Ok, Hey folks. Since there haven't been a large number of new building threads lately, I thought I might start another up to keep you all pre-occupied.

 

Basically, what I want from my new computer is to be able to handle games (Such as BFBC2, ARMA2, MW2 etc.) and also Simulators (Such as DCS: Black Shark & A10 & AH64, FSX, Lock On etc.) I want to have 2 monitors (One 22/23inch and one 18.5-20inch) I also want to have (further down the track) 2 touch screen monitors for flight simming (to use as instruments in a Simpit)

 

So, basically, all I need at the moment is the Computer and the 22 or 23inch monitor. I have a mouse and a keyboard but I need a copy of Windows 7. My budget is the lowest it can possibly go, but I really need to keep it to about $1500-$1700.

 

Suggestions please! Thanks

 

Oh and BTW, I need a place that will build it for me, as I'm not confident that I can build it myself.

If a 92 year old man can assemble a computer using only his right buttcheek, I'm sure you're able to as well xavo >_> It will save you both time & money because you can buy the cheapest parts at various e-/retailers then assemble it at no cost to yourself ($70-100 saved).

 

If it's primarily gaming, grab a lowish end CPU & Mobo that overclock well [low i5 or Phenom X4], some decent air cooling and spend up on the graphics card. Since you need a case and monitor, you're already limiting yourself to ~$1150 - 1350 for the hardware ($250 for 22-23 inch, $100 for a midrange case).

 

Do you need other peripherals like joystick, speakers/headset?

If a 92 year old man can assemble a computer using only his right buttcheek, I'm sure you're able to as well xavo >_> It will save you both time & money because you can buy the cheapest parts at various e-/retailers then assemble it at no cost to yourself ($70-100 saved).

 

If it's primarily gaming, grab a lowish end CPU & Mobo that overclock well [low i5 or Phenom X4], some decent air cooling and spend up on the graphics card. Since you need a case and monitor, you're already limiting yourself to ~$1150 - 1350 for the hardware ($250 for 22-23 inch, $100 for a midrange case).

 

Do you need other peripherals like joystick, speakers/headset?

 

Ok, I was thinking I5 750 + (not sure what mobo, I think an asus p55 but i'm not too sure what one to get there is so many)

either a 5850 or a 5870

CM Storm Scout Black case

and a Corsair 550W PSU

 

Apart from that, could you suggest parts Psyrus? I really don't know the difference between mobos and stuff. No I don't need peripherals, that'll be down the track.

 

Perhaps you could hop on TS?

I'm at my volunteer work (avoiding doing anything cuz it is boring as anything) so I can't hop on TS, plus the internet is slow (since they have no money being a charity and all) so I can't do good research... I'll have a look at some suggestions and post up when I get homezorz.

Cheers.

Ok, I was thinking I5 750 + (not sure what mobo, I think an asus p55 but i'm not too sure what one to get there is so many)

either a 5850 or a 5870

CM Storm Scout Black case

and a Corsair 550W PSU

 

Apart from that, could you suggest parts Psyrus? I really don't know the difference between mobos and stuff. No I don't need peripherals, that'll be down the track.

 

Perhaps you could hop on TS?

 

You'll need more power then that for a 5850/5870 + a I5 750 Go with a 650W, minimum.

 

Your set up will probably be similar to mine and I bought my whole PC for around $1,000.

 

GFX: HD 5850 - Got mine for $380

CPU: Intel I5 750 - $225

MOBO: P55-UD3R - $170ish

 

The rest you can figure out for yourself hehe :hi:

Edited December 17, 200915 yr by LGN_Shadow

You'll need more power then that for a 5850/5870 + a I5 750 Go with a 650W, minimum.

 

Your set up will probably be similar to mine and I bought my whole PC for around $1,000.

 

GFX: HD 5850 - Got mine for $380

CPU: Intel I5 750 - $225

MOBO: P55-UD3R - $170ish

 

The rest you can figure out for yourself hehe :hi:

 

Cool as Devil. Can you post a list of what you bought, just so I can compare?

Cool as Devil. Can you post a list of what you bought, just so I can compare?

 

Sure.

 

GFX: HD 5850 - $380

CPU: Intel I5 750 - $225

HD: Seagate Sata 500GB - $59

MOBO: G-B P55A-UD3R - $175

RAM: 4G Kit DDR3 1333 G.Skill-Ripjaws - $125

 

= $964 without case + PSU.

CASE: Coolermaster Storm Scout Black - $128

PSU: Corsair TX-650 650W ATX Power - $136

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P55-UD3R - $148

GPU: PowerColor ATI HD5850 1G 2DMP PCIEx - $378

CPU: Intel Core i5 750 Processor LGA1156 2.66GHz 8MB Cache CPU - $226

RAM:G Skill 4G(2x2G) DDR3 1600Mhz PC12800 RL 9-9-9-24 - $129

Monitor:Asus VH222D - $159

HDD: Samsung 500G SATA II 7200rpm HD502HJ - $67

DVD: Asus DRW-22B2ST 22x DVDRW SATA - $35

 

For a grand total of $1406

 

What does everyone think of this? Might not be able get it these holidays is the only problem I can see. Try and get a job at school though, so I could afford it if I don't make enough these holidays.

You'll need more power then that for a 5850/5870 + a I5 750 Go with a 650W, minimum.

 

Really? What's the peak load draw for the HD5870? The i5 series?

You can never have enough power. Never go bare minimum on PSU. For that setup I would throw in a 700 - 800w.

 

If ya can, get more RAM.

You can never have enough power. Never go bare minimum on PSU. For that setup I would throw in a 700 - 800w.

 

If ya can, get more RAM.

 

... Yeah, just like how it's uber useful to pay the premium for a ferrari with a speedo that goes to 300 but is speed limited to 140

Edited December 17, 200915 yr by Husker

... Yeah, just like how it's uber useful to pay the premium for a ferrari with a speedo that goes to 300 but is speed limited to 140

 

Take it or leave it. I built and maintained computers for about 4 years at my previous employment, plus the last 10 years of building my own.

 

Trust me when I say, when it comes to power supplies, you can never have to much, but whatever... what do I know.

Take it or leave it. I built and maintained computers for about 4 years at my previous employment, plus the last 10 years of building my own.

 

Trust me when I say, when it comes to power supplies, you can never have to much, but whatever... what do I know.

 

The thing is I actually agree with what you've said, except the bolded part. I think components in computers should be as appropriately matched as possible, bearing in mind upgrade paths.

 

If your system draws 380W, why are people buying 750W, even accounting for capacitor degradation over the course of 10 years, you're looking at overkill for everything but the absolute long run. That being said, the new graphics cards pull close to 400W at full load, coupled with say an i5 or i7 which pull under 200W at full load. So there you have your 600W consumption. Add in ~75W for mobo+HDDs and a bit more for case fans, and you're looking at 700W. That's assuming every component is at 100% though, which is basically a non-issue, a minor burst at most but not sustained. This is why people get away with 650W (high efficiency) supplies very happily, such as the Seasonic range.

 

The problem I have with people just saying "get as much wattage as you can afford" without giving actual brand/model advice, is that unwitting consumers can be sucked into purchases like this, which put the whole system at risk.

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies-archive.cfm/1265808.html

 

Basically, I just don't wanna see people get burned with shoddy components that don't fit right with the rest of the expensive stuff they're putting in their rigs.

+1 to Psyrus. +1/2 to Ballistic.

 

Kudos to the theory of 'being safe than sorry' Ballistic but I think Psyrus' above post is very close to the mark.

 

For many years, manufacturers have been inflating their numbers on products to get uninformed consumers to spend more on MORE POWER without any need to. There are some sites around that will actually calculate your power usage from the component list you feed it (can't think of one atm) and you almost never need powerful PSU's in a single video card, 2 x HDD system.

 

For reference, I have a 520W in my gaming computer and a 380W in my HTPC. Both go full load, both have no issues (note, they are slightly older tech - both are overclocked).

Edited December 17, 200915 yr by captncrunch240

My bet would be:

 

Asustek P5Q-SE2 - $120

Intel E7500 - $143

4gb of generic ddr2 - bout 80

Enermax PSU 500W - $150. (Thats all ya need trust me.)

ATI 4850 GPU - 103.00

 

For all intents and purposes I see no real need to go to the i-series. Cost too much for the apparent gain at this stage. This is more or less the same as my machine that I got a month ago (I have a E8400 @ 3.2ghz as opposed to the E7500). It runs games pretty sweet - could look at a better GPU as that is where it is bottlenecked.

 

Cheers,

Sam

CASE: Coolermaster Storm Scout Black - $128

PSU: Corsair TX-650 650W ATX Power - $136

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P55-UD3R - $148

GPU: PowerColor ATI HD5850 1G 2DMP PCIEx - $378

CPU: Intel Core i5 750 Processor LGA1156 2.66GHz 8MB Cache CPU - $226

RAM:G Skill 4G(2x2G) DDR3 1600Mhz PC12800 RL 9-9-9-24 - $129

Monitor:Asus VH222D - $159

HDD: Samsung 500G SATA II 7200rpm HD502HJ - $67

DVD: Asus DRW-22B2ST 22x DVDRW SATA - $35

 

For a grand total of $1406

 

What does everyone think of this? Might not be able get it these holidays is the only problem I can see. Try and get a job at school though, so I could afford it if I don't make enough these holidays.

 

You're spending about 2/3rds more than you need to imho - get something decent now for cheap. Can't always be saving forever, there will always be something better. :cowboy:

I am not saying go overboard, I am saying go safe. Always get a PSU that has enough power left over to:

 

1) Support overclocking

2) Support an upgrade

 

I have had 2 computers which suffered major performance issues because of the power supply not being powerful enough to deal with increased voltage from overclocking. I bought the the bare minimum and got burnt.

 

A Core i5 750 uses about 490-500w at load. Add a HD 5850 which uses 155w at idle and 280w at load, plus HDD load, mobo, RAM etc, you need WAY more than a 650w PSU.

 

Personally, I have a 1250w PSU for my system and a 1000w as a backup. Overboard...perhaps. But I know these buggers wont burn out from overload.

 

For reference, I have a Core i7 920 clocked to 3.33Ghz, 6Gb RAM, 280GTX plus a 8800GT as a dedi physics card and 5 HDDs.

 

Don't go overboard, just be safe.

 

Have fun building your system, whichever you get.

A Core i5 750 uses about 490-500w at load. Add a HD 5850 which uses 155w at idle and 280w at load, plus HDD load, mobo, RAM etc, you need WAY more than a 650w PSU.

 

I'm not so sure about your CPU figures there o_0

 

i5 750 - 150 to 180W load

http://techreport.com/articles.x/17545/13

http://www.pcper.com/article.php?aid=776&type=expert&pid=13

http://www.elitebastards.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=771&catid=13&Itemid=27&limitstart=7

 

HD5850 <300W load <- U were correct on that one

http://www.behardware.com/articles/770-5/report-amd-radeon-hd-5870-and-5850.html

http://techgage.com/article/asus_radeon_eah5850/12

http://techgage.com/article/asus_radeon_eah5850/12

http://www.legitreviews.com/article/1097/12/

http://www.techspot.com/review/206-his-radeon-hd-5850/page11.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/radeon-hd-5850,2433-13.html

Edited December 18, 200915 yr by Husker

Jesus, won't someone think of the environment!!!?

while V8's keep flying around a track and Cows troll the land with their methane, i think we have a little more to worry about than a PC's Power consumption LOL

 

 

im going to take the plunge when i get back from pooka around June, i will have about 3k to spend on a PC and im going to go nuts this time, SSD's and all, but minus the "touch screens for my flight sims" LMAO !

Edited December 18, 200915 yr by Ericazuoq

Yes, but everyone needs to do their part. I propose buying Atom CPU's, underclocking them and playing Minesweeper only.

 

P.S. I sold my car, walk to work and plant trees for a living. I do my part.

Yes, but everyone needs to do their part. I propose buying Atom CPU's, underclocking them and playing Minesweeper only.

 

P.S. I sold my car, walk to work and plant trees for a living. I do my part.

 

i do my part having only one shower a month :shower:

 

and i do my fair share of walking !

 

so i think i do my part !

 

not to sure what school has to do with showering SOP lol ... nice edit..

 

now back on topic we go.. so XAVO.. hows the new rig coming along, do you have someone to build it for you ?

Edited December 18, 200915 yr by Ericazuoq

Damn, you're odd. Stay in school.

I am in school, what are you all talking about???

 

Anyway, its a race to see if I can earn ~$1500 before the end of the holidays. Not too sure what I'm getting for xmas, hopefully some money to supplement my saved stuff but I'm not really sure yet.

 

No, I don't have anyone to build for me. I might have someone who can help me, but if not, I'll just follow some videos or something online, or maybe someone could hop on TS or msn or something and talk me through it.

 

Also, is the general consensus that I should go for a 750W+ PSU? If so, are there any suggestions as to what type. Also, will my parts go together? Not sure if my ram is compatible with that board.