I see a couple areas you can cut back on, @tisanian. That PSU is overkill, where you can snake by with a ~500W unit. 8GB is the most you'll need to game for a while. Buy 2x4GB sticks now, and buy more 4GB sticks if you really really need it latter. Finally I am pretty sure you don't need to buy a sound card unless you have an expensive audio system.
Thanks! That advice is definitely appreciated, I wasn't sure too sure about needing the sound card or 1000W.
@emp123 I saw the deals Microcenter is having, it's unfortunately going to be another month of longing before I actually get to buy it, appreciate you looking though!
I'm considering upgrading from my i3 to an i7 or i5. Looking for some thoughts on this build.
The aim is to have a decent gaming rig within £800 (preferably less) using some existing parts. Not really into overclocking or SLI/Cross Fire. In future I plan to use it for video editing projects but nothing professional. Going from the old machine into the new machine are:
120GB OCZ Vertex SSD
2x 2TB WD Cavier Black HDDs
Asus Xonar DX PCI Express Sound Card
Does anyone have the stock cooler on the i5 3570k? Is it fairly quiet? Loud fan noise drives me insane. I'm also concerned about the PSU. Will a 600W PSU be enough? This will be the first system I've built in years. I'd usually go for a prebuilt system to save hassle but we're trying to save some cash on it. Essentially I'm kinda out of the loop.
I'm considering upgrading from my i3 to an i7 or i5. Looking for some thoughts on this build.
The aim is to have a decent gaming rig within £800 (preferably less) using some existing parts. Not really into overclocking or SLI/Cross Fire. In future I plan to use it for video editing projects but nothing professional. Going from the old machine into the new machine are:
120GB OCZ Vertex SSD
2x 2TB WD Cavier Black HDDs
Asus Xonar DX PCI Express Sound Card
Does anyone have the stock cooler on the i5 3570k? Is it fairly quiet? Loud fan noise drives me insane. I'm also concerned about the PSU. Will a 600W PSU be enough? This will be the first system I've built in years. I'd usually go for a prebuilt system to save hassle but we're trying to save some cash on it. Essentially I'm kinda out of the loop.
Cheers
Looks good to me. The Raider is probably bigger than you need to go. An alternate, Micro-ATX build for your perusal:
And then everything else is the same. It'll have a much smaller footprint, the PSU is fully modular (I'd go with it either way, 600W is more than you'll need) and I'm of the opinion that it'll look better than the Raider.
I want to make a somewhat "green", low power PC. I think that the Radeon HD 7750 is currently the best/newest card that doesn't need an external power connection, but I'm wondering if any of you guys know what the actual difference in power between that and whatever the next step up would be.
Also, you don't need anywhere near that much power. If you haven't already bought the TX750, go with something in the 520-550W range, that's more than enough for a 6870.
Even for Crossfiring? That is what I would like the system to be capable of.
"Get the hell out of me" - [ex]girlfriend
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AlectharAlan ShoreWe're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered Userregular
Also, you don't need anywhere near that much power. If you haven't already bought the TX750, go with something in the 520-550W range, that's more than enough for a 6870.
Even for Crossfiring? That is what I would like the system to be capable of.
Yeah, I didn't realize you were crossfiring. 750W is fine.
And then everything else is the same. It'll have a much smaller footprint, the PSU is fully modular (I'd go with it either way, 600W is more than you'll need) and I'm of the opinion that it'll look better than the Raider.
Thanks for the advice. I've made a few modifications to the build but I wasn't too keen on the case. Decided to go with the BitFenix Shinobi and the Silverstone modular PSU. I also changed the Blue Ray drive to a writer for backups of video and music. The rest is the same.
I didnt search very hard so maybe theres a proper thread for this, but does anyone have a recommendation on a good router? Im currently using a WRT54G from like 2003 and I think its dying. Itll drop connection every once in a while and I'll have to do the whole unplug-wait-plug in thing.
I guess its about time to upgrade to Wireless-N anyway.
Id like to spend under $100, and I'll probably want to stay with Linksys (when I get around to it the router will be plugged into a Linksys 16 port switch so I assume a Linksys-Linksys network will be easier to manage).
@Emp123 The Asus RT-N56U is a fantastic router, but if you really want to cut costs, the Linksys e3200 is solid
Also, you don't need anywhere near that much power. If you haven't already bought the TX750, go with something in the 520-550W range, that's more than enough for a 6870.
Even for Crossfiring? That is what I would like the system to be capable of.
I ran 2 6870 on crossfire for a 1-1/2 years with a 750W suppy. You wont have any problems.
Steam - Synthetic Violence | XBOX Live - Cannonfuse | PSN - CastleBravo | Twitch - SoggybiscuitPA
I'm looking into getting a budget gaming PC, my budget is around £300 and I don't need a hard drive as I can use my 2TB 2nd drive from my old PC.
So far (using novatech.co.uk) I have...
CPU - i3-2120 3.3GHz
Mobo - Gigabyte GA-H61M-S2PV
RAM - 2x 4GB Corsair DDR3 1333MHz
GPU - AMD Radeon HD 6850 1GB (these are better than 7770's, right?..what's a similar NVidia card, it may be cheaper?)
PSU - Coolermaster GX Lite 500W (I have a Seasonic 500W in my old PC which I'm assuming is better? I can swap that to the new build)
Case - Generic ATX case w/2x120mm fans
..and a SATA DVD-RW
Total cost. £326
Any suggestions on better components for my price range or am I pretty much bang on for my budget? I'd like an i5 CPU but it'll be stretching my budget too far...
My current rig is an AMD 64X2 5000+, 4GB DDR2, HD 3850...is this upgrade worth the $$$?
I didnt search very hard so maybe theres a proper thread for this, but does anyone have a recommendation on a good router? Im currently using a WRT54G from like 2003 and I think its dying. Itll drop connection every once in a while and I'll have to do the whole unplug-wait-plug in thing.
I guess its about time to upgrade to Wireless-N anyway.
Id like to spend under $100, and I'll probably want to stay with Linksys (when I get around to it the router will be plugged into a Linksys 16 port switch so I assume a Linksys-Linksys network will be easier to manage).
@Emp123 The Asus RT-N56U is a fantastic router, but if you really want to cut costs, the Linksys e3200 is solid
Too late, its already in the mail! Well, I guess it ships out tomorrow but whatever. $75 after MIR so the prices are about the same
I'm looking into getting a budget gaming PC, my budget is around £300 and I don't need a hard drive as I can use my 2TB 2nd drive from my old PC.
So far (using novatech.co.uk) I have...
CPU - i3-2120 3.3GHz
Mobo - Gigabyte GA-H61M-S2PV
RAM - 2x 4GB Corsair DDR3 1333MHz
GPU - AMD Radeon HD 6850 1GB (these are better than 7770's, right?..what's a similar NVidia card, it may be cheaper?)
PSU - Coolermaster GX Lite 500W (I have a Seasonic 500W in my old PC which I'm assuming is better? I can swap that to the new build)
Case - Generic ATX case w/2x120mm fans
..and a SATA DVD-RW
Total cost. £326
Any suggestions on better components for my price range or am I pretty much bang on for my budget? I'd like an i5 CPU but it'll be stretching my budget too far...
My current rig is an AMD 64X2 5000+, 4GB DDR2, HD 3850...is this upgrade worth the $$$?
I think the 6850 is going to be the best bang for your buck, its better than the 7770, and the closest Nvidia cards are the 550ti and the 560 (non ti). While the 550ti is around the same price, it doesnt perform as well, and the 560 is more expensive.
Just pair with your ~$250.00 video card of choice, I'd recommend the 7850 (or the 660 Ti, if it comes in around there).
So, do mini ITX boards only come with a PCI express slot? I use a wireless card in my PC so I may just have to upgrade to a larger board if thats the case.
Yeah, with my HTPC I decided to go integrated graphics and use the PCI slot on my capture card. For an ITX gaming rig, you'll have to use the lone slot on a graphics card, then if you need amenities like wifi then go with USB. I suppose that's a feature you could theoretically find integrated on the mobo, but I don't know if there are ITX boards that have it.
Can anyone recommend a decent board for micro-ATX going off of Alecthar's build he posted for me? Changing the case up to the TJ08-E, but everything else is the same.
Also, you don't need anywhere near that much power. If you haven't already bought the TX750, go with something in the 520-550W range, that's more than enough for a 6870.
Even for Crossfiring? That is what I would like the system to be capable of.
I ran 2 6870 on crossfire for a 1-1/2 years with a 750W suppy. You wont have any problems.
Pfft, I run two 6950's on a 650w PSU. He won't have any problems.
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AlectharAlan ShoreWe're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered Userregular
Can anyone recommend a decent board for micro-ATX going off of Alecthar's build he posted for me? Changing the case up to the TJ08-E, but everything else is the same.
This ASRock board is solid. Also note that, if you want the absolute most fanciness you can get out of the board (PCI-E 3.0) you'll want to go with this instead of the i5-2310. The 3470 is Ivy Bridge, and is clocked higher, so it'll be better performing, and you'll get the Ivy Bridge bells and whistles, but I don't know that it's $20 worth of better performance and whistles. Just giving you the option there. The motherboard will work with either CPU.
Also, get a standard DVD Burner, if you don't already have one. The one there is a slim version for the shuttle-style case.
A lot of games recommend a quad core? Say what? Or do you mean "in the future"? Because they really aren't now.
Not that I'm trying to dissuade you. It's not like quad cores are extravagant. They're pretty much the standard, in my book. I just don't think of it in terms of games.
minor incidentexpert in a dying fieldnjRegistered Userregular
Suggestion time! I haven't been keeping up on the SSD market too much, but I find myself in need of a 256gb drive. Assuming the same price point (about $140 at Microcenter, after a coupon), which would be the best buy between:
OCZ Vertex 4
Sandisk Extreme
Crucial m4
Everything looks beautiful when you're young and pretty
0
AlectharAlan ShoreWe're not territorial about that sort of thing, are we?Registered Userregular
Suggestion time! I haven't been keeping up on the SSD market too much, but I find myself in need of a 256gb drive. Assuming the same price point (about $140 at Microcenter, after a coupon), which would be the best buy between:
OCZ Vertex 4
Sandisk Extreme
Crucial m4
Finally taking a break from selling cupcakes that destroy 'Murica, I see.
Vertex 4 has the advantage in writes, Crucial M4 has the advantage in some reads, particularly smaller sequential reads. As far as I know the Sandisk Extreme is Sandforce based, so generally worse performance with incompressible data.
WearingglassesOf the friendly neighborhood varietyRegistered Userregular
Quick question:
Is there any compelling reason to go Repeater over WLAN card if the router's in the 1st floor and the computer's in the 2nd floor, assuming setup is the primary criteria?
I do not know how to set up a repeater, they're more expensive than WLAN cards, and I am not playing online games enough to need a strong signal. This may change if I get hooked to Diablo 3.
Is there any compelling reason to go Repeater over WLAN card if the router's in the 1st floor and the computer's in the 2nd floor, assuming setup is the primary criteria?
I do not know how to set up a repeater, they're more expensive than WLAN cards, and I am not playing online games enough to need a strong signal. This may change if I get hooked to Diablo 3.
A pure wireless repeater still requires a WLAN card in the PC in order to connect to the wireless.
If you're referring to a wireless repeater/bridge, then the advantage is in the fact that you can (generally) connect multiple devices to it via ethernet, which is nice if you're using wireless to connect to the internet, but are keeping a Server/NAS and a PC (and possibly other stuff) on the same ethernet switch. A repeater also broadcasts a wireless signal accessible by other devices, so if you have mobile devices (phone or tablet, for example) that you use in other rooms on that floor, and have signal issues, that may help alleviate them by allowing you to connect to a more advantageously located wireless source.
If the only thing you need to do, though, is connect a single PC to your router via wireless, just buy a wireless NIC card or USB dongle.
Suggestion time! I haven't been keeping up on the SSD market too much, but I find myself in need of a 256gb drive. Assuming the same price point (about $140 at Microcenter, after a coupon), which would be the best buy between:
OCZ Vertex 4
Sandisk Extreme
Crucial m4
Finally taking a break from selling cupcakes that destroy 'Murica, I see.
Vertex 4 has the advantage in writes, Crucial M4 has the advantage in some reads, particularly smaller sequential reads. As far as I know the Sandisk Extreme is Sandforce based, so generally worse performance with incompressible data.
I'd probably go M4, depending on workload.
Yeah, I'd go with the M4 too
Dat reliability
I'm also coming to the opinion that the differences in speed with these quality SSDs is so small that it isn't really a selling point for me anymore. How often are the performance differences going to be discernable outside of, say, CrystalMark?
Is there any compelling reason to go Repeater over WLAN card if the router's in the 1st floor and the computer's in the 2nd floor, assuming setup is the primary criteria?
I do not know how to set up a repeater, they're more expensive than WLAN cards, and I am not playing online games enough to need a strong signal. This may change if I get hooked to Diablo 3.
A pure wireless repeater still requires a WLAN card in the PC in order to connect to the wireless.
If you're referring to a wireless repeater/bridge, then the advantage is in the fact that you can (generally) connect multiple devices to it via ethernet, which is nice if you're using wireless to connect to the internet, but are keeping a Server/NAS and a PC (and possibly other stuff) on the same ethernet switch. A repeater also broadcasts a wireless signal accessible by other devices, so if you have mobile devices (phone or tablet, for example) that you use in other rooms on that floor, and have signal issues, that may help alleviate them by allowing you to connect to a more advantageously located wireless source.
If the only thing you need to do, though, is connect a single PC to your router via wireless, just buy a wireless NIC card or USB dongle.
Just a single PC. I was thinking getting another router to act as a repeater/bridge, if that's a possible thing. But I hadn't considered getting a USB dongle until you mentioned it, and that sounds honestly the easiest option for me. Thanks!
Posts
1920x1080
Those silverstones are pretty slick looking.
Thanks! That advice is definitely appreciated, I wasn't sure too sure about needing the sound card or 1000W.
@emp123 I saw the deals Microcenter is having, it's unfortunately going to be another month of longing before I actually get to buy it, appreciate you looking though!
Yes, both of those cases support full ATX motherboards.
Battle.net
They're pretty impressive. A bit tough to build in at times, but that's really to be expected, given the size and form factor.
Battle.net
Also do these SSD drives come standard with the "bay kits" that let them fit where the HDD's usually go?
The spacing is fine. As long as you aren't getting a "bare drive" SSD, you should get an adapter with it.
@Forbe!, try this on for size:
Just pair with your ~$250.00 video card of choice, I'd recommend the 7850 (or the 660 Ti, if it comes in around there).
Battle.net
I'm considering upgrading from my i3 to an i7 or i5. Looking for some thoughts on this build.
The aim is to have a decent gaming rig within £800 (preferably less) using some existing parts. Not really into overclocking or SLI/Cross Fire. In future I plan to use it for video editing projects but nothing professional. Going from the old machine into the new machine are:
120GB OCZ Vertex SSD
2x 2TB WD Cavier Black HDDs
Asus Xonar DX PCI Express Sound Card
Does anyone have the stock cooler on the i5 3570k? Is it fairly quiet? Loud fan noise drives me insane. I'm also concerned about the PSU. Will a 600W PSU be enough? This will be the first system I've built in years. I'd usually go for a prebuilt system to save hassle but we're trying to save some cash on it. Essentially I'm kinda out of the loop.
Cheers
Wow, thanks for the help!
Looks good to me. The Raider is probably bigger than you need to go. An alternate, Micro-ATX build for your perusal:
Case: ASRock Z77 Extreme4-M - £102
Motherboard: Silverstone TJ08-E - £75
PSU: Silverstone Strider Plus 500W (Fully Modular) - £59
RAM: 8GB (2x4GB) Corsair Vengeance LP 1600Mhz DDR3 - £35
And then everything else is the same. It'll have a much smaller footprint, the PSU is fully modular (I'd go with it either way, 600W is more than you'll need) and I'm of the opinion that it'll look better than the Raider.
Battle.net
http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?lang=en&cc=us&objectID=c01860419&jumpid=reg_R1002_USEN
Has a Linux install on it right now and one of the buttons on the mouse pad needs to be fixed. It works, just the button itself is loose.
Even for Crossfiring? That is what I would like the system to be capable of.
Yeah, I didn't realize you were crossfiring. 750W is fine.
Battle.net
Thanks for the advice. I've made a few modifications to the build but I wasn't too keen on the case. Decided to go with the BitFenix Shinobi and the Silverstone modular PSU. I also changed the Blue Ray drive to a writer for backups of video and music. The rest is the same.
Case: BitFenix Shinobi USB3.0 Gaming Case - Black £44.99
PSU: Silverstone Strider Plus 500W (Fully Modular) - £59
BlueRay: LG BH10LS38 10x BluRay-RW / 16 x DVD±RW Lightscribe Drive - Black (OEM)
@Emp123 The Asus RT-N56U is a fantastic router, but if you really want to cut costs, the Linksys e3200 is solid
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better
bit.ly/2XQM1ke
I ran 2 6870 on crossfire for a 1-1/2 years with a 750W suppy. You wont have any problems.
So far (using novatech.co.uk) I have...
CPU - i3-2120 3.3GHz
Mobo - Gigabyte GA-H61M-S2PV
RAM - 2x 4GB Corsair DDR3 1333MHz
GPU - AMD Radeon HD 6850 1GB (these are better than 7770's, right?..what's a similar NVidia card, it may be cheaper?)
PSU - Coolermaster GX Lite 500W (I have a Seasonic 500W in my old PC which I'm assuming is better? I can swap that to the new build)
Case - Generic ATX case w/2x120mm fans
..and a SATA DVD-RW
Total cost. £326
Any suggestions on better components for my price range or am I pretty much bang on for my budget? I'd like an i5 CPU but it'll be stretching my budget too far...
My current rig is an AMD 64X2 5000+, 4GB DDR2, HD 3850...is this upgrade worth the $$$?
Too late, its already in the mail! Well, I guess it ships out tomorrow but whatever. $75 after MIR so the prices are about the same
.
I think the 6850 is going to be the best bang for your buck, its better than the 7770, and the closest Nvidia cards are the 550ti and the 560 (non ti). While the 550ti is around the same price, it doesnt perform as well, and the 560 is more expensive.
How old is the PSU?
It has 1x6 pin PCI-e, 1x6 pin+2 PCI-e and various other fancy connectors. Do newer CPUs/Mobos/GPUs require anything special these days?
So, do mini ITX boards only come with a PCI express slot? I use a wireless card in my PC so I may just have to upgrade to a larger board if thats the case.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163182
Not sure what your hard drive/cooling situation is but be aware there can be conflicts if you use a huge heatsink.
Pfft, I run two 6950's on a 650w PSU. He won't have any problems.
It should be just fine for your usage, and definitely better than the GX500.
Battle.net
This ASRock board is solid. Also note that, if you want the absolute most fanciness you can get out of the board (PCI-E 3.0) you'll want to go with this instead of the i5-2310. The 3470 is Ivy Bridge, and is clocked higher, so it'll be better performing, and you'll get the Ivy Bridge bells and whistles, but I don't know that it's $20 worth of better performance and whistles. Just giving you the option there. The motherboard will work with either CPU.
Also, get a standard DVD Burner, if you don't already have one. The one there is a slim version for the shuttle-style case.
Battle.net
The reason being its an extra £50 and I'm thinking it's going to have a longer life as a lot of games recommend a quad core CPU.
Wise move?
Not that I'm trying to dissuade you. It's not like quad cores are extravagant. They're pretty much the standard, in my book. I just don't think of it in terms of games.
OCZ Vertex 4
Sandisk Extreme
Crucial m4
Finally taking a break from selling cupcakes that destroy 'Murica, I see.
Vertex 4 has the advantage in writes, Crucial M4 has the advantage in some reads, particularly smaller sequential reads. As far as I know the Sandisk Extreme is Sandforce based, so generally worse performance with incompressible data.
I'd probably go M4, depending on workload.
Battle.net
Is there any compelling reason to go Repeater over WLAN card if the router's in the 1st floor and the computer's in the 2nd floor, assuming setup is the primary criteria?
I do not know how to set up a repeater, they're more expensive than WLAN cards, and I am not playing online games enough to need a strong signal. This may change if I get hooked to Diablo 3.
A pure wireless repeater still requires a WLAN card in the PC in order to connect to the wireless.
If you're referring to a wireless repeater/bridge, then the advantage is in the fact that you can (generally) connect multiple devices to it via ethernet, which is nice if you're using wireless to connect to the internet, but are keeping a Server/NAS and a PC (and possibly other stuff) on the same ethernet switch. A repeater also broadcasts a wireless signal accessible by other devices, so if you have mobile devices (phone or tablet, for example) that you use in other rooms on that floor, and have signal issues, that may help alleviate them by allowing you to connect to a more advantageously located wireless source.
If the only thing you need to do, though, is connect a single PC to your router via wireless, just buy a wireless NIC card or USB dongle.
Battle.net
Yeah, I'd go with the M4 too
Dat reliability
I'm also coming to the opinion that the differences in speed with these quality SSDs is so small that it isn't really a selling point for me anymore. How often are the performance differences going to be discernable outside of, say, CrystalMark?
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better
bit.ly/2XQM1ke
Just a single PC. I was thinking getting another router to act as a repeater/bridge, if that's a possible thing. But I hadn't considered getting a USB dongle until you mentioned it, and that sounds honestly the easiest option for me. Thanks!