31 replies to this topic

[All_Bogs]

The GTX 570 might be cheaper initially, but just look at its power consumption ... fairly sure it's quite a bit more expensive in the end. Judging by the prices listed on Newegg, they are equally expensive, and that's only after rebate on the 570. Furthermore, you have to keep in mind that the theoretical tests on HWCompare are just that, theoretical. If we look at more real-world scenarios (such as the various game-tests ran by Tom's here), we can see that the two are approximately tied, with the GTX 570 unable to cope with Max Payne 3's maximum settings due to a shortage of memory. If you ask me, the GTX 660 is definitely superior to the GTX 570.

Concerning the CPU, as Lowc15 said, you don't need an i7 just for gaming. An i5 should pack sufficient punch. I see many people recommending the 3570k, but the OP doesn't really strike me as somebody who'd go and overclock their rig, so going for the unlocked "k" variant seems a little pointless. You can save $15 by picking a regular 3570, and another $20 by going with the 3450 the OP was eyeing. Seems worth it to me, as in gaming the CPU is usually not the factor limiting performance anyway. An alternative CPU suggestion would be the 3350P, which is another $5 cheaper and also uses a bit less power than the 3450 because it lacks integrated graphics. You don't need integrated graphics since you'll be using a discrete graphics card.

Going back to the GPU, I don't actually think a GeForce 640 with GDDR5 exists. The 640 comes with DDR3, which essentially makes it an overpriced piece of trash if you take price/performance into consideration. Judging by Tom's benchmark linked above, the Radeon 7770 seems to be the best choice. It's not that expensive either, as Newegg lists it as low as $110 after rebate. It should be powerful enough to run LotR Online and WoW with no issues, and Diablo 3 with fairly decent settings, at 1920x1080. However, if you think you might keep the system around for a long time and want the performance to last, or think it likely that you'll expand your horizon to more graphically intense games, I'd consider spending more on the graphics side of things. The GTX 660 Ti seems reasonably future proof; anything more expensive than that might be overkill.

Also, if you're given the chance, spend a few $ more on a decent power supply, instead of a shitty stock one. Look for some form of 80 PLUS certification. Your hardware will be grateful

[QueenValerie]

Awesome thanks for all the help gang! And yeah I am not overclocking anything! lol

As for the power supply where can I buy one from? 80 plus certification? I do want to make sure I have a good power supply!


I swear I blew up my last computer killing the Queen Black Dragon! Because right after that my old comp crapped the bed! LOL
I cant even pull my pictures off it, it turns on but the monitor has no signal/black screen and the comp fan is the only thing running... WEIRD! I brought it to the shop 2 times the first time they added 2 GB to it and it was then that it crapped out. I am thinking it may be the power supply or a graph card problem??? No idea really!

Any idea how I can get this thing running long enough to get my stuff off it? The tech guy at the shop said something about he had to drain the power out of it, and it then worked for him.... He never charged me for it, but he said next time he will have too... and yeah we are at the next time now..... cost would be like 100 dollars! Not worth it to me, unless I can do it myself.....

[All_Bogs]

QueenValerie, on 19 September 2012 - 03:00 PM, said:

As for the power supply where can I buy one from? 80 plus certification? I do want to make sure I have a good power supply!

80 PLUS is basically a label that certifies the PSU as having 80%+ energy efficiency. The wikipedia article on it is relatively clear. By using a certified PSU, you'll end up using less power, and generally speaking such PSUs also have a better build quality which means there's a smaller chance of them failing. You don't need to spend lots on an 80 PLUS Platinum one or such, simply going with a regular 80 PLUS or an 80 PLUS Bronze is already a huge step up over lesser ones.

If you're ordering parts on the internet to construct your own computer (something you said you would be open to), you can simply order a PSU of your choice. I'm afraid I can't make any specific recommendations, though, as I don't know too much about which specific PSUs are good and which are bad. I'm sure somebody else in here knows more about the subject.

If you're going to buy a pre-built computer from a store, you could simply ask the salesman. If you're buying a pre-built computer over the internet, things might be more difficult. I tried configuring a Dell XPS (boy, they're expensive ... ) and wasn't able to find any information on the PSU at all. If the configuration doesn't mention anything about the PSU, you can almost rest assured that it's a low-quality one. I suppose you could shoot them an e-mail about it, but I don't really know ... I don't have any experience with ordering computers online.

QueenValerie, on 19 September 2012 - 03:00 PM, said:

I swear I blew up my last computer killing the Queen Black Dragon! Because right after that my old comp crapped the bed! LOL
I cant even pull my pictures off it, it turns on but the monitor has no signal/black screen and the comp fan is the only thing running... WEIRD! I brought it to the shop 2 times the first time they added 2 GB to it and it was then that it crapped out. I am thinking it may be the power supply or a graph card problem??? No idea really!

Any idea how I can get this thing running long enough to get my stuff off it? The tech guy at the shop said something about he had to drain the power out of it, and it then worked for him.... He never charged me for it, but he said next time he will have too... and yeah we are at the next time now..... cost would be like 100 dollars! Not worth it to me, unless I can do it myself.....

That's some poor timing. I'm not sure if it could be the graphics card ... you computer might still boot into Windows even if it didn't work, so you could still hear your hard disk rattle as it boots. They probably added memory to it in the shop to test if your memory still worked, so that probably isn't the issue either. I guess that means it's either the PSU or the motherboard that's malfunctioning. I think you can "drain the power" simply by unplugging your computer from the wall socket and leaving it off for a few hours.

If all else fails, you can simply plug your hard disk into your next computer and grab the pictures then. Consider using a cloud service such as Dropbox to store pictures. That way, a system crash doesn't really matter all that much as you can simply re-download the pictures.

[Lowc15]

Picking your PSU is dependent on the GPU and such because you want to supply enough power to the GPU or it won't function properly.

http://www.overclock...release-updated

That would help you pick a PSU if you're uncertain. Personally I just picked a 650w because i wanted it to be future proof incase I want to add another 560ti for SLI.

[JPMC Mate]

Since you are now considering building your own, here is what I recommend:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU:  Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($214.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler:  Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard:  ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX  LGA1155 Motherboard  ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory:  Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($40.99 @ Newegg)
Storage:  Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card:  MSI Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card  ($322.86 @ Newegg)
Case:  Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply:  Antec Neo Eco 520W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply  ($46.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive:  Lite-On iHAS224-06 DVD/CD Writer  ($27.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $963.76
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-09-22 21:47 EDT-0400)

Since there is an MIR, the total is actually $980. This will run anything at very high settings with very high fps.

[Lowc15]

@gpmc
He doesn't need a CPU cooler if he has a case with fans. The intel line runs plenty cool.
I disagree with the blue hdd I would go with black personally.
I say ditch the gpu for a gtx 560ti, 650, or 660 anything under 250.00 considering they will run any game on the current market at 60-100fps.
I would highly recommend adding a SSD as your primary drive for OS and such. One of these will run 60-100.00 and the change in GPU should cover that cost.
Rest looks great.

[Sbrideau]

The blue is not too bad, but I agree with black if you want maximum hdd performance.

[JPMC Mate]

Lowc15, on 24 September 2012 - 02:49 AM, said:

@gpmc
He doesn't need a CPU cooler if he has a case with fans. The intel line runs plenty cool.
I disagree with the blue hdd I would go with black personally.
I say ditch the gpu for a gtx 560ti, 650, or 660 anything under 250.00 considering they will run any game on the current market at 60-100fps.
I would highly recommend adding a SSD as your primary drive for OS and such. One of these will run 60-100.00 and the change in GPU should cover that cost.
Rest looks great.

That is very wrong. Case fans do not have the same amount of airflow with a heatsink. OCing without an aftermarket cooler is just asking for a burn out.

[Lowc15]

It's been stated she is not going to be overclocking so what are you on about? If you need a cooler for a i5 or i7 that isn't overclocked you picked a terrible case or you live in the desert without air conditioning.

[Sbrideau]

Agreed. I have a first gen i3 processor and am not OC'ing it and I have no overheating issues with the fan that came with it. Runs pretty cool actually, 30 Celsius idle and 50 Celsius when on heavy load. The default cooler is fine for most cases when there's no overclocking.

[JPMC Mate]

Lowc15, on 30 September 2012 - 12:04 AM, said:

It's been stated she is not going to be overclocking so what are you on about? If you need a cooler for a i5 or i7 that isn't overclocked you picked a terrible case or you live in the desert without air conditioning.

Then instead of dissing my suggested build, say "just downgrade to an i5-3450 and an H77 motherboard". No need to be that way. We are humans and sometimes overlook things..

Here's a better build than even the one I suggested earlier:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU:  Intel Core i5-3450 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard:  ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX  LGA1155 Motherboard  ($87.55 @ Newegg)
Memory:  Crucial Ballistix sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($40.99 @ Newegg)
Storage:  Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card:  Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card  ($409.99 @ Newegg)
Case:  Cooler Master HAF 912 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($63.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply:  Antec Neo Eco 520W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply  ($46.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive:  Lite-On iHAS224-06 DVD/CD Writer  ($27.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $947.45
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

[Lowc15]

I can't figure out for the life of me why you suggest a $400+ gpu over making the entire system overall fast for a build that doesn't require 1/4th the graphics processing. She has stated the games she intends on playing. They are nowhere near graphically intense and future proofing her game library doesn't require breaking the bank. Hell of a build you have there it just doesn't fit the user. If i recommended that build to a consumer who has specifically stated their intended uses and expectations they would run the other direction considering it's overpriced for what they need it for.