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Official "I need a new PC!!" 2009 Edition
- Thread starter VictimOfGrief
- Start date
brain_stew
Member
birdchili said:
Not really no, possibly for a major OC but even then you can manage a very healthy OC on 1333 RAM anyway. Save your cash imo.
Rodney McKay
Member
Hello Gaf! I'm looking to put together my first custom PC and I'd like to know how my part selection is going so far. The most graphic intensive games I'll be playing will probably be Starcraft 2 and Crysis, so I'd like to know if everything is up to scratch to play those guys on high-ish settings.
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-MA785G-UD3H ($90)
Processor: AMD Athlon II X4 620 2.6Ghz quad core ($100)
Ram: Patriot 2x2GB 240pin DDR2 1066 ($82)
Graphics Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit ($125)
Case: Antec Two Hundred ($50)
PSU: Rosewill RG530-2 530W ($50)
DVD drive: Samsung Black 22x ($30)
Hard Drive: 500GB 7200RPM ($55)
OP: Windows 7 ($200)
It all comes out to about $782. I'd like to know if there's any way I can shave off ~$100 or so given that Starcraft II and Crysis will probably be the peak of what I need in terms of graphics.
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-MA785G-UD3H ($90)
Processor: AMD Athlon II X4 620 2.6Ghz quad core ($100)
Ram: Patriot 2x2GB 240pin DDR2 1066 ($82)
Graphics Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 1GB 256-bit ($125)
Case: Antec Two Hundred ($50)
PSU: Rosewill RG530-2 530W ($50)
DVD drive: Samsung Black 22x ($30)
Hard Drive: 500GB 7200RPM ($55)
OP: Windows 7 ($200)
It all comes out to about $782. I'd like to know if there's any way I can shave off ~$100 or so given that Starcraft II and Crysis will probably be the peak of what I need in terms of graphics.
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
Rodney McKay said:
You can shave off almost $100 with windows... Why is it $200?
brain_stew
Member
Rodney McKay said:
What HDD is that? Samsung's F3s are the fastest 500GB drives, switch it to one of those.
That Athlon X4 doesn't cut it for games unless you plan to OC, its a decent choice if you buy a $20 cooler and clock to 3.2ghz+ though.
No way you can get the $30 student version of Windows? An upgrade copy is good to install from a clean HDD fwiw, might be a cheaper option and there's always OEM copies.
4850 is a bad choice. Get a cheaper 4770 or step upto either a 4870 1GB or a 5750/5770.
Rosewill's PSUs are no good, get a PSU from a proper brand.
I'd be going for a DDR3 motherboard these days, the RAM prices are damn near equal and it means you're better equipped for future upgrades. Gigabyte's DDR3 770 based motherboard is decent.
Edit: Get this PSU, its an insanely good bargain:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341016
The Antec 200 wouldn't be my first choice for a case, its a little too compact.
Edit:
http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/clean_install_upgrade_media.asp
Read that, no need to pay $200 for Windows.
Rodney McKay said:
I would recommend switching the 1gb 4850 out for a 512mb 4870 for the same price, for example: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131140 .
Also, if this is going to be mainly a gaming PC and you don't specifically need a quad core to run another application, then replace that CPU with: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103680 .
Rodney McKay said:
Never having played SC2 of course, my wager is that your machine proposed there would run SC2 without a dropped frame at max settings and never bat an eye, while Crysis at max settings would cause it to burst into flames and renounce its god.
brain_stew
Member
Hawkian said:
Well you'd most certainly be wrong. The max settings in SC 2 will be some of the hardest on a GPU around, Blizzard have been very open about this fact. It'll scale sure, but scaling requirements also means taking full advantage of the latest hardware and that's precisely what SC2 will be doing.
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
Is it worth upgrading from 8800GT in sli to gtx 275 in sli?
Masta_Killah
Member
Need suggestions for a side/slight upgrade for a pc with an intel dual core e4500 and ati x1950pro. Not looking to spend more then $100-120 total.
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
Masta_Killah said:
What do you use your computer for? How much ram do you have?
Masta_Killah
Member
Zaraki_Kenpachi said:
Mostly gaming. I don't really play anything taxing, just graphical games on par with the 360. I have 4GB of ram. Planning to do a complete overhaul in a year or two, but until then, I just need something that will allow me to continue gaming.
brain_stew
Member
Masta_Killah said:
Buy a $20 cooler and OC to 3ghz+
Buy a 4770 and job done.
Edit:
Buy these:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835200024
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150369
Every game should then perform pretty damn decently once you've performed that piss easy OC.
ChoklitReign
Member
Why the hell would you buy two 275s? Just get a 5870 if you have that much cash. And yes, of course it would be a big upgrade.Zaraki_Kenpachi said:
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
Masta_Killah said:
If that's the case definitely do what brain_stew said.
brain_stew
Member
ChoklitReign said:
Even a 5850 would suffice.
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
ChoklitReign said:
Because it's slightly cheaper for two of those than one 5870...
brain_stew said:
Is there something that bad with the gtx 275?
Also, does anyone know the sli requirements for the gtx 275? I can't find them online.
Masta_Killah
Member
brain_stew said:
My cpu cant go past 2.4 for some reason. When I first had it, I was able to oc it to 2.9 without any hitches. After a few months though I started to blue screen. I bought a fan and tried again but it no longer wants to run stable pass 2.4.
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
Masta_Killah said:
Did you know what you were doing when you were overclocking? Maybe the voltage was too low, etc.?
Masta_Killah
Member
Zaraki_Kenpachi said:
Not really. It was my first time overclocking(and building a pc), so I was using online guides/forums. I left the voltage on auto according to a guide I was using. Would that be the reason why I can't oc it pass a certain speed? Is the cpu fucked, or is it still salvageable?
Rodney McKay
Member
Wow, thanks for the quick replies everyone!
The $200 version of windows is the retail box price for Windows 7. The reason I don't think I can get the $30 dollar student upgrade is that I'm building the computer from scratch and I don't have a copy of XP or Vista to upgrade up from. Am I wrong about this? This is the first time I've done a project like this.
Is an OEM version of 7 a good way to go? I'm just worried that if I tinker around with the system in the future that it won't be good for another install or something like that.
I'll definitely check out that DDR3 motherboard and that PSU brain_stew, thanks for that. Would a SAPPHIRE 100284L Radeon HD 5750 1GB at $145 be a better choice for the graphics card?
The $200 version of windows is the retail box price for Windows 7. The reason I don't think I can get the $30 dollar student upgrade is that I'm building the computer from scratch and I don't have a copy of XP or Vista to upgrade up from. Am I wrong about this? This is the first time I've done a project like this.
Is an OEM version of 7 a good way to go? I'm just worried that if I tinker around with the system in the future that it won't be good for another install or something like that.
I'll definitely check out that DDR3 motherboard and that PSU brain_stew, thanks for that. Would a SAPPHIRE 100284L Radeon HD 5750 1GB at $145 be a better choice for the graphics card?
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
Masta_Killah said:
Depends... I would overclock but do it right this time. Don't put the voltage on auto, do the stress tests and watch the temps to make sure you're not damaging it and to see if it's already damaged.
Masta_Killah
Member
Zaraki_Kenpachi said:
cool thnx. I'll give it a try this weekend and see where it takes me.
Masta_Killah
Member
Rodney McKay said:
Yup. Best way imo since you're building a custom.
Rodney McKay said:
The OEM of windows 7 is the way to go. If you need to reinstall, all you have to do is call an automated activation line and read off an activation key, takes like 2 minutes. Also, MS may have changed their policy on this as last time I reinstalled vista using my OEM copy it activated automatically with no problem.
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
Rodney McKay said:
I've never had a problem with it, you should be fine with the OEM.
Argh, I don't know if I should buy the two gtx 275s for not...
brain_stew
Member
Rodney McKay said:
You can use that $30 student copy on a fresh box, see the link I gave you. I'd recommend paying to get the disc mailed to you you though.
brain_stew
Member
Zaraki_Kenpachi said:
I'd say its an unspeakably terrible use of funds, but its not my money, so do as you wish. If you don't want an ATI card then wait for Fermi.
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
brain_stew said:
Why do you think it would be a bad use of funds if I can get two for cheaper than a 5870? It seems like sli has a good chunk better benchmarks than a 5870 also.
SapientWolf
Trucker Sexologist
The performance for SLI can be uneven, and the power requirements and heat dissipation can be a little ridiculous. Benchmarks don't account for things like micro-stuttering and tearing.Zaraki_Kenpachi said:
brain_stew said:
I apologize. Perhaps I spoke too soon, am an asshole, etc.
Could you source that Blizzard has stated this, though? The recommended specs I have seen don't seem to suggest that the game will be extremely demanding on graphics cards released within a year or so, and "some of the hardest on a GPU around" is quite surprising. Fairly disheartening, as well, because the high-definition in-game footage I have seen, while quite sharp and well-animated, does not seem to have the technical graphics quality of something like Crysis. In fact, if Starcraft 2 is comparably hard on my hardware to Crysis, I would be somewhat disappointed based on its appearance even in cooked promotional materials. :/
dustytruly
Member
my friend is thinking of getting this hp computer... stats are:
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Quad processor Q8300 [2.5GHz, 4MB L2, 1333MHz FSB]
6GB DDR3-1066MHz SDRAM [3 DIMMs]
FREE UPGRADE! 640GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive from 500GB
512MB ATI Radeon HD 4350
for $500....
he just wants to be able to play games and surf the net etc...
is this a decent unit?
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Quad processor Q8300 [2.5GHz, 4MB L2, 1333MHz FSB]
6GB DDR3-1066MHz SDRAM [3 DIMMs]
FREE UPGRADE! 640GB 7200 rpm SATA 3Gb/s hard drive from 500GB
512MB ATI Radeon HD 4350
for $500....
he just wants to be able to play games and surf the net etc...
is this a decent unit?
brain_stew
Member
Hawkian said:
Yep:
http://ati.amd.com/developer/siggraph08/chapter05-filion-starcraftii.pdf
They're specifically targetting the 48xx/GTX 2xx generation of cards, and the graphics at max settings will be very impressive, they're using just about every screen space effect in the book. HDR tonemapping, deferred lighting, very high quality SSAO, soft shadows, high quality depth of field, translucent shadows, its a cutting edge engine.
I never meant to come off offensive or anything, apologies if I did. You can't really compare it to Crysis, as you won't see several thousand individual units on screen in any scene in Crysis but Starcraft 2's engine has to handle that and cutscenes with comparable quality to Crysis. Like I said before, the engine is scalable, its also not a major CPU hog, but to get the ax settings out of it, you better believe its going to require one mighty GPU.
Just about done the latest $550 US config, debating over whether to go with a 5770 or the cheaper 4870, probably going to choose the 5770.
brain_stew
Member
dustytruly said:
Can't do that with that rig really, no. Its well priced for what it is but its not suited for gaming at all.
If you want to game, build it for him or order from NCIX and get them to put it together for him for $50. If he's a student he can get a copy of W7 for $30. I'm about to put up a new ~$550 gaming config, might be worth looking out for.
dustytruly
Member
edit: just seen your edit.. i'll definitely look out for it...brain_stew said:
Zaraki_Kenpachi
Member
dustytruly said:
Well, it'd be cheaper to build his own if that's what you're asking.
Edit:
Damn your edit.I did not know there would be real-time in-engine third-person cutscenes in story mode. That changes things considerably, of course.
This, of course, is what I'd expect. I'm not knocking the genre or even saying it's right to compare them. Blizzard games in particular, due to their long development cycles, are, at the time of their release somewhat behind the curve graphical in terms of technical prowess, but the inspired art direction and fucking-unparalleled gameplay tend to make it a non-issue.
It looks like they are bucking that trend this time. I wonder, though, if the videos I have seen have ultimately not been on machines capable of max settings of if all the effects work they are putting into it are really only discernible in person?
minsc said:
This, of course, is what I'd expect. I'm not knocking the genre or even saying it's right to compare them. Blizzard games in particular, due to their long development cycles, are, at the time of their release somewhat behind the curve graphical in terms of technical prowess, but the inspired art direction and fucking-unparalleled gameplay tend to make it a non-issue.
It looks like they are bucking that trend this time. I wonder, though, if the videos I have seen have ultimately not been on machines capable of max settings of if all the effects work they are putting into it are really only discernible in person?
dustytruly
Member
haha thanks, thoughZaraki_Kenpachi said:Well, it'd be cheaper to build his own if that's what you're asking.
Edit:
... i'll see what he has coming up... if nothing else i'll just suggest the econobox to my friend... he kinda seems like he's interested in building his own so we'll see how it goesOnly looking for only gaming improvements. My current cpu a bottleneck
Athlon II X2 250, Phenon II x2 545, Phenom II X2 550
Phenom II X3 720
Athlon II X4 620
Current Specs:
CPU: 7750 @ 3.3
M/B: TA790GX A2+
GPU: XFX 260
RAM: 4 gb 1066
PSU: TX750
All except the 250 hover around $100. Just looking for the best price/performance upgrade. Any help is appreciated. Especially overclocking potential.
Athlon II X2 250, Phenon II x2 545, Phenom II X2 550
Phenom II X3 720
Athlon II X4 620
Current Specs:
CPU: 7750 @ 3.3
M/B: TA790GX A2+
GPU: XFX 260
RAM: 4 gb 1066
PSU: TX750
All except the 250 hover around $100. Just looking for the best price/performance upgrade. Any help is appreciated. Especially overclocking potential.
Dead Prince
Banned
my mobo supports 256, 512, and 1GB DRAM what exactly is that and how to find out what i have?