Help Magnus Build A Computer And Win A Prize! (maybe)

Here's a build that's a few hundred outside of your price range, but will play almost everything at max settings and has plenty of wiggle room if you need to shear off a few bucks. In terms of a case, anything corsair or cooler master would be fine. Asus also makes some great, cheap monitors if you're in need of one

In terms of a joystick - I'd pick up a thrustmaster hotas unless you're willing to shill out an extra 150$ or so for a saitek x-52 pro

Hope that helps a little bit anyway, I'm at work so I can't do a ton of research. Feel free to ask any questions though

 

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2011/03/ars-system-guide-march-2011-edition/3/

The "Hot Rod" build from March of last year is a good bet for performance/price. At current prices you should be able to keep the tower under $500. You're looking at a solid quad-core processor, and a Radeon 6950 or NVIDIA 560ti for graphics. Throw in some RAM and plug in your peripherals. Probably the biggest choice is a small-ish SSD for performance, or a larger 7200 rpm hard drive for utility.

I use the 2500k and a Radeon 6950 and so far it runs everything I throw at it with ease!

 

If your getting a new case, pick up a Lian Li

Some can get a little pricey, but they are worth it (in my opinion) in the long run for multiple use, good internal space for working and good heat management.

 

Ceiling mech. ;_;

 

beat me to that obligatory post

 

Here is one that I did. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/exxR

Not sure if you were going to use your current hard drive or not. The SSD would be for windows and your daily programs. The 1 TB hard drive would be for everything else. You can choose both or 1 or the other.

The case is always a personal preference. I like cases with alot of air flow.

The 2gb graphics card is what I run now. I can run 2 monitors off it (27" + 22") and have no issues running at high settings. The 2gb is for multiple monitors or very large monitors with high settings + AA. If you dont plan to run that. You can get a 1gb card.

You can also go to cyberpower pc and see if you can build a complete system for the money you want to spend.
http://www.cyberpowerpc.com/

 

Look at my build thread. I helped Myuu build one extremely similar and they both work like a charm. Should be very within your budget and play almost anything on high.

 

Well clock speed isn't everything; intel's sandy bridge has pretty much beaten amd's bulldozer in every gaming-relevant benchmark. So basically it's a matter of lowering the price to stay competitive (as far as I'm aware)

130$ is a great price point - but I personally think that it's worth the extra 60$ for an i5-2500k if you have it to spare. The 2500k oc's magnificently (mine is running nice and cool at 4.5 ghz), and it would only be about 550$ for an i5, mobo, and that sapphire 6950 you're looking at (which is a great card)

 

Quad cores are the standard now. However, they are really low end. Meaning good for now, but not long term. The eight core processors will be good for another 5 years+. While the 4 core processors will only be viable for another 2 years, if that. At least in terms of gaming and major software.

If you can swing it, spend a little more now. In order to avoid having to uograde again in 2 years.

 

I believe that the I5 is really solid. You wont need to overclock. In addition, the latest intel chips are very efficient.

Outdated is a bad word to use, i guess. Its just not as future proof as a 8 core. Also, dont forget if you get a solid video card and a quad processor. You may be creating a bottleneck between the card and cpu. Causing you not to get the top performance of your graphics card.

It really depends on how much detail and performance you want for your build. Not just now, but years down the road.

 

Every benchmark I've ever seen shows that a bulldozer chip actually bottlenecks performance before your video card will. It's just not a great chip unfortunately, and even the i7 does multi-threading better. We've barely even begun properly using quad cores, and by the time 8 becomes necessary I'd guess that you'd be looking to upgrade your system anyway.

As for the i5, like captain mentioned it performs extremely well even before oc'ing. Although if you don't plan on overclocking I'd go with the standard 2500 as opposed to the 2500k - the only difference between the two is the k is unlocked and more expensive. You also won't need to buy a CPU cooler if you aren't overclocking

 

430W Corsair PSU $25 after $20 MIR and $5 code (EMCNBJF33)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...ction-_-cables-_-na-_-na&Item=N82E16817139026


If that is indeed relevant to your interests, of course.

 

Call these guys, problem solved.

[video=youtube;BrVd0h7_Kms]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrVd0h7_Kms[/video]

 

For a CPU, you'd be fine with even just an i3 series CPU. Yes they are only dual-core, but I've got an ultra-low power model in my HTPC and it runs like a champ! I'm not sure how the current Pentium chips based on the i series are (believe they are just an i3 w/o hyperthreading), but that is an inexpensive option as well. Video cards you can save some by getting an older ATI card (depending on what res you want to run), but would say if going Nvidia get at least a 5 series GPU. I do think you will have a hard time getting all new hardware, case, monitor, etc for $500 though. But for that budget I would definitely say that an SSD is out of the question.. but they also aren't "needed", just help oodles with load times. As for memory, if going with a dual-channel system I'd get at least 8 gigs.. if a tri-channel get at least 6. Lian Li cases are amazing, hands down the best cases I have ever owned, however they are also very expensive. An alternative I have found is a company called "LanCool". They actually are the ones who make Lian Li cases, but they make theirs out of alum and steel.. so you get great design and quality, just a bit heavier

Joysticks you are kind of on your own.. I lost my old Microsoft force-feedback stick a few years ago and haven't found one that I "love" to replace it with. Currently I have a Logitech Extreme 3d Pro, and its "ok".. really miss that Sidewinder

Hope some of that info is helpful.. but please feel free to ask me anything too! I love getting my hands inside of peoples machines!

 

I really like this Antec Case it's really quite nice for 70 bucks, as long as you like blue LEDs. It comes with four variable speed 120s that are pretty quiet even turned on high, the front and top all have blue LEDs. It has a slot for a fifth 120 on the side that it doesn't come with, but really you probably wont need it. It's super easy to get in and out of, thumb screws, and it opens like a door so no trying to line up lame little tabs with slots. The card slots are easy to access, and it has a fair amount of room to work with over all. As the reviews say depending on the number of fan connectors on you mobo, you may need to get mollex adapters.

Also if you can squeeze it in your budget, Corsair modular power supplies Cool, quiet, rock solid... and really more power supplies should come with velvet bags. But whatever you do don't go all cheapo on your PSU or you will be a sad puppy when it fries your motherboard. Personally I'll never us a non-modular power supply again, Corsairs are really nice, an right now they are on sale on Newegg.