Build suggestions

[zonkie]

Greetings!

I need to build a pc and need some advice on the best tech to put in it for my intended use and budget.

My wife uses it a few times a week to work from home. She logs into a virtual desktop at work and needs 2 monitors. The larger has a resolution of 1920x1080. The other is smaller. Everything is done on the work servers so the pc just displays it.

I use it when she isn't to play a few games. The most taxing will be SC2 or Civ 5. Currently i just play World of Warcraft. I'd like to play at the largest resolution possible for WoW, but the other 2 don't matter as much.

As far as multi-tasking i usually stream a radio station while playing and have 3-6 IE windows open, email etc.

I know I want an SSD for the OS (Samsung EVO 128GB) and a drive for the rest. I was looking at the new haswell i3-4130 and a discreet gpu around $80-100, but wondered if a quad core AMD/GPU or APU might work as well for less money.

Because it will run on average 8 hours a day and I live in the southwest, heat and energy is a factor. I'm also one of those boring people that run at stock speeds.

If anyone has a few suggestions what cpu/gpu combo I should build the system around, I would really appreciate the input.

 

[ChaiBabbaChai]

Nope... Do not get an EVO (TLC sucks and Samsung drives are cheaply made from what I see around the web) and do not get a small 128GB drive. That's what I did and ended up with 2 SSDs even when I run a HDD for files and backup. I recommend the Plextor SSDs, but they are a little bit more money.

Also an ASUS GTX 660 OC with direct CU heatsink would be plenty to run WoW at ultra settings with 2 monitors. I'm not sure about the other games you mentioned, but if you take a look at my sig, I can max out the settings and run WoW to the point where the game client is the limiting factor. 25 mans can't run at 60 FPS even if you had the best PC in the world. And the 660 runs DX 11, which is all WoW needs. You don't even need a GTX 760. WoW favors nVidia, but my next card will be AMD.

I'd go with a AMD 6-core CPU for bang for the buck. They run really cool, and they're plenty powerful, even though I have an i7. The i7's are heaters.

 

[ShintaiDK]

Specially SC2, AMD is a horrible option. AMD is also very inefficient compared. i3 easily beats the AMD quadcores at stock as well.

 

[ChaiBabbaChai]

Well, I should've said if you have the money, might as well get an Intel. But, I figure most people are on a budget, and you really don't need the best benching CPU for gaming and light office use.

 

[zonkie]

Thanks for the input so far. Yes, I'm on a bit of a budget. I chose the i3-4130 because $130 is my budget for a proc and had figured about $110 for a GPU.

Maybe there is a lower cost AMD APU or cheaper intel option that would be fine for my needs. Maybe I need my expectations set.

Currently I am using an HP laptop with an A6-3420M hooked up to an IPS panel at 1600x900.

 

[ShintaiDK]

You can always start out with a Pentium G3220 and then upgrade later when needed.

 

[R0H1T]

Thanks for the input so far. Yes, I'm on a bit of a budget. I chose the i3-4130 because $130 is my budget for a proc and had figured about $110 for a GPU.

Maybe there is a lower cost AMD APU or cheaper intel option that would be fine for my needs. Maybe I need my expectations set.

Currently I am using an HP laptop with an A6-3420M hooked up to an IPS panel at 1600x900.

You maybe interested in some of the combo deals from Microcenter, of course I'm assuming that you live near one ~

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2364127

 

[kawi6rr]

Specially SC2, AMD is a horrible option. AMD is also very inefficient compared. i3 easily beats the AMD quadcores at stock as well.

AMD is not a horrible option this is your opinion (Intel fan boy). AMD makes many good chips and should be considered when building a system. I just completed building an AMD FX system and it blast through anything I throw at it. The new Kaveri chips just came out they might suit your needs quite well.