New build - and saw this

[JoHo22]

Link to post

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2192841

i5 2500K $220
ASRock Z68 Pro3 $105
G.Skill DDR3 1333 8GB $41
6950 2GB $240 AR
Crucial M4 128GB $200
Samsung F3 1TB $60
Samsung DVD Burner $18
Antec HCG-520 $58 AP
Corsair 400R $80 AR
Total: $1022 AR AP

Saw this post on the forum and in the market for a gaming PC.
I do cloud computing and manage a ton of endpoints but paying attention to agents all day for as long as I have - I have lost touch with what is mind-blowing in the gaming world.

I don't need the extra drive - case or burner. So looking at a little less than a grand on this. But I see this post is a little older now. Wondering if I should really look anywhere else for any of these parts.

I'm usually an nVidia guy but if you can explain that amdati is back on top I could sway to the dark side...

I have 4 gigs of skill in my current rig but my psu and mobo are on the way out.
Also that ssd I would only install games and the os on so im not totally sure I want one that size for that price.

Any input is huge. I'd like to get down to maybe 700 but if you can explain to me the worth of some of these parts I'll be happy to put it on my tab and do a buy now pay later.

 

[lehtv]

Everything in that post is still valid, except for the PSU; it is however a $1000 build, if you intend to save cash you could shave off on almost anything (most notably the SSD).

The current best PSU deals are Antec EA650 Green $45 AR (3yr warranty, 80Plus Bronze), PC Power & Cooling 500W for $45AR (5yr warranty, 80Plus Bronze) and XFX Core 650W $60 AR (5yr warranty, 80Plus Bronze).

Hyperthreading will probably benefit cloud computing ... 2600K could be worth it to you.

6950 2GB is a nice deal, GTX 560 Ti 1GB, 6950 1GB and GTX 570 1.28GB are usually pretty good deals too. It depends on how long you want to keep the card and what kind of performance you demand until then. New GPUs will be out in a few months, even a 6870/560 would handle current games alright until then, and you could then sell it and upgrade to something like HD7950.

Is your current memory DDR3 1.5v? If not, you'll need new RAM.

 

[JoHo22]

I hate to skimp on the video card when buying a new rig. It's like getting a new car and not putting gas in it.

But I am running an 8800gtsoc in my current rig.
That would shave off some of the expense to purchase at a later time.

Again this is my work PC too but I am looking for gaming honestly.
And a gaming PC can probably do anything my work demands.

I
You suggest the green psu? I've seen a few of tho fail in the recent months here at the office. I'm a little hesitant.

 

[Ken g6]

Hyperthreading will probably benefit cloud computing

Only if he's running the server, not using it as the client.

If you're near a Micro Center, they usually have better deals on processors. Some good bundles with motherboards too.

Gigabyte has undercut ASRock on this board, $80AR! No USB 3.0, though.

You can get a 64GB M4 SSD for ~$100 usually. Or go without it for now; with Z68 you can always add it later as a caching drive.

 

[lehtv]

You suggest the green psu? I've seen a few of tho fail in the recent months here at the office. I'm a little hesitant.

Really, the Antec Green? I'm pretty sure that's a reliable unit. Personally though my pick would be the XFX, it's a seasonic build, as solid as PSUs get.

 

[JoHo22]

Only if he's running the server, not using it as the client.

If you're near a Micro Center, they usually have better deals on processors. Some good bundles with motherboards too.

Gigabyte has undercut ASRock on this board, $80AR! No USB 3.0, though.

You can get a 64GB M4 SSD for ~$100 usually. Or go without it for now; with Z68 you can always add it later as a caching drive.

Hmmm. I've had good luck with gigabyte. And USB speed doesn't really appeal to me. As for a micro center. I'm in buffalo ny. Limited access to good shops. Love the new egg.

Really, the Antec Green? I'm pretty sure that's a reliable unit. Personally though my pick would be the XFX, it's a seasonic build, as solid as PSUs get.

Yessir. The wd green drives die a ton too.

 

[JoHo22]

PC Power & Cooling 500W is deactivated.
Bummer.

 

[JoHo22]

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K 
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-4GBXM 
Rosewill CHALLENGER Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, comes with Three Fans-1x Front Blue LED 120mm Fan, 1x Top 140mm ... 
Antec EarthWatts EA-650 GREEN 650W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply 
Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive 
MSI P67A-C43 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard 
BYTECC 6 ft. 18AWG Power Cord w/ 3 Conductor PC Power Connector – Black Model POWERCORD-6K 


Started adding Items to the cart and this combo came up.
Wondering ho it stacks up.

 

[lehtv]

Yessir. The wd green drives die a ton too.

WD green drives have absolutely nothing to do with Antec Green PSUs

 

[JoHo22]

WD green drives have absolutely nothing to do with Antec Green PSUs

Too as in as well.
They are in the shop a ton.

 

[JoHo22]

So why ati over nVidia lately?
My brother just built a rig and selected a pretty decent ati card.
I'm mostly excited for mw3 and skyrim honestly. So these are my benchmarks.

 

[mfenn]

Well, as the poster of the original build, I must say that I wholeheartedly endorse it! I agree that you need to swap the PSU for an EA-650 though.

AMD and Nvidia are pretty much neck-and-neck in terms of value right now. The 6950 2GB just happens to fit in the $250 sweet spot where Nvidia has a hole in their lineup (though the GTX 570 is coming down in price). We don't really have any Skyrim or MW3 benchmarks at this point though, so it's hard to say whose card will perform better.

If the 128GB SSD is too rich for your blood, the 64GB will work. Just don't plan on installing any games on it.

 

[lehtv]

AMD and Nvidia are pretty much neck-and-neck in terms of value right now. The 6950 2GB just happens to fit in the $250 sweet spot where Nvidia has a hole in their lineup (though the GTX 570 is coming down in price).

Well actually, there's GTX 560 ti 2GB from MSI and EVGA at that price point. Not that they fill any gap, they probably don't sell that well.

 

[JoHo22]

If the 128GB SSD is too rich for your blood, the 64GB will work. Just don't plan on installing any games on it.

Yeah that was something I debated on shaving for a good 4 seconds.
The biggest bang for performance to me is going ssd.

I'll probably cave pretty soon but just trying to figure out if I need to go buy my new bed first or this PC. Both will make me happy. But one won't make the comfy.

 

[mfenn]

Bed vs. PC? Hmm, tough choice. I suppose a PC would make a pretty lumpy mattress though. :awe:

But seriously, games don't get that big of a benefit from the SSD (faster loading times, no change in FPS) so it's not really a big deal if you have to cut it down to 64GB.

 

[lehtv]

Lol... on the internet, you don't buy a new bed. You upgrade your sleeping performance.

 

[JoHo22]

Lol... on the internet, you don't buy a new bed. You upgrade your sleeping performance.

My bed will be crossfire compatible?

I dunno what I'm gonna skimp on. But if you wanted to shave this to 6-700 what would you guys drop down to?

 

[lehtv]

LOL crossfire compatible bed... needs two sleeping lanes to accommodate dual SPUs (sleep processing units).

I dunno what I'm gonna skimp on. But if you wanted to shave this to 6-700 what would you guys drop down to?

SSD would be the first thing to drop. Their prices are still in free fall, and their speed is still climbing. You can get the SSD later on

 

[mnewsham]

SSD, then probably GPU down to 6870. From there look at dropping the i5-2500k to the 2400 or even the i3-2100 if you really need to drop it. The i3 is IMHO very overlooked, it is a nice dual core 4 thread 3.1Ghz work horse. Does really good in games too

 

[JoHo22]

SSD, then probably GPU down to 6870. From there look at dropping the i5-2500k to the 2400 or even the i3-2100 if you really need to drop it. The i3 is IMHO very overlooked, it is a nice dual core 4 thread 3.1Ghz work horse. Does really good in games too

I really feel conflicted in all of this.

One side is like " be mature and buy the bed and save your money!"

The other half

"pc's are fun and so is slaying dragons in hd!"

You know. I'll probably just go with the full 1000 eventually. I'm just trying to express my inner Jew even if I'm not.

 

[mnewsham]

Lol i just got a new bed, and while it was worth it I only spent 450 bucks

And yes the sheets ARE hyperthreaded

 

[JoHo22]

Somehow I feel this can be turned into a perverse meaning for hyper threading

In any event. I think that this build is as good as it gets without going overboard and being the high end gamer. At 28 I think being a high end gamer is like being 30 and using bean bag chairs as furniture. You might like it but you kinda fail at life.

 

[mnewsham]

Somehow I feel this can be turned into a perverse meaning for hyper threading

In any event. I think that this build is as good as it gets without going overboard and being the high end gamer. At 28 I think being a high end gamer is like being 30 and using bean bag chairs as furniture. You might like it but you kinda fail at life.

 

[JoHo22]

Looking at your signature I think I offended you on the bean bag chair comment.

www.ikea.com

I have a true hate for beanbag chairs.

 

[lehtv]

And yes the sheets ARE hyperthreaded

You know, these new beds... they're so overclockable. My bed overclocks by about 2 hours every morning.