Looking to build a PC for SC2

[TheGraveRobber]

Hey guys, I've never build a PC before or know much about PCS, but I really want to make a pc that can play SC2 in High settings. My budget is $500 dollars, I already have a tv as a monitor, mouse and keyboard. Please your help is much appreciated.

 

[cronos177]

It depends if you like AMD or Intel, AMD is cheaper, and offer more than enough performance for SCII, I used to play SCII on my 880G HD 4250 Integrated graphics on medium, But I just installed a HD 5770 and I can run it on ULTRA zero lag. You should start looking on a triple core and above. In general you can built an AMD system for less than 400. AMD Athlon ii X3 ~$75, MObo $70, Power supply $50, HD 5750 or 5770 ~$115-130, Case ~$30-50, 2GB Ram (for now) ~$20, HDD $40... thats $400. Then You can add Another 2gb ram, and a decent cpu cooler to overclock... or spend a little more on CPU and graphics its your choice. But That I think will run SCII on ULTRA, I am not sure if in a crazy resolution like 1920x1200. But in Full HD you should be fine. Specially if you spend a lil more on graphics side.

 

[jmsellars1]

Hi. Maybe you could try something like this:

AMD Phenom II x4 955
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 1333Mhz
COOLER MASTER eXtreme Power Plus 460W
XFX HD 5770 1GB
MSI GF615M-P33
Seagate Barracuda 500GB
Antec Three Hundred

Just added those up on Newegg and it takes you up to about $508 before rebates etc. Slightly over budget but looks like a decent PC with a quad core which gets a minimum of ~40FPS on SC2 (Ultra high settings, on benchmarks)

 

[zooted]

Here is a fully capable sub $500 gaming build


At this price point that is a killer gpu (the gpu is the most important aspect of gaming)

 

[jmsellars1]

Here is a fully capable sub $500 gaming build
[url]http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/7536/sub500.jpg[/URL]

At this price point that is a killer gpu (the gpu is the most important aspect of gaming)

That build looks good but thats not completely true about GPU's, a lot of games are still very CPU dependant. Obviously GPU's are very important though.

 

[cronos177]

That looks good, but you might want to get a better power supply something above 520W, even if you have to sacrifice something else, the point is that eventually believe me you will want a better graphics card, so you'll be prepared. But it looks great so far, and maybe for the Mobo try to get a least a 785g.

 

[TheGraveRobber]

Thank you guys so much, im looking over your builds, and they all look amazing.

 

[Onus]

Antec Earthwatts PSUs are solid. Compared to cheap brands, they're actually a little under-rated.
If you look at the CPU benchmarks over at Anandtech, on high CPU (not necessarily GPU) settings, that game can really tax your CPU. If your budget has wiggle room to $500-$550, you really ought to consider a Sandy Bridge i5-2400 build. Either that, or wait a month or two for AM3+ mobos to become available (and reviewed). Socket AM3 will limit you to the current AMD CPUs; that may be "good enough" (probably is), but it's nice to have options.

Edit: If you stay with AMD though, in general, I like Zooted's build. The equally capable (they trade in benchmarks, but "feel" about the same in actual use; I have both) 500GB Seagate 7200.12 will be $10 cheaper. I also like the Rosewill cases, but that's a real personal preference item; still, they tend to have cheap or free shipping, which can reduce your cost further.

 

[DXRick]

Here is a link showing sub $200 CPUs at high settings: Benchmark Results: StarCraft 2.

Here is one showing GPU performance at 1900 x 1200: Benchmarking StarCraft II - 1920x1200.

So, a 2400 is needed for high quality settings, and a GTX 460 for high resolutions.

 

[Onus]

That "Good enough" certainly won't be on high CPU settings with AMD, but it looks like a HD5770 is sufficient for over 60FPS if you turn off AA. I recall from one of the intro articles on SC2 that even medium graphics settings looked pretty good.
If this is your primary title though, it looks like the exception to the rule; unlike in most games, you need to put more focus on the CPU than the GPU.

 

[zooted]

Yeah, that was my bad. I should have looked into that game specifically, as I have never played it.

 

[cronos177]

I have finished the game with my Athlon ii X3 on Ultra no Lag, as I said. It will run check this article out http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gaming-cpu-core-i3-2100-recommended-processor,2895-2.html they are good for gaming, an X4 even better. I admit I did not try it on 1900x1200 but anything lower than that, wont have any problems.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

just a note: I'm running the same GPU on a Corsair CX430 (28a on 12v), the Antec 430 will handle it with ease (32A an the 12v rails)