $30 here. http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/pd/productID.216644200
And you can take the savings and grab the Corsair 400r which is an awesome case! http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-400r
I just build my computer and it is very similar to yours. Few thoughts
- I LOVE my cooler master 690 II advanced. However 2 weeks after I ordered it the Corsair 400r came out. Might at least want to take a look before you pull the trigger. http://pcpartpicker.com/us/part/corsair-case-400r
Might want to consider going modular on your power supply.
I have the exact same PSU and it works great 100%.
However cable management is not very easy, and I have tons of extra cables.
Remember if you are a student you can get win 7 pro for $30 here. http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/pd/productID.216644200
Also start at PcPartPicker.
Lets you pick your parts, shows total price, and has a Reddit markup.
Paste that here, and let us run through it where you can save money.
Also, PC building almost never usually comes under the wanted budget.
Sure thing, best of luck with the choice. Didn't realize you had a video card. Maybe take a look at this z68 board. I hear Biostar is turning out some good things these days.
Everything looks good I have that case and I love it!!
Only thing is the Corsair 400r came out 2 weeks after I ordered mine might want to at least give it a look before you pull the trigger.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-400r
You can also get win 7 pro for $30 if you are a student here. http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/pd/productID.216644200
Not too sure about that CPU cooler, apparently it can get quite loud at higher fan speeds. The Hyper 212+ is quite popular around here so that would be something to look at. It's cheap and performs very well.
I agree with manirelli about the CPU but other than that, everything looks good.
I believe that 600w would be enough for 2x460s
whether or not "it is worth it", you will have to specify. Too many pronouns!
Just going to assume you mean get another 460SE..
If you can get a 460SE for a good deal, do it! Brand new they run $150, which isn't much cheaper than a 1gb version (new), oddly enough.
Three years is a long time in hardware cycles. More than likely any build that is proposed now will be able to guarantee reuse little farther than the case, psu, hard drive, and optical drives. If you want a truly minimal system now, I recommend considering your budget and checking out Logical Increments suggested builds before moving forward.
If you went with the destitute system and upgraded the motherboard to an AM3+ board like this you would be provisioning to move forward to bulldozer.
I would drop the western digital and add Samsung Spinpoint F3
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-hd103sj
That Antec you listed is severely dated. This corsair is definitely worth the extra money.
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-400r
Remember you can get windows 7 pro if you are a student for $30 here http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msstore/pd/productID.216644200