9 replies to this topic

[Pugnax]

Hello,

I was considering trying to build my first PC sometime in the near future and was hoping to end up with a mid-high end gaming setup that is somewhat cost-efficient. This combo on newegg caught my eye and I've read good reviews:

http://www.newegg.ca...t=Combo.1394998

I've also read that the provided cooling system may not be adequate for high-demand gaming. Can anyone comment on this/give advice for how the cooling system could be augmented?

Thanks a lot!

[Barbaric Soul]

It looks like a good budget system. The 7770 video card would be the bottleneck, but is still adequate for MWO at medium to high settings/1080-1200p. As far as cooling, it only includes the stock heat sink for the CPU. It's fine for running at stock or just a small OC, but you'll need atleast a decent aftermarket heat sink if you want a substantial OC that would provide a noticeable performance increase.

Edited by Barbaric Soul, 25 October 2013 - 04:55 AM.

[Catamount]

That thing will output around 200W in gaming, maybe 250 in an artificial stress test. Cooling is NOT going to be an issue, unless you want to OC, like Barbaric said (and I recommend having the capability for a modest OC at least).

Now, with that said, I would try to put more of the budget into the GPU than that. For $100 more, you could have a GPU (7950, or a 760 for slightly more $$ and performance if you wanted to go Nvidia), and in turn get an entire gaming system, with twice the power.

That $100 will bump you from "budget" territory to mid-higher end territory. If $100 extra is just not doable, then rework the machine to fit the better GPU. In general, you might be able to do better than this list. I'll try to toss something better together.

Edited by Catamount, 25 October 2013 - 05:01 AM.

[Pugnax]

Catamount, on 25 October 2013 - 04:57 AM, said:

That thing will output around 200W in gaming, maybe 250 in an artificial stress test. Cooling is NOT going to be an issue, unless you want to OC, like Barbaric said (and I recommend having the capability for a modest OC at least).

Now, with that said, I would try to put more of the budget into the GPU than that. For $100 more, you could have a GPU (7950, or a 760 for slightly more $$ and performance if you wanted to go Nvidia), and in turn get an entire gaming system, with twice the power.

That $100 will bump you from "budget" territory to mid-higher end territory. If $100 extra is just not doable, then rework the machine to fit the better GPU. In general, you might be able to do better than this list. I'll try to toss something better together.

Yeah, I'm not dead set on that setup or anything. I figured it might be a good choice for a first-time build because I don't have any experience really (besides for small pc upgrades), and it may help me avoid buying incorrectly sized/non-compatible parts.

Barbaric Soul, on 25 October 2013 - 04:54 AM, said:

It looks like a good budget system. The 7770 video card would be the bottleneck, but is still adequate for MWO at medium to high settings/1080-1200p. As far as cooling, it only includes the stock heat sink for the CPU. It's fine for running at stock or just a small OC, but you'll need atleast a decent aftermarket heat sink if you want a substantial OC that would provide a noticeable performance increase.

I'm glad you pointed out that bottleneck as well, I was wondering what would be the limiting factor.

Edited by Pugnax, 25 October 2013 - 05:13 AM.

[Catamount]

Pugnax, on 25 October 2013 - 05:11 AM, said:

Yeah, I'm not dead set on that setup or anything. I figured it might be a good choice for a first-time build because I don't have any experience really (besides for small pc upgrades), and it may help me avoid buying incorrectly sized/non-compatible parts.

I'm glad you pointed out the bottleneck as well, I was wondering what would be the limiting factor.

Well let's start with a budget. What would like to spend ideally, and what can you stretch to? Usually a good build will land somewhere between those numbers.

I'm trying to piece together a build, but it's definitely going to take work. Combo deals are good deals, they just strap you with non-ideal parts. Like that PSU, Rosewill PSUs are mostly pretty good, but the Stallion series is priced in that red flag zone that makes me think it's probably not a good unit ($50-$60 is a fine price range, but not for a 700W PSU, so corners were cut somewhere). For the same price, you can get a Rosewill Green Series 530W or 630W. The case is also WAY too much of the build, cost-wise. It's things like that.

So searching for deals on individual parts can sometimes put you in a better spot.

[Pugnax]

Catamount, on 25 October 2013 - 05:17 AM, said:

Well let's start with a budget. What would like to spend ideally, and what can you stretch to? Usually a good build will land somewhere between those numbers.

I'm trying to piece together a build, but it's definitely going to take work. Combo deals are good deals, they just strap you with non-ideal parts. Like that PSU, Rosewill PSUs are mostly pretty good, but the Stallion series is priced in that red flag zone that makes me think it's probably not a good unit ($50-$60 is a fine price range, but not for a 700W PSU, so corners were cut somewhere). For the same price, you can get a Rosewill Green Series 530W or 630W. The case is also WAY too much of the build, cost-wise. It's things like that.

So searching for deals on individual parts can sometimes put you in a better spot.

Ideally being within $700 would be preferable. I also would definitely do research on those individual parts before buying. Right now I'm in the "gaining general knowledge" phase of this process, so all of this feedback is awesome.

[Catamount]

Here's just an idea of the kind of build you want to shoot for.

http://www.newegg.ca...N82E16811147170

http://www.newegg.ca...N82E16817182200

http://www.newegg.ca...N82E16813157364

http://www.newegg.ca...N82E16819113284

http://www.newegg.ca...N82E16814127737

http://www.newegg.ca...N82E16820220738

http://www.newegg.ca...N82E16827151266

http://www.newegg.ca...N82E16822148767


Now that's $822 to start (plus shipping, of course), however, there is a $32 promo code on the CPU (CA72HR10255), and $40 in mail-in rebates, so after that it's $750.

Now again, that's not in any way a final build. That's just a quick toss-together to give an idea. The promo code will expire soon, and better deals probably are out there to push that down if you look over the combos, and other stores like Amazon CA and NCIX.


Also, can you buy immediately, or are you just browsing for a purchase down the road?

Edited by Catamount, 25 October 2013 - 05:28 AM.

[Pugnax]

I'm definitely not buying immediately, I'm in the middle of a college semester so time and money are limiting. When I get some free time (after this semester) I plan on starting this project, it seems like a fun thing to do and also a way to ensure you're getting what you pay for in a PC purchase.

That being said the list you just put together looks very good! I would love to build a pc like that. It's amazing how good of a build you can put together yourself compared to say buying a Dell or something haha.

[Catamount]

Yep, and it is fun. You'll need to buy an OS, too, if you can't, erm, "acquire" one on your own.

Just let us know when you're ready to build and we'll help spot out some deals.

[Narcissistic Martyr]

$800 including OS