Check this please before I pull the trigger

[noahfor]

Approximate Purchase Date: Today

Budget Range: $800

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Internet, Watching Movies, Diablo 3

Parts Not Required: Windows

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: None

Overclocking: Eventually

SLI or Crossfire: No

Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

CPU: Intel i5-2500k
Hard drive: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.926440
$276 Combo

Case: Rosewill Challenger
PSU: Rosewill Capstone 450W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.915229
$99 Combo

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68
RAM: Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.933079
$157 Combo

GPU: XFX HD-677X-ZNFC Radeon HD 6770 1GB
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150560
$119

Monitor: Hannspree By HannsG SL231DPB Glossy Black 23" 5ms Full HD LED BackLight LCD Monitor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824262012
$139

Keyboard: LITE-ON SK-1788/BS 2-Tone 104 Normal Keys PS/2 Wired
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16823107120
$7.99

Mouse: Logitech Optical USB Mouse B100
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104370
$11.99

Subtotal: $814.90
Shipping: $11.87
Grand Total: $826.77

but I get $50 of rebates. I chose that GPU because of the $30 rebate and its performance in D3.

 

[g-unit1111]

That's a good start but you can definitely get a much better build for your budget. Try this:

Case: Cooler Master HAF 912 - $59.99
PSU: Seasonic M12 II 620W - $89.99
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H77S-DS3H - $99.99
CPU: 3.1GHz Intel Core i5-3450S - $199.99
RAM: 8GB Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 1333MHz 1.5V - $42.99
HD: 500GB Western Digital Caviar Blue - $74.99
Optical: Lite On Bulk DVD Burner - $17.99
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 - $149.99 ($15.00 MIR)
Monitor: Acer S201HLbd Black 20" 5ms LED-Backlight LCD monitor - $99.99

Total: $835.91 - $15.00 MIR = $820.91

With this build you get Ivy Bridge, a stronger PSU and GPU, and a newer motherboard that will be able to handle newer hardware that comes along.

 

[noahfor]

Well, I chose that GPU because it outperformed the 6850 in the D3 test. That's probably the only game I'm going to play, so I don't think the more powerful GPU is necessary. Is the stronger PSU necessary? What's the advantage of the Ivy Bridge? What kind of newer hardware are we talking about with the motherboard?

The negatives of your build is that it has slower memory, can't be overclocked(?), a bit more expensive, and the biggest downside is the smaller monitor. I'll be using the computer as my main movie watching device, and I'm not forever alone so that 3" does matter.

 

[g-unit1111]

Well, I chose that GPU because it outperformed the 6850 in the D3 test. That's probably the only game I'm going to play, so I don't think the more powerful GPU is necessary. Is the stronger PSU necessary? What's the advantage of the Ivy Bridge? What kind of newer hardware are we talking about with the motherboard?

The negatives of your build is that it has slower memory, can't be overclocked(?), a bit more expensive, and the biggest downside is the smaller monitor. I'll be using the computer as my main movie watching device, and I'm not forever alone so that 3" does matter.

1. What test is this - the 6770 is actually identical to the 5770 from like two years ago, and the 6850 is far newer, I'm having a hard time believing that a 2 year old GPU outperforms a current one. The 6850 also has native HDMI out so if you want to run in HDMI or you want to hook your PC up to an LED TV that gives you the option.

2. Most higher end video cards at minimum require a 500W PSU - 450W will be underpowered for a lot of them. 620 gives you plenty of headroom should you decide you want to add a second one later on. And Seasonic is a far better brand than Rosewill is for PSUs.

3. Ivy Bridge is faster for CPUs - it's not nearly as good of an overclocker but it's still better than any AMD rig and it's slightly better than Sandy Bridge but not much.

4. Newer hardware - it will be able to support PCI Gen 3 for newer video cards, 3TB hard drives, and SSD cache drives.

5. Slower RAM doesn't matter - your motherboard always runs RAM speeds at the slowest it can handle, and if you overclock your RAM or run it at higher than stock speeds you can fry your whole build. In fact Intel recommends 1333 for Sandy Bridge because of the memory controller being integrated into the CPU itself.

6. If you want to overclock then for sure get the 2500K, the 3450 won't have the unlocked multiplier.

7. As far as the monitor goes - Hannspree is not the best vendor, I've used more than a few of their monitors and I constantly run into dead pixel issues and things of that nature - the one I have has a string of dead pixels. Acer is a better brand - my Acer monitor has been problem free since I got it and that was two years ago.

 

[noahfor]

Here's that test, maybe I'm interpreting it incorrectly:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/diablo-iii-performance-benchmark,3195-5.html

I guess a more powerful PSU would be a better choice. I know Rosewill has a poor reputation for PSUs but that one in particular seemed to be highly regarded.

 

[g-unit1111]

Here's that test, maybe I'm interpreting it incorrectly:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/diablo-iii-performance-benchmark,3195-5.html

I guess a more powerful PSU would be a better choice. I know Rosewill has a poor reputation for PSUs but that one in particular seemed to be highly regarded.

I've heard that but I have had more than a few bad PSUs - I just had a Corsair CX430 die on me last week - but I'd make sure the GPU can handle it before buying.

 

[wortwortwort]

Here's that test, maybe I'm interpreting it incorrectly:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/diablo-iii-performance-benchmark,3195-5.html

I guess a more powerful PSU would be a better choice. I know Rosewill has a poor reputation for PSUs but that one in particular seemed to be highly regarded.

You interpreted the test correctly, however this is a essentially a fluke; the 6850 will greatly outperform the 6770 on pretty much everything else.

Since both cards give over 60FPS on Diablo III at your resolution, the difference is totally irrelevant. Go with the 6850 because you will get improved performance on any other games that you might play in the future.

 

[noahfor]

I'll think about it, but this isn't a gaming machine and I'm not a gamer. I can't even remember the last time I played a game on a computer, probably World of Warcraft when it first came out. I just like the Diablo series.

Which build would be better for novice video editing, photo editing, and music production?

 

[g-unit1111]

I'll think about it, but this isn't a gaming machine and I'm not a gamer. I can't even remember the last time I played a game on a computer, probably World of Warcraft when it first came out. I just like the Diablo series.

Which build would be better for novice video editing, photo editing, and music production?

If you're going to run non-professional video editing programs (no After Effects) I've actually heard the FX-8150 is better than the Intel i5 on a lot of tests - I'm still really skeptical about it but you might want to research that CPU if you're going to use it for those tasks.

 

[noahfor]

What about this:

PSU: Seasonic M12 II 620W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151095

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504

RAM: Patriot Signature 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220668

Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153

GPU: XFX HD-677X-ZNFC Radeon HD 6770
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150560

HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKX 500GB 7200 RPM
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136769

Motherboard: BIOSTAR TZ77XE3 LGA 1155 Intel Z77
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138355

Monitor: Hannspree By HannsG SL231DPB Glossy Black 23" 5ms Full HD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824262012&nm_mc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r&cm_mmc=OTC-pr1c3grabb3r-_-Monitors+-+LCD+Flat+Panel-_-HANNSPREE-_-24262012

Grand Total: $843 -$50 MIR -$15 gift card put towards monitor = $778