New Computer Opinions

[Izzy]

So I am looking into building a new computer because mine is getting close to 6 years old now.

I don't have unlimited money to spend so I'm trying to find the best parts for the money.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=26451468

This is what I am looking at right now and I'd appreciate any opinions on this build. All of the parts are compatible so that isn't an issue.

The graphics card is not the newest gen because I can't afford it, but it is about twice as good as my current card.


Total: $842.92

[Zageron]

Re: New Computer Opinions

Up the PSU to 750W. (Do it... This is the most important part of your computer.)
Video card is definitely good enough.

Everything looks fine to me, though with RAM that cheap you could cap out 24GB. lol

[Gray Fox]

Re: New Computer Opinions

lol I was going to make one of these threads today, anyhow I'm not 'tech savvy' but I can say this: what exactly is your new computer going to be used for? (ie. gaming, certain programs, etc)

Can't really give any thoughts if we don't know what you're going for.

[Izzy]

Re: New Computer Opinions

Up the PSU to 700W. (Do it... This is the most important part of your computer.)
Video card is definitely good enough.

Everything looks fine to me, though with RAM that cheap you could cap out 24GB. lol

It's true, but I've never in my life been able to exceed even 4 gb of ram at one time. Even when I have 2-3 games open plus any kind of programming software plus my browser and messengers.

I'll look into how much more a better PSU would be, but everywhere I read said that this would be enough for a single GPU + a few HD's.

lol I was going to make one of these threads today, anyhow I'm not 'tech savvy' but I can say this: what exactly is your new computer going to be using for? (ie. gaming, certain programs, etc)

Can't really give any thoughts if we don't know what you're going for.

The only thing that would utilize this hardware would be the modern games I play. I want it to be able to preform these at max settings plus have other applications open without hindering my games performance in any way. I have two monitors so I usually have some game open on one screen and the internet and a high res video/movie on the other at any given time.

[Evnoir]

Re: New Computer Opinions

Honestly, you would be able to pull off pretty much everything necessary with a 600W PSU for a single mid-level graphics card.
Personally, I would get a 2600K but it's not that big of a step up from the 950 especially considering the price gap.
Overall, that's a pretty solid build.

P.S. Get a better sound card :3c

Edit: No HDDs...?

[Izzy]

Re: New Computer Opinions

One of my biggest worries is this motherboard. It has everything that I need it to have, but I don't understand why the price is now 285 dollars less than it used to be. It is by far the cheapest option for this CPU's socket type.

P.S. Get a better sound card :3c

Edit: No HDDs...?

I honestly don't know anything about sound cards, I figured any card would be superior to the onboard sound.

As for harddrives I am getting the solid state to put my OS and crucial applications on only. I have 3 terabytes of sata HDD's in my current PC with my stuff on it that I will move over.

[Evnoir]

Re: New Computer Opinions

I've seen that board go as low as $80 before - really nothing to worry about.
Around here, we get crazy sales like the G1 Assassin for $150.

[Gray Fox]

Re: New Computer Opinions

8 gigs of ram is more than enough, here's one cheaper on sale with the same brand at 1600 speed:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345

Also if you're not planning to run 2 video cards then you don't need a higher PSU.

The only thing that would utilize this hardware would be the modern games I play. I want it to be able to preform these at max settings plus have other applications open without hindering my games performance in any way. I have two monitors so I usually have some game open on one screen and the internet and a high res video/movie on the other at any given time.

Well if you're going with some high setting gaming then you could go with a higher video card. For the processor the i5 2500k seems to be par for the course these days which can perform like an i7 at a much cheaper price.

With that extra money you could invest into something like a GTX 560 1gb. Of course another important question is are you planning on overclocking?

edit: other than the motherboard which I don't know too much about to give an input, everything else looks fine good brands and such.

edit 2: Just noticed the motherboard is refurbished, generally you want to stay away from openbox/refurbished on core computer parts. Unless it has a good warranty I would not even consider buying them.

[Izzy]

Re: New Computer Opinions

There is no reason to not get refurbished hardware. It has less of a chance of being faulty than a non refurbished piece since it was sent back and looked at.

I am not planning to overclock anything in the near future. The performance should be more than enough at stock speeds.

[Calcium Deposit]

Re: New Computer Opinions

I barely pay attention to sound cards myself, as long as it has 7.1 I'm good. I recommend going with ATI/AMD hardware though, more power for the money. Got my custom rig under $600 and it can run BF3, Dirt 3, GTA 4, at max settings with 60 FPS. CPU is overclocked to 4.8 GHZ but w/e <3 water cooling

[Gray Fox]

Re: New Computer Opinions

There is no reason to not get refurbished hardware. It has less of a chance of being faulty than a non refurbished piece since it was sent back and looked at.

True, but just make sure it has a good warranty otherwise it's a risk not being able get a refund or replacement.

[ninjaKIWI]

Re: New Computer Opinions

One of my biggest worries is this motherboard. It has everything that I need it to have, but I don't understand why the price is now 285 dollars less than it used to be. It is by far the cheapest option for this CPU's socket type.

It's because the socket is really outdated. Don't get a Gen 1 i7, that's just stupid. Get an 1155 board, and a Gen 2 i5 or i7. Ignore everything these idiots have been saying, it's an enormous step up from Gen 1.

EDIT: Also, with an unlocked processor (Like the 2600k or 2500k which you should be getting) and the appropriate board, there is zero reason not to overclock.

[Izzy]

Re: New Computer Opinions

It's because the socket is really outdated. Don't get a Gen 1 i7, that's just stupid. Get an 1155 board, and a Gen 2 i5 or i7. Ignore everything these idiots have been saying, it's an enormous step up from Gen 1.

EDIT: Also, with an unlocked processor (Like the 2600k or 2500k which you should be getting) and the appropriate board, there is zero reason not to overclock.

Alright thanks, I'll look into it.

[fido123]

Re: New Computer Opinions

I pretty much can only find 3 things I can suggest you look over or change:

1) Processor: Don't get a 1st gen i7. I'd personally get an i5 2500k over anything right now. I've heard it even beats out i7s right now since most applications can't make use of 12 threads anyway.

2) PSU: I didn't really check just make sure you're PSU has multiple rails. People say it's the most important part of the computer and don't cheap out on it yet just buy shitty PSU's with high wattage. 600W should do you fine but multiple rails for each voltage level means cleaner power going to your system and less of a chance of shit frying. It's sometimes hard to find this spec but it's worth spending a couple of minutes on the googler.

3) SSHD: Just make sure it has good reviews and look at its clock speed compared to other SSHDs. A lot of people tend to think that because it's SATA III goes as fast as SATA III will go. They all have their clock rates. Also if this is your first SSHD enjoy. I ****ing love mine.

So basically everything is probably good except if I were you I'd get an i5 2500k. That's all.

[Izzy]

Re: New Computer Opinions

Thanks for yout input. I changed my cpu and motherboard to the newer socket type and went down to the i5 2500k. The internet says the performance difference is only about 3-6% so it is pretty insignificant for 100 dollar difference.

I looked at numerous newegg reviews on different SSD's and most of the other ones were complaining about short life span, but this company's didn't seem to have those complaints. The read/write speeds were also a lot higher than most of the others. About 500 mb/s compared to 200 mb/s.

Motherboard:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271

Cpu:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115073

Total price is down to about 750 now so I could possibly upgrade the gpu.