new computer

deadlydemoncoh · 05-18-2010 02:34 PM

Hello everyone. I am in need of a new computer. I headed over to newegg and this is what i cooked up. http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/ShoppingCart.aspx . Please, if there is any problem with what I have selected please tell me and tell me what i should change. I have a $700 limit so please try not to go above that. I want this computer to be able to run/play/fast load with CoX and be able to play Sc2. Also, I DONT CARE FOR ULTRA MODE!

Thanks

Finduilas · 05-18-2010 03:16 PM

Linky no worky.

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Cade Lawson · 05-18-2010 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deadlydemoncoh

Hello everyone. I am in need of a new computer. I headed over to newegg and this is what i cooked up. http://secure.newegg.com/Shopping/ShoppingCart.aspx . Please, if there is any problem with what I have selected please tell me and tell me what i should change. I have a $700 limit so please try not to go above that. I want this computer to be able to run/play/fast load with CoX and be able to play Sc2. Also, I DONT CARE FOR ULTRA MODE!

Thanks

Its probably faster for you to simply post direct links to the components you're looking at, rather than fighting with the newegg private/public shopping lists; makes life easier for all involved.

Considering your stated budget, I'd start by looking at the build guides in Father Xmas's signature - they're, generally, a great resource and jump-off point.

As a sidebar: You want to run/play/fast load CoX, but you don't care about Ultra Mode. Are we to assume that means you want a seven hundred dollar rig that runs CoX on minimum? It'll always run faster with everything turned all the way down. If you don't want to max out UM settings, that's one thing...but what level of quality are you actually willing to accept with respect to the games you play?

deadlydemoncoh · 05-18-2010 05:00 PM

deadlydemoncoh · 05-18-2010 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cade Lawson

Its probably faster for you to simply post direct links to the components you're looking at, rather than fighting with the newegg private/public shopping lists; makes life easier for all involved.

Considering your stated budget, I'd start by looking at the build guides in Father Xmas's signature - they're, generally, a great resource and jump-off point.

As a sidebar: You want to run/play/fast load CoX, but you don't care about Ultra Mode. Are we to assume that means you want a seven hundred dollar rig that runs CoX on minimum? It'll always run faster with everything turned all the way down. If you don't want to max out UM settings, that's one thing...but what level of quality are you actually willing to accept with respect to the games you play?

i dont care for the uber shiny water or the reflection in the windows or the shadows moving in the day time

Back_Blast · 05-18-2010 06:36 PM

While it probably doesn't matter much for the immediate build, I'd change the power supply. That uit has 4 12V rails. It's generally better to get one with just one strong 12V rail than multiple weak ones. It will make life easier particularly later when you consider further upgrades down the road. Otherwise it doesn't look too bad given your requirements.

It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in. However, not every one of them is inhabited. Therefore, there must be a finite number of inhabited worlds. Any finite number divided by infinity is as near to nothing as makes no odds, so the average population of all the planets in the Universe can be said to be zero. From this it follows that the population of the whole Universe is also zero, and that any people you may meet from time to time are merely the products of a deranged imagination.

Father Xmas · 05-18-2010 11:28 PM

A couple of things.

First a question. Do you want on board video and a microATX motherboard or were you simply going inexpensive? Personally I would spend $20-25 more and get an AM3/DDR3 motherboard/memory. DDR3-1333 Cas 9 memory is only $5-10 more than DDR2-800 Cas 5 nowadays and a nice basic socket AM3 motherboard can be had for $80.

The video card. If you chart $/framerate for video cards there are two places where the value is bad and that's top of the line video cards and the bottom of the line ones. The 9400GT falls into the second category. There are a couple of GT 240 cards from eVGA for $90 before rebates. We're talking at least a twice if not three times the performance.

Everything else is fine. Well the PSU is a tad overkill for the current parts list but you can't argue with the price.

Father Xmas - Level 50 Ice/Ice Tanker - Victory
$725 and $1350 parts lists --- My guide to computer components

Tempus unum hominem manet

deadlydemoncoh · 05-19-2010 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Father Xmas

A couple of things.

First a question. Do you want on board video and a microATX motherboard or were you simply going inexpensive? Personally I would spend $20-25 more and get an AM3/DDR3 motherboard/memory. DDR3-1333 Cas 9 memory is only $5-10 more than DDR2-800 Cas 5 nowadays and a nice basic socket AM3 motherboard can be had for $80.

The video card. If you chart $/framerate for video cards there are two places where the value is bad and that's top of the line video cards and the bottom of the line ones. The 9400GT falls into the second category. There are a couple of GT 240 cards from eVGA for $90 before rebates. We're talking at least a twice if not three times the performance.

Everything else is fine. Well the PSU is a tad overkill for the current parts list but you can't argue with the price.

i was looking around on newegg for a am3/ddr3 motherboard but wasnt sure on which to select. can you suggest 1? also wouldnt i have to change the case? because i was looking at some of the am3/ddr3 motherboards and they look like they wouldnt fit in the case i selected.

Back_Blast · 05-19-2010 09:50 AM

Your case is an ATX model so it should be able to handle most any board you might want to stick in it.

For a suggestion, I might throw this one out there: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128419 It's a bit more than your selection but after rebates comes in at the $80 mark X talked about. It's made by Gigabyte and they make good stuff. It also includes USB 3.0 and SATA3 for the future.

It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in. However, not every one of them is inhabited. Therefore, there must be a finite number of inhabited worlds. Any finite number divided by infinity is as near to nothing as makes no odds, so the average population of all the planets in the Universe can be said to be zero. From this it follows that the population of the whole Universe is also zero, and that any people you may meet from time to time are merely the products of a deranged imagination.

Jeremy_C · 05-19-2010 07:19 PM

I'll stay out of the cpu/mobo part of the discussion as I'm a rabid Intel fanboi.

For the vid card/psu thing, I would go more like:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139005 PSU
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130538 Vid

This is really as low as I would go with vid card nowadays. Really, save some extra cash and pick up a gtx 2XX card at the minimum, or a 5-series radeon. Spending $60 on a card today means you're going to be wanting more a year from now. Spend a little more and you can carry your card a lot further. A used GTX 260 216 can be had for about $125-150 and will give you some decent life.

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deadlydemoncoh · 05-19-2010 07:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Father Xmas

A couple of things.

First a question. Do you want on board video and a microATX motherboard or were you simply going inexpensive? Personally I would spend $20-25 more and get an AM3/DDR3 motherboard/memory. DDR3-1333 Cas 9 memory is only $5-10 more than DDR2-800 Cas 5 nowadays and a nice basic socket AM3 motherboard can be had for $80.

The video card. If you chart $/framerate for video cards there are two places where the value is bad and that's top of the line video cards and the bottom of the line ones. The 9400GT falls into the second category. There are a couple of GT 240 cards from eVGA for $90 before rebates. We're talking at least a twice if not three times the performance.

Everything else is fine. Well the PSU is a tad overkill for the current parts list but you can't argue with the price.

would these mem cards do good with the motherboard Back Blast suggested?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820220435

deadlydemoncoh · 05-19-2010 08:05 PM

Cade Lawson · 05-19-2010 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deadlydemoncoh

Youève quoted the same product identifier for processor and OS.

Father Xmas · 05-19-2010 10:47 PM

Ok, let me give you my tweaks on your latest parts list.

I would go with the GA-770T-USB3 motherboard, currently $80. The only difference is it doesn't have 6Gb SATA which I can't see anyone needing anytime soon but it still has USB 3.0 which I can see being useful.

Video Card. I have a huge problem with manufactures who market a card as a GTS 250 when they clock the GPU 9% slower and the memory 20% slower than the GTS 250 standard (GPU 675MHz Vs 738MHz, Memory 1800MHz Vs 2200MHz), which happens to be the same GPU speed as the 9800GTX and the same memory speed as the 9800GT. I consider the practice fairly dishonest. That said it's still the fastest nVidia card at that price at NewEgg. Probably twice as fast as the GT 240 I was suggesting in my previous post but only $30 more.

And that's the rub, there is a 20 card pileup at the low end of the price curve with huge differences in performance over a very narrow price range. Your original video card choice, the 9400GT was only $57. The underclocked GTS 250 pre-rebate is a tad over twice the price but is easily 5 times faster.

Father Xmas - Level 50 Ice/Ice Tanker - Victory
$725 and $1350 parts lists --- My guide to computer components

Tempus unum hominem manet

Back_Blast · 05-20-2010 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Father Xmas

Ok, let me give you my tweaks on your latest parts list.

I would go with the GA-770T-USB3 motherboard, currently $80. The only difference is it doesn't have 6Gb SATA which I can't see anyone needing anytime soon but it still has USB 3.0 which I can see being useful.

Video Card. I have a huge problem with manufactures who market a card as a GTS 250 when they clock the GPU 9% slower and the memory 20% slower than the GTS 250 standard (GPU 675MHz Vs 738MHz, Memory 1800MHz Vs 2200MHz), which happens to be the same GPU speed as the 9800GTX and the same memory speed as the 9800GT. I consider the practice fairly dishonest. That said it's still the fastest nVidia card at that price at NewEgg. Probably twice as fast as the GT 240 I was suggesting in my previous post but only $30 more.

And that's the rub, there is a 20 card pileup at the low end of the price curve with huge differences in performance over a very narrow price range. Your original video card choice, the 9400GT was only $57. The underclocked GTS 250 pre-rebate is a tad over twice the price but is easily 5 times faster.

I looked at that Motherboard and settled on the one I chose as I felt as it ended up the same price with more features, it was a better choice. But I suppose either would be fine.

It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in. However, not every one of them is inhabited. Therefore, there must be a finite number of inhabited worlds. Any finite number divided by infinity is as near to nothing as makes no odds, so the average population of all the planets in the Universe can be said to be zero. From this it follows that the population of the whole Universe is also zero, and that any people you may meet from time to time are merely the products of a deranged imagination.

Father Xmas · 05-20-2010 12:53 PM

Well if the MB was AMD 8xx based which have SATA 6Gb integrated as oppose to sticking on an external chip that gives you only two then I wouldn't have mentioned it.

But since the OPs original price target was $700 and he's drifted over it because of the switch to an AM3/DDR3 configuration as well as the much better video card, I was looking at where he could shave off a bit of up front, pre-rebate costs since post rebate the two MBs cost the same.

By XMas this year there is going to be plenty of USB 3.0 external hard drives on the market because USB 3.0 will finally give an external hard drive the performance very close to an internal one. But SATA hard drives are barely bumping into the 1.5Gb/s of the original SATA design and are no where close to the 3.0Gb SATA II standard. Maybe SSDs will eventually be able to use it but at 30-40x the cost per GB of a standard mechanical hard drives it's not something a user on a budget would normally be buying.

Father Xmas - Level 50 Ice/Ice Tanker - Victory
$725 and $1350 parts lists --- My guide to computer components

Tempus unum hominem manet

deadlydemoncoh · 05-20-2010 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Father Xmas

Ok, let me give you my tweaks on your latest parts list.

I would go with the GA-770T-USB3 motherboard, currently $80. The only difference is it doesn't have 6Gb SATA which I can't see anyone needing anytime soon but it still has USB 3.0 which I can see being useful.

Video Card. I have a huge problem with manufactures who market a card as a GTS 250 when they clock the GPU 9% slower and the memory 20% slower than the GTS 250 standard (GPU 675MHz Vs 738MHz, Memory 1800MHz Vs 2200MHz), which happens to be the same GPU speed as the 9800GTX and the same memory speed as the 9800GT. I consider the practice fairly dishonest. That said it's still the fastest nVidia card at that price at NewEgg. Probably twice as fast as the GT 240 I was suggesting in my previous post but only $30 more.

And that's the rub, there is a 20 card pileup at the low end of the price curve with huge differences in performance over a very narrow price range. Your original video card choice, the 9400GT was only $57. The underclocked GTS 250 pre-rebate is a tad over twice the price but is easily 5 times faster.

this vid card you talking bout? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814130513
if so then i added it and removed the other one. If the build is good now then i can go ahead and start purchasing?

Jeremy_C · 05-20-2010 07:21 PM

Didn't realize they had those two so far different in clocks at first. Yes - that is a better choice between the two with very little difference in price.

It's a shame the 2009 series cards went so high in price with the EOL thing. I got my gtx 260 216sp off the Egg 7 months ago for $5.00 more than what you're getting the 250 for. Best bang for the buck I had seen as that same card is now near $200.

At this point you've got yourself a pretty decent budget build. Won't be easy getting much faster without spending a lot more money.

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deadlydemoncoh · 05-20-2010 08:31 PM

i was looking at the pictures of the the video card and just notice that my monitor doesnt have DVI. heres my monitor: http://www.google.com/products/catal...&os=tech-specs .. so im also gonna have to buy a new monitor? if thats the case can someone point me in the direction of a good dvi monitor at a decent price?

Father Xmas · 05-21-2010 12:44 AM

No, it should have one DVI to analog VGA adapter.

http://www.evga.com/PRODUCTS/enlarge...P3-1153-TR&I=3

Father Xmas - Level 50 Ice/Ice Tanker - Victory
$725 and $1350 parts lists --- My guide to computer components

Tempus unum hominem manet

Hyperstrike · 05-21-2010 01:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Father Xmas

Video Card. I have a huge problem with manufactures who market a card as a GTS 250 when they clock the GPU 9% slower and the memory 20% slower than the GTS 250 standard (GPU 675MHz Vs 738MHz, Memory 1800MHz Vs 2200MHz), which happens to be the same GPU speed as the 9800GTX and the same memory speed as the 9800GT. I consider the practice fairly dishonest. That said it's still the fastest nVidia card at that price at NewEgg. Probably twice as fast as the GT 240 I was suggesting in my previous post but only $30 more.

Actually there are a couple cards from EliteGroup that are at-spec for GTS 250 and are actually cheaper up front (no rebate wait). The problem is, I've got exactly ZERO experience with ECS' video cards.

There's also an XFX 5750 in that price range as well. Granted it's $10 more and he's already over-budget...

PNY also has a genuine 9800 GTX+ in there for $130 (after a $5 instant rebate) and $100 after a $30 MIR.

EVGA also has a 9800 GTX+ for the same exact price as that 250.

Also, maybe look at a different memory vendor (to avoid mail-in-rebates)? Several 4GB (2x2) kits are around $102-$104.
I've had very good luck with G.Skill (YMMV).

Your picks all look fine for the most part. I'm noticing you're going after a few things that are "Cheapest with mail in rebate". If you're really on a hard budget here, DO NOT PRICE THINGS LIKE THIS. Look at the up-front cost. Right now, tack on $40-50 to your up front costs and that's how much this system is running you until all your rebate checks get back.

Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.

deadlydemoncoh · 05-21-2010 08:36 AM

mk ty all for the help. i am now ready to start purchasing

Call Me Awesome · 05-21-2010 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deadlydemoncoh

i was looking at the pictures of the the video card and just notice that my monitor doesnt have DVI. heres my monitor: http://www.google.com/products/catal...&os=tech-specs .. so im also gonna have to buy a new monitor? if thats the case can someone point me in the direction of a good dvi monitor at a decent price?

As Father Xmas mentioned the card will have a DVI-VGA adapter so you're good there. I would be tempted to upgrade your monitor at some point but it can wait; for now your current one will work.

I've found that the 21"-24" ASUS panels are quite nice... I think I paid around $250 for the 24" at Best Buy a couple months ago when one of my older Samsung monitors bit the dust. Not something you should worry about right now since you're over budget at the moment but food for thought in the future. A good DVI panel will be considerably sharper and nicer than your current monitor.

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deadlydemoncoh · 05-21-2010 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Call Me Awesome

As Father Xmas mentioned the card will have a DVI-VGA adapter so you're good there. I would be tempted to upgrade your monitor at some point but it can wait; for now your current one will work.

I've found that the 21"-24" ASUS panels are quite nice... I think I paid around $250 for the 24" at Best Buy a couple months ago when one of my older Samsung monitors bit the dust. Not something you should worry about right now since you're over budget at the moment but food for thought in the future. A good DVI panel will be considerably sharper and nicer than your current monitor.

yea i know lol. i can buy a new monitor not this check but next pay check i can. i just also put the order in for my new computer parts. lol i cant wait.

Call Me Awesome · 05-21-2010 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deadlydemoncoh

yea i know lol. i can buy a new monitor not this check but next pay check i can. i just also put the order in for my new computer parts. lol i cant wait.

I know exactly how long the wait for new toys... er... parts is. Fortunately Newegg is really quick at getting those, er, business tools, out to you promptly.

COH has just been murdered by NCSoft. http://www.change.org/petitions/ncso...city-of-heroes