Budget Sandy Build

[Rossini]

Alright so here is my cheap sandy build, making sure I didn't miss anything and that it is good to go with decent components:

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=16466785

Don't care about overclocking, already have a copy of Windows 7, already have a 600 watt rosewill PSU, and am going to reuse a 4670 until the new 7000 series comes out. $500 is my absolute limit, but the cheaper the better to be honest.

I game on a 1080p 23'' display, and want enough power for the new Battle Field and Tribes games coming out later this year.

Was originally going to wait for Bulldozer, but it is taking too long and I believe Starcraft 2 would see a huge improvement from my current Athlon II dual core setup.

Also are there any good guides to building your own system?

Thank You.

 

[mfenn]

All that stuff looks fine to me. You will theoretically see a large gain in SC2, but I'm not sure how much of that will be bottlenecked by the 4670 (probably a decent chunk at 1080P).

 

[Rossini]

Yeah it is not that big of a deal if I don't see a huge improvement.

I am picky about sound and heat which is why I decided to wait on the 7000 series...as I would want it to be on par with the 4670 when it comes to sound/heat.

3 vs 3 maps my frame rate will go into single digits, so I was thinking a better processor would help somewhat since I play on low. 1 vs 1 maps I average around 40fps with the 4670.

 

[mfenn]

3 vs 3 maps my frame rate will go into single digits, so I was thinking a better processor would help somewhat since I play on low. 1 vs 1 maps I average around 40fps with the 4670.

That's a definite indication that you're being limited by your CPU. Your 3v3 performance should be at about 40 FPS with the new build.

PS. The game looks awesome on Ultra.

 

[Rossini]

Yeah I don't even know what games look like on high since I have had this setup since 2009. Thought now would be a good time to buy since I have some spare cash.

Is there a good beginners guide at there on building a custom rig?

By the way thanks for the help.

 

[MustangSVT]

good budget build. SC2 is a cpu hog and you will definitely see a huge gain.

Imo, 2500k route might be more future proof but then it will add at least $100+ to this build.

 

[Morg.]

a) Antec 300 = Antec 100, it has the same important features, and it's just more expensive for some less important ones, consider it

b) 2500k is useless for SC2, I play SC2 on my 3.9ghz c2d and I can tell you I never have any issues or slowdowns, you may see a very tiny gain but it's not going to be worth your money.

c) AS you're playing in the lowish budget area, it might be worth waiting a bit for Bulldozer release, fair chance you'll get a better deal out of it.

 

[mfenn]

Yeah I don't even know what games look like on high since I have had this setup since 2009. Thought now would be a good time to buy since I have some spare cash.

Is there a good beginners guide at there on building a custom rig?

By the way thanks for the help.

No problem. MechBgon's guide is a little dated at this point, but the basic steps haven't changed.

b) 2500k is useless for SC2, I play SC2 on my 3.9ghz c2d and I can tell you I never have any issues or slowdowns, you may see a very tiny gain but it's not going to be worth your money.

Really, now?

 

[stevech]

smaller case since you have mATX and one or two hard disks?

 

[bart1975]

That power supply will probably end up frying your system.

 

[dma0991]

That setup looks good to me but to be a little bit picky, I would suggest that you go with a single 4GB stick of RAM for now rather than 2GBx2. As your motherboard only comes with 2 DIMM slots, future upgrading to more RAM might be a bit of a hassle. With a single 4GB it is a matter of slotting in another 4GB and voila you have added more RAM.

 

[Morg.]

No problem. MechBgon's guide is a little dated at this point, but the basic steps haven't changed.



Really, now?

You sir iz talking about a benchmark that is CPU only.

I played all brutal SC2 campaign without a hint of lag.
I played some 4v4 and a f*ton of 2v2 and 1v1 league matches without a hint of lag.
I do have a bit of lag when the game goes over 1000+ units in "zone control 1.0" or "marine arena 1.0" but then ... who cares ?

 

[mfenn]

You sir iz talking about a benchmark that is CPU only.

Isn't that the point of comparing CPUs? The OP does not have a high-clocked dual core, and a low-clocked quad won't do very well in SC2. (both the OP's original i5 2400 and i5 2500K would be good).

 

[Rossini]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...scrollFullInfo

I already pulled the trigger on the system, but now I am worried about my PSU.

I bought this way back at christmas time because it was on sale and thought I would need a decent PSU. It didn't have this many bad reviews at the time...now it seems like everyone is having trouble.

Should I try it or go ahead and buy another PSU?

If I should buy another one, what is a good budget PSU?

 

[fffblackmage]

Corsair CX series

Or Antec HCG 400W.

 

[mfenn]

Yeah, that Rosewill doesn't exactly inspire confidence. At the same time, it is probably not actively dangerous to keep using it until it blows.