Your Computer?

[Rekmon]

lol thats nothing my first PC was an AMSTRAD CPC 464 and it was so hard......................................connecti ng the Keyboard to the Monitor ha!

I remember those

First one I ever used was a TRS-80 at school. POS!

[MATRIX 2]

Awesome guys, thanks for the help.

Matrix, I'm definitely gonna look into that build . Is that all I'll need? Other than the minor parts , keyboard , etc... Or will I need to add more?

Yes that covers everything inside the case (along with the case itself). Just need a monitor, kbm and speakers.

Hmm I would swap the CPU for an AMD Quad & put the difference towards a better GPU imo with being on a low Budget "n" all

save $20 against that i5 with this 8 core

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103961

or even more with a Quad Chip or 6 core chip

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103996

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819103962

Meh, I haven't cared for AMD since they stopped being competitive with intel back in the Core 2 duo days.

Andy potential savings isn't really worth it when the processor is likely to be a bottleneck down the road.

Better to get a cheaper vid card now with a good cpu which can be paired up with a better gpu down the road and not be a bottleneck.

That's what i did. I got an I3 3100 but bumped up for gpu. My processor runs everything with no problem.

Yeah I considered doing that, but I think we are really nearing the end of dual cores in desktop pc's. I'm willing to bet that with the advent of the next gen consoles future games will see significant benefits from quad core processors.

Not bad...I'd swap the the PSU with this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139020

^$6 more, but single rail

I'd instead purchase the CPU and motherboard at Newegg with this combo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...=Combo.1177246

^$55 less, plus another $10MIR

With the freed up $59 I'd apply that to upping the video card, just $20 short of getting an XFX 2gb 7850 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150656) < has a $10 MIR also...great card too with a little OC tweaking.

If he already has a current version of windows he can get a special on W8 today at Newegg: W8 upgrade for $69, with a $40 MIR. That's W8 for $29 (provided he already has an old copy of winxp/7 etc)

That case...I'm so tired of seeing it. Such a good deal though lol


EDIT: Also see he's in Philly. They got a Microcenter out there, if he can drive to the store he can get a 3570k for $189...http://www.microcenter.com/product/3...1155_Processor

Wish I had a Microcenter near me

The seasonic is modular and has better overall reviews.

That motherboard in that bundle is garbage, I couldn't recommend something like that in good conscience.

And while microcenter may offer a better cpu for slightly more, once you add tax the additional cost goes too far over budget for small performance gains over the 3330.

[ps3freak18]

Only thing is .. I have no idea to build the computer by hand so wouldn't I have to get all the parts from the same place?

Its not as bad as you think. Just do a little research. Just plug and pay honestly. People get scared by the circuit boards but there really isn't much to it. The biggest concern is making sure you get the matching socket for the cpu. And matching the RAM as well.

[Fijiandoce]

I know for sure Newegg used to put them together if you asked them to. Hmm I'll have to look into that. If not, like I said, I can get a friend to do it.

Just gotta' make sure I get the right stuff first

the guys who started Alienware bailed when Dell bought them.

they started up a new company supposedly going back to their roots....the gamer

http://www.originpc.com/

select the gaming tab and in the dropdown menu choose either the "Mid" or "Small" (these are case sizes, don't pick "full" those ones are HUGE).
after that, you choose the pieces you want in it and can see how much it is costing you as you put it together. submit the order and it will be assembled and sent to you

[Rekmon]

The seasonic is modular and has better overall reviews.

That motherboard in that bundle is garbage, I couldn't recommend something like that in good conscience.

And while microcenter may offer a better cpu for slightly more, once you add tax the additional cost goes too far over budget for small performance gains over the 3330.

The Seasonic has a better review score...across not even half as many reviews. Irrelevant. Modular...well okay some people really love modular supplies. Doesn't really bother me to tell the truth but that's just me.
2 12v rails at 24amps each on the Seasonic versus 1 12v rail at 53amps on the Corsair...sorry call me old fashioned but I'll take the single rail everytime. Don't get me wrong, I like Seasonic. Actually I think Seasonic manufactures that Corsair unit I linked.

That ASRock motherboard is definitely not garbage, and yes I've used this particular board in a couple of builds. Neither is the Gigabyte one you linked...but same chipset, same features onboard. Only advantage I see going with the Giga board is if he's going to go with multi-gpu's. In a budget gaming rig I don't see that happening, the money saved can be better spent on the GPU.

The cpu at MC is $10 more, you'll be adding the tax on it no matter where you purchase it. I don't think the extra $.80 in tax will be a deal breaker. Little more performance yes that's true but at least he'll have an unlocked multi in the cpu. Like you said earlier "Any potential savings isn't really worth it when the processor is likely to be a bottleneck down the road". He won't need to upgrade that for quite some time, and when he does need more power it's easily unleashed with some mild overclocking all for the extra $10 initial cost up front...it's a worthy investment IMO.

Of course this is all my perspective and opinion.

[Acid Snake]

Decided oc my i7. It's one of the first ones. Got it to 3.8 stable. Anything higher gets me all sorts of crazy problems.

[keefy]

Recently after months of 3.7GHz stable I clocked my AMD 955 to 3.9 but it wasn't stable in BF3 so tried 3.8 again not stable so ha to stick with 3.7GHz.
I might be able to get a little more if I mess with the other settings riaing voltages and things instead of just uping the multiplyer but it takes too friging long.

[John25]

some people find that increasing the FSB instead of the Multiplier can better results when OC'ing

[maltrophstitan]

[itachi73378]

Really feel like buying a mini PC for word processing/hometheater.

Looking into Intel's new NUC vs Mac Mini

As of yet, the Mac mini destroys intel NUC in EVERYTHING when you compare the price.
Apparently new versions of NUC are coming this april

[PeanutButterMunky]

As of yet, the Mac mini destroys intel NUC in EVERYTHING when you compare the price.

The Mac Mini doesn't even have a GPU anymore... which I find ridiculous.

[itachi73378]

The Mac Mini doesn't even have a GPU anymore... which I find ridiculous.

Yeah but intel HD 4000 is more than enough to stream videos which is the most graphic intensive thing I'm planning to do. I'm just a sucker for small form factor computers. NUC is much smaller though

[PeanutButterMunky]

Yeah but intel HD 4000 is more than enough to stream videos which is the most graphic intensive thing I'm planning to do. I'm just a sucker for small form factor computers.

Yes, I have an Air with the HD 4000 and it plays my Blu-ray MKVs without even a hiccup. You should be fine.

[MATRIX 2]

Yeah but intel HD 4000 is more than enough to stream videos which is the most graphic intensive thing I'm planning to do. I'm just a sucker for small form factor computers. NUC is much smaller though

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/c...6C8A1D&redir=y

[itachi73378]

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/c...6C8A1D&redir=y

That is a sexy looking PC, but I'm looking for CPU performance aswell. Mac mini reaches 13k in geekbench thanks to its 2.6 Ghz i7.

It seems no other mini PC vendor provides i7

[MATRIX 2]

That is a sexy looking PC, but I'm looking for CPU performance aswell. Mac mini reaches 13k in geekbench thanks to its 2.3Ghz i7.

It seems no other mini PC vendor provides i7

DIY/BIY?

The only sff pre built computers I can think of with more power are this:

http://www.digitalstormonline.com/co...ialdeals.asp#1

and:

http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-x51/pd.aspx

[itachi73378]

DIY/BIY?

The only sff pre built computers I can think of with more power are this:

http://www.digitalstormonline.com/co...ialdeals.asp#1

and:

http://www.dell.com/us/p/alienware-x51/pd.aspx

I had my eye on alienware x51 for awhile. I'm in no hurry so I'll wait and see if mac mini gets a refresh and includes a dedicated gpu

[PeanutButterMunky]

I had my eye on alienware x51 for awhile. I'm in no hurry so I'll wait and see if mac mini gets a refresh and includes a dedicated gpu

The Mac Mini isn't getting a GPU, better find an alternative if that's what you're going for.

[Fijiandoce]

just underclocked my GPU, seems to have fixed my performance woes with Fallout 3

man i hate loving this game, such crappy performance

underutilized system and still crash lol

[ps3freak18]

just underclocked my GPU, seems to have fixed my performance woes with Fallout 3

man i hate loving this game, such crappy performance

underutilized system and still crash lol

It's not your PC, is the game.

[Fijiandoce]

It's not your PC, is the game.

yeah i know

it boggles my mind how my C2Q is being underutilized yet crashes as often as it does
however, its more stable now that i've underclocked the GPU memory...this game has major issues

[ps3freak18]

yeah i know

it boggles my mind how my C2Q is being underutilized yet crashes as often as it does
however, its more stable now that i've underclocked the GPU memory...this game has major issues

Finished is not a word that is in Bethesda's dictionary.

[itachi73378]

yeah i know

it boggles my mind how my C2Q is being underutilized yet crashes as often as it does
however, its more stable now that i've underclocked the GPU memory...this game has major issues

That's why I wont buy bethesda games until they sort their stuff out.

[Treefrog]

Well after 19,518 hours or 2.2 years, my hard drive failed.

Fortunately I've had it in a RAID configuration for awhile, and today, fitted the new HDD and as we speak is rebuilding.

Have to give a shout out to CCL, ordered a HDD on Friday at around 3PM, delivered Saturday morning via first class, superb from them.

Just happy my PC is back up and running, nice to know that RAIDs actually do work.

[PeanutButterMunky]

Just happy my PC is back up and running, nice to know that RAIDs actually do work.

Yes, they're lifesavers.