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  1. #1
    Herald of the Titans
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    System build recommendations... are they still being done?

    I'm looking to build a new system, and it has been a few years since I've done that.

    There used to be periodic posts of 4 system builds according to price/performance, with links to where to purchase them. I found them quite helpful.

    Unfortunately I live in California, so newegg.com is not my first choice for purchases Anyone have suggestions for alternative sources?

    My main issue is finding a good case that is not really huge... I love the size of my Dell Optiplex 755 mid-tower case... anything large is a total pain to move.

    Any suggestions for the following are appreciated... I like to get 'best bang for the buck' as budget is a concern:

    1) Case (mini/mid-tower size, we don't need all the drive bays these days, right?) Just need room for a good graphics card, or maybe 2.
    2) Power supply... I like the idea of the modular ones where you only connect cables you need, less mess inside.
    3) Motherboard: not sure if AMD or Intel is the way to go. Definitely want USB 3.0 tho.
    4) Graphics Card: Which is better nowadays? nVidia or AMD/ATI? AMD usually drives me insane, so nVidia is likely.

    Thanks.
    Last edited by Vermicious; 2013-03-28 at 12:45 AM.

  2. #2
    If you could fill out the bullet points mentioned below, that would be fantastic:

    • Budget
    • Resolution
    • Games / Settings Desired
    • Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc)
    • Country
    • Parts that can be reused
    • Do you need an OS?
    • Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)?

    See here for reference: http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...-Sample-Builds

  3. #3
    Herald of the Titans
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    • Budget = open, but want to keep it down to maybe $5-600 for the basic build
    • Resolution = I have a 24" LED monitor already that I'll be using, 1920x1080
    • Games / Settings Desired = I play WoW, want best resolution possible with high/ultra settings
    • Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc) =n/a
    • Country = USA
    • Parts that can be reused = will likely reuse HDD from older system for now, or buy SSD
    • Do you need an OS? = no
    • Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)? = have all of those

    Thanks for giving me the list. The items I listed in original post are the ones I have trouble finding the best... I'm pretty good at the HDD/SSD, RAM, and peripherals. If I have a base recommendation to go from, then I can go fwd/back on features needed. I'm just a bit out of touch with recent improvements in technology

  4. #4
    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
    Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Microcenter)
    Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.98 @ Amazon)
    Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 650 Ti 2GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Amazon)
    Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.99 @ Newegg)
    Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($74.98 @ SuperBiiz)
    Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.96 @ Amazon)
    Total: $612.88
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-27 20:45 EDT-0400)

    How does that look? GPU could be replaced with a GTX 650 Ti Boost for a bit more money, but isn't on PCPartpicker yet. Being able to re-use your old optical drive or installing stuff via USB stick would cut 20 dollars from that price. The motherboard would allow for expansion up to an overclockable i5 3570K or i7 3770K should you want it and have more money down the road.

  5. #5
    Herald of the Titans
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    Very nice! Will have to check out pricepicker too, very handy. I do like the Fractal Design cases, checked them out from your sig.

    Thanks... this is a good start

    And yes, I'll be reusing parts from my dell (I had upgraded parts of it already) but the motherboard has gone flaky and it was a PITA to upgrade graphics card with power issues.

    Of course, I could maybe reuse the Dell case... hmmm food for thought

  6. #6
    The Lightbringer Uggorthaholy's Avatar
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    This is my suggestion:

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
    Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($94.99 @ Newegg)
    Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.98 @ Amazon)
    Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($203.98 @ SuperBiiz)
    Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout ATX Mid Tower Case ($54.99 @ Newegg)
    Power Supply: Cooler Master GX 450W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
    Total: $626.92
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-27 20:52 EDT-0400)

    Requires you to re-use your HDD and your DVD drive. Get way better bang out of the GPU and CPU.

  7. #7
    Moderator chazus's Avatar
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    CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
    Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($94.99 @ Newegg)
    Keep in mind, the only reason to get that setup is with the intention of overclock. If you want to overclock past like 3.8, you really should invest in a CPU cooler, otherwise dip back down to a B75/3470 setup, for about $80 cheaper.
    Gaming: Dual Intel Pentium III Coppermine @ 1400mhz + Blue Orb | Asus CUV266-D | GeForce 2 Ti + ZF700-Cu | 1024mb Crucial PC-133 | Whistler Build 2267
    Media: Dual Intel Drake Xeon @ 600mhz | Intel Marlinspike MS440GX | Matrox G440 | 1024mb Crucial PC-133 @ 166mhz | Windows 2000 Pro

    IT'S ALWAYS BEEN WANKERSHIM | Did you mean: Fhqwhgads
    "Three days on a tree. Hardly enough time for a prelude. When it came to visiting agony, the Romans were hobbyists." -Mab

  8. #8

  9. #9
    Herald of the Titans
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    Quote Originally Posted by chazus View Post
    Keep in mind, the only reason to get that setup is with the intention of overclock. If you want to overclock past like 3.8, you really should invest in a CPU cooler, otherwise dip back down to a B75/3470 setup, for about $80 cheaper.
    I likely will not be overclocking much, if at all, but thanks

    ---------- Post added 2013-03-28 at 01:01 AM ----------

    Quote Originally Posted by Banawani View Post
    Very cool site, will bookmark that one too

  10. #10
    Deleted
    I believe this combo is the best price/performance you can squeeze out of your budget:

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($164.99 @ Newegg)
    Motherboard: MSI B75A-G43 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($64.99 @ Newegg)
    Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
    Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($204.99 @ Newegg)
    Case: NZXT Source 220 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
    Power Supply: Antec High Current Gamer 400W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($44.97 @ Amazon)
    Total: $576.92
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-27 22:32 EDT-0400)

    The RAM + GPU is a combo or simply buy the RAM at Amazon.
    Last edited by mmocca5d152c38; 2013-03-28 at 02:36 AM.

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Butler Log View Post
    CPU: Intel Core i3-3220 3.3GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.99 @ NCIX US)
    Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Microcenter)
    Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 650 Ti 2GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Amazon)
    Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($84.99 @ Newegg)
    Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($74.98 @ SuperBiiz)

    The motherboard would allow for expansion up to an overclockable i5 3570K or i7 3770K should you want it and have more money down the road.
    Going for upgradability/futureproofing is an expensive endeavor, especially if the user doesn't actually get around to doing the upgrade. In particular, budget builders probably aren't going to be upgrading much at all.

    Weak graphics card.

    Expensive Case and PSU.

    The following build is the best bang for buck and will net the best performance up front in WoW. Went with the OP's desire for Nvidia instead of AMD. No modular PSU though.

    PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

    CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($149.99 @ Microcenter)
    Motherboard: MSI B75A-G43 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($54.99 @ Newegg)
    Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($47.98 @ Amazon)
    Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($187.98 @ Newegg)
    Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
    Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($39.99 @ Newegg)
    Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($19.96 @ Amazon)
    Total: $550.88
    (Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
    (Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-03-28 00:54 EDT-0400)

    Quote Originally Posted by Notarget View Post
    The 7870 requires 2x 6pin PCIe power but the HCG-400 only supplies 1x 6pin connectors.



    From review: http://translate.google.es/translate...readid%3D31349
    Last edited by yurano; 2013-03-28 at 05:04 AM.

  12. #12
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by yurano View Post
    The 7870 requires 2x 6pin PCIe power but the HCG-400 only supplies 1x 6pin connectors.
    The PSU comes with an adapter to use 2x molex and convert it into 1x pci-e 6pin.

    I keep reading horrible things about the Corsair builder series. Are they any good? :/ Butler's was a seasonic, top of the line brand.

  13. #13
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by yurano View Post
    The 7870 requires 2x 6pin PCIe power but the HCG-400 only supplies 1x 6pin connectors.
    Adapter as "Itsredd" mentions.

    Your CPU suggestion is from MicroCenter which means if he doesn't have a "MC" near him, it'll be $184 instead. Intel Core i5-3350P is just 100Mhz (300Mhz with turbo) slower and no IGP but less power. Either is fine really just depends how tight the budget is.

    Source 220 and 210 Elite are basically the same case (and price) but 220 has better airflow because of the different mesh on the front.
    Last edited by mmocca5d152c38; 2013-03-28 at 12:48 PM.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Itsredd View Post
    The PSU comes with an adapter to use 2x molex and convert it into 1x pci-e 6pin.

    I keep reading horrible things about the Corsair builder series. Are they any good? :/ Butler's was a seasonic, top of the line brand.
    People keep saying that, but most of the 'horrible' things have been about the older V1 and V2 editions of the CX series. Currently its on the third edition so problems regarding previous editions of the CX series don't really hold much weight. Moreover, the newest CX series is based off of an upgraded CX 430 v2 platform. The CX 430 v2 being the only V2 CX PSU that passed stringent reviews.

    Going molex to PCIe is a pretty advanced endeavor due to the possibility of failure.

  15. #15
    Deleted
    The 7870 I linked comes with the extra PCI-E connector, it's no issue whatsoever. The Antec unit is also Seasonic OEM. Otherwise there is the ENERMAX NAXN 450W which comes with 2 PCI-E connections

  16. #16
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by yurano View Post
    Going molex to PCIe is a pretty advanced endeavor due to the possibility of failure.
    Thanks for the explanation on builder series. Guess I've been holding on to old remarks.

    How exactly is the molex to pci-e a 'pretty advanced endeavor'?

  17. #17
    Deleted
    Nothing really changed and I'd still pick Seasonic (OEM) any day over those CWT DSA units. I've experienced too many CX units with coil whine or simply stopped working after a year or so, even seen two burn out. I also dislike their naming like CX500 being 408W (misleading imo).

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by Itsredd View Post
    How exactly is the molex to pci-e a 'pretty advanced endeavor'?
    Thats out of scope of simple "plug and play". I would even go to say that its more risky than OC.

    Quote Originally Posted by Notarget View Post
    Nothing really changed and I'd still pick Seasonic (OEM) any day over those CWT DSA units. I've experienced too many CX units with coil whine or simply stopped working after a year or so, even seen two burn out. I also dislike their naming like CX500 being 408W (misleading imo).
    So the CX 500 is 456W on the 12V rail.

    The Seasonic M12ii 520 is 480 on the 12V rail.

    The Antec HCG 400 is 360W on the 12V rail.

    I don't see how the CX series is any worse if you're judging based on wattage/amperage supplied by the 12V rail.

  19. #19
    Deleted
    Read my post again, their naming isn't/wasn't the only issue.

    CX500 = 408W
    CX500 v2 = 456W

    Also as you know AMP/Wattage isn't the only thing that determines quality. Please don't compare a 12II with a CX from Corsair.

    (read the first comment as well, sorted by most helpful, in the CX500 link you provided from Newegg)
    Last edited by mmocca5d152c38; 2013-03-28 at 05:16 PM.

  20. #20
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by yurano View Post
    Thats out of scope of simple "plug and play". I would even go to say that its more risky than OC.
    I guess we'll have to agree to disagree then. I really don't see how plugging in two molex connectors is harder than coloring within the lines.

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