Looking to do my first build. It will mostly be used for gaming. I'd like to be able to run Mass Effect on highish settings now and Diablo 3 whenever it comes out.
Are there any problems with this build? Anything I should change for better performance for a little money? Is the power supply big enough to for a 4870 upgrade if I decide to at some point in the future?
I'm using PC Mall because I'm buying through work and will get a discount through them.
Okay, speaking of Warhammer Online, all this talk has got me really, really wanting to play it, but my laptop sucks, so I was toying with the idea of building the cheapest PC possible that'll still run WAR decently.
the minimum specs from the Mythic site are,
For Windows XP
2.5 GHz P4 (single core) processor or equivalent
1 Gigabyte RAM
A 128 MB Video Card, with support for Pixel Shader 2.0
At least 15 GB of hard drive space
For Windows VISTA
2.5 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
2 Gigabyte RAM
A 128 MB Video Card, with support for Pixel Shader 2.0
At least 15 GB of hard drive space
All told just a tad over $400. I figure this is a good starting point, and as the months go by I can upgrade it a bit at a time. Any glaring mistakes, or maybe ways to do it even cheaper?
Okay, speaking of Warhammer Online, all this talk has got me really, really wanting to play it, but my laptop sucks, so I was toying with the idea of building the cheapest PC possible that'll still run WAR decently.
the minimum specs from the Mythic site are,
For Windows XP
2.5 GHz P4 (single core) processor or equivalent
1 Gigabyte RAM
A 128 MB Video Card, with support for Pixel Shader 2.0
At least 15 GB of hard drive space
For Windows VISTA
2.5 GHz P4 processor or equivalent
2 Gigabyte RAM
A 128 MB Video Card, with support for Pixel Shader 2.0
At least 15 GB of hard drive space
All told just a tad over $400. I figure this is a good starting point, and as the months go by I can upgrade it a bit at a time. Any glaring mistakes, or maybe ways to do it even cheaper?
minimum system requirements usually mean "the necissary hardware so that the game wont crash or freeze"
you really should build around the recomended system requirements which mean "game runs fine on low or medium settings"
my guess is that the 8600GT will result in about 15 fps.
also you need a monitor mouse and keyboard so add another 150-200 for those.
If all you're getting is an 8600, you might as well get a 780G motherboard and not even bother getting a video card yet.
There's all sorts of things I want to say about the build. But if the man doesn't have money, then he doesn't have money.
And FYI for anyone woh bothers to look at Sys. Req. Lists for games - any time they are listed, it basically means "What will it take to run this game on lowest settings and resolution with minimal lag."
Have fun playing on Low in 800x600 :-\
EDIT:
Get ATLEAST an 8800GT or a Radeon 4850. They're ridiculously cheap now, and are solid power-house performers.
And really, step out of AMD. Move into Intel Core 2 Duos. The E8000 series of Intels are the bad asses of the CPU world.
What kind of chipset should I be looking for on a motherboard? My roommate says I should go with an X38 based board. I see an almost identical Asus X48 board for $20 less. huh?
Do I even need an X38/48 board? I guess all I really care about is PCIE 2.0. I'll be running 4 gigs of DDR800.
What kind of chipset should I be looking for on a motherboard? My roommate says I should go with an X38 based board. I see an almost identical Asus X48 board for $20 less. huh?
Do I even need an X38/48 board? I guess all I really care about is PCIE 2.0. I'll be running 4 gigs of DDR800.
Do you plan on running two video cards? Even then you don't really need an X48 but the extra PCIe lanes add a little performance.
My current thoughts (all prices New Zealand dollars, 1 NZD = $.79 US):
(2x ?) Corsair 4GB DDR2-800 PC6400 C5 $142.45
ASUS P5Q PRO $179.83
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 3.16GHz 6M 1333MHz 45nm CPU $240.25
Asustek 512MB ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB GDDR3 PCI-E $274.87
WESTERN DIGITAL 500GB SATAII 7200rpm GreenPower HDD $97.77
400-500W PSU (?)
$965.70 (+PSU and case)
Thoughts, improvements, glaring problems that I haven't noticed?
First off, you sure as hell don't need that much RAM. I'd say 3-4gb Max. I mean, 2GB is fine for Vista Ultimate. Secondly, you can get the cheaper E8400 and just Overclock it to 3.6Ghz on a stock cooler - the Wolfdale line of processors are incredible OC'ers. Third, you'll need a 600w+ PSU. Preferably with a single [email protected]+ Amps railing.
So I've basically decided to go with the "cookie-cutter" build. Anything here a bad choice or not going to work?
Motherboard: ASUS P5Q Pro
Case: Antec Nine Hundred
Processor: Intel E8400
Video Card: HIS Radeon 4870
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200.11
Memory: Mushkin XP PC2-8000 Redline 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-1000
The one thing I haven't decided on is a power supply; right now I'm looking at either this one or this one,
Thanks for all the help thus far, this has been a very helpful thread.
So I've basically decided to go with the "cookie-cutter" build. Anything here a bad choice or not going to work?
Motherboard: ASUS P5Q Pro
Case: Antec Nine Hundred
Processor: Intel E8400
Video Card: HIS Radeon 4870
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200.11
Memory: Mushkin XP PC2-8000 Redline 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-1000
The one thing I haven't decided on is a power supply; right now I'm looking at either this one or this one,
Thanks for all the help thus far, this has been a very helpful thread.
I'd go with the TX750W - it's cheaper, offers more peak power, and a very very fat 60A supply for the 12V rail. I assume the following copypasta from the other one implys that it's actually a single-rail as well:
Triple 12V Rails provide independent reliable power to the CPU, video card and other components with a combined rating of 50A (40A on 520W) maximum! Advanced circuitry design that automatically enables power sharing between the triple +12V rails in an event of overload on any single +12V rail.
but I'd go with the one that states it up front.
PeregrineFalcon on
Looking for a DX:HR OnLive code for my kid brother.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
Hey guys, I'm looking at doing an upgrade that will get me the most bang for my buck. I'm having trouble identifying the biggest bottleneck on my system, though I think it's the processor.
My build right now is as such:
Motherboard:ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
Processor: AMD 64 X2 4200
Memory: 4 sticks of 512MB DDR Kingston ValueRAM (2GB Total)
GPU: Geforce 8800 GTS 512 GB
OS: Vista Home Premium
Hey guys, I'm looking at doing an upgrade that will get me the most bang for my buck. I'm having trouble identifying the biggest bottleneck on my system, though I think it's the processor.
My build right now is as such:
Motherboard:ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
Processor: AMD 64 X2 4200
Memory: 4 sticks of 512MB DDR Kingston ValueRAM (2GB Total)
GPU: Geforce 8800 GTS 512 GB
OS: Vista Home Premium
So what's the biggest bottleneck here?
Processor and/or ram.
The problem with your ram is that using 4 sticks in a s939 board causes the ram to run at a slower timing than if you only had 2 sticks. I actually have the same motherboard, X2 4400+. and 2x1GB sticks of ram.
I recently upgraded from a 7800GT to an HD 4870 and saw my benchmarks double, but my processor is definitely the bottleneck, I should be getting much higher scores with that card. I'd honestly toss the rig and start over. I'm personally waiting for Nahalem before I do that, but I will survive until then.
Hey guys, I'm looking at doing an upgrade that will get me the most bang for my buck. I'm having trouble identifying the biggest bottleneck on my system, though I think it's the processor.
My build right now is as such:
Motherboard:ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
Processor: AMD 64 X2 4200
Memory: 4 sticks of 512MB DDR Kingston ValueRAM (2GB Total)
GPU: Geforce 8800 GTS 512 GB
OS: Vista Home Premium
So what's the biggest bottleneck here?
CPU, but that leads into a trifecta of problems:
1. You're stuck on Socket 939, which tops out at the X2-4800 IIRC (2.4GHz, 2x1MB L2) - not a huge upgrade over your 4200.
2. Going above that will mean a new motherboard.
3. A new motherboard on will need DDR2.
I'm interested in playing CoD4, maybe some Unreal Tournament 3, will this card be okay to run it? I'll be upgrading the RAM to 2 gigs soon.
Sorry guys, hate to bump myself, but I really need an answer, as I need to order this and have it shipped before I leave for school.
Does the VAIO's PSU have a six-pin PCIe power connector? I'm going to guess it doesn't have one, and probably doesn't have the juice to power a high-drain PCIe card.
Also you can probably get a 3870/8800GT for that if you shop around.
PeregrineFalcon on
Looking for a DX:HR OnLive code for my kid brother.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
Me is first time builder. Looked at recommendations from ArsTechnica and Extremetech, but both lists are a little outdated so I did some searching on Newegg. Here's what I came up with:
Motherboard: Asus M2A-VM HDMI
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+
RAM: 2GB DDR2-800
GPU: PNY Geforce 9600GT
Hard Drive: Seagate ST3640323AS 640GB 7200 RPM
DVD-RW/CD-RW: LG Black 22X
Case: IN WIN IW-C589T
Monitor: Acer AL2216Wbd 22" LCD
Total comes out to a little over 700, which makes me fairly happy. A few questions though, being the newbie that I am:
CPU comes with heat sink and fan, but do I need to get some thermal grease?
Hard drive cables, do I need to get any?
Lastly, did I do anything incredibly dumb like buy an incompatible motherboard/processor combo?
So it's been several years since I've built a computer so I'm not too knowledgeable about the new hardware and whatnot.
What I'm looking for is a 700-800 build that can play games at pretty good fps. Currently I'm playing WoW, TF2, and some other games I can't think of right now, but I'd like to be able to play more graphic intensive games too.
I'm not sure where I found this build but I figured this would be a start
Would this be a decent build? If not, what would make it better? Likewise, if there are some builds floating around that would be much better (for the price given) that would be great too
1. You're stuck on Socket 939, which tops out at the X2-4800 IIRC (2.4GHz, 2x1MB L2) - not a huge upgrade over your 4200.
2. Going above that will mean a new motherboard.
3. A new motherboard on will need DDR2.
Alright, so what's a good cheap option in relation to getting a new motherboard, Processor, and 4GB of Ram?
Also: What's the consensus on Quad core processors? Are they worth the money? Do you see a significant performance boost over a Dual Core? This is for gaming, mainly.
So I've basically decided to go with the "cookie-cutter" build. Anything here a bad choice or not going to work?
Motherboard: ASUS P5Q Pro
Case: Antec Nine Hundred
Processor: Intel E8400
Video Card: HIS Radeon 4870
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200.11
Memory: Mushkin XP PC2-8000 Redline 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-1000
The one thing I haven't decided on is a power supply; right now I'm looking at either this one or this one,
Thanks for all the help thus far, this has been a very helpful thread.
I'd go with the TX750W - it's cheaper, offers more peak power, and a very very fat 60A supply for the 12V rail. I assume the following copypasta from the other one implys that it's actually a single-rail as well:
Triple 12V Rails provide independent reliable power to the CPU, video card and other components with a combined rating of 50A (40A on 520W) maximum! Advanced circuitry design that automatically enables power sharing between the triple +12V rails in an event of overload on any single +12V rail.
but I'd go with the one that states it up front.
The description is all BS. Single [email protected] rail is far more reliable than three 12v rails with 18A.
With that said, I really think all of you should be posting what PSU you're getting when you post your rig setups. Seems like alot of you guys seem a little uneducated in what PSUs are good and which ones aren't.
Unfortunately, I'm Canadian, so newegg doesn't help me. The best place to buy stuff online for me is www.memoryexpress.com
NCIX is a partner company to ME, you'll get pretty much the same value and only pay GST if you're outside BC. They have the same parts most of the time.
The description is all BS. Single [email protected] rail is far more reliable than three 12v rails with 18A.
Lots of "multi-rail" PSUs are just riding the marketing bandwagon, and only have a single rail. This is probably a single-rail unit with some very big OCPs, as I mentioned:
I assume the following copypasta from the other one implys that it's actually a single-rail as well:
Triple 12V Rails provide independent reliable power to the CPU, video card and other components with a combined rating of 50A (40A on 520W) maximum! Advanced circuitry design that automatically enables power sharing between the triple +12V rails in an event of overload on any single +12V rail.
but I'd go with the one that states it up front.
With that said, I really think all of you should be posting what PSU you're getting when you post your rig setups. Seems like alot of you guys seem a little uneducated in what PSUs are good and which ones aren't.
Agreed. A 500W from Corsair is a lot better than a 500W TigerDirect pack-in.
PeregrineFalcon on
Looking for a DX:HR OnLive code for my kid brother.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
Lots of "multi-rail" PSUs are just riding the marketing bandwagon, and only have a single rail. This is probably a single-rail unit with some very big OCPs, as I mentioned:
I assume the following copypasta from the other one implys that it's actually a single-rail as well:
Triple 12V Rails provide independent reliable power to the CPU, video card and other components with a combined rating of 50A (40A on 520W) maximum! Advanced circuitry design that automatically enables power sharing between the triple +12V rails in an event of overload on any single +12V rail.
but I'd go with the one that states it up front.
Yea, but when you scroll all the way to the bottom it posts a manufacturer's power output label, stating 12v1,2, and [email protected] which is pretty horrid.
Yea, but when you scroll all the way to the bottom it posts a manufacturer's power output label, stating 12v1,2, and [email protected] which is pretty horrid.
Lots of "multi-rail" PSUs are just riding the marketing bandwagon, and only have a single rail.
The EarthWatts 500 in the Sonata III has "two 12V rails at 17A" according to all of the marketing claims and side-of-the-box labels, but it's actually a single 12V internally. That's why I have no issue suggesting it for almost any single-GPU setup, and why it has no issue running them.
PeregrineFalcon on
Looking for a DX:HR OnLive code for my kid brother.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
Yea, but when you scroll all the way to the bottom it posts a manufacturer's power output label, stating 12v1,2, and [email protected] which is pretty horrid.
Lots of "multi-rail" PSUs are just riding the marketing bandwagon, and only have a single rail.
The EarthWatts 500 in the Sonata III has "two 12V rails at 17A" according to all of the marketing claims and side-of-the-box labels, but it's actually a single 12V internally. That's why I have no issue suggesting it for almost any single-GPU setup, and why it has no issue running them.
I dont know about that, considering that for PSU's, marketing outside of its actual abilities is illegal, I believe, due to the danger towards the consumer. Now that I tihnk about it, I really dont understand that. I mean, it's general knowlege that a single rail will always be superior to multiple rails. Why lie about it, especially when your company can get fined if its caught? PSUs aren't toys, and marketing incorrectly is not only illegal, but dangerous. Thats absurd.
Yea, but when you scroll all the way to the bottom it posts a manufacturer's power output label, stating 12v1,2, and [email protected] which is pretty horrid.
Lots of "multi-rail" PSUs are just riding the marketing bandwagon, and only have a single rail.
The EarthWatts 500 in the Sonata III has "two 12V rails at 17A" according to all of the marketing claims and side-of-the-box labels, but it's actually a single 12V internally. That's why I have no issue suggesting it for almost any single-GPU setup, and why it has no issue running them.
I dont know about that, considering that for PSU's, marketing outside of its actual abilities is illegal, I believe, due to the danger towards the consumer.
Unless they cheaped out on the wiring, there's no danger and no law being broken. Besides, a massive single-rail PSU is better for the consumer.
Generally the reason it's split into multiple "rails" is if the manufacturer wants to use cheap, shitty wiring that's only rated to 20A or so. If they want to do that, then they split the output, slap over-current protection on each one at 17A, and call it a day.
PeregrineFalcon on
Looking for a DX:HR OnLive code for my kid brother.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
Yea, but when you scroll all the way to the bottom it posts a manufacturer's power output label, stating 12v1,2, and [email protected] which is pretty horrid.
Lots of "multi-rail" PSUs are just riding the marketing bandwagon, and only have a single rail.
The EarthWatts 500 in the Sonata III has "two 12V rails at 17A" according to all of the marketing claims and side-of-the-box labels, but it's actually a single 12V internally. That's why I have no issue suggesting it for almost any single-GPU setup, and why it has no issue running them.
I dont know about that, considering that for PSU's, marketing outside of its actual abilities is illegal, I believe, due to the danger towards the consumer.
Unless they cheaped out on the wiring, there's no danger and no law being broken. Besides, a massive single-rail PSU is better for the consumer.
Generally the reason it's split into multiple "rails" is if the manufacturer wants to use cheap, shitty wiring that's only rated to 20A or so. If they want to do that, then they split the output, slap over-current protection on each one at 17A, and call it a day.
If that's really the case, then Antec has permanently lost my dollar. I don't care if its "really" a single rail, false advertising isn't how I fly.
How big of a difference is there between a 3.00 GHZ core 2 Duo and a 2.53? Will the 2.53 have longevity?
Yeah, sorry about the off-topic venture. The 2.53 will be a bit slower, but you'll probably be GPU-bound in games way before it makes a significant difference.
Besides, you can always strap on a bigger cooling system and overclock that sumbitch.
I plugged in the 8-pin EPS12V connector and proceeded to put a 30A load on it. The PSU did not shut off, which confirmed that my visual observation that all of the +12V leads were in fact coming from the same source on the PCB. The Antec EarthWatts does NOT have multiple +12V rails. It only has one +12V rail with no limiters on any of the connectors.
PeregrineFalcon on
Looking for a DX:HR OnLive code for my kid brother.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
How big of a difference is there between a 3.00 GHZ core 2 Duo and a 2.53? Will the 2.53 have longevity?
Yeah, sorry about the off-topic venture. The 2.53 will be a bit slower, but you'll probably be GPU-bound in games way before it makes a significant difference.
Besides, you can always strap on a bigger cooling system and overclock that sumbitch.
I plugged in the 8-pin EPS12V connector and proceeded to put a 30A load on it. The PSU did not shut off, which confirmed that my visual observation that all of the +12V leads were in fact coming from the same source on the PCB. The Antec EarthWatts does NOT have multiple +12V rails. It only has one +12V rail with no limiters on any of the connectors.
Yea, but it's still annoying to think that you aren't getting what's advertised. You need to have confidence in what you're buying, in what the company says it is providing you. That's why I love my PCP&C.
Yea, but it's still annoying to think that you aren't getting what's advertised. You need to have confidence in what you're buying, in what the company says it is providing you. That's why I love my PCP&C.
Different strokes, etc. I love the Sonata for the simple design, fairly quiet acoustics, good included PSU, low price, and ability to hold all but the most massive GPUs. Sure, if you want to Tri-SLI GTX280s, it won't work - but then you're not really concerned with a budget, now are you?
PeregrineFalcon on
Looking for a DX:HR OnLive code for my kid brother.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
Me is first time builder. Looked at recommendations from ArsTechnica and Extremetech, but both lists are a little outdated so I did some searching on Newegg. Here's what I came up with:
Motherboard: Asus M2A-VM HDMI
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+
RAM: 2GB DDR2-800
GPU: PNY Geforce 9600GT
Hard Drive: Seagate ST3640323AS 640GB 7200 RPM
DVD-RW/CD-RW: LG Black 22X
Case: IN WIN IW-C589T
Monitor: Acer AL2216Wbd 22" LCD
Total comes out to a little over 700, which makes me fairly happy. A few questions though, being the newbie that I am:
CPU comes with heat sink and fan, but do I need to get some thermal grease?
Hard drive cables, do I need to get any?
Lastly, did I do anything incredibly dumb like buy an incompatible motherboard/processor combo?
hate quoting myself, but got bottom paged and need feedback.
Me is first time builder. Looked at recommendations from ArsTechnica and Extremetech, but both lists are a little outdated so I did some searching on Newegg. Here's what I came up with:
Motherboard: Asus M2A-VM HDMI
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+
RAM: 2GB DDR2-800
GPU: PNY Geforce 9600GT
Hard Drive: Seagate ST3640323AS 640GB 7200 RPM
DVD-RW/CD-RW: LG Black 22X
Case: IN WIN IW-C589T
Monitor: Acer AL2216Wbd 22" LCD
Total comes out to a little over 700, which makes me fairly happy. A few questions though, being the newbie that I am:
CPU comes with heat sink and fan, but do I need to get some thermal grease?
Hard drive cables, do I need to get any? Lastly, did I do anything incredibly dumb like buy an incompatible motherboard/processor combo?
hate quoting myself, but got bottom paged and need feedback.
Well, you are buying AMD ... :P
Any particular reason you're not going with even the cheapest Wolfdale? An E7200 can't be much more than the X2-5400+, and if you go with a P35-based motherboard instead of P45, you should be on equal footing there as well.
In a related note, post component prices and we'll tell you if you're being jacked on anything.
PeregrineFalcon on
Looking for a DX:HR OnLive code for my kid brother.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
Well, the price of the 5400 is what caught my eye. An E7200 is about 30 dollars more, which I suppose is acceptable. If I went with the E7200, what motherboard would you recommend? With prices from Newegg:
Motherboard: Asus M2A-VM HDMI $79.99
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ $87.00
RAM: 2GB DDR2-800 $41.49
GPU: PNY Geforce 9600GT $114.99
HDD: Seagate ST3640323AS 640GB $89.99
DVD drive $25.99
Case (with 350w power supply): IN WIN IW-C589T $65.99
Monitor: Acer AL2216Wbd 22" LCD $199.99
Posts
First question, will I see a big difference in performance between
ASUS P5K-E Intel P35 / ICH9R LGA775 Motherboards P5K-E
http://www.pcmall.com/pcmall/shop/detail.asp?dpno=7428885&Redir=1&description=ASUS-P5K-E%20Intel%20P35%20/%20ICH9R%20LGA775%20Motherboards-Motherboards
and
ASUS P5Q-E LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131296
I can't find the P5Q on PC Mall.
This is the rest of the planned build:
ASUS ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB DDR3 PCIe Graphics Card EAH4850/HTDI/512M
http://www.pcmall.com/pcmall/shop/detail.asp?dpno=7528014&Redir=1&description=ASUS-ATI%20Radeon%20HD%204850%20512MB%20DDR3%20PCIe%20Graphics%20Card-Video%20Cards
ASUS DVD+/-RW (Dual +/-R)/RAM Light Scribe IDE Optical Drive Retail Box - Beige DRW-1814BL BEIGE
http://www.pcmall.com/pcmall/shop/detail.asp?dpno=7249413&Redir=1&description=ASUS-DVD+/-RW%20Dual%20+/-R/RAM%20Light%20Scribe%20IDE%20Optical%20Drive%20Retail%20Box%20-%20Beige-DVD%20Drives
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500GB Internal SATA NCQ Hard Drive ST3500320AS
http://www.pcmall.com/pcmall/shop/detail.asp?dpno=7314338&Redir=1&description=Seagate-Barracuda%207200.11%20500GB%20Internal%20SATA%20NCQ%20Hard%20Drive-Internal%20Hard%20Drives
Coolermaster Centurion 5 - CAC-T05-UW ATX Tower Case CAC-T05-UW
http://www.pcmall.com/pcmall/shop/detail.asp?dpno=583032&Redir=1&description=Coolermaster-Centurion%205%20-%20CAC-T05-UW%20ATX%20Tower%20Case-Drive%20Cases%20&%20System%20Enclosures
Corsair Memory 550W VX550W ATX12V Power Supply CMPSU-550VX
http://www.pcmall.com/pcmall/shop/detail.asp?dpno=7356788&Redir=1&description=Corsair%20Memory-550W%20VX550W%20ATX12V%20Power%20Supply-Power%20Supplies
2x Kingston 2GB DDR2-1066 240P NVIDIA UNB KHX8500D2K2/2GN
http://www.pcmall.com/pcmall/shop/detail.asp?dpno=7241951&Redir=1&description=Kingston-2GB%20DDR2-1066%20240P%20NVIDIA%20UNB-DIMM%20Memory
Intel E8400 LGA775 3.00G 6MB 1333MHZ BX80570E8400A
http://www.pcmall.com/pcmall/shop/detail.asp?dpno=7369654&Redir=1&description=Intel-E8400%20LGA775%203.00G%206MB%201333MHZ-Boxed%20Processors
Acer AL2216Wbd 22" Widescreen LCD Flat Panel Display - Black ET.2216B.0D0
http://www.pcmall.com/pcmall/shop/detail.asp?dpno=7096271&Redir=1&description=Acer-AL2216Wbd%2022%20Widescreen%20LCD%20Flat%20Panel%20Display%20-%20Black-Monitors
Are there any problems with this build? Anything I should change for better performance for a little money? Is the power supply big enough to for a 4870 upgrade if I decide to at some point in the future?
I'm using PC Mall because I'm buying through work and will get a discount through them.
the minimum specs from the Mythic site are,
Now, here's what I came up with.
Antec Sonata III-$99
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ Brisbane 2.6GHz Socket AM2 Processor-$66
BIOSTAR NF520-A2 SE AM2 NVIDIA nForce 520D ATX AMD Motherboard-$50
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800-$46
[url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136075[/url]Western Digital Caviar SE WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s[/url]-$42
LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner Black- $23
EVGA 256-P2-N751-TR GeForce 8600 GT 256MB 128-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16- $79
All told just a tad over $400. I figure this is a good starting point, and as the months go by I can upgrade it a bit at a time. Any glaring mistakes, or maybe ways to do it even cheaper?
minimum system requirements usually mean "the necissary hardware so that the game wont crash or freeze"
you really should build around the recomended system requirements which mean "game runs fine on low or medium settings"
my guess is that the 8600GT will result in about 15 fps.
also you need a monitor mouse and keyboard so add another 150-200 for those.
You can always slap one in there later if you need more performance and you save $80 now.
If the 8600GT is the weak link, whats the next step up from that that might be able to handle it?
There's all sorts of things I want to say about the build. But if the man doesn't have money, then he doesn't have money.
And FYI for anyone woh bothers to look at Sys. Req. Lists for games - any time they are listed, it basically means "What will it take to run this game on lowest settings and resolution with minimal lag."
Have fun playing on Low in 800x600 :-\
EDIT:
Get ATLEAST an 8800GT or a Radeon 4850. They're ridiculously cheap now, and are solid power-house performers.
And really, step out of AMD. Move into Intel Core 2 Duos. The E8000 series of Intels are the bad asses of the CPU world.
Okay, checking them out now.
Do I even need an X38/48 board? I guess all I really care about is PCIE 2.0. I'll be running 4 gigs of DDR800.
It has a pci-e slot, and I found a $95 HD 3850.
I'm interested in playing CoD4, maybe some Unreal Tournament 3, will this card be okay to run it? I'll be upgrading the RAM to 2 gigs soon.
(2x ?) Corsair 4GB DDR2-800 PC6400 C5 $142.45
ASUS P5Q PRO $179.83
Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 3.16GHz 6M 1333MHz 45nm CPU $240.25
Asustek 512MB ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB GDDR3 PCI-E $274.87
WESTERN DIGITAL 500GB SATAII 7200rpm GreenPower HDD $97.77
400-500W PSU (?)
$965.70 (+PSU and case)
Thoughts, improvements, glaring problems that I haven't noticed?
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First off, you sure as hell don't need that much RAM. I'd say 3-4gb Max. I mean, 2GB is fine for Vista Ultimate. Secondly, you can get the cheaper E8400 and just Overclock it to 3.6Ghz on a stock cooler - the Wolfdale line of processors are incredible OC'ers. Third, you'll need a 600w+ PSU. Preferably with a single [email protected]+ Amps railing.
Motherboard: ASUS P5Q Pro
Case: Antec Nine Hundred
Processor: Intel E8400
Video Card: HIS Radeon 4870
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 500GB 7200.11
Memory: Mushkin XP PC2-8000 Redline 4GB 2X2GB DDR2-1000
The one thing I haven't decided on is a power supply; right now I'm looking at either this one or this one,
Thanks for all the help thus far, this has been a very helpful thread.
I'd go with the TX750W - it's cheaper, offers more peak power, and a very very fat 60A supply for the 12V rail. I assume the following copypasta from the other one implys that it's actually a single-rail as well:
but I'd go with the one that states it up front.
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My build right now is as such:
Motherboard:ASUS A8N-SLI Premium
Processor: AMD 64 X2 4200
Memory: 4 sticks of 512MB DDR Kingston ValueRAM (2GB Total)
GPU: Geforce 8800 GTS 512 GB
OS: Vista Home Premium
So what's the biggest bottleneck here?
Sorry guys, hate to bump myself, but I really need an answer, as I need to order this and have it shipped before I leave for school.
Processor and/or ram.
The problem with your ram is that using 4 sticks in a s939 board causes the ram to run at a slower timing than if you only had 2 sticks. I actually have the same motherboard, X2 4400+. and 2x1GB sticks of ram.
I recently upgraded from a 7800GT to an HD 4870 and saw my benchmarks double, but my processor is definitely the bottleneck, I should be getting much higher scores with that card. I'd honestly toss the rig and start over. I'm personally waiting for Nahalem before I do that, but I will survive until then.
CPU, but that leads into a trifecta of problems:
1. You're stuck on Socket 939, which tops out at the X2-4800 IIRC (2.4GHz, 2x1MB L2) - not a huge upgrade over your 4200.
2. Going above that will mean a new motherboard.
3. A new motherboard on will need DDR2.
Does the VAIO's PSU have a six-pin PCIe power connector? I'm going to guess it doesn't have one, and probably doesn't have the juice to power a high-drain PCIe card.
Also you can probably get a 3870/8800GT for that if you shop around.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
Motherboard: Asus M2A-VM HDMI
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+
RAM: 2GB DDR2-800
GPU: PNY Geforce 9600GT
Hard Drive: Seagate ST3640323AS 640GB 7200 RPM
DVD-RW/CD-RW: LG Black 22X
Case: IN WIN IW-C589T
Monitor: Acer AL2216Wbd 22" LCD
Total comes out to a little over 700, which makes me fairly happy. A few questions though, being the newbie that I am:
CPU comes with heat sink and fan, but do I need to get some thermal grease?
Hard drive cables, do I need to get any?
Lastly, did I do anything incredibly dumb like buy an incompatible motherboard/processor combo?
GT: Tanky the Tank
Black: 1377 6749 7425
What I'm looking for is a 700-800 build that can play games at pretty good fps. Currently I'm playing WoW, TF2, and some other games I can't think of right now, but I'd like to be able to play more graphic intensive games too.
I'm not sure where I found this build but I figured this would be a start
http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=10482608
Would this be a decent build? If not, what would make it better? Likewise, if there are some builds floating around that would be much better (for the price given) that would be great too
Alright, so what's a good cheap option in relation to getting a new motherboard, Processor, and 4GB of Ram?
Dual-core: Superior for gaming, general use
Quad-core: Superior for things that can take advantage of all four cores
$24.95 each, so $99.80 total
Intel - Core™2 Duo Processor E8400 3.00GHz w/ 6MB Cache
$184.95
Asus Motherboard - P5K-SE w/ DualDDR2 1066, 7.1 Audio, Gigabit Lan, PCI-E x16
$94.95
Sub Total $379.70
Seem good? Is there any way I can shave off 50$ or so, without sacrificing significant performance?
How much of a difference would I notice between a 2.53 GHZ core 2 Duo, and the 3.00 GHZ?
Buy the combo deal with the E8400 and this motherboard, save more monies.
$289.97 after rebates, before shipping.
The description is all BS. Single [email protected] rail is far more reliable than three 12v rails with 18A.
With that said, I really think all of you should be posting what PSU you're getting when you post your rig setups. Seems like alot of you guys seem a little uneducated in what PSUs are good and which ones aren't.
Lots of "multi-rail" PSUs are just riding the marketing bandwagon, and only have a single rail. This is probably a single-rail unit with some very big OCPs, as I mentioned: Agreed. A 500W from Corsair is a lot better than a 500W TigerDirect pack-in.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
Yea, but when you scroll all the way to the bottom it posts a manufacturer's power output label, stating 12v1,2, and [email protected] which is pretty horrid.
Yes, but ...
The EarthWatts 500 in the Sonata III has "two 12V rails at 17A" according to all of the marketing claims and side-of-the-box labels, but it's actually a single 12V internally. That's why I have no issue suggesting it for almost any single-GPU setup, and why it has no issue running them.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
I dont know about that, considering that for PSU's, marketing outside of its actual abilities is illegal, I believe, due to the danger towards the consumer. Now that I tihnk about it, I really dont understand that. I mean, it's general knowlege that a single rail will always be superior to multiple rails. Why lie about it, especially when your company can get fined if its caught? PSUs aren't toys, and marketing incorrectly is not only illegal, but dangerous. Thats absurd.
Unless they cheaped out on the wiring, there's no danger and no law being broken. Besides, a massive single-rail PSU is better for the consumer.
Generally the reason it's split into multiple "rails" is if the manufacturer wants to use cheap, shitty wiring that's only rated to 20A or so. If they want to do that, then they split the output, slap over-current protection on each one at 17A, and call it a day.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
If that's really the case, then Antec has permanently lost my dollar. I don't care if its "really" a single rail, false advertising isn't how I fly.
Besides, you can always strap on a bigger cooling system and overclock that sumbitch.
I just consider it as a case of engineers creating an excellent product, and the marketing department badly fucking it up. :P
Sauce: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story2&reid=35
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
Yea, but it's still annoying to think that you aren't getting what's advertised. You need to have confidence in what you're buying, in what the company says it is providing you. That's why I love my PCP&C.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
hate quoting myself, but got bottom paged and need feedback.
GT: Tanky the Tank
Black: 1377 6749 7425
Well, you are buying AMD ... :P
Any particular reason you're not going with even the cheapest Wolfdale? An E7200 can't be much more than the X2-5400+, and if you go with a P35-based motherboard instead of P45, you should be on equal footing there as well.
In a related note, post component prices and we'll tell you if you're being jacked on anything.
Can trade TF2 items or whatever else you're interested in. PM me.
Motherboard: Asus M2A-VM HDMI $79.99
CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ $87.00
RAM: 2GB DDR2-800 $41.49
GPU: PNY Geforce 9600GT $114.99
HDD: Seagate ST3640323AS 640GB $89.99
DVD drive $25.99
Case (with 350w power supply): IN WIN IW-C589T $65.99
Monitor: Acer AL2216Wbd 22" LCD $199.99
GT: Tanky the Tank
Black: 1377 6749 7425