Advice on college/starcraft New Build 1200$

[mab664]

APPROXIMATE PURCHASE DATE: 1-2 weeks

BUDGET RANGE: up to $1200 Before Rebates

SYSTEM USAGE FROM MOST TO LEAST IMPORTANT: surfing the internet, MS office, STARCRAFT II, ripping blu-rays (any software recommendations appreciated)

PARTS NOT REQUIRED: I bought the 150g velicorapter hdd for programs and x-25v ssd for the OS and hopefully MS Office (I hear there is a way to get the size of the OS down usinging a program)

PREFERRED WEBSITE(S) FOR PARTS: newegg (combos in particular)

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: U.S. (I will be moving to Alaska mid august and shipping is about 150$ more than it would be to Pennsylvania) Any recommendations on shipping a newbuild so that I don’t end up with a useless computer in Alaska.

PARTS PREFERENCES: really want a Lian Li case, usb 3,

OVERCLOCKING: don’t know how, but forms say you should so probably in the future

SLI OR CROSSFIRE: don’t know how, depends on the limits of gpu

MONITOR RESOLUTION: at least 22” (need advice here)

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: I’m really looking for a PC that will last, I don’t want to spend too much on gpu since it will only be used for Starcraft (but I do want to max settings “ultra”), see toms benchmarks... I like newegg for combos so that’s what I'm really looking for. I plan on buying a 5400rpm hard drive for backing up blu-rays when they go on sale

Questions:
I hear you can buy the upgrade disk for Windows 7 for the OS for new builds, true or false?
Do I need a cooler to overclock AMD 955 to specs of 965?
Are the blue ripjaw ram, in my build, better than the similar spec’ed red ripjaws ?
5400rpm better than 7200rpm for storage?

Qty. Product Description Savings Total Price




• LIAN LI PC-7FN Black Aluminum ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Item #: N82E16811112249
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
• G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-4GBRM
Item #: N82E16820231303
Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
-$40.00 Instant
-$35.00 Combo $254.98
$179.98




• XFX HD-577A-ZNFC Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
Item #: N82E16814150447
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
• XFX P1-650X-CAG9 650W ATX12V 2.2 / ESP12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power ...
Item #: N82E16817207002
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$20.00 Instant
-$50.00 Combo

$20.00 Mail-in Rebate
$289.98
$219.98




• AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ955FBGMBOX
Item #: N82E16819103808
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
• GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H AM3 AMD 890GX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard
Item #: N82E16813128435
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
-$25.00 Combo $299.98
$274.98
1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168GC000001Newegg Promotional Gift Card - $10.00
Item #: N82E168GC000001
Your Promotional Gift Card will be emailed 30 days after invoice.




• LG Black 10X Blu-ray Burner - Bulk SATA WH10LS30 LightScribe Support - OEM
Item #: N82E16827136181
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
Protect Your Investment (expand for options)
• Verbatim 25GB 4X BD-R 10 Packs Disc Model 96769
Item #: N82E16817130047
Return Policy: Consumable Item Refund Only Return Policy
-$5.00 Combo $164.98
$159.98
1
Verbatim 25GB 2X BD-R LTH Single Jewel Case Disc (use w/LTH Compat Drive) 96569 - OEM
Item #: N82E16817130069
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
-$3.01 Saving $3.01
$0.00

TOTAL 835$ WITHOUT MONITOR

 

[banthracis]

Go return the raptor is you still can. Waste of money.

Get a buncha spinpoint f3 1tb drives for data storage. Probably want to toss 3 of them into a raid 5.
You'll get similar performance for much less $/gb.

Return the v if you can. Better off spending savings from raptor on a 80gb X25-M. Or better yet, just wait a few months. SSD cost/gb is dropping a ton this fall.

I hear you can buy the upgrade disk for Windows 7 for the OS for new builds, true or false?
True and false. Technically upgrade is only for upgrading an existing OS on a PC. However, the student offer discount is actually the upgrade edition of win 7, and per MS, you CAN use that for a new build (it's actually advertised as the full retail version).

Do I need a cooler to overclock AMD 955 to specs of 965?
No. You can do it simply with a multiplier change. Both are identical chips, and honestly I don't think AMD even bins the 955 and 965 separately.

Are the blue ripjaw ram, in my build, better than the similar spec’ed red ripjaws ?
Better timings and latency.

5400rpm better than 7200rpm for storage?
No, higher RPM = faster drive. See above for recommendation.

 

[mab664]

I actually tried to return raptor but newegg wants to charge to for shipping and restocking. As for the "value" ssd, the size seems ideal for OS and since there is no chance of saving by returning the raptor i think I'm stuck. I really respect your advice, in particular, seeing as i have been crawling these forums for months... but i keep hearing you better off with a 5400 drive for storage because of low operating temps, but they seem just as expensive as the 7200... so i can make that change. At my school I can get the 7 upgrade for 45$ so i'll do that. Do i need to update my ssd to b4 putting OS on it... many people suggest that. Lastly i'm still looking for monitor recommendation and advice as to whether or not my build sucks, lol.

 

[banthracis]

monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236081

HD temps really aren't an issue. Lower RPM=slower performance, but less heat/power (both are insignificant though, compared to things like GPU and CPU). For data storage you want fast read/write. F3 beats the raptors at that.

Rest of build is fine.

 

[mab664]

Just made the order. Thanks for the monitor suggestion. Do i need ANYTHING ELSE... wires, screwdriver? i literally have nothing. Oh and ill buy the upgrade disk at school. The wait begins

 

[banthracis]

A clean desktop with a non conductive surface.

Philips head Screwdriver, (i personally don't like tool less PCIe mounts)

And zip ties, lots of zip ties and something to cut them with.