can a pc be built/bought to run ah on full eye candy for around $800?

[gyrene81]

you mean it's impossible to do it with amd?

semp

you're fishing ain't ya?  

since you're talking about your core i5 processor, tell us what else was changed on your system. surely you're not using the old mobo or graphics card you had with the dual core, and faster memory as well?

i hope you knew you could force fraps to run on a specific core and gain better performance by recording to a secondary drive that your game isn't running off of...

here's the thing, not everyone runs cpu hungry programs while gaming and an amd quad core cpu at 3+ghz has no problem with the basic multitasking of the average computer user, so why tell them they need to spend the money? especially when money is tight? not all of us are like ripley, we don't have money to flush on a computer that isn't intended to make money.

[guncrasher]

you're fishing ain't ya?  

since you're talking about your core i5 processor, tell us what else was changed on your system. surely you're not using the old mobo or graphics card you had with the dual core, and faster memory as well?

i hope you knew you could force fraps to run on a specific core and gain better performance by recording to a secondary drive that your game isn't running off of...

here's the thing, not everyone runs cpu hungry programs while gaming and an amd quad core cpu at 3+ghz has no problem with the basic multitasking of the average computer user, so why tell them they need to spend the money? especially when money is tight? not all of us are like ripley, we don't have money to flush on a computer that isn't intended to make money.

changed the cpu/mobo/ram, well the ram only because i sold it as a combo with the cpu/mobo.  graphics card is the same.  total cost for me was 300 bucks, to upgrade from my old e8400 cpu/gigabyte mobo/4gigs ocz ram, to a 2500k/msi mobo/8 gigs gskill ripsaw ram.  after I sold my old cpu/mobo/ram.

I hate wasting money on things that are not really needed.  but if you must spend the money, then I believe in spending it right.  now what is right is up to each one of us to decide.  and the more info we have the better each one of us can make a decision based on what we want and our budget.  we make purchases based on a lot of suggestions, but some of the suggestions I hear are more based on trying to justify what we got, be it the faster cpu intel has or some decent low budget amd cpu.  but the more info each person has the better.

I see people say things like amd is just as good as intel but cheaper, then again i notice things like amd only uses 1 core while intel uses 2.   which in my opinion is not the same thing, but then again let everybody make their own choices.  but not based on biased or misleading info regarding amd  or intel.  i believe some people are really biased on these reviews and that is not good for the community.

i notice that amd users are like ch users, they always go with things like all others are crap, it will last longer, you will save money long term.  which is not as accurate as it seems to be.

semp

[MaSonZ]

i agree Semp. im on my first build, new to the whole computer hardware/software thing, but i think its more preference and other deteremining factors as to what people use. I wouldnt mind switching to Intel just for the expierence and comparison, but i dont have the money or need to. will i ever? yes ill have the money, as far as the need? probably not. i have 6 cores right now, and though not the fatest CPU on the planet, its enough for me.

[ebfd11]

Well I know you can build one for under 800 and have it run AH great... here is the proof

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,318472.0.html

May have to get a different video card but that is under 800 and it runs great.

LawnDart

[gyrene81]

changed the cpu/mobo/ram, well the ram only because i sold it as a combo with the cpu/mobo.  graphics card is the same.  total cost for me was 300 bucks, to upgrade from my old e8400 cpu/gigabyte mobo/4gigs ocz ram, to a 2500k/msi mobo/8 gigs gskill ripsaw ram.  after I sold my old cpu/mobo/ram.

considering how you went about it, you saved yourself a good deal of money. think about what you would have spent if you had started over completely. cpu, mobo, case, gpu, psu, ram, hdd, dvd, monitor, operating system...well over $800 easy, especially if you bought quality components.

I hate wasting money on things that are not really needed.  but if you must spend the money, then I believe in spending it right.  now what is right is up to each one of us to decide.  and the more info we have the better each one of us can make a decision based on what we want and our budget.  we make purchases based on a lot of suggestions, but some of the suggestions I hear are more based on trying to justify what we got, be it the faster cpu intel has or some decent low budget amd cpu.  but the more info each person has the better.

I see people say things like amd is just as good as intel but cheaper, then again i notice things like amd only uses 1 core while intel uses 2.   which in my opinion is not the same thing, but then again let everybody make their own choices.  but not based on biased or misleading info regarding amd  or intel.  i believe some people are really biased on these reviews and that is not good for the community.

i notice that amd users are like ch users, they always go with things like all others are crap, it will last longer, you will save money long term.  which is not as accurate as it seems to be.

semp

i think you misunderstand something, i for one am not saying amd is the only choice. i build mostly intel systems and that's all i own at the moment. before the am2 & am3 socket amd cpu's came out i wouldn't waste my money or time on amd, not just because i knew a 2.0ghz amd was only equal to an intel 1.6ghz but also because the chipsets being used on the mobos were mostly unreliable crap. that has changed with the latest generation of amd products.

amd doesn't just use one core, you misinterpreted that. it's only in ah that a single core gets used, for other purposes all available cores will get used. most home users aren't using programs like matlab, sas, spss or oracle. they surf the web, play games, listen to music and money is tight. just looking at quad core cpu's with approximately equal core power, intel i5 2.8ghz $184 vs amd phenom2 x4 black edition 3.2ghz $119. for $65 difference the person could buy more ram, or faster hard drive, or higher quality power supply, or better motherboard, or better video card.

[gyrene81]

Well I know you can build one for under 800 and have it run AH great... here is the proof

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,318472.0.html

May have to get a different video card but that is under 800 and it runs great.

LawnDart

you cheated...   

replace that power supply while you're at it, may as well be running a belkin.

[SilverZ06]

Hows this look? Its more than I wanted to spend but I think it will do what i need it to and then some for several years to come. thoughts opinions?
1   



Antec Nine Hundred Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window
Item #:N82E16811129021

      

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K

Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
Item #:N82E16819115072


XFX HD-695X-CDDC Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

XFX Radeon HD 6950 HD-695X-CDDC Video Card with Eyefinity
Item #:N82E16814150548


Thermaltake Black Widow W0319RU 850W ATX 12V v2.3, EPS 12V v2.91 CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Thermaltake Black Widow W0319RU 850W Power Supply
Item #:N82E16817153106

   

Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" SATA 6.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #:N82E16822148697


G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Desktop Memory Model F3-8500CL7Q-16GBRL

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Desktop Memory
Item #:N82E16820231309


MSI P67A-GD65 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

MSI P67A-GD65 (B3) ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #:N82E16813130574

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit

and a cheap disc drive which i forgot to add.

[TequilaChaser]

back in April/May of this year, I built me a New AMD platform system.... because I had been down since Oct of last year on my existing system.... ( which was AMD and had been working fine until I messed it up during cleaning it out.... it was an AMD Athlon II 6400+ 3.2 Ghz X2  with 4 gigs DDR2 800 mhz Ram on windows 7 Ult 64 bit, with an ASUS 3870 512meg DDR4 VC and an X-Fi Xtreme fatality pro SC etc.... Antec 900 case PC P&C silencer 750 watt crossfire edition PSU )

check this link for my NEW PC - AMD specs from this past April/May:

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,314473.0.html


that PC performs top notch in aces high, with all shadows turned on and hires texture package set to 2048 in the login screen video settings, and the shadows textures set to 4096 in the Advanced graphics

it keeps that ASUS 27" Wide Screen monitor pegged at 60 fps at 1920 x 1080 res on DVI ( I do not use HDMI while gaming )


recently I got to talking with Drano, and Drano was fixing to build himself a new Intel i7-2600K PC with an SSD......... I decided I would join him and built damn near an indentical system to his except he went MSI on his 6950 2 gig videocard while I went with an XFX HD 6950 2 gig........... Drano went with a Crucial 300 128 Gig SSD SATA III/6.0 Gb/s  HD..... while I went with a Crucial m4 128 gig SSD SATA III/6.0 Gb/s

I am running windows 7 Ult 64 bit on the following build..... my first "personal Intel Cpu build" since 2001, and without the SSD it is not any better than the AMD system I built back in April/May ( exceept it cost several $100 dollars more not counting the SSD )
 
*Thermaltake Level 10 GT (VN10001W2N) Black SECC / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case
*Thermaltake Black Widow W0319RU 850W ATX 12V v2.3, EPS 12V v2.91 CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply
*ASUS P8Z68 Deluxe LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
*Intel Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600K
*CORSAIR CAFA70 120mm Dual-Fan CPU Cooler
*Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive
*HITACHI Deskstar 7K3000 HDS723015BLA642 (0F12114) 1.5TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
*CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CML16GX3M4A1600C9B
*XFX HD-695X-CDDC Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16
*ASUS Xonar DS 7.1 Channels PCI Interface Audio Card
*ASUS Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 12X DVD-RAM 8X BD-ROM 8MB Cache SATA Blu-ray Burner BW-12B1LT LightScribe Support
*LG Black 10X BD-ROM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA Internal Blu-ray Drive  DVD-DL Rewriter LightScribe Support - Model UH12LS28
*Koutech IO-RCM621 All-in-one USB 2.0 3.5" USB 2.0 Front Panel Multi-format Card Reader with USB 2.0 Port
*Hanns-G HZ281HPB 27.5'' 3ms Full HD 1080P HDMI WideScreen LCD Monitor Built-in Speakers
*TekNmotion TM-YB100A 3.5mm Connector Circumaural Black Yapster Universal Gaming Headset   <------ AWESOME lil $12.99 set of gaming headphones with Mic SERIOUSLY
*GIGABYTE GK-K6800 Glossy Black USB Wired Standard Professional Multimedia Keyboard  
*GIGABYTE GM-M6800 Noble Black 5+1 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB Wired Optical Dual Lens Gaming Mouse   <--- This is an awesome Cheap wired USB Optical Laser mouse SERIOUSLY
*Logitech S-220 17 Watts 2.1 Multimedia Speaker System - OEM  <----don't even bother ....... I gave this junk to my Mom


anyways......  that AMD 975 is running AH on 1 core while my new Intel i7-2600K is utilizing 2 cores..........  regardless of all the benchmarks and faster clock / slower clock BS........ I do not see what all the hype is about Intel blowing AMD away

edit: I have not just judged Aces High between the 2 PC builds.... burning BluRay discs, running my 64 bit AutoCad, converting movies ( using all 4 processor cores on each cpu ) etc....... I do not see where all the hype is coming from..... there! that looks better 

YMMV


TC

[TequilaChaser]

Hows this look? Its more than I wanted to spend but I think it will do what i need it to and then some for several years to come. thoughts opinions?
1   



Antec Nine Hundred Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window
Item #:N82E16811129021


Thermaltake Black Widow W0319RU 850W ATX 12V v2.3, EPS 12V v2.91 CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Thermaltake Black Widow W0319RU 850W Power Supply
Item #:N82E16817153106

   

Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" SATA 6.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #:N82E16822148697


G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Desktop Memory Model F3-8500CL7Q-16GBRL

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Desktop Memory
Item #:N82E16820231309



Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit

and a cheap disc drive which i forgot to add.

although the Antec 900 case is a very good one........ and has awesome airflow capabilities ( I have one myself )..... you will find that it is a pain in the rear to clean the fans, and it is very tight and hard to hide/route wiring

as for the 8500 RAM........ you should go with a minimal 1333 Mhz DDR3

as for the Seagate HD...... everyone has their preferences..... but I would recommend getting a Hitachi or a WD Black model over the Seagate


your PSU is an awesome choice..... I have the same PSU in both my Intel and AMD PC builds now........ and I dumped the PC Power & Cooling PSU's...... ( well, they will be put on a shelf once I get my replacements back from  PC P&C/OCZ group )


Good Luck with yor Build


TC

[gyrene81]

Hows this look? Its more than I wanted to spend but I think it will do what i need it to and then some for several years to come. thoughts opinions?
1   


Antec Nine Hundred Black Computer Case With Side Panel Window
Item #:N82E16811129021


Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K

Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor
Item #:N82E16819115072


XFX HD-695X-CDDC Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

XFX Radeon HD 6950 HD-695X-CDDC Video Card with Eyefinity
Item #:N82E16814150548


Thermaltake Black Widow W0319RU 850W ATX 12V v2.3, EPS 12V v2.91 CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Thermaltake Black Widow W0319RU 850W Power Supply
Item #:N82E16817153106

   

Seagate Barracuda ST31000524AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" SATA 6.0Gb/s Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
Item #:N82E16822148697


G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Desktop Memory Model F3-8500CL7Q-16GBRL

G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1066 (PC3 8500) Desktop Memory
Item #:N82E16820231309


MSI P67A-GD65 (B3) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

MSI P67A-GD65 (B3) ATX Intel Motherboard
Item #:N82E16813130574

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit

and a cheap disc drive which i forgot to add.

the only thing i have a question about is that mobo. barely better than zotac, jetway or roxconn...been burned a few times on msi. did you notice there is no indication what speed the 2 pcie 2.0 x16 slots will run if you use them both? if you're going to get a mobo with more than 1 pcie 2.0 x16 slot, make sure you know what specs there are if both slots are populated. unfortunately going with an 1155 or 1156 socket has limitations on what features and chipsets you can get with the mobo.

just based on some quick studying, i'd recommend one of these 2 mobos (better chipsets, better specs):

ASUS P8Z68-V LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131729

GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD4-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128494

[guncrasher]

the only thing i have a question about is that mobo. barely better than zotac, jetway or roxconn...been burned a few times on msi. did you notice there is no indication what speed the 2 pcie 2.0 x16 slots will run if you use them both? if you're going to get a mobo with more than 1 pcie 2.0 x16 slot, make sure you know what specs there are if both slots are populated. unfortunately going with an 1155 or 1156 socket has limitations on what features and chipsets you can get with the mobo.

just based on some quick studying, i'd recommend one of these 2 mobos (better chipsets, better specs):

ASUS P8Z68-V LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131729

GIGABYTE GA-Z68X-UD4-B3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128494

I have that same mobo (MSI P67A-GD65 (B3)) with my 2500k.  it is great.  awesome built in sound too, easy to overclock and it's a bargain for the price.  you dont know how to overclock?, then press the oc genie button and it will automatically oc to 4.2 in one second.  thing I like best about it is that it has a bios reset button on the back, so if any problems you can reset your bios without opening your case. 

this is the ram i have it works great too:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231429  16gigs 4x4
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428    8gigs  2x4

I also would not get the 900 case, there's some other cases that are also mid size but are bigger.  I have the tempest and it's roomier inside and it believe it has more fans for better cooling.  good luck with your build.

semp

[SilverZ06]

Ok I think I finalized my new system, Please tell me what you think. I have changed the case as well as the memory as suggested. I will probably order this weekend. Thanks for all of the help you guys have provided thus far. 
 

    SAMSUNG CD/DVD Burner Black SATA Model SH-222AL LightScribe Support - OEM
 

    Rosewill BLACKHAWK Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, come with Five Fans, window side panel, top HDD dock


    Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive


    XFX HD-695X-CDDC Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity


    Thermaltake Black Widow W0319RU 850W ATX 12V v2.3, EPS 12V v2.91 CrossFire Certified 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply


    Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound

 
    G.SKILL Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL7D-8GBSR


    ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
 

    Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K

   
    Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM


    COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible Intel Core i5 & Intel Core i7

[TequilaChaser]

Ok I think I finalized my new system, Please tell me what you think. I have changed the case as well as the memory as suggested. I will probably order this weekend. Thanks for all of the help you guys have provided thus far.  


    ASRock P67 EXTREME4 GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
 

    Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K

  
    Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM

looks like a nice build, SilverZ!

if you can swing you might want to step up to the Z68 series of that ASRock MB..... it is $35 more   reasons is it is newer technology chip and it also has a better Onboard Lan Port

also, if you are a student and/or have a student email address ( example  studentname@schoolname.edu )  you can get Windows 7 Professional 32 or 64 bit, your choice.... through the Microsoft Store for $29.99 until the special runs
out ( it does not list no expiration date )...... for an additional $14.95 they will mail you a DVD for backup purposes ( this is Windows 7 update version, but is the whole complete install if you didn't know )

this might save you a few dollars


good luck on your build

TC

[SilverZ06]

Thanks TC.

I ordered it all last night so hopefully ill be up and running on it by next weekend. I changed the memory again to a cheaper 8gb (cas9 instead of cas7) and added a 64g crucial ssd. I stayed with the cheaper p67 board as well because i just dont see myself utilizing the onboard video card of the z68 or the ssd cache.  This will be my first time building a pc and I cant wait. looks like a lot of fun and frustration. thanks for all your help 

[gyrene81]

silver, make sure you have the disk that comes with the mobo handy when you go to install windows...or find the latest ones from the mobo mfg support...i just spent hours fighting a windows 7 install because of the sata 6 raid controllers on the mobo i bought...didn't realize even win7 pro sp1 needed the controller driver when i have raid disabled in the bios 

had me thinking my iso image was bad...