SC2 PC Build

[Phosphurus]

Building SC2 Computer for my brother. Ive fallen out of the hardware loop especially when it comes to I7 processors and mobo's so I will need help there. I know SC2 is very CPU dependent and don't want to bottleneck myself there.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
SC2 Max Settings @ 1920 x 1080 As long as it can handle that, everything else it will do should be a breeze

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
1000 Before tax and shipping , 1300 max Canadian Dollars.

3) Where do you live?
London Ontario Canada

I like to buy from ++++ only because they price match and have a good selection. A tiger direct recently opened in my town but I have not used them. If they price match and have all the items. I could save myself shipping and go there. I pricematch everything on shopbot.ca

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.
Case PS Mobo CPU RAM GPU HDD and DVD Burner

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model
Only reusing peripherals (M/KB, Monitor Headphones, ETC)

6) Will you be over-clocking?
Not ATM

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
1920x1080

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

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? etc.
Onboard 5.1 and Gigibit lan, not too fussy, Something with a good chipset.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, 64bit windows 7

 

[Dangman]

$350 - AMD Phenom II X4 965 3.4GHZ Quad Core & ASUS M4A78T-E DDR3 790GX Motherboard
$60 - G.Skill Ripjaw Series F3-12800CL9S-4GBRL 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM
$190 - Gigabyte GV-R685D5-1GD Radeon HD 6850 1GB PCI-E Video Card
$48 - Western Digital WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$70 - Seasonic SS-500ET80 500W PSU
$85 - Cooler Master CM690 II Basic ATX Case
---
Total: $803 CAD plus tax and shipping.

The above should do just fine for SC2.

 

[Phosphurus]

The bundle Mobo/CPU you suggested is cheaper if you purchase them seperately >.<
Why is everyone recommending AMD in here? is it because of the price?

 

[Dangman]

The bundle Mobo/CPU you suggested is cheaper if you purchase them seperately >.<
Why is everyone recommending AMD in hear? is it because of the price?

Weird.

Yeah mainly due to the better price to performance ratio that AMD CPUs have over Intel CPUs.

 

[Kaldskryke]

I'm not so sure on 4GB being enough. SC2 chews through my 4GB like nobody's business and windows throws low memory warnings at me almost every time I play it. I realize not everybody runs into this problem but given the price of RAM these days I'm inclined to suggest 8GB.

 

[QuiteSufficient]

Sc2 may be an rts, but running it on ultra at 1920 is a fairly daunting task. I've built several machines just to play sc2 for friends. Imo, if you are short on money - far and away the best processor for the money in sc2 is the i3. I can't recommend a phenom if you want to run this game on high settings and not overclock. My personal rig at home is a Phenom 955 @ 4.2 ghz with a gtx 260 and its still not that great on Ultra settings IMO.

Look around at the reviews on techspot, tom's hardware, and others for processor comparisons in this game.

An i7 with a gtx 460 averages 37 fps in their benchmark at 1920 http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/starcraft-ii-radeon-geforce,2728-6.html

i5 and i7 performance in this game (and others), clock for clock, is fairly identical. If sc2 is your main concern I'd look at i5/p55 combos - they are just barely more expensive than phenom combos.