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Need help with system build - gaming

Y

Yippee38

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Apr 21, 2000
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My wife's PC died (again). She's been getting my hand-me-downs forever. The current system is an Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe with an Opteron 180, 2Gb of ram and twin GeForce 8800 GTs. I just replaced her PSU with a Corsair TX850. Strangely, it died the same way as last time; no video output.

So her monitor is 1680x1050. She pretty much plays LoTRO, but she just bought Skyrim. I want her to be able to play those with good visuals reliably, but I don't want to spend a ton of money on it. In other words, I want to keep it cheap, but get good performance.

What do you guys suggest? BTW, I'll be installing Windows 7 Home Premium.
 
He hasn't logged on since July 24th. So until he posts back in this thread to show that he's actually active, I'm not moving it to General Hardware where he can get the help he needs.
 
July 24th was two days ago. Only got a reply yesterday, so no need to check back before that.

BTW, figured out what was wrong with her PC, but it's still pretty underpowered. I still want to upgrade it. (For anybody who might have this problem, I just had to plug the monitor into another video output. Since it's an SLI rig, I plugged it into the other card, and it worked. Apparently, the BIOS gets confused on which card to use occassionally.)
 
Thread moved to General Hardware.

Please answer the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST!" so that we can help you better.
 
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

Gaming: Mostly LoTRO, Skyrim, Witcher 2, Magicka. E-mail, Browsing, some web page design. Creation of flyers and the like for printing on color laser printer (nothing too fancy).

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

Budget is very limited. I don't want to spend $1000. However, I shouldn't have to buy a case, DVD-writer, vid card (it's got a GeForce GTX 560 Ti), mouse, keyboard or OS. Since I don't need to buy that stuff, I'd like to do it for around $400 max.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

U.S., near Chicago, IL.

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.

Motherboard, CPU, cooler (NOT going to overclock), RAM (at least 4GB), NIC (onboard is fine), sound card (undecided about onboard right now), disk drive of probably around 1Tb.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

PSU - Corsair TX850
GPU - Galaxy GeForce GTX 560 Ti
DVD-R - who knows, and who cares?
Case - Old Antec full tower

6) Will you be overclocking?

NO

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?

22" @ 1680x1050

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

Next few months

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.

No special requirements here. Pretty basic computer. Lots of USB ports would be cool (at least 4).

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?

Windows 7 - Home Premium 64-bit
 
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Yippee38 said:
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

U.S., near Chicago, IL.
Click to expand...
How far are these MC locations from you?:
http://www.microcenter.com/at_the_stores/chicago.html
http://www.microcenter.com/at_the_stores/westmont.html
Yippee38 said:
DVD-R - who knows, and who cares?
Click to expand...
It matters because we need to know if it's SATA or IDE since most mobos don't have IDE.
Yippee38 said:
Case - Old Antec full tower[/B]
Click to expand...
How hot has that GTX 560 TI been running?

Yippee38 said:
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Next few months
Click to expand...
If you can't narrow down that time fram any further, please come back when you're actually 2-3 weeks away from buying the parts. We tend to use Newegg combo deals to help you save you money. However those combo deals expire at the end of the month they're introduced in. So any combo deals we recommend you this month won't be available next month. In addition, if you do happen to live near a Microcenter, they have excellent CPU + mobo combo deals. However, like Newegg, those combo deals generally expire at the end of the month they're introduced in. We don't know what combo deals there will be until that month hits. So if you want more bang for the buck, your best bet would be to ask for advice when you're 2-3 weeks away from buying the PC parts.
 
Danny Bui said:
How far are these MC locations from you?:
http://www.microcenter.com/at_the_stores/chicago.html
http://www.microcenter.com/at_the_stores/westmont.html

It matters because we need to know if it's SATA or IDE since most mobos don't have IDE.

How hot has that GTX 560 TI been running?


If you can't narrow down that time fram any further, please come back when you're actually 2-3 weeks away from buying the parts. We tend to use Newegg combo deals to help you save you money. However those combo deals expire at the end of the month they're introduced in. So any combo deals we recommend you this month won't be available next month. In addition, if you do happen to live near a Microcenter, they have excellent CPU + mobo combo deals. However, like Newegg, those combo deals generally expire at the end of the month they're introduced in. We don't know what combo deals there will be until that month hits. So if you want more bang for the buck, your best bet would be to ask for advice when you're 2-3 weeks away from buying the PC parts.
Click to expand...

One of them is close enough. I think all the parts in my current PC came from that MicroCenter. The problem is that I haven't been keeping up on budget hardware.

Hmm. Actually, it is an IDE optical drive. Guess I'll need a new one of those two. Don't care about Blue-Ray. She rarely uses that drive anyway.

I said next few months because it's not like I have to buy it this week. If there's a good deal, I can jump on it right away. If not, I can wait a bit. I wasn't saying that because I'm not ready. Just not in a hurry. I can, and likely will jump on a good deal as soon as I find one that meets the needs.
 
Yippee38 said:
I said next few months because it's not like I have to buy it this week. If there's a good deal, I can jump on it right away. If not, I can wait a bit. I wasn't saying that because I'm not ready. Just not in a hurry. I can, and likely will jump on a good deal as soon as I find one that meets the needs.
Click to expand...

So what's the likelihood of you being able to buy all the parts before July 31st?

Also, please answer my temperature question from earlier.
 
Danny Bui said:
So what's the likelihood of you being able to buy all the parts before July 31st?

Also, please answer my temperature question from earlier.
Click to expand...

Not likely at all. I'm working all weekend, so I won't have much chance to be looking stuff up or placing orders. More likely it would be next month.

I have no idea how hot it's been running. I haven't had any reason to monitor temps so far. I'll do so next week when I get back home, and let you know. Are they known for running hot? I don't remember hearing anything about them running hot.
 
Bumping, per request.

Temps have been good. Highest I've seen is 60C. It's the Galaxy board with the two fans. Seems to run at nice temps.
 
GIGABYTE GA-H77-DS3H LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $99.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128550

G.Skill 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-4GBNQ $27.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231190

Intel Pentium G860 Sandy Bridge 3.0GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80623G860 $89.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116405

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $74.99 (if you use code EMCNCGJ24 by 8/6)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185

$292.96 total


Or consider going with an SSD instead of the Samsung Hard Drive

Intel 330 Series Maple Crest SSDSC2CT180A3K5 2.5" 180GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $159.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167122


$377.96 Total
 
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If you want to use all of your $400 budget:
$290 - Intel Core i5 3570K CPU + Asus P8Z77-M Pro mATX Motherboard Combo from Microcenter
$40 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$75 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive ($15 off w/ promo code EMCNCGJ24, ends 8/6)
----
Total: $405 shipped + tax

If you don't want to use all that $400:
$100 - Intel Core i3 2120 CPU from Microcenter
$130 - MSI H77MA-G43 LGA 1155 Intel H77 mATX Motherboard + G.Skill Value Series F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM Combo
$75 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive ($15 off w/ promo code EMCNCGJ24, ends 8/6)
----
Total: $305

SSD wise, I recommend this:
$120 - Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SSD
 
Danny Bui said:
If you want to use all of your $400 budget:
$290 - Intel Core i5 3570K CPU + Asus P8Z77-M Pro mATX Motherboard Combo from Microcenter
$40 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$75 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive ($15 off w/ promo code EMCNCGJ24, ends 8/6)
----
Total: $405 shipped + tax
Click to expand...

That looks like a pretty nice package. Don't know that I'd want to go with a 120GB SSD on that machine though. I've got an 80Gb in my PC and I'm only using about 45Gb. Of course, I've got my User directory on another drive, and would set hers up that way too (PITA though that is). I'll have to look around for a smaller one at a good price.

<edit>Actually, here's one.</edit> Same series as the one you linked. Still good ya think?
 
It's a judgment call at this point. I'm personally a data hound; in my opinion, if you can afford it, you can never have too much storage.

Keep in mind that, just like a hard drive, an SSD does slow down the closer it gets to full capacity. I recommend the 128GB version to be on the safe side... but again, it's your call.
 
Found the same drive at MicroCenter for $15 cheaper: 120Gb SSD

It's frustrating that ATX boards are so much more expensive than mATX boards. I'd rather get an ATX board, but to get an ATX board with similar features to the one you linked would be another $50 or so. Weird.
 
Yippee38 said:
Found the same drive at MicroCenter for $15 cheaper: 120Gb SSD

It's frustrating that ATX boards are so much more expensive than mATX boards. I'd rather get an ATX board, but to get an ATX board with similar features to the one you linked would be another $50 or so. Weird.
Click to expand...

Considering that you didn't mention SLI or CFX or that you were overclocking, not exactly sure why you want an ATX in the first place. With that said, you're a bit wrong: The Asus P8Z77-V LE has similar features to the Asus mobo I recommended above but only costs $15 more, not $50 more.
 
Danny Bui said:
Considering that you didn't mention SLI or CFX or that you were overclocking, not exactly sure why you want an ATX in the first place. With that said, you're a bit wrong: The Asus P8Z77-V LE has similar features to the Asus mobo I recommended above but only costs $15 more, not $50 more.
Click to expand...

Similar, but different. It apparently doesn't have support for NVIDIA SLI apparently.

SLI is definitely not a requirement, but it's always nice to have the extra PCI-E slots for future (and unplanned) additions, especially when the case size is not an issue. Besides, I have large hands, and extra room is always good.

Not a big deal though.
 
Ahh true.

Meh, considering I'm getting less actual space/hardware with a mATX mobo, it better cost less than a similar specced ATX mobo.

In any case, good luck with the build.
 
Danny Bui said:
In any case, good luck with the build.
Click to expand...

Yeah, thanks. I'll update when I get it running. I orders the stuff from Newegg today. I'll be heading to MicroCenter tomorrow (was going to go tonight, but got caught in a meeting until late). So I should have it together by the end of the week, I hope.
 
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