Building a New Rig before PS2 arrives.

CB McNasty · 2012-05-31, 10:47 PM

1. What is your budget and does that include shipping/taxes?
Around $2000, but really just want to build something nice that will last me for a while. Not including shipping, taxes, or monitors.

2. Where do you live (Please list if possible town, state, and country)?
Little Rock, AR

3. What do you need this computer to do (like gaming, Photoshop, and so on)? Getting back into PC gaming whenever PS2 comes out, but also do Photography as a hobby so a little bit of Photoshop and a litle bit more of Lightroom. Also the general Web browsing and occasional Word Docs.

4. What parts will you need for the computer? Please list what parts specifically. Pretty much starting from scratch.... Tower, Motherboard, RAM, Power Supply, Processor, Video Card ETC....

5. Are you reusing any parts for this computer? If so please say what parts. No, going to use my most current computer as a home server.

6. What kind of monitor/resolution do you have or want to get to use for the computer? Would like to use two monitors. 20-25" each... Dont know what resolution

7. Do you have a legit OS? If so what OS and is it 32-bit or 64-bit? 64-bit Windows 7

8. What are you looking for the motherboard to have feature wise? Like SLI, Crossfire, Firewire, USB 3.0, Sata 6.0 Gb/s, and so on. Atleast USB 3.0. I'm pretty much dumb to the other stuff (been out of researching computer stuff for a bit) so im taking yall's recommendations.

9. Any plans to overclock the CPU or GPU? No, unless i have a good cooling system. I dont want to sacrafice reliablity for speed if I dont have to.

10. What time kind of time frame are you planning on ordering these parts?
Ordering fairly soon, because Id like to have it for Beta if possible. Looking for an easy way to order it from be it New Egg or IBuyPower, something I dont have to spend a ton of time ordering from 20 different places.

Basically I just would like some good recommendations some good building blocks to start with. With all the different video card options I'm lost quick. Hell I dont even know what processor I need anymore this crap changes so fast.

I read the post about probably going with Nvidia over AMD, but hell the last time I build a computer dual video cards was unheard of, so im a little behind on where to start.

Thanks Guys

Goku · 2012-05-31, 10:50 PM

You are building this yourself right? I am asking because you mention ibuypower and they do the building for people, they don't sell parts.

duck · 2012-05-31, 11:03 PM

With a person of your budget, my recommendation would be to go for a build that is no more than $1,200 and used the rest of the funds for future upgrades. The reason is because CPUs and GPUs get obsolete rather quickly, so it's much better to go that route than blow all your money on SLI, etc etc and not have money in the future for upgrades.
Besides, PS2 won't require a 2 grand rig, so no need to spend more than what you need. You aren't doing video editing and encoding so there's no need to spend that much.

For $1,200 you can get a solid system that will run PS2 on max and have lots of cash left over.

Right now the best combo is Intel/nVidia so I would base your system off that CPU and GPU.

CB McNasty · 2012-05-31, 11:22 PM

I can either build it myself or have it built.... I really could careless. Ive built systems before so i wouldnt be over my head (as long as the basic steps havnt changed much) but also would look at prebuilt stuff that can be configured to save myself some time if it doesnt cost me to much to have it done.

Nvidia/Intel..... check.

Goku · 2012-05-31, 11:57 PM

I kind of agree with what duck is saying here. Due your budget we can get you a gtx 680, 3770K, and SSD with ease. 3770K isn't hugely beneficial, but given your price range you can easily afford it. I'll whip up something tomorrow for you.

Rbstr · 2012-06-01, 10:31 AM

Originally Posted by duck

Besides, PS2 won't require a 2 grand rig, so no need to spend more than what you need.

Until I see numbers otherwise, I'm going to assume, just like PS1, that you're going to need, if not top tier, high-middle stuff to run it with the shiny stuff turned on.

I do, however, agree. Set a soft target of $1200 instead. You really only need that much to get into an i5 and a GTX670, which is as good as it gets without starting to waste money on diminishing returns.

Here's my quick bare-bones guesstimate at what you're looking at:
i5 3570k. You get 200mhz more with the k plus potential to overclock if you decide to go that route eventually http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116504 $220
GTX 670, cheaper than the 680 but still beats basically everything below that price point. EVGA has always been a decent retailer for nVidia http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130782 $400
A Z77 Motherboard...I prefer Asus, this is the barebones - you might find you want more (only 2x USB3.0, only 1 PCI express 16x) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131824 $140
8gb of ram $40.
~1tb hard disk, $150
I'm not quite up to speed on PSUs but 650w seems to be enough. this one is 80+ Platinum energy efficient and the others in the line seem to have good reviews http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817121092 $170
Lian li case for classy-no-bs functionality http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811112304 $120

Total: $1240

CB McNasty · 2012-06-01, 11:06 AM

I appreciate all the advice so far. Just looking at video cards and i was overwhelmed with the amount of cards out there now. 560, 560ti, 570, 610, 670, 680, 690. I had no idea what i needed to be looking at. Any reason why i shouldnt go with an I7 over an I5? I figure I wont get into overclocking but would look at the K's just incase it was needed in the future.

Also stay with Z77 over X79? Just saw that the 79 can take 64gb of ram holy crap.... do people actually use that much nowadays? Boy I feel old.

Rbstr · 2012-06-01, 11:47 AM

The X79 is for workstation/sever chips. Xeons and the really high end i7s. It's a different socket. Right now, there's no need for 64gb of ram. 4 or 8 is the standard. You can go 16 if you really want. I just don't see the need for that much memory now if you upgrade every couple of years.

The "normal" i7 gives you 2mb more of cache, hyperthreading (so in some cases your computer can act like it has 8 cores instead of 4) and faster clock.

Going to X79 is silly IMO and you're better served saving the money and upgrading the mobo/cpu in a year or two when Intel's net cycle comes along. The $80-100 up to a mainstream i7 is up to you, really. It's some performance, but not much. I think you'd be better off using that money to go to a GTX680 over the 670.

If you're using a modern CPU your most likely bottleneck is the graphics card, with rare exception.

The critical thing about building a computer that lots of people don't get is that the technology moves so fast that "future proofing" by buying the very top end simply doesn't work. Buying a $1500 computer now and another in 2 years serves you far better 5 years from now than buying one $3000 computer today.

Vancha · 2012-06-01, 12:03 PM

Originally Posted by CB McNasty

I appreciate all the advice so far. Just looking at video cards and i was overwhelmed with the amount of cards out there now. 560, 560ti, 570, 610, 670, 680, 690. I had no idea what i needed to be looking at. Any reason why i shouldnt go with an I7 over an I5? I figure I wont get into overclocking but would look at the K's just incase it was needed in the future.

Also stay with Z77 over X79? Just saw that the 79 can take 64gb of ram holy crap.... do people actually use that much nowadays? Boy I feel old.

The first digit is the generation. 5-series was last year, 6-series is this year, next year it'll be 7XX. The second two digits are where it comes in the line-up. 60 is mid-range, 70 is mid-high, 80 is high and 90 is silly.

670 is probably the best deal going for your budget (I recommend the ASUS DCII versions).

As far as the CPU, you could get an i7, but it won't do much for you compared to the i5 unless you're doing some majorly taxing Photoshop work (I'm guessing you don't, from the sounds of things).

And yeah, stick with z77. X79 is basically for the overclockers. And no, nobody uses 64GB of RAM yet - 8GB will be plenty (though you could go for 16GB, simply because it's so cheap these days)

Edit: I spent far too long writing that.

Ailos · 2012-06-01, 02:53 PM

Here's my build based on your budget and what you can actually order right now, without having to get on any waiting lists or waiting for new products to come out:

CPU: Ivy Bridge i5 3570K

Mobo: ASRock Z77 Extreme6

GPU: MSI GTX 670

RAM: Corsair Vengance 8GB

Storage: SSD+HDD

DVD Burner: Asus DVD burner

Case: NZXT Phantom 410

PSU: Cooler Master 700 W 80PLUS Bronze

Total: $1336

Optional extras:

Blu-ray burner instead of DVD burner Add ~$50.
Aftermarket CPU heatsink Add ~$40.

Some notes: This build will pretty much destroy anything you throw at it today - even things like video encoding, and especially gaming. The mobo, I think, is a nice balance between backwards compatibility (like PCI-e and PCI 2.0) and forward-looking features (like USB3.0, PCIex16 3.0, etc). The PSU also gives you enough power to overclock to some extent if you decide to do that in the future (though I recommend the aftermarket CPU cooler for that).

The case is largely a cosmetic thing here, so feel free to pick one that you like better, but we wary of the USB 3.0 feedthrough cable thing. I personally hate that, and the ones that have a proper header cable are just now starting to appear, so you have to look for that.

Also, I'm not 100% on the memory. Goku might have some better recommendations for that.

Goku · 2012-06-01, 03:18 PM

Only thing I would change in Ailos build is the motherboard to a MSI Z77 GD55 or GD65 given how much that Asrock is. The SSD I would switch out for a Crucial M4, Samsung 830, or Intel 520 in probably the 256GB size due to how much they these days and he can afford it. PSU I don't trust cooler master, so probably something like the Corsair TX650 or Antec Neo Eco 620. Just depends on what is cheaper. RAM wise I would just stick to barebone 1333MHz as that is all a person needs. He can even double it to 16GB if he wants.

The case well whatever the person likes the best. You can think its great looking, but I think it looks hideous (this isn't case with the NZXT btw).

Rbstr · 2012-06-01, 04:21 PM

Screw ram with fancy heat spreaders and higher than 1333mhz clocks, you don't see significant benefit. Though, I do like Corsair:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820233186
Why not save the $10 and get the EVGA 670?
On motherboards: unless you plan on wanting 2x PCI express 16x or need those 2 extra SATA 6gb/s (that is, you have more than 2 SSDs, because spinners don't hit those transfer speeds anyway) you can save ~$20 going with Goku's suggestions or my link. Or even a cheaper ASrock board.

All in all those are pretty minor bits.

You may or may not want the SSD and the "is this SSD worthy?" management you've got to do with on. A hybrid option is available with the cache drives out now or intel's own tech.

I do think the NZXT is hideous...but yeah, whatever floats your boat. You really don't need a boatload of fans to keep these specs cool unless you get into a big overclock. The USB 3.0 thing is something to look for, though.

Ailos · 2012-06-02, 03:08 AM

The reason for more the more expensiveASRock mobo is primarily future upgradeability. I think that thing gives you all that plus the ability to stick stuff like a TV tuner or a sound card (like I have in my rig), and also (often overlooked fact) it has onboard headers for three case fans rather than the normal 2 or 1. I find that a useful thing for future, because when you eventually stuff your case with another gpu in sli, a sound card, extra hdds, maybe things like a memory card reader and a secondary optical drive, things can really get in the way of free air movement, and it helps to give the system an extra fan or two to keep things moving, but that it can turn down when its not needed so it doesn't always sound like a jet before takeoff.

My personal experience with cooler master has been nothing short of brilliant, so that's why I recommended that psu specifically.

But again, that is my personal preference, and I do not argue with everyone else's suggestions. All of us here are recommending pretty much the same hardware, differing only on terms of manufacturer-specific side features that have a relatively marginal impact on performance. Although the hardware names have changed somewhat, and maybe the shape of all the sockets has also since the last time CB McNasty built a computer, the process is still pretty much the same, if not easier since installing your OS on first boot is a breeze now.

Goku · 2012-06-02, 09:53 AM

Here is what I have come up with:

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB HDD - $109.99
EVGA SuperClocked 02G-P4-2682-KR GeForce GTX 680 - $519.99
Antec NEO ECO 620C 620W - $69.99
G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 - $46.99
COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 EVO - $29.99
Crucial M4 CT256M4SSD2 2.5" 256GB SSD - $199.99
Intel Core i5 3570K/ASUS P8Z77-V Combo - $399.98
ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - $17.99

Total = $1,394.91 not including promotion codes/MIR (just not sure when you are ordering so I'm not including them)

Take a look at these cases and choose whichever one you like best:

$70 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K58W ATX Case
$90 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K56 ATX Case
$90 - Cooler Master CM690 II Advance ATX Case
$90 - Lian Li Lancool PC-K7B ATX Case
$100 - Lian Li PC-7B Plus II ATX Case
$100 - Cooler Master HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP ATX Case
$110 - NZXT Whisper WHI - 001BK ATX Full Tower Case
$110 - Lian Li PC-60FN ATX Case
$110 - Lian Li PC-7FN ATX Case
$120 - Velocity Micro GX2-W Silver Classic Aluminum Case with Side Window
$127 - Fractal Design Define R3 Black ATX Case
$140 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Full Tower ATX Case
$140 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK Black Full Tower ATX Case
$140 - Lian Li PC-9F ATX Case
$143 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002OR Black Finish w/Orange Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$150 - Corsair Graphite Series 600T ATX Case

Now a few questions.

Do you have monitors currently at all? I'm a bit confused there. I can help you find a pair to use if needed.

Do you actually have the OS or do you need to but it?

What about accessories. Like keyboard, mouse, speakers/headset?

You have the budget, so you might as well get the 680, might as well splurge big on one thing in the build if you won't be going with the 3770K. The system itself when fully overclock should last you for 3 at least if needed, any longer CPU will still play games just start holding you back. You will need a video card upgrade probably within that time frame though depending if you want to keep the details maxed up. I went with the 256GB SSD as you shouldn't have any storage issues at least with putting your main games plus some important apps.

Concerning overclocking. You have to do a lot to these chips to fry them. I'm talking putting far above normal voltage into them plus insane clocks. Its fairly easily to get a mild overclock of 4.2GHz on these. You can do additional tweaking to get that higher. There is very little chance of breaking anything, just read up on a few good guides to get a idea of how to do it.

About the different brands out there when it comes to any parts. There is some you should down right avoid. It doesn't come down to preference, but actual quality concerning this. I always stick with the big brands just due to the higher quality and longer warranty durations. I don't see any point in saving a few bucks on a machine you are spending a grand+ due to this.

Ailos · 2012-06-02, 01:57 PM

Originally Posted by Goku

About the different brands out there when it comes to any parts. There is some you should down right avoid. It doesn't come down to preference, but actual quality concerning this. I always stick with the big brands just due to the higher quality and longer warranty durations. I don't see any point in saving a few bucks on a machine you are spending a grand+ due to this.

He's right there. Avoid the MIT manufacturers that sell just a RAM kit and a chair.