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Suggestions for Gaming PC

songho

n00b
Joined
Sep 13, 2011
Messages
2
So I am new to HardForum but I have been using the search function but I havn't really been able to find any recommendations for pcs that are able to play my games and also stream it live (just to be clear not streaming other ppl games but my own and also not like streaming through netflix). I apologize in advance if there are already posts about this but I was unable to find it.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Mostly gaming focused around SC2 and streaming live games. Also being able to play BF3 on high would be nice but not necessary

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
I am wanting to spend around $800 - $1k at max

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

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 (just to start it off I have been looking at the Intel i5 2500 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz $200 on Amazon)
Motherboard
RAM
Harddrive
Video Card
Case
PSU
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.
None

6) Will you be overclocking?
Possible in the future but not planning on it now but if I do then I'd have to include another fan into the "things I need" section

7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
I have a 22" or 23" asus monitor (forgot the exact size >_>)

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
I am debating if I should wait for black friday for some good deals or if I should just go ahead and buy it now. Also if I should wait for the new bulldozer to come out and maybe the price of intel will drop. Specifically I am waiting for a good motherboard/cpu combo dealing with the i5-2500

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.
Just one that will allow me to upgrade easily if the need were to occur.

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

Thanks for your help in advanced (づ。◕‿‿◕。)づ
 
Streaming live video games is apparently more dependent on your router, modem, basically general network configuration, ISP, your actual upload/uplink speed, and the settings you're streaming at.

We need to know the max resolution of your monitor.

Also, if you wish to OC, that 2500 can't do it. You need the 2500K.

In addition, your "Just one that will allow me to upgrade easily if the need were to occur." doesn't help at all. Can you elaborate more what exactly you're looking for in a mobo?
 
The max resolution for my monitor is 1920 x 1080.

personally i don't think i will be overclocking so let's just keep it at the 2500.

more specifically for the motherboard at least having 2 pci-e slots, at least 4 usb (3.0 isn't necessary), preferably an on-board sound card, support up at least 8gb of ddr3 ram, and at least 4 hard drive support
 
$220 - Intel Core i5-2500K CPU
$130 - MSI P67A-G43 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard
$44 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$60 - Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$20 - Sony AD-7260S-0B SATA DVD Burner
$250 - XFX HD-695X-ZNDC Radeon HD 6950 1GB PCI-E Video Card + Deux Ex: Human Revolution Combo
$85 - Corsair 650TX V2 650W PSU
----
Total: $809 shipping

Choose your own case. I recommend any of these cases:
$70 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K58W ATX Case
$70 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K56 ATX Case
$90 - Cooler Master CM690 II Advance ATX Case
$90 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K7B ATX Case
$100 - Lian Li PC-7B Plus II ATX Case
$100 - Cooler Master HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$110 - NZXT Whisper WHI - 001BK ATX Full Tower Case
$100 - Lian Li PC-7FN ATX Case
$110 - Lian Li PC-60FN ATX Case
$113 - Velocity Micro GX2-W Silver Classic Aluminum Case with Side Window
$110 - Fractal Design Arc Mini Tower
$120 - Corsair Carbide Series 400R ATX Case
$130 - Fractal Design Define R3 Black ATX Case
$140 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Full Tower ATX Case
$140 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Full Tower ATX Case
$140 - Lian Li PC-9F ATX Case
$140 - Cooler Master HAF 932 RC-932-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$140 - Antec Performance One Series P183 V3 ATX Case
$143 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002OR Black Finish w/Orange Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$160 - Corsair Graphite Series 600TM ATX Case
$170 - Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$160 - Silverstone RV02B-W ATX case
$178 - Silverstone RV02B-EW ATX case
$190 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D ATX Case
$220 - Cooler Master ATCS 840 RC-840-KKN1-GP Full To

Yes I did ignore your 2500 comment. I don't think losing the ability to overclock is worth $10 to $15 in savings. $30 to $40 maybe but not $10 to $15. Plus your budget can afford it.

But if you truly truly don't want overclocking capability at all, then go with this setup:
$190 - Intel Core i5-2400 CPU
$100 - MSI H67MA-E45 Intel H67 mATX Motherboard

Saves you about $60 there. All other parts are the same.
 
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You'll also want a better CPU cooler for overclocking the 2500K. I recommend this cooler, that also fits within' your budget of $1000, as long as you chose a case under $160 on that list.

$29.99 - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
 
Another plus on the 2500k is that Newegg has it on sale right now.

$205 (use promo code EMCKAJG23) - Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core

Oh, and obligatory disclaimer "BF3 is not out yet. Since it's not out, who knows what will take to run it well." That said, the parts Danny laid out for you are definitely solid, and should you need to upgrade your GPU in the future since you decide to be a pioneer in BF3 streaming and want to make it pretty for your viewers, it can handle any single GPU out there. Crossfire would be pushing the power supply though.
 
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