PC Build Advice/Review Thread

[Jojimbo]

Sandy Bridge officially supports up to 1333Mhz but if you have a MB that can overclock RAM then you can set the RAM to 1866Mhz

[jinkazama]

if I dont plan to OC any, would an ivy bridge be better you think?

See any possible compatibility issues?

This is the build im looking at currently, already have HDD/Case/etc so only needing main components,

[oblit]

You would want to look for 1x, 2x or 4x memory module kits. Triple channel are for x58.

Everything else is fine, I'd say get the locked CPU but the difference in price is not a whole lot.

[hey]

if I dont plan to OC any, would an ivy bridge be better you think?

Absolutely.

[jinkazama]

good catch on the ram, i didnt even see that. made the change.

[Jojimbo]

tbh, you could probably get a cheaper MB, it's a waste to get something like that and not even do a slight OC. OCing on SB/IB is incredibly easy as well.

If you really have no plans to OC at all then you can save money and go for a i7 3770 build like this

[oblit]

The difference on the Video card is $10 bucks man... The GTX 670 FTW PCB is longer, similar to ones that the GTX 680 is using.

[oblit]

Actually, its the same price($399.99) after MIR.

[Jojimbo]

I just picked the first EVGA I saw, can replace it. I was mostly on about CPU/MB anyway.

[Arkanna]

was looking at a 2700K and saw something ive never seen before, im sure its a new feature, but does "Integrated Memory Controller Speed
Dual Channel DDR3-1066/1333" mean I can only use 1066 or 1333 and not 1866

"Officially", yes that's correct. Unofficially, every motherboard maker under the sun makes boards that allow you to set 1600/1866 and higher.

*edit* Sorry didn't realize I was replying to the last post a page back.

[Vandole]

anyone have a decent build that costs ~650 700 max? a friend wants to build a machine.

[Jojimbo]

Can fit a HD 7850 in there if you get an i3 (SB as IB i3 haven't been released yet). Bit of money left over if they want a different case/MB (case is a bit basic). Stock fan will be enough for the CPU but you may want to buy an exhaust fan (and side fan if you want) if sticking with that case; you will also have to remove/not use the lower HDD mounts to fit the GPU in but if you do so there will be plenty of room.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/bXmt

Doesn't have amazing upgradability (can't CF cards and is a last gen dual core) but it should work for any game on a single 1920x1080/60Hz monitor

[Tyche]

Microsoft has a dell xps 8300 w/ 2600 i7, 1TB hd, 16gb ram, and A radeon 6450 1gb video card for $700 bones. Free 4gb Xbox 360 if you order with a .edu email address.

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/...zyrwkwzx0yyhhx

[Jojimbo]

HD 6450 is an awful card if anyone wants to use the rig for gaming btw, decent deal at that price if you need an i7 for CPU intensive stuff but other than that it's kinda meh (can't be OCed and probably uses minimal quality components)

[hey]

HD 6450 is an awful card if anyone wants to use the rig for gaming btw, decent deal at that price if you need an i7 for CPU intensive stuff but other than that it's kinda meh (can't be OCed and probably uses minimal quality components)

Honestly, the free xbox could be sold to get a better video card, and that becomes a pretty decent computer for a decent price. The non-k cpu might hurt depending on usage, but that doesn't even matter for gaming.

[Vandole]

the guy is probably going to be playing diablo 3 mainly, so he'll be fine.

edit: he wants to build a pc himself over time(a part per check i guess?) so if you have a good midprice build that would be loverly.

[oblit]

Where is your friend located? I build 600-750 builds regularly. Finished 3 builds last week and I have two left.

http://memphis.craigslist.org/sys/3121031961.html

http://memphis.craigslist.org/sys/3123508154.html

The video card is upgradable from GTX 560 Ti to GTX 570.

[Draygon]

Would the following work for powering a 260? Gave a friend of mine my spare that was collecting dust for SLI, but this is the only power cable I have available. All three connections are the same as the ones pictured on the left and right side, though. I couldn't find an exact picture, this is similar.

http://ak.buy.com/PI/0/500/220178179.jpg

[Purrrfect]

Generally not a good idea to use those splitters on power-hungry devices.

[Vandole]

Where is your friend located? I build 600-750 builds regularly. Finished 3 builds last week and I have two left.

http://memphis.craigslist.org/sys/3121031961.html

http://memphis.craigslist.org/sys/3123508154.html

The video card is upgradable from GTX 560 Ti to GTX 570.

We live in jackson, ms. He wants to build it himself.