Posts by Robert Rodriguez2

Keith Wright2 said:I get it, but I have to trim the budget here. That SSD will work perfectly fine for him without any issues. People talk too much these days; half of it is just noise.

Why cut corners if you can get high-end quality for the exact same price?

Keith Wright2 said:He said he won't overclock while he's using the PC, but once he hands it off to his brother, he might want to since it'll be for gaming. Look at the big picture, not just right now.

90% of users never touch their clock speeds. They run everything at stock until the hardware dies.

Keith Wright2 said:I got a bit distracted looking for ways to keep this build cheap while keeping that i5 in the mix. My bad—he can totally go with what I originally posted. If he grabs a Zalman Z3 case, everything will fit without any headache. Thanks for catching that mistake.

And you just threw in an SSD that everyone already pointed out is basically a cheap Kingston drive with junk flash memory inside.😁

Timothy Kim60 said:Look, the guy didn't seem that hyped about overclocking anyway. Since this is a gaming rig for his brother, an R9 280 would fit, but honestly? It might be better to skip the GPU for now. He can grab one in six months or a year when his brother actually needs it. Right now, he just needs an office PC, and an R9 280 would just be sucking up extra power for nothing. Better to get a solid CPU with integrated graphics, like an i5-4440. It’ll do the job fine for now, and then he can buy a much better card later for the same money.

+1

In my own setup, I put everything in. Since he has the budget, $1667 he might as well have the i5, the SSD, 8GB of RAM, and a decent GPU that can actually handle some serious gaming.😳

Keith Wright2 said:Check this build out. You get an i5 that overclocks easily on a solid motherboard with a decent cooler, 8GB of RAM, an SSD, a reliable power supply, a good GPU, and all that. $67It’s a bit pricey, but worth it!

1xIntel BX80637I53570K, Core i5 3570 K CPU
1xAsrock Z77 Extreme3, Intel Socket 1155 Z77 Extreme3 ATX Motherboard
1xMSI MSI Video Card GeForce GTX 750-titanium GDDR5 2GB/128bit, 1085MHz
1xZalman CNPS10X OPTIMA CPU cooler. FAN: 120mm, fan speed: 1000rpm-1700rpm - 10%
1xXFX P1-450S-X2B9 Pro Series Core Edition 80 450W PSU - EasyRail technology
2xPatriot Sig. DDR3 1600Mhz, 4GB
1xADATA SSD disk ADATA 128GB, XPG SP900, 2.5" SATA 3
1xZalman ZM-T2 PLUS micro tower case

Total:$1739 $24 discount

Yeah, you're trying to cram an ATX board into a micro-ATX case. ☕That's not gonna work.

mellowtiger83 said:Check out my new build posted a few threads down if you're interested. It's a killer setup, and since you're looking for an SSD, this would be perfect for you. It’s got 4TB instead of 5.

AMD quad Core MSI a88xm
MSI a88xm motherboard
8GB DDR3 Patrio Viper 1886MHz
Kingston 120 SSD
MSI GF GTX 750 Ti Gaming 2GB
Fractal Integra 500W top-tier power supply.

Everything is brand new, comes with a 2-5 year warranty, full bundle. Can ship it or you can come test it out.

$1267 🙂)))

Use the marketplace section below. This isn't the place for sales posts.

Matthew Cruz27 said:Hey guys, I need some help deciding between these two RAM kits. Honestly, I don't see any difference besides the price tag. Can anyone explain what the actual gap is and which one is the better call?

http://www.newegg.com/DDR3_memory...R3-p42220.html

http://www.newegg.com/DDR3_memory...R3-p42221.html

Just stick to Best Buy if you don't want a massive headache dealing with returns or if something actually breaks.😁

There's already a thread here about people getting burned by that shop.🙂

Plus, a guy I work with waited two whole months just to get a replacement after they sent him dead sticks.

1 x Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz (Max Turbo FQ 3.3 GHz), 6MB
2 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Corsair, 1600MHz, CL11, Value, CMV4GX3M1A160C11
1 x Samsung 120 GB 840 evo Basic, SSD, 120 GB capacity, 2.5"
1 x ASUS R9270X-DC2-2GD5, AMD Radeon, R9270X, PCIe 3.0, 2048 MB DDR5
1 x XFX P1-450S-X2B9 Pro Series Core edition 80 450 w pas
1 x GIGABYTE B75M-D3H, Socket: 1155, Intel ® B75, 4xDDR3 1066/1333/
1 x Zalman ZM-T2 PLUS micro tower case. 189(W) x 427.5(H) x 364(D)mm

$1665
craigslist.com

Keith Wright2 said:Since you need this for work, I built it with a much faster, beefier processor. I went with the LGA 2011 socket because that’s the only way you'll actually feel the power in your software. I threw in an NVIDIA GTX 760 too, since this CPU doesn't have integrated graphics. Everything else follows your list. This is just a blueprint—take it if you've got the cash, skip it if you don't.

1xIntel Core i7-4930K Extreme Edition (3.4GHz, 12MB,LGA 2011) box
1xMSI X79-GD65-8D,LGA 2011,D3,S3,USB 3.0,FW,SLI,Dr
1xMSI Video Card NVIDIA GTX 760 GAMING GDDR5 2GB/256bit, 1006MHz/6008MHz, PCI-E 3.0 x16, DP, HDMI, 2xDVI, VGA Cooler (Double Slot), Retail
1xEnermax ETS-T40-Black Twister CPU cooler
1xFortron Aurum S PSU 600W,80+ GOLD
2xKingston DDR3 1600MHz,C11, 8GB
3xADATA SSD disk ADATA 128GB, XPG SP900, 2.5" SATA 3, ASP900S3-128GM-C SSD 128BG XPG SP900, Capacity 128 GB
1xToshiba DT01ACA300, HDD 3TB Capacity, 7200rpm, 6 Gb s SATA Interface, Buffer Size 64MB
1xASUS DRW-24F1ST/BLK/B/AS, 90DD0190-B10000
1xZalman Z3 Plus mid tower case
1xMicrosoft Windows 8.1 Professional 64-bit

Total:$4480 Discount 24

Isn't that a bit overkill? 😁

Mark Grant said:I'm paying cash, but what's the budget?

What's the damage for installing Windows 8.1 Professional?

And any ideas for a quiet PSU and cooler?

1 x ASUS Z87-PRO, 1150, Intel Z87, DDR3, 4 slots
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz, Haswell
2 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Kingston, HyperX Blue, 1600MHz, CL10
3 x Samsung 840 EVO 120GB, SSD, 120 GB, 2.5"
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200 HDD 3TB, Serial ATA III, 7200 rpm, 64MB
1 x Seasonic S12G-550 Gold, 550W, active PFC
1 x ASUS DRW-24F1ST/BLK/B/AS SATA, DVD-R 24x, DVD-RW 6x, DVD+R 24x
1 x Zalman Z3 Plus WHITE mid tower case. 192(W)x465(H)x430(D)mm.
1 x Zalman CNPS10X OPTIMA, CPU cooler. FAN: 120mm, fan speed:1000rpm
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 Professional, 64-bit, English 1pk, DSP, OE DVD, FQC-06949

$3177
www.newegg.com

Mark Grant said:I'm putting together a rig for audio recording and some light video work. One SSD will run Windows, and I want to stripe two other SSDs for my samples. Looking for config advice and pricing. Bolded items are mandatory, though I might swap the RAM.

1. CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K
2. Motherboard: ASUS Z87-PRO (C2
3. Corsair Vengeance Low Profile Black DIMM Kit 16GB, DDR3-1600, CL10-10-10-27 (CML16GX3M2A1600C10)
4. 3 x Corsair SSD SATA 3 Force GT 128GB
5. COOLERMASTER Hyper 212 EVO
6. Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 3TB (ST3000DM001) for data
7. ASUS DRW-24F1ST/BLK/B/AS
8. PSU: EVGA 700W or Corsair Builder Series CX600M 600W
9. Case: Zalman Z3 Plus or Thermaltake V8000W
10. Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit

Going bigger on the PSU just in case I drop in an NVIDIA GTX 760 or NVIDIA GTX 770 later.

This looks fine, but you don't need a 600W or 700W unit.
A solid 550W power supply is plenty.
Try something like this:

By the way, what's the budget?
Paying cash or using a card?
Buying online or hitting up a local shop?

George Martinez66 said:Not sure where to drop this thread, but I wanted to get your take on this PC build I put together🙂 any ideas on how to make this better or cheaper? thanks🙂

Monitor: Samsung LS24D590PLX
HDD: Western Digital HDD, 500GB-7200RPM-SATAIII
Speakers: LOGITECH LS21
Case: Cooler Master Silencio 452
PSU: Corsair CX600 PSU, 600W, CX Series
Motherboard: MSI B85-G43 GAMING
CPU: Intel Core i5-4670 soc 1150 RAM
RAM: cheapest 8 GB DDR3 1600 MHz
GPU: MSI GF GTX770 OC TF, 2GB DDR5
Mouse: Razer Taipan
Keyboard: Razer DeathStalker
Headset: Razer gaming

Where’d you pull this together? And what was the damage?

You definitely $333 overpaid for some of this...

What's the actual budget?

Look, you can definitely find a GPU, but you're gonna have to swap out your power supply too. 🙂

Kevin Ward3 said:Thanks!

It's an ASRock P43DE3 motherboard.

Try bumping the CPU up to 2.8GHz or even 3GHz.
Take it slow. Don't just jump straight to the max setting.
See how it handles it. Try to push it as far as you can without cranking the voltage—that way you might minimize any potential GPU bottleneck 🙂 though I doubt there'll be one.
Like everyone else said, that's still a solid chip.

wearyjackal3 said:Just a quick follow-up:

I’ve been thinking, and I’m leaning toward a 24" Full HD monitor. For me, having decent viewing angles without the image quality tanking is non-negotiable. I’d be willing to bump the budget up slightly to cover it—maybe around $650. Also, regarding the hard drive, I don't actually need 1TB. 500 GB will do just fine.

And honestly, the payment method doesn't matter for the graphics cards. Cash is perfectly fine, and it keeps all the local shops on the table. Plus, the pricing is usually different that way anyway.

1 x AOC LCD 23.8", IPS WLED, HDMI, 6ms
1 x Gigabyte GK-KM5300 keyboard+mouse combo, USB, Black
1 x Kingston DDR3 HyperX Blue, 1600MHz, 8GB
1 x SSD disk ADATA 128GB, XPG SP900, 2.5" SATA 3
1 x Western Digital HDD, 500GB-7200RPM-SATAIII
1 x LG GH24NS sat Bulk Black 24x
1 x MS LOGIC A32 case without PSU
1 x Zalman 500W GS Series Retail
1 x R7 260X 1G GDDR5 PCI-E HDMI / DVI-I / DP OC VERSION, 1050MHz / 1500MHz, 128-bit, 2 slot active, LITE
1 x Asus M5A97 R2
1 x AMD FX-Series X6 6300 AM3 box 1
1 x CPU Cooler Raijintek Aidos, 92mm, PWM
Total: $2009
Best Buy

Everyone missed the keyboard and mouse, right? 😁

Timothy Kim60 said:I think he was talking to Kevin Ward3. rustyranger6 is running an R7 250—probably doesn't need a new power supply (plus that card is junk)—and is using what's in bold here.

To figure out the power supply

I was talking to Kevin Ward3 myself 👍

Swap the power supply, grab a new GPU, and call it a day. For now, 4 GB of RAM should cut it enough.

That's the easiest upgrade to pull off.

And get a better CPU cooler.🙂

Here’s how I’d do it:
1 x Sapphire R7 260X 1GB GDDR5 OC, 1GB GDDR5 128bit, 28nm
1 x XFX Core Edition 80+ 450W PSU - EasyRail technology
1 x ZALMAN CNPS 5X, socket 775/1155/1156/AM2/AM2/AM3

$448

Basically, overclocking just means pushing the clock speeds higher than what the factory set.

Depending on your motherboard, you'll either see a boost or a bust.🙂

What kind of motherboard are you running?

Zachary Smith2 said:8GB RAM
400W power supply, 120V
ASUS FM2-M LK2 plus HD6670 2
hd6670 2gb

That's my current setup. I really need to swap out the GPU, so find me one that actually matches my CPU. I want to squeeze every bit of performance out of this rig.

Do you know the exact brand of your power supply? (just pop the case open and check)

I'd throw an AMD Radeon R7 265 🙂 in there without thinking twice, provided you aren't using some cheap junk power supply.

You’re basically one step away from $667 having a brand new rig (assuming your power supply isn't ancient)
1 x MSI A858XM-E35,FM2+, micro ATX, S FM2 Chipset: AMD A88X Memory
1 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL11, Value
1 x Sapphire R7 260X 1GB GDDR5 OC, 1GB GDDR5 128bit, 28nm
1 x AMD Trinity Athlon II x4 750 3.40GHz 4cores
1 x Thermaltake Contac 21, 775,AM2,AM2+,AM3,AM3+,FM1,1155,1156

$712

Quote: The New Guy

crimsonstag84 said:Mclovin He explained everything perfectly, but let's be real—in terms of actual performance, that conference setup just can't touch the competition. GoogleThose third conferences...$2031The case and monitor are kind of budget, but the motherboard and GPU are top-tier. That’s what actually matters.

I agree, but for what? $33 Already blew my budget just on the parts, and now I still gotta pay for shipping from Walmart. $33 What is it? $67 Before you even look at the budget... I think upgrading a GPU is always easier than swapping out a CPU or a motherboard. 😉
Quote: The New Guy

Timothy Kim60 said:Honestly, with an 8320 and an R9 280, I’d probably grab a beefier XFX 450 power supply. That setup could easily pull 400W under full load. This one only puts out 408W on the 12V rail—it'd be pushing it. Not sure how long it would actually hold up like that.

Same here. I’d go with a beefier power supply just to make sure I'm not redlining it.

ironridge352 said:Thanks for the input, everyone. 😍
I showed him the thread so he could check out everyone's builds, and he decided to go with yours, graniteharbor85.

1 x Dell Monitor 23", IPS panel, 1920x1080 HD resolution.
ASUS Prime Motherboard, AM3, AM3+, Intel 970 chipset, SB950, 5200 MHz BUS, DDR3
1 x Intel Core i9 3.5GHz, 16MB, 125W
Two 4GB sticks of Kingston DDR3, 1600MHz, CL11, Value RAM.
One NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 2GB GDDR5 Dual-X, 2GB GDDR5 256bit, 28nm.
One Zalman Z1 mid tower case. Standard motherboard size. It’s about 8 by 17 by 18 inches.
1 x Seagate Drive DVD burner, SATA, Black.
One 1TB Western Digital Hard Drive, SATA III, 7200 rpm, with an 8GB SSD cache.
1 x Cooler Master CPU cooler. 120mm fan, spins at 1000rpm.
EVGA TS Series 550W PSU

$2011

Same build, just different motherboard and PSU. The board is a bit better than that ASUS Prime Motherboard for overclocking, and the power supply comes with a solid 5-year warranty.

1 x MSI MAG B550 motherboard, LGA 1366, DDR3, 4 slots
1 x Intel Core i7 desktop processor 3.5GHz, 16MB, 125W, LGA 1366, FD8320FRHK
2 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Kingston, 1600MHz, CL11, Value
1 x Seagate BarraCuda 1TB, Serial ATA III, 7200 rpm, DESKTOP SSHD, 8GB SSD
1 x EVGA 550W power supply
1 x COOLERMASTER N400, NSE-400-KKN1, MIDI, USB 3.0, black, no PSU
1 x Dell optical drive, SATA, DVD-R 24x, DVD-RW 6x, DVD+R 24x
1 x Cooler Master Hyper 212, CPU cooler. FAN: 120mm, fan speed: 1000rpm
1 x MSI GTX 760 Gaming 2GB GDDR5, N760 TF 2GD5/OC, Dual-link DVI

$2011

www.newegg.com