It's time, current system can't run Grimrock. :(

T

The King of Pants

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jul 7, 2004
Messages
1,280
*Build updated per thread feedback*
Case not needed, Forgot about the brand new CM 690 II i bout on clearance many moons ago.

I'm waaaay out of the loop,

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming: AMRA2, TF2, Skyrim, FPS Soldier Mother Fucker of the Month. Also light audio recording in Reaper.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
If It can be kept under $1000 that would be awesome, $1200 max not including shippping/tax.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Eau Claire, West central WI, so no Microcenter.
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
CPU/cooler, GPU, RAM, MoBo, PSU, boot drive,
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Storage Drives, optical drive, monitors.
6) Will you be overclocking?
yes, gotta get my money's worth.
7) 7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
I run (2) 20" 16:10s at 1680x1050. I only game on one however.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Plan is to order all parts by next week, 7/27, unless there were a REALLY compelling reason to wait a few weeks.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
I need plenty of SATA ports, 6Gb/s prefered, USB 3.0, and crossfire/SLI support as appropriate to the GPU.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
No, I'll need a copy of Win7.


I grabbed Legend of Grimrock during the summer sale and my rig won't run it, so it's time. I'm currently coming from a Opteron 165 and a 8800 GTS 640, that has loooooooong outlived it's usefullness.

I'm starting from the below, so let's call that $300 left and still need a SSD and a PSU that can handle a second GPU if i decide to add one. If I can do better somewhere other than Amazon, feel free to let me know.


$230 CPU: http://www.amazon.com/Intel-3570K-P...&ie=UTF8&qid=1342659773&sr=1-1&keywords=3570K
$25 Cooler: http://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master...60066&sr=1-1&keywords=cooler+master+hyper+212
$230 GPU http://www.amazon.com/MSI-R7850-Twi...42745440&sr=1-1&keywords=MSI+R7850+Twin+Frozr
$180 MoBo: http://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Intel-DD...e=UTF8&qid=1342745790&sr=1-1&keywords=P8Z77-V
$90 RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-na-_-na&AID=10440897&PID=3891137&SID=rewrite
$90 PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-na-_-na&AID=10440897&PID=3891137&SID=rewrite
$120 SSD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...-na-_-na&AID=10440897&PID=3891137&SID=rewrite
 
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Are you planning on getting a larger monitor within the next 2-3 months? I ask because either of those video cards are sheer and utter overkill for that low of a resolution. If you're not upgrading your monitor within 2-3 months, you're better off with the HD 7850 2GB. Still a tad overkill but significantly less overkill than the GTX 680 or HD 7970 3GB.

Also, why the Pro and not the non-Pro version of that motherboard? Your hard drives and optical drives are SATA correct?
 
Danny Bui said:
Are you planning on getting a larger monitor within the next 2-3 months? I ask because either of those video cards are sheer and utter overkill for that low of a resolution. If you're not upgrading your monitor within 2-3 months, you're better off with the HD 7850 2GB. Still a tad overkill but significantly less overkill than the GTX 680 or HD 7970 3GB.

Also, why the Pro and not the non-Pro version of that motherboard? Your hard drives and optical drives are SATA correct?
Click to expand...

I'm sticking with my pair of NEC 20wmgx2s until they die, unless I run across a screaming deal on a 24", 16:10, glossy IPS panel in the meantime. I like to run my games as close to maxed out as possible. When I did my last build, the 8800 was pretty overkill for that resolution as well, but I feel like I've gotten my money's worth in the last 5 years. Though I will admit I'm upgrading due to the fact that I'm CPU limited, my GPU's trucking along fine. If I can get expect to get acceptable performance lifetime at 1680x1050 out of a less expensive card, i'm very open to that.

HDDs and burner are SATA. As far as the mainboard, I've had good luck w/ the Asus premium boards, do you feel that the non-Pro offers a significantly better value?
 
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The King of Pants said:
If I can get expect to get acceptable performance lifetime at 1680x1050 out of a less expensive card, i'm very open to that.
Click to expand...
Then go for the HD 7850 2GB.
The King of Pants said:
As far as the mainboard, I've had good luck w/ the Asus premium boards, do you feel that the non-Pro offers a significantly better value?
Click to expand...
If you're not going to use the extra features of the Pro, then yes, the regular version is a way better deal:
$180 - Asus P8Z77-V Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard
 
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Think about this, the difference between a 7850 and a GTX 680 is $250. By the time you would notice a difference in performance at the resolution you game at, for $250 savings now could buy an upgraded GPU in the future that would blow the 7850 out of the water.

OR, use the $250 savings to buy an SSD for your OS/Games, which I feel is a necessity now days. I've rolled back to my old WD6400AAKS a few times just to play around and my system is overall noticeable slower than with my SSD, mainly due to latency/access time (not sequential reads/writes).
 
Honestly you should try to get a used 2500k from someone here on the forums. You can get one for $160-$170. You said you were over clocking. the 3570k has heat issues while OC'ing. the 3570k is also only faster stock. It is worth saving $60 for.
 
That Rosewill is a good PSU but a tad overpriced for what it is and I'm not all that sure about Rosewill's CS. I recommend this PSU instead:
$90 - SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W Modular PSU

As for the SSD, I recommend the Crucial M4 128GB:
$120 - Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SSD

Case wise, considering that you're planning on overclocking, I'd spend the extra cash for a better case:
$80 - Corsair Carbide Series 300R ATX Case
 
The Capstone line is built on the same platform as the Super Flower Golden Green, which was also rebranded under the Kingwin Lazer Gold and NZXT Hale90 PSU's according to JonnyGuru. So the Capstone are solid units, although the point about Rosewill's customer service is unknown, even though the Capstone PSUs are typically Gold rated units with a 5 year warranty. (80+ efficiency amounts to very little for the enthusiast based builds anyways)

Edit : Although it should be known that Rosewill is the house brand for Newegg, so I can't say Rosewill's customer service is on par with Newegg's own. So it's best to go with Danny Bui's advice. SeaSonic PSU's are amongst the best on the market in terms of PSU manufacturers so you really can't go wrong with it.
 
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Build updated again. I remembered that I had a new Cooler Master 690 II that I'd bought for a project that got shelved in the basement, so I'm good to go in that department. I think I'm gonna start grabbing stuff based on this, see what pops up on sale this weekend.

The only thing I'm still on the fence about is which 7850 to go with. I'm partial to lifetime warranties so the XFX and VisionTek look good, but the cooling on the MSI has gotten a lot of positive commentary, the 1 year warranty leaves me leery though. I'm thinking of splitting the difference and going with the XFX as the cooling is supposedly almost as good as the MSI, but carries the full warranty.
 
Personally wouldn't recommend Visiontek unless price trumps customer support. Also, the MSI doesn't have a one-year warranty: It has a three year warranty. XFX does have a lifetime warranty but their CS has been reported as unhelpful lately. Maybe more people are complaining because more people are buying XFX but still something to keep in mind.
 
The King of Pants said:
Build updated again. I remembered that I had a new Cooler Master 690 II that I'd bought for a project that got shelved in the basement, so I'm good to go in that department. I think I'm gonna start grabbing stuff based on this, see what pops up on sale this weekend.

The only thing I'm still on the fence about is which 7850 to go with. I'm partial to lifetime warranties so the XFX and VisionTek look good, but the cooling on the MSI has gotten a lot of positive commentary, the 1 year warranty leaves me leery though. I'm thinking of splitting the difference and going with the XFX as the cooling is supposedly almost as good as the MSI, but carries the full warranty.
Click to expand...

I second Danny. Also, the XFX's lifetime warranty is only valid when you register the card through the XFX Web site. Otherwise, if you don't register (possibly because you don't want to be bombarded with junk mail), your warranty on the XFX card ends one year after the date that the card is manufactured (which means less than one year of ownership).

MSI's three year warranty does not require registration, but registration gives you additional perks.

VisionTek may give you lifetime, but what good is it if the company's customer support quality is indifferent?
 
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