Help me put together a budget rig please!

Tea_Bag

For my birthday i decided to buy and build myself a half decent PC.

It'll be used for FPS games and some lightish photoshop stuff.

things i am awaiting delivery are:

this monitor

This case

---

I already have or dont need to be included in budget is:

keyboard
DVD writer
speakers
Creative Audigy 2 pci sound card (is this worth keeping or using? will the onboard sound be better, as its a little dated?)

---

im budgeting around €550, but if i need to stretch that a bit for a better gain in performance, i guess id regret not doing it later..

All advice appreciated!:o

Edit: This is what i was thinking along the lines of... but again, ive been out of the PC game a long time, console gaming took over...



also, as you can see, i have no MoBo.. dunno where to go with that.

and i think ill be able to get W7 X64 at student prices somewhere else..

i plan on light OCing, incase i cant unlock the 4th core on that, and maybe a second GPU at a later stage, so not sure about PSU..

massy086

[IMG][/img]

Tea_Bag

thanks for the reply!

updated OP.

would that be much better than my build?

also, is an i5 definetly out of my budget at €170ish, or can it be gotten cheaper? i3 just sounds like such a baby..

is ebuyer the prefered website now over HWVS?

also, (lastly i promise!) should i cancel and re-order my screen/case from ebuyer to save on delivery charges?

Tea_Bag

i should probably mention this, as it could affect the build, but ill have a spare 19in vga(1280x1024) monitor that ill want hooked up as well for funsies, and because it'll look badass.

massy086

were have you ordered from the case and screen i just used ebuyer cuz i thought u were all ready

[IMG][/img]

massy086

[IMG][/img]

Tea_Bag

massy086 wrote: »

were have you ordered from the case and screen i just used ebuyer cuz i thought u were all ready

[IMG][/img]

yeah i have ordered them from ebuyer, but would putting the whole order (monitor/case/PC components) together save on shipping?

i chose the X3 AMD cause i figured using (2xgfx + AMD x3) would be cheaper and better gaming wise than (1xgfx + i5). am i wrong?

Tea_Bag

massy086 wrote: »

[IMG][/img]

would the €130 extra for the i5 build well worth the extra cash debt?

massy086

i,d go am3 to be honest if you can unlock the core and overclock there great iv got the i5 and love it but its another 5770 worth think of it that way ya know and ye buy from the one vender to say delivery and also scrap that ram i listed to slow try this http://www1.hardwareversand.de/articledetail.jsp?aid=28068&agid=1193

massy086

[IMG][/img]

Tea_Bag

massy086 wrote: »

[IMG][/img]

well under budget! awesome!

so would this system be fine to OC as it is now? somewhere close to 3.5ghz?

would it play MW2 or similar at full whack on the 1080p monitor?

also, what are the chances of getting that extra core unlocked, and if it cant be unlocked, would i be stuck with dated equipment that leaves me needing to upgrade at the end of the year? how upgradable is the system?


im so sorry for all the questions!

Lu Tze

Saw an article on one of the websites where they disproved the theory that you wouldn't anything more than an X3 for gaming. They benched an i7 with a single GPU, versus an x3 with crossfire of the same GPU and the i7 setup was outperfirming the crossfire with x3.

That said, i think it was 5850s or 5870s they had, which if you putting that kind of money in you would likely spend more on the cpu anyway.

Tea_Bag

Lu Tze wrote: »

Saw an article on one of the websites where they disproved the theory that you wouldn't anything more than an X3 for gaming. They benched an i7 with a single GPU, versus an x3 with crossfire of the same GPU and the i7 setup was outperfirming the crossfire with x3.

That said, i think it was 5850s or 5870s they had, which if you putting that kind of money in you would likely spend more on the cpu anyway.

Would you go for the i5 rig then?

would i regret having a triple core process in the near future? im assuming i cant unlock it. googling doesnt reveal what success rates are like.

massy086

nah you would,nt see a huge difference in them to be honest and if you ever did need a boost you could always then later down the road pick up a amd 4 core or even 6 core :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

Lu Tze

Its really up to yourself, if you are running a single 5770 i would imagine you are better off going with the x3 and save the money.

You can always upgrade the processor down the line, where money saved now might go a bit further. Alternatively if you are looking to take the gamble, venomireland is having sporadic success with unlocking a phenom x2

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055959836

Which costs ballpark the same.

Edit: What massy said

massy086

Lu Tze wrote: »

Its really up to yourself, if you are running a single 5770 i would imagine you are better off going with the x3 and save the money.

You can always upgrade the processor down the line, where money saved now might go a bit further. Alternatively if you are looking to take the gamble, venomireland is having sporadic success with unlocking a phenom x2

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055959836

Which costs ballpark the same.

Edit: What massy said

hmmm good point letuze but if he can unlock it then he,s stuck with two core,s were as with the x3 at least he can just overclock the 3 core,s ya dont have a link to that article do ya i,d like to read iot :)

VenomIreland

Lu Tze wrote: »

, venomireland is having sporadic success with unlocking a phenom x2

Yep, OC'd it to 3.4 and running Stability tests now, only seems to be a degree or two hotter (may not be the CPU that's running hotter,could be NB as Core Temp monitoring is broken when you unlock).

I would not recommend getting one hoping to unlock though, as I was lucky to get one that did and even then, it uses about 40W more than a 955 does.

Lu Tze

massy086 wrote: »

hmmm good point letuze but if he can unlock it then he,s stuck with two core,s were as with the x3 at least he can just overclock the 3 core,s ya dont have a link to that article do ya i,d like to read iot :)

Jesus that was difficult to find :eek:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/athlon-ii-x3-440-gaming-performance,2619-9.html

At least i had a vague memory it was on toms, i have linked to the page where an i7 920 + HD5850 is outperforming an x3 with 2 x 5870 in crossfire

Tea_Bag

excellent, thanks for the help guys!

now, is there any component you'd recommend changing, knowing that i plan on OCing? better cooling, few more case fans, anything?
will the MoBo be good for OCing?

also, whats a good mouse and keyboard to buy from ebuyer?

(seeing as we are slightly under budget!! thanks massy!)

VenomIreland

Tea_Bag wrote: »

excellent, thanks for the help guys!

now, is there any component you'd recommend changing, knowing that i plan on OCing? better cooling, few more case fans, anything?
will the MoBo be good for OCing?

also, whats a good mouse and keyboard to buy from ebuyer?

(seeing as we are slightly under budget!! thanks massy!)

what's the final list of components?

Tea_Bag

Tea_Bag wrote: »

massy086 wrote: »

[IMG][/img]

well under budget! awesome!

so would this system be fine to OC as it is now? somewhere close to 3.5ghz?

would it play MW2 or similar at full whack on the 1080p monitor?

also, what are the chances of getting that extra core unlocked, and if it cant be unlocked, would i be stuck with dated equipment that leaves me needing to upgrade at the end of the year? how upgradable is the system?


im so sorry for all the questions!

this.

ill also need a keyboard and mouse. It would be nice to squeeze in a decent 2.1 speaker system too. any recommendations?

will it run current FPS games at full whack on my new 1080p monitor?

VenomIreland

Tea_Bag wrote: »

will it run current FPS games at full whack on my new 1080p monitor?

Most likely, but probably not with Full Anti-Aliasing.

How much money you got left over? Tell me and I'll pick out a keyboard, speakers and mouse.

Lu Tze

Tea_Bag wrote: »

this.

ill also need a keyboard and mouse. It would be nice to squeeze in a decent 2.1 speaker system too. any recommendations?

will it run current FPS games at full whack on my new 1080p monitor?

Yeah should do alright a 1080p, though not at full settings. I have a benchmark up from Just Cause 2 here http://adverts.ie/245518 (shameless plug :pac:) and yours should run a bit better.

I have the same monitor as you have picked out, its fairly nice for the price.

VenomIreland

hey just noticed, you are only 4 quid under your budget

Tea_Bag

VenomIreland wrote: »

Most likely, but probably not with Full Anti-Aliasing.

How much money you got left over? Tell me and I'll pick out a keyboard, speakers and mouse.

eh 60ish euro. maybe more if i have too. i really dont want to be needing anymore upgrades after this for a looooooong time.

god what does it take to run a game like i can do on my xbox360 and 32" tv????


EDIT: just saw this PALIT GTX 460 768MB GDDR5 for £150

would that be a better buy and cut back on speakers or something?

looking at this review on bit-tech seems it destroys the 5770...

massy086

ye i was going to add the 460 early,r but i was just trying to keep the budget down ye i would grab it big time they seem to be a great card

Tea_Bag

Right so this is the basket before i press order.



any last minute changed?

i went for a cheap keyboard, cheap mouse, and the best speaker system in its price range.

Lu Tze

You might as well check pixmania for a price comparison before you pull the trigger

massy086

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/142740 much better

Tea_Bag

pixmanias website is so slow, this is taking ages lol




thats leaving out the speakers and different RAM and cpu cooler.

Tea_Bag

massy086

wow big difference ebuyer it is lol

Tea_Bag

xe.com wrote:

533.00 GBP = 636.596 EUR
1 GBP = 1.19436 EUR

hope my CC company can give me a better deal!!

Edit: on 6th July i made a transaction and i got £1 = €1.22, so its not that far off the mark at all.

the euro really has lost ground lately though and im quite over budget.


seriously though guys, for €637, could i get a better machine?

massy086

nah thats a great build mate just press the make me broke but happy button lol lol

Lu Tze

The one thing i will say for pixmania, is the x3 445 is only 89 - odd that the 435 is so expensive!

marco_polo

Tea_Bag wrote: »

hope my CC company can give me a better deal!!

Edit: on 6th July i made a transaction and i got £1 = €1.22, so its not that far off the mark at all.

the euro really has lost ground lately though and im quite over budget.


seriously though guys, for €637, could i get a better machine?

Looks like a nicely balanced build to me , I'd say just do it. :pac:

Tea_Bag

ok...... ORDERED!!!!




aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh


im actually giddy with excitement. i wont sleep tonight. not a wink. i have work tomorrow. FFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUU

Solitaire

Its a good rig for the money, GTX460 eats 1080p gaming for breakfast. Surprised you're not going with a Corsair VX550 or something - they might not be modular but they're likely cheaper and have a similar 12V rail (41A vs. 40A - yes, 40A, eBuyer are lying their tits off with that 50A bit! )

Tea_Bag

Solitaire wrote: »

Its a good rig for the money, GTX460 eats 1080p gaming for breakfast. Surprised you're not going with a Corsair VX550 or something - they might not be modular but they're likely cheaper and have a similar 12V rail (41A vs. 40A - yes, 40A, eBuyer are lying their tits off with that 50A bit! )

the Corsair VX550 on ebuyer is the same price. i could cancel my order because it isnt dispatched yet, so im sure it wouldnt be hard.

would you go for the Corsair VX550 over the 600W modular for the same money?

Solitaire

For the same money? No. That Coolermaster may not be a true modern 600W PSU, but its attractive, modular and stable. Even JonnyGuru found little to complain about when reviewing it last year; its one of their Enhance units, not the cheap trashy GX ones

Tea_Bag

Solitaire wrote: »

For the same money? No. That Coolermaster may not be a true modern 600W PSU, but its attractive, modular and stable. Even JonnyGuru found little to complain about when reviewing it last year; its one of their Enhance units, not the cheap trashy GX ones

thanks.

i didnt put much thought into the PSU, seeing as it was modular and got good reviews.

(yes, i did read atleast 2-3 reviews on everything in the basket!!)


delivery time is set for monday, which is a bit of a bummer, because i ordered my case and screen a few hours earlier and they arrive on friday. would have been nice as a weekend project.