Anyone into PCs? Post your rigs here!

m4a1mustang · 12-29-2011, 10:59 AM

I wanted to do an AMD build for the $/performance ratio but I really couldn't justify it considering how well Sandy Bridge performs relative to the new Bulldozers in everything I am interested in.

Thanks to the holiday sales, I picked up my 2600k for $269.99 and got $50 off my ASUS board at Microcenter over the weekend... so those deals really pushed me over the edge. I only ended up spending maybe $20-40 more than I would have with an FX8120/8150 and I get better performance plus the option to upgrade to Ivy Bridge. Works for me.

Also to note... I've had Gigabyte, MSI, and now ASUS boards. Without a doubt the ASUS is the nicest one I have ever handled. Very well done!

That said, I still love AMD for the true budget builds. I am going to put together a Phenom II X4 option for Kaien when I get home. And it will give him the option to go Bulldozer in the future if he needs to.

KaienZ34 · 12-29-2011, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m4a1mustang

I wanted to do an AMD build for the $/performance ratio but I really couldn't justify it considering how well Sandy Bridge performs relative to the new Bulldozers in everything I am interested in.

Thanks to the holiday sales, I picked up my 2600k for $269.99 and got $50 off my ASUS board at Microcenter over the weekend... so those deals really pushed me over the edge. I only ended up spending maybe $20-40 more than I would have with an FX8120/8150 and I get better performance plus the option to upgrade to Ivy Bridge. Works for me.

Also to note... I've had Gigabyte, MSI, and now ASUS boards. Without a doubt the ASUS is the nicest one I have ever handled. Very well done!

That said, I still love AMD for the true budget builds. I am going to put together a Phenom II X4 option for Kaien when I get home. And it will give him the option to go Bulldozer in the future if he needs to.

Jeffblue · 12-29-2011, 11:18 AM

here is the new beast.

i overclocked the transistor :|

KaienZ34 · 12-29-2011, 11:21 AM

That's some bad stuff you got there jeff...

KaienZ34 · 12-29-2011, 11:26 AM

Would i still be able to use my cd/dvd player/burner in a newly built computer?

m4a1mustang · 12-29-2011, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KaienZ34

Would i still be able to use my cd/dvd player/burner in a newly built computer?

Yeah if you have a 5.5" drive that you want to port over you can do that. But new CD/DVD burners are like $20.

KaienZ34 · 12-29-2011, 11:34 AM

Cmike2780 · 12-29-2011, 11:35 AM

I've always wanted to build my own rig. Far too lazy and knowing me, I'd blow my budget buying the expensive stuff. If my Dell XPS craps out, I'll definately know where to go for advice.

m4a1mustang · 12-29-2011, 11:39 AM

I used to have an XPS 420 that I modded a bit.

IIRC it had a Q6600 2.4Ghz quad core, 8GB ram, and a 896mb GeForce GTX260 Core216. It was pretty fast back in the day. I remember the only way you could overclock the processor because of the locked bios was by putting a strip of electrical tape over one of the processor pins. It would bump the clock up to 3ghz, but since you couldn't adjust voltages and the stock cooler wasn't that great it would get very unstable.

KaienZ34 · 12-29-2011, 11:42 AM

Mad scientist....

The one i have now is an xps 600 but it's at the end of it's days.

m4a1mustang · 12-29-2011, 11:44 AM

What's your budget again? And how many monitors are you wanting to run...

KaienZ34 · 12-29-2011, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m4a1mustang

What's your budget again? And how many monitors are you wanting to run...

1k-1500-ish....I've only got the one 24" lcd that came with my xps so i'll probably still with that one.

m4a1mustang · 12-29-2011, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KaienZ34

1k-1500-ish....I've only got the one 24" lcd that came with my xps so i'll probably still with that one.

OK, one monitor makes it a lot easier to build a budget gaming rig.

KaienZ34 · 12-29-2011, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m4a1mustang

OK, one monitor makes it a lot easier to build a budget gaming rig.

cool cool

m4a1mustang · 12-29-2011, 04:42 PM

OK Kaien,

Since your budget is $1000-$1500, I decided it was high enough to go full Intel. I think at the $1000+ range there's no reason not to go Intel over AMD as you get the best performance. When you get under $1,000 I think there's a bit of a gray area where you could go either way, and then below $750 or so I think that's when AMD chips really shine.

So, for a $1,000-ish build with Newegg pricing:

Case: Antec 300 Mid Tower $69.99 (you could pick whatever ATX case you felt like using. I just used the 300 as an example)
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V/Gen3 $189.99
Processor: Core i5-2500K $219.99
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB DDR3-1600 (2x4GB) $45.99
HDD: WD Caviar Black 7200rpm Sata III $129.99
GPU: Sapphire 2GB Radeon HD 6950 Dirt 3 Edition $279.99 (I like this card of all the other 6950s because it has the BIOS switch that unlocks the shaders to 6970 levels, and it's got a great cooler allowing you to OC it past 6970 clocks if you so desire)
Power Supply: Corsair TX750 $129.99

Total: $1,065.93 excluding OS and accessories

That would be a pretty nice rig for single monitor gaming. If you wanted to spend more you could replace the i5-2500K with an i7-2600K and maybe get a second GPU to run in Crossfire if you plan on using a 3 monitor gaming setup like me, and/or add a SSD for your OS and programs.

The thing that pisses me off right now is that HDD prices have gone through the roof because of the drive shortage. A 1TB HDD used to be pretty cheap, now they run over $200. That's why I only chose the 500GB HDD for you... so you can just wait and add more space later at a cheaper price if you need to.

Anyone else have some thoughts?

12-29-2011, 10:59 AM	#1 (permalink)
m4a1mustang A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Northern VA Posts: 55,385 Drives: on two wheels Rep Power: 6963	I wanted to do an AMD build for the $/performance ratio but I really couldn't justify it considering how well Sandy Bridge performs relative to the new Bulldozers in everything I am interested in. Thanks to the holiday sales, I picked up my 2600k for $269.99 and got $50 off my ASUS board at Microcenter over the weekend... so those deals really pushed me over the edge. I only ended up spending maybe $20-40 more than I would have with an FX8120/8150 and I get better performance plus the option to upgrade to Ivy Bridge. Works for me. Also to note... I've had Gigabyte, MSI, and now ASUS boards. Without a doubt the ASUS is the nicest one I have ever handled. Very well done! That said, I still love AMD for the true budget builds. I am going to put together a Phenom II X4 option for Kaien when I get home. And it will give him the option to go Bulldozer in the future if he needs to. __________________ - Steve Zs & Coffee - Saturdays at 10AM in Fairfax, VA and Columbia, MD (Click the banner!) LIKE us on Facebook!

12-29-2011, 11:21 AM	#4 (permalink)
KaienZ34 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: LA. not L.a. Posts: 21,652 Drives: Z34 Tour/Sport Rep Power: 178	That's some bad stuff you got there jeff... __________________ *"These Violent Delights Have Violent Ends"* http://www.the370z.com/members/kaienz34-albums-z34.html

12-29-2011, 11:26 AM	#5 (permalink)
KaienZ34 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: LA. not L.a. Posts: 21,652 Drives: Z34 Tour/Sport Rep Power: 178	Would i still be able to use my cd/dvd player/burner in a newly built computer? __________________ *"These Violent Delights Have Violent Ends"* http://www.the370z.com/members/kaienz34-albums-z34.html

12-29-2011, 11:34 AM	#7 (permalink)
KaienZ34 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: LA. not L.a. Posts: 21,652 Drives: Z34 Tour/Sport Rep Power: 178	__________________ *"These Violent Delights Have Violent Ends"* http://www.the370z.com/members/kaienz34-albums-z34.html

12-29-2011, 11:35 AM	#8 (permalink)
Cmike2780 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Long Island Posts: 5,059 Drives: slowwww Rep Power: 29	I've always wanted to build my own rig. Far too lazy and knowing me, I'd blow my budget buying the expensive stuff. If my Dell XPS craps out, I'll definately know where to go for advice. __________________ [09][MB][6-Spd MT][Touring][Stillen Gen III][K&N][Borla CBE][Evo-R] [ArchitTEK Photography]

12-29-2011, 11:18 AM	#3 (permalink)
Jeffblue A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: NY Age: 37 Posts: 9,192 Drives: Z32TT & 335xi Coupe Rep Power: 38	here is the new beast. i overclocked the transistor :\|

12-29-2011, 11:39 AM	#9 (permalink)
m4a1mustang A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Northern VA Posts: 55,385 Drives: on two wheels Rep Power: 6963	I used to have an XPS 420 that I modded a bit. IIRC it had a Q6600 2.4Ghz quad core, 8GB ram, and a 896mb GeForce GTX260 Core216. It was pretty fast back in the day. I remember the only way you could overclock the processor because of the locked bios was by putting a strip of electrical tape over one of the processor pins. It would bump the clock up to 3ghz, but since you couldn't adjust voltages and the stock cooler wasn't that great it would get very unstable. __________________ - Steve Zs & Coffee - Saturdays at 10AM in Fairfax, VA and Columbia, MD (Click the banner!) LIKE us on Facebook!

12-29-2011, 11:42 AM	#10 (permalink)
KaienZ34 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: LA. not L.a. Posts: 21,652 Drives: Z34 Tour/Sport Rep Power: 178	Mad scientist.... The one i have now is an xps 600 but it's at the end of it's days. __________________ *"These Violent Delights Have Violent Ends"* http://www.the370z.com/members/kaienz34-albums-z34.html

12-29-2011, 11:44 AM	#11 (permalink)
m4a1mustang A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Northern VA Posts: 55,385 Drives: on two wheels Rep Power: 6963	What's your budget again? And how many monitors are you wanting to run... __________________ - Steve Zs & Coffee - Saturdays at 10AM in Fairfax, VA and Columbia, MD (Click the banner!) LIKE us on Facebook!

12-29-2011, 04:42 PM	#15 (permalink)
m4a1mustang A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Northern VA Posts: 55,385 Drives: on two wheels Rep Power: 6963	OK Kaien, Since your budget is $1000-$1500, I decided it was high enough to go full Intel. I think at the $1000+ range there's no reason not to go Intel over AMD as you get the best performance. When you get under $1,000 I think there's a bit of a gray area where you could go either way, and then below $750 or so I think that's when AMD chips really shine. So, for a $1,000-ish build with Newegg pricing: Case: Antec 300 Mid Tower $69.99 (you could pick whatever ATX case you felt like using. I just used the 300 as an example) Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V/Gen3 $189.99 Processor: Core i5-2500K $219.99 Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB DDR3-1600 (2x4GB) $45.99 HDD: WD Caviar Black 7200rpm Sata III $129.99 GPU: Sapphire 2GB Radeon HD 6950 Dirt 3 Edition $279.99 (I like this card of all the other 6950s because it has the BIOS switch that unlocks the shaders to 6970 levels, and it's got a great cooler allowing you to OC it past 6970 clocks if you so desire) Power Supply: Corsair TX750 $129.99 Total: $1,065.93 excluding OS and accessories That would be a pretty nice rig for single monitor gaming. If you wanted to spend more you could replace the i5-2500K with an i7-2600K and maybe get a second GPU to run in Crossfire if you plan on using a 3 monitor gaming setup like me, and/or add a SSD for your OS and programs. The thing that pisses me off right now is that HDD prices have gone through the roof because of the drive shortage. A 1TB HDD used to be pretty cheap, now they run over $200. That's why I only chose the 500GB HDD for you... so you can just wait and add more space later at a cheaper price if you need to. Anyone else have some thoughts? __________________ - Steve Zs & Coffee - Saturdays at 10AM in Fairfax, VA and Columbia, MD (Click the banner!) LIKE us on Facebook!

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