[Junho]

Hello, I really need to get a better gaming comp as i'm now using a Toshiba laptop that lags and overheats on me while i'm gaming
What do you guys think about this PC system from MWAVE.
Is it worth the price?
Will it run games like Diablo 3 and Sc2 with no lag?

$1,025.94
CASE: Antec Three Hundred Tower Gaming Case - No power supply

CPU: Intel Core i5 2400 Processor

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68P-DS3 - ATX

RAM: Kingston ValueRAM 8GB (2x 4GB) DDR3 KIT

GRAPHICS CARD: Dual Gigabyte GeForce GTX 550 Ti - 1024MB 192-bit GDDR5 RAM

HARD DRIVE: OCZ Vertex Plus 60GB 2.5'' SATAII SSD

OPTICAL DRIVE: Lite-On 24x DVD-RW SATA

POWER SUPPLY: Thermaltake TR2 800Watt Power Supply

+ United Electrical Onsite Total Care - 1 Year Warranty

[FaDeHellfyre]

Originally Posted by Junho

Hello, I really need to get a better gaming comp as i'm now using a Toshiba laptop that lags and overheats on me while i'm gaming
What do you guys think about this PC system from MWAVE.
Is it worth the price?
Will it run games like Diablo 3 and Sc2 with no lag?

$1,025.94
CASE: Antec Three Hundred Tower Gaming Case - No power supply

CPU: Intel Core i5 2400 Processor

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68P-DS3 - ATX

RAM: Kingston ValueRAM 8GB (2x 4GB) DDR3 KIT

GRAPHICS CARD: Dual Gigabyte GeForce GTX 550 Ti - 1024MB 192-bit GDDR5 RAM

HARD DRIVE: OCZ Vertex Plus 60GB 2.5'' SATAII SSD

OPTICAL DRIVE: Lite-On 24x DVD-RW SATA

POWER SUPPLY: Thermaltake TR2 800Watt Power Supply

+ United Electrical Onsite Total Care - 1 Year Warranty

Looks a bit expensive to me mate. Firstly, that's not up to date hardware. Core i5 is good, but i7 is where it's at now. The Z68 is a great motherboard, but again, not up to date. You'll probably want about 10GB of RAM as well... There's little hard drive space on it. Solid State is good, but often they're smaller and much more expensive. Go a normal HDD for more space and less price.

My advice, never buy a PC from a shop pre-built.

The prices of those bits;

CPU: Intel Core i5 2400 = $178

MOBO: Gigabyte GA-Z68P-DS3 = $99

RAM: Kingston ValueRAM = $54

GFX: Dual Gigabyte GeForce GTX 550 Ti = $129 x 2 = $258

HD: Can't find the pricing, but looks to be around $99

Optical Drive: Again can't find the exact pricing for that model, but looks to be around $60

Power Supply: Thermaltake TR2 800W= $125

All up $873

So you're paying them $200 to build it and for a warranty you'll most likely never use. I reccomend buying the parts and getting a computer savvy friend to build it for you. Better yet, tell them those prices are crap and tell them to put better hardware in it for the same price.

Quick Comments

Junho:

[FaDeHellfyre]

However on your question will it play those games, yes. Yes it will. That's a reasonable computer, but it's already out of date. It will play current games, but in 12 months you probably won't be able to play the best games coming out.

[Bloodmyst]

Well, for my input....

First of all, that system will easily run SC2 and Diablo 3. However, at a glance I don't think that is a well thought out system.

For starters what is your budget? For $300 more you can have the exact same system I've made in my own thread, only you will have to downgrade on the RAM and PSU, you could even knock the price down another $80 if you went for the Core i5-3570k Ivy bridge (updated equivalent of the 2500k) instead. So making these changes your literally getting a very much faster system for only an extra $250.00.

Do you only plan on playing SC2 and Diablo 3? No plans on streaming?

Are you comfortable with only 60GB of storage space?

This seems like a fairly out-dated system. Your GFX card runs on PCI-E 2.0. That's now 2 generations behind considering we are now up to PCI-E 3.0. Also, with the new Ivy Bridge CPU's which are about to be released next week I suggest you wait for those.

Also, build the system yourself. It's not hard and each component will come with necessary installation instructions. If you come across any troubles, just use youtube. Don't be afraid that you will screw anything up, because you really can't go wrong if you follow the instructions/use youtube. If anything, just be careful when installing the CPU and applying the thermal paste.

Personally, IMO that system isn't well thought out and seems like a rip off. If you are already going to spend that much money, save up that little extra to get a more future proof system such as the one in my thread where there is plenty of room for future upgrades.

PS - In saying this, if the only thing your interested in is being able to play SC2 and D3 and you don't want the hassles of having to build your own PC (it really isn't a hassle actually)... then by all means purchase that system. But just remember, you're getting ripped off.

EDIT: Also, in regards to the warranty as ESLHellfyre pointed out. 1 year warranty, pffft. What is even worse is that a lot of computer tech places will place some kind of seal/sticker on the case... if you break it, you void that warranty. Many components come with a 3 year warranty, so building the system yourself renders you free to open up the case as often as you wish without voiding any warranty at all.

Quick Comments

Junho:

[Junho]

What do you guys think of this system i got from another forum
my budget is about 1k

CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K
CPU Fan: Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO
Mobo: Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3
RAM: 8G Kit 1333 G.Skill
HDD: Seagate SATA3 1TB
GPU: 2gb Powercolor 6950
Case: Antec 300
PSU: Antec Neo Eco 520C
ODD: Samsung DVD burner

[MezjE]

Originally Posted by Junho

What do you guys think of this system i got from another forum
my budget is about 1k

CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K
CPU Fan: Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO
Mobo: Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3
RAM: 8G Kit 1333 G.Skill
HDD: Seagate SATA3 1TB
GPU: 2gb Powercolor 6950
Case: Antec 300
PSU: Antec Neo Eco 520C
ODD: Samsung DVD burner

All good but I think a CM690 would be a better case, not a fan of the Antecs... Also 520W seems a bit low...

[Bloodmyst]

Originally Posted by Junho

What do you guys think of this system i got from another forum
my budget is about 1k

CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K
CPU Fan: Coolermaster Hyper 212 EVO
Mobo: Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3
RAM: 8G Kit 1333 G.Skill
HDD: Seagate SATA3 1TB
GPU: 2gb Powercolor 6950
Case: Antec 300
PSU: Antec Neo Eco 520C
ODD: Samsung DVD burner

I'd be more inclined to go for this system instead of the one provided in your OP. But, with this system you now have a slower HDD only much more data storage (depends what you want I guess). Again though, it's still out-dated.

Since you don't seem too keen on building your own system. This link may be beneficial for you;

http://www.techbuy.com.au/custom-pc.asp

Basically, you only pay $40.00 for them to build your PC.

Not sure what their pricing is like, but the advantage with these guys is that you get to pick whatever components you want to have in your system and they will build it for you. If there are any compatibility issues with whatever system you build on their site, they will contact you and let you know.

[Junho]

what don't you like about the Antecs?

[MezjE]

Seem so cheap, all my information is second hand though I have never actually used one. People I know say build quality is bad and the 'gaming' branding isn't all it is made out too be.

[Junho]

okay, if i were to get my relatives to build my system, what parts? AMD or Intel, could you guys give me a list of what you guys think is worth 1k then? sorry i'm not so good with computers.

[Junho]

Hey guys.

I've attempted to make a list of parts for my PC system, I'm not even sure about compatibility, like i said, I'm not so good with computers, so help me out guys

Hows this?
CASE: ANTEC THREE HUNDRED - $58
PSU: COOLERMASTER EXTREME POWER PLUS 650w - $90.09
MOBO: ASUS M5A97 AM3+ - $107.64
CPU: AMD FX 8150 8-CORE BLACK EDITION - $268.99
RAM: KINGSTON 8GB (2X4GB) KIT - $56.50
HARDDRIVE: SEAGATE 3.5'' 1TB SATA3 - $98.57
DVD/CD: DVD/CD BURNER/WRITTER 5.25'' - $41.58
GFX: SAPPHIRE ATI HD 7870 GHz EDITION PCI-E - $364.83
MONITOR: ASUS VS197D 18.5''W LED 1366X768 - $84.98

TOTAL: $1171.18

[FaDeHellfyre]

Originally Posted by Junho

Hey guys.

I've attempted to make a list of parts for my PC system, I'm not even sure about compatibility, like i said, I'm not so good with computers, so help me out guys

Hows this?
CASE: ANTEC THREE HUNDRED - $58
PSU: COOLERMASTER EXTREME POWER PLUS 650w - $90.09
MOBO: ASUS M5A97 AM3+ - $107.64
CPU: AMD FX 8150 8-CORE BLACK EDITION - $268.99
RAM: KINGSTON 8GB (2X4GB) KIT - $56.50
HARDDRIVE: SEAGATE 3.5'' 1TB SATA3 - $98.57
DVD/CD: DVD/CD BURNER/WRITTER 5.25'' - $41.58
GFX: SAPPHIRE ATI HD 7870 GHz EDITION PCI-E - $364.83
MONITOR: ASUS VS197D 18.5''W LED 1366X768 - $84.98

TOTAL: $1171.18

OK, it seems you're looking for someone to give you a build, so that's what i'm going to do. I'll use all info from PCCaseGear.com (go here to find them), and i'll keep the price under $1000. The computer will run all latest games and will have longevity through at least 18 months time.

Prepare for massive wall of text.

+ Show +

I'll begin with the case. here i will give you two options. Why? Because there are two reasons to get a case. The first is cooling. The second is aesthetics. If you need a case for cooling, save money on it and get a heatsink instead. If you're spending money on aesthetics you've not spent enough on power or you've got too much money.

Choice 1: Antec 300 = $59 (aesthetics out)
Choice 2: Antec 600 = $92 (aesthetically better)

Motherboard. Righto, motherboards are what you're looking at to control and link your entire computer. Except for the CPU, they're the single most important piece in your computer. So make sure you get the right one. You want to look at the number of USB ports, the number of RAM slots, the CPU compatibility and everything else as well. My two options. Again i'll go with a reasonable, and a more expensive version.

Choice 1: Asus P8Z77-V LX = $145
Choice 2: ASRock Z77 Extreme 6 = $209

CPU. The most expensive part of your computer, and the smallest. This thing always shocks me how expensive it will be, but it's always expensive. What you want to do here is go middle of the road, because unfortunately the big ones are hugely expensive. I'm talking from 500-1000 dollars.

Choice 1: Intel Core i7 2600 = $289
Choice 2: Intel Core i7 2700k = $335

RAM. Memory. How much your games will be able to store for quick access so you don't have to use your hard drive as much while playing. quickens loading times, and causes lower lagrates and better frame rates in games.

Choice 1: G.Skill Ripjaws X F3-10666CL9D-8GBXL (2x4GB) DDR3 = $52
Choice 2: G.Skill ripjaws X F3-10666CL9Q-16GB XL. (4x4GB) DDR3 = $99

HDD. I personally don't like solid state. Expensive and less memory overall, so just go with a normal HDD.

Choice 1: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB WD10EALX = $105
Choice 2: Seagate Barracuda 2TB ST2000DM001 = $139

DVD/CD Burner. The cheapest, it's simple. Unless you're planning on burning things often, or using your computer as a blu-ray player, you don't even need one necessarily.

Choice 1: LG GH24NS90 24x SATA DVD-RW Drive OEM = $22
Choice 2: LG CH12LS28 12X BD-R Blu-ray DVD Combo Drive = $59

GFX Card. Go top notch here. All that money you saved on CPU performance will matter here, so use it. I've picked my favourites, which is Radeon... but if you prefer GeForce, there are solutions like that too.

Choice 1: 2x Gigabyte Radeon HD7770 1GB Overclocked = $338
Choice 2: ASUS Radeon HD7850 DirectCU II 2GB = $339

Monitor... If you already have one, i'd suggest not taking this option and getting a better monitor at a later date. If you don't already have one, here goes, but they're rather expensive.

Choice 1: Viewsonic VA1936A 18.5in Widescreen LED Monitor = $85
Choice 2: LG E2351VR 23in LED Widescreen Monitor = $135

Choice 1 Total: ~$1100
Choice 2 Total: ~$1500

I would advise spending the extra $50 on the screen. Totally worth it getting a bigger screen.

Now to all of you that did read that and disagree, i took numerous things into account, first was the apparent budget of roughly 1000 dollars. The second was longevity. Two GFX cards will last longer than 1, because they can both be overclocked. They are not the best items out there, nor are they the most affordable. I tried to find a compromise, and it's 5am and i'm slightly drunk, so deal with it. :P

[Bloodmyst]

Well, I think I have trimmed that fat of this build a little bit.

Choice 1: Antec 300 = $59 (aesthetics out)

Choice 2: ASRock Z77 Extreme 6 = $209

CPU

$225.00 (Core i5-3570k) Ivy Bridge is released next week, may as well wait. This is the updated equivalent of the current 2500k Sandy Bridge. By the sounds of it, you won't be utilising the extra threads the i7's offer. So save the money and get the 3570k.

RAM.

Choice 1: G.Skill Ripjaws X F3-10666CL9D-8GBXL (2x4GB) DDR3 = $52

Good enough memory, good price. I haven't check at all, but make sure this memory is on the support list for the M'board;

http://www.asrock.com/mb/memory.asp?...Z77%20Extreme6

HDD.

Choice 1: Western Digital Green 500GB WD5000AZRX = $85 Th eonly reason I've slapped this in is because you didn't seem to worried about data storage in your OP. So I'm just trying to cut the cost down where I can here.

DVD/CD Burner

Choice 1: LG GH24NS90 24x SATA DVD-RW Drive OEM = $22

GFX Card.

Sapphire Radeon HD7850 2GB OC = $275.00 This card is actually the better option out of the both hellfyre provided you. I only know this because I spent a fair bit of own time looking it it for my own system. So without having to write a big wall of text, it's just much easier to say this option is just simply better and also cheaper.

Choice 1 Total: ~$927.00

Oh yeah, you still need to find a powersupply as well. lol. I only went into Hellfyres build and modified a few things.

[FaDeHellfyre]

I noticed i forgot PSU. That depends on if you get 1 or two GFX cards. If you get 1, get a 500W. If you pick two, go 750W

[TheGentleman]

Remember guys, keep this realistic and around $1k, you can get excessively good systems for cheap now-a-days.

CASE: This is the least important accessory. Only spend extra money on this in order to get a case which suits your needs... or if you are swimming in money. Just make sure the thing is big enough, nothing worse than buying a case which is too small.

PSU: Honestly... you only need 450W, but more power is obviously nicer. Most cases will come with a PSU too.

MOBO: Choose this after you've decided AMD or Intel. Primarily look for: How many USB ports does it have (how many are USB3?), Does it come with sound?, What type of ram does it support and how many slots (usually 4) and it should be DDR3, How many SATA ports does it have, does it have a network port (it should), and PCI ports (at least one PCIEx16 for your graphics card and a small mix of PCIEx1 and PCI slots should be minimum). If you know what you're looking at, just looking at the mother board can be an excellent way to derive most of this information without having to look at the specifications.

CPU: For a reasonable high end computer 3.1GHz or greater. Doesn't matter if it's intel or AMD, just remember to make sure you get a motherboard with the appropriate socket.

RAM: DDR3 ram is the best option without a doubt. Most people don't need more than 4GB. 8GB is luxury, 16GB is extremely luxurious and for most people completely unnecessary and therefore a waste of money.

HARDDRIVE: SSD vs. HDD is always a hard decision but it comes down to speed vs. space. It's really easy to use up 60GB of space so you would only want to use a SSD for programs and not storage. In my opinion either get both an SSD and a HDD or just an HDD. I wouldn't ever get an SSD alone unless I had money to flaunt.

DVD/CD: Don't spend more than you have to on this. Most games you can download from the Internet anyway and you'll probably only need it for the Windows 7 installation.

GFX: Once again, ATI vs Nvidia is mostly personal preference. This is one of those things that you should be willing to spend some of the excess money on as it's one of the cheapest ways to improve a gaming experience. You want it to support DirectX 11, have the necessary ports for your monitor (at least 1 DVI). 4000MHz memory clock and 800MHz core clock, and 1GB memory DDR5 should serve as base values and therefore obviously anything higher is much nicer. A budget computer will currently benefit from either the ATI HD6870 or Nvidia GTX560.

MONITOR: If anywhere, this is where you want to spend your spare money. A mid-high end PC deserves a nice monitor (or 2).

[TheGentleman]

An example I suppose would be in order:



NOTE: All these things should go together nicely however I more or less just threw it all together. Someone else is more than welcome to double check my work

Also note that I designed your computer around option 1. This is the best option out of the list and exceeds your budget by only $37 but that can be remedied by choosing a different hard drive or monitor.

Reasoning:

RAM: I gave you only one 4GB stick of ram. This provides you with the option to upgrade to 8GB or 16GB in the future simply with the purchase of additional 4GB ram sticks.

CPU: The i5 2500K Processor I believe to be the best choice at the moment.

HDD: You may notice that I provided the whopping 2TB hard drive there. This can be downgraded to 1TB and save you roughly $50 however I think this HDD is the best value choice at the moment.

GFX 1: This is the best value atm. You will not need to replace it for a while and it's only about $20 more than its closest competitors in price.

Monitor: 24" monitors are fantastic. That is all. You won't regret it. But if you must, yes you can downgrade this.

All prices based off: http://umart.com.au/

PS. The case comes with a PSU, though it's only 420W... you may wish to choose a case which comes with a 500W PSU... the CoolerMaster RC372 Elite Black With 500WPSU is $85 only $6 more than the one shown in the image and may be a more ideal choice.

Quick Comments

	nirvAnA:
	Junho:

[Junho]

I tried putting your ideas together, so how's this?

CASE: ANTEC THREE HUNDRED - $58
PSU: COOLERMASTER EXTREME POWER PLUS 650w - $90.09
MOBO: ASRock Z77 Extreme 6 = $209
CPU: (COMING SOON) (CORE I5-3570K) IVY BRIDGE - $225.00
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws (2x4GB) DDR3 = $51.79
HARDDRIVE: WESTERN DIGITAL GREEN 1TB - $96.31
DVD/CD: LG DUALLAYER DVD BURNER SATA - $24.86
GFX: SAPPHIRE ATI HD 7870 GHz EDITION PCI-E - $364.83
MONITOR: SAMSUNG 24'' S24B300H LED - $186.95

TOTAL: $1306.83

Quick Comments

	FaDeHellfyre:	Much much better mate
	sRDreaM:	PSU is bad get a Corsair/Antec

[Bloodmyst]

Originally Posted by Junho

I tried putting your ideas together, so how's this?

CASE: ANTEC THREE HUNDRED - $58
PSU: COOLERMASTER EXTREME POWER PLUS 650w - $90.09
MOBO: ASRock Z77 Extreme 6 = $209
CPU: (COMING SOON) (CORE I5-3570K) IVY BRIDGE - $225.00
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws (2x4GB) DDR3 = $51.79
HARDDRIVE: WESTERN DIGITAL GREEN 1TB - $96.31
DVD/CD: LG DUALLAYER DVD BURNER SATA - $24.86
GFX: SAPPHIRE ATI HD 7870 GHz EDITION PCI-E - $364.83
MONITOR: SAMSUNG 24'' S24B300H LED - $186.95

TOTAL: $1306.83

Well you've come a long way from the system provided in your OP. This is much better.

First and foremost, just make sure that G-Skill RAM is compatible with the motherboard. If you haven't, go to the manfacturers site to check. You don't want to be putting in memory that isn't compatible with the M'board.

If I was to purchase this system, I'd go for the 7850 version of the Sapphire Card you chose. Only because of 2 reasons;

1. Your saving $85.00. Whilst the 7970 benchmarks are higher then that of the 7850, I think it's debatable if the extra $85.00 justifies this.

2. If you get the 7850 instead and are unhappy with it. You can simply purchase a 2nd one later on to run both in crossfire. But I think the 7850 alone will easily satisfy you enough tbh.

Lastly, the ASRock Z77 Extreme 6 Motherboard. I can't remember for the life of me why I didn't choose to go for that M'board now. This is a step up from the Extreme 4 in my build, however there is a reason why I didn't choose it (wish I could remember now). Just check the reviews on it to make sure you will be happy with it. Also, type in "ASRock Z77 Extreme4 vs ASRock Z77 Extreme 6" into google as well to see what other people think about it. Keep in mind, the Extreme 4 version is also $40.00 cheaper.

Overall, you can save $125.00 on this build easily without really sacrificing anything. You could use that money to upgrade the CPU to a Core i7-3770k Ivy Bridge. However, that is a good build.

[TheGentleman]

Originally Posted by Bloodmyst

Well you've come a long way from the system provided in your OP. This is much better.

It is, and it costs a lot more. This is not a bad thing but you should settle on a budget especially if you intend to consult multiple people. A system which is tailored to your needs will cost a lot less than one which is designed to be more than you'll ever need. The people who are helping you need to know exactly how much it is you're willing to spend.

[Bloodmyst]

Originally Posted by TheGentleman

It is, and it costs a lot more. This is not a bad thing but you should settle on a budget especially if you intend to consult multiple people. A system which is tailored to your needs will cost a lot less than one which is designed to be more than you'll ever need. The people who are helping you need to know exactly how much it is you're willing to spend.

Sorry, but thought I'd point out..... If he takes my advice on the M'board and GFX card, he knocks off $125.00. Taking into consideration he didn't included the monitor in his OP this new build is actually cheaper then the one provided in the OP and much faster.

Just goes to show you are ALWAYS better off building your own system then purchasing a pre-built system.

Also, I've just learned the OCZ SSD's seem to have a fair few problems when when installing an OS onto it. From the reviews I'm told they result in corrupted data and BSOD's. Not sure if they have an updated firmware release to address this, but I've now changed my OCZ SSD to a Corsair. Can't be bothered with those kinds of hassles when building a new system, nothing more frustrating......