My Starcraft II Build

[Lseraphim]

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/jlim/saved/

This is my build.
Can anyone tell me if there are changes I should make to this build?
I'm mainly going to use this build for starcraft 2.

Btw my friend (he's built his own comp) recommended the geforce gtx 550 ti because it's enough to play starcraft at 1920x1080 with a steady framerate. He says the 600 series graphics cards are buggy and they crash. He mainly uses an 8 core amd phenom II and a gtx 670 with his 550 ti as a backup.

Can anyone estimate the fps output that I would get while playing sc2 at 1920x1080 resolution with extreme graphics quality?

I was also wondering if I could use antialiasing with this build with those ^ same settings and how many frames I'd get.

 

[Lseraphim]

Forgot to mention..my friend says that amd graphics aren't as good as nvidia for gaming.

How much fps would I get if I sli'd the 550 ti and if I use a 560 ti?

 

[may1]

You probably won't need a sound card considering you're using a headphone and doubt you need to OC. That means you can slash costs on motherboard (no need to get Z77, get H77 or B75 which is usually cheaper) and purchase i53570 and not the unlocked i53570k.
Should save you around 300bucks.

 

[lighter17]

Btw my friend (he's built his own comp) recommended the geforce gtx 550 ti because it's enough to play starcraft at 1920x1080 with a steady framerate. He says the 600 series graphics cards are buggy and they crash.

Your "friend" doesn't know what he's talking about. There's nothing wrong with 600 series cards and AMD graphics cards offer equal or better value for gaming when compared to nVidia.

The 550Ti is dramatically underpowered for your build. Why are you spending so much on audio? Most people just use motherboard's on-board sound.

 

[Chairman Ray]

If you are streaming, keep the cpu cooler, but if you are not streaming, then you don't need to overclock for sc2.

The 550 ti will allow you to play sc2 at maxed settings with everything including AA turned on at a good fps. You will have some trouble during huge 8 player 200/200 battles. Personally, I don't feel that those custom games are really worth upgrading your graphics card for, but it's up to you.

Unless you are doing something else audio related, you don't need a sound card. Sc2 really doesn't benefit much from a sound card.

One other thing you may need to consider is the size of your monitor. If you value having the entire screen in your field of vision, then getting a 23.6 inch monitor means that you have to be a couple feet away from it. Depending on the size of your desk, this may be difficult.

 

[Lseraphim]

Thanks for the quick replies. I might be considering upgrading to a 560 ti but probably not 600 series. and Ill rethink my sound card.

 

[Why_Me]

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/jlim/saved/

This is my build.
Can anyone tell me if there are changes I should make to this build?
I'm mainly going to use this build for starcraft 2.

Btw my friend (he's built his own comp) recommended the geforce gtx 550 ti because it's enough to play starcraft at 1920x1080 with a steady framerate. He says the 600 series graphics cards are buggy and they crash. He mainly uses an 8 core amd phenom II and a gtx 670 with his 550 ti as a backup.

Can anyone estimate the fps output that I would get while playing sc2 at 1920x1080 resolution with extreme graphics quality?

I was also wondering if I could use antialiasing with this build with those ^ same settings and how many frames I'd get.

First off the Nvidia 550 is about as bad as a vid card that you can possibly get. Also skip the sound card for now. Nine times out of ten the onboard sound suffices just fine.

This build down below allows you the option to add another one of those cards later on in SLI.


http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Carbide-Tower-Gaming-Computer/dp/B0055Q7BR4/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1347348936&sr=1-5 $89.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair Carbide Series 400R Mid Tower Gaming Computer Case - CC-9011011-WW

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-80PLUS-Certified-Modular-CP-9020015-NA/dp/B008RJZQSW/ref=sr_1_24?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1346646210&sr=1-24 $86.00 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair CX 750 Watts 80PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V/EPS12V Power Supply CP-9020015-NA

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1061098 $152.98 save: $8.00
ASRock Z77 Extreme3 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model BLS2KIT4G3D1609DS1S00

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1050224 $519.98 save: $20.00 - $10.00 Mail In Rebates
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
MSI N660 Ti PE 2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005O65JXI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=A2EUTVCJXLAJ4K $33.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan (RR-212E-20PK-R2

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204 $19.99 FREE SHIPPING
ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Barracuda-3-5-Inch-Internal-ST1000DM003/dp/B005T3GRNW/ref=sr_1_10?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1347349495&sr=1-10 $76.17 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Seagate Barracuda 7200 1 TB 7200RPM SATA 6 Gb/s NCQ 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive ST1000DM003

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-2-5-Inch-Solid-SDSSDP-128G--G25/dp/B007ZW2LY4/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1347126230&sr=1-1&keywords=sandisk+128+gb+ssd $89.95 + $0.00 shipping
SanDisk 128 GB 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive (SDSSDP-128G- G25)

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-64bit-System-Builder/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=pd_bxgy_e_text_y $90.46 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (Full) System Builder DVD 1 Pack

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005BZNDOO/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER $134.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
ASUS VS228H-P 21.5-Inch Full-HD LED Monitor (Black) | 50,000,000:1 ASUS Smart Contrast Ratio; Full 1080P with HDMI

Total: $1,294.50 *not including shipping & rebates


http://www.corsair.com/pc-cases/carbide-series-pc-case/carbide-series-400r-mid-tower-case.html <----- another look at that case

http://usa.asus.com/Display/LCD_Monitors/VS228HP/ <----- another look at that monitor

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_660_Ti_Power_Edition/1.html <----- review of that MSI GTX 660 ti w/benchmarks

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Extreme3/ <----- another look at that Asrock board along with a link to the latest bios

 

[Why_Me]

Thanks for the quick replies. I might be considering upgrading to a 560 ti but probably not 600 series. and Ill rethink my sound card.

You would be foolish not to upgrade to a 600 series card for the fact the 600 series cards eat any other Nvidia cards for lunch. Your friend obviously doesn't have a clue in regards to PC video cards. The new generation cards run cooler, use far less power, support PCI-E 3.0 and again they mop the floor with the older generation cards. Putting some old generation card in a new build makes about zero sense.

If you disagree there's always google search with hundreds of benchmarks and reviews. You can start on this sites home page and then click "Graphic Cards".

 

[Lseraphim]

Ok...I'll be downgrading to an i5 3570. and remove the sound card from my build. Which 600 series card to you guys recommend? do I still need a cpu cooler if Im not going to overclock? how would sli'ing graphics cards work versus a single gpu?

 

[mladen88bl]

660ti if you are really nvidia fan

but i would suggest you amd 7950 (same price in most stores, but its better than 660 ti)

i am nvidia fan, but i bought amd 7950, because it would be stupid to give same money for less efficent card( 384 bit vs 192 bit, 3gb vs 2gb, and in most of games 7950 is ahead on stock, on OC, its AHEAD)

but even if you buy 660 ti , you will play SC II without any problems on max settings.

edit: if you are going with non k procesor , you should downgrade your mobo to h77 chipset, my suggestion gigabyte ga h77-d3h

 

[Why_Me]

You don't need an after market cpu h/s if you don't plan on over clocking although something like that CM EVO runs a lot quieter than the stock intel h/s and keeps it cooler. It's worth the extra $35 imo. This build down below allows you the option to add another one of those cards later on in SLI. Now I posted a link at the bottom of this post on a review of that MSI GTX 670 and it would be worth your time to click on it and then click on the Starcraft II benchmarks so you know exactly what your looking at in regards to FPS.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1057031 $112.98 save: $10.00 - $10.00 Mail In Rebates FREE SHIPPING
Corsair Carbide Series 300R Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CML8GX3M2A1600C9B

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-80PLUS-Certified-Modular-CP-9020015-NA/dp/B008RJZQSW/ref=sr_1_24?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1346646210&sr=1-24 $86.00 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Corsair CX 750 Watts 80PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V/EPS12V Power Supply CP-9020015-NA

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1066112 $306.98 save: $13.00
Intel Core i5-3470 Ivy Bridge 3.2GHz (3.6GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500 BX80637i53470
ASRock Z77 Extreme3 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204 $19.99 FREE SHIPPING
ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS - OEM

http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Barracuda-3-5-Inch-Internal-ST1000DM003/dp/B005T3GRNW/ref=sr_1_10?m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1347349495&sr=1-10 $81.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Seagate Barracuda 7200 1 TB 7200RPM SATA 6 Gb/s NCQ 64MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive ST1000DM003

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-2-5-Inch-Solid-SDSSDP-128G--G25/dp/B007ZW2LY4/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1347126230&sr=1-1&keywords=sandisk+128+gb+ssd $89.95 + $0.00 shipping
SanDisk 128 GB 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive (SDSSDP-128G- G25)

http://www.amazon.com/MSI-DisplayPort-PCI-Express-N670-2GD5/dp/B008BGXYAS/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1347572371&sr=1-1&keywords=msi+gtx+670 $409.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping | Price after rebate: $399.99
MSI NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 OC 2GB GDDR5 2DVI/HDMI/DisplayPort PCI-Express Video Card N670 PE 2GD5/OC

http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Premium-64bit-System-Builder/dp/B004Q0PT3I/ref=pd_bxgy_e_text_y $90.54 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64bit (Full) System Builder DVD 1 Pack

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005BZNDOO/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER $134.99 & this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping
ASUS VS228H-P 21.5-Inch Full-HD LED Monitor (Black) | 50,000,000:1 ASUS Smart Contrast Ratio; Full 1080P with HDMI

Total: $1,333.41 *not including shipping & rebates


http://www.corsair.com/carbide-series-300r-compact-pc-gaming-case.html/ <----- another look at that case

http://usa.asus.com/Display/LCD_Monitors/VS228HP/ <----- another look at that monitor

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/GTX_670_Power_Edition/ <----- review of that MSI GTX 670 w/benchmarks

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z77%20Extreme3/ <----- another look at that Asrock board along with a link to the latest bios

 

[Lseraphim]

Will I need the power that I get from 660 ti/7950 though?

Imo I think an HAF 912 is a better deal than the corsair case, but if you give me reasons I might be convinced.

Btw.. amd 7950 is 20 dollars more expensive than the 660 ti

Edit: What kinds of tools do I need to build this pc?

 

[Why_Me]

Will I need the power that I get from 660 ti/7950 though?

Imo I think an HAF 912 is a better deal than the corsair case, but if you give me reasons I might be convinced.

Btw.. amd 7950 is 20 dollars more expensive than the 660 ti

The Corsair is a more modern and up to date case and it comes with front 3.0 USB ports, 2.5" SSD cage, more stock fans, along with the fact it also has dust filters for said fans. As far as the 660 ti, 7950 and 670 ...best to just google some benchmarks and then check out how those cards do with star craft II.

 

[Lseraphim]

Ok...I decided to get the EVGA 660 ti but I was wondering which model I should get
Either...

EVGA
02G-P4-3660-KR

or

EVGA
02G-P4-3662-KR

What's the difference?

 

[Why_Me]

Ok...I decided to get the EVGA 660 ti but I was wondering which model I should get
Either...

EVGA
02G-P4-3660-KR

or

EVGA
02G-P4-3662-KR

What's the difference?

Why not go for a card with non reference cooling ?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1050218 <----- combo to save $20

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125440 <----- this ones on sale also

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1060962 <---- then combo that board with the RAM

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1061103 <----- or this combo with RAM

 

[Lseraphim]

I can get those prices with pcpartpicker.com AND I get to pick my individual parts. So nah.
Btw what do you mean non reference cooling?

 

[Why_Me]

I can get those prices with pcpartpicker.com AND I get to pick my individual parts. So nah.
Btw what do you mean non reference cooling?

You mean you can get those combo's with PC part picker and save that much? I didn't know pc part picker did combo's. I just thought it had people buying from 5+ different places and then threw the rebate on the total cost like you actually had that money in your hand. Personally the day I start using Pc part picker is the same day I stop posting builds on here.

 

[Lseraphim]

pcpartpicker doesnt do combos, but they sell individual parts as cheap as you would buy them with combos on other websites. You're absolutely right about buying from different websites.

 

[Why_Me]

pcpartpicker doesnt do combos, but they sell individual parts as cheap as you would buy them with combos on other websites. You're absolutely right about buying from different websites.

If I had a nickel for every build Iv'e posted on here since 2007 I would have a new vid card. If PC part picker can post a build cheaper than what I post I would like to see it since it hasn't ever happened on here yet to my knowledge. As far a including mail in rebates on the total price...rebates are like horse shoes and pregnancies. Don't ever count on nothing until it's in the bank.