Buyer's Guide II: Extreme, High-End, Mid-Range, Budget, and Entry Level Systems - Part 2

[nipp0n]

hahah but SITEX famous for carrot chopping right? no discount and sell old stock..

Really meh? Never heard of it before.

 

[KeYoKe]

Really meh? Never heard of it before.

same lols! haha

 

[truewt]

same lols! haha

ya that's what i heard lol and I don't go SITEX cos it is damn far!

 

[KeYoKe]

ya that's what i heard lol and I don't go SITEX cos it is damn far!

true... i stay cck sia.. too far!!!

 

[truewt]

hey guys i see ah the prices for 7850 -> 7970 like sibei big jump sia... and can get VERY significant cost savings so if do downgrade to a slower card, is it really that significant pending my usage??

 

[freefallting]

help with building a new comp

Hi everyone, I have a couple of questions which I hope someone can kindly help me with!!

First question is, where is a good place/shop to build a comp? I hope shop recommendations are allowed in this forum!

Second, I'm wondering if the following setup is sufficient for games like Dota2, LFD2, FM13, @ max settings.

Intel Core i5 3450 & Asrock B75 PRO3 M ~ $345
G.Skill DDR3-1333MHz 8GB (2X4GB) ~ $60
EVGA GTX 560 1GB ~ $255 or Sapphire HD 6870 ~ $246
HDD 500GB ~ $68
Samsung SATA 22X DVD Rewriter ~ $24
FSP Aurum AU-500W ~ $115
Ikonik EN2 ~ $55

Is there any chance that I can reduce the cost even further?

TIA for any help for this noob.

 

[KeYoKe]

hey guys i see ah the prices for 7850 -> 7970 like sibei big jump sia... and can get VERY significant cost savings so if do downgrade to a slower card, is it really that significant pending my usage??

i will still suggest at least a 7870, if u got budget 7950 oso can. oc it to reach perofrmance of a 7970

 

[KeYoKe]

Hi everyone, I have a couple of questions which I hope someone can kindly help me with!!

First question is, where is a good place/shop to build a comp? I hope shop recommendations are allowed in this forum!

Second, I'm wondering if the following setup is sufficient for games like Dota2, LFD2, FM13, @ max settings.

Intel Core i5 3450 & Asrock B75 PRO3 M ~ $345
G.Skill DDR3-1333MHz 8GB (2X4GB) ~ $60
EVGA GTX 560 1GB ~ $255 or Sapphire HD 6870 ~ $246
HDD 500GB ~ $68
Samsung SATA 22X DVD Rewriter ~ $24
FSP Aurum AU-500W ~ $115
Ikonik EN2 ~ $55

Is there any chance that I can reduce the cost even further?

TIA for any help for this noob.

i suggest u get HD7850 at 259. more power efficient and performs faster den 6870 n 560. i tink ur above setup is quite ok alrdy. wads ur total budget for e rig

 

[freefallting]

i suggest u get HD7850 at 259. more power efficient and performs faster den 6870 n 560. i tink ur above setup is quite ok alrdy. wads ur total budget for e rig

Thanks! I think $1k is ok... I guess I just need to get a oem with the rig and that's about it? I don't need keyboard/mouse/monitor either. by the way my friend told me to add a 60gb SSD, do you think that's a good idea?

Just throwing a question out there, would it be possible to build one below $900? Or do you have recommendations for the lowest-cost possible build that can still play the games I mentioned? Hoping to save as much as I can haha.

 

[nipp0n]

Thanks! I think $1k is ok... I guess I just need to get a oem with the rig and that's about it? I don't need keyboard/mouse/monitor either. by the way my friend told me to add a 60gb SSD, do you think that's a good idea?

Just throwing a question out there, would it be possible to build one below $900? Or do you have recommendations for the lowest-cost possible build that can still play the games I mentioned? Hoping to save as much as I can haha.

What is your monitor resolution?

 

[truewt]

i will still suggest at least a 7870, if u got budget 7950 oso can. oc it to reach perofrmance of a 7970

hahhaa I got budget.. need to see total add up what's the damage though

 

[freefallting]

What is your monitor resolution?

umm.. I have just 17" 1280 x 1024. But my friend was offering to give me another 17" screen for a dual screen.. I'm just getting kinda confused so I didn't ask him too much haha!

 

[nipp0n]

umm.. I have just 17" 1280 x 1024. But my friend was offering to give me another 17" screen for a dual screen.. I'm just getting kinda confused so I didn't ask him too much haha!

CPU & Mobo: i5-3470 & Asrock B75M-DGS @ $325
Ram: G.Skill 1333mhz 2x4GB @ $48
ODD: LG DVD RW @ $25
HDD: Hitachi 500GB @ $65
GPU: Powercolor 7770 @ $158
Case & PSU: Asgard XP/Bitfenix Merc Alpha & Seasonic S12 520W @ $129
OS: Windows 7 Home @ $120

Total: $870
Buy and build at PC Themes if you need help in assembly. If not, you can buy from Tradepac as they offer the cheapest price but provide crappy assembly service.

At your resolution, 7770 is good enough for dota 2, l4d and FM2013.

 

[freefallting]

CPU & Mobo: i5-3470 & Asrock B75M-DGS @ $325
Ram: G.Skill 1333mhz 2x4GB @ $48
ODD: LG DVD RW @ $25
HDD: Hitachi 500GB @ $65
GPU: Powercolor 7770 @ $158
Case & PSU: Asgard XP/Bitfenix Merc Alpha & Seasonic S12 520W @ $129
OS: Windows 7 Home @ $120

Total: $870
Buy and build at PC Themes if you need help in assembly. If not, you can buy from Tradepac as they offer the cheapest price but provide crappy assembly service.

At your resolution, 7770 is good enough for dota 2, l4d and FM2013.

Cheers bro. Thanks a lot for your help. I think that is exactly what I'm looking for.

Just one final question, if I ever get a 21.5" display in the future, is the 7770 still ok?

 

[nipp0n]

Cheers bro. Thanks a lot for your help. I think that is exactly what I'm looking for.

Just one final question, if I ever get a 21.5" display in the future, is the 7770 still ok?

Yup. Dota2, L4D and FM2013 not very demanding in terms of graphic. But in the future, you want to play FPS like Battlefield, get at least 7850.

 

[adrianlee]

Small Form Factor Buyer's Guide
AnandTech - Small Form Factor Buyer's Guide

 

[swchong]

Can list down your current rig specs?

Below is what CPUID tells me:
CPU - AMD Athlon, 64 x2 4000+
Mainboard - AMDR690A-M2T
Memory DDR2 - 2gig
Graphics - ATI Radeon HD 4770 (I believe is Powercolour)

Casing: CoolerMaster Elite
PSU: CoolerMaster 460 (about 4year old, i think)
Edifier Speakers
WD external disk for backup
17" Philips Monitor- Want to change to bigger monitor. Min 21"
I have DVD Writer, dont need blueray writer.

 

[freefallting]

CPU & Mobo: i5-3470 & Asrock B75M-DGS @ $325
Ram: G.Skill 1333mhz 2x4GB @ $48
ODD: LG DVD RW @ $25
HDD: Hitachi 500GB @ $65
GPU: Powercolor 7770 @ $158
Case & PSU: Asgard XP/Bitfenix Merc Alpha & Seasonic S12 520W @ $129
OS: Windows 7 Home @ $120

Total: $870
Buy and build at PC Themes if you need help in assembly. If not, you can buy from Tradepac as they offer the cheapest price but provide crappy assembly service.

At your resolution, 7770 is good enough for dota 2, l4d and FM2013.

Sorry bro for this potentially silly question, but my friend is telling me this setup is not good. I really don't know if he is serious, and I am fully aware that you pay for what you get, so my question is simply: how long can this rig last? Will the hardware get outdated/spoilt in the next 3-4 years or so? And warranty-wise, any tips for me or anything I should be aware of?

TIA again.

 

[truewt]

hey bros I finally checked out my current specs.. Wah actually quite unflattering.. sian actually.

RAM - G.Skill Ripjaws kit CL9 1600 4GBx2
RAM - Kingston 10600 1333 CL9 2GBx2 (thinking of getting rid of this in new setup??)
SSD - ADATA S511 120GB ------> (Good anot ah? I that time just buy because intel ssd oos :x)
GPU - MSI HD5770 Hawk (should be)
PSU - sorry haven't open up my casing to check lol
mainboard - Biostar TA890GXE
CPU - AMD Athlon II X4 630

 

[nipp0n]

Below is what CPUID tells me:
CPU - AMD Athlon, 64 x2 4000+
Mainboard - AMDR690A-M2T
Memory DDR2 - 2gig
Graphics - ATI Radeon HD 4770 (I believe is Powercolour)

Casing: CoolerMaster Elite
PSU: CoolerMaster 460 (about 4year old, i think)
Edifier Speakers
WD external disk for backup
17" Philips Monitor- Want to change to bigger monitor. Min 21"
I have DVD Writer, dont need blueray writer.

I think you might want to consider getting a new rig. Your current rig does not have much room for upgrade. You will need to change your CPU, mobo, ram, psu and gpu to keep up with the current games. Are your HDD and DVD writer udon sata connection or IDE connection?