PC Build Advice/Review Thread

[Katlan]

2500k or 3570k* Don't both with the 2550k

For most people IB is good though, it doesn't OC as far but it's not like a 2500k bottlenecks easier anyway.

It doesn't OC as far, but it has equal performance to some degree at lower OCs. I think ppl are saying 3770k OCd to around 4.6/7 is equivalent to a 2700k @ 5ghz. Don't quote me on that, but it's around there

main thing is that you wont be getting to 4.6/7 unless your on water from what ppl have been saying

[Jojimbo]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7jK0

Little something I whipped up. No real budget except to keep it somewhat resonable. Focus is on gaming.

I have a 750w power supply I'm going to reuse from my last desktop, and plenty of internal and external HDDs for storage. Bit iffy on the video card. Totally open to suggestions.

Looks ok, but you could spend less on the cooler (Hyper 212+ will allow you to OC as far as you need to), get a HD 7850 and a better case (900 is old and outdated on the features). What's the build for? That's very expensive RAM considering it would perform more or less the same as 8GB 1333Mhz RAM for gaming/general use.

That's an old SATA2 SSD as well

EDIT:: Assuming use is gaming/general use, better SSD and newer/better/cooler GPU (especially if OCed), suitable RAM but you could get G.Skill ARES for $45 if you want 1600Mhz RAM with a heatsink.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7jTu

[Wetticus]

Precisely the input I was looking for. Yes, it'd be for gaming/general use. I'll make some adjustments and probably post another build later tonight when I have some free time to shop around

[Draygon]

So, the power supply has already been ordered (Was on sale @ $110), and the RAM is leftover from a build my brother had a long while back, so that's free and available. The hard drive is also currently on sale, although I haven't taken it yet. I'm planning on grabbing a 3570k when it hits, but unsure on the video card - I'll probably end up with a 570 or 670, undecided currently. Other than the aforementioned, any suggestions?

[Wetticus]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7jTu

Gonna keep it rolling with these suggestions. I have a feeling that some of my leftover parts may not be stuff I want to use, but I'm really just not knowledgeable enough to figure that out for myself so...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817139006
Power supply from my old rig.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827151173
Have two of those.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136098
Old HDD.

How much of this stuff is worth salvaging?

[Jojimbo]

PSU is good and DVD will work. HDD is a bit small but should also work.

[Wetticus]

PSU is good and DVD will work. HDD is a bit small but should also work.

You're awesome, thanks!

[Xanthe]

Finally getting close to upgrading my system after 3.5 years.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7lHs

Some of that list I'm bringing over from my previous build, namely the power supply, BD drive (LG GGW-H20L, not in PCPartPicker's DB), WD 2TB HDD, monitors, Win7, keyboard, and mouse. I'm also replacing the two stock fans on the water cooler's radiator with some 120MM GELID fans, as well as two more in front pushing air across the HDD rack. Once the Ivy Bridge 3770K hits the market (presumably next week) I'll be able to order everything I need. I'll probably order everything except the motherboard as soon as the SSD comes back in stock in order to take advantage of rebates.

I'm fairly confident in my choices, but any comments are welcome.

[Jojimbo]

What's the build for? And will you be CFing 7900s at some point.

[Xanthe]

What's the build for? And will you be CFing 7900s at some point.

Gaming (FFXIV, Deus Ex, ME3, etc), programming, some OS virtualization, multimedia playback, possible video encoding, but but nothing demanding enough to warrant crossfire.

[Jojimbo]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7lUu If no CFing then you only need a 550+W PSU, 850W is overkill even for CF

If you want the MB just for the looks of it then you could get that instead, but Extreme4 should allow for a good OC. That keyboard/mouse are very expensive as well (personally I hate wireless, or rather batteries, especially for gaming). Do you need 256GB SSD? I would go with Crucial/Samsung/Intel over Corsair either way (they are considered more reliable). Monitors/Case/RAM could be changed back but I would get a 4*4GB set rather than 2 2*4GB sets of RAM for maximum compatibility (probably won't matter in the end, but just to be safe).

You could get a better MB/Cooling if you want to try and push the CPU to it's max OC for virtualization/encoding etc but for gaming you won't need any/a major OC

[Ratatapa]

Looking to get a new PC for some gaming AKA FFXIV and Diablo III for now.

Looking for Intel CPU.

I need pricing for a tower
and Monitor.

Budget is about 900-1000$

Also i'm lol Canadian so newegg.ca few

[Jojimbo]

Do you need an OS? Or can you get it for "free", and when will you be building?

http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/p/7mbo + this would be your best bet imo

[Xanthe]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/7lUu If no CFing then you only need a 550+W PSU, 850W is overkill even for CF

If you want the MB just for the looks of it then you could get that instead, but Extreme4 should allow for a good OC. That keyboard/mouse are very expensive as well (personally I hate wireless, or rather batteries, especially for gaming). Do you need 256GB SSD? I would go with Crucial/Samsung/Intel over Corsair either way (they are considered more reliable). Monitors/Case/RAM could be changed back but I would get a 4*4GB set rather than 2 2*4GB sets of RAM for maximum compatibility (probably won't matter in the end, but just to be safe).

You could get a better MB/Cooling if you want to try and push the CPU to it's max OC for virtualization/encoding etc but for gaming you won't need any/a major OC

I think you need to reread the rest of my post. Many of the components you listed are items I am carrying over from my current PC.

I'll be using a portion of the SSD for Intel Rapid Start, etc, and putting many of my frequently used programs/games on the remaining partition. There's no reason not to get 240GB when it's 33% off and the footprint of programs is only increasing. As for the Corsair brand, my research and past experience puts them in the same tier as the others you mentioned. Price just wins out here. Same deal with the RAM, 2x4GB are cheaper this week for the same exact components, just in two packages. If I'm feeling superstitious I'll make sure each package is in a paired channel.

[Ratatapa]

Do you need an OS? Or can you get it for "free", and when will you be building?

http://pcpartpicker.com/ca/p/7mbo + this would be your best bet imo

Yeah I can get a free OS

[Jojimbo]

I think you need to reread the rest of my post. Many of the components you listed are items I am carrying over from my current PC.

I'll be using a portion of the SSD for Intel Rapid Start, etc, and putting many of my frequently used programs/games on the remaining partition. There's no reason not to get 240GB when it's 33% off and the footprint of programs is only increasing. As for the Corsair brand, my research and past experience puts them in the same tier as the others you mentioned. Price just wins out here. Same deal with the RAM, 2x4GB are cheaper this week for the same exact components, just in two packages. If I'm feeling superstitious I'll make sure each package is in a paired channel.

Ah, only seen IRS advertised for laptops. And yeah sorry I kinda only saw BD player in the list and assumed everything else you had was being left off for some reason. Also what deal on the RAM? I'm not seeing it being cheaper.

As for SSDs, Corsair as a brand are good but Crucial/Samsung/Intel are considered more reliable (at a higher cost) than Corsairs SSDs. Corsair have good warranty though so it would work.

What you listed would work, although MB is a bit expensive but if you like the looks of it then go for it.

[Xanthe]

Ah, only seen IRS advertised for laptops. And yeah sorry I kinda only saw BD player in the list and assumed everything else you had was being left off for some reason. Also what deal on the RAM? I'm not seeing it being cheaper.

Today's mailer from NewEgg has a promo code for $5 off the RAM, plus a $5 instant rebate so it's $90 for 2 2x4GB vs $97 for 1 4x4GB set.

[Meko]

Ok folks, I need some help. Im on a budget as I'm a father/husband etc etc. Anyway, I ordered an inexpensive PC for $500 from Cyberpower PC. Anyway, I'm running it against the benchmark for FF14 and it's landing between 1300-1400. Here's the run down.

Win 7 64 bit
8 gig ram
AMD A6-3500 APU with Radeon HD 2.4 GHz (I think I set it to overclock correctly...maybe not)
AMD Radeon HD 6530D

It's set to crossfire. I'm not a hardware guy so be gentle but I need to see some input on what I can do to get better performance. Again, I'm on a budget and I may not have the OC settings correct. Any input/help is appreciated.

[Fairy-Killer]

I can't currently look up parts, but you don't even have a dedicated graphics card. That Radeon is built into the CPU. I'm not sure but I think you can pick up a $100 graphics card and put up 5-6 times that score. I might be mistaken.

[Arkanna]

Fairy-Killer is correct. The imbedded graphics in AMD's Fusion line isn't super-terrible, but it's not up to the task of FFXIV. I built a Fusion system for a friend's son, and it can manage Left 4 Dead 2 at 1024x768, but barely. Almost any $100+ graphics card will be a BIG upgrade.