New computer specs (what do you think?)

[mrkilla22]

I know there is plenty of knowledge here and so I'm just curious on what you guys think about this new computer setup? Any input is appreciated.

CD: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)
COOLANT: Standard Coolant
CPU: AMD FX-8150 3.60 GHz Eight-Core AM3+ CPU 8MB L2 Cache & Turbo Core Technology
CS_FAN: Maximum 120MM Case Cooling Fans for your selected case
FAN: Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan (Enhanced Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA) (Dual Standard 120MM Fans (Push-Pull))
HDD: 2TB (2TBx1) SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 64MB Cache 7200RPM HDD (Single Drive)
MEMORY: 16GB (4GBx4) DDR3/1866MHz Dual Channel Memory (G.SKILL Ripjaws X)
MOTHERBOARD: * [CrossFireX] GIGABYTE GA-970A-D3 AMD 970 Chipset Socket AM3+ ATX Mainboard w/ Touch Bios, Ultra Durable 2, On/Off Charge, 7.1 Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe X16, 3 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI
NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
OS: Microsoft(R) Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)
POWERSUPPLY: 700 Watts - Standard Power Supply - SLI/CrossFireX Ready
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti 2GB 16X PCIe Video Card (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
WNC: 802.11b/g/n 300Mbps PCI Wireless Adapter Network Card

[PilotMan]

Oh yeah! Mine's a DX/2!

[mckerney]

The only thing I'd recommend considering is a solid state drive to make things run a bit faster. I have a 120 GB SSD that I have Windows, programs that I frequently use, and a few games where I want faster load times while I have music, videos and most games on a HDD.

[thesloppy]

I have alternately read this thread title as:
"New computer species" and
"New computer spices". Yumm.

[dubb93]

I have 120gb SSD with everything on it and a 1tb HDD sitting virtually empty. I find myself able to delete things to enjoy the benefits of the SSD, which IMO has become a must have.

[Kodos]

That rig isn't fit to run Pong!

[weegeebored]

You go with a liquid cooling system but you don't get an Intel CPU?? I am not quite understanding your thinking here. If you're looking for the best bang for the buck (and I'm assuming that you're planning to overclock) get a Core i5 3570K. You can stick with the Gigabyte brand and get the GA-Z77X-D3H board. Just my two pennies...

[Ryan S]

Is there any need for 16gb memory at the moment? I would be inclined to go to 8gb, and if I need more memory a few years down the line I can double it at a fraction of todays price (hopefully!).

[mrkilla22]

Originally Posted by weegeebored

You go with a liquid cooling system but you don't get an Intel CPU?? I am not quite understanding your thinking here. If you're looking for the best bang for the buck (and I'm assuming that you're planning to overclock) get a Core i5 3570K. You can stick with the Gigabyte brand and get the GA-Z77X-D3H board. Just my two pennies...

Thanks for the tips. It's been a very long time since I've built my own computer so I'm a little ignorant with all this stuff now. Are liquid cooling systems only needed on Intel processors? I am planning on overclocking. Is the i5 3570K better than the AMD eight core chips? I've always stuck with AMD since it's cheaper and usually better for gaming so I'm not too familiar with Intel chips.

[mrkilla22]

Originally Posted by Ryan S

Is there any need for 16gb memory at the moment? I would be inclined to go to 8gb, and if I need more memory a few years down the line I can double it at a fraction of todays price (hopefully!).

I was planning on getting 16GB RAM so that I'm set for a while, but you're probably right. I don't think anything needs that much atm and I can always upgrade later.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by mrkilla22

Thanks for the tips. It's been a very long time since I've built my own computer so I'm a little ignorant with all this stuff now. Are liquid cooling systems only needed on Intel processors? I am planning on overclocking. Is the i5 3570K better than the AMD eight core chips? I've always stuck with AMD since it's cheaper and usually better for gaming so I'm not too familiar with Intel chips.

No, liquid cooling works with either. But AMD admits that the Bulldozer chips aren't optimized to run on Windows 7. Their way of doing multithreading doesn't work well with how Win 7 does it.

[Ryan S]

Originally Posted by mrkilla22

I was planning on getting 16GB RAM so that I'm set for a while, but you're probably right. I don't think anything needs that much atm and I can always upgrade later.

I would be surprised if any games need more than 4gb at the moment, so unless you plan on playing a few at the same time more than 8gb is probably overkill.

16gb might be a good idea if you are messing around with virtual machines, but even then it is unlikely that the average person is going to need anything like that much memory for the next few years.

[Ron Mexico]

If you're going AMD, I'd actually see if you can get one of the old Phenom Black Edition chips as they bench higher than this set of Bulldozer chips, especially for gaming. Either that or hold off til the next AMD refresh and the Piledriver line.

Personally, I'd drop the 2TB drive to a 1 TB drive, add a SSD (even a smaller one just to run Windows). If you're looking to save on cost, drop the 16GB of RAM to 8 GB and re-invest some of those savings into making the GeForce 650 into a 660 or higher. A 650 will chew through anything you throw at it right now, but this is more a measure of making it last a while longer since you're already going for a new build from scratch.

If you're willing to look Intel, I'd look at the 3570k as someone else had mentioned. I have the 2500k (a generation before) that performs like a champ. Very few games are optimized to run on more than 2 cores anyway, so these 2 quad cores are plenty and the 8-core will get you into the land of diminishing returns.

Also, it looks like you have a site that is building it for you-- are you comfortable with building it yourself? How much is the building/shipping cost? If you're willing to post a link, I could tweak it a bit to try to keep it in your price range. If you are willing/able to build it yourself (as it's become MUCH easier in the past few years), you can save even more...

[weegeebored]

You only need liquid cooling if you are going to do an extreme overclock; it doesn't have anything to do with CPU type. Intel has cleaned AMD's...um...clock for several generations now so that is why I am recommending the 3570K. There is nothing wrong with your CPU but most apps/games don't support eight cores anyway. It's a little complex but the number of cores don't tell the whole story when it comes to performance.

I am doing my own "budget" build now and the 3570K seems to hit the sweet spot of price/performance. I plan on coupling that with an ASUS P8Z77-V and likely the Sapphire 7850 2GB version video card. I will do a mild to moderate o/c so I am going with the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo HSF. Air cooling should be enough for me.

With regard to memory, more is always better. Get the 16GB if it fits into your budget. Make sure that you have a 64-bit OS or you will still be limited to 4GB.

[Ron Mexico]

Originally Posted by weegeebored

You only need liquid cooling if you are going to do an extreme overclock; it doesn't have anything to do with CPU type. Intel has cleaned AMD's...um...clock for several generations now so that is why I am recommending the 3570K. There is nothing wrong with your CPU but most apps/games don't support eight cores anyway. It's a little complex but the number of cores don't tell the whole story when it comes to performance.

I am doing my own "budget" build now and the 3570K seems to hit the sweet spot of price/performance. I plan on coupling that with an ASUS P8Z77-V and likely the Sapphire 7850 2GB version video card. I will do a mild to moderate o/c so I am going with the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo HSF. Air cooling should be enough for me.

With regard to memory, more is always better. Get the 16GB if it fits into your budget. Make sure that you have a 64-bit OS or you will still be limited to 4GB.

I second the recommendation for the 212. If you're looking for the most bang for the buck, it doesn't get much better than that. Think it's in the $25 range and is one of (if not the) best air cooler around. Just a word of advice-- if you're doing the build yourself, installing that fan SUCKS. I'd also get a small tube of thermal paste (Arctic Silver would work here-- like $5) because the one in the 212 box is surprisingly poor.

[Buccaneer]

Man, things have changed in the two years since I built my system. But I do agree that liquid cooling is a waste of money. In my Antec case, I have seven fans including the 120mm radiator fan. It gets pretty hot during the summer (no AC) in my den at home and even when it was running a game all day long (e.g., Civ5), it was quite cool (usually around 35-38c with max at 46c). It all depends on case size (the bigger the better to move air around) and the strategic placement of the fans (three intake lower, two outtake upper opposite, one intake on gpu and the outtake radiator on top - hot air rises).

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Ron Mexico

I second the recommendation for the 212. If you're looking for the most bang for the buck, it doesn't get much better than that. Think it's in the $25 range and is one of (if not the) best air cooler around. Just a word of advice-- if you're doing the build yourself, installing that fan SUCKS. I'd also get a small tube of thermal paste (Arctic Silver would work here-- like $5) because the one in the 212 box is surprisingly poor.

I have one of those as well, works great.

[mrkilla22]

Thanks for the advice guys. It helps tremendously.

[weegeebored]

Originally Posted by Ron Mexico

I'd also get a small tube of thermal paste (Arctic Silver would work here-- like $5) because the one in the 212 box is surprisingly poor.

Thanks for the heads-up.

[Scoobz0202]

Originally Posted by mrkilla22

I know there is plenty of knowledge here and so I'm just curious on what you guys think about this new computer setup? Any input is appreciated.

CD: 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive (BLACK COLOR)
COOLANT: Standard Coolant
CPU: AMD FX-8150 3.60 GHz Eight-Core AM3+ CPU 8MB L2 Cache & Turbo Core Technology
CS_FAN: Maximum 120MM Case Cooling Fans for your selected case
FAN: Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan (Enhanced Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA) (Dual Standard 120MM Fans (Push-Pull))
HDD: 2TB (2TBx1) SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 64MB Cache 7200RPM HDD (Single Drive)
MEMORY: 16GB (4GBx4) DDR3/1866MHz Dual Channel Memory (G.SKILL Ripjaws X)
MOTHERBOARD: * [CrossFireX] GIGABYTE GA-970A-D3 AMD 970 Chipset Socket AM3+ ATX Mainboard w/ Touch Bios, Ultra Durable 2, On/Off Charge, 7.1 Audio, GbLAN, USB3.0, SATA-III RAID, 2 Gen2 PCIe X16, 3 PCIe X1 & 2 PCI
NETWORK: Onboard Gigabit LAN Network
OS: Microsoft(R) Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit Edition)
POWERSUPPLY: 700 Watts - Standard Power Supply - SLI/CrossFireX Ready
SOUND: HIGH DEFINITION ON-BOARD 7.1 AUDIO
VIDEO: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti 2GB 16X PCIe Video Card (Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA)
WNC: 802.11b/g/n 300Mbps PCI Wireless Adapter Network Card

I agree with whats been said. The i5-3570 is really the best way to go. Cooling, liquid cooling is really nothing more than an enthusiast thing anymore. Air cooling is just as effective and quieter. The 212 is a great fan. 16GB of ram is complete overkill, but average users barely even need 8GB. I also second the recommendation of dropping to a 1GB 7200 drive and adding a 120GB SSD for your OS and other daily use things. But I have no idea what your budget is and how this changes it.

Also, I'm not sure what power supply you are planning on getting but don't make that your cheap component. Get something reliable:

Newegg.com - XFX Core Edition PRO550W (P1-550S-XXB9) 550W ATX12V 2.2 & ESP12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Newegg.com - SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

Couple questions:

What resolution are you going to be using this to game at?

If you don't mind asking, what are you hoping to spend?

[mrkilla22]

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

I agree with whats been said. The i5-3570 is really the best way to go. Cooling, liquid cooling is really nothing more than an enthusiast thing anymore. Air cooling is just as effective and quieter. The 212 is a great fan. 16GB of ram is complete overkill, but average users barely even need 8GB. I also second the recommendation of dropping to a 1GB 7200 drive and adding a 120GB SSD for your OS and other daily use things. But I have no idea what your budget is and how this changes it.

Also, I'm not sure what power supply you are planning on getting but don't make that your cheap component. Get something reliable:

Newegg.com - XFX Core Edition PRO550W (P1-550S-XXB9) 550W ATX12V 2.2 & ESP12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
Newegg.com - SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze 520W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply

Couple questions:

What resolution are you going to be using this to game at?

If you don't mind asking, what are you hoping to spend?

Thanks. I'm looking into dropping to 8GB RAM and to a 1TB HDD and getting a SSD. Also looking at swapping to the i5-3570k processor.

I'm not sure on the resolution. I've been going to 1280 x 960 on my current monitor (Samsung Syncmaster 216BW). I was thinking about upgrading that as well, but I'm not sure yet.

I was trying to keep it at under $1000 not including taxes/shipping, etc.

[Ron Mexico]

Just an FYI as far as monitors go-- I picked up a 22" LG monitor that does 1920x1080 for like $100 at Microcenter. Should be a very quick (and noticeable) upgrade

[MizzouRah]

I stopped at AMD and no SSD HD.

[lcjjdnh]

Can anyone recommend a cheap computer or laptop that would work to play text sims (and maybe FM and Civ V)? I bought a MacBook Air when my last Toshiba laptop finally hit its last legs, but am finding it a bit limiting. If I could find something cheap PC-wise I might have to pick it up. (Or have people had luck running games through Boot Camp?)

[Ron Mexico]

How important is the portability of a laptop? Also, what's your price range?

[lcjjdnh]

Originally Posted by Ron Mexico

How important is the portability of a laptop? Also, what's your price range?

I don't see myself toting it around too much. Really only if I were taking a long trip where I'd have free time, which doesn't happen all that much.

Not sure what my exact price range is, although I value the saving money side more. That is, I'd be happy with a super-cheap machine that could play games like FB(C)B, DDS:PB, TPG, OOTP, etc. even if it can't play FM.

[Ron Mexico]

Let me throw out a number then-- how about something like $400-500? I can throw together a build, but need at least some kind of baseline. Also, do you have a monitor or do you need one? Would that change your price range?

[lcjjdnh]

No monitor. $500 would probably be on the high side of what I'd like to spend. Just took a quick look at Amazon, for instance, and found this Acer desktop for <$400.

Amazon.com: Acer AX1920-UR10P Desktop (Black): Computers & Accessories

[Ron Mexico]

Not terrible for the pricepoint, but I'd ideally be looking for something with an i3 processor. You can find them for cheap and will last you a hell of a lot longer. Do you know anyone who can build a PC for you? Or can you do it/feel comfortable with following a video? It's really very simple and will save you a fair bit.

[lcjjdnh]

Originally Posted by Ron Mexico

Not terrible for the pricepoint, but I'd ideally be looking for something with an i3 processor. You can find them for cheap and will last you a hell of a lot longer. Do you know anyone who can build a PC for you? Or can you do it/feel comfortable with following a video? It's really very simple and will save you a fair bit.

I don't know anyone that can build it, but with a video, I can probably figure it out. I've installed new hard drives and RAM before.

[Ron Mexico]

Let's try this:

Processor: i3 3220: $99
Motherboard: AS Rock H61-M: $50
RAM: Crucial Ballistix 4GB: $26
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB: $70
Power Supply: Cooler Master Elite 400W: $38
Optical: LG DVD RW 24x $16
Case: NZXT Sourxe 210: $39
Windows 8: $100

Using Microcenter pricing and not looking at any specials, I'm at $438. I can probably find the parts cheaper with a little more research, but I like my local Microcenter and am willing to pay an extra couple bucks for it.

With this set-up, you'll be able to play any text sims you want and then some. Going to be light graphically, so it's not going to run any modern blockbusters without grabbing a video card, but this will smoke that Acer build and give you an upgrade path that's more effective than throwing it out and buying another.

Hope that was a help.

[Ron Mexico]

Just a bit of reasoning: the E6600 listed in that Acer build was a fine processor for its time, but you're on old tech (that set was released in 2010) and you're close to the end of the line there. With the i3, there's a TON of room if you decide to upgrade later.

So you're already beating it clock-for-clock, with the added ability to go much deeper without spending a fortune.

[lcjjdnh]

Originally Posted by Ron Mexico

Let's try this:

Processor: i3 3220: $99
Motherboard: AS Rock H61-M: $50
RAM: Crucial Ballistix 4GB: $26
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500 GB: $70
Power Supply: Cooler Master Elite 400W: $38
Optical: LG DVD RW 24x $16
Case: NZXT Sourxe 210: $39
Windows 8: $100

Using Microcenter pricing and not looking at any specials, I'm at $438. I can probably find the parts cheaper with a little more research, but I like my local Microcenter and am willing to pay an extra couple bucks for it.

With this set-up, you'll be able to play any text sims you want and then some. Going to be light graphically, so it's not going to run any modern blockbusters without grabbing a video card, but this will smoke that Acer build and give you an upgrade path that's more effective than throwing it out and buying another.

Hope that was a help.

Much appreciated, thanks. Would this play FM/Civ V, or would I need a video card for that? If so, any recommendations? Also, I assume I want the 64-bit version of Windows 8?

Any recommendations on a guide for assembly, or just YouTube something?

[Scoobz0202]

How to build a PC - The Tech Report - Page 1

Newegg TV: How To Build a Computer - Part 2 - The Build - YouTube

It's adult legos. It's a lot simpler than it looks. The most confusing part for me was plugging in all the wires, but just keep the manual for your MOBO off to the side and pull it out when you get to that stage and match up what that says.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by lcjjdnh

Much appreciated, thanks. Would this play FM/Civ V, or would I need a video card for that? If so, any recommendations? Also, I assume I want the 64-bit version of Windows 8?

Any recommendations on a guide for assembly, or just YouTube something?

i3 has integrated graphics and it meets the minimum requirements for CIV V. Wouldn't really be able to handle much more though.

If you wanted to go for a graphics card something like this might be best choice, about $55 after mail in rebate and shipping.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102988

[lcjjdnh]

Thanks to both. And another dumb question: Does the processor come with a heat-sync fan? And do I need to worry about thermal paste?

[lcjjdnh]

Also, look at that list, do I also need a network card? What's a good option for wireless?

[Scoobz0202]

Originally Posted by lcjjdnh

Thanks to both. And another dumb question: Does the processor come with a heat-sync fan? And do I need to worry about thermal paste?

It will come with one. It will be fine for your usage. It should come with thermal paste (Somebody want to correct me on this?)

Originally Posted by lcjjdnh

Also, look at that list, do I also need a network card? What's a good option for wireless?

The motherboard will have the network card onboard. You will want a wireless adapter, though. Just get something that connects via USB as it's 1) Cheaper and 2) You can buy a USB extension cord that moves the antenna further from your PC to get a better signal if you would like.

Something like this:

Newegg.com - TP-LINK TL-WN722N Wireless Adapter High Gain IEEE 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Up to 150Mbps Wireless Data Rates Support 64/128 bit WEP, WPA-PSK/WPA2-PSK, Wireless MAC Filtering

[lcjjdnh]

While searching for these parts on the Micro Center website, I came across this laptop. Much of the same specs, but much cheaper (especially considering I still need monitor, keyboard, etc. for that build). Plus, it's portable. Thoughts?

http://www.microcenter.com/product/4..._-_Moon_Silver

[Ron Mexico]

If you're in need of portability, that's not a bad deal. Here's the differences I see after a quick glance:

The processor isn't going to be as strong as the desktop, but way better than the one you linked earlier. Remember, energy efficiency takes priority throughout a laptop build which is almost always a sign of sacrificed power.

The 2GB less RAM will be felt, but not a huge difference-- still more than enough imo. No listing of the RAM speed though, so again, chance for another performance hit.

The HDD is slower (5400 RPM vs. 7200), again you'll see the difference more with them being side-by-side.

The biggest difference, however, is the total lack of an upgrade path. This will be the system you'll have from there forward. You have a couple notch below top of the line laptop there (again not bad for the cost), vs. a notch below desktop with an upgrade path to take you as high as you'd like.

Really comes down to how important portability is, as if they were both desktops, it's really no contest (even if it were $100-200 cheaper).

[lcjjdnh]

Originally Posted by Ron Mexico

If you're in need of portability, that's not a bad deal. Here's the differences I see after a quick glance:

The processor isn't going to be as strong as the desktop, but way better than the one you linked earlier. Remember, energy efficiency takes priority throughout a laptop build which is almost always a sign of sacrificed power.

The 2GB less RAM will be felt, but not a huge difference-- still more than enough imo. No listing of the RAM speed though, so again, chance for another performance hit.

The HDD is slower (5400 RPM vs. 7200), again you'll see the difference more with them being side-by-side.

The biggest difference, however, is the total lack of an upgrade path. This will be the system you'll have from there forward. You have a couple notch below top of the line laptop there (again not bad for the cost), vs. a notch below desktop with an upgrade path to take you as high as you'd like.

Really comes down to how important portability is, as if they were both desktops, it's really no contest (even if it were $100-200 cheaper).

Thanks. Decided to go with the laptop because of cost and portability. Appreciate all the advice. And enjoying firing games like FBCB2 backup.