Desktop Computers

mkopec_sl said:

Don't do amd, for gaming the i3 is still the better choice. IMO If I were you is save another $200 and go i5 4670K or scrimp on your video card until you get more cash later. You will get much more longevity out of that system in the long run.

Do you have a micro center within driving distance? If so you could save tons of cash for a proc and mo-bo combo, especially if they still have the last gen in stock, you could probably get that i5 3570 for $169.

Click to expand...

Agreed, even the top of the line amd cpu will drop frames consistently. Until Steamroller comes out, and even then, you really only have one choice.

If your budget is really, really tight, skimp on the video card for now, it's the thing that will first need to be replaced regardless. You don't want to skimp too bad on your processor, that's a bitch to upgrade down the line, personally I never upgrade CPUs, if I need something better it's time to build an entire new system. You could get something like a AMD 7750 for ~$90, it's going to be fine for playing games right now, and save up and plan on upgrading within a year. Even if you spend twice that much on a video card there's a decent chance you'll want to replace it within a year to 18 months anyways. You probably can't get a video card that will be decent for 2+ years until you get up in the ~$300 range.

Definitely get your CPU + mobo at Microcenter if you have one near you. They offer prices in-store that are cheaper than their advertised website prices. I got my 3570K + ASRock Extreme 4 motherboard for like $230 last Christmas. They instantly give you $40 off when you buy any CPU+Mobo combo

so tl;dr, I'd shave $50 off my video card budget and put it into a better processor, at least an i5 3570. For vid cards, a 550ti or 7850 isn't going to last you much longer than a 7750, any of those will probably need to be upgraded in a year to 18 months.

I sort of agree with those guys. Microcenter all the way for the CPU/Mobo combo. I'd recommend the following:

CPU/Mobo Combo Price at Microcenter: $260
CPU:Intel Core i5-4670K
Motherboard:MSI Z87-G41

The MSI board is their cheapest board that you can combo the i5-4670K with. The next step up is an additional $50 and you'd gain the ability to run SLI (which I don't see happening on a budget build anyways) and a couple more USB 3.0 instead of 2.0 slots.

RAM/Memory I know some people are hyper-fanboys of one brand or another. If you can find an 2x4GB pack of CL9 with a 1.5 Volt rating while you're at Microcenter for $10 cheaper, get it. Personally I'd stick with OCZ, GSkill, Corsair, or Crucial as far as brands go but there are others that would work fine. Here's my recommendation...

RAM:G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 1600- $72

The power supply I'm going to recommend is maybe even a little overkill yet but will allow you to get a mid-range card in the future, others can argue with me on that one.Also it is on sale right now for $25 (after rebate) which is a friggin' steal.If you want the modular version (I only use modular now personally, but this is a budget build) it is $51. If you are considering getting a higher range card, you will need at least a 500 W - 600 W PSU which will cost you $60-80 for a good PSU. Do not skimp on the PSU. I am a fanboy of SeaSonic or SeaSonic branded PSU's personally but others can recommend something different.

Power Supply:Cosair CX430 (430 watt)- $25 (after rebate)

Do you care about the look of the case? If so just do a little research. Do you want something that is cheap, will work and won't have all the bells and whistles? Get a $20 case while you're at MicroCenter. I believe I got this one for $20 while I was there a few days ago on a budget build. It was only a slighty more pain in the butt to build with, but we saved $50-60 on it so fuck it.

Case:Thermaltake V3 Black- $20-40

How much space do you need for your drive? At this point (about $375-$400) you have room for a SSD and a storage drive, or even a storage drive and a 650 TI Boost.

Harddrive:
SSD -Samsung 840 Series 120 GB- $100
Storage -WD Blue 1 TB- $70


Total: $550-575

This all depends on whether or not you have a MicroCenter available as well, but you can still get in that ball park with Newegg/Amazon. You now have ~$75 left over and can save up to get a dedicated GPU in the future.

I appreciate the feedback. I've made several adjustments and worked on really working on getting combo deals to save $$. Sadly, there isn't a Micro Center near me; those prices look insane compared to any online stuff.

Here's the update:

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/timetwister/saved/1YLh

I tried to make the 4670k work with a lesser video card etc, but Newegg has a list of MBs that with purchase give 8gb of free RAM (save me $65-70) and none of those MBs seemed to be compatible with the 4670k. Since I couldn't make it price out, so I settled with the 3570k for now.

I'll probably pull the trigger later tonight on it if anyone has any additional feedback.

Nothing wrong with the 3570k, I have it in my current build too. Echoing what mkopec said, I'd recommend this board:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131837

You get the free RAM with it as well and they have a rebate on it. I have the exact same board and it has been well to me. Very easy to OC with.

Solid advice for a cheaper build. I also recommend a gtx760 if you can manage it, they are extremely good price/performance wise. If you don't intend to ever overclock then you can shave a bit more going with a non-K version of the i5 and an H series motherboard. You need a surprisingly small power supply for single card non-overclocking builds, 450-500 watts is way more than enough.

The build I am working on now looks VERY similar to the one Jeydax gave you and it is solid (I did tons of research). My budget is a bit higher, about $1k, but that is for a mini-itx build which is a higher price point simply because of the size.

Can anyone recommend a good wired mouse? Mine for a while now has what seems like a defective right click, which is killing me for gaming. Basically I'll click and hold, and it'll end up "unclicking" itself in whatever I'm playing.

I don't want anything crazy expensive, so don't go recommending some $100 mouse, cause that shit is retarded.

I've been using a Logitech G9 mouse for several years, and it's held up nice to some serious abuse(tons of click-happy games like D3 and Path of Exile). Comes with some weights so you can make it as light or as heavy as you want. It's solid.

It's not super cheap, but its not ridiculously expensive either. It'll last you years.

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Progr...ds=logitech+g9

Elurin_sl said:

Can anyone recommend a good wired mouse? Mine for a while now has what seems like a defective right click, which is killing me for gaming. Basically I'll click and hold, and it'll end up "unclicking" itself in whatever I'm playing.

I don't want anything crazy expensive, so don't go recommending some $100 mouse, cause that shit is retarded.

Click to expand...

The G9 mouse is great (I have it), but Logitech just completely refreshed the entire line of G-Series mice. They have all new models at every level, so just checkthis page outand then order it from amazon at a cheaper price. All are solid mice that should last you a while.

I ordered the wireless G700s personally, but that is wireless and the most expensive model.

Denaut_sl said:

The G9 mouse is great (I have it), but Logitech just completely refreshed the entire line of G-Series mice. They have all new models at every level, so just checkthis page outand then order it from amazon at a cheaper price. All are solid mice that should last you a while.

I ordered the wireless G700s personally, but that is wireless and the most expensive model.

Click to expand...

There's no G9 replacement in the new lineup. You should look for the Call of Duty edition (just a sticker on it) and you'll find it even cheaper (40-50$). I've been using one for 4-5 years maybe even more (G9 not G9x).

Can I recommend the Razer Death Adder? It can be on sale for like $35-40 and is one of the top gaming mouses out there. Has adjustable DPI and other stuff, and feels awesome. Also has a blue LED on the palm rest so it looks badass even when you aren't playing. A shit ton of pro-gamers use it.

gogusrl_sl said:

There's no G9 replacement in the new lineup. You should look for the Call of Duty edition (just a sticker on it) and you'll find it even cheaper (40-50$). I've been using one for 4-5 years maybe even more (G9 not G9x).

Click to expand...

True, I suppose it is a matter of personal preference. For example I actually like the shape of my girlfriend's G400 mouse better than my G9x, but couldn't justify not using my ~$80 mouse to myself It is based on the much beloved Logitech MX500 which has a super comfortable shape. It was discontinued and then resurrected with the last refresh of the G-Series.

Samsung unveils a new line of "entry level" SSDs, in up to 1TB sizes(no prices yet)

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-3132_7-...d-state-drive/

I have to assume they will be slower, but also cheaper, than current Samsung SSDs. We might actually be getting close to the point where SSDs in large capacities might be affordable as storage drives, and you only really need to pay a premium for a high-end fast SSD for your boot drive.

Samsung claims some pretty impressive speed numbers in that article, but I can't imagine why they would flag a new line of drives specifically as "entry level" if they're actually faster than current Samsung 840 drives.

joeboo_sl said:

Samsung unveils a new line of "entry level" SSDs, in up to 1TB sizes(no prices yet)

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-3132_7-...d-state-drive/

I have to assume they will be slower, but also cheaper, than current Samsung SSDs. We might actually be getting close to the point where SSDs in large capacities might be affordable as storage drives, and you only really need to pay a premium for a high-end fast SSD for your boot drive.

Samsung claims some pretty impressive speed numbers in that article, but I can't imagine why they would flag a new line of drives specifically as "entry level" if they're actually faster than current Samsung 840 drives.

Click to expand...

Wow, 3x faster? I am absolutely holding my build off until these are available. Glad I caught this before I bought my SSD.

heres the more thorough Anandtech article with pricing:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/7150/s...ites-for-120gb

Although a 1TB SSD sounds great, I honestly don't know what i would actually use it for.

Getting an SSD ruined all other peoples computers for me. No 'regular users' that I know use one, so it feels like I'm on dial-up using their PC.