Help me build a good system

[rutledj]

I haven't built a system in a couple of years and figure it is time to again. Here are the things I would like most in a new desktop.


Powerful
Can play the latest games
Fast
Quiet
Not a thermo-nuclear heat generator
Uses standard (available at most online places) components
Not interested in water cooling or overclocking in particular

Computer will be used for games, software development, music recording (nothing serious)

Budget around $1200 (not including monitor).

Let me know what you think!

Rut

 

[WR2]

Look over the recommendations here:
Bit-Tech: Gaming Workhorse August 2010
A few tweaks here and there and you're right on your budget.

 

[Timop]

Youll get much more help if this was under the system forum, but heres a rough build that meets your standards.

i5 760 $210
P55 board $160
4GB DDR3 $100
2*GTX460 $400
Mid-tower case $80
650W PSU $80
DVD Burner $20
1TB HDD $75

Total: $1125

Theres also AMD builds available, but for your budget, the i5 build is a good option.
Ill try to get specific pricing up here in a little while.

 

[enzo matrix]

Well, I think a few more questions could be answered such as:
-what parts don't you need? (monitor included or...?)
-What games do you want to play? What settings and FPS are acceptable? What resolution?
-Do you have any brand preferences?
-What kind of software development?

But from what you said, and assuming you need all parts, including a monitor, I'd recommend the following:


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103851
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131406
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820144266
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152185
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129042
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136180
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236051
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500169


The setup is pretty flexible and should leave you about $200 to work with for your personal needs with graphics, a nicer case or a more powerful CPU setup if you need it.
Hope that helps.

 

[WR2]

i7 870 2.93Ghz CPU $290 a large price reduction makes this a good choice since you're not overclocking.
With no plans to overclock you can leave off the aftermarket CPU cooler and drop the budget $50 there.

Save another $30 getting the excellent Antec 300 case $70
And if you need to fit a copy of Windows 7 into the budget you can change out the HD 5870 video card for a HD 5850.

 

[rutledj]

Thanks. This budget does not include the monitor. I was setting aside around $500 for a monitor but not sure which one yet but probably a decent widescreen isp panel.

As for games, I'm pretty much a First person shooter although I'd like to check out some flight sims also.

Software development is basic windows/business stuff running sql server.

Brand is not important although I've always used intel cpu's in the past.

FPS? Not sure what is considered acceptable these days. I already have dvd burners and hard drives (but was considering a SSD just for the OS and quick boot-ups. Not sure if it is worth it or not.

I already have win 7 64bit.

Thanks,
Rut

 

[unknown_13]

Youll get much more help if this was under the system forum, but heres a rough build that meets your standards.

i5 760 $210
P55 board $160
4GB DDR3 $100
2*GTX460 $400
Mid-tower case $80
650W PSU $80
DVD Burner $20
1TB HDD $75

Total: $1125

Theres also AMD builds available, but for your budget, the i5 build is a good option.
Ill try to get specific pricing up here in a little while.

+1 to this build.

 

[halodude23]

+1 to this build.

Your missing the cpu cooler LOL

 

[WR2]

For a great IPS monitor: Dell U2410 UltraSharp 24" 1920x1200
The usual list price is $599 but there are frequent sales and it shouldn't be hard to find this montior for around $450.

Not sure what is considered acceptable these days.

THG publishes comparative hierarchy charts for gaming CPUs and video cards.
Gaming CPU Hierarchy Chart
Graphics Card Hierarchy Chart

There is lots of competition for your SSD $$$ so the prices continue to drop. But for the better models you're still looking at around $150 for 60GB or $300 for 120GB drives.
Corsair Force / OCZ Agiilty 2 60GB and 120GB SSDs

 

[Timop]

Your missing the cpu cooler LOL

If hes not doing major OCing, the stock cooler should be able to push the 760 to 3.6Ghz with a little effort.

 

[halodude23]

If hes not doing major OCing, the stock cooler should be able to push the 760 to 3.6Ghz with a little effort.

The stock cooler is not good at all, I've had it before, I played left 4 dead at 2.66 Ghz with the i7 920 and it went up to 90C... He also wants to play the latest games for example=Crysis, take's up a load on the cpu and GPU.....

 

[Timop]

The stock cooler is not good at all, I've had it before, I played left 4 dead at 2.66 Ghz with the i7 920 and it went up to 90C... He also wants to play the latest games for example=Crysis, take's up a load on the cpu and GPU.....

Remember 920 runs considerably hotter than the 760.
With a decent case, an after market cooler is NOT necessary.

 

[halodude23]

Here's my list $$1,190.90 I have really good stuff here srsly!

Cpu- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103849

Cpu Cooler- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018&Tpk=noctua%20d14

Dvd Drive- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136178

Case- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119216

Hard Drive- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136359

Mobo- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128443

Gphx Crd- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814162056

Power Supply- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017

Ram- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277&cm_re=RIPJAWS-_-20-231-277-_-Product

Case Fans- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835426018 Add x2 for the CPU cooler, you don't really need 2, if you want to do the Push and Pull Position with the fans for better cooling then you can, Gl, hope my list helped =D

SSD- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227542&cm_re=ocz_agility-_-20-227-542-_-Product&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-RSSDailyDeals-_-na-_-na&AID=10521304&PID=3463938&SID=1ujuc847ur if you really need it

 

[Timop]

Here's my list $$1,044 I have really good stuff here srsly!

Cpu- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103851

Cpu Cooler- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181010

Dvd Drive- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136178

Case- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119216

Hard Drive- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136359

Mobo- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128443

Gphx Crd- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161309

Power Supply- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017

Ram- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231329

Case Fans- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835426018 Add x2

I'm sorry, but that not a good build.

For gaming, hes better off with a 955.
For a 1055T, the H50 isn't the best value al all, a Xigmatek for $35 does the job fine and once again, the stock cooler should even be adequate.
Next, The HD is rather slow, and he will see a substantial hit when it comes to loading times, the Caviar greens are designed for storage, not high performance.
Then, there are better Mobos for the money and you have no real crossfire support.
Moreover, the GPU is just weak, you expect to play Crysis on a HD5750? A single GTX460 wold trump that, while dual GTX46s would spank its booty big time XD.
For a single HD5750 even 500W is enough, get a better quality one from Corsair or something.
Theres no need for 8GB of RAM unless he doing heavy video processing or CS5, your just wasting money here.
Finally, WHY are you spending $50 on fans, the 690 has 3 fans already, for the H50, get cheaper and better kazes. Also, having 3 LED fans in a case gets pretty annoying after a while.

 

[WR2]

srsly? Only HD 5750 for 1920x1200 gaming? and $126 for CPU cooling?
For the same prices as the 5750 and your CPU cooling scheme he could get a HD 5850 video card.

 

[halodude23]

I'm sorry, but that not a good build.

For gaming, hes better off with a 955.
For a 1055T, the H50 isn't the best value al all, a Xigmatek for $35 does the job fine and once again, the stock cooler should even be adequate.
Next, The HD is rather slow, and he will see a substantial hit when it comes to loading times, the Caviar greens are designed for storage, not high performance.
Then, there are better Mobos for the money and you have no real crossfire support.
Moreover, the GPU is just weak, you expect to play Crysis on a HD5750? A single GTX460 wold trump that, while dual GTX46s would spank its booty big time XD.
For a single HD5750 even 500W is enough, get a better quality one from Corsair or something.
Theres no need for 8GB of RAM unless he doing heavy video processing or CS5, your just wasting money here.
Finally, WHY are you spending $50 on fans, the 690 has 3 fans already, for the H50, get cheaper and better kazes. Also, having 3 LED fans in a case gets pretty annoying after a while.

955 Is an x4? He wants to play the latest games that comes out, X6 does the job.
The H50 is pretty good, otherwise you can get a Megahalem or a noctua D14, and it is currently out of stock ATM...Xigmatek fails, If your up for pc gaming why would you use the stock cooler, the HD is slow I know that, he can get an ssd+the hard drive also...
I've tried a GTX 260 with my hard drive, it doesn't lag at all unless it is defective, 2 Slots is enough for crossfire don't you think, why spend more? You could get a 5970 X4 and live with that for years even if you have 1 slot of the x16
The 5570 could handle crysis pretty well, the 460 I know would trump it also remember that it's 60$ more
600 Watt's it on the safe side actually, what if he adds another graphics card, more components, decides to overclock?
8 Gigs of ram is an excellent amount of ram for any game, why does it feel like your just making everything worse when it's pretty good?
You could go cheaper but I think of it this way, does the scythe have a 3 year warranty? Is it DustProof or WaterProof? Is it really that expensive? Some scythe fans are in the $20's range also, but if they broke you have to spend another 20 depending on how many fans you have, the leds can't bother you unless you have your case in your face the whole time, My leds don't even bother me one bit

 

[halodude23]

srsly? Only HD 5750 for 1920x1200 gaming? and $126 for CPU cooling?
For the same prices as the 5750 and your CPU cooling scheme he could get a HD 5850 video card.

I was gonna get the Noctua D14 but it's out of stock ATM????

 

[Timop]

Heres benches/articles for what I'm talking about:

X6: http://www.anandtech.com/show/3674/amds-sixcore-phenom-ii-x6-1090t-1055t-reviewed/9
Xigmatek: http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2333&page=4
PCIe x4 scaling: http://www.anandtech.com/show/3674/amds-sixcore-phenom-ii-x6-1090t-1055t-reviewed/9
HD5750: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Powercolor/HD_5750_PCS/10.html
8GB RAM: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/memory-module-upgrade,2264-6.html

Finally, the Scythe has over twice the CFM (airflow): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubic_feet_per_minute

 

[halodude23]

Heres benches/articles for what I'm talking about:

X6: http://www.anandtech.com/show/3674/amds-sixcore-phenom-ii-x6-1090t-1055t-reviewed/9
Xigmatek: http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2333&page=4
PCIe x4 scaling: http://www.anandtech.com/show/3674/amds-sixcore-phenom-ii-x6-1090t-1055t-reviewed/9
HD5750: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Powercolor/HD_5750_PCS/10.html
8GB RAM: http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/memory-module-upgrade,2264-6.html

Finally, the Scythe has over twice the CFM (airflow): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubic_feet_per_minute

Eh, where's the 8 GB ? The results are always different, they vary from each persons specs, so I wouldn't worry about that chart

 

[Timop]

Eh, where's the 8 GB ?

It shows the difference between 3GB and 12GB is only~2%, so obviously the difference between 4GB and 8GB should be even less than that.

 

[halodude23]

It shows the difference between 3GB and 12GB is only~2%, so obviously the difference between 4GB and 8GB should be even less than that.

I use a lot of programs, and it requires more than 4 GB, while at it I play my Games, mines usage spikes up to 70% usually....

 

[Timop]

I use a lot of programs, and it requires more than 4 GB, while at it I play my Games, mines usage spikes up to 70% usually....

Like?
Obviously you can load all 8GB, or even 16GB/32GB/64GB/128GB if you have the right software that utilizes it. I'm just saying for gaming and light programming/audio, (what the OP does) 4GB is plenty.

 

[halodude23]

Like?
Obviously you can load all 8GB, or even 16GB/32GB/64GB/128GB if you have the right software that utilizes it. I'm just saying for gaming and light programming/audio, (what the OP does) 4GB is plenty.

I usually play Free FPS Games LOL, and wait here till a new game pops up torrents and play... I just finished Singularity, Yes I understand what you mean he want's it
"Powerful"
Can play the latest games
Fast
Quiet
Not a thermo-nuclear heat generator
Uses standard (available at most online places) components
Not interested in water cooling or overclocking in particular

 

[Timop]

I usually play Free FPS Games LOL, and wait here till a new game pops up torrents and play... I just finished Singularity, Yes I understand what you mean he want's it
"Powerful"
Can play the latest games
Fast
Quiet
Not a thermo-nuclear heat generator
Uses standard (available at most online places) components
Not interested in water cooling or overclocking in particular

Like how the HD5750 is the total opposite of "powerful"
He does NOT need 8GB of RAM, you can say all you want, but he would be MUCH better off spending the money on a GPU and if he feels like he really wants 8GB add another 4GB down the road.

 

[halodude23]

Like how the HD5750 is the total opposite of "powerful"
He does NOT need 8GB of RAM, you can say all you want, but he would be MUCH better off spending the money on a GPU and if he feels like he really wants 8GB add another 4GB down the road.

Alright then, let's go with 4 Gb, it doesn't really matter to me, we can go with a better gpu, it doesn't matter, ^_^