Building my new comp

[Jimb011]

My computer experienced a burnout during a lightning storm so I wish to buy a new one

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.

Mostly gaming, I'd like to view seamless cut scenes, you-tube videos. I'll be skyping and writing documents.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

600$ is what I would like to spend

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

The United States

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.

I'm looking at AMD but really I don't have a preference since this is my first build.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

An old computer screen but I don't consider it a factor except I wont need to buy one. Maybe A keyboard but it's sort of messed up.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

I don't know what this means

8. What resolution will you be using?

1080 Res (If that is not an accurate measurement then I'd like an example of a good res)

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

As soon as I get the parts.

 

[crazymonkeyzero]

Hi. First of all, do you need to include an OS, peripherals and a monitor in the budget, or do you have those lying around? Windows 7 is $100, and the cheapest 1080p monitor will run anywhere from 130-150$.

 

[Jimb011]

Hi. First of all, do you need to include an OS, peripherals and a monitor in the budget, or do you have those lying around? Windows 7 is $100, and the cheapest 1080p monitor will run anywhere from 130-150$.

I have access to windows 7, I don't need a monitor at this time cause Ill be using my old one so I guess the 1080 res question is null and void.

 

[crazymonkeyzero]

Here's a quick parts list I put together. Intel is currently the best option interms of performance, so I went with that as opposed to AMD. Should be able to play most modern games at 1080p without any trouble.

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500 $210
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115073
MOBO AsRock H61M-DGS $45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157315
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7770 ($135 after rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102993
Antec 450 psu 37$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371045
1Tb HDD 90$
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148840
Kingston 8gb DDR3 1600 Memory $45
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820104262
Case: Fractal Design Core 1000 $40
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811352009
DVD Burner $17
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827106289


TOTAL with tax & shipping and rebates/promos: $675

 

[krnmastersgt]

I wouldn't opt for a quad under this budget, best to step down to an i3 2100 or thereabouts and up the video card to a 7850 or something.

I'd also change out the PSU to this Corsair CX430 for $21 AR.

Also overpaying for the ram, nothing wrong with this G.SKILL Value 8 GB set for $40.

Also I'd change the case to this Rosewill REDBONE for $34 AP.

 

[crazymonkeyzero]

I wouldn't opt for a quad under this budget, best to step down to an i3 2100 or thereabouts and up the video card to a 7850 or something.

I'd also change out the PSU to this Corsair CX430 for $21 AR.

Corsair CX430 was one of my initial choices too, but it's prone to coil whine as been reported by many people. But perhaps an i3 might be alright, the core i3 2130 is the highest clocked one at 3.4ghz which would help for gaming, and it's 150$. The video card is perfectly fine for the budget imo, and it runs cool and is very power efficient.

 

[krnmastersgt]

From what I remember the 7770 does very well in DX11 titles, but fails to beat out some ~$100 cards like the GTX 460 at DX10 and DX9 titles. Seeing as how most titles on the market are DX9, I think that matters substantially.

Also if this system's primary focus is gaming the video card should be pretty important, and the 7850 will cruise through every title for the intended resolution.

If you want to save a bit of money, there's always the 6870. It'll run a bit hotter due to old tech but the card is still pretty powerful.

 

[Jimb011]

Ok so heres what I'm going with:

Rosewill REDBONE Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card (100314-3L )

Intel Core i3-2130 Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I32130

G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT

ASRock H61M-DGS LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Antec VP-450 450W ATX 12V v2.3 Power Supply

Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM

 

[Ken g6]

$25 to go from the 2120 to the 2130 (100 MHz more) is pointless...if you can spend that $25 to get something better. Would that allow you to upgrade to a 7850 for $210AR?

Edit: Here's a bundle with a DVD burner to save you even more.

 

[lehtv]

CPU ^ That combo $136
Mobo Asrock B75M $65
RAM PNY 2x4GB 1333 $39
GPU Sapphire 7850 2GB $240
HDD Seagate ST1000DM003 $78 (ncix)
PSU Corsair CX430 V2 $22 AR
Case Rosewill Blackbone $34 AP

= $614 + shipping from newegg

 

[krnmastersgt]

CPU ^ That combo $136
Mobo Asrock B75M $65
RAM PNY 2x4GB 1333 $39
GPU Sapphire 7850 2GB $240
HDD Seagate ST1000DM003 $78 (ncix)
PSU Corsair CX430 V2 $22 AR
Case Rosewill Blackbone $34 AP

= $614 + shipping from newegg

Great all around build, I'd still suggest the Redbone vs the Blackbone though primarily due to the fact that the PSU is mounted on top in the Blackbone and on the bottom in the Redbone.

 

[lehtv]

You'll get better temps with a PSU doubling as a top exhaust, I think that's reasonable in a budget build. But managing the cables would be easier with a bottom mounted PSU, especially in a case like this where there's no compartment behind the motherboard tray. Also IMO the Blackbone looks better.

Another option: Antec One for $40 @ ncix. Definitely a superior case but that's another $8 over the budget

 

[mfenn]

CPU ^ That combo $136
Mobo Asrock B75M $65
RAM PNY 2x4GB 1333 $39
GPU Sapphire 7850 2GB $240
HDD Seagate ST1000DM003 $78 (ncix)
PSU Corsair CX430 V2 $22 AR
Case Rosewill Blackbone $34 AP

= $614 + shipping from newegg

:thumbsup: Nice build!

 

[Jimb011]

Ok so heres what I'm going with:

Rosewill REDBONE Black SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card (100314-3L )

Intel Core i3-2130 Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz LGA 1155 65W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I32130

G.SKILL Value Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBNT

ASRock H61M-DGS LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Antec VP-450 450W ATX 12V v2.3 Power Supply

Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM

Ok, so I bought all this and put it together and it false started and continued to false start. I spend several hours wondering why when I take a look at the graphic card box:

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card (100314-3L )

This requires a 500 watt power source. The problem is that:

Antec VP-450 450W ATX 12V v2.3 Power Supply

This only provides a 450 watt continuous power at 80%

I need at least a 550 watt power supply, preferably one cheaper then the Antec 450. Thanks.

 

[krnmastersgt]

I would have went with lethv's build.

But that aside, it states it requires a 500W unit however that's just a gross overestimation so that people with really bad quality PSU's don't accidentally assume their PSU's can handle the load.

The Antec should be more than enough to power the 6870, you likely have a different problem. Care to be more specific about what's happening when you try to boot the system up and it fails? Any noticeable beeps or something.

 

[Jimb011]

When I boot it up the fans spin then stop then spin then stop. I'm booting it with the cover off so I can fix any problems. there are no noticeable beeps but the harddrive makes a loud clicking noise whenever it stops. everything is plugged in correctly.

 

[krnmastersgt]

Try running the system with just the CPU and 1 stick of RAM. Use the on-board video to try and see if you can make it to the BIOS at all.

 

[mfenn]

I would have went with lethv's build.

But that aside, it states it requires a 500W unit however that's just a gross overestimation so that people with really bad quality PSU's don't accidentally assume their PSU's can handle the load.

The Antec should be more than enough to power the 6870, you likely have a different problem.

I agree. The VP-450 has a total of 432W available on the 12V rails, which is more than the TDP of the CPU and GPU combined (several times more actually).

 

[mfenn]

Try running the system with just the CPU and 1 stick of RAM. Use the on-board video to try and see if you can make it to the BIOS at all.

:thumbsup: to this. Pull everything back out of the case, keep one stick of RAM and the CPU installed, hook up the PSU (ATX and ATX12V), and short the power switch pins with a screwdriver.

 

[Jimb011]

Can I still use 2 sticks of Ram once I use only 1 stick of Ram?

 

[krnmastersgt]

Using only 1 stick is just a testing method, sometimes you'll get 2 sticks together but 1 will be defective while the other is good. In this scenario the bad stick is part of the dual channel configuration (or just the memory overall) and the system will fail to boot due to bad memory/memory errors. Using 1 stick lowers the risk of this being an issue (also helped with default voltage issues but I don't think this generation of systems suffers from that).

If you can verify later that the system works with 1 stick, test it again with the other stick. If both times the system is responsive it means your RAM is fine and you will be able to use both sticks, but it also means that you have a different problem altogether.

 

[Jimb011]

But then again, why does the 6870 require 500 watts?

 

[krnmastersgt]

As I said before, it's a gross overestimation as many PSU will claim 500W output, but in reality the conversion process will dent the amount of actual wattage they can deliver. More importantly for the 6/8 pin connectors on modern PSUs, they require a proper amount of power on the 12V rails to power video cards. A GTX 670 for instance recommends a 600+ W unit I believe, when in reality with high enough efficiency PSUs, a quality 600W unit could actually power a 670 SLI configuration.

PSU's all vary too much so there's no 1 standard video card companies can recommend, they prefer that their customer base pays a bit extra and stays on the safe side as opposed to having an under-powered video card crashing constantly and having a mad customer.