The Desktop PC Building Thread

[AR_Six]

Yeah I'm going to play D3 and I'll probably get S2, and when the new Deus Ex comes out likely that as well. Next NHL I will definitely play online. Maybe others, depends what's good and what I have time for. So as suspected, no to the previous gen card, and it's really between a 5830, 5850, or 5770 with the possibility of another 5770.

 

[skitlets]

4870 is just as fast, sometimes faster than the 5770 and cheaper but will run hotter. I remember seeing a 4870 go for $99 just a few days ago.

My solution to the heat is to underclock it in 2D and ramp up to stock speed for games. Not sure what case you'll be using but the Antec P180/182/183 series is a pretty good choice between noise and performance. I run my Intel Core2Quad overclocked on a Scythe Ninja with no fan. Look into quality fans regardless of which case you have. Silentpcreviews.com is a good place to start.

I think it's about impossible to plan for the future, so buy the best bang for your buck now and then upgrade when the time comes. You end up saving money that way instead of buying top of the line now and trying to predict how demanding future games will be. On that note, Blizzard is known for lax systems so don't worry about running SC2/ D3.

For water cooling, some entry-level systems aren't that bad. The Corsair H50 can be found occasionally for about $60 all inclusive. Top of the line heatsinks cost just as much and usually don't come with a fan. Performance between top of the line air cooling and the H50 are just about the same.

I'd also go for a SSD with a couple big drives for storage. Make sure to get one with a decent controller, not the first gen crap ones. Something like OCZ Agility 2, etc. or the Intel drives.

Are you set on your monitor? Do you need 28"? The resolution on most 28" panels is the same as a 24", which is 1920x1200 unless it's a 16:9 display. The problem with 28" is that they are also all TN panels. With a screen that large, you'll see some color shift even when looking straight on, just because the screen is so big. 24" MVA/PVA panels and IPS/eIPS screens are coming down in price a bit. They were all above $500 when I was shopping a year or two ago, now I see them regularly at around $400, sometimes as low as $350.

 

[KenN]

Originally Posted by JD_May

Yeah I'm going to play D3 and I'll probably get S2, and when the new Deus Ex comes out likely that as well. Next NHL I will definitely play online. Maybe others, depends what's good and what I have time for. So as suspected, no to the previous gen card, and it's really between a 5830, 5850, or 5770 with the possibility of another 5770.

Buying a 5770 thinking that you will buy another 5770 later is probably not the best thing to do. You are better off selling first 5770 and adding a bit of cash for a second hand (or cheaply discounted) 5800, you would still experience the bump in performance, but without acquiring another piece of old technology, not to mention the doubling of heat and etc.

 

[AR_Six]

My solution to the heat is to underclock it in 2D and ramp up to stock speed for games. Not sure what case you'll be using but the Antec P180/182/183 series is a pretty good choice between noise and performance.

Case = Cooler Master HAF 922. I was thinking about the Antec nine hundred II as well but I'm pretty set on the HAF as a good alternative for 90 bucks.

I can get a decent water cooling system at mem ex for about 80 bucks, I'm just not sure I want to bother with the hassle... it would require swapping one of the fans out of the HAF case for a radiator setup and generally adding clutter, when instead I could just drop 15 bucks and be running 3 230mm fans plus another 120mm fan through a case that is basically a giant mesh cage. I could get a heatsink or something as well, I guess. Surely all that will cut it for cooling? Am I fooling myself?

 

[skitlets]

If you're not doing much overclocking, that amount of airflow actually sounds like overkill and will just add unneeded noise. If you're keeping things simple, stock heatsink will suffice and you can save yourself forty bucks. However, I do suggest grabbing a decent thermal compound. Bundle your next purchase with some arctic silver 5 or ceramique for a couple bucks.

 

[AR_Six]

Reviews on the case have suggested that the airflow is great for CPU cooling but adding the third 200mm or a pair of 120mms is helpful because the expansion area for that stuff is the side panel, ie right over the GPU. GPU cooling, per the couple of tests I read, was the weak spot for the 922. Apparently it's not bad at all on noise, especially compared to the Antec, which is why I sort of shied away from that one.

 

[skitlets]

Originally Posted by JD_May

Reviews on the case have suggested that the airflow is great for CPU cooling but adding the third 200mm or a pair of 120mms is helpful because the expansion area for that stuff is the side panel, ie right over the GPU. GPU cooling, per the couple of tests I read, was the weak spot for the 922. Apparently it's not bad at all on noise, especially compared to the Antec, which is why I sort of shied away from that one.

Sounds like you've done your research, which is good! I haven't looked into components in about a year since my last build. Another thing to look into is a simple fan controller. Easy way to lower noise when you're just browsing the internet or whatever.

 

[Rambo]

I recommend checking out SilentPCReview. Good tips over there if you're worried at all about noise with those 200's or cooling concerns.

Stick with the 5850 for the GPU. Its the best bang for the buck with that size monitor.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

Originally Posted by JD_May

what about getting an old stock 4800 series?

I'd say no. Any of the mid to higher level HD5xxx series are DirectX 11 compatible. The same cannot be said of the best HD4xxx cards. Already we are seeing games coming out with DX11 (e.g. STALKER Call of Pripyat). The number of games with DX11 will only grow.

You want to future proof yourself (as much as possible) -- ignore the HD4xxx series.

 

[KitAkira]

Originally Posted by whiteslashasian

2x2gb ram should be fine for now. I never get close to maxing out my 4gb but then again, I don't use my machine as a server of any kind or do extensive Photoshoping. Can always slap 4gb more. Get whatever case makes you happy; I'm partial to Lian Li and Silverstone cases myself (check out the FT02!!!!)
Depends on what he wants to do, heavy gaming will eat up 4GB, as will any media editing. Lian Lis are beautiful, but way more $$$ than they're worth, imo. Unless you plan on displaying your build it isn't really worth it.

Originally Posted by skitlets

I think it's about impossible to plan for the future, so buy the best bang for your buck now and then upgrade when the time comes. You end up saving money that way instead of buying top of the line now and trying to predict how demanding future games will be. On that note, Blizzard is known for lax systems so don't worry about running SC2/ D3. For water cooling, some entry-level systems aren't that bad. The Corsair H50 can be found occasionally for about $60 all inclusive. Top of the line heatsinks cost just as much and usually don't come with a fan. Performance between top of the line air cooling and the H50 are just about the same.
2nd that, don't go for the brand new toy unless money is no issue to you. Best to go with 1 or 2 generations back and it'll still last you a number of years (though after 2 you'll likely have to scale down to medium-low graphics on new games). And aside from RAM requirements, I can't really see D3/SC2 taking up too much. My laptop should be able to handle both adequately and it's a year and half old (though among the best value-portable gaming platforms) Water cooling is a pain **********, imo. Only really worth it if you want to pay for a quiet system or plan on doing some heavy overclocking

 

[Krish the Fish]

Originally Posted by skitlets

If you're not doing much overclocking, that amount of airflow actually sounds like overkill and will just add unneeded noise. If you're keeping things simple, stock heatsink will suffice and you can save yourself forty bucks. However, I do suggest grabbing a decent thermal compound. Bundle your next purchase with some arctic silver 5 or ceramique for a couple bucks.

+1 Arctic Silver is great thermal grease. I was actually running my i7 on it alone earlier (technically there was a heatsink on it as well. my fan wouldn't spin) and it was running smoothly. I actually installed Windows 7 without a fan on my proc

 

[AR_Six]

I haven't even heard of thermal grease as a solution. I was looking at a coolermaster hyper 212 for a heatsink, as reviews have suggested it's a good bang for the buck (about 60 bucks here) but cooling is something I'm not up to speed on (less so than other things). Any advice on that front?

Also, if I'm going for a 5850 given my monitor size, which 5850 is recommended? Plenty of options out there from Sapphire, XFX, and others. Shall I skip the ATI self-branded cards?

 

[javyn]

FYI, if you want a fast HD, consider the WD Caviar Black, about the same as a Raptor but much cheaper.

 

[AR_Six]

Haha, good call, as posted on previous page the HDD I am leaning towards is a WD caviar black 1tb 7200rpm w/ 64mb cache. It's like 90 bucks here. I'm thinking I get a SSD for the OS plus maybe a couple of core programs I use a lot.

 

[skitlets]

With the Canadian exchange, I'm not sure where the bang for the buck lies. I know that Xigmatech makes solid heatsinks on the cheap and they come with a decent fan. In the US, you can find the Xigmatech Dark Knight for around $35.

Thermal grease is one of the cheapest cooling upgrades. Most stock grease (especially the terrible adhesive pads) just don't cut it.

For card manufacturers, ATI branded is fine. Most cards are of the same quality, especially if they use the reference design. It's up to you to decide if you want a heatpipe rear exhaust cooling type or the regular fan blows down on the board type. Important to look for is the warranty length. From what I remember, Sapphire has 1 year whereas XFX is lifetime. I would pay the small premium for the peace of mind.