- Jul 29, 2010
- 100
- 0
- 18,710
Cpu i5 650 $129.99
Mobo Asus P7H77-M Pro $54.95
2X2 GB DDR3 2000X A-Data 149.95
BFG Tech GTX 260 Max Core 179.99
Thermaltake TR2 RX 650W PSU 119.00
Power SpecTx-381 27.99 uATX case
WD Blue 7200RPM 500GB H/D 49.99
Intel X25-M SSD 80GB 219.99
LG Sata LightScribe DVD RW OD 29.99
Total: $962
OS Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit
Okay so I just finished building my second computer incarnation. I bought and resold components and here is my final edition for a while, I think. I replaced a core 2 duo E7500, intel media center uAtx mobo, 4 G corsair ddr2 800 mhz ram.
Few general questions/comments I have from this experience. Migrating to the SSD from the HD was not too difficult. I successfully enable ACHI mode or whatever by using regedit and following the directions from a post found on this forum. Aside from that and using Intel’s toolbox are there any other tweaks worth considering?
Another thing I have noticed is that the i5 does not support the DDR-3 RAM at the 2000 speed. It’s a limitation of the cpu and not the mobo, from the research I did. It seems I would need an i7 to use the ram at the 2000 setting. Oh well the ram was the same price as DDR3 1600 basically.
I successfully overclocked the i5 650 to about 4.0 ghz. A few things I have noticed; the stock cooler is not adequate for this cpu at stock settings, even with an aftermarket scythe fan/heatsink installed I had from another build the system still ran hot. I realize the case I am using is not ideal but I do have two 80 cm fans and one 120 cm fan installed. Suppose my build is not finished until I get the heat issues under control while the processor is under load. Long gaming sessions during the summer running stock settings pushes the cpu to the mid 60’s C.
The motherboard I bought as an open box item and everything works except the sound. The onboard sound and HD sound on the front of the case do not work. The program just says noting plugged in regardless of whether I plug a jack into any port. Reinstalled drivers etc to no avail, I really think something is faulty with the mobo itself. I had a spare usb sound card lying around I could use so it was not too disappointing.
All in all I am pleased with how the thing runs. The SSD made boot time take a little less time to load, the programs open really fast, and it was not too horribly expensive for 80G drive, a reasonable size for system files. The game I built this computer for to play is called Global Agenda which is an unreal engine physics type game. I can run it at max settings and the lowest average frame rate is about 44 FPS but it mostly stays around 55-63. Compared to the E7500 I had before there is a noticeable difference.
I decided to get the i5 thinking that I would like to use it in a HTPC build someday in the future when I can afford an i7. How’d I do?
Regards,
aSven1
Mobo Asus P7H77-M Pro $54.95
2X2 GB DDR3 2000X A-Data 149.95
BFG Tech GTX 260 Max Core 179.99
Thermaltake TR2 RX 650W PSU 119.00
Power SpecTx-381 27.99 uATX case
WD Blue 7200RPM 500GB H/D 49.99
Intel X25-M SSD 80GB 219.99
LG Sata LightScribe DVD RW OD 29.99
Total: $962
OS Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit
Okay so I just finished building my second computer incarnation. I bought and resold components and here is my final edition for a while, I think. I replaced a core 2 duo E7500, intel media center uAtx mobo, 4 G corsair ddr2 800 mhz ram.
Few general questions/comments I have from this experience. Migrating to the SSD from the HD was not too difficult. I successfully enable ACHI mode or whatever by using regedit and following the directions from a post found on this forum. Aside from that and using Intel’s toolbox are there any other tweaks worth considering?
Another thing I have noticed is that the i5 does not support the DDR-3 RAM at the 2000 speed. It’s a limitation of the cpu and not the mobo, from the research I did. It seems I would need an i7 to use the ram at the 2000 setting. Oh well the ram was the same price as DDR3 1600 basically.
I successfully overclocked the i5 650 to about 4.0 ghz. A few things I have noticed; the stock cooler is not adequate for this cpu at stock settings, even with an aftermarket scythe fan/heatsink installed I had from another build the system still ran hot. I realize the case I am using is not ideal but I do have two 80 cm fans and one 120 cm fan installed. Suppose my build is not finished until I get the heat issues under control while the processor is under load. Long gaming sessions during the summer running stock settings pushes the cpu to the mid 60’s C.
The motherboard I bought as an open box item and everything works except the sound. The onboard sound and HD sound on the front of the case do not work. The program just says noting plugged in regardless of whether I plug a jack into any port. Reinstalled drivers etc to no avail, I really think something is faulty with the mobo itself. I had a spare usb sound card lying around I could use so it was not too disappointing.
All in all I am pleased with how the thing runs. The SSD made boot time take a little less time to load, the programs open really fast, and it was not too horribly expensive for 80G drive, a reasonable size for system files. The game I built this computer for to play is called Global Agenda which is an unreal engine physics type game. I can run it at max settings and the lowest average frame rate is about 44 FPS but it mostly stays around 55-63. Compared to the E7500 I had before there is a noticeable difference.
I decided to get the i5 thinking that I would like to use it in a HTPC build someday in the future when I can afford an i7. How’d I do?
Regards,
aSven1
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