64 replies to this topic

[Vulpesveritas]

bawchicawawa, on 11 March 2012 - 03:24 AM, said:

Get a 7870.
http://www.tomshardw...hmark,3148.html

Good advice. A 7850 beats a GTX 560ti 448 as well.


And here is an XFX card with a (true) lifetime warranty available (you just have to register the card online within 90 days of purchase, otherwise it is 3 years) for the same price as that Zotac card, which overclocks rather highly (it's on 7870 PCB, so has a lot more voltage that can be put into it.) http://www.newegg.ca...N82E16814150609

[Zakatak]

If a GTX 570 gets 46.2 FPS on BF3 (1920x1200) and the Ti-448 is only 6% off, then perfect! I play on a small desk, and I'm getting a 1440x900 monitor, and will likely be using 2xAA, so I'm plenty good for frames. I'll never need more then 60FPS, honestly, so long as it is more then 40FPS for multiplayer.

Replaced the Antec "Earthwatts" for a Corsair 650W, which is probably just as efficient, but without the "green" sales trick. Swapped the Seagate for a Western Digital. The listed price is 1055$, which is within my 1200$ budget (taking Cata's advice here).

Just realized I don't have a disk drive... probably won't need one anyway. Everything is done online now anyway.

Edited by Zakatak, 03 May 2012 - 01:47 PM.

[Vulpesveritas]

Zakatak, on 03 May 2012 - 01:45 PM, said:

If a GTX 570 gets 46.2 FPS on BF3 (1920x1200) and the Ti-448 is only 6% off, then perfect! I play on a small desk, and I'm getting a 1440x900 monitor, and will likely be using 2xAA, so I'm plenty good for frames. I'll never need more then 60FPS, honestly, so long as it is more then 40FPS for multiplayer.

Replaced the Antec "Earthwatts" for a Corsair 650W, which is probably just as efficient, but without the "green" sales trick. Swapped the Seagate for a Western Digital. The listed price is 1055$, which is within my 1200$ budget (taking Cata's advice here).

Just realized I don't have a disk drive... probably won't need one anyway. Everything is done online now anyway.

A rosewill capstone PSU is still going to be a better deal, they're 80+ gold certified, so they're very power efficient, and they have a 5 year warranty (they use superflower internals like Kingwinn). And for the price, you're getting the same framerates, consuming less power, and a lifetime warranty with an XFX 7850. so eh.

And you will probably want a disk drive just in case.

Edited by Vulpesveritas, 03 May 2012 - 02:13 PM.

[Zakatak]

I forgot to include these.

What should I get for a soundcard and disk drive? I use cheap gaming headphones almost all the time, so if you only need an expensive soundcard for speakers, don't bother. I will be using the disk drive very very little. So long as it is 7200RPM and doesn't break instantly, that is enough.

[Vulpesveritas]

Zakatak, on 15 May 2012 - 04:02 PM, said:

I forgot to include these.

What should I get for a soundcard and disk drive? I use cheap gaming headphones almost all the time, so if you only need an expensive soundcard for speakers, don't bother. I will be using the disk drive very very little. So long as it is 7200RPM and doesn't break instantly, that is enough.

What's on your motherboard is more than good enough for anyone but an audiophile.
HDD wise I recommend a Western Digital RE4 1TB.

[Zakatak]

I've decided to just buy everything I need on NewEgg, here is the final list.

• CORSAIR Enthusiast TX650 V2
  
• ASUS LX LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI 6.0Gb/s USB 3.0
  
• Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500Gb 6.0Gb/s 7200RPM
  
• EVGA GTX 560Ti 448 Core Classified Ultra
  
• G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8Gb 240-Pin DDR3
  
• Intel i5-2500k 3.7GHZ
  
• COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 120mm
  
• Thermaltake V3 Black Edition
  
• Windows 7 64-bit Home Premium
  
• Microsoft Sidewinder X4 Wired
  
• ASUS 24x DVD Burner OEM
  
• CyberPower 2400 Joule Protection

The reviews on that graphics card average out to 4.94/5.00 across 67 ratings. It's basically a 290$ GTX 580 when you overclock it. The ZOTAC comes with BF3, but I probably wouldn't enjoy that game anyway when I have MWO, MWLL, Skyrim, and ARMA II to play with.

The price for everything before shipping and taxes is 1240$. I know the thread says "1000$ PC", but that is just the PC part of the equation. This is everything I could need. Approve?

Edited by Zakatak, 19 May 2012 - 09:33 PM.

[ice trey]

Well, I bought myself one of these for christmas this past year, in hopes that it would have enough power to run Mechwarrior Online, as well as to let me take a stab at many games I'd missed out on for the past four years.

http://www.asus.com/Notebooks/Gaming_Powerhouse/G73SW/#overview

I can't imagine it's anything near the power of those water-cooled towers with LEDs inside that real gaming PCs have, but I needed a computer that could potentially be brought with me to Japan, and was growing impatient with my now-ancient Inspiron Dell laptop my father had bought me with a condescending "This is not for games" and a wag of the finger.

[Zakatak]

ice trey, on 19 May 2012 - 09:29 PM, said:

Well, I bought myself one of these for christmas this past year, in hopes that it would have enough power to run Mechwarrior Online, as well as to let me take a stab at many games I'd missed out on for the past four years.

http://www.asus.com/...G73SW/#overview


I can't imagine it's anything near the power of those water-cooled towers with LEDs inside that real gaming PCs have, but I needed a computer that could potentially be brought with me to Japan, and was growing impatient with my now-ancient Inspiron Dell laptop my father had bought me with a condescending "This is not for games" and a wag of the finger.

CryEngine 3 is well optimized. Don't expect to be posting "MWO MAXED OUT 1900x1200 16xAA!" videos on Youtube. I suspect you'll get 30FPS or so on High settings and 4xAA, which should be good enough for slow paced mech sim.

[Joe Davion 86]

I got win7 Pro x64 for free from school >.> M$ Dream academy or something to that effect

my next build will be
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813138352 Mobo
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814130625 GPU
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817139020 PSU
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819116501 CPU if your gonna go go all out newest i7 ivybridge
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820145345 RAM
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822136284 HDD
This is my case that i already have. I think it has the most reviews on NewEgg...over 5000!!!
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811129021

even if i got a 2nd case (which I might the VA owes me a year of school benefits) its still be less than $1000

Edited by Joe Davion 86, 19 May 2012 - 10:20 PM.

[Vulpesveritas]

Joe Davion 86, on 19 May 2012 - 09:57 PM, said:

I got win7 Pro x64 for free from school >.> M$ Dream academy or something to that effect

my next build will be
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813138352 Mobo
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814130625 GPU
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817139020 PSU
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819116506 CPU - Ivy bridge for less than a sandy bridge
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820145345 RAM
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822136284 HDD
This is my case that i already have. I think it has the most reviews on NewEgg...over 5000!!!
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811129021

if I may recommend;
HDD: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822136798 Just as fast but more reliable. Sata II vs III doesn't really matter unless you're running an SSD.
RAM: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820103008 Faster, cheaper, low profile so no heatsink interference, and double quality control checks (Patriot then AMD) with a lifetime warranty, plus manufactured in USA by Patriot with extruded aluminum heatsinks.
GPU: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814102967 faster in every game, better GPGPU, less power consumption, trades blows with the GTX 560. The only downside is no PhysX, which very few games use.


(the 550ti performs within 2% of the 7750 in most games, giving the 7770 a distinct advantage.)

Motherboard: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813157304 AsRock quality, not made at foxconn, Xfast USB for a 20-30% faster data transfer rate on USB 2.0 and 3.0, same price. Solid capacitor design for better reliability.

Just my recommendations. You can get more for your dollar in my opinion.

Edited by Vulpesveritas, 19 May 2012 - 10:15 PM.

[ChalybsUmbra]

Man I am late to this, but maybe you'll read this. I'm selling my Asus G73sw right now for half the price I got it at before, which was ~$1400. Here's the model: http://www.amazon.co...37494848&sr=8-3

I'm selling it for $700. If you're interested. Hardware is untouched, no overclocking on the GPU, there's a light scratch on the hood which came with it, and track pad has always been a little strange. I'll even use compressed air to clean out all dust before shipping.

[Joe Davion 86]

when building i tend to look at reviews to see what other people have to say. hence why i edited my post a lil bit, and opted for a faster processor. plus i dont really want the latest and greatest GPU, the 550ti will satisfy my needs for pretty for a couple of years (plus i'm secretly an Nvidia g-man not really i just prefer them.) as for RAM i've never had any problems with corsair (been running 4GB of XMS2 for 4 years) and the vengence is cheaper and in stock unlike the AMD lol plus not sure that the AMD is actually faster...? anyways as far as HDD its got a 5 year warranty if it dies.

[Vulpesveritas]

Joe Davion 86, on 19 May 2012 - 10:34 PM, said:

when building i tend to look at reviews to see what other people have to say. hence why i edited my post a lil bit, and opted for a faster processor. plus i dont really want the latest and greatest GPU, the 550ti will satisfy my needs for pretty for a couple of years (plus i'm secretly an Nvidia g-man not really i just prefer them.) as for RAM i've never had any problems with corsair (been running 4GB of XMS2 for 4 years) and the vengence is cheaper and in stock unlike the AMD lol plus not sure that the AMD is actually faster...? anyways as far as HDD its got a 5 year warranty if it dies.

Well, you'll save $5 with the RE4 drive, the AMD RAM is Cas 8 vs Cas 9 ddr3-1600mhz (which means that the AMD RAM is about as fast as DDR3-1866mhz CAS 9. And as stated, two rounds of quality control and US made... and GPU wise you're really cutting away at what you can get for your price, given that you'll get a faster, cooler, quieter, and more power efficient card for the same price. And if I may ask, what is the basis on your preference for Nvidia? The AMD RAM will be back in stock soon enough.
Also, for gaming I recommend going down for an i5 or going AMD, and getting a better GPU.
If you're looking for your system to last I recommend going for an i5 or going AMD and getting a better motherboard.
Biostar motherboards don't exactly have the best durability... so yeah. AsRock is Pegatron's house brand, and they're one of the few non-foxconn (you've heard of them, right?) PCB makers out there.

Zakatak, on 19 May 2012 - 09:22 PM, said:

I've decided to just buy everything I need on NewEgg, here is the final list.

• CORSAIR Enthusiast TX650 V2
  
• ASUS LX LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI 6.0Gb/s USB 3.0
  
• Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500Gb 6.0Gb/s 7200RPM
  
• EVGA GTX 560Ti 448 Core Classified Ultra
  
• G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8Gb 240-Pin DDR3
  
• Intel i5-2500k 3.7GHZ
  
• COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 120mm
  
• Thermaltake V3 Black Edition
  
• Windows 7 64-bit Home Premium
  
• Microsoft Sidewinder X4 Wired
  
• ASUS 24x DVD Burner OEM
  
• CyberPower 2400 Joule Protection

The reviews on that graphics card average out to 4.94/5.00 across 67 ratings. It's basically a 290$ GTX 580 when you overclock it. The ZOTAC comes with BF3, but I probably wouldn't enjoy that game anyway when I have MWO, MWLL, Skyrim, and ARMA II to play with.



The price for everything before shipping and taxes is 1240$. I know the thread says "1000$ PC", but that is just the PC part of the equation. This is everything I could need. Approve?

If I might make some suggestions if I'm not too late...
1. I still would recommend getting a 78xx series, as you're going to get better frames per second with lower power consumption. I do understand you prefer Nvidia's GPU interface over catalyst... but do you really access it that much to where you'll pay to get less out of your card just for a user interface I would think you would only rarely access? Unless you have other reasons I'm unaware of... anyhow.
Same price as what you chose: http://www.newegg.ca...N82E16814150609
If you stay Nvidia, I recommend putting just a bit more money in and getting this; http://www.newegg.ca...N82E16814130622
2. RAM: I do recommend the AMD RAM, As stated above, manufactured by Patriot in the USA, faster, lifetime warranty, double quality control check, low profile heatsinks so you don't have to worry about any aftermarket coolers having issues.
3. Case: The following have better cooling capabilities for the same price or less;
http://www.newegg.ca...uter%20CS1202BK (Logysis is the North american distributor for Deepcool. )
And cases are cases, NZXT have great cooling and cable management, and have refurbished cases on sale; http://store.nzxt.co...tegory_s/36.htm
Since they're not your electronics, I'd recommend considering one of their cases. All of the ones available there have better cooling than that thermaltake case as well.
4. You'll get a bit more bang for your buck motherboard-wise with AsRock: http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813157271

Edited by Vulpesveritas, 19 May 2012 - 11:28 PM.

[Oderint dum Metuant]

Vulpesveritas, on 19 May 2012 - 11:00 PM, said:

Well, you'll save $5 with the RE4 drive, the AMD RAM is Cas 8 vs Cas 9 ddr3-1600mhz (which means that the AMD RAM is about as fast as DDR3-1866mhz CAS 9. And as stated, two rounds of quality control and US made... and GPU wise you're really cutting away at what you can get for your price, given that you'll get a faster, cooler, quieter, and more power efficient card for the same price. And if I may ask, what is the basis on your preference for Nvidia? The AMD RAM will be back in stock soon enough.
Also, for gaming I recommend going down for an i5 or going AMD, and getting a better GPU.
If you're looking for your system to last I recommend going for an i5 or going AMD and getting a better motherboard.
Biostar motherboards don't exactly have the best durability... so yeah. AsRock is Pegatron's house brand, and they're one of the few non-foxconn (you've heard of them, right?) PCB makers out there.

Agree on the i5 aspect save yourself some money, the i7 is pointless for gaming.
Disagree on the ram aspect, the Corsair is cheaper and there will be 0 noticeable difference to and end user.
GPU the 7770 is definitely better than that 550Ti

Motherboard is ok, Wheres the proof on Biostar vulp? i have owned 3 Biostar boards in the past not a single failure they have run perfectly for years, and usually have decent features at their price points.

That said Joe Davion for less than 1k and you already have a case i think this system will work better for you long term.

Mobo
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16813157271

CPU
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16819115072 (Will allow for Overclocking in its later lifetime)

PSU
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817139020

RAM
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16820231314

HDD
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16822136798

GPU
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814127662

Edited by DV^McKenna, 19 May 2012 - 11:45 PM.

[Vulpesveritas]

DV^McKenna, on 19 May 2012 - 11:27 PM, said:

Agree on the i5 aspect save yourself some money, the i7 is pointless for gaming.
Disagree on the ram aspect, the Corsair is cheaper and there will be 0 noticeable difference to and end user.
GPU the 7770 is definitely better than that 550Ti

Motherboard is ok, Wheres the proof on Biostar vulp? i have owned 3 Biostar boards in the past not a single failure they have run perfectly for years, and usually have decent features at their price points.

Biostar is made by Foxconn. I haven't heard much good of Biostar motherboards, you get a few more things with AsRock (which is made by Pegatron, which doesn't have nearly as many ethical issues)

[Joe Davion 86]

well my current MOBO is an XFX nvidia 680iLt 775 socket (yes i know so old lol) but its also made for Nvidia cards. as for the preference i've just always had an Nvidia in my machines, back when Radeon didn't have the best drivers (winXP) and i've just kinda stuck by them...never bought the latest and greatest card as I've never had the money for it. TBH if i could i would just keep my board and CPU (Q6600 intel core2 quad 1st Gen) as i've never had any issues out of either of them. BUt i dont think my poor old Q6600 is up to the task of MW:O and newer games. plus I'm close to maxxing out the RAM, it can only handle 8GB total its at 6 and its slow old 800 speed. THen again my current PC (some components) is 4 years old and can still play skyrim (with texture pack) at around 45ish fps.

EDIT: didn't know biostar was made by foxxcon...for ethical reasons i have switched to an ASrock board but just not the one you linked...too few reviews for me plus i like full ATX boards...more space for components and my not so ladylike fingers >.>

Edited by Joe Davion 86, 19 May 2012 - 11:49 PM.

[Vulpesveritas]

Joe Davion 86, on 19 May 2012 - 11:44 PM, said:

well my current MOBO is an XFX nvidia 680iLt 775 socket (yes i know so old lol) but its also made for Nvidia cards. as for the preference i've just always had an Nvidia in my machines, back when Radeon didn't have the best drivers (winXP) and i've just kinda stuck by them...never bought the latest and greatest card as I've never had the money for it. TBH if i could i would just keep my board and CPU (Q6600 intel core2 quad 1st Gen) as i've never had any issues out of either of them. BUt i dont think my poor old Q6600 is up to the task of MW:O and newer games. plus I'm close to maxxing out the RAM, it can only handle 8GB total its at 6 and its slow old 800 speed. THen again my current PC (some components) is 4 years old and can still play skyrim (with texture pack) at around 45ish fps.

Well you can still run an AMD GPU, you'd just have to erase your old drivers and you couldn't Xfire. And things have changed for Radeon since AMD acquired ATI. Nvidia doesn't always have the best drivers either... take a look at what happened with the release drivers for the 590 for example.
Your CPU is fine though. Games aren't CPU-heavy anymore for the most part. 8GB is the current maximum to recommend for gaming at this time as well.

[Oderint dum Metuant]

Vulpesveritas, on 19 May 2012 - 11:37 PM, said:

Biostar is made by Foxconn. I haven't heard much good of Biostar motherboards, you get a few more things with AsRock (which is made by Pegatron, which doesn't have nearly as many ethical issues)

Fair enough, but is there anything technical that points to Biostar boards being crap or just personal experience?, Can't fault you on the choice of AsRock though alot of their boards pack alot for their price point.

[Vulpesveritas]

DV^McKenna, on 19 May 2012 - 11:52 PM, said:

Fair enough, but is there anything technical that points to Biostar boards being crap or just personal experience?, Can't fault you on the choice of AsRock though alot of their boards pack alot for their price point.

Personal experience no, (I've personally never used them based on other's reviews) And mainly I've heard that they don't last by others. That, and I've heard a lot of complaints of BIOS issues.

[Joe Davion 86]

hmmm...well either way i've stepped down off the ivybridge horse for now...only the z77 chipsets can handle the new ivybridges and they have a higher price tag. going with a i5-2500 (i dont need to overclock) and a ASrock extreme3Gen3

which after all the shipping will be about $750 USD (not couting rebates)

Edited by Joe Davion 86, 20 May 2012 - 12:16 AM.