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#1 |
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New Performance/Gaming Computer Build, estimated cost ~$2,100
![]() I currently have an MSI gaming laptop, a GT780DX. It is a very good computer, and I can play Skyrim on Ultra. It is an amazing PC, and for laptops it hardly gets any better than this. However, I have decided that since I have two laptops and I never take this laptop anywhere because it is a little too big to carry around, I will build a serious work/gaming PC instead and actually save money (or break even) and have more performance. Moreover, I am realizing that to have a real PC it really expands my storage capabilities. I recently bought a 3TB USB 3.0 external for $250 and it was a good deal. But I already used up all but 300mb in only 1 month (although a lot was backing up my current hard drives). So I realized that having a desktop, I can add in new 2TB 3.5" hard drives for less than $100 each. That Significantly decreases cost of storage and expansion. I have done a bunch of research on parts. I have been dancing around doing this for over a year, and now it is time to move forward. Since I just bought two 24" 1080p monitors, I won't be needing monitors. I also have a trackball (I don't like mice, just trackball) and also I just bought a nice illuminated keyboard. So now all I need is the tower. EDIT: I returned the Logitech illuminated keyboard and instead got the challenger ultimate keyboard. After monitors and peripherals, I want to spend a max of about $800 - $1000 on the actual PC. So far it seems to be working out, but I could use some input as to me selections. I have two main builds, an AMD build and an Intel build. Both fit the budget, and the AMD of course is a little bit less expensive. (UPDATE: HOLIDAY BUILD!!) ================================================ PICTURES OF CHOSEN PARTS FOR BUILD: ![]() Peripherals: Spoiler
Build 1: AMD | TOTAL: $1561 Spoiler
Build 2: INTEL v.A | TOTAL: $1626 Spoiler
Build 3: INTEL v.B - HOLIDAY SALES!! | TOTAL: $2108 (final price higher because of decision to get 2x graphics cards crossfire and more hdd and ssd) Spoiler
DIDN'T BUY Spoiler
-- Nice trance song I just found, for your enjoyment:
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![]() MSI Z77A-G45 | Sapphire HD 7950 3GB GDDR5 x2 CROSSFIRE | Intel Core i7-3770K | Patriot Viper 3 16GB 1866 CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX | OCZ Agility 4 256GB SATAIII | 10TB WD SATAIII HDDs | Rosewill Challenger Case Last edited by vawrvawerawe; Nov 29, 2012 at 01:16 AM. |
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#2 |
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build 3 hands down.
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heatware. http://heatware.com/eval.php?id=78934 |
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#3 |
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I would go with Build 3. I also have an old OCZ ModXStream 600W lying around that I could sell to you if you are interested, could prolly save you some money. I live in Canada though so ya.
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#4 | |
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Quote:
Then again, others have warned me about buying used. Because then my system is not covered by warranty if it causes a problem and destroys my motherboard.
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#5 |
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You need to squeeze an SSD in there it makes a huge speed difference to any pc and hunt around to try find a 660ti or 7950.
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#6 | |
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Quote:
Only thing is, considering market volatility surrounding SSD prices, it may be economical for me to hold off and upgrade that later. 6 months from now a 120GB SSD might be $80 or less. Point is, SSD is not urgent and it's a one-time buy. Unlike graphics cards, which there's always a newer and better one, SSD on the other hand is just storage; once you buy it, it will be kept for many years. I suppose that's why I didn't include it in the build. Just like, I intend to get like 5 or 6 more 2TB HDD, just not all at once. And for me, it would be more beneficial to spend $100 for 2TB more storage, then for the SSD performance increase. I'm going to guess you meant 7850 though? Because a 7950 is $320 (actually there is one on NewEgg for $180 after $20 rebate) I just checked and the 7870 is worlds ahead of the 7850: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/549?vs=548 EDIT: I get it now. You were making suggestions for better graphics cards. 660ti is actually really good. So is 7950. 7950 however will be expensive until you can find it on sale. 660ti is $300 (20 mail-in-rebate card), MSI N660 Ti PE 2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-... 7950 is $300 (20 mail-in-rebate card), but also includes Free 3 games w/ purchase, limited offer SAPPHIRE 100352-2L Radeon HD 7950 3GB 384-bit GDDR...
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![]() MSI Z77A-G45 | Sapphire HD 7950 3GB GDDR5 x2 CROSSFIRE | Intel Core i7-3770K | Patriot Viper 3 16GB 1866 CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX | OCZ Agility 4 256GB SATAIII | 10TB WD SATAIII HDDs | Rosewill Challenger Case Last edited by vawrvawerawe; Nov 11, 2012 at 08:46 PM. |
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#7 | |
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Quote:
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#8 |
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So hey guys, am I missing anything? Obviously I'm going to do build 3, but are there are parts I am going to need that I don't have listed? Like fans or something?
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![]() MSI Z77A-G45 | Sapphire HD 7950 3GB GDDR5 x2 CROSSFIRE | Intel Core i7-3770K | Patriot Viper 3 16GB 1866 CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX | OCZ Agility 4 256GB SATAIII | 10TB WD SATAIII HDDs | Rosewill Challenger Case |
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#9 |
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I would say to add a small Cache SSD to speed up your system and a good aftermarket CPU cooler(unless you already have that, then nevermind)
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#10 |
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My honest opinion, save the money and go AMD 8320 and up the GPU to a 7970 or GTX680. If you game this will be a better rig. BTW, what will you use the desktop for? That is a good question for the recommendation.
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#11 | |
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Quote:
-merged- What is the difference between this motherboard: MSI Z77MA-G45 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS And the one I have in the OP: MSI Z77A-G45 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s US... It's $7 more and there is an "M" in the model name
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![]() MSI Z77A-G45 | Sapphire HD 7950 3GB GDDR5 x2 CROSSFIRE | Intel Core i7-3770K | Patriot Viper 3 16GB 1866 CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX | OCZ Agility 4 256GB SATAIII | 10TB WD SATAIII HDDs | Rosewill Challenger Case |
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#12 | |
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Quote:
![]() One is an ATX and one is Micro ATX |
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#13 | |
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Quote:
Thanks for the clarification regarding the M. It seems the cheaper one is better, just larger.
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![]() MSI Z77A-G45 | Sapphire HD 7950 3GB GDDR5 x2 CROSSFIRE | Intel Core i7-3770K | Patriot Viper 3 16GB 1866 CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX | OCZ Agility 4 256GB SATAIII | 10TB WD SATAIII HDDs | Rosewill Challenger Case |
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#14 | ||
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where the hell are my stars
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What do you do then? Does it support true multithreading? If it does than the 8320 is a substantially better choice for now and the future.
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#15 |
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Whichever build you're going with, build 1 will be much cheaper with a lower end motherboard (990X, forget 990FX) & same CPU elsewhere (8320 can be found for $170, check microcenter). If going with build 3, go with a 3570K instead. Just pocket the difference towards a better GPU now or later on when you upgrade.
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And my BFBC2 statsMy other rigs: Poison Ivy: Intel G2100T 2.6GHz (35W) || Xigmatek SD1283 (passive) || 8GB DDR3 1600MHz 1.25V RAM || H61 motherboard || Over 44 SATA ports || Samsung 830 64GB || ~39TB of HDDs || Seasonic G-360 360W 80+ GOLD PSU || Win7 Pro 64bit Shuriken: AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 2.5GHz || Scythe Shuriken BIG || 2GB DDR RAM @ 333MHz || ECS GS7610 Ultra || BFG 1GB 9800GTX+ || 1TB Samsung F3 || OCZ 400W 80+ Bronze PSU || WinXP Pro 32bit Last edited by Am*; Nov 11, 2012 at 11:33 PM. |
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#16 | ||
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If you can get to Microcenter, motherboards are $40 off if you buy a CPU, I walked out on Saturday with a 3570K and a Gigabyte UD5H for $330, including tax. |
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#17 |
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Should I get 32GB RAM? only $30 each free ship DDR3 1600
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![]() MSI Z77A-G45 | Sapphire HD 7950 3GB GDDR5 x2 CROSSFIRE | Intel Core i7-3770K | Patriot Viper 3 16GB 1866 CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX | OCZ Agility 4 256GB SATAIII | 10TB WD SATAIII HDDs | Rosewill Challenger Case |
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#18 | |||
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-- that's why we buy everything online and out-of state (NOT from Amazon because there is tax in WA!)
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![]() MSI Z77A-G45 | Sapphire HD 7950 3GB GDDR5 x2 CROSSFIRE | Intel Core i7-3770K | Patriot Viper 3 16GB 1866 CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX | OCZ Agility 4 256GB SATAIII | 10TB WD SATAIII HDDs | Rosewill Challenger Case |
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#19 | |
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No, don't waste it. 16GB is way more than enough. Put the rest towards a GPU.
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And my BFBC2 statsMy other rigs: Poison Ivy: Intel G2100T 2.6GHz (35W) || Xigmatek SD1283 (passive) || 8GB DDR3 1600MHz 1.25V RAM || H61 motherboard || Over 44 SATA ports || Samsung 830 64GB || ~39TB of HDDs || Seasonic G-360 360W 80+ GOLD PSU || Win7 Pro 64bit Shuriken: AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 2.5GHz || Scythe Shuriken BIG || 2GB DDR RAM @ 333MHz || ECS GS7610 Ultra || BFG 1GB 9800GTX+ || 1TB Samsung F3 || OCZ 400W 80+ Bronze PSU || WinXP Pro 32bit |
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#20 | |
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So, what I have to decide on and buy today (to get the sales): Motherboard PSU Case RAM DVD Drive buying those from the OP, Build 3, except for getting the $29.99 deal of Antec 300 Case, total is: $316.94 to pay now [minus] $50MIR = $266.94 Only thing I'm still not sure of is the case. Antec Gaming One is only $25 more, and would only increase today's cost by $10 and no worry about MIR for that one.
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![]() MSI Z77A-G45 | Sapphire HD 7950 3GB GDDR5 x2 CROSSFIRE | Intel Core i7-3770K | Patriot Viper 3 16GB 1866 CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX | OCZ Agility 4 256GB SATAIII | 10TB WD SATAIII HDDs | Rosewill Challenger Case |
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#21 |
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Yes, and get faster, DDR3 2166 or more
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#22 |
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Oh, I never considered that.
Update: wow, talk about Significantly increasing the price!! just 1866 is more than twice the cost, and 2400 is over 4 times the cost! I think I'll stick with the 1600 for now and later I can upgrade if desired. Rather spend that extra amount on a SSD than RAM.
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![]() MSI Z77A-G45 | Sapphire HD 7950 3GB GDDR5 x2 CROSSFIRE | Intel Core i7-3770K | Patriot Viper 3 16GB 1866 CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX | OCZ Agility 4 256GB SATAIII | 10TB WD SATAIII HDDs | Rosewill Challenger Case Last edited by vawrvawerawe; Nov 11, 2012 at 11:53 PM. |
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#23 | ||
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And my BFBC2 statsMy other rigs: Poison Ivy: Intel G2100T 2.6GHz (35W) || Xigmatek SD1283 (passive) || 8GB DDR3 1600MHz 1.25V RAM || H61 motherboard || Over 44 SATA ports || Samsung 830 64GB || ~39TB of HDDs || Seasonic G-360 360W 80+ GOLD PSU || Win7 Pro 64bit Shuriken: AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 2.5GHz || Scythe Shuriken BIG || 2GB DDR RAM @ 333MHz || ECS GS7610 Ultra || BFG 1GB 9800GTX+ || 1TB Samsung F3 || OCZ 400W 80+ Bronze PSU || WinXP Pro 32bit Last edited by Am*; Nov 12, 2012 at 12:06 AM. |
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#24 | |
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p.s. I have decided at last on the original case, the Antec Gaming Series One, my original choice in the OP.
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#25 |
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UPDATE: Please tell me where you saw that price for the 3570K for $169
Ok, you are talking about here: http://www.microcenter.com/product/3...1155_Processor Unfortunately, it is In-Store Pickup Only. In any case, it's not urgent to buy that today wince the sale does not end today anyway. For now I need to focus on the urgent deals.
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![]() MSI Z77A-G45 | Sapphire HD 7950 3GB GDDR5 x2 CROSSFIRE | Intel Core i7-3770K | Patriot Viper 3 16GB 1866 CORSAIR CMPSU-750TX | OCZ Agility 4 256GB SATAIII | 10TB WD SATAIII HDDs | Rosewill Challenger Case Last edited by vawrvawerawe; Nov 12, 2012 at 12:10 AM. |
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