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Help With a Build and Prebuilt comparison

K

Koemas

n00b
Joined
Aug 23, 2011
Messages
2
So this is the first time I might be building a computer. My budget is about $1500. I followed a guide I found online to help me build 1. I'm hoping to use this computer primarily to play upcoming games like Skyrim, The Old Republic and Guild Wars 2, Mass Effect 3, and other upcoming games.

I used a different cpu than the guide recommended as well as a different case (although it was listed as an alt). I wanted to be sure it was appropriate. Finally, I found a prebuilt HP computer that seems to have a better graphics card. However, the Tier 7 build has two graphics card. I'm not sure if that necessarily means it's better than the HP's graphics card.

This is my build:

Tier 7 (with slight alterations) taken from Mainstream Gaming Guide:
http://www.hardware-revolution.com/mainstream-gaming-pc-august-2011/

1. CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Processor 3.3GHz 6 MB Cache Socket LGA1155 $216


*What the guide recommended was: Intel Core i5-2500 Quad-Core 3.3-3.7GHz Turbo 95W for $210*

2. Motherboard: ASRock Extreme 4 P67 Gen3 $160

3. RAM: Patriot 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600MHz $60

4. Video Card: Two Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 2GB in Crossfire $530

5. Storage: Samsung F3 1TB SATA II 3.0Gb/s $50

6. Optical Drive: ASUS SATA 24X DVD Burner $21

7. Power Supply: Antec HCG 750W SLI/CF/80 PLUS BRONZE Certified $90

8. Case: NZXT Phantom, in White $120 (I found this case under is alternate choices below his reccomended Tier 7 case).

*The case that was specifically highlighted was: COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced 3x230mm 1x140mm.*

9. Cooling 1: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus $28

10. Cooling 2: Silverstone 2Ball .8k-2.4kRPM 110CFM 17-40dBA fan contr. $17

11. Sound:6 or 8 channels sound card: Integrated on the motherboard FREE!

12. Network: Rosewill 802.11b/g/n 300Mbps Wireless USB2.0 5dBi Antenna $20

13. OS-Windows 7 -http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-64bit-System-Builder/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314063157&sr=8-1 $92

Total Price: $1404

-----------------------------------------------
HP Prebuilt

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium [64-bit]

Processor Intel® Core™ i7-960 quad-core [3.2GHz, 1MB L2 + 8MB shared L3 cache]

Memory 9GB DDR3-1333MHz SDRAM [3 DIMMs] from 8GB

Hard drive 1.5TB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive from 1TB

Graphics card 1.5GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 [2 DVI, HDMI, VGA adpt

Power Supply 600W Power supply

Primary optical drive SuperMulti DVD Burner

Networking Wireless-N LAN card (1x1)

Productivity ports 15-in-1 memory card reader, 2 USB, audio

Total Price: $1519.99
------------------------------------

Again, I would like to know:

1. How does the Tier 7 build compare to the HP Prebuilt?

2. Is the CPU okay for my tier 7 build and is it better than what he recommended? (it was only $5 more)

3. Is the case for my tier 7 build okay? I wasn't sure if the case I chose was for a different Tier.



Thank you so much!


Not sure if it was necessary to answer these questions but just in case...

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included? about $1500, w/o tax and shipping.
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? I listed all the parts I was purchasing.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Nothing is being reused.
6) Will you be overclocking? Probably not.
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have? HPW2207 22inch 1680 x 1050 Resolution and 1000:1 Contrast Ratio. Already own.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC? By the end of August.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? The build I have currently requires Crossfire support but I've chosen one that is appropriate.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? No, I am purchasing Windows 7 64bit-System Builder. I understand it's a one time use but I'm fine with that.

Thanks again!
 
1. The Tier 7 is faster both in GPU and CPU power. Not to mention that the Tier 7 parts have a longer warranty and are of higher quality.

2. Yes

3. Yes. The NZXT Phantom case is a good choice.

Now as for the Tier 7 build list itself, it is a good start. But there are several issues with it:
1) Most AsRock mobos only have a one year warranty. As such, it's not a good choice for the money. Not to mention that PCI-E 3.0 is really a worthless item at the moment since it'll be a 5+ years before its even remotely needed. I recommend any of these other motherboards instead:
$130 - MSI P67A-G43 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard
$133 - MSI P67A-G45 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard
$160 - MSI P67A-GD55 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard
$180 - MSI P67A-GD65 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard

2) That RAM isn't really worth the price at all considering that there is little to no real world performance difference between DDR3 1333 RAM and DDR3 1600 RAM. Also, that Patriot RAM is probably rated at 1.65V which is the max RAM voltage for Core i series CPUs. We generally recommend RAM rated at 1.5V just to avoid any potential issues. I recommend this RAM:
$45 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM

3) I generally do not recommend Sapphire cards unless it's a really low budget due to their relatively poor support and short warranty. Not to mention that HD 6950 2GB Crossfire for 1680x1050 is stupid overkill. A single HD 6950 2GB is already overkill for that resolution. So no need for HD 6950 Crossfire unless you're planning on getting a larger resolution monitor within the next two months. Otherwise, stick with a single HD 6950 2GB. I recommend this:
$280 - XFX HD-695X-CNDC Radeon HD 6950 2GB PCI-E Video Card

4) I recommend this higher quality and faster wifi card:
$28 - Asus PCE-N13 Wireless Adapter
 
If I should get a better monitor, could you recommend one? I don't really care for multiple inputs so long as it has at least one hdmi input and a nice screen resolution.

Thanks again for your help!
 
Koemas said:
If I should get a better monitor, could you recommend one? I don't really care for multiple inputs so long as it has at least one hdmi input and a nice screen resolution.

Thanks again for your help!
Click to expand...

Best hit up the Displays forum if you want solid display advice. I generally recommend budget oriented LCDs, not high-end LCDs.
 
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