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solowookie

solowookie

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Nov 9, 2012
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I have traditionally built my own computers because when it came right down to it I could always save money that way. It seems that now this is even more the case. I have studied this out quite a bit looking at others builds, reviews, etc. I plan to build a computer for my children that I am going to use personally until February when I will build my own, which of course will be much grander! :heink:

This primary functions of this computer will be gaming (SWTOR specifically, for now anyway), and youtube (anything except a tablet is overkill for the 2nd function lol, the price of an autistic son).

Budget is whatever I can get my wife to let me spend. She would like it under $600 :sarcastic: (you will notice I am around $750 :lol: ). System as priced by NewEgg, but I will buy anywhere reliable. Ideally I would like to be under $700 and will probably cut out a bit of the fluff to get there. I also have an external HD I will use for now. Eventually I will add a bluray player, internal with front painted orange probably :whistle: ).

Case: Cougar Volant $54.99
Fan Controller: NZXT Sentry 2 $24.99
MOBO: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP $79.99
GPU: Zotac GTX 650 1MB $99.99
Memory: G.Skill Ares 8MB 2x4GB DDR3 2133 $49.99
Card Reader: Xigmatek Internal 75 in 1 $7.99
HD: Momentus Hybrid Seagate 7200 RPM Sata 3 320GB $79.99
OS: Windows Home 64 Bit OEM $99.99
Cooler: Cooler Hyper 212 Plus $29.99
Fans: Cougar Turbin 120mm x 4 $29.99
PSU: Courgar A-Series 560W Bronze $64.99
CPU i3 3220 3.3GHz $129.99
TC: Artic Silver 5 $9.99

$756,87

I want to keep the fan controller, & upgraded fans. I plan to stay with an orange them with possible (will be purchasing spray can of range paint :bounce: ). I will add orange LED's to the fans, and some kind of funky home made LED lighting which will rock! (yes I am in the mood to play geek lighting expert). And Obviously I am trying put some bucks in a good cooling system. I want the system to be negative pressure & GPU to vent out the back.

Oh yea, plan to purchase black friday.
 
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jackspeed

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Big Flanders

Big Flanders

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Nov 4, 2012
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It looks pretty solid, although i'm not caught up with every brand so i'm not sure if Courgar is a good PSU brand or not? I know a good, clean reliable PSU is needed for anything.
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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Jul 27, 2011
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Also this may save money.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applica [...] u=B69-1464
Click to expand...

Absolutely NOT. The problem with those Tiger Direct pre built kits is the garbage cases and power supplies they include. You'll wind up replacing those and that's never a good idea. Ultra power supplies are among the industry's absolute worst, and H61 will severely limit expansion options. Again, do not purchase this.

I'm not going to say that is a solid build - there's a lot of money that's being spent needlessly (thermal compound, fans, fan controllers, card reader, etc) and H77 motherboards can't overclock - neither can low end i3s and i5s, so that Hyper 212 will be going to waste. Also the hybrid drive is a waste of money on a desktop build as there's no noticeable performance gain from a regular mechanical drive. I also question the reliability of Cougar cases and power supplies. The GTX 650 is also not a good GPU.

I think I would actually trash that whole build and go with something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($88.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($200.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $768.46
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-09 13:13 EST-0500)

That's a better use of $750.
 
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TheBigTroll

TheBigTroll

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Apr 15, 2012
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im pretty much going to throw all the components out since you can do better

-used i3 2120 as it is 20 bucks cheaper and only 5% slower
-used a h77m motherboard instead. you cant expand much with h77 or with the power supply
-cheaper ram. a lot cheaper
-cpu cooler is useless really since you cant overclock and the stock heatsink is good enough for the low power usage of the i3
-better video cards out there
-no need for extra fans since you arent cooling much and that stock fans are good enough
-no need for thermal paste. heatsink has some applied. also, you arent overclocking so there is really no point. not to mention arctic silver 5 isnt that great
-i am suggesting not using a fan controller as there is fan control from the motherboard and that the fans in this case i chose are pretty much silent
-note that negative pressure means a dust storm in your rig
-better case if you ask me. has usb3 for 40 bucks
-better power supplies

here ya go.expect double the performance of the rig that you put out
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/n3Ys
 
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solowookie

solowookie

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Nov 9, 2012
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I need the card reader. Also I need a build that includes an OS. The fans and fan controllers, well that is simply nothing more than play lol, but I would like a little 'mad money' built in (about $100).
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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Yeah but that card reader is junk and 3.5" drives are difficult to install in most cases. You can get a cheapo external USB card reader and then avoid that hassle.

The extra fans are still a waste of money since you're using a CPU that can't be overclocked. Use the money for the hardware, you can always get the accessories and other junk later on.
 
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O

odiervr

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May 1, 2012
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Wookie,

My thoughts:

1. A man's computer is his castle (or something like that). I know of few orange computer's with orange LED's ... but like I said ... It's your castle!
2. The big troll has a solid build, it's cheaper than your original build, and has better performance (what's not to like?)
3. I guess you have to weigh fan controller and fans VS your desire to pay for them
4. My only change to the troll's build - I'd put in a ASRock z75 mobo ($10 more) minimum investment for maximum potential
5. Then I'd be nice to my wife (always am) and tell here the 3570K and a HD 7870 will be the best computer in the world !! :)


Good Luck!

Oh, then I'd ask her if she'd lost weight as I threw an SSD into the cart :0) !!!
 
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J

jackspeed

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I agree that that is a better use of $750 but he needs an OS a monitor ect.

I missread the psu I saw the 80% efficiency as 80+ cert my apologies and thanks for the catch. The build is a $550 build more or less not $750 when you include the monitor ect. and with the fans and controller he wants its really a $500 build. $500 has some room but not a lot so I suggested a kit.
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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Jul 27, 2011
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There's way better uses of $500 than that though - as I said Ultra power supplies are complete garbage. You really got to watch for junk power supplies which is why I don't recommend getting those kits.

If you want to get something that's $500 that has some expandability options I would suggest this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($124.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A75 Pro4 ATX FM2 Motherboard ($86.97 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($88.98 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi Tower ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W ATX12V Power Supply ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($17.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $521.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-11-09 14:22 EST-0500)
 
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solowookie

solowookie

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Nov 9, 2012
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Jack I origionally had a monitor in this, but realized I did not have a CPU lol. I replaced the monitor w/ the CPU. I have a monitor but it is attached to a wall mount and I do not have the base. I have to decide where to put the money.

Some great builds and good suggestions for the money. Let me 'digest' the suggestions... I'll post a follow up before long.
 
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solowookie

solowookie

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Nov 9, 2012
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Alright how about this build? 2120 vs 3220 cost $5 so I went ahead & kept the 3220. $4 more for orange memory... :) I need to compare the 2 & see which is actually better.

I kept the origional GPU, but I believe with a cap of $750 I could actually work the 7850 in. I presume this would be the best place to spend the extra money. (GTX 660 63% of the performance of the 7850).

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/n50T GTX 650
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/n5hT GTX 650 ti better card for not much money

The AMD A10-5800k looked very interesting. However I think the Intel looks like a 'safer' build.

Thoughts?
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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As long as you build it correctly the AMD build will be "safe" as well. It's just a matter of selecting the right parts.

The 650 is still not a good GPU. For the price go with a Radeon 7750 or Radeon 7770 instead - those are far better.
 
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solowookie

solowookie

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Nov 9, 2012
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I did some build / $$$ comparisons and the AMD is looking appealing actually. The processor is $5 less and no GPU required. Not to mention the little kid in me could play w/ the overclocking.
 
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g-unit1111

g-unit1111

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I like the interior of the case but personally I like the exterior to look a little bit more conservative than that - but that's just me.
 
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solowookie

solowookie

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Nov 9, 2012
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I am currently using a Core 2 Duo laptop, but I don't ever travel anymore. This will be major upgrade for me. If black friday prices drop enough I will the intel direction there are been good suggestions above.
 
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solowookie

solowookie

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Alright peeps I will buy this on Friday. I got a bit more than I was expecting so the following build is in the link below. A few comments first;

I may change cases - this case is cheap, I may change it to something else. It is CHEAP, 2 fans, cable management, and BLACK!

2nd - I have debated the GTX 650 Ti vs. 7850 quite a bit. Unless I find one on a better sale on Friday I will stick with the GTX. I don't want to spend more than $150 on the video card.

Oh- and the memory is free with the motherboard. Cheap, good case options would be appreciated! :bounce:

Thanks

Sorry had to edit & add the link :ouch:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/oyWj
 
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