Out of the loop

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by DxH, Apr 5, 2011.

  1. DxH

    DxH Private E-2

    Hey, im interested in upgrading my PC. Last time i put new hardware in it was probably 3 years ago. I am way out of the loop and have no idea whats the best whats good or whats bad. Intel or AMD? whats the best video card available now? Whats the best type of ram available now?

    If anyone could give me a basic breakdown about what i should be looking at for a high preformance gaming machine that would be awesome. Probably looking to upgrade my mobo, proc, ram, vid card. I have a decent enough power supply so i should be okay there. Thanks for any comments.
     
  2. augiedoggie

    augiedoggie The Canadian Loon - LocoAugie (R.I.P. 2012)

    What's your budget like and what is your power supply? $1200 will give you a decent spec.
     
  3. gman863

    gman863 MajorGeek

    Some general thoughts:

    * Price doesn't always equal performance. Although many variables (specific software, memory, etc.) affect actual performance, this link will give you a general idea on what CPUs offer the best bang for the buck:

    http://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html

    * Start with what you need but leave room for upgrades. Examples:

    • Buy a board that can handle two video cards (SLI or Crossfire), but start with one - it may be enough for your games and apps.
    • It's doubtful your new PC will actually use more than 8GB of memory at a given time. If you find you're maxing out the available memory, add more as needed.
    • Unless you plan on storing a huge video library, a 1TB hard drive is plenty. You can add additional storage drives later as needed.

    * Read user reviews on sites such as Newegg and Amazon. They'll often red flag compatibility issues (such as memory/motherboard).

    * Buy from a store or website with a decent return/exchange policy in case an item is DOA or not compatible.

    Hope these tips help. :)
     
  4. abekl

    abekl First Sergeant

    Hi DxH,

    I had a little fun and put together a high end gaming rig for you on Newegg. It comes out to about 1500 USD. The list is called
    Gaming Rig for MG

    I've chosen the components very carefully to give you an idea of the most popular components people are buying these days, and how people are combining components, and they represent the current sweet spot.

    Now for the disclaimer. I'm an Intel guy, not an AMD guy, and I'm an ATI guy, not an Nvidia guy, so someone else might very well come up with a list that uses an AMD CPU and Nvidia based GPU.

    I hope the list is visible to you, let me know. I made it public. Just in case though, I've pasted the list of components below.
    1 [​IMG] Antec Nine Hundred Two V3 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
    Item #: N82E16811129097
    Return Policy: Standard Return Policy -$10.00 Instant
    $119.99
    $109.99 1 [​IMG] SAPPHIRE 100312SR Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity
    Item #: N82E16814102914
    Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy $20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
    $274.99 1 [​IMG] Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K
    Item #: N82E16819115072
    Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
    $224.99 1 [​IMG] Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
    Item #: N82E16822136533
    Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
    $94.99 1 [​IMG] Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC128MAG-1G1 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
    Item #: N82E16820148348
    Return Policy: Limited Replacement Only Return Policy
    $254.99 1 [​IMG] Koutech IO-RCM621 All-in-one USB 2.0 3.5" USB 2.0 Front Panel Multi-format Card Reader with USB 2.0 Port
    Item #: N82E16820162024
    Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
    $29.99 1 [​IMG] GIGABYTE GA-P67A-UD4-B3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
    Item #: N82E16813128478
    Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
    $189.99 1 [​IMG] G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9Q-8GBRL
    Item #: N82E16820231325
    Return Policy: Memory Standard Return Policy
    $114.99 1 [​IMG] Pioneer Black Blu-ray Burner SATA BDR-206DBKS
    Item #: N82E16827129066
    Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
    $124.99 1 [​IMG] CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX850 V2 850W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
    Item #: N82E16817139022
    Return Policy: Standard Return Policy -$20.00 Instant
    $20.00 Mail-in Rebate Card
    $159.99
    $139.99
     
  5. DxH

    DxH Private E-2

    Thank you for the help its much appreciated :)..need to save a little bit more.
     
  6. augiedoggie

    augiedoggie The Canadian Loon - LocoAugie (R.I.P. 2012)

    abekl put together a dream machine.:drool However, there's a cheaper way.;)

    Lose the case:$120
    Lose the SSD:$250
    HdX mentioned they had a PSU:$160
    Card reader:$30
    Blue Ray writer:$125 +$30 for a regular DVD writer.

    Total savings=$685 or some $800 total for the machine, I only cut out what's not needed AFAIK. One can always add as funds are available.:)
     
  7. gman863

    gman863 MajorGeek

    Here's an alternative AMD build:

    Motherboard: $120. Has the newest goodies (USB 3.0, SATA 3.0). Can set up for true (2 card) Crossfire plus has hybrid Crossfire:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131646

    CPU: $140.

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808

    Memory: 8GB (2x4GB): $100

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

    Basic (not Blu-Ray) DVD+RW: $21

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827135204

    Hard Drive (640GB, SATA 3, 64Mb cache): $70

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136544

    Video Card: $145

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127490

    This adds up to roughly $600 when you factor in both shipping and rebates.

    Not included in the above: Case, power supply, Windows 7 or any add-ons (extra case fans, card reader, etc.).
     

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