Building vs prebuilt?

[dom8111]

ok i am worried about building (im going to have someone do it for me) buti dont want something bad too happen so im wondering if this computer will make a big difference (better or worse) : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229285

compared to this build:

Intel Core i5-2400 3.10 GHz 6 MB Cache Socket LGA1155 Processor

GIGABYTE GA-H61M-DS2 LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

CORSAIR 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333

Seagate Barracuda 7200 500 GB SATA 6.0 Gb-s 16 MB Cache

Asus 24xDVD-RW Serial ATA Internal OEM Drive

NZXT Technologies Source 210 Computer Case

Corsair Builder Series CX V2 430-Watt 80 Plus Certified Power Supply Compatible with Intel and AMD Platforms - CMPSU-430CXV2

Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 6850

Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit



extra info: i would be playing starcraft 2 on max settings and red orchestra 2 on max. Also streaming both of them but probably not on max


would there be a huge difference between them thanks

 

[azeem40]

Budget?

 

[aDevilishTurtle]

ok i am worried about building (im going to have someone do it for me) buti dont want something bad too happen so im wondering if this computer will make a big difference (better or worse) : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883229285

compared to this build:

Intel Core i5-2400 3.10 GHz 6 MB Cache Socket LGA1155 Processor

GIGABYTE GA-H61M-DS2 LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

CORSAIR 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333

Seagate Barracuda 7200 500 GB SATA 6.0 Gb-s 16 MB Cache

Asus 24xDVD-RW Serial ATA Internal OEM Drive

NZXT Technologies Source 210 Computer Case

Corsair Builder Series CX V2 430-Watt 80 Plus Certified Power Supply Compatible with Intel and AMD Platforms - CMPSU-430CXV2

Sapphire AMD Radeon HD 6850

Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit



extra info: i would be playing starcraft 2 on max settings and red orchestra 2 on max. Also streaming both of them but probably not on max


would there be a huge difference between them thanks

Honestly? DYI all the way. I just got done building my 2nd DYI and although I'm surely no expert I've found them to turn out so much better than any crap (no offense to people who buy prebuilt) that retailers sell.

So on that note, you have a few things in your DYI that I'm a little afraid of.
CPU: Okay that one is pretty good for your price range which I'm assuming is ~$500-$600 considering the prebuilt

MoBo: I don't see any problems with it between that and CPU they should be nice to each other though I'd considering upgrading

RAM: 8GB good no qualms there

GPU: Eh, 6850 will get you good on SC2 and should Red Orchestra 2 but I'm worried you won't get much in the long run if you feel like playing some graphics heavy games.

Case: I like the Source 210s and have had no problems with building in them and when using them (mine and my friend's)

PSU: Here's the thing. 430W is a little tight even with your build. If you upgrade you can kiss your PC dead if you try to use the PSU. Upgrade to atleast 500W if you want to be safe or get a longer lasting PC.

Optical: ASUS and Sony make good stuff but I have no real preference or opinion on what you grab

Hard Drive: Barracudas are always a safe choice and 500GB should be more than enough for you to play SC2 and still have all your data.

In terms of comparison, at this price range you wouldn't see too much difference between yours and the prebuilt (unless you have a thing against AMD like I do) but there is still a little better performance on your DYI than theirs. However if you invest a bit more you'll start to see that the more $$ you put into DYIs the better they get to their prebuilts at the same price range. Hope this helps.

 

[dom8111]

Honestly? DYI all the way. I just got done building my 2nd DYI and although I'm surely no expert I've found them to turn out so much better than any crap (no offense to people who buy prebuilt) that retailers sell.

So on that note, you have a few things in your DYI that I'm a little afraid of.
CPU: Okay that one is pretty good for your price range which I'm assuming is ~$500-$600 considering the prebuilt

MoBo: I don't see any problems with it between that and CPU they should be nice to each other though I'd considering upgrading

RAM: 8GB good no qualms there

GPU: Eh, 6850 will get you good on SC2 and should Red Orchestra 2 but I'm worried you won't get much in the long run if you feel like playing some graphics heavy games.

Case: I like the Source 210s and have had no problems with building in them and when using them (mine and my friend's)

PSU: Here's the thing. 430W is a little tight even with your build. If you upgrade you can kiss your PC dead if you try to use the PSU. Upgrade to atleast 500W if you want to be safe or get a longer lasting PC.

Optical: ASUS and Sony make good stuff but I have no real preference or opinion on what you grab

Hard Drive: Barracudas are always a safe choice and 500GB should be more than enough for you to play SC2 and still have all your data.

In terms of comparison, at this price range you wouldn't see too much difference between yours and the prebuilt (unless you have a thing against AMD like I do) but there is still a little better performance on your DYI than theirs. However if you invest a bit more you'll start to see that the more $$ you put into DYIs the better they get to their prebuilts at the same price range. Hope this helps.

any recomendations for the power supply and the gpu im not looking to spend over 620$ that will fit and work in my pc

 

[dom8111]

also would this be a better gpu http://shop.amd.com/us/All/Detail/GraphicCard/HD-687A-ZHFC?SearchTerms=radeon%206870

 

[aDevilishTurtle]

I would have a minimum of a 500W, but I'm also slightly paranoid about power consumption so if you listen to me then 550W-600W would sit you just nicely for a good PSU life cycle (which is 5 years if it works nicely). As for brands I enjoy Corsair stuff the best either their ~500 or 600 Builder series would set you nicely and they're 80+ certified to so that's a plus. I think one of them can be modular so if you're into a little customizing there is that option. And if you aren't looking to go over $620 the 6850 is plenty nice for it's price range. I mean you can still run things like BF3 or Diablo III with it, probably even on high settings, just probably don't expect to get Ultra or Max out of it on the more graphically heavy games.

All in all I still like your DYI build and it should be good for ya. If you ever get the budget, do consider an SSD if only for the OS to go on for slightly faster/smoother bootups and shutdowns and for games if you get one large enough.


EDIT: Yes the 6870 will get you quite a bit even on today's games like Diablo or BF3, you'll probably get max settings with it for atleast a whole year on any game that'll come out between now and 12 months due to them not making use of the new technology that's out. After probably a year or two though be ready for it to not handle max settings on games that come out a little after present though but yeah I would definitely invest in going up to 6870 and a 500-600 PSU would still cover that.

2nd EDIT: If you want to see the differences between 6850 and 6870 yourself I have a benchmark site bookmarked at home I can link once I get home from work or you can google "video card benchmarks" and probably find a good site to, to see that even just that small upgrade can make a difference.

 

[dom8111]

I would have a minimum of a 500W, but I'm also slightly paranoid about power consumption so if you listen to me then 550W-600W would sit you just nicely for a good PSU life cycle (which is 5 years if it works nicely). As for brands I enjoy Corsair stuff the best either their ~500 or 600 Builder series would set you nicely and they're 80+ certified to so that's a plus. I think one of them can be modular so if you're into a little customizing there is that option. And if you aren't looking to go over $620 the 6850 is plenty nice for it's price range. I mean you can still run things like BF3 or Diablo III with it, probably even on high settings, just probably don't expect to get Ultra or Max out of it on the more graphically heavy games.

All in all I still like your DYI build and it should be good for ya. If you ever get the budget, do consider an SSD if only for the OS to go on for slightly faster/smoother bootups and shutdowns and for games if you get one large enough.

so if i get an ssd how muhc would that improve my game performence and startup/shutdown times for my pc
also do you think i should get the 6870 its not that much more

 

[azeem40]

My SSD loads the OS in 10 seconds.

 

[aDevilishTurtle]

SSD for games will usually see a increase in performance, not life changing but anywhere between 3-10% in loading times especially for cached things like multiplayer maps for like Call of Duty where they have to load the maps you already have installed and obviously you said your OS launches in 10 secs which is pretty awesome.

And yes, I would invest to get a 6870 in my personal opinion.

 

[dom8111]

Best answer selected by dom8111.