[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...

[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.

[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]

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

[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

[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.

[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.

[TAScaramanga]

My advice is to ask for a pc build with a budget from a few forums, ask a few friends who are tech savvy what they think would be best and then build it yourself. I didn't know how to put mine together but you figure it out as you go along, its sorta like lego, super fun

[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......

[TheGentleman]

Originally Posted by Bloodmyst

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......

Please note that I have only stated facts. I have not suggested he doesn't take your advice I've merely suggested he sets a budget.

Quick Comments

Bloodmyst:

Oops, sorry man.. didn't mean to come across that way. But yes you are right.

[FaDeHellfyre]

Originally Posted by Bloodmyst

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......

It also shows that coming to us in the forum is the best way to get computer advice.

*puffsup*

yea... we're pretty awesome

Quick Comments

	TheGentleman:	We are pretty awesome!
	Bloodmyst:	2shae!

[|Erasmus|]

my advice would be to get a good power supply. It is the one part where, when it fails, it could well destroy everything... It is the absolute last place to try saving money.

That and the advice to get a slower graphics card because you can always get a second later I also think is extremely iffy. Dual GPU setups need to consider heat dissipation and power. I don't think a 650W coolermaster is the best thing to run two 7850s on (maybe if it was a gold+ rated 650W antec or seasonic unit... but no PSU really wants to be running at too close to it's stated capacity if you want it to last well). And an antec 300 is not really the ideal case for multiple graphics cards either. It is decently ventilated, but dual GPUs is very difficult to cool, and will increase ambient temps by a lot. Your computer will need multiple case fans, and your CPU/GPU coolers will be running full tilt much of the time, so it will sound like a jet on takeoff.

Quick Comments

FaDeHellfyre:

But I like my computers to sound like jets :P

[FaDeHellfyre]

Most graphics cards now come with more than decent cooling units on them. Maybe fork out an extra $50 on fans and stuff if you're really worried, but my computer runs dual GFX cards, and i'm using the stock fans. Temperature, in the dead middle of summer is still only 40-50 degrees. Sometimes cooler than it is outside... Just make sure you set up the fans correctly. I have a friend who set up his so his fans were accidentally keeping the hot air in the case and it was turning his house into a sauna and frying his parts.

As for the power supply, indeed you don't want to get a cheap one, but you don't need to oversupply on power. If you upgrade your computer in 12-18 months time, then more than likely you'll get a new power supply anyway. If it's rated at 750W, then it can take 750W consistently. If you only need 600W... only get 600W. They don't use their maximum Wattage all the time, power supplies draw power out of the socket on demand only. power supplies can cause massive problems if you're not careful when choosing one, but you only need a reliable one that will do the job, not one that's too powerful.

[Bloodmyst]

Originally Posted by |Erasmus|

my advice would be to get a good power supply. It is the one part where, when it fails, it could well destroy everything... It is the absolute last place to try saving money.

That and the advice to get a slower graphics card because you can always get a second later I also think is extremely iffy. Dual GPU setups need to consider heat dissipation and power. I don't think a 650W coolermaster is the best thing to run two 7850s on (maybe if it was a gold+ rated 650W antec or seasonic unit... but no PSU really wants to be running at too close to it's stated capacity if you want it to last well). And an antec 300 is not really the ideal case for multiple graphics cards either. It is decently ventilated, but dual GPUs is very difficult to cool, and will increase ambient temps by a lot. Your computer will need multiple case fans, and your CPU/GPU coolers will be running full tilt much of the time, so it will sound like a jet on takeoff.

I agree with this 110%. If you do decide to change the M'board to the Extreme 4 and the GFX card to a 7850. With extra the $125.00 you now have, forget the CPU upgrade.... get a better case and powersupply with it. Plus, that Ivy bridge you already have is already plenty for what you want to do.

[Mayo]

Needs 100% more eSports.

GIGABYTE Motherboard (Sponsors PiG) or ASRock Motherboard (Sponsors White-Ra)
Thermaltake Case/PSU (Sposnors Lots of SC2 here, PiG, MKP, White-Ra etc)
Kingston Ram (Sponsors xGKing)
Western Digital Data Drives (Sponsored huge SC2 comps with CyberGamer)

Support the companies that support you otherwise, what's the point?

RE: The PSU Wattage. IBISQ Have now got 48 Tt Commander MS-I cases with 500W OEM PSU's in them. They are running a 1tb SATA drive, 560 Graphics cards, 4gb ram and dual core CPU's (I'm guessing i3) with no issues.

What I would suggest as a nice budget gaming rig with a higher grade PSU:

i5 2500k (Or Ivy bridge?)
4gb Kingston DDR3 RAM
ASRock Z68 PRO3 GEN3 Motherboard (Or Ivy bridge compatible?)
Tt Commander MS-II case (no PSU)
Tt TR2 Bronze 600w PSU
Kingston HyperX 120gb SSD (C Drive)
1tb (or more) Western Digital Sata 3 HDD (Sata)
GIGABYTE GTX 560

Quick Comments

sRDreaM:

MS-II is a bloody sexy case

[Bloodmyst]

OK, completely disregard all those posts where I was harping on Ivy bridge. Turns out it's like only a 5% increase from sandy-bridge..... like we are going to notice the difference! Also turns out, when overlocking the CPU's, sandy bridge is much more stable when overclocking. The Ivy bridge is already going under the nick name of "Inferno-Bridge."

Considering the Ivy bridge is only an incremental update from Sandy Bridge, it's nothing revolutionary. Your best bet is to just stay with Sandy Bridge and get excited for the Haswell CPU release next year.

TLDR; To explain the problem to those who aren't exactly tech savvy. The Ivy Bridge CPU is intel breaking into "new technology" (smaller die shrink) which hasn't panned out to what they wished for. Hopefully they have this "new technology" sorted by the time Haswell arrives.

@OP since the new Haswell CPU's aren't going to be running on the LGA1155 socket, you can probably go for a much cheaper M'board now. Considering the Z77 chipsets are really only meant for the new Ivy Bridge Processors. Not going ivy bridge = no need for an updated chipset, especially when Haswell is only 12 months away.

EDIT: To be honest, I'm quiet literally pissed off atm. I've waited a week and a half for nothing. I could have my new PC by now!

[FaDeHellfyre]

It is revolutionary, but like most revolutionary movements, the initial push isn't really going to go anywhere. In about 6 months they'll perfect it and release an Ivy Bridge chip that utilizes the new technology.

The stats (i just read somewhere, will attempt to find link), state that the Ivy Bridge chips CAN be 20% more powerful and use 20% less power than the current Sandy Bridge's. However these chips are most likely massively expensive. The big difference is that they use a different kind of physical structure, enabling them to put more threads and more power in less nM and thus continuing Moore's law (every 24 months the computer's power doubles). Expect to see Ivy Bridge becoming amazing, but as i said in about 6-12 months time.

[Junho]

Okay i think i'm going to go more for Chad's ideas.
How about this? It's compatible right? Will it burnnn? D:

CASE: COOLERMASTER ELITE 371 500W PSU - $83.16
MOBO: ASUS P8Z68-M PRO MB - $119.42
CPU: INTEL QUAD CORE I5 2500K - $213.00
RAM: KINGSTON 8GB (2X4GB) KIT HYPERX BLU - $56.50
HARDDRIVE: WESTERN DIGITAL GREEN 1TB - $96.31
DVD/CD: LG DUALLAYER DVD BURNER SATA - $24.86
GFX: SAPPHIRE ATI HD 7850 OC EDITION PCI-E - $266.26
MONITOR: SAMSUNG 24'' S24B300H LED - $186.95

TOTAL: $1046.46

Quick Comments

	Bloodmyst:	+1, Good build. I can't see anything here that I would change and it meets your budget.
	Mayo:	100% less eSports :(

[FaDeHellfyre]

Looks good enoguh, only thing i would change is the DVD/CD burner. You can get a blu-ray player for that price. Look for something cheaper if you're not getting blu-ray.

Other than that it's good

[Junho]

cheapest blu-ray i've found is $76 o__O watching blu-ray movies every now and then seems nice.

[FaDeHellfyre]

I saw a cheap blu-ray player on PC Case Gear for $30. Probably not a very good one, but yea

[foxmeep]

I really like the Antec 300 case. Simple design, perfect size for a budget PC. Build quality is also good, and it's cheap.

[Junho]

One more thing, do you guys know if my system will be noisy or get hot easily?

[Bloodmyst]

At stock standard speeds, the short answer is no. It "shouldn't" get hot easily and should run perfectly fine. However, I recommend you download the appropriate software to check your system temperatures just in case (it's also good just to have more knowledge about your system). You may even have software included with the motherboard so you can use to check this.

Now I've purchased that exact same graphics card which comes out of the box already overclocked. From the reviews I have read and watched, Sapphire already have the temperatures down pat with the heatsink/copper pipers and dual fan case they have slapped on. So sheeeets sweet in that department

Now as for the CPU, you do have the unlocked multiplier version. In other words, the CPU is crying out for you to overclock it! But don't do it if you don't have to. If you do wish to OC it, you will need to buy a decent CPU cooler (around $50) to keep it cool and stable whilst running at higher speeds.

If you want to go mad with overlocking, you can purchase a water cooling system. But I don't think you'll want to take things that far.

As for the noise, well if anything it'll be the HDD that'll be making some noise and your fans. If it bothers you that much though, I think theres some noise dampeners you can get for the HDD (I don't think it would really make a difference though). For the fans, you can always replace those later on with "silent fans" that are available. But you won't really know how much noise it makes until you actually have it sitting on your desk really.

[rizE]

CPU - intel i5 2500k
GFX - Gigabyte 6870 HD
RAM - 8GB Gskill ripjaws
MOBO - ASUS P8Z68 NOT -M (-M means miniature model i hope you realise)
PSU - anything over 700W
HDD - 1gb WD
Case - anything around $100 mark

this will run anything you want, cheapest build you will find, dont go overboard on crap like expensive cases, dvd blu-ray drives, overkill PSU's. i5 with that setup does not need anything else, if you know what your doing you can overclock the CPU to 4.8 with AIR COOLING, i have done this on 2 of my mates pc's.

[Junho]

My final parts for my gaming computer.

CASE: COOLERMASTER ELITE 371 500W PSU - $83.16
CPU: INTEL I5 2500K - $213.00
GFX: SAPPHIRE ATI HD 7850 OC EDITION PCI-E - $260.56
HDD: SEAGATE 3.5'' BARRACUDA 500GB ST500DM002 SATA3 7200RPM 16MB HDD - $75
MONITOR: ACER 24'' V243HLABD 5MS - $154.00
DVD/CD: LG SATA BLACK DVD RW - $19
MOBO: AUS P8Z68-M PRO MB - $109
RAM: G SKILL DDR3-1600 8GB (2X4GB) RIPJAWS - $54

TOTAL: $967.72

FUTURE UPGRADES:
SSD: INTEL SSD-330- 60GB - $94

Quick Comments

	Mayo:	0% eSports :(
	TCPLemminks:	@Mayo: OBJECTION!: ACER has an eSports team. TAKE THAT!

[inFeZa]

are you going to get a cpu cooler to overclock that 2500k? if ur not gonna overclock isnt the 2500 itself a bit cheaper?

[|Erasmus|]

I dislike trusting $500 worth of cpu/gpu to a $80 case/psu combo...

[Junho]

Originally Posted by |Erasmus|

I dislike trusting $500 worth of cpu/gpu to a $80 case/psu combo...

What PSU and/or case should i get that you would like trusting? and should i cut down the sapphire graphics to a 1GB graphics card?

[|Erasmus|]

Originally Posted by Junho

What PSU and/or case should i get that you would like trusting? and should i cut down the sapphire graphics to a 1GB graphics card?

http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/PSU_Recommendations

Anything in the section for mid-range gaming card should be fine for this build. Antec Neo Eco is good value for ~$50. These are a lot better manufactured than the stuff you find in almost all case/psu combos (the only exception really being the few antec combo's that come with the neo eco model...)

[Junho]

Originally Posted by |Erasmus|

http://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/PSU_Recommendations

Anything in the section for mid-range gaming card should be fine for this build. Antec Neo Eco is good value for ~$50. These are a lot better manufactured than the stuff you find in almost all case/psu combos (the only exception really being the few antec combo's that come with the neo eco model...)

So whats wrong with the COOLERMASTER ELITE 371 500W PSU? D:

[inFeZa]

I have a Thermaltake 750w one and never had a problem with it. 750 is too much for yours tho.

Quick Comments

Junho:

So a 500W would do me fine?

[AvMyuu]

i dont think the case isr eally important if you want to stick to a budget then just getl ike a 20$ case lol

Quick Comments

Junho:

Kevin, the case comes with a PSU

[|Erasmus|]

Originally Posted by Junho

So whats wrong with the COOLERMASTER ELITE 371 500W PSU? D:

I'm not exactly the biggest expert on exactly how the specs of every individual PSU affect the performance, but the wiki i linked to says the following: "Most of the PSU's Coolermaster brand are midrange budget/value models, whilst they will get the job done there are usually better options at the same price levels."


Most of the coolermaster models are actually manufactured by other companies, not necessarily ones with a reputation for making quality products. Even Coolermaster's own website doesn't make it immediately clear what model of PSU is coming with that case.

You are buying a product you know nothing about, not even who manufactures it. I don't normally like to do that. If you do, go ahead.

[Bloodmyst]

Currently I have been managing a HP/Dell network consisting of 700 workstations and 3 Servers. In 5 years I've never had a problem with a power supply.

I've only ever had problems with PSU's in custom made PC's.... It's always been because of the PSU not supplying enough power to the system. As long as it's big enough, you should be fine. I mean, are the power supplies that come with Dell, HP, Acer and Toshiba of good quality? I'd say probably not, but with so many enthusiasts among us they will probably tell you Coolermaster is crap.... yet it's still most likely better quality then what comes with pre-built systems.

But I think it was Erasmus who pointed out earlier, if you can find the known "better quality" PSU's at very similar prices... I guess it's up you if you want to be extra safe or not. But I don't think it's much of an issue.

[|Erasmus|]

Originally Posted by Bloodmyst

Currently I have been managing a HP/Dell network consisting of 700 workstations and 3 Servers. In 5 years I've never had a problem with a power supply.

I've only ever had problems with PSU's in custom made PC's.... It's always been because of the PSU not supplying enough power to the system. As long as it's big enough, you should be fine. I mean, are the power supplies that come with Dell, HP, Acer and Toshiba of good quality? I'd say probably not, but with so many enthusiasts among us they will probably tell you Coolermaster is crap.... yet it's still most likely better quality then what comes with pre-built systems.

But I think it was Erasmus who pointed out earlier, if you can find the known "better quality" PSU's at very similar prices... I guess it's up you if you want to be extra safe or not. But I don't think it's much of an issue.

A standard workstation without a dedicated video card? A 200W power supply would almost be over-specced for that, so I can see why the bulk 400W or so things they probably just whack in as standard don't have big problems. They also probably draw little current, so you don't have to worry about rails, etc.

I've personally only ever had one PSU die on me. But you hear things about PSUs that just melt down and destroy entire systems. So when it comes down to comparing say, $40 worth of an unknown unit from an unkown manufacturer from a reseller known for having -some- models that are not so good, or paying $60 for a highly recommended well-built unit and saving yourself the hassle of wondering exactly what you're getting, I think it's silly to have the PSU be the thing you skimp out on (if that $20 can't be trimmed elsewhere or mean you won't eat for a week or something silly).

That's really the point I'm trying to make here... You might get that case/psu combo and it works fine for 20 years, but you really have no idea what you're buying, and I don't like that kind of risk when I can help it.

[Bloodmyst]

Originally Posted by |Erasmus|

A standard workstation without a dedicated video card? A 200W power supply would almost be over-specced for that, so I can see why the bulk 400W or so things they probably just whack in as standard don't have big problems. They also probably draw little current, so you don't have to worry about rails, etc.

I've personally only ever had one PSU die on me. But you hear things about PSUs that just melt down and destroy entire systems. So when it comes down to comparing say, $40 worth of an unknown unit from an unkown manufacturer from a reseller known for having -some- models that are not so good, or paying $60 for a highly recommended well-built unit and saving yourself the hassle of wondering exactly what you're getting, I think it's silly to have the PSU be the thing you skimp out on (if that $20 can't be trimmed elsewhere or mean you won't eat for a week or something silly).

That's really the point I'm trying to make here... You might get that case/psu combo and it works fine for 20 years, but you really have no idea what you're buying, and I don't like that kind of risk when I can help it.

Just a question, I thought most known brands such as Coolermaster, Thermaltake, Corasir, Enermax etc. all source their parts from 3rd party vendors... whack it together and put their sticker on it. Is there a company that has a PSU that is well, "exclusively" theirs? Otherwise, how do you really know what your getting with any of them?

Or does Coolermaster literally purchase the whole unit from a 3rd party vendor and slap their sticker on it? LoLs if they do....

[Junho]

Chad suggested the Coolermaster 371/372W case, so you guys have a better solution?

[|Erasmus|]

Originally Posted by Bloodmyst

Just a question, I thought most known brands such as Coolermaster, Thermaltake, Corasir, Enermax etc. all source their parts from 3rd party vendors... whack it together and put their sticker on it. Is there a company that has a PSU that is well, "exclusively" theirs? Otherwise, how do you really know what your getting with any of them?

Or does Coolermaster literally purchase the whole unit from a 3rd party vendor and slap their sticker on it? LoLs if they do....

Go to the wiki link I posted... it lists who manufactures most of the common rebadged models of PSU... coolermaster use 4 or 5 different sources for their ones depending on what model you buy. Some are considered decent, some less so.

Seasonic is my favourite... they manufacture stuff themselves and it's widely considered some of the best units around (a lot of the (higher end) corsair PSUs are rebranded seasonic models). They are on the pricey side though, but are very efficient and quiet.

My suggestion:
Get an Antec Neo Eco 450W PSU and whatever cheap case floats your boat. A case is not going to fry components unless you find an unventilated box somewhere to stick it in.

Quick Comments

Bloodmyst:

Yeah, I had never heard of seasonic before you mentioned them on this website.

[Bloodmyst]

Originally Posted by Junho

Chad suggested the Coolermaster 371/372W case, so you guys have a better solution?

1. Well, Erasmus advice is to avoid Coolermaster
2. Myself, I couldn't care less as long as it's big enough and actually supplies more power then what I need just in case of future upgrades.

If I were in your shoes, go for the best of both worlds and see if you can find another brand that supplies plenty of power at a competitive price. However, if you cbf doing this then meh.....

I mean how often do you hear of people saying, dude I got a "Thermaltake PSU, woah man!" or "dude I've got a Corsair PSU, sweeeet?" What I hear of more often is "FFS, my whole comp has sh^t itself because of the PSU!"..... later on to only find out it simply wasn't big enough in the first place.

[|Erasmus|]

Originally Posted by Bloodmyst

1. Well, Erasmus advice is to avoid Coolermaster

My advice is to avoid a unit that you know nothing about other than '500W'. There are 500W badged PSUs that are great, and others that will probably blow up if you ask for that much out of them.

Coolermaster use a variety of manufacturer's, not all of them quality, and we can't tell which one this is.

If you can get a known quality unit without paying much more, my advice is to get that...

[Bloodmyst]

Originally Posted by |Erasmus|

Go to the wiki link I posted... it lists who manufactures most of the common rebadged models of PSU... coolermaster use 4 or 5 different sources for their ones depending on what model you buy. Some are considered decent, some less so.

Seasonic is my favourite... they manufacture stuff themselves and it's widely considered some of the best units around (a lot of the (higher end) corsair PSUs are rebranded seasonic models). They are on the pricey side though, but are very efficient and quiet.

My suggestion:
Get an Antec Neo Eco 450W PSU and whatever cheap case floats your boat. A case is not going to fry components unless you find an unventilated box somewhere to stick it in.

So that would mean those Seasonic models would be cheaper then Corsairs right?.... Hmmm, amazing how some businesses do dodgy stuff like this... well I think it's dodgy anyway lol.

Quick Comments

|Erasmus|:

The corsair branded ones are sometimes cheaper and usually come with +1 years warranty (I have one of those models ;))

[Junho]

On the website Sapphire Technology, they said the sapphire 7850 requires 500 watt power.

[|Erasmus|]

Originally Posted by Junho

On the website Sapphire Technology, they said the sapphire 7850 requires 500 watt power.

As I said, there's such a huge variance in 500W labeled power supplies... it can run in <400W but if they tell you that and buy a no-name PSU that is marked at 400W and it blows up you can possibly sue them then.

For reference the anandtech review for that GPU uses the folllowing setup:
CPU: Intel Core i7-3960X @ 4.3GHz
Motherboard: EVGA X79 SLI
Chipset Drivers: Intel 9.​2.​3.​1022
Power Supply: Antec True Power Quattro 1200
Hard Disk: Samsung 470 (256GB)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3-1867 4 x 4GB (8-10-9-26)

This is more power consuming than your 2500K...

The result:


A 7850 at load in that system draws a total of 289W. A high quality 450W power supply exceeds your needs

[IcedTea]

I think a 600w would be perfect. Its not extremely expensive and it provides enough power. The high end video cards require at least 500w nowdays to be running properly. I think that for a couple more dollars, you could get a 600w. Or if not a 600w at least a 550w. But in my opinion 600w would be ideal.

[Bloodmyst]

Well Junho, I have already ordered my new system and I'm using that exact same graphics card.

Despite what has been said about CoolerMaster, I ordered one. I ordered my system last Monday and still waiting for it to arrive....

But heres the PSU I have ordered;

CoolerMaster Silent Pro M2 850W Power Supply

- 850W PSU which is well above recommend specifications for the graphics card.
- 80+ Silver class certified, so it's a mid range PSU basically.
- A single 12V rail - Not going to go into detail about it, but this is good.
- 68 Amps on the 12V rail, this is REALLY good.
- Modular Cabling feature - good for general cooling of your system, also looks cleaner inside instead of having pointless cables lying around everywhere.
- Also important... 5 YEARS WARRANTY!

Fairly decent for $159.00 imo.

Personally, I'm not really fussed about what other people say about brand names in regards to PSU's. But I simply look at the specs and reviews. As long as I get the specs I need and the reviews are decent... I'm sold.

EDIT: Whatever PSU you end up buying, DOT NOT go and buy a 500W PSU, for the love of god! lol.

[|Erasmus|]

Originally Posted by Bloodmyst

EDIT: Whatever PSU you end up buying, DOT NOT go and buy a 500W PSU, for the love of god! lol.

Why not? his system won't be drawing over 400W...

[Junho]

Erasmus-450W IcedTea-600W Bloodmyst-850W
so how about going with IcedTea's idea 600W

CASE: ANTEC THREE HUNDRED - $58
PSU: Thermaltake TR-600PCAU TR2 600Watt. 80+ Bronze PSU - $65

PS: For Mayo, MORE % ESPORTS

[Bloodmyst]

Originally Posted by |Erasmus|

Why not? his system won't be drawing over 400W...

He may be saying hes not going to upgrade from this point on. But who can know that for sure? What will happen when he wants to go crossfire? That PSU just ain't going to cut it. He will have to buy another one + the GFX card instead of buying just the card itself.

It's also not entirely the watts you look at either... you need to check the amps on the rail. I've had a 550 Watt PSU running a Core 2 Duo and an Nvidia 8800GT gfx card. Yep, my GFX card was overheating and crashing because of not having enough amps on the rail. Hence, if your going to get a high end quality 500 Watt PSU with enough amps on the rail, you will soon find for pretty much the same price you can get a PSU with an extra 200/300 watts but with like a couple of less amps for the same price. I went through all of this crap before when I bought my first PC and it's now an unwritten rule I've stuck by.

In some cases, depending on a variety of factors such as how small the PSU actually is (in terms of not only wattage, but also amperage) or whats added to the PC later on.... a PSU running at say 60% capacity is always much more better then say a PSU running at 85% - 95% capacity. If he only has a power draw of 400W with a 500W PSU, we are already at 80% capacity..... not much room left.

So in short, the bigger the PSU the better. It's one thing you can't go wrong with. If a GFX Card manfacturer tells me I need 500W powersupply, you can count on it I'll up that by at least a couple of hundred watts.

Not to mention, how much have PSU's changed over the years? Not much at all really apart from modular cabling features. Get a decent size PSU, and it's very likely it will also carry you over to the time you decide to purchase your next system. Hence, not having to worry about purchasing another PSU at all.