Hi there!
I'm putting together a new PC that I'd like to use for gaming and streaming gaming on twitch.tv. I am uncertain how high of a resolution that I can stream at given my budget of $1200-$1500, but I would like to try for at least 480p. The content that I will be streaming will most likely be Starcraft2 (played at low settings) plus webcam footage.
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Approximate Purchase Date: 1 month
Budget Range: $1200-$1500
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, recording videos for youtube, streaming gaming on twitch.tv, watching videos on netflix, browsing web.
Parts Not Required: Monitors, keyboard, mouse, speakers, headphones
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: TigerDirect or Newegg
Country: I will do my own assembly here in USA
Parts Preferences: None
Overclocking: Maybe
SLI or Crossfire: Not important
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 (I will be using 2 of these DVI monitors)
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Here's my entire wishlist that I've got so far: http://www.tigerdirect.com/sectors/wishlist/wishlist.asp?WishId=F125D0E5-0643-499F-86F8-6E2E26A7ABAD&Desc=New%20compie
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Bare Bones: $680 before rebate, $569 after rebate http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2202111&Sku=B69-1400
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z68AP-D3 Board
Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K CPU
Memory: Corsair 8GB DDR3 RAM Kit
Hard Drive: Patriot 120GB SSD
Optical Drive: 24x DVDRW
Case: Thermaltake V3 BE Mid Tower
PSU: Ultra 550W PSU
GFX Card: $265 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2262909&Sku=G452-7850
GIGABYTE GV-R785OC-2GD Radeon HD 7850 OC Edition Video Card - 2048MB, GDDR5, PCI-Express 3.0 (x16), 1x Dual-Link DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x Mini DisplayPort, DirectX 11, Dual-Slot, CrossFireX, Overclocked
External HD: $160 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1157163&Sku=M261-8330
Fantom Drive GD2000U3 GreenDrive3 External Hard Drive - 2TB, USB 3.0, Plug & Play
OS: $140 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5213934&Sku=M17-7306
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64BIT Operating System Software - OEM DVD
Webcam: $90 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1747274&Sku=L23-8205
Logitech 960-000764 C920 HD Pro Webcam - USB, up to 15 Megapixel Snapshots, 1080p Video Recording, Built-in Dual Stereo Microphone, Autofocus, Universal Clip
Microphone: $70 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1885100&Sku=B98-0024
Blue Microphones Snowball iCE Versatile USB Microphone - HD Audio, Plug and Play, PC/Mac
Case Fans x3=$18 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5592458&Sku=T13-3016
Coolmax CMF-1225-BL 120mm UV LED Cooling Case Fan - Blue
Mini DisplayPort adapter $14 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=159014&Sku=YYI1-KA4846
SIIG - DisplayPort adapter - mini-DisplayPort (M) - DVI-D (F) - 8 in ( DisplayPort 1.1 / DVI 1.0 )
Shipping: $15
Total cost before rebate: $1458
Total cost after rebate: $1348
=====
What do you think?
Here are my concerns right now:
1. Mobo+Processor
I am very uncertain about what to pick here. I've heard that for streaming Intel is a little better than AMD. I've also heard that there isn't much performance difference per cost between the i5 and i7. Are either of those statements false? Will I be okay streaming with an i5, or will I need to go up to i7? Or should I go an entirely different route and opt for an AMD mobo+processor instead?
2. Additional HD: External vs Internal
Because I plan to do a lot of rendering, I obviously want a SSD. However I will also want an additional hard drive that can provide about 1-2TB of extra space. How much of a speed difference is there between an internal 7200 RPM SATA 6.0 hard drive and an external USB 3.0 hard drive? I like the portability of the external HD, but not if it means that there will be a significant drop off in speed.
3. OS
Honestly, I could care less about which version of windows that I use. For streaming, will there be any difference between using Windows XP and Windows 7? Also, I will be using 8GB of RAM, will that mean that I need to get 64-bit?
Thanks in advance for your replies! =)
I'm putting together a new PC that I'd like to use for gaming and streaming gaming on twitch.tv. I am uncertain how high of a resolution that I can stream at given my budget of $1200-$1500, but I would like to try for at least 480p. The content that I will be streaming will most likely be Starcraft2 (played at low settings) plus webcam footage.
=====
Approximate Purchase Date: 1 month
Budget Range: $1200-$1500
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, recording videos for youtube, streaming gaming on twitch.tv, watching videos on netflix, browsing web.
Parts Not Required: Monitors, keyboard, mouse, speakers, headphones
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: TigerDirect or Newegg
Country: I will do my own assembly here in USA
Parts Preferences: None
Overclocking: Maybe
SLI or Crossfire: Not important
Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080 (I will be using 2 of these DVI monitors)
=====
Here's my entire wishlist that I've got so far: http://www.tigerdirect.com/sectors/wishlist/wishlist.asp?WishId=F125D0E5-0643-499F-86F8-6E2E26A7ABAD&Desc=New%20compie
=====
Bare Bones: $680 before rebate, $569 after rebate http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2202111&Sku=B69-1400
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z68AP-D3 Board
Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K CPU
Memory: Corsair 8GB DDR3 RAM Kit
Hard Drive: Patriot 120GB SSD
Optical Drive: 24x DVDRW
Case: Thermaltake V3 BE Mid Tower
PSU: Ultra 550W PSU
GFX Card: $265 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2262909&Sku=G452-7850
GIGABYTE GV-R785OC-2GD Radeon HD 7850 OC Edition Video Card - 2048MB, GDDR5, PCI-Express 3.0 (x16), 1x Dual-Link DVI, 1x HDMI, 2x Mini DisplayPort, DirectX 11, Dual-Slot, CrossFireX, Overclocked
External HD: $160 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1157163&Sku=M261-8330
Fantom Drive GD2000U3 GreenDrive3 External Hard Drive - 2TB, USB 3.0, Plug & Play
OS: $140 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5213934&Sku=M17-7306
Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 64BIT Operating System Software - OEM DVD
Webcam: $90 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1747274&Sku=L23-8205
Logitech 960-000764 C920 HD Pro Webcam - USB, up to 15 Megapixel Snapshots, 1080p Video Recording, Built-in Dual Stereo Microphone, Autofocus, Universal Clip
Microphone: $70 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1885100&Sku=B98-0024
Blue Microphones Snowball iCE Versatile USB Microphone - HD Audio, Plug and Play, PC/Mac
Case Fans x3=$18 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5592458&Sku=T13-3016
Coolmax CMF-1225-BL 120mm UV LED Cooling Case Fan - Blue
Mini DisplayPort adapter $14 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=159014&Sku=YYI1-KA4846
SIIG - DisplayPort adapter - mini-DisplayPort (M) - DVI-D (F) - 8 in ( DisplayPort 1.1 / DVI 1.0 )
Shipping: $15
Total cost before rebate: $1458
Total cost after rebate: $1348
=====
What do you think?
Here are my concerns right now:
1. Mobo+Processor
I am very uncertain about what to pick here. I've heard that for streaming Intel is a little better than AMD. I've also heard that there isn't much performance difference per cost between the i5 and i7. Are either of those statements false? Will I be okay streaming with an i5, or will I need to go up to i7? Or should I go an entirely different route and opt for an AMD mobo+processor instead?
2. Additional HD: External vs Internal
Because I plan to do a lot of rendering, I obviously want a SSD. However I will also want an additional hard drive that can provide about 1-2TB of extra space. How much of a speed difference is there between an internal 7200 RPM SATA 6.0 hard drive and an external USB 3.0 hard drive? I like the portability of the external HD, but not if it means that there will be a significant drop off in speed.
3. OS
Honestly, I could care less about which version of windows that I use. For streaming, will there be any difference between using Windows XP and Windows 7? Also, I will be using 8GB of RAM, will that mean that I need to get 64-bit?
Thanks in advance for your replies! =)