Question about system i'm about to build...

[Guest]

Hello guys after doing some research and a lot of thinking i started thinking about this:
1) I like gaming a lot, i've been spending "some" hours on the new starcraft 2 and i'm w8ing like hell for red dead redemption pc and some other games my hd 3850 can't play.
2) I use my pc a lot but i don't do any heavyweight encoding or imaging and such cause this will be my first year in electrical and computer engineering course so no need for many cpu cores.
3) I prefer a better/faster response from my system.
So i was thinking of being a bit more realistic, now that i've realised intel and amd are not going to keep those f*ing sockets they have now, and buying a i3 dual core cpu with a good but as cheap as possible s1156 board and overclock it to a mere 4.0 Ghz .
Doing this i will save some money to spent on a better case, peripherals, and a gpu.

So i was thinking about these:
Coolermaster Haf 932
Gigabyte P55A-UD3
Intel i3 530
Corsair xms3 4 gb
and if have enough money i'll buy one of those gtx460.
I already have an Ocz 600W PSU, an hd3850 which i will eventually replace with a new one and 2 hard drives.
I'm open for suggestions and comments on my decision.
thnx

 

[calguyhunk]

Right now maybe you should wait till the RDR PC version is released. Next year Intel, AMD & ATI are all gonna come out with their new products & prices of the older platforms are gonna fall significantly (hopefully anyways).

CPU : Just 10 bucks more than the 530 - Intel Core i3-540

RAM : CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) C7

I doubt whether you'll need a full tower though, but cases are a personal preference thing, so you might as well go with whatever catches your fancy. Just a suggestion - COOLER MASTER HAF 922 - less expensive younger sibling of the one you choose.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

There is also now the HAF 912, the baby brother of the 932 and 922 (It just came out this week)

there is also the option of getting a quad core AMD processor for the cost of that I3.

an Athlon II X4 640 is $105, and will be better for your engineering and computer classes.

Add a $70 AMD 880G Motherboard and you can save enough to get an HD5770 or NVidia GTX 460 from $135-220

 

[Guest]

i think i'll stick with intel
thnx for the i3-540 tip not much of a difference in price for the extra multiplier
as for the case i'll buy the big one to be future proof

 

[sp12]

I agree with Sqrl, the Athlon x4 is a much better buy.

 

[calguyhunk]

Yeah, I think your 600 Watt OCZ will be able to handle the RAID 0 config with a 5770 maybe. If you're into video encoding though, a quad will prolly be better. For mathematical calculations & gaming, two fast cores is just 'bout enough.

 

[Guest]

for the time being i'll be okay
and when i decide to upgrade my system with these specs i will upgare only my mobo and cpu and be ready to go

 

[Guest]

hey guys you you made me rethink about it and by looking at it i found out that an i5 760 and a Gigabyte GA-H55M-UD2H is not much different in price. What is holding me back from this is that the mobo i'm able to afford is an m-atx one and i'm not shure about it's cooling capabilities because i'm going to be overclocking it.
Plz tell me the best combo from these almost the same price:
1) i3-540 + P55A-UD3 + CoolerMaster Haf 932
2) i5-760 + P55A-UD3 + CoolerMaster Haf 922 (this one is around 60 usd more)
3) i5-760 + GA-H55M-UD2H + CoolerMaster Haf 932
thnx for all the help guys

 

[Guest]

and for that matter the haf 912 is about time to arrive in greece where i'm going to buy the system
(i'm posting again because i can't edit my messages)

 

[calguyhunk]

Whether you choose to buy the 540 or the 760 depends on your choice/budget/requirements.

The 760 + H55 uATX is definitely the way to go if you're not seriously looking at SLI. But then, you'll absolutely have to go with the 912/922. I really don't know too many people who put a uATX Mobo in a Full Tower. The 922 especially should be more than cool enough for your OC'ed 760, provided you use a nice aftermarket HSF.

On the other hand, if you've got dual GPU on your mind, it'll prolly be worthwhile to invest a further $50 towards the P55 chipset. But you do realize, that your budget is going up all the time!

EDIT : Of course you can edit. I just did!

 

[ScrewySqrl]

if you want dual GPU in a uATX Socket 1156, there is an EVGA board that has dual SLI/Crossfire at 8x/8x, except its also 8x in single card mode.


Its also only US$75

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813188064&cm_re=evga_p55_micro-atx-_-13-188-064-_-Product

I don't know if it's available in Greece, buts its small and very affordable.

 

[Guest]

thnx guys i think i'll go with the m-atx 760 combo and a for multi-gpu i don't thing i'm going for that i prefer a fast strong single card configuration for easier cooling psu needs and effectiveness

 

[calguyhunk]

P55's in any case do not support 16/16 SLI, with just the 24 channels but a single card at X8 sucks. It's strictly for somebody who has an older GTS 250 or something & wants to upgrade to an i5 system from a C2D/PDC. So for them it's like - just get the CPU, pair it with a cheap P55 Mobo, get another 250 for $100 and you're good to go.

But at $55 on Newegg, it's a steal for light gamers though.