Q Posted May 21, 2013 Share Posted May 21, 2013 Here is a great deal on a terrific Seasonic PSU that's good thru tomorrow (5/21). You have to signed up for the Newegg newsletter to be able to use the coupon code on the product page. However, it's got more power than what you'll really need (even with 2 graphics cards), and, if you're willing to wait a bit, chances are that SS-660XP2 will be on sale for the same price before long. RAM: You should be able to find a good 2x4GB kit for ~$60. Make sure that it doesn't have tall heatsinks, so it won't block the installation of whatever CPU cooler you end up getting. Graphics card: You can't SLI different models of Nvidia cards; they have to be the same model, with the same sized frame buffer (ie, 2X GTX 650 Ti BOOST 2GB; 2X GTX 660 2GB). The 2GB 650 Ti BOOST has been as low as $139; the 660 as low as $168. At those prices they're close to the same price/performance ratio, as the 660 is roughly 20% faster than the 650 Ti BOOST. You'll also want to stay away from reference models and get one with an aftermarket cooler with 2 fans because they run cooler and a lot quieter. I would just buy one card for now (plenty for gaming at your present resolution) and buy a second one when you upgrade your monitor. Platter HDD: Try to avoid buying a Seagate if you can. Stick with Western Digital, Hitachi (HGST) or Toshiba (which are made by Hitachi). WD drives carry a price premium, but you can find good deals on HGST and Toshiba models. Also, Newegg has notoriously inadequate packaging for bare HDDs, resulting in a bad drive, so try to buy one elsewhere unless it's a retail package or just an insanely good deal that's worth the risk. DVD burner: Just about any brand will do; just don't pay more than $20 for one; there's no need to. I'm partial to the Sony Optiarc, myself. Even cheap motherboards come with good 7.1 sound now. The best is the Realtek ALC 898 with THX TruStudio, which has a lot of the features of a real sound card. Like I said: Just try the onboard out, and if it's not good enough, buy a sound card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canderis Posted May 22, 2013 Share Posted May 22, 2013 Here is a great deal on a terrific Seasonic PSU that's good thru tomorrow (5/21). You have to signed up for the Newegg newsletter to be able to use the coupon code on the product page. However, it's got more power than what you'll really need (even with 2 graphics cards), and, if you're willing to wait a bit, chances are that SS-660XP2 will be on sale for the same price before long. RAM: You should be able to find a good 2x4GB kit for ~$60. Make sure that it doesn't have tall heatsinks, so it won't block the installation of whatever CPU cooler you end up getting. I'll see what's on sale when the time comes to buy! Graphics card: You can't SLI different models of Nvidia cards; they have to be the same model, with the same sized frame buffer (ie, 2X GTX 650 Ti BOOST 2GB; 2X GTX 660 2GB). The 2GB 650 Ti BOOST has been as low as $139; the 660 as low as $168. At those prices they're close to the same price/performance ratio, as the 660 is roughly 20% faster than the 650 Ti BOOST. You'll also want to stay away from reference models and get one with an aftermarket cooler with 2 fans because they run cooler and a lot quieter. I would just buy one card for now (plenty for gaming at your present resolution) and buy a second one when you upgrade your monitor. Good plan! I've never done anything with 2 cards before so i'm kind of a noob haha. Platter HDD: Try to avoid buying a Seagate if you can. Stick with Western Digital, Hitachi (HGST) or Toshiba (which are made by Hitachi). WD drives carry a price premium, but you can find good deals on HGST and Toshiba models. Also, Newegg has notoriously inadequate packaging for bare HDDs, resulting in a bad drive, so try to buy one elsewhere unless it's a retail package or just an insanely good deal that's worth the risk. I got around 100$ worth of amazon gift cards so i'll hunt one down there. Any RPM you recommend? I plan to use it as my main drive until i get a SSD DVD burner: Just about any brand will do; just don't pay more than $20 for one; there's no need to. I'm partial to the Sony Optiarc, myself. I'll stick with that asus one for under 20$$ Even cheap motherboards come with good 7.1 sound now. The best is the Realtek ALC 898 with THX TruStudio, which has a lot of the features of a real sound card. Like I said: Just try the onboard out, and if it's not good enough, buy a sound card. Oh cool! I'll try that first! Do most motherboards come with a WIFI card built in or do i need to get one of those separate? Also do i need to buy any other cooling system? Theres one in the case I am getting, but idk if i'd need more than that. Also am i missing another key components? EDIT: from what i have found the new haswell processor is going to be cheaper than the ivy bridge is now. Awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q Posted May 28, 2013 Share Posted May 28, 2013 You'll just need a 7200RPM drive for now. Only the more expensive motherboards come with WIFI. WIFI cards or USB dongles are relatively inexpensive (not more than $20). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canderis Posted May 29, 2013 Share Posted May 29, 2013 You'll just need a 7200RPM drive for now. Only the more expensive motherboards come with WIFI. WIFI cards or USB dongles are relatively inexpensive (not more than $20). Thanks!! EDIT: first batch of parts came today. Saved around 50ish$ on it and got 8gig of ram, the cd drive, a HD as well as 2 parts from my extras list: a bluray drive and USB 3 card (came free with the HD). Thanks so much for telling me about the newegg newsletter discounts, saved a ton! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canderis Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 So my new rig is incredible, but there is one tiny issue. I have a set of 5.1 speakers and a 7.1 headset I switch between using. But I can only have one of these plugged in at a time so I have to crawl under my desk every-time and swap them. Is there someway I could get something to keep them both plugged in and either just press the power button or switch a setting on my computer? I'm also looking into new monitors. I want to get 2. No more than $120ish. Around 20"-24". 1080p. Any recommendations? Also, Q, you had said if I got 2 128 ssds I could link them together and make them twice as fast? Can you elaborate on that? And one last question: The sata ports on my motherboard are all filled. Is there a way to connect more hard-drives without needing a new motherboard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q Posted June 27, 2013 Share Posted June 27, 2013 So my new rig is incredible, but there is one tiny issue. I have a set of 5.1 speakers and a 7.1 headset I switch between using. But I can only have one of these plugged in at a time so I have to crawl under my desk every-time and swap them. Is there someway I could get something to keep them both plugged in and either just press the power button or switch a setting on my computer? Are they multiple mini-plug (headphone plugs) or digital? I'm also looking into new monitors. I want to get 2. No more than $120ish. Around 20"-24". 1080p. Any recommendations? Get IPS panels. They don't have the viewing angle problems that TN panels do, and they don't cost much more. This model was just on sale for $140 and it quickly sold out. I know that it's $20 more per monitor, but it's a 23-inch 1080p IPS panel, and it's a Dell (Dell makes great monitors). I have its bigger brother, the S2440L and I like it a lot. The S line doesn't have all of the niceties of the Ultrasharps, but they do have good panels and they're cheaper. If that's too much money, or you don't want to wait, Newegg's got a deal going on these IPS panels until the 30th. Also, Q, you had said if I got 2 128 ssds I could link them together and make them twice as fast? Can you elaborate on that? After installing the drives, you put them in RAID0 in the BIOS and then install Windows to the array. A fresh install of Windows is highly recommended here to avoid any potential alignment problems. And one last question: The sata ports on my motherboard are all filled. Is there a way to connect more hard-drives without needing a new motherboard? You can get a separate SATA controller card that fits in a PCI or PCIe slot. The faster ones are expensive, but the slower ones are cheap and you can put your platter and optical drives on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Avlectus Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I looked at a nVidia 580. Wow, those are pretty expensive. I'm currently playing with the idea of rendering arts, and this card performed best on tests, especially for the program Octane. It's slightly older, harder to find, and I'm aware it was considered overkill of sorts--why? I mean obviously whatever extra it has must be part of the prices being so much higher than, say, a 660 or a 660Ti. I'm aware rarity is a factor also. But seriously, what is it about a 580 that makes it at least as good if not so much better for rendering than a lot of cards of this generation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q Posted July 11, 2013 Share Posted July 11, 2013 Nothing. It was just the top single-GPU Nvidia card of its generation. The GTX 660 can more or less match it in most modern games while drawing over 100W less power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Avlectus Posted July 14, 2013 Share Posted July 14, 2013 I should clarify: this isn't just for gaming. Sure, playing SWTOR and a few other games ported from xbox360 and ps3 (super street fighter 4, street fighter x tekken, and others) will be among its duties. However, the 660 doesn't seem to work too well for some 3D modeling programs. I'm actually looking at 3D art rendering/modeling in addition. I suppose I have other options...Octane is compatible with poser. Though yes I was looking at the 660 especially since it isn't that much less powerful than its Ti counterpart--what maybe a 15% reduction for a ~$100 reduction in price? It's a good option for sure. I'm just not positive it will work as fast for some of those 3D programs. I know, 3D is 'overrated' but I'm kinda getting into it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q Posted July 19, 2013 Share Posted July 19, 2013 Hm. I would check out the GTX 760 and GTX 670, then. They're in the same ballpark as the GTX 580 price-wise and are more powerful. The GeForce 500 series is just a waste of money (and electricity) at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supreme kotor Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 Well do to a laptop failure while in another state and I needed laptop that day I was forced to buy this laptop. Would someone with a little more PC knowlandge than me mind to tell me how good it is for gaming and what are some of the cheaper upgrades I could make? http://m.bestbuy.com/m/e/product/detail.jsp?skuId=8890129&pid=1218932798414 Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q Posted July 21, 2013 Share Posted July 21, 2013 It has a decent CPU, and decent integrated graphics. It should be able to play even modern games at low settings. I would recommend upgrading the memory to 8GB, but it isn't crucial and you can afford to wait until memory prices go down. I would also recommend buying a stick that's identical to the one that's already in it. The most worthwhile upgrade for this and any computer that doesn't already have one is a solid-state hard drive. The prices on those are also pretty high right now and I would wait until they're lower before buying one. Get one of those and that laptop will be pretty quick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supreme kotor Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Sorry I'm a little late but thanks for the help Q. Your amazing! -Supreme Kotor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.