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Ladon

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Hey guys,

I've been running the same rig with minimal updates since 2006 (seriously). My finances haven't been healthy as I've been a piss-poor college student and I just graduated and got my degree last Friday. Now that I'm now involved in a degree that takes as much time as a job, I'm looking to build a new computer so that I can run EQ and other games better but I'm limited to ~1300 at the moment. That includes a monitor so I believe that I'm going to get a 23" ASUS (even though I prefer Samsung's display products).

Would the following parts make a worthwhile computer? Should I drop the 3570K to a 2500K? I can't decide on a case yet but I have a couple in mind. A top fan, side fans, and a window is required for me. Cooler Master has a couple that interest me.

My current video card is an 8500GT. I don't know much about them anymore but I figure that a card that costs more than a console should return better graphics at this point in the cycle.

Optical drives are going to be harvested from my current rig and I'll pick up a BluRay reader in a couple of months.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($228.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.90 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($92.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($282.55 @ Newegg)
Total: $984.40
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-05-14 12:31 EDT-0400)
 
Alternatively, if anybody has comparable equipment that they accidentally purchased and need to sell off.. message me. :)
 
Do new motherboards not support triple channel anymore? Last few i've looked at for lga1155 didn't seem to have it.
 
I can only find dual-channel motherboards but I would only say that I'm moderately versed in computer hardware.
 
rob said:
Do new motherboards not support triple channel anymore? Last few i've looked at for lga1155 didn't seem to have it.
Click to expand...

maybe the new chip sets do not need it to run in triple formation? That is strange that its not standard by now. Easy way to up sell ram
 
interesting. I guess they are going towards quad channel in higher end stuff only. I know the Xeon stuff is triple/quad channel.

Also, that pcpartpicker site is pretty cool. Will have to recommend it to friends interested in building a computer. That computer you've spec'd out is pretty beefy. I would go 256gb on the M4 SSD if you can swing it.
 
I made sweeping changes after doing some research.

Can anybody guide me on what level of Power Supply I would need for this rig? I see people putting 1kW PSUs in machines and think "how fucking expensive is your electricity bill?" Sure, you need to give the parts enough electricity but at that point...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($228.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.90 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($97.98 @ NCIX US)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($282.55 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($75.84 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: OCZ 600W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($48.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Samsung B2430H 24.0" Monitor ($194.98 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1289.19
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
 
Last edited:
I've been a real AMD fanboy over the course of my life but their benchmarks have been upsettingly low as of late. I was originally going to build around the 965 but the allure of Ivy Bridge caused me to delay that notion.

My current computer (god this is embarrassing) is an AMD Windsor 64 x2 4600+. The Phenom Black 965 benches about 55% as well as the Ivy Bridge does. I guess it comes down to a matter of cost vs. performance/longevity.

Thank you for the recommendation, I'll have to put together a build on pcpartpicker to compare the benefits of both. :)
 
Last edited:
the real question is do you really need 120 fps in a game or do you just need 70 the difference is usually 500 bucks and what could you make better in a pc build for that
 
The power supply you have listed with that is plenty for what your system specs are. People who are buying 1000 w and up power supplies, are usually just spending to much money somewhere they dont need to. People who will be running tri-sli or quad sli, yes they will need those kind of numbers. Of course if your going to push everything to its limits with overclocking, then with the system you have listed i would suggest maybe a 750. Its all about what you are going to do.
 
Ladon said:
I made sweeping changes after doing some research.

Can anybody guide me on what level of Power Supply I would need for this rig? I see people putting 1kW PSUs in machines and think "how fucking expensive is your electricity bill?" Sure, you need to give the parts enough electricity but at that point...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($228.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.90 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($97.98 @ NCIX US)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($89.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($282.55 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($75.84 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: OCZ 600W ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($48.98 @ Newegg)
Monitor: Samsung B2430H 24.0" Monitor ($194.98 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1289.19
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
Click to expand...

Let me ask you this, is 7$ a month worth peace of mind knowing your 1k with of parts are not going to be failing because of a weak psu?

The upper end video cards pull a lot of energy, you want to save money on your electric bill downgrade your video card and put in a 750
 
evilbarney said:
the real question is do you really need 120 fps in a game or do you just need 70 the difference is usually 500 bucks and what could you make better in a pc build for that
Click to expand...

Yeah, but the last time I built a computer I spent about 1200 and I'm still using the beast today. It definitely sucks by today's standards but I got many years of use out of it. The X2 64 was comparable to Intel's chips at the time but, sadly, that's no longer the case. The 965 benches so low that I can only see it being used for 2-3 years before I need to build again.

Going Intel will let me lollygag about building again for at least 4-5. If they keep the same slot architecture then I can swap out parts as needed. :)

I'm still going to use PCPARTPICKER to try out a 965 build to make a direct comparison though. I might be giving off the impression of "fuck that" but if it saves enough money then I'll definitely do that.

Foxman: Thank you. I'll probably bump it up to a 750 just to give it all more breathing room. My current computer runs on a 550W and I've had no problems, but I never felt it necessary to OC any of my parts. (...my ram is running at DDR2 667.)

JimmyJ: Good point. Could you recommend a couple of good PSU options in the 750-1K range?


Would I be okay with Air Cooling? I've seen people say that with the right case liquid cooling isn't needed. The case that I selected has.... 7 fan slots that I'll be using.
 
You'll see in my link that the Corsair 750 professional has 578 review and its at 5 stars, probably a good choice :)
 
Keep in mind, if you choose to later upgrade another video card, for better performance, then add in some water cooling, a 750 will cover it.

Personally I would go with a 900+ but I always found going overkill to be the better method, with anything that has electrical stuff.
 
Alright, so now I'm stuck between two builds. Finding a monitor is going to be a bitch in itself because I want to purchase one and get the complement later on.

I had decided against doing an AMD build but... their prices are way more reasonable for their benchmarks.

S/PDIF is an undiscovered outlet. I have Logitech Z-5450 speakers and thus want to find a board that includes this feature (never know until you try it? let's hope that it's better than analog plugs!?).

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($228.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($97.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($124.99 @ Amazon)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 6870 2GB Video Card ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($75.84 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: OCZ 750W ATX12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1072.76
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8150 3.6GHz 8-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Extreme3 ATX AM3+/AM3 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($97.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($124.99 @ Amazon)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 6870 2GB Video Card ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case ($75.84 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: OCZ 750W ATX12V Power Supply ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1033.76
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)

Am I down to a matter of personal preference and just dawdling at this point?
Kill me.
 
Ladon said:
Hey guys,

I've been running the same rig with minimal updates since 2006 (seriously). My finances haven't been healthy as I've been a piss-poor college student and I just graduated and got my degree last Friday. Now that I'm now involved in a degree that takes as much time as a job, I'm looking to build a new computer so that I can run EQ and other games better but I'm limited to ~1300 at the moment. That includes a monitor so I believe that I'm going to get a 23" ASUS (even though I prefer Samsung's display products).

Would the following parts make a worthwhile computer? Should I drop the 3570K to a 2500K? I can't decide on a case yet but I have a couple in mind. A top fan, side fans, and a window is required for me. Cooler Master has a couple that interest me.

My current video card is an 8500GT. I don't know much about them anymore but I figure that a card that costs more than a console should return better graphics at this point in the cycle.

Optical drives are going to be harvested from my current rig and I'll pick up a BluRay reader in a couple of months.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($228.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.90 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($92.99 @ Newegg)
Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Hard Drive: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($109.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($282.55 @ Newegg)
Total: $984.40
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-05-14 12:31 EDT-0400)
Click to expand...

i5 is a great choice for gaming, it runs a lot cooler and you can over clock that chip without any problems these days with minimum extra cooling gear. I use the mini liquid cooler on mine (I think it was from Cooler Master?) and I can OC over 4ghz without temp going up much.

Asrock is a solid

Your storage drive is going to disappoint you. You made the right choice going with the SSD for your Windows install but the 5900 rpm storage drive is a bad choice IMO. Spend the few extra bucks to get 7200. I recommend Western Digital Black.

Vid Card is solid choice. I run the slightly higher version of that series and I love it. Overkill for EQ, but Overkill is a good thing IMO.

I didn't notice a PSU. I recommend getting atleast 850w for that setup. Ideally 1100 + in case you ever want to toss in a second vid card.

Also didn't notice a case, I'd suggest something spacious. Go quality here, getting a cheap case with shitty low quality fans will make you hate your PC because of the noise. Spend about 150 - 200 bucks here.

Hope this helps.
 
Last edited:
Awesome, thank you Shawn.
You quoted my first post, I moved on to other parts here.

I'm looking for a better case (the 300R is just my "well, if nothing else pops up") and I might upgrade the video card a little bit more. I've been reading about these fucking awesome Yamakasi monitors from Korea and am going to splurge a little bit more than I originally intended.
 
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