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  • Subject: Want to build a PC? PC Building Guide and FAQ of The Flood
Subject: Want to build a PC? PC Building Guide and FAQ of The Flood

Posted by: Gandalf: I'm new. And a wizard.

Sapphire just got even more awesome.

Posted by: mount420: You are late.
Posted by: jaythenerdkid: A wizard is never late.
Posted by: THORSGOD: Nor is he ever early. He arrives precisely when he means to.

Posted by: Exiled EagIe
Rate the build that I want to get, k?
Case
Mobo
Graphics Card
Power Supply
Processor
RAM
Hard Drive
Drive 
OS


Looks pretty good, except you should probably go with a GTX 560 Ti instead. More bang for your buck.
Also, if you have a bigger budget, maybe go for an Intel processor rather than AMD. They fail fairly often and run hotter when compared with Intel chips, at least in my experience.

  • 06.07.2012 7:28 AM PDT

Posted by: Gandalf: I'm new. And a wizard.

Sapphire just got even more awesome.

Posted by: mount420: You are late.
Posted by: jaythenerdkid: A wizard is never late.
Posted by: THORSGOD: Nor is he ever early. He arrives precisely when he means to.

Posted by: kikashi hatake
Something I noticed here... If you have extra to spend get around a $50 sound card. A headset is ONLY as good a the sound card you are using. It can make a world's difference with a high end headset like my Astro.
I don't really think that getting another sound card would improve it that much at all, if any.

[Edited on 06.07.2012 7:34 AM PDT]

  • 06.07.2012 7:33 AM PDT

Hello.

Join if you like Food.

Posted by: Verbatim
I wanna join him when we chew her out.


Posted by: Vadam930
Posted by: Exiled EagIe
Rate the build that I want to get, k?
Case
Mobo
Graphics Card
Power Supply
Processor
RAM
Hard Drive
Drive 
OS


Looks pretty good, except you should probably go with a GTX 560 Ti instead. More bang for your buck.
Also, if you have a bigger budget, maybe go for an Intel processor rather than AMD. They fail fairly often and run hotter when compared with Intel chips, at least in my experience.
#

I'd also suggest a new motherboard with similar functions if you were asking him to change processor

  • 06.07.2012 7:35 AM PDT

Hello.

Join if you like Food.

Posted by: Verbatim
I wanna join him when we chew her out.


Posted by: kikashi hatake
Something I noticed here... If you have extra to spend get around a $50 sound card. A headset is ONLY as good a the sound card you are using. It can make a world's difference with a high end headset like my Astro.


Most motherboards have pretty high-end built-in integrated sound cards, you'll rarely find a relatively new motherboard with any less than a 7.1 HD surround compatibility.

[Edited on 06.07.2012 7:38 AM PDT]

  • 06.07.2012 7:38 AM PDT

Hello.

Join if you like Food.

Posted by: Verbatim
I wanna join him when we chew her out.


Posted by: Elite_Buddy

Posted by: PMC Fluffy
Ahh, so you're one of those spoiled kids. Alright, carry on.

Tundruh, if you need anything else, just send me a PM.
^Mad


PMC's built and sold around 7+ computers as a hobby in the past year alone, I suggest you listen to what he has to say.

  • 06.07.2012 7:40 AM PDT

GT/Steam: Squiggy888
I try my best to block out the screams
But they're haunting me in my dreams
Please, break my shackles, I want it to stop

Posted by: Covy Killer
Sergeant Explosion and The Quiet Day in London.

**Still isn't in the OP, is getting PMs, is solving problems**

Just joking. Though I have gotten a couple PMs, and managed to solve some issues, I've never built my own computer, due to lack of money.

[Edited on 06.07.2012 7:45 AM PDT]

  • 06.07.2012 7:40 AM PDT
  • gamertag: [none]
  • user homepage:

"Both optimists and pessimists contribute to our society. The optimist invents the airplane and the pessimist the parachute. " ~Gil Stern

"The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." ~Albert Einstein

"What did I just drink?"~Socrates

Buyer's Guide: Headphones|Google Chrome Themes|Arena Spreadsheet

Just go on Something Awful and look at the huge guide they have there.

  • 06.07.2012 7:49 AM PDT

Hello.

Join if you like Food.

Posted by: Verbatim
I wanna join him when we chew her out.


Posted by: The S bot 9000

Posted by: Verbatim
Posted by: Ferrari DuDe856
Trolls everywhere.
Nope. Some people just have different opinions than you.
Shocking, I know.

Not to mention the guide has been "up" for half a month and it's still not even halfway done.


I am in no way obligated to help anyone, I'm taking this out of my spare time because I want to. The idea of this thread is to cut down threads about PC building in the flood and provide a containment for PC discussion as well as a guide, if you don't want to contribute, I suggest you leave.

  • 06.07.2012 8:01 AM PDT

Xbox LIVE gamertag: Dat3lessNutella
Steam username: TopWargamer
To look up my Halo stats...search for the gamertag TopWargamer.
SAVED THREAD PAGES: 283
One does not simply get rid of TopWargamer so easily.
You know this to be true.
ALL HAIL GABEN


Posted by: Tundruh

Posted by: TopWargamer

Posted by: TupacAmarUShakur
Posted by: TopWargamer
I'm bored, so i'm going to link a super budget PC that'll be around $600.

Case
CPU
Motherboard
RAM
Hard drive
Optical drive
OS
GPU
Power supply

BUILD TOTAL: $599.50 (WITH shipping)
No CPU cooler. Crappy brand and low rated HDD. Crappy PSU brand. Terrible graphics card. Paying for Windows.

$600 for that?

4/10

Fine, YOU come up with something better then. If you can come up with something better, then you can start calling the parts in here crappy and rating the build. Also...this may come as a surprise, but some people don't like to pirate their software. So yes, some people will pay for Windows.

But anyways, come up with a better build for under $600 then you can start 'smack talking.'


To be honest, he's right.
That CPU doesn't come with heatsink fan, nor did you supply a link to an aftermarket cooler.
Also, I'd swap that HDD with a Western Digital.

And a more reliable PSU

It's hard to fit in decent parts when on a $600 budget. If you tried to add in a CPU heatsink fan, add in a more reliable PSU, and swap out the hard drives, you would easily go over the budget.

  • 06.07.2012 8:38 AM PDT

1st ban on 7-10-2011

Dont you worry about _____ let me worry about ____

You have been sent a warning from x Foman123 x. This warning's text is below:
Incomprehensible gibberish.


Posted by: NH Chainsaw Edge

Posted by: The S bot 9000

Posted by: Verbatim
Posted by: Ferrari DuDe856
Trolls everywhere.
Nope. Some people just have different opinions than you.
Shocking, I know.

Not to mention the guide has been "up" for half a month and it's still not even halfway done.


I am in no way obligated to help anyone, I'm taking this out of my spare time because I want to. The idea of this thread is to cut down threads about PC building in the flood and provide a containment for PC discussion as well as a guide, if you don't want to contribute, I suggest you leave.

I never said you were, i'm simply stateing that if you're going to make a thread involving a do it yourself guide, at least have it mostly done. This thread would theoretically cut down pc building threads but since it's not done, it only harbors the latter. And as for a "guide", it's hardly does that. A goggle search would give me 10x more info. All the budget links and what not are the only thing this thread has going for it. As a final note, I also suggest you add a note in the title that states you are not finished with the guide, rather than giving people false hope when they enter this thread and find out that 90% of what they need is missing.

  • 06.07.2012 9:22 AM PDT

MLP: FiM Master Moderator: | Homepage | My Steam Profile | My Computer |

Posted by: kikashi hatake
Something I noticed here... If you have extra to spend get around a $50 sound card. A headset is ONLY as good a the sound card you are using. It can make a world's difference with a high end headset like my Astro.
Astros are high quality now? What happened to Sennheiser, Audio Technica, AKG, and Brainwavz?


Posted by: Vadam930
Layout; 2600k || 3820

3.4GHz || 3.6GHz

This doesn't even matter if you're overclocking. 0.2 GHz is barely a difference anyway. The 3XXX series uses a lower quality thermal paste inside the CPU which causes it to overheat at lower GHz. Thus, unless you're willing to open up your CPU and replace the thermal paste inside, the 2600k will win in overclocking.

8MB Cache || 10MB Cache

The 3820 wins in this regard, but does is 2MB of cache worth more than a lower GHz?

Idles @ 40C, 60C @ full load || Idles @ 20C-25C, 50C @ full load

I don't know what heatsink you're using, but my 2600k idles at 25*C. Additionally, I have built another model with the exact same parts (heatsink, case, fans, etc.), but a 3960k, and that one idled at 64*C.

Supports dual channel memory || Supports quad channel memory (double the bandwith, and double the max memory of the 1155 socket)

If you're a gamer, you would never need this much RAM to begin with. If you host a server or run dozens of instances of Photoshop, it would be worth it.

$330 || $300

i7 2600k, $280. If you live near a Microcenter, you can get it for $230. I know that the Newegg link is a promotion, but it is still cheaper here.
i7 3820, $300.

So, as for the processors compared side by side, the 3820 is cheaper, will last longer, and is more powerful than the 2600k.The 3820 is more expensive, will not last as long because of the temperatures, and is marginally better in cache, but weaker in GHz.

The only benefit of going with a 1155 socket is that the mobo would be a bit cheaper (but it's highly unlikely you'd use it on another build later on).You would have more stable drivers right now, and more heatsinks would be fitted to the board (which would also be cheaper).

Posted by: NH Chainsaw Edge
PMC's built and sold around 7+ computers as a hobby in the past year alone, I suggest you listen to what he has to say.
For the brony group yes, but I build computers for other people as well.

  • 06.07.2012 9:44 AM PDT

I take you arguments about price, and raise you one Australia.

Oh, and I am often running Photoshop, Sony Vegas, After Effects and chrome at the same time, so the RAM is required.

Also: Why are half the people in this thread trying to prove they have the biggest e-peen?

[Edited on 06.07.2012 1:44 PM PDT]

  • 06.07.2012 12:59 PM PDT

I just made my own last week. Ill help out however I can. Also got a good > $800 Setup if you want me to post it.

  • 06.07.2012 1:20 PM PDT

I got these cheeseburgers man....

Yeah, let's see what you made.
Posted by: Hayabusawarrior
I just made my own last week. Ill help out however I can. Also got a good > $800 Setup if you want me to post it.

  • 06.07.2012 2:34 PM PDT


Posted by: SuicidalSplatter
Yeah, let's see what you made.
Posted by: Hayabusawarrior
I just made my own last week. Ill help out however I can. Also got a good > $800 Setup if you want me to post it.


Western Digital Caviar Blue WD10EALX 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

ASUS M5A97 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX

EVGA 02G-P3-1559-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Desktop Memory Model F3-8500CL7D-8GBRL

COOLER MASTER Elite 430 RC-430-KWN1 Black Steel / Plastic Computer Case

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply

SONY Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1681S-0B - OEM

COOLER MASTER R4-L2S-122B-GP 120mm 4 Blue LED Case Fan 2 in 1 pack

Total of $695, and when you add in the OS its under $800. I also got a 20$ Wireless PCI piece.

The only thing is if you have a bit more to spend, get a better graphics card like 560ti.

  • 06.07.2012 6:55 PM PDT
  • gamertag: [none]
  • user homepage:

I wonder the testicle.


Posted by: Vadam930
Posted by: Exiled EagIe
Rate the build that I want to get, k?
Case
Mobo
Graphics Card
Power Supply
Processor
RAM
Hard Drive
Drive 
OS


Looks pretty good, except you should probably go with a GTX 560 Ti instead. More bang for your buck.
Also, if you have a bigger budget, maybe go for an Intel processor rather than AMD. They fail fairly often and run hotter when compared with Intel chips, at least in my experience.
I'd like to use Intel, but it easily goes past my budget. Unless the i3 is as great as Fluffy says it is.

  • 06.07.2012 8:20 PM PDT

Hello.

Join if you like Food.

Posted by: Verbatim
I wanna join him when we chew her out.


Posted by: Exiled EagIe

Posted by: Vadam930
Posted by: Exiled EagIe
Rate the build that I want to get, k?
Case
Mobo
Graphics Card
Power Supply
Processor
RAM
Hard Drive
Drive 
OS


Looks pretty good, except you should probably go with a GTX 560 Ti instead. More bang for your buck.
Also, if you have a bigger budget, maybe go for an Intel processor rather than AMD. They fail fairly often and run hotter when compared with Intel chips, at least in my experience.
I'd like to use Intel, but it easily goes past my budget. Unless the i3 is as great as Fluffy says it is.


I'm using an i3.

  • 06.07.2012 8:40 PM PDT

I think I've found all the parts I need/want.

here's what I have.

any suggestions?

  • 06.07.2012 11:31 PM PDT

MLP: FiM Master Moderator: | Homepage | My Steam Profile | My Computer |

Posted by: Negabite
I think I've found all the parts I need/want.

here's what I have.

any suggestions?
Everything in the tower looks perfect, although if I were you, I'd get the 800D instead of the Thermaltake. The TT looks really cool, but the airflow is pretty bad considering the price. The 800D also has much better cable management. For the keyboard, you definitely want to go into the realm of mechanical keys. It's a whole different experience compared to membrane boards. Here is the arguably-best keyboard on the market. It has MX Black switches, which you can research here. It doesn't have macros or backlighting, but you can buy a G13 for macros and some LED strips for lighting (which would look better anyway). For the mouse, I suggest the G9x if you want a barebones FPS mouse, or the G700 if you want one with more buttons.

Another thing that gamers often overlook is their mouse pad. You might not think that this is a big deal, but trust me; it is. This is what I use, and this is what it looks like (sorry for the crappy cam image, it's an old one).

  • 06.08.2012 12:11 AM PDT


Posted by: Exiled EagIe

Posted by: Vadam930
Posted by: Exiled EagIe
Rate the build that I want to get, k?
Case
Mobo
Graphics Card
Power Supply
Processor
RAM
Hard Drive
Drive 
OS


Looks pretty good, except you should probably go with a GTX 560 Ti instead. More bang for your buck.
Also, if you have a bigger budget, maybe go for an Intel processor rather than AMD. They fail fairly often and run hotter when compared with Intel chips, at least in my experience.
I'd like to use Intel, but it easily goes past my budget. Unless the i3 is as great as Fluffy says it is.

i3 sandy bridge for gaming is better than any other AMD processor's for gaming 99% of the time.


Also sorry to be off topic, but I need a sound card for my laptop also as the sound sucks on it (no optical port on my g53sw). I have an astro a40 and I need a usb sound card. Does this seem like the best bang for the buck?

[Edited on 06.08.2012 5:38 AM PDT]

  • 06.08.2012 5:36 AM PDT

Posted by: Gandalf: I'm new. And a wizard.

Sapphire just got even more awesome.

Posted by: mount420: You are late.
Posted by: jaythenerdkid: A wizard is never late.
Posted by: THORSGOD: Nor is he ever early. He arrives precisely when he means to.

Posted by: PMC Fluffy
3.4GHz || 3.6GHz

This doesn't even matter if you're overclocking. 0.2 GHz is barely a difference anyway. The 3XXX series uses a lower quality thermal paste inside the CPU which causes it to overheat at lower GHz. Thus, unless you're willing to open up your CPU and replace the thermal paste inside, the 2600k will win in overclocking.
I never said anything about overclocking, but anyway. I have heard about the lower quality thermal paste, though I don't know whether it's true or not. My 3820 peaks at 3.8GHz and sits at around 50C under full load, and that's with a small, stock Intel heatsink. Seems fine to me.

8MB Cache || 10MB Cache

The 3820 wins in this regard, but does is 2MB of cache worth more than a lower GHz?
I don't believe there is "a lower GHz".

Idles @ 40C, 60C @ full load || Idles @ 20C-25C, 50C @ full load

I don't know what heatsink you're using, but my 2600k idles at 25*C. Additionally, I have built another model with the exact same parts (heatsink, case, fans, etc.), but a 3960k, and that one idled at 64*C.
Like I said, tiny, stock Intel heatsink. To be more specific, I actually idle at 19-25C.
All the 2600ks I've seen idle at ~40C with a stock heatsink, and googling 2600k idle temps only seems to reinforce this.
As for the 3960k... 64C? Whoa. I'd definitely believe the thing about lower quality thermal paste there. And how'd you manage to use the same heatsink on it?

Also, I looked up a couple of videos on youtube, and at the same frequency, it seems the 2600k is actually running ~9C hotter than the 3820. Both systems have liquid cooling, I believe.
3820
2600k
(I seriously just typed in both model names and 4.9GHz. They were the first things that came up, so no funny business =P)

Supports dual channel memory || Supports quad channel memory (double the bandwith, and double the max memory of the 1155 socket)

If you're a gamer, you would never need this much RAM to begin with. If you host a server or run dozens of instances of Photoshop, it would be worth it.
Haha, no, no chance. I agree with you there. I was just tooting the 3820's horn. =P
I personally use 8GB, utilising the quad channel architecture, mainly because I use 2-3 virtual machines at once. If I didn't, there's always the argument for future-proofing, and that it's always there if you ever need to do something data-intensive (never know!).

$330 || $300

i7 2600k, $280. If you live near a Microcenter, you can get it for $230. I know that the Newegg link is a promotion, but it is still cheaper here.
i7 3820, $300.
Temporary gift card offers don't count! XD
And $230 at Microcenter? Two can play at that game.
It seems that the cards are actually quite well matched in prices. To be honest, I only checked the Intel recommended retail prices, where the 2600k is $30 more. Yeah, lazy, I know. ;P

The 3820 is more expensive, will not last as long because of the temperatures, and is marginally better in cache, but weaker in GHz.Well, I'll just let the above speak for itself.
Almost forgot another reason you wouldn't need to change your board for a new build. It supports PCIE 3.0 =)

You would have more stable drivers right now, and more heatsinks would be fitted to the board (which would also be cheaper).More stable drivers? My PC has been happily chugging along without any problems for quite a while... and I am typing this. In fact, I haven't had a single problem so far. No idea what you're talking about there.
I'm also fine with the amount of heatsinks on my board. I don't think it'd make much of a difference in even the most maxed out rigs, unless there was a lack of air flow. I think there's more than enough cooling components on most gaming moherboards these days.

  • 06.08.2012 5:49 AM PDT

Posted by: Gandalf: I'm new. And a wizard.

Sapphire just got even more awesome.

Posted by: mount420: You are late.
Posted by: jaythenerdkid: A wizard is never late.
Posted by: THORSGOD: Nor is he ever early. He arrives precisely when he means to.

Posted by: kikashi hatake
Also sorry to be off topic, but I need a sound card for my laptop also as the sound sucks on it (no optical port on my g53sw). I have an astro a40 and I need a usb sound card. Does this seem like the best bang for the buck?
What would you be connecting it to?

  • 06.08.2012 6:43 AM PDT

Hello.

Join if you like Food.

Posted by: Verbatim
I wanna join him when we chew her out.


Posted by: Vadam930
Posted by: kikashi hatake
Also sorry to be off topic, but I need a sound card for my laptop also as the sound sucks on it (no optical port on my g53sw). I have an astro a40 and I need a usb sound card. Does this seem like the best bang for the buck?
What would you be connecting it to?


It's a USB, I assume there's a hole for a 3.5mm on the other end.

  • 06.08.2012 7:04 AM PDT

Posted by: Gandalf: I'm new. And a wizard.

Sapphire just got even more awesome.

Posted by: mount420: You are late.
Posted by: jaythenerdkid: A wizard is never late.
Posted by: THORSGOD: Nor is he ever early. He arrives precisely when he means to.

Nope, looks like it's an optical connection. Just curious of what kind of sound system he wants to hook it up to.

  • 06.08.2012 7:11 AM PDT

Usb, but I want an optical connection for my laptop.

  • 06.08.2012 7:13 AM PDT