"I need a New PC!" 2011 Thread of reading the OP. Seriously. [Part 2]
- Thread starter Hazaro
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Okay, I'm almost done with figuring out my new computer build. I just have one thing left to figure out - the motherboard.
I'm leaning towards one of these two, but I really don't know the difference between them:
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=106&bid=2&sid=73790
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=106&bid=2&sid=71190
Here's what I want out of a motherboard:
- Be able to overclock an i5 2500k with ease
- Be able to fit a Coolmaster Hyper 212 Plus cpu cooler on it (very important!)
- have some support for USB3.0
- Work well with a Crucial C400 SSD (for my OS, I want it to be hassle free)
Any recommendations between the two? Or perhaps a completely different one in the umart motherboard section? : http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&bid=2&id2=106
I'm leaning towards one of these two, but I really don't know the difference between them:
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=106&bid=2&sid=73790
http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&id2=106&bid=2&sid=71190
Here's what I want out of a motherboard:
- Be able to overclock an i5 2500k with ease
- Be able to fit a Coolmaster Hyper 212 Plus cpu cooler on it (very important!)
- have some support for USB3.0
- Work well with a Crucial C400 SSD (for my OS, I want it to be hassle free)
Any recommendations between the two? Or perhaps a completely different one in the umart motherboard section? : http://www.umart.com.au/pro/products_listnew.phtml?id=10&bid=2&id2=106
Deputy Moonman
Member
Cool. I'll mess around with it tomorrow.black_vegeta said:
Cheers!
Okay, does this look good for a build then? I'm trying to make a high performance gaming rig that is quiet. Hence the Fractal Design R3 case and the Samsung 1TB spinpoint F3 drive (I hear it's quiet)
Samsung 1TB Spinpoint F3 SATA II 7200RPM 32M x2
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus Universal Cooler
Intel Core i5 2500K Processor LGA1155 3.3GHz CPU
Corsair CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 4GB (2x XMS3 2GB) PC-12800
Asus P8P67 PRO V3 L1155 P67
Crucial RealSSD C400 128G SATAIII
GTX 570
Fractal Design R3 case
I've got a 650w power supply of some description in my current PC I'm planning to yank out and put in the new PC, so that should be that taken care of.
Okay, does this look good for a build then? I'm trying to make a high performance gaming rig that is quiet. Hence the Fractal Design R3 case and the Samsung 1TB spinpoint F3 drive (I hear it's quiet)
Samsung 1TB Spinpoint F3 SATA II 7200RPM 32M x2
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus Universal Cooler
Intel Core i5 2500K Processor LGA1155 3.3GHz CPU
Corsair CMX4GX3M2A1600C9 4GB (2x XMS3 2GB) PC-12800
Asus P8P67 PRO V3 L1155 P67
Crucial RealSSD C400 128G SATAIII
GTX 570
Fractal Design R3 case
I've got a 650w power supply of some description in my current PC I'm planning to yank out and put in the new PC, so that should be that taken care of.
Unknown Soldier
Member
WAWAZA said:
Games aren't known for their amazing use of multi-core CPUs. Unless you're going to be doing a lot of video encoding, 6-core Intel processor is probably overkill.
mandiller said:
I've ordered my computer now. All except for the case which I'll make a separate order for because I'm picking it up from the store and can't carry everything at once (no car) and the graphics card which I already have
Looking forward to assembling it over the next few days. I'll post pics when its done. Thanks for the help PC-GAF!
Two quick questions for assembling it though. In that case the PSU is located at the bottom and I believe there is a grate in the bottom of the case near it. I should point the PSU's fan towards the bottom so I has access to air through the grate right?
And, if I buy an additional fan for the fractal design r3 case should I put it on the top of the case to expel/suck in air, or at the front to suck in air? Or maybe the bottom? I want to make sure it stays relatively cool. Where's the best place to put an optional fan? (edit: I comes with one front and one rear fan already installed. So maybe a fan at the top or bottom?)
Looks good. Lotta amps on that 12V. Cooler will be fine.mandiller said:The PSU is an Antec TP3 650 W. It's a few years old. Is that okay? Here's a spec sheet I found: specs
Also, will the motherboard fit the CPU cooler fine? I've never had any experience with aftermarket coolers. This is what the motherboard looks like:
PSU you can do either way. I like it face down so I can see the label and it draws cool air from the bottom. Doesn't need much air at all and it doesn't suck in hot air from the case which is good for power regulation and longevity. You can do it either way though.
You don't have 64GB of DDR3 2200MHz to directly install your OS and Skyrim into?WAWAZA said:
Enjoy your slideshow.
Manos: The Hans of Fate
Banned
Okay, can I ask for one last favor from this thread? 
Can someone give me a good useful life on my proposed build? One taking into account the graphics card and the other not.
The other thing is explaing how going with the i5 2500 vs a lesser quadcore or Dual core will extent the lifetime of the build (barring adding a new graphics card and memory).
I have a big negotiation session to go into later today and I'm hoping to place and order by this evening. I'm trying to stress that I am spending more money now, but it will help keep the unit in service with only video or memory upgrades for a couple of years.
I am just giddy at the thought of how many games I have on Steam that I can just MAX out after playing them at 15-20 FPS on low on a laptop (World in Conflict WOOT)!
Thanks again everyone for the help I really really appreciate it.
For reference
Can someone give me a good useful life on my proposed build? One taking into account the graphics card and the other not.
The other thing is explaing how going with the i5 2500 vs a lesser quadcore or Dual core will extent the lifetime of the build (barring adding a new graphics card and memory).
I have a big negotiation session to go into later today and I'm hoping to place and order by this evening.
I'm trying to stress that I am spending more money now, but it will help keep the unit in service with only video or memory upgrades for a couple of years. I am just giddy at the thought of how many games I have on Steam that I can just MAX out after playing them at 15-20 FPS on low on a laptop (World in Conflict WOOT)!
Thanks again everyone for the help I really really appreciate it.
For reference
Manos: The Hans of Fate
Banned
TheExodu5 said:
Hmm, that's something I didn't think of with my build. Any idea how hot or loud it might run?
Pai Pai Master
Banned
Got a raise and a big fat bonus coming in at the end of the month, so I think I'll treat myself to a new system that I've wanted for quite some time. I'm willing to plop down some heavy cash, but I'd appreciate it if you guys can answer some questions and help me trim down some fat if I'm shooting too high.
This machine needs to be capable of heavy gaming and some 3D modeling in Maya/Zbrush. I currently have an Intel Quadcore 2.8ghz machine coupled with a GTX260 that is still kicking some ass, but I want to be prepared for Skyrim/Battlefield 3 and I want to be able to better take advantage of 3D Vision without sacrificing so much in the framerate department. Personally, I don't need games to run at high/ultra settings, but if it can pull off some high-quality magic I'm cool with that. I'm more of a buttery smooth 80+ fps kind of guy.
EVGA X58 FTW3 132-GT-E768-TR LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $249.99
EVGA 012-P3-1571-KR GeForce GTX 570 HD w/Display-Port (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support ... $324.99
CORSAIR Gaming Series GS800 800W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC High Performance Power ... $129.99
Intel Core i7-960 Bloomfield 3.2GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80601960 $284.99
CORSAIR XMS 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMX8GX3M2A1600C9 $74.99
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $54.99
ZALMAN CNPS9900MAX-R 135mm Long life bearing CPU Cooler Red LED $79.99
COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Compucase Case with USB 3.0 and Black Interior $139.98
Subtotal prior to rebates is $1,339.91.
I'm willing to budge on the CPU if you guys think the i7 is overkill for what I want...my problem is I don't want to have to replace the motherboard to upgrade later if I start with an i5. Is it that large of a gap between the i5 and i7, or will I benefit fine from the lower tier?
I can definitely save some bucks shopping around a bit more for things like case, cpu cooler and power supply, and I will be keeping an eye out for sales/combos before I order, but I am willing to buy in the $1000 - $1300 range for this thing. So, any comments/suggestions/criticisms for this build? Thanks.
This machine needs to be capable of heavy gaming and some 3D modeling in Maya/Zbrush. I currently have an Intel Quadcore 2.8ghz machine coupled with a GTX260 that is still kicking some ass, but I want to be prepared for Skyrim/Battlefield 3 and I want to be able to better take advantage of 3D Vision without sacrificing so much in the framerate department. Personally, I don't need games to run at high/ultra settings, but if it can pull off some high-quality magic I'm cool with that. I'm more of a buttery smooth 80+ fps kind of guy.
EVGA X58 FTW3 132-GT-E768-TR LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $249.99
EVGA 012-P3-1571-KR GeForce GTX 570 HD w/Display-Port (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support ... $324.99
CORSAIR Gaming Series GS800 800W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC High Performance Power ... $129.99
Intel Core i7-960 Bloomfield 3.2GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80601960 $284.99
CORSAIR XMS 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMX8GX3M2A1600C9 $74.99
SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive $54.99
ZALMAN CNPS9900MAX-R 135mm Long life bearing CPU Cooler Red LED $79.99
COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Compucase Case with USB 3.0 and Black Interior $139.98
Subtotal prior to rebates is $1,339.91.
I'm willing to budge on the CPU if you guys think the i7 is overkill for what I want...my problem is I don't want to have to replace the motherboard to upgrade later if I start with an i5. Is it that large of a gap between the i5 and i7, or will I benefit fine from the lower tier?
I can definitely save some bucks shopping around a bit more for things like case, cpu cooler and power supply, and I will be keeping an eye out for sales/combos before I order, but I am willing to buy in the $1000 - $1300 range for this thing. So, any comments/suggestions/criticisms for this build? Thanks.
XiaNaphryz
LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Any particular reason you're not going Sandy Bridge for mobo/CPU?Pai Pai Master said:
Pai Pai Master
Banned
XiaNaphryz said:
Not at all, I'm definitely willing to make changes based on any suggestions and further research. I'm not very familiar with the i3/i5/i7 lines right now and I still need to go in deep and look at some benchmarks/etc.
Is the 960 more of an enthusiast product meant for fancy Crossfire/SLI and overclocking? Sandy Bridge looks like it'd be a smarter buy for something that I'm looking for. I guess my main concern is the differences between the i5 and i7, which don't look that great when compared directly. A lot of these posts seem to be pointing towards the i5 as well, is that more of a budget thing or is there really that small of a benefit for gaming purposes in the i7 over the i5?
Will there be higher clock CPUs on the LGA 1155 platform in the future in case I go with the i5 and feel the desire for an upgrade a couple years down the line? Ivy Bridge will be a new socket type, won't it?
Thanks.
EDIT: Upon further research it appears socket 1366 is going to be replaced by 2011, and Sandy Bridge will be available in 1155 and 2011 forms? Is that correct? In that case Sandy Bridge is the obvious choice, thanks for the suggestion. Can anyone offer some advice on choosing between i5 and i7? If there's not a great benefit for me choosing i7, I think I'll go with the i5 and leave myself open for an upgrade down the line.
brucewaynegretzky
Member
How future proof do you guys think most of your PCs are? How often do you have to buy a new rig? I'm thinking about getting a desktop for the first time in years in a few months, but I don't want to have to buy one again for a long time. I'd preferably like to get something where I know there will be a support line I can call when I have problems. I read the OP, but I still don't know what everything means in terms of longevity. I'll need it for work too, but that will be only word processing, so really it just needs to be stable. I'd also like to be able to get in on Steam deals.
brucewaynegretzky said:
If you think you'll get into heavy gaming it depends on what you want out of said games. Some people want every turned up to 11 and need 100 fps with every setting maxed out, others can make a few sacrifices and not have to worry about upgrading their GPU every 3 years...or on a yearly basis.
Personally, I can't see myself upgrading from my 2600k for at least 3 or 4 years, I don't think anything will really push it to its limits until games need it; but at this rate, they're still held back by having to worry about consoles. Once and a while something does come along and demands a lot out of a PC, other games are just programmed like shit.
With the $600 or $1000 builds in OP, I'm sure that'll last you and most users a long time and upgrade in increments like a new GPU.
Fair Trial
Member
Smokey said:
Maybe on very low settings...
SneakyStephan
Banned
Help me out here.
My grandmother decided she'd like to have a laptop, so now for the very first time ever I'm shopping around for one.
Its main goal will be HTCP use (connecting to an lcd tv) and some browsing.
Looking for a cheap lower end one obviously, but not at the cost of build quality.
I've never bothered with laptops before.
Any brands to avoid? anything to watch out for ?(I know atom is a piece of shit for example, I'm sure there are other things, like windows 7 starter edition sounds extremely fishy).
Any specific recommendations?
And what should it be expected to cost?
My grandmother decided she'd like to have a laptop, so now for the very first time ever I'm shopping around for one.
Its main goal will be HTCP use (connecting to an lcd tv) and some browsing.
Looking for a cheap lower end one obviously, but not at the cost of build quality.
I've never bothered with laptops before.
Any brands to avoid? anything to watch out for ?(I know atom is a piece of shit for example, I'm sure there are other things, like windows 7 starter edition sounds extremely fishy).
Any specific recommendations?
And what should it be expected to cost?
IMACOMPUTA
Member
WAWAZA said:
..seriously?
If you built that PC and don't know the answer to your question, please donate it to me.
brucewaynegretzky said:
It's difficult to answer this. How long is a long time to you? Are you getting a mid range rig to start with or going all out? I built a mid range rig 4 years ago. C2d 2.13 ghz, 2gb ram, gts 8600. I ran all the newest games on medium to high setting. 2 years later I had to add another 2gb ram and replaced the vid card with a radeon 4850 hd. 2 years after that and my CPU was completely out of date and won't run most of the latest games very well, if at all. So I did a complate new build last month. So in my experience, I got 4 years out of a midrange build with small incremental upgrades along the way.
XiaNaphryz
LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
Ivy Bridge is supposedly going to be compatible with current Sandy Bridge sockets, we'll have to wait and see. As for the i5/i7 differences, main one is that the i5 quad has no HT whereas the i7 quad does, so the i7 will get you 8 threads. Something to be aware of if you plan on using multi-thread heavy apps.Pai Pai Master said:
brucewaynegretzky
Member
bill0527 said:
It's been 6 years since I've had a PC, and prior to that it was about 3 years since I had helped my dad buy a new PC. If the PC lasted 5 years I'd be happy. I'll probably be willing to spend a lot on it. Over 2k, but I'll need a monitor too. I'm not a heavy PC gamer, but I do want to run SC2 on high settings and I'd like to be able to buy some Steam games. Really I just want more stability that I'm not getting from my laptop and if I'm buying a PC I want the ability to play games too.
Pai Pai Master
Banned
XiaNaphryz said:
Awesome, thanks so much.
Saren is Bad
Member
Man y'all get trolled easily, some junior comes in asking if 2 of the most powerful graphic cards can run a 2011 game, and 5 people answer him seriously. KEK
He was responding to the guy above his post, not yours lol. But your build looks good, did you convince your wife to let you build? (I think you were asking about IBuyPower earlier)
Manos: The Hans of Fate said:
He was responding to the guy above his post, not yours lol. But your build looks good, did you convince your wife to let you build? (I think you were asking about IBuyPower earlier)
Manos: The Hans of Fate
Banned
Oh I know lol.Saren is Bad said:
I'm going to try and convince her today to just let me get it, the building it myself option is pretty much dead. I just need to sell her on the system lasting for 3 or more years with only upgrades needed for graphics cards and maybe memory. I'm hoping the processor motherboard will last for awhile. Any idea on the shelf life of the build? Stuff like that will help convince her.
I don't expect more than a year of high graphics on the current system (though I suspect with video card upgrades that can be extended), but I'm hoping the base system will last for a couple of years. I think someone said earlier that processors aren't really going to be needed (barring PC only games) until the next gen of consoles.
Saren is Bad
Member
If you really want to extend the life of it I'd go for a P8P67 motherboard with a 2500k. The 2500k is almost a no-brainer it's only 10$ more and will allow you to overclock down the road (and down the road you may want to get a CPU cooler). The motherboard P67 is just a better investment for I think 20$ more.Manos: The Hans of Fate said:
That will help modernize it a bit, but with a 460, you're already starting behind and come Winter you'll probably be 2 video card generations behind.
Manos: The Hans of Fate said:
In a year and a half to two years, you'll want to upgrade your video card (sooner if you get a sudden desire to play Battlefield 3 or its ilk on high settings).
Other than that, you should be able to get a good three-four years out of it.
Is that processor the 2500K or the 2500? Make sure it's the K model, because that is the one that is good for overclocking (which will extend the life of your computer for sure).
brucewaynegretzky said:
Spend a grand right now (wisely) and you're looking at three years or so of solid performance (trailing off as games get more graphically intensive). You'll be able to turn sliders down a bit, and you'll still be playing games in a higher resolution, and with a better framerate, than console gamers. A new video card will extend the life of the machine, and can be transplanted into a newer build later (I bought a GTX 580 for my C2D rig, that will be going inside my Sandy Bridge rig whenever I build it).
The real question of a hobby like this is "how good is good enough?". Some people upgrade every time they see their framerates drop below some number they have in their head, in some new game. Others are fine with turning down sliders, and continuing to game, instead of going out and spending more money.
Once the new consoles come out, I think we should start seeing a lot more games that take advantage of the DX11 feature set. When that happens, a lot of old PC rigs are going to be forcibly retired.
RukusProvider
Banned
It's hard to know what will be good for Skyrim to be honest. Oblivion brought graphic cards to their knees when it came out and was a benchmark for many GPU cycles there after. This could also be compounded by having a 30inch screen thus to run the game maxed out at native res could prove difficult even for a 6990. We'll see.
Horsemama1956
Member
It's even worse when there is only a handful of titles that really make use of the hardware with DX11 still being really new.Smokey said:The price of being a high end user
Precisely why I don't bother spending that much on hardware. Not really worth it for 4 games.
gatti-man said:I got my x58 mobo a year ago for $99 from the evga refurb store. Its been rock solid for me and I oc. No Sata 3 though
I'm still trying to milk LGA775 for all it's worth, but I know I'm going to have to upgrade soon, I just can't justify a CPU upgrade... yet...
Deputy Moonman
Member
This may be a dumb question, but are CPU-Z and GPU-Z the programs of choice for monitoring CPU/GPU temperatures? I don't want to have to always go into the bios to check my temps.
Saren is Bad
Member
I use RealTemp. I don't think the Z programs even show temps.Deputy Moonman said:
brucewaynegretzky
Member
With all the high end games coming out in the next few months, Skyrim, ME3, etc., would it be smart to just wait for like 6 months? Also is there a clear preference for where to buy if I don't want something that will ship to my home ready to use? I don't really think I'm capable of putting a PC together myself, and I know my gf (think wife relationship before anyone jumps at me for needing to clear by my gf) will prefer I'm not involved in assembly if we're going to shell out the cash for a new comp.
brucewaynegretzky said:
What is with the females not trusting their dudes to put something together in this thread?!
If you would like to play the games out now go ahead and build. The hardware out now is more than capable of playing the high end games coming out this Fall at high settings. If there's not anything out now that you have to play then just wait until the Fall. AMD is rumored to launch their new graphics cards around that time anyway.
EatChildren
Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
EatChildren said:
Update on this, but it seems the vcore was the issue. I think. Stability was still shot to shit after fixing the RAM timings, so I dialed back my OC from 4.5Ghz to 4.3Ghz. Haven't had a blue screen since.
This doesn't bother me on a performance level, as 4.3Ghz is still more than enough, as well as being a full 1Ghz over stock. But I am a bit disappointed I couldn't get a safe 4.5Ghz OC, especially since the vcore was cranked way up to 1.3v. From my research I was under the impression I should be able to hit 4.5Ghz at under 1.3v, but apparently my CPU lucked out. Oh well. On the plus side a mere 200Mhz less of CPU power knocked off 5+°C on my tempts, and Im much happier with the load temps.
Touch wood though. Im still paranoid I'll get another random blue screen. If I do I dont really know what the problem could be, and I'll be leaning towards faulty hardware. Cross that bridge if it comes.
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