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[Roody]

Hey guys, quick question. I'm a first-time PC builder and am about to order all my stuff. Here's my Newegg wishlist of all the parts.

So, my question is, anything else I'm missing or need before this all goes down? Most stuff seems fairly straight-forward, but I want to make sure I don't make any expensive mistakes. I checked in here once before and seemed to generally get approval for everything but I figured, better safe than sorry, and check one last time. Any tools or paste or whatever to put everything together?

I'll be using it for gaming, as I want to finally be able to run everything on high settings, and graphic design work (large documents in Photoshop, etc) for work. Thanks to anyone who can spare a moment to look at it and give me some feedback!

 

[LizardKing]

For editing, as many cores as possible, the maximum amount of RAM, and as you're going to be using Premiere, an Nvidia CUDA-based GPU is what you're looking for. More specifically:

CPU - Core i7 2600k (for video, the hyperthreading is pretty nice)
RAM - 8-16 GB
GPU - Geforce 560ti with 2GB of RAM (unless you want to overspend on a 580 or something...)

thank you. any preference on what speed of ram for bang for my buck. I would probably want to eventually put 24GB in there so 4GB sticks is what i'm thinking.

 

[Slavik81]

Silly me, I expected my SSD to come with a mounting bracket for a 3.5" bay. And no place in the city seems to sell one.

I don't really want to wait another week to reinstall Windows and all that jazz. Given that there are no moving parts in an SSD, is there any harm in leaving it resting in an empty 3.5" bay for a few days while I order a bracket to mount it properly?

 

[DeadRockstar]

Am I being silly or is absolutely obvious that a gtx 580 won't be able to stay above 60fps max settings, in the games coming up?

Why are they forcing me to go with a multigpu setup? Geez, if I'm this anal with only a 1080p setup imagine what I would be with something higher ._.

I think a lot of that depends on what the devs manage to pull off. BF3 so far has been running on a single 580 and I'd imagine there's still a lot of optimization to be done. Whether that means 60fps or not I don't know, but worrying about it too much will probably make you miserable.

The best performance is no doubt multi-GPU but personally I'm not willing deal with the potential issues that set-up could present, so I went the single GTX 580 route. If the new line of GPUs out later this year blow it away then I'll sell and upgrade. Plenty of people will want the 580 when BF3 releases so even if it comes to that it won't be too bad.

 

[InertiaXr]

Hey guys, quick question. I'm a first-time PC builder and am about to order all my stuff. Here's my Newegg wishlist of all the parts.

So, my question is, anything else I'm missing or need before this all goes down? Most stuff seems fairly straight-forward, but I want to make sure I don't make any expensive mistakes. I checked in here once before and seemed to generally get approval for everything but I figured, better safe than sorry, and check one last time. Any tools or paste or whatever to put everything together?

I'll be using it for gaming, as I want to finally be able to run everything on high settings, and graphic design work (large documents in Photoshop, etc) for work. Thanks to anyone who can spare a moment to look at it and give me some feedback!

Any reason you want to go 1156 socket vs Sandy Bridge (1155)? Don't take me as fact but I'm pretty sure a 2500k is clock for clock faster than a i7 950, and they overclock wonderfully (I have a 2500k at 4.5GHz perfectly stable), and are cheaper, even more so if you have a Microcenter nearby. You could also use a 650W PSU like this one for $30 less plus $10 MIR.

 

[jonremedy]

thank you. any preference on what speed of ram for bang for my buck. I would probably want to eventually put 24GB in there so 4GB sticks is what i'm thinking.

I'm not the best person to answer this question, but I think RAM-speed is not all that important. Also, I don't think Socket 1155 motherboards have 6 RAM-slots, so maybe you want to get 8GB sticks...

 

[lordy88]

I know this is probably a really dumb question, and most likely know the answer already, but it's worth a shot.

If I took out my hard drive of my current computer, and put it in a brand new computer, would it boot up normally or would I have to do a lot to get it working properly? Since I might be moving soon, I figured it might be best to sell my beast of a machine, but I still want to keep the hard drive with my OS and all the stuff I have on as I have it now. Am I completely bonkers here?

 

[DeadRockstar]

I know this is probably a really dumb question, and most likely know the answer already, but it's worth a shot.

If I took out my hard drive of my current computer, and put it in a brand new computer, would it boot up normally or would I have to do a lot to get it working properly? Since I might be moving soon, I figured it might be best to sell my beast of a machine, but I still want to keep the hard drive with my OS and all the stuff I have on as I have it now. Am I completely bonkers here?

You could get away with that if you use the same motherboard, but a different one will likely trigger windows reactivation.

 

[mkenyon]

Hey guys, quick question. I'm a first-time PC builder and am about to order all my stuff. Here's my Newegg wishlist of all the parts.

So, my question is, anything else I'm missing or need before this all goes down? Most stuff seems fairly straight-forward, but I want to make sure I don't make any expensive mistakes. I checked in here once before and seemed to generally get approval for everything but I figured, better safe than sorry, and check one last time. Any tools or paste or whatever to put everything together?

I'll be using it for gaming, as I want to finally be able to run everything on high settings, and graphic design work (large documents in Photoshop, etc) for work. Thanks to anyone who can spare a moment to look at it and give me some feedback!

Huge problems here man. The processor you chose is socket 1366, the motherboard is 1156. It wont fit in there. On top of that, what you really want is a socket 1155 motherboard and proc such as the 2500k.

Silly me, I expected my SSD to come with a mounting bracket for a 3.5" bay. And no place in the city seems to sell one.

I don't really want to wait another week to reinstall Windows and all that jazz. Given that there are no moving parts in an SSD, is there any harm in leaving it resting in an empty 3.5" bay for a few days while I order a bracket to mount it properly?

You could even use double sided tape to put it somewhere. But yeah, leaving it dangling or just hanging out is fine.

Am I being silly or is absolutely obvious that a gtx 580 won't be able to stay above 60fps max settings, in the games coming up?

Why are they forcing me to go with a multigpu setup? Geez, if I'm this anal with only a 1080p setup imagine what I would be with something higher ._.

You're a silly silly man, and seemingly looking for an excuse to spend a stupid amount of money on videocards. I think I've covered this with you plenty, but you seem fairly insistent on ignoring me

 

[jonremedy]

You could get away with that if you use the same motherboard, but a different one will likely trigger windows reactivation.

You'll also get a bluescreen if you switch motherboards. May be repaired with a Windows disc... I don't really remember.

 

[Corky]

You're a silly silly man, and seemingly looking for an excuse to spend a stupid amount of money on videocards. I think I've covered this with you plenty, but you seem fairly insistent on ignoring me

Nah man I hear ya I hear ya <3. I think I got it now. I'm gonna amass an inexplainable amount of selfrestraint and upgrade when Ivy and the gtx 6XX series is out.

It's not gonna be easy, but if I'll figure out a new hobby like knitting or something maybe the time will just fly by. :{

So now we're playing the waiting game

 

[mkenyon]

Nah, now that you've got the bug, what you need to do is start building rigs that suit other needs. Try out a E-350 itx setup for an HTPC, a RAID5 linux fileserver, and a linux router. Maybe grab some parts that allows you to cram all your current parts into a ridiculously small form factor case.

 

[lordy88]

You could get away with that if you use the same motherboard, but a different one will likely trigger windows reactivation.

So if I use the same exact physical motherboard from the previous computer, or would a new one of the same model work?

 

[Corky]

Nah, now that you've got the bug, what you need to do is start building rigs that suit other needs. Try out a E-350 itx setup for an HTPC, a RAID5 linux fileserver, and a linux router. Maybe grab some parts that allows you to cram all your current parts into a ridiculously small form factor case.

I have no idea what language this is, but my response is : yes, yes I am

 

[·feist·]

I have no idea what language this is, but my response is : yes, yes I am

Translation: try different types of builds and projects that suit different needs of yours, particularly less expensive options.

Too many people look to build overly powerful Swiss Army Knife-style PCs.

Nah, now that you've got the bug, what you need to do is start building rigs that suit other needs. Try out a E-350 itx setup for an HTPC, a RAID5 linux fileserver, and a linux router. Maybe grab some parts that allows you to cram all your current parts into a ridiculously small form factor case.

This is one of the ways you know you may have a problem. It's good experience and a nice way of expanding your knowledge, though.

 

[DeadRockstar]

So if I use the same exact physical motherboard from the previous computer, or would a new one of the same model work?

It just needs to be the same model, not the exact board. For example people who've RMA'd boards have put their replacements right in with no trouble.

 

[Roody]

Huge problems here man. The processor you chose is socket 1366, the motherboard is 1156. It wont fit in there. On top of that, what you really want is a socket 1155 motherboard and proc such as the 2500k.

I suppose I should've prefaced my post with "I am a huge idiot and am learning everything as I go."

So, you're saying instead go for a processor like this (1155)? I'd like an i7 if possible but you were referencing this i5, right? Sorry for being out of the loop, but I presume that since the Sandy Bridge procs are back in stock the problems with them are fixed?

And what motherboard would you recommend with it then? I'm looking at the list and am having a hard time determining what I need in it to make sure it work with what else I have. Would something like this MSI work?

Any reason you want to go 1156 socket vs Sandy Bridge (1155)? Don't take me as fact but I'm pretty sure a 2500k is clock for clock faster than a i7 950, and they overclock wonderfully (I have a 2500k at 4.5GHz perfectly stable), and are cheaper, even more so if you have a Microcenter nearby. You could also use a 650W PSU like this one for $30 less plus $10 MIR.

Thanks for the advice. I changed the PSU to the one you recommended.

 

[mkenyon]

Translation: try different types of builds and projects that suit different needs of yours, particularly less expensive options.

Too many people look to build overly powerful Swiss Army Knife-style PCs.


This is one of the ways you know you may have a problem. It's good experience and a nice way of expanding your knowledge, though.

To the first part: Hell yeah. It might seem scary, but once you learn hardware jargon and get yourself a linux phrasebook, it gets pretty easy peasy and inexpensive.

To the second part: Yeah, I've got the sickness. But as a DINK (double income no kids) I can afford to have hobbies. This is one of them, and my favorite.

I suppose I should've prefaced my post with "I am a huge idiot and am learning everything as I go."

So, you're saying instead go for a processor like this (1155)? I'd like an i7 if possible but you were referencing this i5, right? Sorry for being out of the loop, but I presume that since the Sandy Bridge procs are back in stock the problems with them are fixed?

And what motherboard would you recommend with it then? I'm looking at the list and am having a hard time determining what I need in it to make sure it work with what else I have. Would something like this MSI work?

Thanks for the advice. I changed the PSU to the one you recommended.

The i7 is overkill if you're not focusing on gaming. Don't think in terms of i7 vs. i5 and shorting yourself, they're the same proc more or less with some slightly different features. So yeah, the parts you listed are exactly what you'd want to switch out for.

 

[Roody]

The i7 is overkill if you're not focusing on gaming. Don't think in terms of i7 vs. i5 and shorting yourself, they're the same proc more or less with some slightly different features. So yeah, the parts you listed are exactly what you'd want to switch out for.

Okay, thanks for that. I'll swap those out. If you don't mind me asking one last question, just to be safe, everything else checks out then? I've got 2 2GB sticks on my list, and unless I'm missing something (which I am known to do) they should be fine as well as far as compatibility and all that?

Thanks for all your help, man!

 

[mkenyon]

Everything else looks good, including the RAM. No problem, I love helping out here.

 

[Roody]

Everything else looks good, including the RAM. No problem, I love helping out here.

Sweet, thanks again bro! Don't have any proper way to say thank you so have a picture of a cute puppy.

 

[Palette Swap]

Finally going ahead with the following.
Lian Li PC-C50B
i5 2500k
Asus P8P67-M Pro
NOCTUA NH-C14
Seasonic X560
MSI N560GTX-TI Twin Frozr II/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 1600 (PC3 12800)
OCZ Vertex 2 60 GB
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM
NOCTUA NF-P12 as additional cooling for the case
LG CH10LS20 as a blu-ray player

I'll use a random usb adapter for wireless (all the PCI-E cards I found here are a bit on the expensive side ATM).
I had doubts but my local shop's tech support says the MSI card fits the case, they've already built both together. Also, thanks to feist for his advice.

 

[mkenyon]

Awesome setup. <3 Lian Li

If you can find a couple extra bucks hanging around in your pockets, a second 1TB drive for a RAID0 setup would make it a very killer gaming array. If you're planning on using it for music and the like, then ignore me, as it's super sketchy to run RAID0 for storage. Also, I've had nothing but headaches with USB wireless dongles. However, that was as of a couple years ago, so it might not be accurate for today's tech.

 

[TheExodu5]

Basic Desktop Questions
Your Current Specs: macbook laptop
Budget: about 1,000/usa
Main Use: Video Editing (gaming would be nice but i don't need it now)
List SPECIFIC games that you MUST be able to play: none (premiere)
Are reusing any parts?: No (but using an hdtv for a monitor)
When will you build?: A month or two
Will you be overclocking?: maybe

Approximate list:
AM3 Motherboard - $100
AMD 1090t - $170
8GB RAM - $80
GTX 560 Ti - $230
Antec 300 Case - $60
Seasonic 520W - $75
2TB 5400RPM HDD - $60
Windows 7 64-bit - $100

That leaves $95 for an SSD.

I think going down to an AMD 1090T (instead of a 2600K) is well worth it because it opens up your budget for an SSD. The 1090T, while not nearly as good as Sandy Bridge for gaming, is fantastic for a video editing machine, since all 6 cores will be used.

It's not too far off the 2600K. It ends up being about $170 cheaper since you save $40 on the motherboard, and $130 on the CPU.

edit: forgot the PSU..damnit...readjusting

Might need to squeeze a bit more to get it to fit under $1000.

If you can manage $200 more, then you can up it to a 2600K, and keep the SSD as well. The 2600K would be faster, and it's really, really easy to overclock.

Translation: try different types of builds and projects that suit different needs of yours, particularly less expensive options.

Too many people look to build overly powerful Swiss Army Knife-style PCs.

Agreed. I mean, if your budget isn't limited, then you can go the Swiss Army Knife route...but otherwise, it's good to make compromises and have the PC well suited towards its given task.

 

[Palette Swap]

Awesome setup. <3 Lian Li

If you can find a couple extra bucks hanging around in your pockets, a second 1TB drive for a RAID0 setup would make it a very killer gaming array. If you're planning on using it for music and the like, then ignore me, as it's super sketchy to run RAID0 for storage.

Yes, the HDD might be used for storage (music and pictures).
I'm writing "might" because I have a 640gb caviar blue I could use for storage. If I did, I could go the RAID0 way with 2 Samsungs.

Also, I've had nothing but headaches with USB wireless dongles. However, that was as of a couple years ago, so it might not be accurate for today's tech.

And yes, I've had the same experience with wireless dongles but that was ages ago. I asked around at work and my colleagues (who actually work on wireless products) said it had gotten better.
I looked again and found 2 PCI-e references distributed here : D-Link DWA-556, which runs for 50€, and TL-WN781ND which goes for 20. I'll probably give the latter a try.

 

[·feist·]

Finally going ahead with the following.
Lian Li PC-C50B
i5 2500k
Asus P8P67-M Pro
NOCTUA NH-C14
Seasonic X560
MSI N560GTX-TI Twin Frozr II/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 1600 (PC3 12800)
OCZ Vertex 2 60 GB
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM
NOCTUA NF-P12 as additional cooling for the case
LG CH10LS20 as a blu-ray player

I'll use a random usb adapter for wireless (all the PCI-E cards I found here are a bit on the expensive side ATM).
I had doubts but my local shop's tech support says the MSI card fits the case, they've already built both together. Also, thanks to feist for his advice.

That is a great build. Glad we could be of help, Palette Swap.

If you can, post pics when it's built.

To the first part: Hell yeah. It might seem scary, but once you learn hardware jargon and get yourself a linux phrasebook, it gets pretty easy peasy and inexpensive.

To the second part: Yeah, I've got the sickness. But as a DINK (double income no kids) I can afford to have hobbies. This is one of them, and my favorite.

What's funny is that I'm still considering an E-350. If Intel and its partners would finally get around to releasing mITX P67s and Z68s, I'd likely build a 35w/65w 1155, or an OC 2500K/2600K/Ivy. Obligations and a tiny bit of restraint keep me from going overboard.

Hell, when people post pics of newly delivered components, I want to go over to their houses and build it for them.


Don't judge me...

 

[Elixist]

What do you guys think of this combo deal?http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.619487
2500k and well reviewed case, seemingly nice motherboard
Can that power supply run xfire 6850s?

 

[Hazaro]

That power supply is garbage just by seeing Raidmax alone.
Reviews often make PSUs seem better than they really are.

If you are tight on budget I'd get this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371016

 

[·feist·]

What do you guys think of this combo deal?http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.619487
2500k and well reviewed case, seemingly nice motherboard
Can that power supply run xfire 6850s?

While the HDD is debatable, that PSU is a deal killer. You can do much better for the price.

edit: what Hazaro said.

 

[Elixist]

Thanks guys i figured it was shit,(power supply) was just hoping it was decent haha. Are sandy mobos good to go now, are issues fixed?

 

[·feist·]

Most boards have been updated now and are continuing to roll out. Some have new model numbers to reflect that. You just want to make sure that it's a "B3" board.

 

[CrankyJay]

c400 coming soon?

Supposedly listed here: http://www.superbiiz.com/query.php?categry=0&s=c400

 

[StriKeVillain]

I'm looking at buying that 'Damn Capable Build' on the first page. Is that the best I can get for ~$600 or can I do better?

Also, anyway i can add a wireless card to that mix?

 

[blanky]

about wireless adapters. For a temporary situation would it be smarter to just go for a pci card or to hook up to a labtop. My house is 2 stories, and I used to have a pc with pci card there which worked okay. The previous usb adapter was a product from hell. I don't really feel like going through the trouble with these things, although I doubt linking it up to a labtop would be much easier. After the temporary situation I'm definitely going for wired.

 

[teiresias]

OK guys, not building a new rig (I just built one), but will be moving and for the first time my PC will be in the same room as my TV in the new place. I'm going to buy like a fifty foot HDMI cable to hook my TV up to the PC as a secondary monitor and switch the output to that when I want to play a game on the TV instead of the monitor.

Now, I've been using a Dual Shock 2 with a USB adapter I've had forever for gamepad use, but the cord will have to be way too long to use that, so I was wondering if everyone still felt the 360 gamepad was the best wireless gamepad to go with on PC? I play the odd console-style game that has a PC port (think Darksiders, etc.) using the gamepad, but it's mainly for PS2 emulation. If the 360 pad is still the best, should I just get the bundle with the receiver and old style pad, or would I be better off getting a separate receiver (can you anymore?) and shelling out for the new 360 pad with the new d-pad?

 

[Lasthope106]

Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but there have been posts about overclocking in the past. I've had my trusty DCD2 E6750 @ 2.66 GHz for the past three years and a new rig is not an option for a while, so I want to overclock the CPU to the 3-3.2 GHz range.

How do you go about overclocking the CPU? I've been reading a few forums but it is all very confusing.

 

[Weenerz]

So uh, ram is pretty fucking cheap, just grabbed another 4gb of Corsair XMS3 for $60.




http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145260

 

[LizardKing]

Approximate list:
AM3 Motherboard - $100
AMD 1090t - $170
8GB RAM - $80
GTX 560 Ti - $230
Antec 300 Case - $60
Seasonic 520W - $75
2TB 5400RPM HDD - $60
Windows 7 64-bit - $100

That leaves $95 for an SSD.

I think going down to an AMD 1090T (instead of a 2600K) is well worth it because it opens up your budget for an SSD. The 1090T, while not nearly as good as Sandy Bridge for gaming, is fantastic for a video editing machine, since all 6 cores will be used.

It's not too far off the 2600K. It ends up being about $170 cheaper since you save $40 on the motherboard, and $130 on the CPU.

edit: forgot the PSU..damnit...readjusting

Might need to squeeze a bit more to get it to fit under $1000.

If you can manage $200 more, then you can up it to a 2600K, and keep the SSD as well. The 2600K would be faster, and it's really, really easy to overclock.



Agreed. I mean, if your budget isn't limited, then you can go the Swiss Army Knife route...but otherwise, it's good to make compromises and have the PC well suited towards its given task.

thanks! i think i will go with the 2600k because the mobo/cpu is not something i want to skimp on at first. i will add more ram, an ssd, raid hdds, 2 blu ray burners later, but upgrading the mobo/cpu is changing the machine basically. so you think the 520w power supply is sufficient for this setup? also, i want to keep it fairly silent. don't really want it to sound like a jet plane.

edit: oh and i noticed you put 2tb 5400rpm hdd. will i notice a significant performance decline from that from a 7200 1tb for example? I can get away with 1TB for a few more months until i can add another drive.

 

[TheExodu5]

thanks! i think i will go with the 2600k because the mobo/cpu is not something i want to skimp on at first. i will add more ram, an ssd, raid hdds, 2 blu ray burners later, but upgrading the mobo/cpu is changing the machine basically. so you think the 520w power supply is sufficient for this setup? also, i want to keep it fairly silent. don't really want it to sound like a jet plane.

If you plan on upgrading in the future and adding an SSD, then yeah, don't skimp on the CPU.

Go with a P67 motherboard, a 2600K, and a $30 Cooler Master Hyper 212+. You'll want to overclock that CPU to around 4.4-4.6GHz. There's no reason not to.

If you want to give yourself more breathing room with the PSU, you can get a Corsair 650TX.

 

[Aselith]

So, my friend is going to have me build a computer for him and he's very liberal on the budget. I actually was planning something last year but then he decided to hold off a bit. Now he's ready to pull the trigger so I'm setting the build up. What do you guys think of this build? Anywhere I can improve it or shave off some of the fat?

We were basically going high-end without going way overboard like 500 processor and what have you. Seems like he would be totally cool with going a bit more if there will be a marked improvement though. As far as the motherboard goes is my biggest concern because I'm not super confident on my knowledge there. I mostly just look for the features that match my other components with an eye to upgrading later and brand. Anything I missed as far as that goes?

GTX 560 OC - 260$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...130610&cm_re=fermi_560-_-14-130-610-_-Product

I7 3.06Ghz 280$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115211

ASUS P6X58D-E - 219$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131641

I believe this is the MB I selected at his house. I may be wrong but any recommendations would be welcomed.

Corsair Vengeance 12GB Mem - 160$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233146

I saw some memory with a 7 CAS latency for 209$. How good would the improvement be on that? Minor or pretty good?

Case: Sunbeam Transformer 80$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811166004

Mostly bought this for looks because he liked it. Anyone had any issues/experiences with Sunbeam cases? I'm going to replace the PSU but are they generally good build quality? The reviews seem solid so I'm not too worries about it.

OCZ StealthXstream II 700w
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...0&cm_re=stealthxstream-_-17-341-040-_-Product

My friend wanted one of these because he loved how quiet my computer is. After checking a power calculator online seems like the wattage is fine. Should I be worried as far as the videocard pulling a lot more than anticipated power or anything? I can't imagine that this would be an issue with that much wattage but I figured it was a question worth at least asking.

As far as harddrive goes, I was looking at a 10000 RPM velociraptor with like 600GB for 250$ tonight and he's also getting a terabyte backup HD. I'm beginning to think it might better to go with a lower capacity SSD. Is it going to be a night and day difference as far as speed?

He also wants a wireless NIC card. Any recommendations on that? I believe I selected this one initially but I was a bit pressed for time at that point and didn't shop around too much: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124342

I also added on some various other stuff he wanted: a blue ray burner since it wasn't much more than a reader only, Windows 7 obviously. All told I think the total was a bit over $1400. Any help on bringing this down or just in general imrpvoing the build without raising the price significantly would be very welcome. We will be ordering the parts this coming Sunday.

 

[LizardKing]

If you plan on upgrading in the future and adding an SSD, then yeah, don't skimp on the CPU.

Go with a P67 motherboard, a 2600K, and a $30 Cooler Master Hyper 212+. You'll want to overclock that CPU to around 4.4-4.6GHz. There's no reason not to.

If you want to give yourself more breathing room with the PSU, you can get a Corsair 650TX.

thanks for the advice. i edited my post about the hdd btw. any thoughts on that?

 

[TheExodu5]

thanks for the advice. i edited my post about the hdd btw. any thoughts on that?

That was because you would have been using an SSD as your OS drive. You only really need that speed for an OS drive.

If you're not getting an SSD, then get a 7200RPM drive.

 

[knitoe]

So, my friend is going to have me build a computer for him and he's very liberal on the budget. I actually was planning something last year but then he decided to hold off a bit. Now he's ready to pull the trigger so I'm setting the build up. What do you guys think of this build? Anywhere I can improve it or shave off some of the fat?

We were basically going high-end without going way overboard like 500 processor and what have you. Seems like he would be totally cool with going a bit more if there will be a marked improvement though. As far as the motherboard goes is my biggest concern because I'm not super confident on my knowledge there. I mostly just look for the features that match my other components with an eye to upgrading later and brand. Anything I missed as far as that goes?

GTX 560 OC - 260$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...130610&cm_re=fermi_560-_-14-130-610-_-Product

I7 3.06Ghz 280$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115211

ASUS P6X58D-E - 219$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131641

I believe this is the MB I selected at his house. I may be wrong but any recommendations would be welcomed.

Corsair Vengeance 12GB Mem - 160$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233146

I saw some memory with a 7 CAS latency for 209$. How good would the improvement be on that? Minor or pretty good?

Case: Sunbeam Transformer 80$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811166004

Mostly bought this for looks because he liked it. Anyone had any issues/experiences with Sunbeam cases? I'm going to replace the PSU but are they generally good build quality? The reviews seem solid so I'm not too worries about it.

OCZ StealthXstream II 700w
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...0&cm_re=stealthxstream-_-17-341-040-_-Product

My friend wanted one of these because he loved how quiet my computer is. After checking a power calculator online seems like the wattage is fine. Should I be worried as far as the videocard pulling a lot more than anticipated power or anything? I can't imagine that this would be an issue with that much wattage but I figured it was a question worth at least asking.

As far as harddrive goes, I was looking at a 10000 RPM velociraptor with like 600GB for 250$ tonight and he's also getting a terabyte backup HD. I'm beginning to think it might better to go with a lower capacity SSD. Is it going to be a night and day difference as far as speed?

He also wants a wireless NIC card. Any recommendations on that? I believe I selected this one initially but I was a bit pressed for time at that point and didn't shop around too much: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833124342

I also added on some various other stuff he wanted: a blue ray burner since it wasn't much more than a reader only, Windows 7 obviously. All told I think the total was a bit over $1400. Any help on bringing this down or just in general imrpvoing the build without raising the price significantly would be very welcome. We will be ordering the parts this coming Sunday.

Go sandy bridge instead, 2500K or 2600K.

And, Raptors are old news now. SSD drives are much faster. You can go small SSD for OS and slower 1-2TB drive(s) for programs & games.

 

[Aselith]

Go sandy bridge instead, 2500K or 2600K.
And, Raptors are old news now. SSD drives are much faster. You can go small SSD for OS and slower 1-2TB drive(s) for programs & games.

Oh yeah for sure! I didn't see those cause I just went straight to 1366 slot CPU's. I assumed the higher slot number would be the latest and knew that i7's were the lastest Intel gen so I didn't think I was missing anything. I'm sure he'll be happy to upgrade to the 2600k though. Guess I need to pay more attention to component news.

Edit: Wait, those are i5's...am I missing out on anything going with an i5 over the i7 chip? They're a little speedier obviously but are there any major improvements going to i7's?

Edit2: Oh, no I misread. So, the 2600k is an i7 and the 2500k is an i5. And it doesn't look like that 2500 supports hyperthreading so the 2600k it is.

 

[ghostmind]

Seeing a lot of 560 Ti mentions and not as many 570's. Is the $100 difference not worth it?

 

[teh_pwn]

Am I being silly or is absolutely obvious that a gtx 580 won't be able to stay above 60fps max settings, in the games coming up?

Why are they forcing me to go with a multigpu setup? Geez, if I'm this anal with only a 1080p setup imagine what I would be with something higher ._.

No, you're not crazy. It's already true with some games, like Metro 2033. If you want max settings at 60 fps, you need multi GPU. And there are many options that perform better and cost less than GTX 580.

 

[Dynamic3]

Can anyone recommend a reputable 560 OC'ing guide?

Also, how do I force AA in games such as SCII?

 

[Wrekt]

I woke up to see a dozen 1155 boards in stock at my local MicroCenter, including 5 of the particular board I'm after. They don't open for another hour and 45 minutes but you can bet that I will be there when the front doors get unlocked.

I finished building a PC for a coworker yesterday. I tried to talk him out of the case and fans with the gaudy neon lights but it's what he wanted. Anyway shitty cell phone pics:

I'm still not great at keeping the back clean:

Asus p8p67-m Pro motherboard
Intel 2500k i5 CPU (OC'd to 4.6GHz)
4 GB DDR3 1600 ram
GeForce 560ti video card
500GB Western Digital Caviar Blue HDD
600w Corsair PSU
NZXT m59 case

 

[Outdoor Miner]

God that case is fugly! lol

 

[CrankyJay]

I thought for a second this was your home and was like "awesome setup Batman".