A quick lan party build for SC2

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jeremyshaw

[H]F Junkie
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I have a few parts (detailed in the FAQ answers below), and have to make a build for a Starcraft 2 lan party before Friday of next week. I am not against buying used parts, and am already on the hunt for them on [H] :)

But for now, I have these parts selected:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127481 5570 80usd
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103908 Athlon II 210e (word is that this is a Propus core :eek:) 44usd
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157204 ASrock AM3 DDR2/DDR3 combo board 42usd

I have everything else.

Not much more GPU power than a HD4650 will be needed, from my experience.

Thank you very much for you time and consideration :)

What will you be doing with this PC?)
Starcraft 2. This is a short build for a LAN party. One ancilliary requirement: mATX.

What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?)
160usd-200usd? Tax and shipping included

Where do you live?)
Wonderful California

What exact parts do you need for that budget?)
CPU, MOBO (DDR3), GPU

If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing?)
I have a mATX case, an Antec TruPower Quattro 850W PSU, DDR3 ram (4GB of a 6GB kit), a 1TB SATA HDD, a KB, a mouse, and a H50 HSF.

Will you be overclocking?)
If need be.

What size monitor do you have?)
U2311h 1080p

When do you plan on building/buying the PC?)
Before next week is out!

What features do you need in a motherboard?)
DDR3 slots.

Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?)
Yes, Windows Vista Home Premium 64bit for this one :)
 
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A corsair H50 + GTAP15, I'll edit that in, thank you very much for asking! :)

It has the AMD and all the Intel mounting brackets.
 
Hmm, the big issue is trying to find a motheboard that's actually compatible with that CPU. The CPU support list for that Asrock does not show the 210e being supported. And many of the cheap motherboards I looked at didn't support that CPU either.

So until I can find confirmation of the 210e working in an actually motherboard, I'm gonna hold off on recommending it. I recommend this CPU + mobo setup for now:
$49 - AMD Athlon II X2 240 CPU OEM
$60 - MSI 870-G45 AMD 770 ATX Motherboard
 
Danny Bui said:
Hmm, the big issue is trying to find a motheboard that's actually compatible with that CPU. The CPU support list for that Asrock does not show the 210e being supported. And many of the cheap motherboards I looked at didn't support that CPU either.

So until I can find confirmation of the 210e working in an actually motherboard, I'm gonna hold off on recommending it. I recommend this CPU + mobo setup for now:
$49 - AMD Athlon II X2 240 CPU OEM
$60 - MSI 870-G45 AMD 770 ATX Motherboard
Click to expand...

Ah, thank you :)


A few questions :(
The mobo listed is an ATX board? I didn't clearly state I needed mATX (if possible), but I'll edit that in.


May this please be done as cheaply as possible?
 
Go with this mobo then:
$50 - MSI 740GM-P25 AMD 740G mATX Motherboard
 
Thank you! :)


What's wrong with the mobo I chose? :(

I noticed this has a longer warranty, though...
 
Danny Bui said:
It's a Nvidia chipset. Also, I would rank MSI as a better motherboard manufacturer than Asrock.
Click to expand...

Ah, I missed that!? :(

Thank you very much, Danny Bui!

So the Athlon II 240 X2 with the MSI board, and the HD5570 for about 180usd?....

EDIT: from my experience with SC2's requirements, I'm just gonna tack 20usd off of that for a HD4650, instead. I'm trying really hard to keep prices down, though that fact I need DDR3 slots made that hard :(
 
jeremyshaw said:
Ah, I missed that!? :(

Thank you very much, Danny Bui!

So the Athlon II 240 X2 with the MSI board, and the HD5570 for about 180usd?....
Click to expand...
No prob.

The faster GT 240 can be had for not much more:
$85 - Palit NE5T2400FHD01 GeForce GT 240 1GB PCI-E Video Card
 
Danny Bui said:
No prob.

The faster GT 240 can be had for not much more:
$85 - Palit NE5T2400FHD01 GeForce GT 240 1GB PCI-E Video Card
Click to expand...

Hmmm... tempting :(


Well, I know a HD4350 1GB can run this game on dead min @ 1080p & ultra textures around 20fps min in a 3 FFA game, so I'll take my chances :p

Thank you very, very much for your help Danny Bui :)
 
huh, the MSI board has a backplate across the back (under the CPU socket), where the ASrock board is missing it. Looking around, it seems the extra 10usd really makes a lot of difference in quality... some subtle, like the backplate.
 
In my typical catonic state, I bought a combo from [H]ere, instead...

:(


at least the money stays @ [H]... right?
 
to take a step all the way back, I would get the 210e over the 240.. The speed difference is going to make very little if any difference, But that little bit extra heat & power savings in a lan box can be nothing but good.

As far as the CPU support list goes.. The e's are not super popular & havent been out in mass very long, but either way it should be fine in ANY AM3 motherboard.. Worst case scenario like the x6's it may not be recognized until a bios update, but it should still post & let you update the bios.
 
Danny Bui said:
Seems like a good enough deal.
Click to expand...

Thank you Danny Bui :) To say you are one awesome person would be a gross understatement of what you do here.

bastage said:
to take a step all the way back, I would get the 210e over the 240.. The speed difference is going to make very little if any difference, But that little bit extra heat & power savings in a lan box can be nothing but good.

As far as the CPU support list goes.. The e's are not super popular & havent been out in mass very long, but either way it should be fine in ANY AM3 motherboard.. Worst case scenario like the x6's it may not be recognized until a bios update, but it should still post & let you update the bios.
Click to expand...

Well, the 210e also has a secondary benefit, it's actually a harvested Propus core, like the Athlon 5000+ and 5200+ are :D
 
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Well, that sucked. We only used it for one match...

argh. I'll go try and trade this system, now.
 
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