I have a question about CPUs. I don't know much about the inside of a computer so when it comes to comparing CPUs, Video Cards, etc i'm dumb founded. So if a game requires a Intel core 2 Duo or Equivalent AMD as a minimum requirement, will a AMD Sempron 145 work?
==Side Note==
is there a site that compares CPUs so i can look it up myself for the future.
RAID 0 simply binds 2 drives for performance, I'm not sure you would want to even if you can. The SATA drive is significantly slower than the SSD, you wouldn't realize a performance improvement in a RAID 0 configuration. Your SSD's response time is in nanoseconds and the SATA drive is in milliseconds. The SSD is best used for the OS and other purposes where IOP performance is important such as a scratch disk, for example like Photoshop would make use of use when working on large images. The SATA drive is better for program files and other static files that don't change much. If your SSD is large enough, then some games that frequently load to new maps often might be best installed on the SSD drive to improve load times. Also I personally wouldn't use integrated RAID off the motherboard because it will take additional resources from the OS unless the motherboard has the equivalent of an external JBOD RAID card built into it. Typically an external card is a better choice because it will take care of RAID without penalty to the rest of the system.
If you can flip for an i7 processor over an i5 by all means do so, the graphics card won't care which processor you use on your motherboard, it has it's memory and CPU to offset the workload from the motherboard. The most important thing is to make sure the bus speed of the motherboard and all the peripheral components are all running at the max MHz of the motherboard. Everything that connects to the motherboard should at least be able to transmit and and receive data at the same speed, what is known as non-blocking performance.
In fact I would say the most important aspect the computer largely because the max bus speed of the motherboard determines whether or not you get to realize the full potential of whatever new shiny peripheral you put on it. For example, if your motherboards front side bus (FSB) speed is say 1300 MHz and you buy memory that is 1600 MHz, your memory is going to go 1300 MHz no matter how much you may want it to go 1600MHz. If you buy a graphic card that transmits data to and from your motherboard at say 1000 MHz then your graphic card is the bottle neck. All data going to and from your graphic card is going to go only 1000 MHz. The old saying goes, that fastest connection between any 2 points is the slowest link.
I looked to see what the FSB was on my Gigabyte motherboard and couldn't even find the FSB speed, everything is all wrapped into what it components supports probably to make it easier for people, but when you buy everything at once it's less of an issue to be worried about.
I'll definatly make sure the FSB is high enough for the other components to their work at the highest speed possible, thanks for the help.
So an i7 is always the best choice over an i5, hyperthreading support or not?
Off the cuff I would think so, I haven't followed the i5 or i7 series that closely since most of what I focus on are AMD or Intel Xeon server processors when ordering. I have an i7 series in my home PC and love it.
I'll definatly make sure the FSB is high enough for the other components to their work at the highest speed possible, thanks for the help.
So an i7 is always the best choice over an i5, hyperthreading support or not?
If you want to spend the extra $100ish dollars (depending upon what country you are from) for a very small gain in some games and a small loss in others compared to an i5 2500k, then go for it. Hyperthreading is nice (have an i7 in my MBP) for other uses (image, sound, video editing), but the number of games that can utilize it is very small. None of which are made by Blizzard. BF3, Crysis 2, Bad Company, several flight simulator games, are some common ones. But here's the rub...processors are so fast that games aren't maxing them out. So really, even though they can use hyperthreading, it isn't being utilized sufficiently so it doesn't result in a noticeable performance bump over an i5. A huge number of games are only using one and two cores at most and they still aren't maxing them out.
If you have the money and are already getting a good video card, yeah an i7 is fine. But many would suggest saving the money and bumping up your video card to something a bit nicer or taking the plunge on an ssd. In the end, there is no right and wrong answer. You could go i7 in hopes more games will utilize it in the future, but I think you'll be upgrading your i5/i7 before you see any noticeable value of hyperthreading in games.
As far as your other questions...
The 550ti is nice and will probably handle Diablo 3 just fine, but if you do any other gaming it'll be holding you back. You could get a much nicer card with the money saved by getting an i5. But then again, depending upon when you buy, the next round of Intel processors may be out (Ivy Bridge) so I wouldn't lock into anything just yet.
As far as GPU brand...I've had no issues with Asus or MSI. I've heard EVGA is good as are a couple others, but ymmv. I'd recommend setting a budget and building your upgrades according to it. It's easy to justify a couple things here and there and pretty soon you're several hundred dollars over. Set a budget and stick to it. Based upon what you've posted, it'll be a nice machine no matter what.
Hey fellas, I may have to replace my mobo. I'll need another LGA 1155. Can anyone make a good recommendation for around $100-150? I've got a separate video card so it doesn't need a video jack, nor do I need it to be bluetooth compabitble.
I am thinking of building a new computer soon, probably wait for after thanksgiving sales, and i was wondering if anybody can find any problems with this build.
Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout Atx mid tower - $100
Motherboard: Asus P8P67 Deluxe (Rev 3.0) LGA 1155 -$225
GPU: Sapphire 100315L Radeon HD 6850 1GB GDDR5 -$150
CPU: Intel i7-2600k -$320
CPU fan: Cooler Master Hyper 212 -$30
RAM: Gskill Ripjaws x series 6GB DDR3 1333 -$48
PSU: Antec BP550 Plus 550W -$80
Hard Drives: Seagate Barracuda St31000524AS 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s -$140
Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III SSD -$150
Monitor: ASUS VW@$^H Glossy BLack 24" 2ms HDMI Widescreen LC. -$230
CD Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST SATA DVD Burner -$20
Total: $1300-$1400 depending on the current prices on newegg.
I was wondering if everything in this build is okay. I am really unsure about motherboards and GPU's, so did I pick two decent ones or are there better deals for products that perform about the same? I also don't have a strict price range, so if anybody has any suggestions that are slightly more expensive, I would not be opposed to them.
I am planning on using this for gaming, CAD use and everyday uses like web browsing and word.
When you are buying new, as long as all the components are compatible with the motherboard you are in pretty good shape. You can't go wrong with Asus, I'm still running an email server on a high-end graphics box with an Asus motherboard in it from a failed .com I worked at from 1997 to 2001. It has been running for 12 years straight.
I am thinking of building a new computer soon, probably wait for after thanksgiving sales, and i was wondering if anybody can find any problems with this build.
Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout Atx mid tower - $100
Motherboard: Asus P8P67 Deluxe (Rev 3.0) LGA 1155 -$225
GPU: Sapphire 100315L Radeon HD 6850 1GB GDDR5 -$150
CPU: Intel i7-2600k -$320
CPU fan: Cooler Master Hyper 212 -$30
RAM: Gskill Ripjaws x series 6GB DDR3 1333 -$48
PSU: Antec BP550 Plus 550W -$80
Hard Drives: Seagate Barracuda St31000524AS 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s -$140
Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III SSD -$150
Monitor: ASUS VW@$^H Glossy BLack 24" 2ms HDMI Widescreen LC. -$230
CD Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST SATA DVD Burner -$20
Total: $1300-$1400 depending on the current prices on newegg.
I was wondering if everything in this build is okay. I am really unsure about motherboards and GPU's, so did I pick two decent ones or are there better deals for products that perform about the same? I also don't have a strict price range, so if anybody has any suggestions that are slightly more expensive, I would not be opposed to them.
I am planning on using this for gaming, CAD use and everyday uses like web browsing and word.
Hey I built my computer this summer, and with a 2500K and a Asus Z68 board in a storm scout case.
Don't get the storm scout, i got mine for 60 dollars on sale, but i still regret it. The case is too small for larger videocards, regular 6950 and 6970 won't fit, and some of the larger 580s will also have trouble. 690 II advanced would probably be a better choice.
By the way you can not have 6gb ram for sandybridge, its either 4 or 8 (dual channel)
I think a z68 board would be a better choice. Many of the z68 boards have a hdmi outlet, and utilizes sandybridge's integrated video card. In the future if you are changing videocards or making it a HTPC, you can run this pc without a videocard.
I was just building a pc for my friend over the weekend, and we spent $2500 with the same cpu, cooler, ssd as you. ASUS P8Z68-V PRO board, and a MSI 580gtx lightning(it sure is sexy, but quite expensive). We also got a pair of corsair memory instead of the g.skill one (10 dollar difference at the store), the rep told us the g.skill ram had high return rates, not sure how high, or how much difference, but I know corsair's a reputable brand, and their blue ram matches the intel motherboard's colour scheme.
We also got a 750w corsair HX powersupply, i think you should get 650w, 550 is going to be enough for you, but 650w will let you overclock your cpu as well as crossfire your 6850 in the future if you feel like it. But if you want to do more than that, get 750w to be safe.
Lastly, for videocards, 6850 is definitely enough to run d3, but if you are planning to run some of the new games, like battlefield and skyrim at 1080, its better to go up a level for a 560ti or 6950 to ensure a smooth gaming experience
I am thinking of building a new computer soon, probably wait for after thanksgiving sales, and i was wondering if anybody can find any problems with this build.
Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout Atx mid tower - $100
Motherboard: Asus P8P67 Deluxe (Rev 3.0) LGA 1155 -$225
GPU: Sapphire 100315L Radeon HD 6850 1GB GDDR5 -$150
CPU: Intel i7-2600k -$320
CPU fan: Cooler Master Hyper 212 -$30
RAM: Gskill Ripjaws x series 6GB DDR3 1333 -$48
PSU: Antec BP550 Plus 550W -$80
Hard Drives: Seagate Barracuda St31000524AS 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s -$140
Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III SSD -$150
Monitor: ASUS VW@$^H Glossy BLack 24" 2ms HDMI Widescreen LC. -$230
CD Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST SATA DVD Burner -$20
Total: $1300-$1400 depending on the current prices on newegg.
I was wondering if everything in this build is okay. I am really unsure about motherboards and GPU's, so did I pick two decent ones or are there better deals for products that perform about the same? I also don't have a strict price range, so if anybody has any suggestions that are slightly more expensive, I would not be opposed to them.
I am planning on using this for gaming, CAD use and everyday uses like web browsing and word.
You need to get dual channel RAM. Since you are going to use it for CAD I'd suggest two sticks of 4GB for 8GB total, Corsair is a good brand as said above.
I'm guessing you are going to overclock your CPU. If not then you can go for the 2600 (without the "k") to save 20 bucks. The k-version is exactly the same as the normal 2600 except the clock multiplier is unlocked which makes overclocking easier. Overclocking the 2600k would of course be my suggestion and it's not very hard, but just saying :).
As for the GPU, I don't think you need any higher, my ol' 5850 was doing just fine in Battlefield 3 Beta. Of course better is always better. But also more expensive :).
Guess ill post this here, I was going to start a new topic but whatever...
Im looking to build a new gaming rig. My current one is about 5 years old or so and its starting to show its age. Actually the main reason for upgrading is my system will randomly start to lock up. It freezes while browsing, playing mp3's, watching movies, ect... But not while runnig games, though sometimes it slows down then speeds up in the game. Once this starts I have to manually reset the maching then its good for a day or two untill it starts locking up again. If I go to reset it through windows it will go to the blue shutdown screen and sit there untill i hit the reset button. I tried leaving it over night once and when I woke up it was still at the shut down screen. I have no virus that Avast can find and Ive run CCleaner, Super Anti-spyware and MBAM. Nothing helps, so its time to rebuild. If you have any thoughts on how to fix or trouble shot this id be glad to hear them.
Sorry, on to my proposed build...
Im trying to keep my build around the $800 mark and this is what ive come up with so far, any feed back is appreciated
Going with the OCZ ModXtream PSU im around $889 before $75 in mail in rebates
With the Corsair PSU im at $904 before a $65 mail in rebate.
I could use my existing PSU and knock that price out, its a radioshack special and its a few years old but it works and i believe its 750w
So what do you all think? Good build, any part tweaks you would recommend, ram, PSU...?
Edit...this is what Im upgrading from
Intel Core 2 Duo 6600 @2.4ghz
Gigabyte EP45-UD3P Motherboard
XFX 4870 GPU 1Gb DDR5
Antec 900 gaming Case (one usb on the front panel broke) other than that its still a good tower so I could keep it and save another 90 on the case
I have a Corsair powersupply, so I typically recommend them.
The G.Skill was my 2nd mem choice, I forgot to list it.
Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it!
Ive used Nvidia and Radeon GPU's before and my only hesitation with Radeon is I had one catch on fire, its actually why I have the build im currently using. I origionally had a GeForce card but it took a nosedive and a friend recommended the 4870HD I have now. I think at the time the 4870 was better than the comparable Nvidia card.
I don't know how I wrote down a 6gb set of ram. I was just copying stuff over from a wishlist I made on newegg and somehow I messed that up :S, but I'm going for this:
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
The ASUS P8Z68-V PRO LGA 1155 Intel Z68 does seem like a much better choice than the motherboard I picked and its cheaper. I was under the impression that the z68 series was more expensive and I wouldn't get much gain out of it since I probably wont ever use the integrated graphics, so I never even looked at those boards.
I couldn't decide between corsair and antec psu's, but since I heard good things about both, I went for antec because it is cheaper, but if 2 people recommend corsair, i will probably go with the CORSAIR Professional Series HX650.
I'm going to look into cases and GPUs some more than probably post again, thanks again for you help so far.
Okay then, current build:
Case: Cooler Master 690 II
Mobo: Asus P8Z68-V Pro
CPU: Intel i7-2600k (I do plan to oc, so i'll spend the extra $20 for the k)
Hard drives:
Crucial M4 64GB SSd
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200 RPM
Ram: G.SKILL Ripjaws X series 8GB(2 x 4GB) DDR3 1333
PSU: Corsair HX650
CPU fan: Cooler master hyper 212
Monitor: Asus VW246H 24" widescreen LCD
Then GPU choices are
Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 1GB or
Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 1GB (Edited that to say 1GB, not 2)
I am going to get a new mouse and keyboard too so,
Mouse: Logitech G4000
Keyboard: Either cheap standard keyboard or a mechanical keyboard (probably das keyboard professional silent).
I'll probably wait until near thanksgiving to see if any of these parts are on sale to decide between the GPU's and the keyboards, but as of now this is between $1700 and $2000.
I think for your memory, 1600mhz are the mainstream now and are deadcheap, so why not.
And look for deals on ssds, i personally feel 64gb is a little small, its definitely enough for windows + some important programs + diablo 3. but that'll probably be it. Since D3 is probably going to be 10gb+ and you always want free space on C drive due to continuous updates in the future.
But thats just what I feel, a lot of people have used 60gb ssd for C with no problem and plenty of space. Just depends on how you use it, how many games you are going to install (ssd doesn't increase fps at all, just the load and tab-in/tab-out time).
Yeah I've never understood the desire to buy a small SSD for the OS and a large mechanical hdd for the apps. That setup will get you fast bootups, but nothing more.
I think for your memory, 1600mhz are the mainstream now and are deadcheap, so why not.
And look for deals on ssds, i personally feel 64gb is a little small, its definitely enough for windows + some important programs + diablo 3. but that'll probably be it. Since D3 is probably going to be 10gb+ and you always want free space on C drive due to continuous updates in the future.
But thats just what I feel, a lot of people have used 60gb ssd for C with no problem and plenty of space. Just depends on how you use it, how many games you are going to install (ssd doesn't increase fps at all, just the load and tab-in/tab-out time).
Happy Shopping
All the rest of your suggestions made me spend more money, but somehow the 1600mhz ram is 1 dollar cheaper than its 1333mhz counterpart on newegg. Weird.
As for the SSD, I think 64 gb is a good size for me. I will probably have at most 1 game on it at a time, as a lot of the time I just play 1 game religiously for a while, take if off my computer and then find a new game to worship.
And sinze 160GB ones cost twice as much, I think i will be happy with 64 Gbs.
Yeah I just get a RAM like Corsair Vengeance with the heatsinks then you just crank them up to 1600. Like that other guy said, it's pretty standard now.
All the rest of your suggestions made me spend more money, but somehow the 1600mhz ram is 1 dollar cheaper than its 1333mhz counterpart on newegg. Weird.
As for the SSD, I think 64 gb is a good size for me. I will probably have at most 1 game on it at a time, as a lot of the time I just play 1 game religiously for a while, take if off my computer and then find a new game to worship.
And sinze 160GB ones cost twice as much, I think i will be happy with 64 Gbs.
hah Im sure you'll be happy with the PC, and expect to spend less than you intentionally estimated, since the holiday seasons bring great deals, just have to find them. Especially sometimes there's these motherboard+cpu bundles, as long as its 2600k, which is what you want, most bundled motherboards are fine (Asus and gigabyte does this a lot it seems)
For the ssd, I think you'll be fine. The crucial m4 128gb or the intel 310 120gb are good choices if you ever think about going for more. In August intel had a $40 rebate on their ssds, I got my ssd (Intel 510 120gb) then, at $270, and received the rebate just 2 weeks ago, so intel's mail in rebates are not that bad. I chose the Crucial M4 128gb ssd for a friend last weekend, and it was $190. The lowest I see Intel's 320 120gb is about $200. These are Canadian prices, but should be very similar to american prices. So if you see better prices than that, maybe you can think about it.
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This is probably your best option for comparing those two, but your Sempron is far less powerful than a Core 2 Duo. The Sempron competed with the P4 Celeron back in the day.
http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/cpu-charts-2008-q1-2008/benchmarks,16.html
If you can flip for an i7 processor over an i5 by all means do so, the graphics card won't care which processor you use on your motherboard, it has it's memory and CPU to offset the workload from the motherboard. The most important thing is to make sure the bus speed of the motherboard and all the peripheral components are all running at the max MHz of the motherboard. Everything that connects to the motherboard should at least be able to transmit and and receive data at the same speed, what is known as non-blocking performance.
In fact I would say the most important aspect the computer largely because the max bus speed of the motherboard determines whether or not you get to realize the full potential of whatever new shiny peripheral you put on it. For example, if your motherboards front side bus (FSB) speed is say 1300 MHz and you buy memory that is 1600 MHz, your memory is going to go 1300 MHz no matter how much you may want it to go 1600MHz. If you buy a graphic card that transmits data to and from your motherboard at say 1000 MHz then your graphic card is the bottle neck. All data going to and from your graphic card is going to go only 1000 MHz. The old saying goes, that fastest connection between any 2 points is the slowest link.
I looked to see what the FSB was on my Gigabyte motherboard and couldn't even find the FSB speed, everything is all wrapped into what it components supports probably to make it easier for people, but when you buy everything at once it's less of an issue to be worried about.
Off the cuff I would think so, I haven't followed the i5 or i7 series that closely since most of what I focus on are AMD or Intel Xeon server processors when ordering. I have an i7 series in my home PC and love it.
If you want to spend the extra $100ish dollars (depending upon what country you are from) for a very small gain in some games and a small loss in others compared to an i5 2500k, then go for it. Hyperthreading is nice (have an i7 in my MBP) for other uses (image, sound, video editing), but the number of games that can utilize it is very small. None of which are made by Blizzard. BF3, Crysis 2, Bad Company, several flight simulator games, are some common ones. But here's the rub...processors are so fast that games aren't maxing them out. So really, even though they can use hyperthreading, it isn't being utilized sufficiently so it doesn't result in a noticeable performance bump over an i5. A huge number of games are only using one and two cores at most and they still aren't maxing them out.
While a year old now, it's still relevant and a good read.
http://www.overclock.net/intel-general/671977-hyperthreading-games.html
If you have the money and are already getting a good video card, yeah an i7 is fine. But many would suggest saving the money and bumping up your video card to something a bit nicer or taking the plunge on an ssd. In the end, there is no right and wrong answer. You could go i7 in hopes more games will utilize it in the future, but I think you'll be upgrading your i5/i7 before you see any noticeable value of hyperthreading in games.
As far as your other questions...
The 550ti is nice and will probably handle Diablo 3 just fine, but if you do any other gaming it'll be holding you back. You could get a much nicer card with the money saved by getting an i5. But then again, depending upon when you buy, the next round of Intel processors may be out (Ivy Bridge) so I wouldn't lock into anything just yet.
As far as GPU brand...I've had no issues with Asus or MSI. I've heard EVGA is good as are a couple others, but ymmv. I'd recommend setting a budget and building your upgrades according to it. It's easy to justify a couple things here and there and pretty soon you're several hundred dollars over. Set a budget and stick to it. Based upon what you've posted, it'll be a nice machine no matter what.
Siaynoq's Playthroughs
I am thinking of building a new computer soon, probably wait for after thanksgiving sales, and i was wondering if anybody can find any problems with this build.
Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout Atx mid tower - $100
Motherboard: Asus P8P67 Deluxe (Rev 3.0) LGA 1155 -$225
GPU: Sapphire 100315L Radeon HD 6850 1GB GDDR5 -$150
CPU: Intel i7-2600k -$320
CPU fan: Cooler Master Hyper 212 -$30
RAM: Gskill Ripjaws x series 6GB DDR3 1333 -$48
PSU: Antec BP550 Plus 550W -$80
Hard Drives: Seagate Barracuda St31000524AS 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s -$140
Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III SSD -$150
Monitor: ASUS VW@$^H Glossy BLack 24" 2ms HDMI Widescreen LC. -$230
CD Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST SATA DVD Burner -$20
Total: $1300-$1400 depending on the current prices on newegg.
I was wondering if everything in this build is okay. I am really unsure about motherboards and GPU's, so did I pick two decent ones or are there better deals for products that perform about the same? I also don't have a strict price range, so if anybody has any suggestions that are slightly more expensive, I would not be opposed to them.
I am planning on using this for gaming, CAD use and everyday uses like web browsing and word.
Hey I built my computer this summer, and with a 2500K and a Asus Z68 board in a storm scout case.
Don't get the storm scout, i got mine for 60 dollars on sale, but i still regret it. The case is too small for larger videocards, regular 6950 and 6970 won't fit, and some of the larger 580s will also have trouble. 690 II advanced would probably be a better choice.
By the way you can not have 6gb ram for sandybridge, its either 4 or 8 (dual channel)
I think a z68 board would be a better choice. Many of the z68 boards have a hdmi outlet, and utilizes sandybridge's integrated video card. In the future if you are changing videocards or making it a HTPC, you can run this pc without a videocard.
I was just building a pc for my friend over the weekend, and we spent $2500 with the same cpu, cooler, ssd as you. ASUS P8Z68-V PRO board, and a MSI 580gtx lightning(it sure is sexy, but quite expensive). We also got a pair of corsair memory instead of the g.skill one (10 dollar difference at the store), the rep told us the g.skill ram had high return rates, not sure how high, or how much difference, but I know corsair's a reputable brand, and their blue ram matches the intel motherboard's colour scheme.
We also got a 750w corsair HX powersupply, i think you should get 650w, 550 is going to be enough for you, but 650w will let you overclock your cpu as well as crossfire your 6850 in the future if you feel like it. But if you want to do more than that, get 750w to be safe.
Lastly, for videocards, 6850 is definitely enough to run d3, but if you are planning to run some of the new games, like battlefield and skyrim at 1080, its better to go up a level for a 560ti or 6950 to ensure a smooth gaming experience
You need to get dual channel RAM. Since you are going to use it for CAD I'd suggest two sticks of 4GB for 8GB total, Corsair is a good brand as said above.
I'm guessing you are going to overclock your CPU. If not then you can go for the 2600 (without the "k") to save 20 bucks. The k-version is exactly the same as the normal 2600 except the clock multiplier is unlocked which makes overclocking easier. Overclocking the 2600k would of course be my suggestion and it's not very hard, but just saying :).
As for the GPU, I don't think you need any higher, my ol' 5850 was doing just fine in Battlefield 3 Beta. Of course better is always better. But also more expensive :).
I also recommend the Corsair PSUs.
Im looking to build a new gaming rig. My current one is about 5 years old or so and its starting to show its age. Actually the main reason for upgrading is my system will randomly start to lock up. It freezes while browsing, playing mp3's, watching movies, ect... But not while runnig games, though sometimes it slows down then speeds up in the game. Once this starts I have to manually reset the maching then its good for a day or two untill it starts locking up again. If I go to reset it through windows it will go to the blue shutdown screen and sit there untill i hit the reset button. I tried leaving it over night once and when I woke up it was still at the shut down screen. I have no virus that Avast can find and Ive run CCleaner, Super Anti-spyware and MBAM. Nothing helps, so its time to rebuild. If you have any thoughts on how to fix or trouble shot this id be glad to hear them.
Sorry, on to my proposed build...
Im trying to keep my build around the $800 mark and this is what ive come up with so far, any feed back is appreciated
Intel core i5-2500k and Asus P8Z68-V Pro (combo, saves $20)
Asus GTX 560Ti
Thermaltake V9 Case
Ram - Mushkin 8Gb DDR3 1600
Corsair 750w Power supply
or
OCZ ModXtream Pro 700w Power Supply
Going with the OCZ ModXtream PSU im around $889 before $75 in mail in rebates
With the Corsair PSU im at $904 before a $65 mail in rebate.
I could use my existing PSU and knock that price out, its a radioshack special and its a few years old but it works and i believe its 750w
So what do you all think? Good build, any part tweaks you would recommend, ram, PSU...?
Edit... this is what Im upgrading from
Intel Core 2 Duo 6600 @2.4ghz
Gigabyte EP45-UD3P Motherboard
XFX 4870 GPU 1Gb DDR5
Antec 900 gaming Case (one usb on the front panel broke) other than that its still a good tower so I could keep it and save another 90 on the case
I have the same processor/mboard combo and haven't had issues.
Videocard is solid. Really it's a personal choice between 560Ti and the AMD 6950 in that price range.
Memory...you'll see a lot of people getting http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428 but Mushkin is good.
I have a Corsair powersupply, so I typically recommend them.
The G.Skill was my 2nd mem choice, I forgot to list it.
Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it!
Ive used Nvidia and Radeon GPU's before and my only hesitation with Radeon is I had one catch on fire, its actually why I have the build im currently using. I origionally had a GeForce card but it took a nosedive and a friend recommended the 4870HD I have now. I think at the time the 4870 was better than the comparable Nvidia card.
I don't know how I wrote down a 6gb set of ram. I was just copying stuff over from a wishlist I made on newegg and somehow I messed that up :S, but I'm going for this:
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
The ASUS P8Z68-V PRO LGA 1155 Intel Z68 does seem like a much better choice than the motherboard I picked and its cheaper. I was under the impression that the z68 series was more expensive and I wouldn't get much gain out of it since I probably wont ever use the integrated graphics, so I never even looked at those boards.
I couldn't decide between corsair and antec psu's, but since I heard good things about both, I went for antec because it is cheaper, but if 2 people recommend corsair, i will probably go with the CORSAIR Professional Series HX650.
I'm going to look into cases and GPUs some more than probably post again, thanks again for you help so far.
Case: Cooler Master 690 II
Mobo: Asus P8Z68-V Pro
CPU: Intel i7-2600k (I do plan to oc, so i'll spend the extra $20 for the k)
Hard drives:
Crucial M4 64GB SSd
Seagate Barracuda 1TB 7200 RPM
Ram: G.SKILL Ripjaws X series 8GB(2 x 4GB) DDR3 1333
PSU: Corsair HX650
CPU fan: Cooler master hyper 212
Monitor: Asus VW246H 24" widescreen LCD
Then GPU choices are
Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 1GB or
Sapphire Radeon HD 6950 1GB (Edited that to say 1GB, not 2)
I am going to get a new mouse and keyboard too so,
Mouse: Logitech G4000
Keyboard: Either cheap standard keyboard or a mechanical keyboard (probably das keyboard professional silent).
I'll probably wait until near thanksgiving to see if any of these parts are on sale to decide between the GPU's and the keyboards, but as of now this is between $1700 and $2000.
I think for your memory, 1600mhz are the mainstream now and are deadcheap, so why not.
And look for deals on ssds, i personally feel 64gb is a little small, its definitely enough for windows + some important programs + diablo 3. but that'll probably be it. Since D3 is probably going to be 10gb+ and you always want free space on C drive due to continuous updates in the future.
But thats just what I feel, a lot of people have used 60gb ssd for C with no problem and plenty of space. Just depends on how you use it, how many games you are going to install (ssd doesn't increase fps at all, just the load and tab-in/tab-out time).
Happy Shopping
All the rest of your suggestions made me spend more money, but somehow the 1600mhz ram is 1 dollar cheaper than its 1333mhz counterpart on newegg. Weird.
As for the SSD, I think 64 gb is a good size for me. I will probably have at most 1 game on it at a time, as a lot of the time I just play 1 game religiously for a while, take if off my computer and then find a new game to worship.
And sinze 160GB ones cost twice as much, I think i will be happy with 64 Gbs.
Siaynoq's Playthroughs
hah Im sure you'll be happy with the PC, and expect to spend less than you intentionally estimated, since the holiday seasons bring great deals, just have to find them. Especially sometimes there's these motherboard+cpu bundles, as long as its 2600k, which is what you want, most bundled motherboards are fine (Asus and gigabyte does this a lot it seems)
For the ssd, I think you'll be fine. The crucial m4 128gb or the intel 310 120gb are good choices if you ever think about going for more. In August intel had a $40 rebate on their ssds, I got my ssd (Intel 510 120gb) then, at $270, and received the rebate just 2 weeks ago, so intel's mail in rebates are not that bad. I chose the Crucial M4 128gb ssd for a friend last weekend, and it was $190. The lowest I see Intel's 320 120gb is about $200. These are Canadian prices, but should be very similar to american prices. So if you see better prices than that, maybe you can think about it.