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

[horlickz]

Asus Rampage 4 Extreme + i7 3970X
Cosair Dominator Plat 2133 CL9 64GB
WD 2TB 64MB Caviar Black
OCZ 512GB Vector Indilinx E2 512GB
Creative X-Fi (HD) Titanium
MSI GTX 680 Lightning x2
CM Silent Pro 1500W
Samsung SH-224 24x
CM Xtraflo Blademaster 120mm x4
CM Storm Trooper Black
Samsung 23” S23B550V & Samsung 20” S20B300B

I've drafted a rig with the specs above, am planning to run dual screens this time for gaming, and speedy response for anything I throw at it (i.e number crunching). Any suggestions on parts that can be improved?

Not planning on going for liquid cooling due to unfamiliarity. Budget wise, I don't plan to exceed 8k.

Many thanks!

 

[nippp0n]

Asus Rampage 4 Extreme + i7 3970X
Cosair Dominator Plat 2133 CL9 64GB
WD 2TB 64MB Caviar Black
OCZ 512GB Vector Indilinx E2 512GB
Creative X-Fi (HD) Titanium
MSI GTX 680 Lightning x2
CM Silent Pro 1500W
Samsung SH-224 24x
CM Xtraflo Blademaster 120mm x4
CM Storm Trooper Black
Samsung 23” S23B550V & Samsung 20” S20B300B

I've drafted a rig with the specs above, am planning to run dual screens this time for gaming, and speedy response for anything I throw at it (i.e number crunching). Any suggestions on parts that can be improved?

Not planning on going for liquid cooling due to unfamiliarity. My previous rig is experiencing occasional power supply issues so am just going for something bigger to future proof it. Budget wise, I don't plan to exceed 8k.

Many thanks!

Wow.. Seems like you got a really big budget. Besides gaming, what do you do with your rig?

In your previous rig, what brand psu do you use? I'm not a fan of CM psu. Their build is not as good as reputable psu manufacture such as Seasonic.

 

[horlickz]

Wow.. Seems like you got a really big budget. Besides gaming, what do you do with your rig?

In your previous rig, what brand psu do you use? I'm not a fan of CM psu. Their build is not as good as reputable psu manufacture such as Seasonic.

Thanks! Will definitely check out Seasonic PSUs. Yeah think CM PSU have very few fans... . Current rig am using superflower (under friend's recommendation), but previous one was using CM psu (anyhow picked) hence the choice. Other than that, the general config's fine right?

Am just planning to use it for games and work... which will have loads of iterative calculations, probably a lot less demanding than most games these days. Budget's a side benefit of being a single working dude w/o kids

 

[pewpewpew]

hi, can kindly recommend?

budget 1.3 for CPU not including monitor, OS, peripheries,
- not for overclocking
- for adobe lightroom, photoshop, dreamweaver usage
- for latest games use (MMORPGs including)
- will need a wifi chip inside as this will be my second computer; i already have 1 comp directly plugged into singnet BB, can directly plug into this one too without wifi chip?)

can someone recommend a spec? heard there is a new i5 processor + mobo coming out, would love to have a SSD also (but is it really necessary to speed games/programs up?)

thanks in advance!!

 

[forumlurker]

hi,
i would like to built a pc with the minimum requirement hardware to play COD Black Ops 2 at ultra setting. Will be playing on a 20" led monitor AOC e2050Sda.

budget is as low as possible as long as can play black ops at ultra.

no need keyboard/mice/speakers/os.

thanks =)

 

[BadBadBoy]

Hi Guys,

Can recommend a gaming rig, budget 2-2.5k? Budget exclude monitors, keyboards, OS.
Intending to play Crysis 3 and Far Cry 3. As I will be connecting internet wireless, so might need a PCI wifi card.

Thanks

 

[caleb.seah]

HI!

This is my first time building a new PC.

I would like to build a PC that can accomodate up to 2 screens, 23"(hdmi or vga) and 19"(vga).

I will need to be able to play at least company of heroes 2 and Counter-strike.

I will need to be able to use at least Photoshop and dreamweaver CS4.

Please recommend a CPU with budget between 700-900 with OS.

Thanks!

 

[nippp0n]

Thanks! Will definitely check out Seasonic PSUs. Yeah think CM PSU have very few fans... . Current rig am using superflower (under friend's recommendation), but previous one was using CM psu (anyhow picked) hence the choice. Other than that, the general config's fine right?

Am just planning to use it for games and work... which will have loads of iterative calculations, probably a lot less demanding than most games these days. Budget's a side benefit of being a single working dude w/o kids

Asus Rampage 4 Extreme + i7 3970X
Cosair Dominator Plat 2133 CL9 64GB
WD 2TB 64MB Caviar Black
A normal HDD such as WD Blue or Hitachi Deskstar is fine. No need to get WD Black as you are already using SSD as bootup drive.
OCZ 512GB Vector Indilinx E2 512GB
Creative X-Fi (HD) Titanium
MSI GTX 680 Lightning x2
Can consider GTX Titan or 2x GTX 780 (Titan-LE) which is already in store in SLS.
CM Silent Pro 1500W
Go for Corsair AX1200i 80+ Platinum
Samsung SH-224 24x
CM Xtraflo Blademaster 120mm x4
CM Storm Trooper Black
Subjective item. I will suggest you take a look at other quality brands such as Lian Li, Corsair, NZXT or Silverstone.
Samsung 23” S23B550V & Samsung 20” S20B300B
Since you have a good budget, why not got for 3x 24'' or 23''? I don't think you can game with 2 display, it just weird especially for FPS games. So I would recommend either one or three monitor setup for gaming.
For monitor, I will recommend Dell Ultrasharp series, such as U2312HM or U2412M or U2713M. Those models are IPS panel monitors providing better color saturation and wider angle for viewing. Good for watching shows too.


To add on, you miss out a water cooling component if you are going to overclock. Can consider Thermaltake Water 2.0 Extreme or Corsair H100i.

Comments in red.

 

[nippp0n]

hi, can kindly recommend?

budget 1.3 for CPU not including monitor, OS, peripheries,
- not for overclocking
- for adobe lightroom, photoshop, dreamweaver usage
- for latest games use (MMORPGs including)
- will need a wifi chip inside as this will be my second computer; i already have 1 comp directly plugged into singnet BB, can directly plug into this one too without wifi chip?)

can someone recommend a spec? heard there is a new i5 processor + mobo coming out, would love to have a SSD also (but is it really necessary to speed games/programs up?)

thanks in advance!!

CPU & Mobo: i5-3470 & MSI B75A-G43 Gaming @ $375
Ram: Kingston 1600mhz value ram 8GB @ $75
ODD: Samsung DVD RW @ $22
HDD: Hitachi Deskstar 1TB @ $80
SSD: Plextor M5P 128GB @ $139
GPU: Powercolor 7950 PCS @ $385
Case: Asgard Midgard II @ $87
PSU: FSP Platinum 550W @ $125

Total: $1288
Buy and build at Tradepac.

For your connection, if this rig is near to your broadband, i think you can buy a switch or router and connect both computers using LAN cables.

 

[nippp0n]

hi,
i would like to built a pc with the minimum requirement hardware to play COD Black Ops 2 at ultra setting. Will be playing on a 20" led monitor AOC e2050Sda.

budget is as low as possible as long as can play black ops at ultra.

no need keyboard/mice/speakers/os.

thanks =)

CPU & Mobo: i3-3220 & Asrock B75M-DGS @ $212
Dual core should do fine for COD Black OPS 2.
Call of Duty: Black Ops II GPU & CPU Performance > CPU Performance - TechSpot
Ram: Kingston 1600mhz value ram 4GB @ $35
ODD: Samsung DVD RW @ $22
HDD: Hitachi Deskstar 500GB @ $60
GPU: Leadtek GTX 650 Ti @ $204
Able to play at high settings with decent FPS.
Call of Duty: Black Ops II GPU & CPU Performance > 1680x1050 - High Quality - TechSpot
Case: Sharkoon T5 @ $63
PSU: Seasonic S12 520W @ $89

Total: $685
Buy and build at Tradepac.

 

[nippp0n]

Hi Guys,

Can recommend a gaming rig, budget 2-2.5k? Budget exclude monitors, keyboards, OS.
Intending to play Crysis 3 and Far Cry 3. As I will be connecting internet wireless, so might need a PCI wifi card.

Thanks

CPU & Mobo: i5-3470 & MSI B75A-G43 Gaming @ $375
Ram: Kingston 1600mhz value ram 8GB @ $75
ODD: Samsung DVD RW @ $22
HDD: Hitachi Deskstar 1TB @ $80
SSD: Plextor M5P 128GB @ $165
GPU: MSI GTX 780 @ $989
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 @ $154
PSU: FSP Platinum 650W @ $142

Total: $2002
Buy and build at Tradepac.

For wifi, if you want a stable connection, you can consider getting homeplug.

 

[zjlim86]

CPU & Mobo: i5-3470 & MSI B75A-G43 Gaming @ $375
Ram: Kingston 1600mhz value ram 8GB @ $75
ODD: Samsung DVD RW @ $22
HDD: Hitachi Deskstar 1TB @ $80
SSD: Plextor M5P 128GB @ $165
GPU: MSI GTX 780 @ $989
Case: NZXT Phantom 410 @ $154
PSU: FSP Platinum 650W @ $142

Total: $2002
Buy and build at Tradepac.

For wifi, if you want a stable connection, you can consider getting homeplug.

Hi, sorry if i asked an obvious qns. With such a good GPU, wont the rest of the part bottleneck the gpu?

 

[btay85]

What is the purpose of this rig?

For gaming, you don't need an i7 as there is no significant improvement over i5.

You could have channel the funds to get a better gpu if you are building a gaming rig.

Hello! I am actually using it for general gaming purposes.. Nothing tt requires extremely good graphics.

I don't mind getting a i5! But am not sure what parts to get..

Could you help advice?

 

[nippp0n]

Hello! I am actually using it for general gaming purposes.. Nothing tt requires extremely good graphics.

I don't mind getting a i5! But am not sure what parts to get..

Could you help advice?

CPU & Mobo: i5-3450 & Asrock B75 Pro 3M @ $323
Ram: Kingston 1600mhz value ram 8GB @ $75
ODD: Samsung DVD RW @ $22
HDD: Hitachi Deskstar 1TB @ $80
GPU: Powercolor 7950 PCS @ $385
Case: Asgard Midgard II @ $87
PSU: FSP Platinum 550W @ $125
OS: Windows 7 Home 64bit OEM @ $110

Total: $1207
Buy and build at Tradepac.

 

[delirium]

Can i get some recommendation for HTPC graphic card, ram, mobo and case (ATX PSU compatible)?

Will be reusing ATX 500W PSU and Intel Q9400.

 

[bloated_one]

Hey, im helping my friend to overhaul his system with a small budget of $600.

CPU & Mobo: i5-3470 & Asrock B75M-DGS - $305
Ram: 4gb Kingston Value Ram - $40
PSU: Seasonic S12II 520W - $89
Case: Sharkoon MS140 - $52
GPU: ???

Able to squeeze in a graphics card for light gaming and within budget? Everything else going to reuse. Long time never touch DIY PC liao. Thanks!

 

[nippp0n]

Can i get some recommendation for HTPC graphic card, ram, mobo and case (ATX PSU compatible)?

Will be reusing ATX 500W PSU and Intel Q9400.

What is your budget? What brand and how old is your psu?

It's going to a bit hard to find LGA 775 Mobo. You might need to source for one in the second hand market.

 

[nippp0n]

Hey, im helping my friend to overhaul his system with a small budget of $600.

CPU & Mobo: i5-3470 & Asrock B75M-DGS - $305
Ram: 4gb Kingston Value Ram - $40
PSU: Seasonic S12II 520W - $89
Case: Sharkoon MS140 - $52
GPU: ???

Able to squeeze in a graphics card for light gaming and within budget? Everything else going to reuse. Long time never touch DIY PC liao. Thanks!

What is the purpose of the rig? Gaming? What kind of game titles? HDD using sata or IDE connector?

 

[delirium]

What is your budget? What brand and how old is your psu?

It's going to a bit hard to find LGA 775 Mobo. You might need to source for one in the second hand market.

thinking of spending another $200 - $300.
its a Spire Jewel 550W PSU which is about 4-5 years ago.

ya was not sure if any store in SLS still carries LGA 775 Mobo.

 

[bloated_one]

What is the purpose of the rig? Gaming? What kind of game titles? HDD using sata or IDE connector?

Just normal day to day usage and playing of games like dota and fifa. HDD using sata so gonna reuse.

Bro the parts I listed ok? Or u have something more bang for buck? My friend wants a i5 at least.