Approximate Purchase Date: Within 1-2 days
Budget Range: $600-700 after rebates (slightly flexible)
System Usage from Most to Least Important:
1) WoW @40+ fps on High Settings during a 25 man raid midboss fight.
2) WoW @60 fps on Ultra in a solo environment with multiple Bittorrents and a music player running in the background.
Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers/Headset, Monitor
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com (can pick up to avoid shipping charges)
Country of Origin: Socal, USA
Parts Preferences: by brand or type: N/A
Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: Definitely No
Monitor Resolution: 1280x1024 natively. Will purchase 1920x1080 in a month or two.
Additional Comments:
1) Building computer by myself for the very first time ever.
2) Would prefer a solid and reliable cooling solution/PSU/case that does not require any maintenance or re-opening of the case.
Planned build so far:
CPU
Intel Core i5-2300 Sandy Bridge 2.8GHz (3.1GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core
RAM
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Mobo
MSI PH67S-C43 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel H67 SATA 6Gb/s ATX Intel Motherboard
SSD
Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive
HDD
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
GPU
SAPPHIRE 100326DDR3L Radeon HD 6670 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP
Cost so far: $536, $574 with regional tax.
What I was initially thinking for the rest to kill further costs:
Case
Xigmatek ASGARD II B/B CPC-T45UC-U01 Black / Black 0.8 mm SECC / Aluminum and Aluminum Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
(30 bucks)
PSU
Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC
(65 bucks)
Makes $631, $675 with regional tax.
-> Mainly at this point I am looking for quality advice on a solid case and a very solid PSU with respect to the cpu/gpu/ssd/hdd/etc. Depending on which/both need a few more dollars I can spend that way.
-> Regardless I don't mind any criticism of the parts I picked so far. I've researched them thoroughly through this site and others, a summary for why I picked each part for anyone that would like to suggest modifications:
CPU: I wanted a modern, fast, stable CPU that would not only handle heavy addon usage in 25 man raids but also multitasking with a breeze. I'm very hesitant of saving 30 dollars for the AMD CPUs or the older intel quadcores since I fear overheating and less fluid multitasking. Looking at TH benchmarks I see no real benefit going higher than the lowest 2nd gen i5 since I'm not running video coding or SLI/crossfire.
RAM: After reading an exhaustive post on the WoW forums about how much memory Windows 7 eats (1.5gb+) how much the vidcard that runs ultra will eat (1gb) and how much WoW demands (up to 1.5gb at stressful times) I decided 4gb was going to be pushing it If I wanted to get 40/60 fps at high/ultra settings and multitask at the same time. 30 more bucks for doubling the RAM sounded swell.
Mobo: Do not know as much about this field as I should but I did pick a mobo with 4 memory slots in case I wanted to go 4x4gb for whatever reason in the future. Also selected a mobo with good reviews and resisted picking a microATX fearing it might overheat or be too crowded for whatever possible reason. It's hard to pick the perfect mobo since so many have good reviews and in my situation P67, H67, or Z68 doesn't matter, so I just picked the cheapest one with the most solid current reviews and 4 memory ports.
SSD/HDD: I've had a very crappy laptop for 3 years that I bought from HP in 2008 when I did not know about integrated graphics vs vidcards among other things I know now. Maybe this is a vanity but it would still be very nice to put the OS and WoW on the SSD to really get the feel of modern technology in my hands. You could say this is a hundred dollars I could shove into my video card, but I do want faster boot times for everything and willing to play a small premium for it. I wanted to get the Crucial c300 for its fastest random read performance for this but I've seen other benchmarks where the C4 outperforms and the C300 is, well, out of stock.
GPU: I should really have a list of references as to why I picked this specific GPU and not a different model, but at least one of the reasons was ibuypower's fps calculator that showed the HD 6670 and above and the GTX 460 and above as capable of pulling "Ultra" settings on WoW at 40 fps. First and foremost simple thing to address is the Nvidia>>>ATI thing I hear now and then for WoW that is never backed up by tests that show any significant gains, and from my deduction is based on random benchmarks and not real performance in a 25 man raid. So, I picked the 6670 to save about 40 bucks or so.
To anyone with expertise on exactly what vidcard to get for all the graphics settings, this is what I had in mind for 25 man raiding (with 10/15 casters flinging spells the ground shaking and exploding the boss firing his own spells, etc, not a tank and spank) @ 40 fps @ 1240x1080 resolution (1980x1080 in a month or two):
Multi Sampling: 2x (Not 100% sure how much of a difference in appearance this will make even with the 1980 monitor)
Texture Resol: High
Texture Filtering: 2-4x AA (flexible, thinking this will be more noticeable when I get the 1980 resol monitor later)
View Distance: Ultra
Environment Detail: Ultra
Ground Clutter: High
Shadow Quality: Low
Liquid Detail: Good (cannot tell due to my current terrible GPU where reflections start but I think it's @ Good)
Sunshafts: Low
Particle Density: Good
And for the solo farming/questing/5 mans, desire @60 fps with same or better settings.
->>> There you guys have it, sorry for the ramble wanted to show I put time and effort into looking up every piece. For *SURE* going to order this machine by day after tomorrow latest (I need to assemble it and have it ready for Sunday). Therefore I hope my effort in looking up everything will be met with swift sagely advice on the PSU and case, though other suggestions I will definitely read. I did have a dreamlist of cases I wanted, but I did not want to bias any of the responses and keep it objective. Thank you guys for your time, benchmarks, and guides.
-Zerow
Budget Range: $600-700 after rebates (slightly flexible)
System Usage from Most to Least Important:
1) WoW @40+ fps on High Settings during a 25 man raid midboss fight.
2) WoW @60 fps on Ultra in a solo environment with multiple Bittorrents and a music player running in the background.
Parts Not Required: Keyboard, Mouse, Speakers/Headset, Monitor
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg.com (can pick up to avoid shipping charges)
Country of Origin: Socal, USA
Parts Preferences: by brand or type: N/A
Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: Definitely No
Monitor Resolution: 1280x1024 natively. Will purchase 1920x1080 in a month or two.
Additional Comments:
1) Building computer by myself for the very first time ever.
2) Would prefer a solid and reliable cooling solution/PSU/case that does not require any maintenance or re-opening of the case.
Planned build so far:
CPU
Intel Core i5-2300 Sandy Bridge 2.8GHz (3.1GHz Turbo Boost) 4 x 256KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core
RAM
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
Mobo
MSI PH67S-C43 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel H67 SATA 6Gb/s ATX Intel Motherboard
SSD
Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive
HDD
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD1600AAJS 160GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
GPU
SAPPHIRE 100326DDR3L Radeon HD 6670 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP
Cost so far: $536, $574 with regional tax.
What I was initially thinking for the rest to kill further costs:
Case
Xigmatek ASGARD II B/B CPC-T45UC-U01 Black / Black 0.8 mm SECC / Aluminum and Aluminum Mesh Bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
(30 bucks)
PSU
Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V V2.2 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC
(65 bucks)
Makes $631, $675 with regional tax.
-> Mainly at this point I am looking for quality advice on a solid case and a very solid PSU with respect to the cpu/gpu/ssd/hdd/etc. Depending on which/both need a few more dollars I can spend that way.
-> Regardless I don't mind any criticism of the parts I picked so far. I've researched them thoroughly through this site and others, a summary for why I picked each part for anyone that would like to suggest modifications:
CPU: I wanted a modern, fast, stable CPU that would not only handle heavy addon usage in 25 man raids but also multitasking with a breeze. I'm very hesitant of saving 30 dollars for the AMD CPUs or the older intel quadcores since I fear overheating and less fluid multitasking. Looking at TH benchmarks I see no real benefit going higher than the lowest 2nd gen i5 since I'm not running video coding or SLI/crossfire.
RAM: After reading an exhaustive post on the WoW forums about how much memory Windows 7 eats (1.5gb+) how much the vidcard that runs ultra will eat (1gb) and how much WoW demands (up to 1.5gb at stressful times) I decided 4gb was going to be pushing it If I wanted to get 40/60 fps at high/ultra settings and multitask at the same time. 30 more bucks for doubling the RAM sounded swell.
Mobo: Do not know as much about this field as I should but I did pick a mobo with 4 memory slots in case I wanted to go 4x4gb for whatever reason in the future. Also selected a mobo with good reviews and resisted picking a microATX fearing it might overheat or be too crowded for whatever possible reason. It's hard to pick the perfect mobo since so many have good reviews and in my situation P67, H67, or Z68 doesn't matter, so I just picked the cheapest one with the most solid current reviews and 4 memory ports.
SSD/HDD: I've had a very crappy laptop for 3 years that I bought from HP in 2008 when I did not know about integrated graphics vs vidcards among other things I know now. Maybe this is a vanity but it would still be very nice to put the OS and WoW on the SSD to really get the feel of modern technology in my hands. You could say this is a hundred dollars I could shove into my video card, but I do want faster boot times for everything and willing to play a small premium for it. I wanted to get the Crucial c300 for its fastest random read performance for this but I've seen other benchmarks where the C4 outperforms and the C300 is, well, out of stock.
GPU: I should really have a list of references as to why I picked this specific GPU and not a different model, but at least one of the reasons was ibuypower's fps calculator that showed the HD 6670 and above and the GTX 460 and above as capable of pulling "Ultra" settings on WoW at 40 fps. First and foremost simple thing to address is the Nvidia>>>ATI thing I hear now and then for WoW that is never backed up by tests that show any significant gains, and from my deduction is based on random benchmarks and not real performance in a 25 man raid. So, I picked the 6670 to save about 40 bucks or so.
To anyone with expertise on exactly what vidcard to get for all the graphics settings, this is what I had in mind for 25 man raiding (with 10/15 casters flinging spells the ground shaking and exploding the boss firing his own spells, etc, not a tank and spank) @ 40 fps @ 1240x1080 resolution (1980x1080 in a month or two):
Multi Sampling: 2x (Not 100% sure how much of a difference in appearance this will make even with the 1980 monitor)
Texture Resol: High
Texture Filtering: 2-4x AA (flexible, thinking this will be more noticeable when I get the 1980 resol monitor later)
View Distance: Ultra
Environment Detail: Ultra
Ground Clutter: High
Shadow Quality: Low
Liquid Detail: Good (cannot tell due to my current terrible GPU where reflections start but I think it's @ Good)
Sunshafts: Low
Particle Density: Good
And for the solo farming/questing/5 mans, desire @60 fps with same or better settings.
->>> There you guys have it, sorry for the ramble wanted to show I put time and effort into looking up every piece. For *SURE* going to order this machine by day after tomorrow latest (I need to assemble it and have it ready for Sunday). Therefore I hope my effort in looking up everything will be met with swift sagely advice on the PSU and case, though other suggestions I will definitely read. I did have a dreamlist of cases I wanted, but I did not want to bias any of the responses and keep it objective. Thank you guys for your time, benchmarks, and guides.
-Zerow