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semi-budget gaming build for new SW:TOR MMORPG

VirtualLarry

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
This is not for me, it's for a friend of mine. He wants a new rig to play SW:TOR with.

He currently has a S775 rig, with an E5200 (not overclocked, gah!), and a 9600GSO. His monitor is a 19" 1280x1024. (Yes, I know the FOV sucks on that monitor.)

He was looking at a budget of around $800, or a little over. He's got two computer geek friends (myself, and a mutual friend of ours), who will be looking his build over.

I haven't gotten a chance to talk to the other friend about the parts that he picked out, but my friend said that he said he was looking at a video card that was around twice as fast as the 9600GSO or so, something mid-range.

I'm thinking, that might be skimping too much on the graphics.

Surely, there should be a way to fit a 2500K, a Z68 (maybe micro-ATX, with SLI/CF support?), 8GB of RAM, and a competent video card into $800?

He asked me if I had a copy of Windows 7, which I do, so for the purposes of this discussion, $120 of the budget has to go towards Win7 Home Premium Retail Upgrade.

I have to talk to my friend about upgrading to a widescreen 1080P monitor. I have a nice Hannspree 25" LCD 1080P HDMI/VGA that I could sell him for $150. But until I get clarification from him, consider that as an extra item, and not part of the budget.

Here's what I'm thinking:
2500K
$200 - ($180 from Microcenter, plus $20 for my gas and time to fetch it for him.)
2x4GB Gskill Ripjaw DDR3-1333 1.5v
$60 - (already have, if I can, I'd like to sell him the memory I already have, although I know the price has dropped since then, so I dunno if he'll go for that.)
Antec 300
$50 - I already have this, and told him I'd sell it to him for what Newegg charges, which is currently $50.
Antec TriCool 120mm Red LED fans, 3
$30 - I already have plenty of these, told him I'd sell him three for $10 ea, Newegg currently wants $15 + $4 ship for them.

Friend wants a 1TB HD. I have some of those, Seagate 7200.12 units. I think I paid $60 for them. Could get him one of the new Hitachi 7K3000.D drives, with 1TB platters. (180MB/sec transfer rate!)
I don't know if he can fit an SSD into his budget, and I'm not even sure he would want to, even if he could, because that money would be better used for a GPU.

So that's $340 for hardware, $120 for software, so $460 already used of the budget, so that leaves $340 for both the motherboard and GPU. Wait, $60 of that for the 1TB HD, and probably $20 for a DVD burner, so that leaves $260 for mobo and GPU. That doesn't seem to be enough to me. (Edit: Need a PSU too.)

Edit: Cheapest Z68 mobo with two PCI-E slots:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128520
$90 - GIGABYTE GA-Z68P-DS3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s ATX Intel Motherboard

Edit: This might go slightly over budget:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128502
$124 - GIGABYTE GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Adds x8/x8 Crossfire OR SLI

PSU:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371031
Antec NEO ECO 620C 620W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
$55 - shellshocker this morning, don't know if I can get in on that.

Leaves $115 for a GPU.

Possible GPU choices:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814125397
GIGABYTE GV-N450D3-1GI GeForce GTS 450 (Fermi) 1GB 128-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
$110

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814131434
PowerColor AX6770 1GBD5-H Radeon HD 6770 1GB 128-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
$110 + $5 ship

Which GPU is faster, between the 6770 and GTS450?

Edit: Forgot to mention, wants computer built by December, but will be buying parts all the way up until then, piecemeal.
 
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I think you are doing your friend a disservice by pushing those parts on him without upgrading his monitor first. I think he should look into getting a used s775 quad, overclock it, and get something like a gtx 460. Spend $300 on a nice 24" monitor (like this Dell U2412M for $320. The remaining budget should go to Windows 7 and/or a new hard drive + SSD.

These will all improve his gaming + general usage a great deal while all being transferable to a new build should he need one in the future.

Edit: I fail at reading comprehension, didn't notice the part about you giving him a monitor. Consider the previous advice the ramblings of a moron.

I think your friend doesnt need the Antec tricool fans, so that leaves him a bit more to spend on the GPU. I would go for the 6850 or gtx 460 which are available on Newegg for $130 or so.
 
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He can do better.

$270 Microcenter 2500k+ mobo combo: http://www.microcenter.com/search/se...=200121+812289 Crossfire only, supposedly anyway.

$51 G.Skill Ripjaws http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231428

$60 1TB Samsung Spinpoint http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152185

$180 Sapphire 6870: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102948

$561

Why $120 for Win 7? Just buy the OEM off newegg, it's $99 now and often goes on sale.

$680 or so counting Microcenter tax.

Put the rest into whatever PSU and monitor.

I'd buy a new Antec 300 if I was going to pay $50. Or buy it here for $40 with their $5 off coupon: http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=CA-ANTE300
 
^ :thumbsup:. Could do even better and get G.Skill Value for $42. For case I would get CM HAF 912 for $60, has a much better set of features than Antec 300. But if you can sell your own case that's ofc a good idea

PSU: Antec Earthwatts 650D is only $45AR at newegg
 
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Micro Center has their house brand (unbranded Adata) 8GB DDR3-1333 1.5v kits for $39.99. Pick that up with the CPU/mobo.

PSU... today there are Newegg deals (with rebates/coupons) for Antec EarthWatts Green 650W for $40 or Neo Eco 620W for $35.
 
Zap said:
Micro Center has their house brand (unbranded Adata) 8GB DDR3-1333 1.5v kits for $39.99. Pick that up with the CPU/mobo.

PSU... today there are Newegg deals (with rebates/coupons) for Antec EarthWatts Green 650W for $40 or Neo Eco 620W for $35.
Click to expand...

I still haven't been able to figure out if the MC house-brand (Adata) DDR3 is 1.65v or 1.5v.

I discovered from another poster here, that the 2500K + GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 LGA 1155 Z68 ATX Intel Motherboard is comboing for $300 + tax. ($120 for mobo, instead of $160.)
http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0364085

That board supports CF as well as SLI, and has an 8-pin CPU power connector, and a USB3 header onboard. I might just get that combo for myself, too.

Oh, and the Antec 300 I was going to sell my friend for whatever Newegg charges for it, is brand-new in the box, not used.

Edit: If I get a mobo with an 8-pin CPU power connector, then I can sell my friend one of these for $30 instead:
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=BLK-ENP-5150GH-BULK&cat=PWR

Remember those, Zap? I still have three of them. All of mine so far have worked great.
 
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aphelion02 said:
I think you are doing your friend a disservice by pushing those parts on him without upgrading his monitor first. I think he should look into getting a used s775 quad, overclock it, and get something like a gtx 460. Spend $300 on a nice 24" monitor (like this Dell U2412M for $320. The remaining budget should go to Windows 7 and/or a new hard drive + SSD.

These will all improve his gaming + general usage a great deal while all being transferable to a new build should he need one in the future.

Edit: I fail at reading comprehension, didn't notice the part about you giving him a monitor. Consider the previous advice the ramblings of a moron.

I think your friend doesnt need the Antec tricool fans, so that leaves him a bit more to spend on the GPU. I would go for the 6850 or gtx 460 which are available on Newegg for $130 or so.
Click to expand...

I appreciate the sentiment. I do have a pre-overclocked Q6600 @ 3.6, and a nice DFI X48 mobo, and some DDR2 RAM, already in an Antec 300 case, but he didn't seem interested in that, he wants to build new.

And no, I'm not going to just give him the monitor, I plan to sell it to him for $150 (lowest price I've ever seen on it, I paid $180). Still, why should he spend $300 on a 24", when he can get a 25" from me for half that? He's not doing photo or graphic work on his computer.

And his existing mobo, a G31 micro-ATX, wouldn't be all that great at overclocking a 775 quad anyways. And his current case, doesn't have very good airflow.
 
Here is my recommendation:
i5 2500K + Gigabyte GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3 http://www.microcenter.com/search/se...=200121+484964
Microcenter combo: $240
8gb 2x4gb ram http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820161364
$42
AMD XFX 6950 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150552
$220
Your antec300
$50
Windows 7 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116986
$100
1TB HDD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148697
$55
630w antec HCG 80+bronze http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0348767
$50
Total: $758.
 
VirtualLarry said:
I still haven't been able to figure out if the MC house-brand (Adata) DDR3 is 1.65v or 1.5v.
Click to expand...

As of last I checked, it was 1.5v. I bought some last year.

I discovered from another poster here, that the 2500K + GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 LGA 1155 Z68 ATX Intel Motherboard is comboing for $300 + tax. ($120 for mobo, instead of $160.)
http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0364085[/URL
Click to expand...


Yes, they have a number of good deals. I thought the budget was $800 or bust, so I did not recommend this combo, but it's a better deal. I have the (P67) UD4 and I love it. Tax can be a bitch here in NY, but it's not as big a factor in other states.

Oh, and the Antec 300 I was going to sell my friend for whatever Newegg charges for it, is brand-new in the box, not used.
Click to expand...

:thumbsup:
 
thecrecarc said:
Here is my recommendation:
i5 2500K + Gigabyte GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3 http://www.microcenter.com/search/se...=200121+484964
Microcenter combo: $240
Click to expand...
That's a pretty decent build overall, but I took at look at that combo, and when I add the CPU to cart, and then add the motherboard, there is no discount for the mobo.

So for the same money, I think I would stick with the GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 combo, since that one works.

I'll talk it over with my friend, over the pros and cons of getting an OEM copy of Windows. I personally prefer and use Retail Upgrade copies, as those can be transferred, should you ever change out your computer.

IDontCare had a thread, discussing how Microsoft invalidated his use of OEM Win7 Ultimate on him, and he had to buy another copy. Things like that (since, MS now claims that you cannot legally purchase OEM to use on your own computer), make me prefer retail.

Thanks for all the feedback so far. I think I can make this work out. My friend doesn't even have the money just yet, so the other mutual computer-geek friend and myself are going to kind of go into a holding pattern, until this friend shows up with actual money to do the build. Then I'll revisit this. Still haven't discussed what level of video card the mutual friend picked out for my friend, forgot to ask him today. I think, if he currently has a 9600GSO (that I will probably trade him for), then possibly the GTS450 or 550 Ti would be a step up.

Edit: Not that a 6870 or GTX460 wouldn't be a bad choice. If I could shoehorn one of those into the budget, I probably would. I am concerned about some recent games, apparently maxing out the VRAM on 1GB cards at 1080P. 2GB 6870 or GTX460 aren't cheap.

Edit: Forgot to mention, but kind of implied, I do have a Microcenter nearby. I also order parts primarily from Newegg.
 
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VirtualLarry said:
That's a pretty decent build overall, but I took at look at that combo, and when I add the CPU to cart, and then add the motherboard, there is no discount for the mobo.
Click to expand...

That's odd, it works for me. Either way, the combo is directly listed on their catalog, so you should have no problem getting them to honor it in-store.
 
thecrecarc said:
Here is my recommendation:
i5 2500K + Gigabyte GA-Z68MA-D2H-B3 http://www.microcenter.com/search/se...=200121+484964
Microcenter combo: $240
8gb 2x4gb ram http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820161364
$42
AMD XFX 6950 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150552
$220
Your antec300
$50
Windows 7 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116986
$100
1TB HDD http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822148697
$55
630w antec HCG 80+bronze http://www.microcenter.com/single_pr...uct_id=0348767
$50
Total: $758.
Click to expand...

Best build so far IMHO. I see no reason to for Larry to foist his old stuff on him if he could just buy it new for less (especially that RAM).
 
mfenn said:
Best build so far IMHO. I see no reason to for Larry to foist his old stuff on him if he could just buy it new for less (especially that RAM).
Click to expand...

Aww, comeon. Would it make people happier if I just sell it to him for Newegg prices, all of it? Because I was going to save him $15 + ship on the fans, but in exchange it was going to cost $15 more on the RAM. Really, it's a wash either way.

Edit:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835209013
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231311

There, I'll charge him $19 a piece for the fans, in exchange, I'll only charge him $47 for the RAM. Happy now?

Btw, the only combos in my Microcenter catalog (that got mailed to me), shows these:
2500K + Asus P8Z68-V LX for $270 (save $110)
2500K + Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H for $290 (save $130)
2500K + Asus P8Z68-V for $320 (save $120)
2500K + Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD4 B3 for $340 (save $125)

That's it.

Edit: PS. Crecarcs' build had OEM Windows. Which is not legal to use, unless you are reselling the computer to someone. You are not allowed to use it on your own computer, per Microsoft.

Edit: Newegg wants $110 for Home Premium Retail Upgrade
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116713

Edit: Link to Microsoft:
http://www.microsoft.com/OEM/en/licensing/sblicensing/pages/licensing_for_hobbyists.aspx
There is a growing market for "do-it-yourself" home PC hobbyists who assemble PCs from components for their own use. Microsoft retail software licenses are the appropriate licenses for the do-it-yourself market. OEM System Builder software is not intended for this use, unless the PC that is assembled is being resold to another party. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

There. Cannot purchase OEM for own build use. Only for resale.

Edit: From what I can see, SWTOR really only requires a dual-core. Perhaps I could overclock my friend's E5200, and have him get a new gfx card, and possibly Windows 7, and that would last him?
 
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Larry, why does he need the fans and that particular RAM in the first place though? Just because you have it doesn't mean that it is the best deal out there today. Really, you should just skip the fans and sell him the RAM for $42, because that's what it would cost him to buy what he actually needs from Newegg.

Also, if you want to get technical about the licenses, HP Retail Upgrade isn't legal to use on a new computer either unless you happen to have a full retail version of Vista, XP, or 2000. OEM licenses (such as what came with a Dell or whatever) cannot be transferred to a new PC, which is what you are technically doing with an upgrade (that is, transfer old license and apply upgrade license).
 
Well, if he gets the Antec 300, then he needs three fans, period. The cheapest off-brand LED 120mm fans in the Microcenter catalog I got in the mail are $10, and these Antec fans have a speed adjustment, and are double ball bearing. The Antecs are good fans, IMHO. I don't want him to buy cheaper sleeve-bearing generics, and have them get noisy on him in a year or two.

He doesn't need that particular RAM, but it would work well for him.

I have Gskill value RAM too, I paid $35 for it, so if I sold it to him for Newegg's current price, I would make a profit. I just figured he wanted the "nicer" RAM with the heatspreaders.

Edit: Do you have other 120mm fans to suggest? Prefer LED fans, red or blue I guess. With molex connector, or 3-pin to molex adaptor.

I see a Rosewill blue LED fan with 3-pin connector and fan controller (unsure how many channels the controller supports) for $9 FS, and a four-pack of blue LED fans with a 3-pin fan connector for $13 + $4 ship.

I don't see any fans on Newegg like the Antecs, LED, double ball-bearing, and has both 3-pin and molex.
 
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If this helps the discusion or not I dont know but for some preliminary FPS data my sig laptop gets 45FPS at 1600x900 at medium settings. (It is about equal to a desktop i3-2100 and an HD 6770) In highly populated areas i will get some dips in FPS but it isnt too bad for the most part. Hope that helps if you are wondering if you will be able to get decent FPS in SWTOR.
 
VirtualLarry said:
Well, if he gets the Antec 300, then he needs three fans, period.
Click to expand...

Why? It comes with a perfectly serviceable fan for a moderate system.

If you want to get more fans for whatever reason, the most cost-effective way is to get the Illusion for $15 more that comes with 4 fans.
 
I talking to him tonight, and made him some other offers, mainly to save him some money, and to unload some of my stuff.

I've got an AMD X4 630 (2.8Ghz quad-core), 4GB DDR2-800, microATX board, and HD4850 512MB, 500GB HD, DVD burner. I offered him that, with Win7 HP retail pre-installed for $250. (Basically, half of what I paid for it last year, it's still new.)

I also told him I've got half of an Intel quad-core, my Q6600 @ 3.6. Don't really want to get rid of it, it's such a nice overclocker, but then again, what am I going to use this many quad-cores for? Got too many computers as-is.

Only problem is, he says he wants to have a week to use and test the computer before he buys it. And since the Q6600 rig is only half-built, that means I need to scrounge some parts up to finish it, and install Win7 64-bit onto it.
 
The AMD system is a pretty decent deal for him because he's basically getting the base system for $140-150 plus the cost of Windows.

Dunno if I would let him do a "try before you buy though". You should reverse the equation; he pays you up front but you will give him his money back if he tells you that he doesn't want it (within a week).
 
mfenn said:
The AMD system is a pretty decent deal for him because he's basically getting the base system for $140-150 plus the cost of Windows.

Dunno if I would let him do a "try before you buy though". You should reverse the equation; he pays you up front but you will give him his money back if he tells you that he doesn't want it (within a week).
Click to expand...

Yeah, that sounded a bit iffy to me too. I was just going to offer to let him stop by and try it out for a few hours, rather than ship it off to his house for a week.
 
Hey, if the unlocked "K" LLano chips come out before SWTOR, do you think that possibly one of those might be an option to play this game? Are the LLano IGPs on the highest-end chips decent for gaming at 1280x1024? IIRC, they are comparable to a 5570, right?

The HD4850 would probably be faster, although an unlocked LLano (wonder if they will "unlock" the IGP speeds too?) would be faster in the CPU dept than an Athlon II X4 630. (LLano OC to nearly 5Ghz on air, if you can get around the internal TDP cap.)

That would provide a fun, cheap option to build with.

I wonder if the A75-ITX from ASRock, would be able to handle the unlocked LLano's power-consumption, since it's ITX and doesn't have the board room for lots of VRMs, and only a four-pin power connector.
 
Llano isn't a bad choice for budget gaming as long as you are OK with keeping the resolution and details low.

As for the mobo, ASRock does list 100W CPU support, so it can deliver at least that much power and probably a little more. I wouldn't bet the farm on hitting 5GHz with it though.
 
If you're still considering getting him a 2500k for SW:TOR... It's completely unnecessary. The game runs just fine on a Phenom II X4. 😉 Not sure how much graphics muscle it needs, though.

You might want to wait until SWTOR is released; the benchmarking results might surprise you.
 
My friend never did come up with the money for that rig to play SWTOR. He instead, bought a Q9450 / P45 rig from a different friend.

Which he now wants to upgrade again, at some point.
 
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