HD 67XX vs HD 68XX

[RichterFry]

I've got a new build on the go, selecting the parts to order now. However, the thing that's been giving me the most trouble is selecting the GFX card. I've got a somewhat tight budget, meaning I want to spend as little as possible while still having a decent machine to game on. This is the card I'm looking into right now:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161377

That's $140 before taxes/shipping. However, I have heard that a 68XX model is a far superior GFX card, but they'll cost me about $40 more (and since I'm a university student, I'm always looking for ways to keep my costs down). Now, my current set up for games are: SC2, probably LoL and maybe even a little COD blops/MW3.

An alternative, to keep my costs down, may be to change my CPU. My current set up is with the i5 2400 quad, but go with the 2300/2310 which would save me about $25 which could be used towards a better GFX card.

Here's my entire set up atm.

CPU/RAM: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.694853

Case/PSU: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119218

HDD: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148697

Mobo: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130609

And my current GFX: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161377

 

[RichterFry]

Or perhaps a GT GFX card would be better? From what I understand the second digit of a XXXX gtaphics card is the quality, but I'm not familiar with the GT form.

 

[phishy714]

Take a look at this:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-performance-radeon-geforce,2997-7.html

One very important detail you forgot to mention is your screen resolution. We need to know this to be able to recommend a card for ya.

At 1920x1080, you will definately want something with a bit more power to be able to run stuff well. I would suggest something along the lines of this:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948

It is about 154 after the rebate if you are able to save up a few bucks to get it.

Otherwise, any resolution lower than that and you will be just fine.

 

[purple stain]

Those games aren't particulary demanding and as well as you being on a tight budget I would suggest getting and AMD CPU.Phenom ii x4 955's are going for about $120.

 

[purple stain]

This is a very nice bundle.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.692057

 

[RichterFry]

This is a very nice bundle.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.692057

I'm a penny pincher, that's a bit out of my price range.

Actually, I was originally going to go with the AMD 1075T six core, but after a bit of research and a few suggestions from friends, I think I'll stick with the Intel.

And about the screen resolution, I'll more than likely be going with 1920X1080, but right now, I have a 5 year old giant monitor, and I won't be able to afford a netter one for another month or so, so I think I'd at least like to have the capacity to have the best resolution, even if my current monitor doesn't support it (if that makes any sense).

 

[Onus]

The Coolermaster PSU in that case is overrated garbage: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Cooler-Master-Elite-Power-460-W-Power-Supply-Review/1005/9
I would be skeptical of its ability to power a 68xx GPU under a gaming load for any length of time (short term, yes, but not long term).
On that PSU, the most powerful GPU you might safely run is a HD6770. I think you would do well to buy a better PSU like a Corsair Builder or Antec Earthwatts.

 

[purple stain]

^+1

It is a really bad PSU.I was going to say something but you can still run a 6770 off of it.

 

[purple stain]

Canada Newegg has really brutal shipping rates so I would suggest looking for items that have Free Shipping.Your case you picked out is gonna charge $20 just for the shipping.

 

[RichterFry]

The Coolermaster PSU in that case is overrated garbage: http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Cooler-Master-Elite-Power-460-W-Power-Supply-Review/1005/9
I would be skeptical of its ability to power a 68xx GPU under a gaming load for any length of time (short term, yes, but not long term).
On that PSU, the most powerful GPU you might safely run is a HD6770. I think you would do well to buy a better PSU like a Corsair Builder or Antec Earthwatts.

Okay, yep, looks like I'll look for another case/PSU.

Here's a few things that are in my price range... Sorry if I should start another thread for this:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811121004

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147081

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156239

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811148030

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156258

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811154013

And I MAY consider this one, if it's amazing for it's price:

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156062

Those were just a few that I found, sorry for the longish list

 

[purple stain]

All those PSU's are still the same low quality of the Cooler Master one.You need to buy the PSU seperatly because they usually don't bundle good PSU's with a case.

 

[purple stain]

Here's the best I can do and I know their expensive but they both have free shipping.

Case

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

PSU

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100006520%2050001516%2040000058%20600014020&IsNodeId=1&name=451W%20-%20500W


Realisticly it's probably better to buy a higher quality case that has free shipping because than if you buy a case for $20 or $30 because they will charge you another $20 for shipping.

 

[RichterFry]

Here's the best I can do and I know their expensive but they both have free shipping.

Case

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

PSU

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100006520%2050001516%2040000058%20600014020&IsNodeId=1&name=451W%20-%20500W


Realisticly it's probably better to buy a higher quality case that has free shipping because than if you buy a case for $20 or $30 because they will charge you another $20 for shipping.

Alright, my total costs for this rig is $786.17, so with everything that I have I'll have to knock it back about $35 to just about $750. this is what I have so far:

CPU/RAM: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.694853

HDD: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148697

Mobo: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130609

GFX card: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102948

Case: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

PSU: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371035

I'll work with this.

 

[purple stain]

For some reason the Free Shipping on the Antec 900 isn't showing up.So I'd suggest going with a different case.

The Rosewill Challenger is a good case and the Shipping cost is decent.So it's the same price as if you bought the 900 with free shipping.

You have $786 but is that before or after Shipping?

 

[purple stain]

That bundle I suggested earlier comes with everything but the OS and it's missing the other 4G of RAM.But the case is really good.And the mobo is a little better.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.692057

EDIT:With the RAM you get in the CPU bundle you can't use it at it's rated speed with the MSI mobo.

 

[RichterFry]

For some reason the Free Shipping on the Antec 900 isn't showing up.So I'd suggest going with a different case.

The Rosewill Challenger is a good case and the Shipping cost is decent.So it's the same price as if you bought the 900 with free shipping.

You have $786 but is that before or after Shipping?

That's after all shipping. Free shipping for PSU and the CPU, and it's a total of $34.18 for shipping of everything else.

And $110.80 is the total tax. Damn Canada has high taxes.

 

[purple stain]

Grand Total with shipping for that Bundle is $823.It has many better things.

 

[RichterFry]

Grand Total with shipping for that Bundle is $823.It has many better things.

There\s so many things tearing me between your package and my current set-up... The HDD space, the RAM, the GFX card, the case, PSU... Gah, the price is more too. I wasn't even considering paying over $750 before now.

 

[purple stain]

Well your problem is that your trying to build a budget PC and you want a SB i5.Most people trying to build a budget PC would go with AMD because it's more price manageable.

The major reason why my bundle is more expensive is because it has a better CPU,Mobo,Case and PSU.

The GTX560 performs the same as the 6870 but most of the time the GTX560 gains more FPS because more games are Coded for Nvidia cards.SC2 is one of those games so you are likely see higher FPS with the GTX560 than the 6870 even though they performance is equal just because it favors Nvidia.

Their is less RAM with the Bundle but you can always upgrade.The problem with the MSI mobo you picked is that it only has 2 slots so if you wanted to upgrade you would have to get 8G sticks which means you would have to throw away the RAM that comes in the bundle.

At least with an AMD build you can get a 955 and O.C.As well as getting a 9xx series mobo so you can upgrade to a Bulldozer CPU when you want to.All while being $100 cheaper.

 

[Onus]

Assuming you select a quality PSU to go in it (look for full range active PFC, which means no little voltage switch, and some level of 80+ certification for efficiency), I have been entirely satisfied with every [cheap] Rosewill case I ever bought. That's a Newegg house brand, so you may find some with free shipping.

 

[RichterFry]

Well your problem is that your trying to build a budget PC and you want a SB i5.Most people trying to build a budget PC would go with AMD because it's more price manageable.

The major reason why my bundle is more expensive is because it has a better CPU,Mobo,Case and PSU.

The GTX560 performs the same as the 6870 but most of the time the GTX560 gains more FPS because more games are Coded for Nvidia cards.SC2 is one of those games so you are likely see higher FPS with the GTX560 than the 6870 even though they performance is equal just because it favors Nvidia.

Their is less RAM with the Bundle but you can always upgrade.The problem with the MSI mobo you picked is that it only has 2 slots so if you wanted to upgrade you would have to get 8G sticks which means you would have to throw away the RAM that comes in the bundle.

At least with an AMD build you can get a 955 and O.C.As well as getting a 9xx series mobo so you can upgrade to a Bulldozer CPU when you want to.All while being $100 cheaper.

That's fair. To be honest, chances are that I'll end up paying more than my original budget (probably 800+ anyway). I guess it depends how much extra I'll have after my student loans come in. Actually my friend who built his own PC is going to help me look over a few things tonight, and we'll see what comes out after that.

 

[purple stain]

Sounds good.Just let us know if we can be of assistance.

 

[RichterFry]

Assuming you select a quality PSU to go in it (look for full range active PFC, which means no little voltage switch, and some level of 80+ certification for efficiency), I have been entirely satisfied with every [cheap] Rosewill case I ever bought. That's a Newegg house brand, so you may find some with free shipping.

Okay, from the following list, can you pick a decent one (since you've had some experience) that has a lower total cost than this one?

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=rosewill+case&x=0&y=0

As of right now, I'll have whatever case paired with this PSU

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371035

That PSU seems to have great value considering it has a $27 discount with free shipping.

 

[purple stain]

That version of the Challenger has USB 3.0 ports.The regular base model does not and it's cheaper.

Challenger

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153


This is also a good case for the money.Personally I think it has better cooling options than the Challenger.

http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147144

 

[purple stain]

Usually that PSU is priced for $40 and always has Free Shipping on Newegg in the US.You should be able to get a better PSU for $60.

Damn Canada Newegg.