Should I take this computer back? Edit: Took it back, what do you think of this?

[UglyCasanova]

Edit:

I took back that computer and am thankful I did. Best Buy was no hassle and there was no restocking fee, so kudos to them. I pieced the computer below together, what do you think? I haven't looked at computer hardware in quite some time, I just want to get something that can play games and will last me for a good while.

Intel Core i5 2500K 3.3GHz
ASUS P8P67 Pro
EVGA Superclocked GeForce GTX 560 Ti
G.Skill 8GB DDR3 1600
WD Caviar Black 1TB 7200rpm
Antec Three Hundred case (I have an OCZ power supply already, can't remember the wattage but it is at least 500)
Lite-On DVD Burner
Rosewill card reader





I purchased this computer yesterday to replace my 6+ year old desktop I was using. Although it is much faster than my previous computer, I feel like it should be faster than it is. The 3DMark11 score was ~1500 which seems pretty craptacular compared to other scores I've seen. I purchased Duke Nukem Forever off of Steam and although it plays it, I feel like it should be faster and smoother.

Does the video card in this just suck and need to be upgraded? Should I take the computer back? I purchased this because I didn't really feel like doing the research on the different components and ordering them, I just wanted to go and buy it and say there it is. Now I may be having buyers remorse. Anyways, I have 13 more days to return it to Best Buy if I choose. (I ripped the sticker off of the side of the case, but the lady said that shouldn't be a problem).

 

[notty22]

Does the video card in this just suck and need to be upgraded?

Basically yes. Its using the ddr3 version of this model, which hampers its performance.
If gaming is your focus, you are going to want a differenct video card. What PSU comes in the tower ?
As to whether you should return it ? Thats up to you, I'm pretty sure if you don't buy anything else, there is a 15% re-stocking fee. You might have to weight that, as to whether you should just upgrade the video card/ possibly PSU ?

http://www.amd.com/us/products/desk...6570/Pages/amd-radeon-hd-6570-overview.aspx#2

AMD Radeon™ HD 6570 GPU Feature Summary

• 650 MHz engine clock
• 512MB-2GB DDR3 or 512MB-1GB GDDR5 memory
• 900 MHz (DDR3) or 1000 MHz (GDDR5) memory clock (1.8 Gbps DDR3 or 4.0 Gbps GDDR5)
• 28.8 GB/s (DDR3) or 64 GB/s (GDDR5) memory bandwidth

 

[UglyCasanova]

She said full refund, no restocking but she could very well be wrong. I would need to replace the PSU as well, it's only 300W (although I think I *might* have a 500W lying around here). I think I may just keep the damn thing and find and buy a decent video card when a really good deal comes around. On the plus side I can put the video card in this one in my old computer (which my wife is going to be using).

Only other problem, it is a pci express x 16 1.0, so if I get one of the cards which says 2.0 will it work on there? Thanks!

 

[Zap]

The specs are probably wrong on the PCIe slot, but even if right it should still work with any card.

Interesting that they use the 2600S CPU. It is 600MHz slower than the other two Core i7 2600 models. On the flip side, it is 30W less in TDP.

You are right in that the graphics card needs to be upgraded (with possibly a PSU upgrade) for better gaming.

Now, if you decide to return this computer, what will you get instead? The "problem" with most off-the-shelf computers is that they do not cater to PC gamers and thus almost ALWAYS are weak on the graphics card. You can get much better gaming PCs from a boutique brand, but will end up paying a lot more.

You can always find a local mom/pop shop and get a quote from them. Then post the quote here and we can rip it to shreds let you know if it is good or not.

Have you considered building your own? Gaming PCs are one area that makes sense to build your own, since product managers at big OEMs seem unable to grasp the concept.

 

[DaveSimmons]

> it is a pci express x 16 1.0, so if I get one of the cards which says 2.0 will it work on there? Thanks!

Yes.

You really should have bought something like this instead if you wanted a gaming PC without building it:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-322-_-Product

(Newegg iBuyPower prebuilt, $1,029 + $25 shipping, Intel Core i5 2400(3.10GHz) 8GB DDR3 1TB HDD Capacity NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit)

... or ordered a custom system from iBuyPower or http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/

 

[mfenn]

The specs are probably wrong on the PCIe slot, but even if right it should still work with any card.

I agree. The PCIe lanes build into Sandy Bridge are 2.0, so HP would really have to go out of their way (and add expense) to make them 1.0. Also, the 2600S turbos up to the same max frequency on one or two cores as the normal one (3.8GHz and 3.7GHz, respectively), so that shouldn't be a big deal either.

You really should have bought something like this instead if you wanted a gaming PC without building it:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-322-_-Product

(Newegg iBuyPower prebuilt, $1,029 + $25 shipping, Intel Core i5 2400(3.10GHz) 8GB DDR3 1TB HDD Capacity NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit)

... or ordered a custom system from iBuyPower or http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/

Yeah, if there is no restocking fee, that iBuyPower will cost about $150 less than a suitably upgraded HP (assuming Newegg charges the OP tax).

 

[VirtualLarry]

Just get a decent video card (and upgrade the PSU to accomodate), and you will be golden.

 

[UglyCasanova]

Just get a decent video card (and upgrade the PSU to accomodate), and you will be golden.

Just checked, my old computer had a 500W PSU I put in when I was running SLI, so that should be more than adequate. I am just going to be on the lookout (although no rush) for a good deal on a video card. The card in my computer currently will go into the old computer (which only has onboard video atm) and everything will be groovy. More costly I'm sure than other routes, but should be less hassle than taking this computer back.

 

[UglyCasanova]

I put my new component choices up top, what do you think? Definitely superior to the the HP I took back? I got it to $956 shipped and a $30 MIR as well, and that is with a copy of Windows 7. Cheaper than what I paid for the HP, but the video card is much better and the motherboard leaves me plenty of room to expand if I want to add in another card for SLI later or something.

 

[DominionSeraph]

Well, an OCZ 500W PSU probably won't handle GTX 560 SLI, so I'd go with a cheaper motherboard.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.689150

And the Spinpoint F3 is a decent bit cheaper than the Caviar Black.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822152185

 

[UglyCasanova]

If I go SLI in the future then I will upgrade the PSU if need be. I already have the PSU here though, and I like the option of throwing another video card in if I want to. In the near term I will just be running the one GTX 560.

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

Edit:

I took back that computer and am thankful I did. Best Buy was no hassle and there was no restocking fee, so kudos to them. I pieced the computer below together, what do you think? I haven't looked at computer hardware in quite some time, I just want to get something that can play games and will last me for a good while.

Intel Core i5 2500K 3.3GHz
ASUS P8P67 Pro
EVGA Superclocked GeForce GTX 560 Ti
G.Skill 8GB DDR3 1600
WD Caviar Black 1TB 7200rpm
Antec Three Hundred case (I have an OCZ power supply already, can't remember the wattage but it is at least 500)
Lite-On DVD Burner
Rosewill card reader





I purchased this computer yesterday to replace my 6+ year old desktop I was using. Although it is much faster than my previous computer, I feel like it should be faster than it is. The 3DMark11 score was ~1500 which seems pretty craptacular compared to other scores I've seen. I purchased Duke Nukem Forever off of Steam and although it plays it, I feel like it should be faster and smoother.

Does the video card in this just suck and need to be upgraded? Should I take the computer back? I purchased this because I didn't really feel like doing the research on the different components and ordering them, I just wanted to go and buy it and say there it is. Now I may be having buyers remorse. Anyways, I have 13 more days to return it to Best Buy if I choose. (I ripped the sticker off of the side of the case, but the lady said that shouldn't be a problem).

There are some things you should change. First, I'd start with the mobo: the AsRock Z68 Extreme4 has more features like the Z68 chipset, better power phase design, and only costs $10 more. If you don't want or need Z68, the same story applies to the P67 Extreme4 except it costs $20 less than the ASUS.


Another important thing: the Hard Drive. The Caviar Black 1TB is slower, noisier, more expensive, but just as reliable as the Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB. I highly recommend that instead.


The Graphics Card: the problem I see with the GTX 560 Ti is that it's not competitively priced. The Radeon HD 6870 is only 5-10% slower, consumes less power, yet costs $50 less. At the $200 price range it's the one to get. For the GTX 560 Ti I can't recommend the SuperClocked model from EVGA because it commands a price premium and its factory overclock can be easily achieved by a stock model. (The only factory overclocked card I could really recommend right now is the EVGA GTX 460 SSC+ because it doesn't command a price premium over the others yet has a significant overclock). At the $250 price range, the Radeon HD 6950 1GB is a better choice because it's 10-15% faster than the GTX 560 Ti and only costs $20 more.


As for the DVD Burner, at a cheap price the Sony Optiarc is a better choice. It has the NEC chipset and better components, which basically translates to that it has higher read/write speeds and is less noisy.

 

[DaveSimmons]

At the moment this EVGA 560 ti model is $230 before a $25 mail-in rebate, $205 after rebate. If you prefer nvidia to AMD it's another good choice besides the SuperClocked at $215 after rebate:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-604-_-Product

But if you like AMD just as well then that 6870 at $160 after rebate is also a good choice.

I'm also a Samsung Spinpoint fan so I'd pick it over the WD, but the WD is a decent choice too.

 

[UglyCasanova]

Thanks! I'm going with the Spinpoint I suppose. I picked the WD Caviar because it is 6 GB/s and 64mb cache, but I suppose that it doesn't really matter? Also I think I am going to go with the AsRock mobo. Anyway you cut it I think I am better off at the same price than the comp I bought from Best Buy. My wife is also happy because she is inheriting my old computer.

 

[DaveSimmons]

> I picked the WD Caviar because it is 6 GB/s and 64mb cache, but I suppose that it doesn't really matter?

6 Gb currently only matters for the most expensive SSDs not 7200 RPM platter drives. The cache could possibly matter for a very highly fragmented drive but for loading game levels it's not likely to have any effect.

 

[LOL_Wut_Axel]

Thanks! I'm going with the Spinpoint I suppose. I picked the WD Caviar because it is 6 GB/s and 64mb cache, but I suppose that it doesn't really matter? Also I think I am going to go with the AsRock mobo. Anyway you cut it I think I am better off at the same price than the comp I bought from Best Buy. My wife is also happy because she is inheriting my old computer.

SATA 6Gbps only makes a difference on a device that will have higher throughput than 280MB/s or so. The Spinpoint F3 1TB does average reads of 125MB/s and the Caviar Black of 110MB/s, so it doesn't matter. The cache won't matter, either. It makes a tiny difference going from 16MB to 32MB, but going from 32MB to 64MB is pretty much useless.

The AsRock mobo, well, no matter if you get the Z68 or P67 version, it's gotten great reviews by both reviewers and users. It has a great power phase design that will take extreme OCs, it has tons of features, it's less expensive than the others, and its U-EFI interface is one of the best.

This is immesurably better than what Best Buy sold to you, in every aspect.

 

[mfenn]

Intel Core i5 2500K 3.3GHz
ASUS P8P67 Pro
EVGA Superclocked GeForce GTX 560 Ti
G.Skill 8GB DDR3 1600
WD Caviar Black 1TB 7200rpm
Antec Three Hundred case (I have an OCZ power supply already, can't remember the wattage but it is at least 500)
Lite-On DVD Burner
Rosewill card reader

This looks pretty good, but I'd make a few changes:
- Swap the GPU to a non factory-overclocked one for $200.
- Swap the mobo and RAM for this GA-Z68X-UD3 + G.Skill DDR3 1600 combo for $175
- Swap the HDD to a Samsung F3 1TB as mentioned above

 

[DominionSeraph]

If I go SLI in the future then I will upgrade the PSU if need be. I already have the PSU here though, and I like the option of throwing another video card in if I want to. In the near term I will just be running the one GTX 560.

Personally, I'd roll the money you'd be saving by not buying a SLI motherboard and not buying a PSU, plus the money you were going to spend to buy microstutter and noise in an additional GTX 560, into a new single card.
Take all that savings, sell the old GTX 560, and you'd be able to afford a GTX 770.
Sounds better than GTX 560 SLI to me.